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It's time for Cougar football to evolve

Max Hall needs a MAJOR attitude adjustment. I think that he could really learn from the character of John Beck who had to fight for that 11-2 season in 2006. Also he should walk around with a football and learn to hold on to it, that's a fun little thing our players did in high school was to learn to hold on to the football, so we would carry footballs around everywhere we went to help us remember. Max Hall, and perhaps BYU as a whole is in a position, as much as I hate to say it, to have to fight for respect, except for instead of proving that we can win the conference, that we CAN compete nationally, by first winning the conference. After the last two losses, we have to make other teams respect us.

The 2009 team can be really great, right now that's what we can hope for. The new O-lineman will fill in the holes nicely, there are a lot of promising young players in the trenches that I feel will adjust after a short time. We return 8 starters on defense instead of 3 like this year. Experience does great things!

Max could learn a lot from John Beck. I think BYU's leaders in 2009 should try to learn from the 2006 team.

Or Sean Covey. Or Blaine Fowler.

If BYU is a quarterback factory, it's only because for every Steve Young there's like eight Bret Engemanns

Hall is a good college quarterback. He's just not an immortal one like Jim MacMahon.

Don't act so superior Coach Mendenhall. BYU is a university just like Utah and TCU, etc. It doesn't have such a lofty mission that it stands so far above the rest as you seemed to indicate at the beginning of the season. BYU just becomes a target when folks like you get on their pedestal. Get down to reality.

I don't think further proof is needed to realize you can't effectivly run the spread with an immobile QB. The idea in outnumbering the defensive players within the box only works when you have the threat of your QB rumbling for a substantial gain. Brian Johnson passes about as well as my grandmother with a pathetic rating yet the yutz score when they need to. Maxis can pass but ask him to make good choices on the field, under pressure forget it. His "what do I do" int for a TD at CSU showed that field IQ isn't his talant. Add in myopia in staring at his primary WR, oblivious to the other 3 or4 wideouts. I pray Riley Nelsen is ready to compete.

I'm not reading these articles anymore, I don't care if it's on this paper or on total blue or any network that talks about cougar football. I don't care what they're eating in the off season or how many recruits they have committed already, I don't care what kind of work out they are doing or who looks great in the summer......What I care about is what happens in the season, they either win or lose and that's all that matters to me. So senseless articles like this only irritate me more...as a cougar fan, I want to see them do what Utah did this year and that will only happen once every game has been played so put up or shut up. Take a lesson from my Grant Pacers of Sacramento, the same Pacers that beat Utah and Idaho's state champions in Alta High and Highland High. So please already, stop the quest talk and other stupid quotes because in the end, Utah did what we couldn't do. Good luck to TCU, Utah and any other MWC team still in bowl games.

BYU's problem is arrogance. The Great and Spacious Building of pride is what brought the cougars down. The had their sights set on BCS and then failed to live up to their own declared expectations. Perhaps they should learn from the Ute's coach who prepares his team for the game, not the season. Winning games sends you to the BCS, not bombastic declarations of how good you are. As pride goeth before the fall, pride--unfoundad arrogance is what knocked the mighty cougs of thier own self-constucted stage of ego.

2008 losses came down to 3 things:

1. Ball security - forced passes and QB fumbles, maybe this just comes with maturity and a dose of humility.

2. Defensive secondary - we need some speedy junior college transfers to shore up the outside and protect the flats, too many easy first downs for the competition, "bend and don't break" defenses do break against good teams.

3. Cougs need to shake up their offensive play calling since there were very little long ball plays (and when they did they looked rusty), very few new plays making them predictable, no sweeps, no inside shuffle or slant passes, no passing to more than 3 receivers a game.

Let's talk a bit about the receivers. If it weren't Collie, Pitta or Reed, then Hall was confused. BYU great QB's of the past were able to check off their 1st, 2nd and 3rd options and still make completions. Hall seemed to get antsy if his 1st was covered. Where were the other receivers like Ashworth, Mahuika, White this year? Why did we not hit Fui and Unga out of the backfield more often? Mixing it up would have helped Collie and Pitaa get open.

I'm asking Santa for two things,

A defense and give Max the ability to look past the primary receiver.

Thanks for a good season cougars.

It could have been better but it also could have been a lot worse!

I mentioned these weaknesses of the Cougars about 6 weeks ago. Some blogger said how hilarious I was. Now what do you say? I was right from the get-go. Coach Bronco the onus is on you. There has to be some changes made! This is embarrassing. Tell the players to stay away from the media! They brag but do not perform. Open up competition at quarterback. We need leadership. A glowing per-cent on paper does not equate to pass completions or ball security. I am happy the 1st poll dropped BYU out.

