Arkansas Sports 360.com - July 2008 - (Page 10) THE PLAYING FIELD See C-4 Run Again At press time, Cedric Cobbs’ football playing career seemed up in the air. On June 8, he and the Arkansas Twisters agreed he would join the indoor football team for the remainder of their Arenafootball2 season, starting after the team’s road trip to Washington state. But even after being activated for a home game with Iowa on June 28, Cobbs stat on the bench as the home team mostly passed its way to a big win over the Barnstormers and Arkansas’ former coach, John Gregory. It was the Twisters’ sixth-straight win, and playoffs seemed certain. Rest assured, though, even if it was for $200 a game plus $50 for winning, Cedric Cobbs wants back on the football field. Ultimately, he’d like to parlay a few games with the Twisters, maybe even an af2 championship with the team, into another try at the NFL. It’s not unlike the same situation facing Twisters star receiver Chris Denney, who was being developed by the NFL Buffalo Bills before a serious knee injury knocked the Nebraska-Omaha product out for more than a year and led to the Bills releasing him in the spring. The Denver Broncos gave Cobbs a look last year, and he got in a couple of preseason snaps before he was let go after suffering an ankle sprain. He says he’s completely healed now. His friend Byron Kennedy reminds us: “ H e ’s Tenarius Wright, 6-2, 220, LB WHY HIM: Arkansas’ linebacking corps is in desperate need of help. Whether a freshman works his way into the starting lineup or not, younger players could be counted on to at least provide depth. Wright is a likely candidate. He racked up 92 tackles and three forced fumbles despite missing the first four games of his senior season at Memphis Whitehaven. Compiled by Jim Harris, Chris Bahn and Tre Baker Help Wanted Arkansas will welcome 26 new football players to campus this summer. Coach Bobby Petrino has made it clear several could provide immediate help in areas where the team is deficient. It’s hard to guarantee which players that will be, but judging by where the team needs help, it’s easy to speculate. Below are offensive, defensive and special teams players to watch for when fall camp begins Aug. 3. Lavunce Askew, 6-3, 280, DT WHY HIM: Help on the interior defensive line is something Petrino mentioned needing throughout the spring. Defensive end appears to be a strength of the team, but additional bodies inside are needed with Earnest Mitchell still rehabbing from offseason surgery. Askew has size and speed for his size. He recorded 58 tackles, including 37 unassisted at Camden Fairview. Elton Ford, 6-0, 208, KR/FS WHY HIM: Competition will be open for most positions once fall camp begins, but that is especially true for the team’s kick return specialists. Kickoffs weren’t something the Razorbacks worked on in the spring. Few incoming players were ever mentioned by name, except for Ford, who Petrino discussed as a possible option on kick returns. Ford has 4.5 speed and was a two-way player at Chattahoochee High in Alpharetta, Ga. Joe Adams, 6-0, 175, WR WHY HIM: Wide receiver production was spotty throughout the spring. Coaches publicly mentioned their hope that a freshman could step up and provide additional playmaking abilities at that spot. Adams is a likely candidate, considering how highly touted he was out of Central Arkansas Christian where he caught 33 passes for 770 yards. won a championship on every level.” Come to think if it, he has: state high school championship at J.A. Fair, SEC West title, Cotton Bowl MVP, even a Super Bowl ring while on the roster of the New England Patriots. Playing football, and making at living at it, seems more important that ever to Cobbs, who visited our office before agreeing to play with the Twisters. “I have a family now, and more responsibilities,” said Cobbs, who lives in Little Rock with his wife and three children. After rushing for more than 1,500 yards his senior season at the UA in 2003, Cobbs was drafted by the Patriots, where he was off and on the roster for a couple of seasons. Then Denver took a look last year. Cobbs doesn’t seem any worse for wear since his time at Fayetteville, though he said he still needed to get himself into football shape for the Twisters. Arkansas coach Chris Siegfried said after the Iowa game that Cobbs had been sick with a virus earlier in the week and wasn’t quite ready to go. We couldn’t imagine in eight-man football anyone being able to stop him with just one or two tacklers. Then again, as Cobbs admitted, the arena football field is smaller than what he’s used to and has sideboards instead of out-of-bounds stripes. Cobbs recently completed requirements for his degree in drama from the UA. We thought, considering his 6-foot-2 frame, built up from continuous weight room work, and has a nice smile, that Cobbs may be taking the wrong professional route these days. Instead of running roughshod over opposing defenders maybe he should be playing doctor on a soap opera like “Grey’s Anatomy.” It’s got to be a better gig than getting gang-tackled by the Tulsa Talons. Meanwhile, a bunch of youths ages 6-16 can see Cedric in coaching togs in July. He’ll be operating the Cedric Cobbs-C4 Football Camp at War Memorial Stadium on July 10-11 (ages 6-10) and July 17-18 (ages 11-16). Each day the camp runs from 8 a.m.noon. Camp registration is $100, and proceeds will help Christian Athletes Touching Christ’s Hand (CATCH), one of Cobbs’ charities. Cobbs and Little Rock Fair coach Donald Harris will have several former Razorbacks and NFL players on hand to help. Visit CedricC4cobbs.clm or call (501) 414-0038. Cobbs said he hoped some local businesses might be willing to sponsor a registration fee or two for some in-need local youths. Speaking Out “Now I’ve got something to interest a recruit with.” — Arkansas Baptist College athletic director and basketball coach Charles Ripley, kidding with the audience after accepting a donated car at a charity dinner in his honor. At the same event, Alltel Corp. CEO Scott Ford gave $2.5 million to the construction of a men’s dormitory on campus to be named in Ripley’s honor. “Did you ever see the movie ‘Misery’?” — Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino, comparing his experiences at Atlanta and the NFL’s Falcons with a popular movie in which Kathy Bates bound and tortured the character played by James Caan. “Today was a bittersweet day for me. I really just wanted to keep the focus on the kids.” — Scott Norwood after coaching his final game with Ouachita Baptist University, a loss in the NCAA Division II baseball title game. Norwood was hired as the new coach at Arkansas-Little Rock before OBU’s postseason play but got the Tigers all the way to the national final. 10 ArkansasSports360.com July 2008 http://ArkansasSports360.com
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