To those who hate our current coaching staff

In reading several comments by some fans, I realized that there are some fans out there that feel that our current head coach is not a good coach. Quite frankly, this shocks me. Bronco Mendenhall has the best winning percentage of any coach that BYU has ever had. He has played a consistently tougher schedule than Lavell Edwards faced during his coaching career. During most of his coaching career, Lavell Edwards rarely faced a conference opponent that was ranked. Bronco Mendenhall has almost always faced a ranked conference opponent (with the exception of this year for obvious reasons). BYU had bad games with Lavell Edwards and has had bad games with Bronco Mendenhall, however, show me a team who's coach has an almost 75% win percentage and I'll show you a team who is well coached. Any coach that wins 73% of his games, like Bronco Mendenhall, is not over his head, should not be retired, fired, replaced, or made a GA to create a vacancy in the coaching position. If a coach can consistently put 10+ winning seasons together, eventually, he will put a 13 win season together. Will it happen next year, I don't know (and neither do you). I can only tell you for sure that it didn't happen this year. If you think that you can better manage the team because the little league team that you coached won all of it's games (even though no one was officially keeping score), you're wrong. We have a great coach. We need to be thankful that we have the coach that we have and quit whining because things didn't go perfectly. Now that I have said that, I'm sure someone will post that they "know" we won't ever go undefeated with Bronco Mendenhall because.... To that individual..... you don't "know" anything of the sort, you just think you know, and I think you're wrong.

There are multiple criteria by which a fan base would judge its coach. And for BYU fans, we may, on the whole, value one criteria higher than other Top 50 programs: character, academics, and 'cleanliness" of its players and program. Bronco certainly has done a great job of that, particularly on the heels of Crowton's debacle.

However, If LaVel gets the nod for "great" over Bronco, it is in the category you mention of the NC and multiple years domination of its conference; as well, a long career with mostly winning seasons. 5 of last 6 seasons as 10 wins definitely puts him in that "really good" almost great category. THis is the day and age of the BCS Standard and like it or not, he hasn't delivered on even a trip to that stage--whereas his conference, rival, and mid-major colleagues (Whitt, Patterson, Peterson) have accomplished that standard. And so at that level, Bronco is stuck on the "Good to Great" status.

It doesn't mean he should be fired or replaced. It doesn't mean he is not appreciated or viewed as a great overall coach. And certainly I don't see but a very few, if any, who say they HATE our current coaching staff.

Now, if you consider his status as a Defensive coach alone, he might even be worthy of "great" status. Or at least higher vote than as a head coach.

If you ask players, you can find what KVN said after the Tulsa win, the he is "underestimated" as a coach. But if you go back, you might find more former players loyal to LaVel than to Bronco when it comes to the interpersonal connection. So that is an entirely separate variable as well. My sense is Bronco is good, maybe really good, but not necessarily great interpersonally.

If you judge him on the criteria of relationship with fans and boosters, um, he struggles a little bit here. I don't judge him harshly for being a private person. BUt it is part of what an HC has to be judged by.

Then take one other judge and jury--namely the BOT, and the only actual viable judging body and they might give him the "great" vote. And, by contrast, forum fans matter squat. just my thoughts.

dmcougar wrote:
However, If LaVel gets the nod for "great" over Bronco, it is in the category you mention of the NC and multiple years domination of its conference; as well, a long career with mostly winning seasons. 5 of last 6 seasons as 10 wins definitely puts him in that "really good" almost great category.

It took Lavell Edwards 13 years to take a 5-6 program to 13-0. It took him 8 years before he finished with 10 wins. Bronco Mendenhall is a long ways from Legend status. However, I believe that Bronco Mendenhall is the best bet to get to Legend status among the available coaches that both fit the base qualifications for a BYU coach and that currently have the experience necessary to function as a head coach.

Any coach who has publicly stated that one of his goals is to get his team playing on a national championship level will not be satisfied with ten-win seasons and will continue to push to make his team better. Anyone who thinks that this coaching staff is appeased by a simple bowl win and won't work harder to get to the next level does not have their head screwed on straight.

Schmoe wrote:
Any coach who has publicly stated that one of his goals is to get his team playing on a national championship level will not be satisfied with ten-win seasons and will continue to push to make his team better. Anyone who thinks that this coaching staff is appeased by a simple bowl win and won't work harder to get to the next level does not have their head screwed on straight.

Um, you don't think this happened just a little bit after last year's bowl victory?

dmcougar wrote:

Any coach who has publicly stated that one of his goals is to get his team playing on a national championship level will not be satisfied with ten-win seasons and will continue to push to make his team better. Anyone who thinks that this coaching staff is appeased by a simple bowl win and won't work harder to get to the next level does not have their head screwed on straight.

Um, you don't think this happened just a little bit after last year's bowl victory?

There probably was an air of complacency after last year, but I suspect that had more to do with players than coaches. I'd only blame the coaches as far as it's their duty to control the tone and atmosphere.



I am concerned about the effectiveness of our offensive practices though- between the early season and the bowl game, that's twice that the offense has looked flat without the benefit of recent game experience. I hope the coaches think about changing that.



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dmcougar wrote:

Any coach who has publicly stated that one of his goals is to get his team playing on a national championship level will not be satisfied with ten-win seasons and will continue to push to make his team better. Anyone who thinks that this coaching staff is appeased by a simple bowl win and won't work harder to get to the next level does not have their head screwed on straight.

Um, you don't think this happened just a little bit after last year's bowl victory?

You mean where we fired our OC and changed the entire dynamic of the coaching staff? Sure, that sounds like Bronco was just sitting on his butt happy as could be...

Good Point. I guess with all the "we're prepared" and taking off practices, to the bumbling, idiotic mistakes of horrible snaps, horrible running game, all jake's stuff, slow arrival of plays from the sideline, poor rhythm, etc, etc, etc, this did not look like a team that looked "ready."

dmcougar wrote:
Good Point. I guess with all the "we're prepared" and taking off practices, to the bumbling, idiotic mistakes of horrible snaps, horrible running game, all jake's stuff, slow arrival of plays from the sideline, poor rhythm, etc, etc, etc, this did not look like a team that looked "ready."

I agree to a certain extent, but I also think that calling an actual game or playing in an actual game will always be very different from practice and that there are many things that you learn through game experience that cannot be improved after a certain point in practice. I think that Doman improved by leaps and bounds as he got games under his belt and I think our original starting QB wilted under the pressure of real games this year, which definitely didn't help our perception of how hard the team and coaches worked before the season.

I love Bronco. He is an an awesome coach, and a better person. Not without fault, and has had a tendency to have a blind spot with his offense, publically at least, but I think he has his hands on things better than we know. Anyone calling for his job is a complete and utter idiot in my book. We are not a Perfect program, but which one is truly? W are also not as talented individually as many wished we were, me included. But that is getting better as well. Missions cause that curve to take time. By 2013, we will see it. But next year will still be a good year.



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Lawboy wrote:
I love Bronco. He is an an awesome coach, and a better person. Not without fault, and has had a tendency to have a blind spot with his offense, publically at least, but I think he has his hands on things better than we know. Anyone calling for his job is a complete and utter idiot in my book. We are not a Perfect program, but which one is truly? W are also not as talented individually as many wished we were, me included. But that is getting better as well. Missions cause that curve to take time. By 2013, we will see it. But next year will still be a good year.



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My thoughts exactly thanks for saying it.I have a tremendous amount of respect for Bronco.