Deseret News | BYU football: Y. knows there's work to be done

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BYU football: Y. knows there's work to be done

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In Response to a Few Ideas | 11:49 a.m. Jan. 9, 2009

I don't think you people really understand how much time goes into coaching a football program. Bronco is the earliest to get their and the last to leave. This is not nine to five job. It is a 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. job. On Mondays we only practice for an hour, but the rest of the week is usuall two hours and really heavy on tuesday and wednesdays. Yes, we do were pads during the week. We hit but dont tackle. We try to stay up off the ground. I agree with Bronco. Players need to prepare better and execute. You people are crying because the last three years we have gone 32-7 get out of town! I hate the BYU fans that constantly complain. The team will improve as a whole because of what is going on. The Coaches are great. This is for all those that are crying and complaining about a 10-3 season. The team has already started to lift and are doing conditioning exercises. They will be ready for every game next year. I hope that you will quit criticizing and look at the positive.
Go Cougs!

woody | 11:52 a.m. Jan. 9, 2009

re:knowwhat: If you have the guts, ask President Monson and I'm sure you will get your answer and a whole lot more,

I like BYU | 12:05 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

just they way it is

Comments continue below

Utah trolls | 12:10 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

Master looks after us now. We donï¿½t need you.

What?

Leave now and never come back.

No!!!

(louder) Leave now and never come back!

(bares teeth, growling) Arghhhh!

LEAVE NOW AND NEVER COME BACK.

We... we told him to go away! And away he goes,...

We now return you to your regularly scheduled TRUE BLUE BYU football discussion.

Re: "experts" | 12:16 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

All you experts need to just shut the up, and let the coaches coach. Bronco is 32-7 the past three seasons, I wonder if any of you could honestly do any better. It's easy to criticize from your Madden football chair with your can of whatever drink resting on your beer gut.

1. No the players growing dreadlocks and earrings will not make them faster, and I HATE that stereotype. You do not need to be a black guy with dreadlocks to be fast, give me a break, Collie doesn't have dreadlocks and he's going to the NFL, so I don't want to hear one more utarded person complain about our speed.

2. The fact that we haven't gone undefeated the past 3 seasons does not mean Coach Mendenhall should be fired. Any fan that expects that is ridixculous. Players come and go and the ability to have 10 wins or more for 3 straight seasons is phenomenal and speaks volumes about the program.

3. True there are changes that need to be made. THAT'S WHAT THIS ARTICLE IS ABOUT!!!!! I'm sure the coaches know what those changes need to be.

Go Cougars! The program is on it's way up.

Give it a few months | 12:26 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

Give it a few months Cougar fans. First we need to see how the dust settles with the recruiting come Signing Day. I think (hope!) Bronco and Anae and Hill will make adjustments to many things from this last season. The fact is, we need players like Te'o at lineback and some studs in the secondary to raise the overall impact of every player on the field.

good job | 12:25 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

Mendenhall,I am proud of the work he has done. 32-7 is pretty darn good. The secondary needs to be more athletic, that is pretty obvious. Dont you think Bronco knows that if 65000 people in the stadium do.
I was at every game and saw the cushion they had to give the wideouts. The scheme is fine He is addressing the speed. They did phenominal with the personnel they had. Just keep on improving.

gotta love | 12:30 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

the fan advice

from fans that have never even coached a peewee league team

not working, huh?

3 straight 10+ win seasons
3 straight Top 25 finishes
2 undefeated MWC titles
one of only 7 teams to win 32+ games in the last 3 years

go ahead, jump off the bandwagon if you're part of the instant gratification crowd

no doubt, you would have also jumped off the bandwagon:

--after BYU lost their first 3 games and tied their 4th after leading most of the game
--after Lee missed that chip shot field goal
--after losing that opening game to the Bears
--after falling behind 25-45 with 4 minutes left
--after all those turnovers in the '84 Holiday Bowl

bandwagon fans with sage advice on how to "fix" things

gotta love 'em

Real Athletes!? | 12:31 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

Remember what happened when we recruited "REAL" athletes. They all got shipped back to Texas and last year Pittman got shipped out too. BYU and Mendenhall are doing a great job with who they recruit, they just need to put it all together. Looks like Chambers will need to step in BIG for Collie. Good luck in the pro's Collie! Thanks for the great games and the memorable quotes!

It's called speed | 12:43 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

and BYU has none of it. BYU recruits skill players form Utah and even Utah county. WHY?? You know you lose to teams with more speed and you continue to go after the slow poly or white kids from Utah. Go out and recruit some athletes.

