"Heaps a victim of Unga’s saga, but shouldn’t be"

[Cougarbib]

First of all = Sprng practice is Spring practice - nothing more or less. Ask Yogi Berra. The coaches just try different things and look at different things. Heaps took half the snaps. The young bucks - like MARS, jump to the conclusion that they did this because they already knew that Heaps was so much better. Maybe people like MARS are right - I doubt it. Perhaps Bronco and the staff thought to themselves - we know Riley pretty well - he has been around for a while, we have seen what he can and cannot do in various situations, but this Heaps guy - he is brand new - let's give him more reps so we can see what he can do. Now Lark - we have seen him before - it has been a couple of years though, but we have some idea - but lets give him a few opportunities to chuck the ball and see if he still has the touch. Maybe it was something like that. I don't know. Maybe.

I don't have my calculator - but MARS seems to have overlooked or skimmed over this fact. If you roughly double Nelson's attempts it is just about the same as our boy Heaps. If you roughly double the completions, it is pretty close again. If you roughly double the yards - wait a minute - can it be true - Nelson seems to have gotten a higher yards per attempt. Maybe they are both pretty decent passers. Maybe neither is. One throws a prettier ball. Maybe they are equally effective, though. I don't know. I don't think MARS knows. I do know which one is more of a run threat, has a bit more experience and might be less likely to fumble when being sacked (early Max Hall).

I hope they are both really good and that Lark and Munns are too. That would be a nice problem to have and I would just trust the coaches to sort that all out. But us old timers, although we can't spell players names, do recall BYU seeming to be loaded with talented young QBs including some who were all everything (BO, Paul Shoemaker come to mind) or highly touted transfers (Steve Clements comes to mind) who just didn't pan out due to ability or injury. I just hope one of them is ready to go by Sept - if they all are - GRAVY.

Speaking of players that BYU and Utah chose to take a pass on locally - one of them will be the starting linebacker for UW and is getting a lot of press for being a probable star as a junior. Stuff happens.

Go Cougs

[Italics]

I know it sounds harsh, but I just don't see Riley Nelson leading our team to a great season. I'd take great potential over less talented seniority any day.

[Mars]

Heaps took half the snaps. The young bucks - like MARS, jump to the conclusion that they did this because they already knew that Heaps was so much better.

I know you don't follow BYU football very closely, but Heaps took a third of the snaps, roughly the same amount as Nelson and Lark. What he did with those snaps is an entirely different story. THE story of BYU right now, in fact.

[SpiffCoug]

IIRC, their (Nelson's and Heaps') passing efficiency ratings were about the same with Nelson's being slightly better. While Heaps threw more and threw more TDs, and more yards and more completions, he wasn't necessarily more efficient.

[Cougarbib]

MARS - if U were capable of following anything very closely, U would realize that Heaps and Nelson were not calling the plays. Someone else, who wanted to check out certain situations called those plays and they called for Heaps to throw more and Nelson to run or hand off more. Bottom line - Nelson was asked to pass half as often cuz somebody wanted to see him do something else. WHen called upon to pass - he seems to have done just fine. Ask Kitic.

If you try to jump to so many conclusions about Spring drills, expect to see Joe MOntana's son starting for UW in the opener. He blew the socks off of Locker in Spring drills. Seriously - he did - based on the plays called for him to run vs what they had Locker do. But I think Sark - being reasonbly astute - probably thourhgt - Locker has been aorund a while, we know what he can do in almost any situation - let's focus on the new guy and see what he can do.

TO be cler - I don't know how good any of our QBs will be on the field in the Fall. I trust Bronco will make the most out of what he has. Hopefully he canpatch a D-line and linbackers together, a running game, and some tight ends. BYU has a lotof work to do this summer. That will probably motivate the coaches and the team.

[Brayden Green]

I'm so tired of everyone talking about Riley's experience. What experience?!?!?! He got into games where the game was already over, and didn't even really look downfield before running the ball for 10 yards, until the defense decided to stop that, then they punted. He was a clock waster, that's it. If we want to go the air force route with guys much bigger and slower, then I see us starting Riley. Every time I have seen him throw live in a game, it has been like a wounded duck. And I know that you are all going to quote numbers like a 7 -10 stat, or something like that, but let's add the one interception near the end zone that got called back when he actually tried to throw a deep ball. I have no problem if Riley is the starter, but let's not call him something that he isn't: experienced, leader, etc.

[stuckinbig10country]

There will be 3 4-star or higher recruits on the roster this fall, and none of them are named Riley Nelson.

I think that Nelson needs to be used on this team somehow. He is too good of an athlete to leave on the sidelines.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[CougarClaw]

I love all this speculation...it's going to be a toss-up in the end and none of this matters

but how funny for all 'yall who are so certain where the die is going to land when you find out it's not going to be Lark, Nelson, OR Heaps.

it's....(drum roll please).... MUNNS!

I pick him only out of irony not based on any worthwhile distorted or taken-out-of-context fact. Not that either of those are used here.

[scott715]

All I know about this race is what I read on the web and posters opinions, for most I would have to question their validity. I have not seen the practices or the daily interactions of the players. So really no clue except for the stats which can be taken out of context. Now we have seen Nelson last year but not his freshman year at USU. it will be interesting to see what plays out this year (on not just the opening day starter).

[Mars]

IIRC, their (Nelson's and Heaps') passing efficiency ratings were about the same with Nelson's being slightly better. While Heaps threw more and threw more TDs, and more yards and more completions, he wasn't necessarily more efficient.

Yeah, and our QB going 10 of 20 against Washington for 100 yards and 2 TDs is equal to our QB going 20 of 40 against Washington for 200 yards and 4 TDs. Oh wait, no, it's not.

I'm being a little sarcastic, but that's the HUGE flaw in your logic. Results > Efficiency any day of the week. If Nelson throws for the same completion percentage, the same yards/throw, but has a bunch of 2-yard runs mixed in that lead to TWICE the amount of punts and HALF the amount of 1st downs and scores, well, that's a worthless comparison then isn't it?