Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Normally sure-handed receivers dropped a pair of sure touchdown passes for Arkansas against South Carolina earlier this season, leading to questions for quarterback Tyler Wilson. Specifically, folks wanted to know how he handled the players when they got back to the huddle.

Wilson answered the question like the team captain he is. He also revealed a little about himself and how he appreciates being handled coming off a mistake.

“You pat a guy on the tail and keep moving, just keep his head up,” Wilson said. “That’s the way I’ve always been coached. Well, that’s the way I’ve always felt about being coached, rallying around people.

“That’s how I’d like to be handled.”

Even Wilson, lauded inside and outside the program for his toughness and grit, appreciates an encouraging word. Playing quarterback or any position under Bobby Petrino is a tough task and that’s why an assistant like Garrick McGee has been so invaluable to the Razorbacks over the years.

McGee was often cited as the good cop to Petrino’s bad cop. Even Petrino referenced that dynamic from time to time. McGee was routinely the encourager that countered the head coach’s grump.

Even when he wasn’t pleased with results form his players, McGee was cool in the way he handled it. McGee had a smooth way of getting across even the harshest of criticisms.

New England Patriots quarterback Ryan Mallett has credited McGee as a calming influence in his life and on the field. McGee was the guy who encouraged players — especially Mallett — to subscribe to the “Greenhouse Effect.” Essentially, that means while storms or temperature change might be happening outside, conditions remain consistent inside the greenhouse.

So with McGee headed to Alabama-Birmingham, you wonder where the calm will come from. Paul Petrino is rejoining the staff as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and for all his positives — knowledge, passion, familiarity with the Petrino system, ability to recruit — it is fair to wonder just how the role of calming influence suits him.

Paul Petrino was the guy who could often be found chasing receivers down the field, while in their ears. During his previous stint in Fayetteville he came across just as no-nonsense and as, for lack of a better word, intense as his brother.

No doubt Paul Petrino understands the hours that Bobby Petrino demands from his staff. Paul is another “grinder” and his return is a victory for consistency on staff. Clearly, the two work well together and have had a great deal of success in the past at Arkansas and even going back to Louisville.

Knowledge of the position won’t be an issue for Paul Petrino. He’s coached quarterbacks before at Southern Mississippi among other places.