Interesting Heaps Article

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700204236/Heaps-Cougars-couldnt-make-it-work.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Nelson's family is not nice :)



Heaps has been shopping.



Heaps Doman haven't spoken since Utah. Now there is some good quarterback coaching or should I say lack there of. This ticks me off.



.... Lots of goodies.

Definitely worth the read.



Good luck to Jake and his "handlers."

I just made the same thread and pointed out the three same points. I deleted it to avoid front page clutter.



That story about Heaps' wife and Nelson's family pisses me off. I really hope that it was a thoughtless comment in a moment of celebration (LES was really going nuts during the comeback) but that seems like a stretch. Really mean-hearted stuff.



I'd like to know the details in the communication breakdown between Heaps and Doman. I just don't see how virtual silence after Utah could even work. Heaps still was the starter in 4 of those games. I don't think there was ANY plan to make Nelson the starter after Utah.

jonnylingo wrote:
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700204236/Heaps-Cougars-couldnt-make-it-work.html



Nelson's family is not nice :)



Heaps has been shopping.



Heaps Doman haven't spoken since Utah. Now there is some good quarterback coaching or should I say lack there of. This ticks me off.



.... Lots of goodies.

Doesn't say that they haven't spoken, it says "hardly exchanged words," which is writer's talk for "I'm trying to make this into something more than it really is." The article later states "Both Doman and Mendenhall, according to informed sources, knew of Heaps' impending departure a long time ago and have been nothing but supportive in quotes given to the media, speaking of NFL potential and his high skill level." What a terrible coach :roll:



Also, are we to assume that Nelson's family was not cheering the entire game because he was not in and then only started cheering at the end when Riley was inserted to save the game (and the season)? If not, it seems like a fair question, why wouldn't you still be cheering on the Cougs, even if your family member got benched. As I read this article, that seems a little typical of the Heaps' attitude "I'm not cheering for the team, I'm cheering for my family member only." Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but why include that little blurb in the first place? Just dumb.

"For at least a month, Heaps has told some team members it didn't look like he'd be at the bowl game Dec. 20 in Dallas. For more than a month — since the 54-10 loss to Utah — he and his quarterback coach Brandon Doman have hardly exchanged words."



If this is true, that pisses me off big time. Doman not speaking to his QB??? :skeptic:



Today has been weird, it feels like my parents are getting divorced or something.

crh55 wrote:
"For at least a month, Heaps has told some team members it didn't look like he'd be at the bowl game Dec. 20 in Dallas. For more than a month — since the 54-10 loss to Utah — he and his quarterback coach Brandon Doman have hardly exchanged words."



If this is true, that pisses me off big time. Doman not speaking to his QB??? :skeptic:



Today has been weird, it feels like my parents are getting divorced or something.

Takes 2 to not communicate. Seems like a break down on both their parts.

Schmoe wrote:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700204236/Heaps-Cougars-couldnt-make-it-work.html



Nelson's family is not nice :)



Heaps has been shopping.



Heaps Doman haven't spoken since Utah. Now there is some good quarterback coaching or should I say lack there of. This ticks me off.



.... Lots of goodies.

Doesn't say that they haven't spoken, it says "hardly exchanged words," which is writer's talk for "I'm trying to make this into something more than it really is." The article later states "Both Doman and Mendenhall, according to informed sources, knew of Heaps' impending departure a long time ago and have been nothing but supportive in quotes given to the media, speaking of NFL potential and his high skill level." What a terrible coach :roll:



Also, are we to assume that Nelson's family was not cheering the entire game because he was not in and then only started cheering at the end when Riley was inserted to save the game (and the season)? If not, it seems like a fair question, why wouldn't you still be cheering on the Cougs, even if your family member got benched. As I read this article, that seems a little typical of the Heaps' attitude "I'm not cheering for the team, I'm cheering for my family member only." Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but why include that little blurb in the first place? Just dumb.

