What to do with Jake Heaps

"Bronco Mendenhall, with the help of Brandon Doman, now has to decide what to do with Heaps—both short and long term."



http://www.bluecougarfootball.com/2010/03/what-to-do-with-heaps.html



http://www.bluecougarfootball.com/2011/10/what-to-do-with-jake-heaps.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The only QB who started as a freshman (non-redshirt) and was successful was Beck, and we were all over him wanting to know if he had IT. Turns out he did but only for his senior season. Beck had only one winning season.



This piece was written before Heaps played a down of college ball. The options are different now. THe questions are: 1 will Heaps improve (and how long will it take)? 2 Can he gain the respect of his team this year? 3. Does he need a RS next year?

Please redshirt the kid next season. We have capable players who are better than Jake to fill the position. He's just not ready for this stage.

Heads-up - the link doesn't go to the new article. It goes to a similarly titled article from a year ago.



Which, if you think about it, provides some ironic subtext. ;)

http://www.bluecougarfootball.com/2011/10/what-to-do-with-jake-heaps.html#more



Here is a link to the current years episode of "What to do with Jake Heaps"



Seeing both articles is really enlightening isn't it.

It amazes me that after 1 half of good football by Riley, people are ready to bench Heaps for 2011 and RS him for 2012. Talk about short sighted. That logic is as solid as anyone who stated that Heaps totally had it after the first half of the Texas game, where Jake looked legit. I think we need to cool our jets and let this play out for 2011 before we even think about 2012.

Beck was successful as a true freshman? That's news to me.

Lawboy wrote:
It amazes me that after 1 half of good football by Riley, people are ready to bench Heaps for 2011 and RS him for 2012. Talk about short sighted. That logic is as solid as anyone who stated that Heaps totally had it after the first half of the Texas game, where Jake looked legit. I think we need to cool our jets and let this play out for 2011 before we even think about 2012.

I don't want to bench Heaps because of one good half by Riley. I want to bench Heaps because of one bad half in five separate games and two games where both halves we bad. Jake has essentially played 10 halves of football and he was only good in three of them.



But yes, let's worry about 2011 before we worry about 2012.

Link corrected, thanks ;)

Lawboy wrote:
It amazes me that after 1 half of good football by Riley, people are ready to bench Heaps for 2011 and RS him for 2012. Talk about short sighted. That logic is as solid as anyone who stated that Heaps totally had it after the first half of the Texas game, where Jake looked legit. I think we need to cool our jets and let this play out for 2011 before we even think about 2012.

Amen. I think when we add up all of the factors, we would probably find some room for empathy and patience. One of the toughest opening schedules in BYU history. He is probably the youngest full-time starting quarterback in BYU history. Doman is a first year offensive coordinator. The offensive line has struggled. The running game was non-existent.



Again, it is clear Jake needs something...but it is also clear the answer to the question to "what to do with Jake?" is "whatever it takes to get him performing well, and the instant that happens, get him on the field."



I am pulling for this to happen because I believe Heaps can make the needed changes, and once he does, no one will come close to him on our roster.

SpiffCoug wrote:

It amazes me that after 1 half of good football by Riley, people are ready to bench Heaps for 2011 and RS him for 2012. Talk about short sighted. That logic is as solid as anyone who stated that Heaps totally had it after the first half of the Texas game, where Jake looked legit. I think we need to cool our jets and let this play out for 2011 before we even think about 2012.

I don't want to bench Heaps because of one good half by Riley. I want to bench Heaps because of one bad half in five separate games and two games where both halves we bad. Jake has essentially played 10 halves of football and he was only good in three of them.



But yes, let's worry about 2011 before we worry about 2012.

Couldn't have said it better. It's not that I'm an uber-Riley fan - I was one of Riley's biggest critics last season - it's that Heaps hasn't done it and in the long run I think it better for Heaps to sit out, watch, learn, use his redshirt year and come back more confident, bigger and his demons behind him.



The pressure is killing the kid, right now. Clearly he can't perform under pressure and throwing him into the Lions Den isn't the way Heaps learns best. Some people do. Some are stricly on-job learners and excel at learning without training wheels. Heaps isn't that type.



In the mean time, we've got Riley who clearly thrives under pressure and given his current trajectory, albeit how short it is, is headed in the right direction.



I want Heaps to become the next BYU great, but I don't think that will happen with him continueing to start this season or playing next.

Heaps trajectory after his 2nd half at Ole Miss and first half at Texas was pretty sweet as well. Then he had to play more games. As will Riley. So I still say give it time before we slap a RS on Jake, or before we even hand the 2011 team over to Riley. Let's not overreact just yet. Give it time to play out.

What was Heaps per against Ole Miss?

Here's what you do: You have him ride the pine like all the other backup QB's and almost everyone on the roster. It's not a terrible fate for an underclassman, it's a chance to learn and grow so we can use him effectively when we need him and he'll be good enough to get it done.

hawkwing wrote:
What was Heaps per against Ole Miss?

I think I said 2nd half vs. Ole Miss, where Jake was solid, and spectacular after his pick-6. Looked great first half of Texas, too. That was 4 quarters in a row, more than even Riley put together in a row so far.



Not sure why everyone needs to call for choices for the rest of the season right now. The coaches most definitely are not.

