Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Quick: what’s the first thing that pops into your head when you hear that golfer John Daly and former Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett were recently hanging out together?

Unless you imagine the two going out for a round of golf, chances are, the first thought is not a good one. Daly is notorious for his off-course struggles. Mallett has been dogged with questions about his off-field life, despite no evidence to substantiate the rumors.

Hearing the two were paired together might raise some red flags. It just doesn’t seem like a good way for Mallett to battle the perception that is out there, no matter how untrue it might be.

While it’s true the two were recently together, there’s good explanation. Daly joined Mallett as part of the Jon Gruden Quarterback Camp special on ESPN.

Best I can tell, it was a surprise to Mallett that Daly, an Arkansas native and former Razorback, was asked to sit in on a film study session with Gruden and Mallett.

A portion of the show was Daly explaining what Mallett can do to be successful as a professional athlete. Daly said:

“Well, I hit it big real early. So, I didn’t know how to, the first thing I wish I would have done, instead of worrying about how to handle everybody else, ‘How do I handle me?’ I did a horrible job. I wasn’t ready for it. I think the most important thing for Ryan is how is he going to handle himself, whether it’s an interview or whatever, think about the question before you answer it. Some of the things you’re going to do off the field, think about the responsibilities. Because I learned the hard way, I’ve had to do it pretty much on my own. I didn’t have a lot of help. ... What I’ve also learned, it’s not about your talent anymore, it’s what you do with it. … If he does everything the right way, he’ll be winning Super Bowl rings.

Daly, who is working to clean up his image, gave some good advice.

But it seemed like an unfair spot to put Mallett in. Folks often assume the worst and for a guy working hard to prove to teams and media that he’s a solid man of character, having Daly hanging around doesn’t seem to help.

It struck me as an unusual decision by Gruden and/or ESPN. On the other hand, it probably guaranteed an extra viewer or two. Maybe that was the point.

Daly was only a small part of the 30-minute special. Mallett broke down film and drew up plays for Gruden, a former NFL coach and current Monday Night Football analyst for ESPN.

There were a couple occasions when Mallett seemed to impress Gruden with his abilities to break down film and draw up plays on a dry erase board. Gruden said the Arkansas offense contained "a lot of concepts that are relative to the NFL."