Improvement | 12:45 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

I believe Bronco should consider hiring an experienced offensive coordinator; he has had one whose only prior experience was offensive line. Apart from the glaring lack of speed on defense, the offensive coordinator deficiencies were apparent to all & contributed to the losses as much or more than the lack of speed.

Wow!!! | 12:53 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

I'm beginning to see the stupid fan mentality that ran Norm Chow out of Provo a decade ago.

There are some very valid criticisms for the way the season unfolded, but wanting to fire Bronco for a 10-3 season? From back-to-back conference championships to calls for his head within a single season? Are you people for real?

Sure, fire him. And replace him with who? Who in their right mind would coach for a team whose fanbase thinks 10-3 (2 losses to top 10 teams) deserves firing? As someone pointed out, go ask Nebraska fans how that works.

Nevada Blue | 12:55 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

BYU's offense was boring. They got beat because they were not creative and tried to perfect the same plays. The defense needs more speed and I believe that can be found without recruiting felons like Florida does. The Church has 12,000,000 members now. They don't need to look exclusively outside the church to get fast athletes.

I must agree that they need more blitzes. It was obvious all year.

They need to add a second QB in the backfield. He needs to be an option QB/Halfback. Laterals that go to him so he can run or hand off or pass down field. Not a triple option but a quad option or more. Do something new and exciting.

Anae is boring.It is that simple. Utah killed them because their defense KNEW what was coming on every play and I do not care how well you execute if the other guys know what is coming. If the Offense cannot keep the defense on their heels then the offense will get stopped. Utah proved it. TCU proved it. Arizona proved it, although BYU did diversify more there and gave me some hope for next year.

re: Wow!!! | 1:00 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

You need to learn to distinguish between real BYU fans who just want to see BYU improve, and Utah trolls who throw spitwads at the wall just to see if they'll stick.

"fire Bronco" is obviously a Utah troll.

re: In Response | 1:03 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

If you're a player, thank you standing up for yourself and your coach. Don't let comments here get you down (heck, if I were a player, I wouldn't read them at all).

Two words to fix offense | 1:12 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

Roger Dupaix.

To: Improvement | 1:46 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

If you think executing the same plays with precision is not important, You didn't live through the Crowton era, where we saw new plays each week, usually with bad results. Florida for the most part runs a very predictable offense with an occasional option thrown in. They win games because every player knows how to execute every play.

Anae has had remarkable success in his first 4 years as OC. Our offenses have been among the nation's leaders in most offensive categories. Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it. (An inconsistent Offense).

Please Coug fans, can we learn to support our team, instead of criticizing it? When we as fans get fully invested and raise the bar on our level of support, then maybe we'll approach what the team has already accomplished. Go Cougs!!!

To CBT | 2:27 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

I love it when you say "Beat Utah, JUST BEAT UTAH". The pain must be unbearable. The continued success's, game after Bowl game, after the final polls listing them in the TOP 4, has got to be eating at you. Are you having trouble sleeping, eating, relaxing? Simple solution, start rooooting for the Utes and all you troubles will melt away.

Go Utes
Kruger is still open

SoCalTrueBlue | 2:33 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

Bronco is a tremendous coach, a perfect fit for BYU. I hope he stays 20 more years. On offense, I would like to see more screen passes to Unga and (hopefully) Manase Tonga in 2009 and more running plays called when the run is working.

Reality Check | 2:48 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

Really, the teams they lost to this year are the best he has lost to over the last three years. Thats pretty high praise for Arizona, 5th place finisher in the Pac 10. Yes TCU and Utah were rated higher than any team they have been beaten by lately. However, the ability to overlook the whole picture is often the difference between changes and real improvement. The fact is that BYU has not beaten a team in the past 4 years that finished the season ranked in the top 30. They have in fact lost to any team that would be an upper half team in their conference. This inability to break through has been very consistent. It just so happens that this year they happened to be in conference. BYU certainly has achieved the level of being able to beat almost any team ranked below 50th. Much more should be expected. There is an entirely different level of practice, coaching, personnel and program that is required to reach that level of success. It is a level BYU has never been on. Hopefully they can get there but not until they call it what it really is.

the best analogy | 3:10 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

BYU beat the really bad teams, struggled with the bad->mediocre teams and was crushed by the good ones. There's a lot of work to be done on both sides of the ball, because in the end the only thing that counts are quality wins, not bullying terrible teams.