I agree that without more evidence, starting the article with an anecdotal story like really shows poor form. Make's Riley's family out to be a bunch of jerks. That being said though, it is possible that they are jerks. I know my wife certainly doesn't know enough about sports to know when to cheer for whom etc. and it usually ends that she just cheers for me and then whenever I cheer mostly. But unless something more substantive than an anecdote from the stands can be shown, none of that really matters anyways.



When exactly has Jake expressed the attitude of "I'm not cheering for the team, I'm cheering for my family member only," which you say is typical of his family?

crh55 wrote:
"For at least a month, Heaps has told some team members it didn't look like he'd be at the bowl game Dec. 20 in Dallas. For more than a month — since the 54-10 loss to Utah — he and his quarterback coach Brandon Doman have hardly exchanged words."



If this is true, that pisses me off big time. Doman not speaking to his QB??? :skeptic:

I can only think of three possible scenarios where this makes any sense:



- BYU is a completely dysfunctional program, and it was a spite move by either or both parties.



- Doman decided after the first three games that the root of the offense's problem was the running game. He spent more time focused on the non-QB aspects of being an OC that Heaps got swept aside. Either Doman continued to neglect his QB coach duties, or Nelson was already the #1 guy by the time he got back to it.



- As Schmoe suggested, Harmon could be stretching the story to make it sound juicier.

DarthMagnus wrote:
When exactly has Jake expressed the attitude of "I'm not cheering for the team, I'm cheering for my family member only," which you say is typical of his family?

Like I said, perhaps I'm reading way too much into this, or perhaps it's been the constant Nelson vs Heaps battles on every BYU board since we found out Heaps was coming here, but it has always felt, to me, like there was a "Heaps deserves this, being a five-star recruit, and that makes him bigger than the program, so he's entitled to it" kind of attitude floating around about him. I don't want to be the same as Harmon and try to speculate where I don't have evidence, but his anecdote supported that same feeling I've had about the whole thing. But, as I've said elsewhere, I hope Jake succeeds and finds what he's looking for, I just don't think he'll find it if he's transferring because of competition.

so you're sitting in the stadium. Your husband was just benched. and someone "Several rows back" yells something at you.



1) how did you know WHO of the thousands of people behind you were yelling

2) it's a football game, thousands of things are said, mis-heard? mis-understood?

3)how do you even know it was directed at her? it's not like they were sitting behind her and whispered in her ear.



Suppose the Nelson's were talking to a member of their party who didn't realize what was going on and simply telling them to cheer?



anyways. i don't buy it.



I also like what was previously said. Heaps required a sideline cheerleader. Nelson didn't. Doman couldn't be successful on the sideline.

Oh give me a break. do you think "hardly exchanged" words is any better?! He is his QB coach. No wonder Jake was struggling. Doman is trying to learn how to make calls (which he was horrible at), our offensive line was soft, and our running game was non existent. Then jake's qb coach stops talking to him. Then his coaches decide they want a dual threat type of offense because doman obviously can't execute a west coast style offense that he had been pimping all year long previous. No wonder jake was digressing and no wonder he is transferring. With hill coming in i doubt heaps would have gotten the job anyway. hopefully we don't lose mangum.



What bugged me the most was his confirmation that the more mature group of players were giving jake a hard time, like they had room to talk. Reynolds McKay, any of them playing good enough to have an opinion? NO.



I am so frustrated with byu right now. I can barely handle it. I have little faith in our coaches. I think they are mediocre and living in the 19th century with their lack of ability to know how to coach a new generation of kids. They are all 'bronco' grit and loyal guys but haven't proven much to this point in terms of being able to take byu where boise state, utah, and tcu have gone. Who cares if they have 10 wins against new mexico and unlv if they can't beat a ranked team more than every blue moon. BYU has been in a better place than all three of those schools in terms of recruits and resources, fan support etc and has fallen short of all three of them, big time.



