Is Heaps done at BYU?

I think the results might surprise those who think fans like me are against Heaps.



I think Jake should redshirt, learn and come back strong. I think he can still have a very good career at BYU.

I have never been anti-Heaps. I have always wanted him to succeed. I was very anti-Heaps' play this season. I just want BYU to do what they should have done last year and that was be patient with Jake and give him as much time as possible to be all that he could be.

I hope not.



I'm getting frustrated with how polarized this Heaps thing has become. Looking at CougarBoard and BYU twitter accounts, you've got people that see Heaps as the victim of circumstance: unsupported by his coaches, left out to dry by his teammates and the running game, mistreated by BYU, etc. It seems like, to these people, if BYU fails to satisfy Heaps and cultivate him into a good quarterback, it represents one of the greatest failings of our football team in modern history.



Then you've got people who see Heaps as a bratty, entitled punk, who skips practice, does his own private conditioning separate from the team, never faced a day of adversity in his life, and has already been weighed, measured and found wanting. I've seen BYU fans treat the prospect of Heaps transferring with an ambivalent shrug, or even seem to welcome the idea, like he's a cancerous tumor that needs to be cut out of the locker room. Both views are ridiculous.



I don't know who to hold responsible for Heaps' regression this year. I guess Monson and some of the "pro-Heaps" folks could be right when they suggest that Heaps' failures could be the result of botched coaching, but I just can't put the full blame there. Hall and (especially) Beck showed such improvement under Doman. Regardless of what you think of Riley, HE'S shown improvement since Washington, which was really the only time we ever saw him healthy. Heaps is the only 1 of the 4 QBs under Doman whose failed to develop like this. On the other hand, though, I do think Heaps is 100% dedicated to making whatever improvements he needs to make.



If Heaps chooses to transfer, I'll be sad. Sad because I wanted him to be our next great QB, sad because he seems to have the tools to be one. And sad because he still has a sweet setup here. Especially if he redshirts, he'll have 2 years where he'll be the unquestioned leader, and he'll finally have some age, experience and adversity that he can convert into leadership and locker room respect. Heaps has to recognize this, too. Which means that if Heaps transfers, it must mean that there was something about BYU, be it the players, coaches, the atmosphere, etc. that he just fundamentally couldn't bear. And that'll make me sad too.



On the other hand, 4 and 5 star QBs sometimes don't pan out. This isn't unique to BYU. It happens all the time. Look at a list of Elite 11 QBs and every year there are 3-4 great college QBs, 2-3 guys you recognize but aren't anything special, and then you've got a couple of guys you've literally never heard of. If Heaps transfers, or if he stays but never pans out, it sucks, but it doesn't necessarily mean BYU's coaches screwed up.

Funny follow-up thought - after writing the stuff above, I decided to look at the Elite 11 list. Did you know BYU, not counting Mangum or Ben Olson, has the same number of Elite 11 QBs as Idaho State? Two, with Heaps and Mike Affleck. (He was actually on the roster for a while, right? Sad story.)



The fact that every year, QBs that had once been 4 and 5 star recruits have to transfer to schools like ISU to get PT should be a reminder that sometimes recruits just don't pan out. I hope Heaps isn't one of them.

Anyone think that since he got married, his wife was always telling him to be careful and not get hurt? Maybe that's why he was rushing his throws and avoiding contact. ;)



(By the way, don't take this seriously - totally TIC)



I competed as a diver for 3 years after getting married, and my wife was always scared to death that I was going to hit the board. Fortunately, I only did that during practice when she wasn't there to see.

I don't think the wife has told him anything. I do think that getting married may have hurt his chances to bond with the team. If you were already struggling to bond with teammates, having a wife to go home to after practices instead of hanging out with the guys could help heighten divisions and perceptions that Heaps isn't a team guy.



Then you throw in poor performance and losses and things unfortunately completely spiraled out of Jake's control.