With that as context, I fear BYU football has a lot of mediocrity in its future

New Defense | 3:10 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

New Scheme, faster harder hitting corners and safties. Above all Bronco needs to be the head coach and turn the entire defense ovre to a really good defensive coordinator like Rocky Long.

kfb | 3:10 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

I would rather have a 10-3, BYU than a 12-0 team that didn't believe and live the values that the cougars does. Football is fun. Football is a good teacher. However, football is not all that important in life compared to most thing that are life and death and eternal! I hope that BYU goes undefeated and wins another Nat. Championship... However If that means getting guys that don't believe in the code of conduct that BYU espouses and lives it would be a hollow accomplishment indeed.

Bundy | 3:19 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

BYU changes

Defensive:

1. Go back to the 4-3 and actually pressure the QB.
2. Blitz like crazy, because you can't cover anyway.
3. Instead of 'Bend but don't break,' how about, 'Make the play, get the stop.'

Offensive:

1. Use misdirection and gamesmanship for once (not necessarily trick plays). Don't keep doing the same thing and expect your superior athleticism or execution to do it all. Keep the other team guessing.
2. Get a speed back, and quick receivers. We didn't have a single player with break away speed last year. Man I miss Curtis Brown.
3. No matter what the paper says, don't let your offense give into the hype, good or bad.

STOP! | 3:30 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

recruiting SLOW kids from Timpview.

They have not even played against a good HS team, let alone a good college team. All of their games are against UT county schools.

Haven't all of Lance's kids graduated HS? No need to go back.

Before some Unga fan jumps on here. Yes, he would be considered a SLOW kid from TV. I am guessing he will be even slower next year.

anonymous | 3:32 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

Speed. BYU needs it. And despite popular belief, fast athletes who are willing to live the honor code CAN be found outside Utah and certainly outside Provo.

RE: kfb | 3:32 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

You will get one of your wishes, a team that is 10-3. As far as you inferring that Utah's team doesn't have values or morales, you are sorely mistaken. (By the way, they are 13-0, not 12-0.) Scott Mitchell and Eric Weddle joined the LDS church with their association with Utah Football.
We also have players of other religions that are top notch student athletes. It is called "diversity". Who wouldn't want a Tim Tebow on their team. You shouldn't assume that BYU has a standard of person that is better than other programs.

Ignorant Fans | 4:13 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

There is not and never has been a "Bend but don't Break" defense under coach Mendenhall! There has been a 3-4 formation running Cover 3 and Cover 4 zone coverages. Many teams use such a scheme mostly in a 4-3 formation. Why? In 2005 BYU blitzed more then almost any team in the nation. The slow DBs couldn't stop the pass and were burned on numerous plays. Bronco took the same kids, changed the defense and they were great the next year. BYU did not give up that many long plays this year. The ones they did give up were do to players / safeties making mentall errors. If Fowler was where he was supposed to be in the Las Vegas Bowl, 3 touchdowns get taken off the board. It really is about execution. Ignorant fans just don't know that!

BYU Alumni in AZ | 4:17 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

Fortunately the Mountain West sucks enough that even while totally predictable BYU can win 10 games/year. And as long as Bronco wins 10 games/year its tough to criticize him (no matter how many flaws the armchair coaches see). If you win sixty games in three years you must be doing most things right. All this talk sounds like OU fans who hate Bob Stoops for constantly losing big games, but they guy has had OU at the BCS title game four out of nine years. Similarly, Bronco does well year in and year out, so lets not complain too much until we see the total wins/season drop below eight.

Priorities | 4:27 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

I have heard sooooo much about FOOTBALL being 5th on the list of priorities at the Y. At first that dies sound odd. Now let's look at those priorities:
1. God ( should football be here? At any university?)
2. Family ( should football be here)
3. Education ( should football be here?)
4. Friends (at a church school kids have to remember the savior's example)
5. What's left? How about football?

Anyone who has had to experience true sacrifice beyond what they experienced on the high school football field, would not dare place football higher then any of the tip 4 just listed. I have experienced sacrifice in Iraq and with my Mother, Bronco and BYU have their priorities straight. Maybe you need to ask yourself the same question? Appreciate your freedoms that allow your largest concerns to be about football. And salute those who stand for the ideals that enable you to do so E.g. Bronco....

everyone seems to agree | 4:35 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

this is not about standards and keeping the program clean blah blah blah...! its about winning and doing those things at the same time. if bronco can't be a little more creative in recruiting and calling plays and getting some speed etc etc then he will lose and he will be fired. everyone seems to agree that they lack some serious creativity. max hall and anae became so freaking predictable it wasn't even funny.