I am tired of this crap. I need to step back for a while. This has been the most disappointing season i can remember in a long time, despite winning as many games as we have. Its like one disappointing thing after another.

DarthMagnus wrote:

jonnylingo wrote:
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700204236/Heaps-Cougars-couldnt-make-it-work.html



Nelson's family is not nice :)

Also, are we to assume that Nelson's family was not cheering the entire game because he was not in and then only started cheering at the end when Riley was inserted to save the game (and the season)? If not, it seems like a fair question, why wouldn't you still be cheering on the Cougs, even if your family member got benched. As I read this article, that seems a little typical of the Heaps' attitude "I'm not cheering for the team, I'm cheering for my family member only." Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but why include that little blurb in the first place? Just dumb.

I agree that without more evidence, starting the article with an anecdotal story like really shows poor form. Make's Riley's family out to be a bunch of jerks. That being said though, it is possible that they are jerks. I know my wife certainly doesn't know enough about sports to know when to cheer for whom etc. and it usually ends that she just cheers for me and then whenever I cheer mostly. But unless something more substantive than an anecdote from the stands can be shown, none of that really matters anyways.

My understanding of the exchange is that it was Riley's little brothers hooting at Heaps' wife. It's not like his dad, mom, and gam-gam were mooning her. It was high-schoolers.

Oh no! You mean Doman paid attention to the rest of his offense as well instead of taking Jake out to lunch to tell him how great he was? Man, that Doman sure is a dick and our offense has gotten a whole lot better this year as he made changes and as Riley took over as QB. It's all the coaches' fault that Heaps overthrew everything and kept throwing it to the wrong team and fumbling it in our own endzone, what a bunch of losers. Doman and Bronco should be fired and then Heaps could stay and save our program.



Ya know, I do remember a season that was more frustrating than this one: last season when we were stuck with true-freshy at QB because he was a five star athlete and therefore was entitled to the spot.

Schmoe wrote:

When exactly has Jake expressed the attitude of "I'm not cheering for the team, I'm cheering for my family member only," which you say is typical of his family?

Like I said, perhaps I'm reading way too much into this, or perhaps it's been the constant Nelson vs Heaps battles on every BYU board since we found out Heaps was coming here, but it has always felt, to me, like there was a "Heaps deserves this, being a five-star recruit, and that makes him bigger than the program, so he's entitled to it" kind of attitude floating around about him. I don't want to be the same as Harmon and try to speculate where I don't have evidence, but his anecdote supported that same feeling I've had about the whole thing. But, as I've said elsewhere, I hope Jake succeeds and finds what he's looking for, I just don't think he'll find it if he's transferring because of competition.

How do you know harmon is speculating and doesn't have evidence?

Why is it so hard to think that Doman was very pained to do so, but nevertheless turned his back on Jake? He was Jake's advocate since high school and all last year. And when Doman's job was on the line and the season hung in the balance, Jake was HISTORY. Doman was not going to lose his job over loyalty to Jake.

And why is it so hard to believe that Riley's family wasn't cheering for the team? It was their silent protest. It happens all the time in all levels of sport. Parents often think their kid is better than the other guy. I heard JJ's family cussing very out loud at Anae when he was giving Q carries as a freshman and when Q fumbled. IT happens.

Naivete abounds. I don't think this article is a stretch at all.

A couple things bother me about those anecdotes and I don't know what to make of them.



First of all, how would Heap's wife know it was Nelson's family yelling down at him? Did they stop her sometime, "Hey, we're Nelson's family. Listen carefully for our easily identifiable voices if Jake ever fails at something!"



Doman and Heaps not speaking sounds like there is a TON of missing back story. So either Doman is a jerk, or Heaps really did something he shouldn't have in the Utah game (yes, I know he did several things he shouldn't have, but I mean something in the communication between the two of them, something that made Doman decide his efforts were being wasted on Heaps.) A quarterback coach wouldn't stop talking to a player just because they lost and it's a shame that's the only impression we'll ever get from articles like this.

jonnylingo wrote:

DarthMagnus wrote:
When exactly has Jake expressed the attitude of "I'm not cheering for the team, I'm cheering for my family member only," which you say is typical of his family?

