Comments about ‘Utah Utes football: Williams now on a mission to tackle’

I look forward to seeing him play. Man, we are deep at linebacker. Which is good since Sylvester and Wright are seniors.

Just my opinion, but I think Utah football provides an alternate blueprint to BYU of how things could be run: Accomidating of missions, but recruiting high-character athletes reguardless, both LDS and non-LDS. The current Utah program represents Utah well and would represent BYU well if they were at that university- very few off the field issues.

I'm sure glad to have J. J. back !
I remember J.J. as a very smart man , a good student in class, a canny linebacker, and a very determined and hard worker. Coach Whittingham is stacking them deep and with three more years to play he is going to be a great addition to the team. His loyalty to the Utes can only be admired. Whittingham is still reloading quality players.
Welcome home J.J.

Amen!
Great kids in both programs.

...Austin Collie said they beat the Utes because they were living right on and off the field, suggesting the Utes were not?

Well, these are the types of players Collie said were not living right on and off the field. I still find it amazing that Bronco let that type of personal insult of an opponent fly without a reprimand. Then again, maybe Bronco agrees with Collie, that guys like J.J. Williams are not living right on and off the field since they are not at BYU.

I am a Utah fan who believes Collie meant no ill will against Utah or anyone else with that comment.

The Utes' have had a lot of success at coaching up unheralded recruites into dominant playmakers. Now, with all the successes this program has been seeing since 2003, it seems long gone are the days when the Utes clean up with the best 2-star athletes available. Now we're seeing the bulk of our athletes at the 3-star level, with notable 4 and 5-stars signatures as well. If we've been coaching up the 2-star recruits, think of how much more we may be getting from those more sought after players.

I hope, with our depth at LB this year, to see some experimentation/flirtation with a 4-3 Defense. Coach Whittingham always said he likes to keep our best athletes on the field. Last year, in the Sugar Bowl, we played with an injury depleted DL; using LBs and DEs as undersized DTs. And it WORKED. Now we're deep at LB AND DE. Let's use that speed.

GO UTES!!!

FINALLY!!! Intelligent comments. Thank you. It is great to see comments on this section that relate to the article (with one exception).

I truly wonder how fast Utah is compared to TCU. It is simply AMAZING to see those guys play. They move so fast for being so big. I respect how Whittingham takes the players he has and uses them no matter what they were recurited at. Truly using every ounce of ability he can get. Good luck Utes and MWC!

This is a great example of what Whittingham can do for Utah that would have been difficult for anyone else. I'm sure there are some Ute fans who still get a little uncomfortable with Whittingham's BYU roots. Rest assured, he didn't play at Utah but he's been a Ute long enough for there to be no question about his loyalty as a Ute, and his desire to beat BYU soundly. But his BYU roots do help him land players like J.J. Williams, Chaz Walker, Boo Andersen, Thor Salanoa,etc.--all offspring of former BYU players. Would that have happened with another coach?

Sure, the Collie quote will go down in Utah-BYU history right next to the "these guys will be pumping my gas" comment.

But is there anyone out there who honestly believes he meant it as a slight to Utah players? It's pretty clear what he meant, and in my opinion the only ones who are truly offended by it are those who choose to be, who want to be.

I agree with the other Ute fan that says he thinks Collie meant no ill will. It was his poorly phrased way of saying that he thought God was blessing him with a wonderful moment. Much like many athletes thank deity in their post-game interviews. Thanking God for athletic ability to help you win doesn't necessarily mean He is punishing the team that lost.

Anyway, I'm beyond excited to see this year's version of the Ute defense. So much talent and smarts out there, and of course nice to be deep in case of injuries.

I never interpreted Collie's stupid statement as a slam against the Utes. However, that was a really stupid thing to say. It's like Jim Rome, and the rest of the national media that picked it up, said "he's young I'm sure he learned his lesson."

Let it die already. We all misspeak at different times.

Will Jim Rome ever say "i'm sure he learned his lesson" about Tim Tebow's "John 3:16" eyepatches?

It's a huge double standard, grounded in ignorance and bigotry. An athlete can only reference God if he is neither Mormon nor, God forbid, a Cougar.

The Ute linebacking corp is only going to be better this year with the return of Mr. Williams. I'm glad you are back in the Ute fold. Look forward to seeing some of your awesome hits that you dished out as a freshman with Stevenson Sylvester back in '06. Ute LB's are a tough bunch this season!

My whole problem with that quote is what it suggests. That BYU players were more righteous, and that is why they were victorious. He may have wanted to indicate that they were blessed, but it smacked of self-righteousness when he brought up the team's "righteousness". That is my big problem with many BYU fans. The "self-righteousness" that they exude because they go to the church run University. I've seen some indicate that you can't be a good "Mormon" if you go to the U. I find that immensely ironic because both President Monson and Hinkley graduated from the U.

I like BYU. I will cheer them on when they aren't playing Utah. I hope they kill Oklahoma! That said, I hate the "self-righteousness". For the person that mentioned John 3:16, you're talking "apples & oranges". That scripture does not give any implication about the righteousness of the other team.