Gotta love it... | 4:37 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

I loved the UNGA comment.....from STOP!

Word from the players at BYU is right after all the players have just completed the conditioning phase of practice....guess who shows up just in time to miss it?

UNGA!

Nice Unga! No one will ever accuse you of being better as a Senior than you were as a Freshman!

I can still hear Iverson....Practice, PRACTICE!

RE: Wow!!! | 12:53 p.m. | 4:37 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

AMEN AND HALLELUJAH.

All you fair-weather, perfectionist, and Y-ner so-called "BYU fans" need to CHILL OUT. BIG-TIME.

What would you rather have, Y-ners: 10-3 or 3-9? If Tom Holmoe listened to all you so-called "experts," we'd have 3-9 football or worse in Provo. Talk about throwing the baby out with the bathwater!

Get rid of Anae? For what? How do you know he WON'T learn from what happened this season and be even better the next? Give him the chance, people.

Bench Max Hall? For what? Leading BYU to those 10 wins and making mistakes in those 3 losses to quality teams? Give him the chance to improve and show he learned from his mistakes, people. Yes, he made them--but it only shows he's human. Humans can learn and improve.

Fire Bronco? For what? Do I really need to say more? One word for you people: MEDICATION.

Biggest bunch of Y-ners I've ever seen in my 30 years of following Cougar football.

Fickle Fans | 5:06 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

The core is set, for the most part. I'd like to see BYU use Junior College recruits better, to fill in gaps in depth from year to year (speed). Walk-ons, freshmen, and redshirt freshmen have their place, but JC players need to fill in more where needs aren't being met (pass coverage).

But BYU had the offensive weapons this year. The same core that took it to the MWC the previous year, was back. The difference was a competitive edge. BYU practiced hard leading up to the season, and usually played hard in games, but there was a lack of urgency when preparing for competitors who had an underdog edge.

I'm not going to sit and cry about a 10-3 BYU team, just yet. Weren't some Ute fans calling for Kyle's head the past two seasons? Just one season removed was a pretty low point with a shutout loss to UNLV 27-0. They were 1-3 to start that season, and then ended with a record of 9-4. The one thing whiney fans forgot is that a team with so much potential would be returning the next year.

BYU should have the most motivation and the best returning team next year.

Cougar Blue | 5:51 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

Bronco,Get rid of the priority list and that stupid Haka!! Why get the other teams all fired up before the game?

Weakness shows.. | 6:38 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

Coach Olmer sticks out like a sore thumb. BYU has produced a whole crop of Chris Smiths. I have never seen a BYU team with less strength. Sure we lack speed but that becomes more of a recruiting issue. We have the multi-million dollar strength and conditioning facility. Why is it that our line both "O" and "D" , linbackers and DBs are so weak? This is a glaring problem that is not being addressed. Trust me our opposition sees it on any given play. For crying out loud our strength and conditioning coach is out of shape himself!! Look at him. Would you hire a fat personal trainer for yourself? Would you have a chef with hygene problems work at your fine restaurant? Time to question the coach not producing even average strength at BYU. TIME FOR CHANGE.

Illinois Cougar | 6:47 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

Stop with all of the wholesomeness! Start recruiting criminals and party hearty-types! Works for everyone else. I am sure that we can find some ecclesiastical leader in Provo that understands our priorities!

The new recruiting rules:

1.Don't recruit anyone with out bullet or knife scars!
2. Anyone who can't cite direct experience with Street Gang Violence is prohibited from playing defense.
3. All Polynesians must provide proof of cannibalism within four generation.
4. Linemen must have facial tattoo's and eye brow piercings.
5. Linemen must also prove that they bulked up while lifting weights in the "Yard".
6. Any player that earns more than a 2.3GPA in any one semester is off the team!
7. Players raised on the mean streets of Salt Lake or Utah Counties can go to USU or Weber.
8. All receivers must have document-able 40times of 4.3 seconds, as evidenced by law enforcement.
9. While manslaughter conviction is not mandatory for line backers, it is highly encouraged.
10. The head coach must stop holding game night firesides at the local stake center and start attending AA meetings at the county Lockup (good place for recruiting talent!).

Re: Illinois Cougar | 7:47 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

Seriously that is the solution to all of our problems.