The cougs didn't fade. They won and lost all the expected games. The Cougs recruiting classes typically rank in the 30's, and that is where they usually end up in most computer rankings. Enjoy them for who they are. I congratulate them on another fun year.

Harmon must have forgotten the details about the 2005 BYU/Utah game.

That game ending pass to Reed was not a "game winning pass" but a "game tying pass".

If the pass were successful, we would have gone to double overtime. That certainly isn't a guaranteed win.

Needs to embrace all of his receivers and not just Pitta and Collie. He developed tunnel vision and only went to those two receivers and that led to the demise of the offense. Anae needs to learn to use that which is working. If the opposing team can not stop the run, go to the run. No brainer. Unga needs to run like he did his freshman year and stop tippy toeing around. He's a running back, not a ballerina. Bronco needs to stop with the flowery speech and talk like a football coach. He's definitely read too many self help books. He could take a lesson or two from Jerry Sloan.

I'll tell you what, Dick Harmon. I don't want BYU football to evolve at all. First and foremost, I want it to represent the VALUES of the LDS Church, and to evolve, as you say, would require bringing in more athletes who don't have the interests or the values of the Church first in their minds. I think BYU football is just fine like it is. Too much money is spent on it as it already, in my view, that would be better used strengthening BYU's less than stellar graduation rate among it's players. For every nutjob in Utah County whose personal identity is riding on every Cougar victory, the rest of the membership of the Church is just fine with a great 10-3 record and the investment made in the program at its present levels. So lets forget the "evolution" talk.

need to change his attitude and then the attitude of this team with change. They are just average right now. This is a footall team that represents BYU. This is not a heavenly team on a heavenly mission. Our divine power does not care who wins. The team that is the best prepared will win. There is a major problem. The MWC is getting stronger BYU is not. But Utah will lose tons of talent. Maybe BYU can beat them next year. Men denhall says that he never reads the paper, never read any criticism or imput. Maybe he should !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All BYU needs is desire, speed and a improved coaching staff that can make adjustments in games. As has been mentioned the teams/coaches knew what BYU would do. Game adjustments and play calling seemed to be lacking, Is Hall the leader that is so important to success? How does mental errors and sub-par play impact the rest of the team? BYU has a lot to consider in their program. The lack of quality players shows.

Harmon is just like BYU. When the program is on the rise, Harmon is as big of homer as there is. When the program is subpar, he's the first to abandon ship. Go back to that Provo paper.

A breakdown of BYU's losses:

TCU: far superior than BYU athletically. Couple this with the fact that they came out fired up with a chip on their shoulder, the game was over at the opening kickoff.

UTAH: 2 minute drill at the end of the half was running smooth until, with only one time out and the ball at midfield, a halfback-option play was called-with the ball being thrown to the middle-hitting a Ute in the hands. Next play, same play, this time interception, leading to TD and Ute 10 point lead instead of a tie or a BYU 4 point lead.

ZONA: poor, poor, poor, poor, poor execution. Mr All World Collie dropping pass in red zone, same with Reed. 3 missed FGs. 3 turnovers by Hall.

What do all three games have in common? DivII quality defense and poor play calling.

Flash for the Y's staff: there are better recruits else where than Timpview. Why not look out of state a little more often?

As I recall, there are over 300 football teams in America. Regardless of competition, schedules and opposition, how many of them were able to win ten games or more in three consecutive years? Very few. As a life long football fan, I remember five years ago praying for a winning season. The Cougs have won 32 of their last 39 games, and getting better. Building character, improving the quality of the student athletes to contribute wherever they go after football, while giving us unbelievable entertainment is far more valuable to me than going undefeated. Stay committed and loyal. An ounce of loyalty is worth more than a wagon load of criticism.

Note differences:
1. Beck spent hours on his own initiative watching game film of a loss and a poor performance.
2. Hall, stated that he Never watches his poor performances/losses. Coaches forced the team to do so after Utah loss. Hall never came out and said the Utah loss was on him. He kept talking about the team. That's fine if your attributing praise as the following illustrates. Hall taking responsibility (true or not) would have spoken volumes about him being a "Level 5 Leader".
Note: Bronco cited the book "Good to Great" as key for his program.

Key Point of book = "Brutal Self-Honesty" & the concept of the "Window & the Mirror".

Hall, its not just about trying harder! Its about owning issues and finding the root of the problem.

The Leaders of the organizations in the book that moved from (Good - Great) were brutally self-honest about where they were. They were their own harshest critics. They ALWAYS looked out of the "window" to assign praise and looked in the "mirror" to assign responsibility. Bronco and the coaches do this VERY well. Hall Doesn't! He should!!

"Good is the Enemy of Great" Too easy being just GOOD