Why the team responded to Riley:

Willingness to take a hit.

the whole thing begs the question of why Heaps had lost this team, which was clearly evident by the way the whole mood changed instantly when he got yanked. If it was just that he was playing poorly, then not a big deal. If it was something deeper like his work ethic, personality, sense of entitlement etc.. that's a huge deal and it would cast serious doubt on whether he will ever be a great qb. I want to hear what someone with insight into this situation thinks..

The team turned on Jake because he wasn't performing. Plain and simple. The offense wasn't moving the ball consistently, and wasn't scoring very much. Heaps was struggling with accuracy. The team lost confidence because of production.



Almost every snap Riley had in the first four games was productive (a good gain, a first down, etc). They saw working with other groups to help the team (punt coverage, etc). Then he came in full-time and was highly productive. Their confidence in him grew.



There is no way Jake can get that situation turned around this year.



Now there may be other issues players have with Jake (personality, etc.), but I don't know. And if there were, those only get magnified if you struggle. Some players probably have similar issues with Riley, but he's productive so those issues are just "quirks" and not reasons to lack confidence in him.

My take: Courage, will, panic and fear are all contagious. Heaps and Nelson each possess two of those qualities.

snoscythe wrote:
My take: Courage, will, panic and fear are all contagious. Heaps and Nelson each possess two of those qualities.

Losing is also a disease that is highly contagious. But make one personnel change and voila. It is curable and sometimes one player is the remedyhttp://vimeo.com/27563228

Even the announcer could see that the receivers were not making the same catches for Heaps.

NOt that he is the definitive, but certainly alot more objective than most of us in the thick of it.

Again, all credit to Riley. And I hope he has learned not to get himself killed and relying too much on his legs. It will be short-lived, just like last year.

He is the guy to start.

BUt Spiff, and some of you others, you are now guilty of what some of us Heaps supporters have been. You are now willing to overlook his weaknesses or errors (winning TD pass) bc it worked. We won.

Here's to continued success for Riley and this team.

The TD pass was a free play because JJ was held, who knows how it would have played out if he hadn't been. Not really a good play to make an analysis on.

dmcougar wrote:
Even the announcer could see that the receivers were not making the same catches for Heaps.

NOt that he is the definitive, but certainly alot more objective than most of us in the thick of it.

Again, all credit to Riley. And I hope he has learned not to get himself killed and relying too much on his legs. It will be short-lived, just like last year.

He is the guy to start.

BUt Spiff, and some of you others, you are now guilty of what some of us Heaps supporters have been. You are now willing to overlook his weaknesses or errors (winning TD pass) bc it worked. We won.

Here's to continued success for Riley and this team.

Difference is it's all meant for Heaps' benefit not to demean him. Most QB's don't sniff full-time work until after 2 years in the system. Heaps has played since day 1 and any gameday habits he had last year are pretty much the same now or worse. He needs time off to become, well whatever it is he is going to become here. Honestly, taking time away from the game is the best news for this kid. Riley has a terrible arm and will be slowed down vs the next good team we play, but he gives us a chance to win.

dmcougar wrote:
BUt Spiff, and some of you others, you are now guilty of what some of us Heaps supporters have been. You are now willing to overlook his weaknesses or errors (winning TD pass) bc it worked. We won.

Here's to continued success for Riley and this team.

You're right. I am willing overlook weaknesses or errors (although I'm not sure how a TD pass is an error) because of results. Football is results-based oriented business/game. You either get results or you don't. Methods are just a means and not the end. The result it what matters. If Riley doesn't correct some things (although there isn't much he did wrong on Friday) then his results will start to suffer and I'll get after him for not getting results.



You don't need worry about me. I support BYU. Players not performing up to snuff will get the same treatment I've given Heaps. I've never said Riley has no weaknesses nor have I said Heaps has no talent. All my criticisms have been based on performance and results.

I believe that Heap's confidence is undeniably lacking. Maybe his expectations were too high, and when things started to not work and crumble, so did his confidence. HIs missing two WIDE open receivers, too me, evidences this (he used to make that play on a regular basis). Regarding Riley -- I think both Coach Mendenhall and Coach Anderson referred to it post game. Anderson said that he could put 7 men "in the box" against Jake. When Riley came in, his running ability made that scheme not work. And it was too late to practice a different defense to match up with Riley's abilities. Bronco said that the same happened when we played Texas. We did good vs the passing QB that started the game, but when they switched to a running QB, we couldn't adapt on the fly. I don't know that it was responding to Riley, as it was Riley messed up the USU defense so much that everybody success. And once you have success, effort and results improve....

It is legitimate to wonder if Riley will be as effective against a team that has 8 days to prepare. As I posted elsewhere, I hope they wink at all of us so we don't stress out, close practice, and announce it as a game time decision. Then at least one more opponent will not be able to focus 100% on it.



But eventually, if not immediately, one will. And Riley will perform or he won't. Andvif he does not, it will be correctable or it won't. At some point, a lot less than 18 games from now, that will become obvious.



Then we go from there. Riley will earn everything he gets or he will not get it. No entitlement issues there.



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Jake looks solid from 20 to 20. When he gets in the scoring zone, he looks awful. This is where QB skill gets displayed the most. If Jake puts us in the end zone more, things would be different. Because he has not, his confidence has to be down, and his teammates confidence in him has to be as well. Jake needs time to work on red zone O, and he also needs time to learn to consistently go through a progression. Until he show he can do both, he needs to sit and watch.