I think he's pulling a Curly and trying to keep his hand soft for his wife.



Joking aside, I think Heaps is broken mentally, and I don't think Bronco or Doman are the guys to fix that. He has the skills, but he is missing competitive fire, guts, and the leadership he needs to succeed here. I don't know that what ails him is fixable with Doman wearing as many hats as he is and Bronco divorcing himself from the offense.



Whether he stays at BYU or not, I don't think he ever becomes more than an average QB for us.

I am not one to completely dismiss the wife factor. It's one of only a few different variables from last year.



A wife puts pressure on him to provide. I am sure he has visions of the NFL so not getting hurt is a huge concern for him. A wife likes to see their husband, so time with her must be factored in. Running out the door to toss the pigskin around with a team mate is a bit more complicated.



A wife can be a huge support and help, but a wife can also think their husband is better than he actually is so there's the possibility Heaps comes home complains about the situation and his wife in her best effort to support him tells him what he wants to hear as opposed to what he needs to hear.



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let's be honest.. we have insanely high expectations for highly touted recruits and athletic-looking black athletes because we seldom get either. We all expect Ross Apo to be the next Randy Moss because we rarely steal 6 foot 4 freakish-looking athletes from TX. Had he gone to TX, do you think their fans would expect the same? No way because reality is that those programs have 3 or 4 WRs that look like him, while we have a bunch of 5'10" white dudes. The same thing will happen with Jabari Parker if he goes to BYU. We'll expect a final 4 his first 2 years. If he goes to Duke, he's just one of 7 McD's all americans.. so no big deal. He could ride the pine at Duke and hardly anyone would notice. Unfortunately it's the same deal for Jake Heaps here. Like Dcr36 said, many elite 11 QBs don't pan out. The main thing that separated Jimmer from highly touted players that end up sucking was his mental make-up and work ethic. Heaps may not have those intangibles.. too early to tell for sure.

Doman largely saw the bench in the NFL. I'm sure there's plenty of coaching experience to draw on there.

snoscythe wrote:
Joking aside, I think Heaps is broken mentally, and I don't think Bronco or Doman are the guys to fix that. He has the skills, but he is missing competitive fire, guts, and the leadership he needs to succeed here. I don't know that what ails him is fixable with Doman wearing as many hats as he is and Bronco divorcing himself from the offense.

I think this is it. Heaps problem is between his ears. I don't think that any coaching will fix that. He needs to overcome it. That is why I want him to redshirt next year. Get his mind right and then compete for the starting job in 2013. Maybe having to fight for what he wants will do him some good.

Hope he's not done at BYU and hope he can one day come back and be a great QB.

I don't buy "he doesn't have it between the ears and lacks fire, etc. " argument. Look at how his work ethic, it is phenomenal. he brought the team into fall more prepared then they ever have been according to bronco. Also look at how he handled the fiasco last year and more importantly look how he played last year despite the fiasco. Look at the Utah game. that final drive he was hitting everything and in poise. That is serious pressure and he handled it amazingly. had anae not given up on the drive he probably would have won us the game.



something happened that put him in a slump this year. the opinion above seems to ignore everything accept a few game this year. Don't forget jake was moving the ball pretty well in teh first few games but it was always field goals that resulted. that was largely doman nd our running game's fault. he has amazing talent and has shown poise and fire and work ethic. He is in a rut. I think it is wrong to say he doesn't have it between the ears. I just don't see that given his whole body of work. he has proven he can handle pressure situations well. You don't become the number 1 qb in the nation if you lack fire and worth ethic.



i think the team is fractured. I think there is dissension. that together with doman sucking as oc and our running game really struggling the first few games is probably a contributing factor to heaps's slump. by the time the utah state game came along he was playing so bad that he had to be pulled. something wasn't right upstairs. i don't think any of us know what it is. I do not however think it is a longer term thing but rather a problem that can be solved. it is hard to mesh him in the utah state game with him at the utah game last year. it doesn't make sense.