Like I said, perhaps I'm reading way too much into this, or perhaps it's been the constant Nelson vs Heaps battles on every BYU board since we found out Heaps was coming here, but it has always felt, to me, like there was a "Heaps deserves this, being a five-star recruit, and that makes him bigger than the program, so he's entitled to it" kind of attitude floating around about him. I don't want to be the same as Harmon and try to speculate where I don't have evidence, but his anecdote supported that same feeling I've had about the whole thing. But, as I've said elsewhere, I hope Jake succeeds and finds what he's looking for, I just don't think he'll find it if he's transferring because of competition.

How do you know harmon is speculating and doesn't have evidence?

What evidence can you have in this situation that isn't anecdotal? Do you think Harmon has a video of the incident? Or maybe a tape recording where the speaker states "I am Riley Nelson's family member and this comment is directed in a mean way at his wife: Why aren't you cheering now?"

jonnylingo wrote:
Oh give me a break. do you think "hardly exchanged" words is any better?! He is his QB coach. No wonder Jake was struggling. Doman is trying to learn how to make calls (which he was horrible at), our offensive line was soft, and our running game was non existent. Then jake's qb coach stops talking to him. Then his coaches decide they want a dual threat type of offense because doman obviously can't execute a west coast style offense that he had been pimping all year long previous. No wonder jake was digressing and no wonder he is transferring. With hill coming in i doubt heaps would have gotten the job anyway. hopefully we don't lose mangum.



What bugged me the most was his confirmation that the more mature group of players were giving jake a hard time, like they had room to talk. Reynolds McKay, any of them playing good enough to have an opinion? NO.



I am so frustrated with byu right now. I can barely handle it. I have little faith in our coaches. I think they are mediocre and living in the 19th century with their lack of ability to know how to coach a new generation of kids. They are all 'bronco' grit and loyal guys but haven't proven much to this point in terms of being able to take byu where boise state, utah, and tcu have gone. Who cares if they have 10 wins against new mexico and unlv if they can't beat a ranked team more than every blue moon. BYU has been in a better place than all three of those schools in terms of recruits and resources, fan support etc and has fallen short of all three of them, big time.



I am tired of this crap. I need to step back for a while. This has been the most disappointing season i can remember in a long time, despite winning as many games as we have. Its like one disappointing thing after another.

Wow, you've taken everything in the worst light it could possibly be taken in. If I saw the world through your horribly skewed lens I'd be pretty frustrated with BYU also.

There is a big assumption being made by many in this thread; that it was Nelson's family that shouted at Jake's wife. Here is the quote from the article:



"As his replacement Riley Nelson sparked a Cougar comeback, several rows back members of a prominent teammate's family were observed yelling down at Brooke, "Why aren't you cheering now?" "



A "prominent teammate's family" could be practically anyone. Whatever the case, we have no evidence that it was Nelson's family and I think those of you who have stated it as fact should consider making corrections and/or apologies. That's just not right.

dmcougar wrote:
Why is it so hard to think that Doman was very pained to do so, but nevertheless turned his back on Jake? He was Jake's advocate since high school and all last year. And when Doman's job was on the line and the season hung in the balance, Jake was HISTORY. Doman was not going to lose his job over loyalty to Jake.

But that doesn't really make sense. Doman and Heaps' fates were intertwined until after the USU game when Riley got the starting nod. If Doman's reasons for cutting contact with Jake come down to job security, it would've happened two weeks later.



Not to add anything to the conspiracy theory flames, but remember that Doman was very empathetic that Nelson become the starter after the USU game. Bronco said they'd wait to make a determination - Doman said it wasn't his call but Riley had his recommendation.