Re: re: Wow!!! | 7:49 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

I second those comments, all the Y-ners need to go join the Ute fans. Kind of like how the king men joined the Lamanites.

Re: Bundy | 7:51 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

We actually have a lot of break away backs faster than Curtis Brown (Bryan Kariya, JJ DiLuigi, and other new recruits and RM's coming in), they really just seldomly get used and I look forward to when they do.

Get a Clue Zoob | 8:21 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

"If all the best LDS athlets committed to BYU with a blend of good non LDS athlets with the desire to live the same standards it would be top 5 team evey year."

Every year except the last 3 and the Quest for Perfection season. Utah was ranked #4 and #2 in 2 of the last five years, during the same time BYU was MWC champs but no where close to top-10 teams in the nation.

Get over yourself, in order to be #5 you have go through Utah.

What is an LDS athlete? I wonder if ND looks for Catholic athletes?

Now if a Ute made that comment you guys would laugh. So I'm laughing now!!

Ed in Atl | 8:40 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

Give Covey a try at QB and put JJ in.

Anonymous | 8:42 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

Work to be done?

YA' THINK?!

Lots and lots of advice | 8:57 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

This board has more advice for Bronco than he could ever possibly use. BYU football is already accomplishing its purpose. It brings notoriety to the university and its programs. It advances the cause of LDS missionary work and missions for young men. It gives BYU fans in other parts of the country an opportunity to pull for the university on the athletic field (and sometimes even go to see them). It gives the students somewhere to do something constructive on some Saturdays in the fall. Vince Lombardi's words about winning being the only thing never rang so hollow.

Give it up | 10:36 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

Did I hear correctly--Bronco is still calling the defense--c'mon "Give it up". Insist on your coordinators being true students of the game--being better prepared and start preparing the players better. Is it true the Y only practice half the allowed practices by the NCAA before their bowl game? Bronco come on let's get back on track, no more same old excuses --let's show em what cougar football is all about. Bring the game back and start dishing out some pain. If players aren't cutting it, then give some of the other eager player a chance--who knows it may be a wake up call to the non-performers. Let's give up the slogans, and boring cliches and get fired up and bring some life to the team. TCU game was a joke, BYU look like they were still attending a fireside. You can do better Bronco --now let's see it.

Bronco's Awesome!! | 10:42 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

Hey all you fair weather fans... Bronco's Awesome!!
One okay season and you all want him fired you bunch if nit-witts!!

Take it easy | 11:40 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

I think Bronco knows what he's doing. Give him a break! They just had their third straight season with 10 or more wins for crying out loud!

Henry Drummond | 11:46 p.m. Jan. 9, 2009

I think Bronco is doing the right thing. On offense they have a good scheme, they just need to get better at reading defenses and adjusting to their opponents strengths. Frankly they played TCU, Arizona, and Utah the same way they played San Diego State. You're going to get away with some plays against a rebuilding team that are going to backfire on you with higher competition. On defense speed would help, learning the position would help more. I think allowing your defensive coordinator to call the plays if he's coaching the players would be a good idea too.

I like the fact they are dropping the slogan nonsense. Slogans don't win games. Hard work does. I have a feeling the Haka dance will go next. That is really so high school and is frankly disrespectful of your opponent. I like the tradition that Urban Meyer brought to Utah of the team singing school songs after the game with the student section whether they won or lost. That seems far more fitting of a college team.

Ute Fan | 12:08 a.m. Jan. 10, 2009

I watched several of the Y's games this year and they had a pretty potent offense with Hall, Collie, Unga, and Pitta. I think Pitta should have been used more.

It struck me that they needed bigger, stronger linebackers - especially in the middle. I was at the UW-BYU game and UW's sophomore QB (Jake Locker) was running right over the BYU LBs.

About the only fault I could find in Mendenhal was the lack of preparation for Arizona. The team lacked intensity and it showed. U of A was better than billed (USC only beat them by 7) and it seemed to me that BYU figured they were going to crush them.

Look at it this way, if Utah wouldn't have had such a historic year and BYU could have pulled off the win over U of A, everyone down in Provo would have been happy with a 2-loss season, a bowl win, and a top 20 finish. Complacent?

Mendenhall has done a great job! | 2:25 a.m. Jan. 10, 2009

Most coaches would envy a win-loss record like Mendenhall's.

In addition, all this talk about the Honor Code limiting recruiting is nonsense. Highly coveted recruits usually learn from their player-hosts that if you become a starter or even a frequently used backup then the honor code has considerable flexibility.

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