Lawboy wrote:
Heaps trajectory after his 2nd half at Ole Miss and first half at Texas was pretty sweet as well. Then he had to play more games. As will Riley. So I still say give it time before we slap a RS on Jake, or before we even hand the 2011 team over to Riley. Let's not overreact just yet. Give it time to play out.

How long do you keep putting quarters in a slot maching waiting for a pay out? Could be one more quarter, could be 100s of more quarters.



I want to give it time to play out and IMO the best way to give it time to play out is to RS Heaps next season.



Let's assume Riley does okay for the remainder of the season. We win the games we're supposed to and lose the one (TCU) we're likely too. We go bowling. Yay!



Heaps shows up to spring ball looking all the better as in the past. He tears it up in practice as he's always done, clearly out performing Riley and the other QBs. What will be different next season as opposed to this season? Schedule certainly isn't easier. Expections will be higher as Heaps will now be a Junior and he'll have a seasoned offense. But there is no way to tell until you play Heaps how good he is. That's the enigma of the kid.



On paper, in drills and in practice he looks like a champ. On the field...he makes USU's freshman QB and UCF's backup QB look stellar. Best chance to ensure 2012 isn't Heaps 2011 2.0 is to redshirt him, work with him, groom him to the point where taking a hit while completing a pass is second nature. Practice till going through his progressions is as natural as breathing. Give Heaps time.

Lawboy wrote:

What was Heaps per against Ole Miss?

I think I said 2nd half vs. Ole Miss, where Jake was solid, and spectacular after his pick-6. Looked great first half of Texas, too. That was 4 quarters in a row, more than even Riley put together in a row so far.



Not sure why everyone needs to call for choices for the rest of the season right now. The coaches most definitely are not.

I'm sure the coaches are making those exact decisions this week. We'll see on Saturday.

I bet they both play Saturday. And they both play alot, and it will not be rotating series. RIley starts, gets 2-3 series, then we see Jake for a series or 2. Worked for Texas. And still is.



Basing it off of Bronco's comments, made both Saturday night and Monday am. When asked about a QB rotation, he talked about it as an option, just different from every other series like last year. Also said practice reps will be revised, which alludes to Riley getting more, since Jake was getting the majority previously.



About the prospect of playing both quarterbacks moving forward, Mendenhall said "I don't think it's ideal."



"I'm not ruling out playing both quarterbacks, but (it's) hard to get into a rhythm and a routine, especially if you're alternating series, things like that."



"I wouldn't see (any rotation) going series by series, I wouldn't see it going quarter by quarter, I wouldn't see it going like that. I think it would be: we name a starter, we go for a while and hopefully that's working well, and if not--and if for some reason they've adjusted to that style--then we might be able to complement it and finish with another (QB)."

Gunk wrote:

Heaps trajectory after his 2nd half at Ole Miss and first half at Texas was pretty sweet as well. Then he had to play more games. As will Riley. So I still say give it time before we slap a RS on Jake, or before we even hand the 2011 team over to Riley. Let's not overreact just yet. Give it time to play out.

How long do you keep putting quarters in a slot maching waiting for a pay out? Could be one more quarter, could be 100s of more quarters.



I want to give it time to play out and IMO the best way to give it time to play out is to RS Heaps next season.



Let's assume Riley does okay for the remainder of the season. We win the games we're supposed to and lose the one (TCU) we're likely too. We go bowling. Yay!



Heaps shows up to spring ball looking all the better as in the past. He tears it up in practice as he's always done, clearly out performing Riley and the other QBs. What will be different next season as opposed to this season? Schedule certainly isn't easier. Expections will be higher as Heaps will now be a Junior and he'll have a seasoned offense. But there is no way to tell until you play Heaps how good he is. That's the enigma of the kid.



On paper, in drills and in practice he looks like a champ. On the field...he makes USU's freshman QB and UCF's backup QB look stellar. Best chance to ensure 2012 isn't Heaps 2011 2.0 is to redshirt him, work with him, groom him to the point where taking a hit while completing a pass is second nature. Practice till going through his progressions is as natural as breathing. Give Heaps time.

I don't think we really know how good (or perhaps more appropriately how bad) this BYU football team is as a whole. This is where I (gulp) agree with Monson who is wondering what this all means for BYU football. Are they really this mediocre?



I would say the past three years have been pretty rough and have often made me wonder about coaching. Still firmly in Bronco's camp...but the embarrassing losses make me wonder sometimes.



Furthermore, it seems to me that this BYU team has more disperse talent than any of the years I can recall. I find myself sometimes wondering why we can't get more out of what we have. Heaps is the lightning rod of that question.

pjmuli wrote:



I don't think we really know how good (or perhaps more appropriately how bad) this BYU football team is as a whole. This is where I (gulp) agree with Monson who is wondering what this all means for BYU football. Are they really this mediocre?



I would say the past three years have been pretty rough and have often made me wonder about coaching. Still firmly in Bronco's camp...but the embarrassing losses make me wonder sometimes.



Furthermore, it seems to me that this BYU team has more disperse talent than any of the years I can recall. I find myself sometimes wondering why we can't get more out of what we have. Heaps is the lightning rod of that question.

Right...and then compare BYU to other schools, like BSU. On paper we have better recruits, but BSU gets more out of their players, which many teams wouldn't even sniff at than BYU gets out of its players. Why? On word: Coaching.