jonnylingo wrote:
I don't buy "he doesn't have it between the ears and lacks fire, etc. " argument. Look at how his work ethic, it is phenomenal. he brought the team into fall more prepared then they ever have been according to bronco. Also look at how he handled the fiasco last year and more importantly look how he played last year despite the fiasco. Look at the Utah game. that final drive he was hitting everything and in poise. That is serious pressure and he handled it amazingly. had anae not given up on the drive he probably would have won us the game.



something happened that put him in a slump this year. the opinion above seems to ignore everything accept a few game this year. Don't forget jake was moving the ball pretty well in teh first few games but it was always field goals that resulted. that was largely doman nd our running game's fault. he has amazing talent and has shown poise and fire and work ethic. He is in a rut. I think it is wrong to say he doesn't have it between the ears. I just don't see that given his whole body of work. he has proven he can handle pressure situations well. You don't become the number 1 qb in the nation if you lack fire and worth ethic.



i think the team is fractured. I think there is dissension. that together with doman sucking as oc and our running game really struggling the first few games is probably a contributing factor to heaps's slump. by the time the utah state game came along he was playing so bad that he had to be pulled. something wasn't right upstairs. i don't think any of us know what it is. I do not however think it is a longer term thing but rather a problem that can be solved. it is hard to mesh him in the utah state game with him at the utah game last year. it doesn't make sense.

And I think you're skimming over some of the criticism of Heaps, add up all the negatives and the positives and you're still lacking a solid leader. Heaps is still someone who is trying to get it all figured out. Nelson on the other hand (just for comoparison) also doesn't have it all figured out, but has more positives at this point as far as leader, drive, competitiveness, etc etc. Heaps could still become a phenom and he's got a MUCH higher ceiling vs Nelson in my opinion as far as being a pure QB. But he's got some work to get there.



Bottom line, Heaps is still in the drivers seat of his future. I hope he fights as hard as he needs to to make it back and live out his dreams.

declocoug wrote:

I don't buy "he doesn't have it between the ears and lacks fire, etc. " argument. Look at how his work ethic, it is phenomenal. he brought the team into fall more prepared then they ever have been according to bronco. Also look at how he handled the fiasco last year and more importantly look how he played last year despite the fiasco. Look at the Utah game. that final drive he was hitting everything and in poise. That is serious pressure and he handled it amazingly. had anae not given up on the drive he probably would have won us the game.



something happened that put him in a slump this year. the opinion above seems to ignore everything accept a few game this year. Don't forget jake was moving the ball pretty well in teh first few games but it was always field goals that resulted. that was largely doman nd our running game's fault. he has amazing talent and has shown poise and fire and work ethic. He is in a rut. I think it is wrong to say he doesn't have it between the ears. I just don't see that given his whole body of work. he has proven he can handle pressure situations well. You don't become the number 1 qb in the nation if you lack fire and worth ethic.



i think the team is fractured. I think there is dissension. that together with doman sucking as oc and our running game really struggling the first few games is probably a contributing factor to heaps's slump. by the time the utah state game came along he was playing so bad that he had to be pulled. something wasn't right upstairs. i don't think any of us know what it is. I do not however think it is a longer term thing but rather a problem that can be solved. it is hard to mesh him in the utah state game with him at the utah game last year. it doesn't make sense.

And I think you're skimming over some of the criticism of Heaps, add up all the negatives and the positives and you're still lacking a solid leader. Heaps is still someone who is trying to get it all figured out. Nelson on the other hand (just for comoparison) also doesn't have it all figured out, but has more positives at this point as far as leader, drive, competitiveness, etc etc. Heaps could still become a phenom and he's got a MUCH higher ceiling vs Nelson in my opinion as far as being a pure QB. But he's got some work to get there.



