Offensive line coach praises Mendenhall

People wonder about Bronco Mendenhall's use of symbolism and public-cited scripture as a football coach, but offensive line coach Jeff Grimes says there is no misunderstanding of the message behind the scenes.

And Grimes likes it.

Since his hire at BYU two years ago, some of Grimes coaching peers asked him if he could choose a head college coach to work with, who would it be?

Names like Steve Spurrier and Joe Paterno were discussed.

Grimes answered Bronco Mendenhall. The friends asked why.

"First, there is nobody like him anywhere," Grimes said. "I don't know a coach even close like him. Second is his philosophy, the things he believes in, and the way he coaches discipline and accountability are exactly what I believe in. Why wouldn't you want to work with someone who thinks just like you?"

Examples. And these don't come from Grimes. Before Grimes came to BYU, the following stories leaked out of the old Cougar regime.

Item: Highly touted freshman lineman Ofa Mohetau received a traditional hazing during one of his first practices. In the locker room, before the big Texan arrived to dress, some upperclassmen hid his shoulder pads. Upon arriving to dress, Mohetau looked all over, confronted people, then, ticked off, just left and went home. The next day, coach Gary Crowton got after the team for teasing the freshman. Mohetau got off reasonably easy for just quitting and not showing up.

Item: Two years ago, starting offensive lineman Jake Kuresa missed the team bus to Sam Boyd Stadium for the UNLV game. Frantically, he found a ride and arrived right before kickoff. Kuresa started that game.

In Bronco's world, Mohetau and Kuresa would have faced dire consequences to compensate for breakdowns in team accountability on the practice field and team bus. Today Kuresa, though recovering from surgery, is a mature team leader and potential all-conference tackle. Mohetau left BYU days after Mendenhall was hired.

Back to Grimes.

A year ago in his first spring as offensive line coach at BYU, Grimes thought he made progress. He sold his philosophy, found some good athletes to work with but had no depth.