Bottom line, Heaps is still in the drivers seat of his future. I hope he fights as hard as he needs to to make it back and live out his dreams.

i agree.

I think right now the best thing for Heaps is to redshirt next year and spend the games up in the booth with Doman. Max Hall did this after he transfered and redshirted and had said it helped him learn the game and become a better player.



As for the wife thing. Maybe Jakes putting to much pressure on himself thinking I have to stay healthy and make it into the NFL so I can support my wife and future family. I know myself I got married young and this was a point of stress for me in the beginning. It just might be in Jakes mind also.



Also the wife part is also a reason I dont think he transfers. His wife is also a BYU student, if he leaves is she prepared to leave with him? Does Mrs. Heaps want to transfer?



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jonnylingo wrote:
I don't buy "he doesn't have it between the ears and lacks fire, etc. " argument. Look at how his work ethic, it is phenomenal. he brought the team into fall more prepared then they ever have been according to bronco. Also look at how he handled the fiasco last year and more importantly look how he played last year despite the fiasco. Look at the Utah game. that final drive he was hitting everything and in poise. That is serious pressure and he handled it amazingly. had anae not given up on the drive he probably would have won us the game.

Agreed.. good point. I guess this is what makes this case so odd.. most highly touted recruits that "lack fire" and mental toughness just never look good in college to begin with.

jonnylingo wrote:
I don't buy "he doesn't have it between the ears and lacks fire, etc. " argument. Look at how his work ethic, it is phenomenal. he brought the team into fall more prepared then they ever have been according to bronco. Also look at how he handled the fiasco last year and more importantly look how he played last year despite the fiasco. Look at the Utah game. that final drive he was hitting everything and in poise. That is serious pressure and he handled it amazingly. had anae not given up on the drive he probably would have won us the game.



something happened that put him in a slump this year. the opinion above seems to ignore everything accept a few game this year. Don't forget jake was moving the ball pretty well in teh first few games but it was always field goals that resulted. that was largely doman nd our running game's fault. he has amazing talent and has shown poise and fire and work ethic. He is in a rut. I think it is wrong to say he doesn't have it between the ears. I just don't see that given his whole body of work. he has proven he can handle pressure situations well. You don't become the number 1 qb in the nation if you lack fire and worth ethic.



i think the team is fractured. I think there is dissension. that together with doman sucking as oc and our running game really struggling the first few games is probably a contributing factor to heaps's slump. by the time the utah state game came along he was playing so bad that he had to be pulled. something wasn't right upstairs. i don't think any of us know what it is. I do not however think it is a longer term thing but rather a problem that can be solved. it is hard to mesh him in the utah state game with him at the utah game last year. it doesn't make sense.

When I said that Heaps' problem is between his ears, I was not talking about his heart, fire or work ethic, and I was most certainly not calling him stupid. I was referring to him having lost confidence. I have no idea why that happened but it did. The guy we saw in the UCF and utah state games was not the same guy we saw in the utah game last year or even the guy we saw against Ole miss this year. Heaps has lost his confidence and that is why he was rushing his throws and not being accurate. Nelson is playing with confidence, going through his reads and making plays. Heaps needs to sit until he gets his confidence back. I am hoping that Nelson can lead the team and give Heaps a year off running the scout team and get his mojo there.

How soon everyone forgets that Jake played the Utah game and bowl game with injured ribs. He played tough in both games and it looked as if he had "it". Something has happened, but it is not because he lost it or never had it. Watching Riley play with recklessness will help, because Jake needs to show more fire at times. But mainly, dude just needed to finish drives with TDs and that was his biggest issue. Not about throwing for 6, running for 6, getting it to a certain player. Just get the team in the end zone.

Did you people see the hits Heaps took today? Sheesh, he got creamed twice with a blitz right up the middle. He completed both passes, but he got decked, bounced up and kept playing. No, I don't think he plays scared. What I want to know is why he can't hit his receivers, that's the real puzzler for me.