Stevenson article

He pulls no punches toward Bronco. I don't know if he's just an embarrassed fan or if he is bitter about not getting a coaching gig at some point. But it's quite a write-up.



http://lawlessrepublic.com/2014/10/24/open-letter-coach-mendenhall-one-former-player-opinion/

"Many of us former players don’t really know how to even discuss the elevation of one of your “yes-man minions” to the position of BYU Football Defensive Coordinator. It sounds like a joke. It’s a crying shame. It’s as if you’ve done the opposite of what LaVell used to do. LaVell promoted coaches to coordinator positions only if they were better coaches than him. Like any good CEO he wanted to be surrounded by those people who were smarter than he was. He would hire coaches that could out coach him, and it would raise the team to greatness. Your insecurities pushed LaVell-era greats like Rob Morris, Ben Cahoon and Brandon Doman out the door, because you want to promote guys to positions of leadership that failed at coaching high school ball and would never be seen as better than you."



It was Stevenson's last comment about BM doing his hires only because he wanted to promote guys that failed at coaching high school that lost me and when I quit reading the article. Come on. Really? BM purposely selects those that fail as HS coaches?



I'm as frustrated as the next guy. I see a big problem in the fact that few of BM's staff seem to go on to be promoted in other programs. I agree, you always should try to hire someone better than you were and surround yourself with those folks. Yes there is turnover and that is a stress of coaching, but I don't see how you are successful under BM's model, but please, Stevenson, don't make stupid comments just because you're frustrated.

Too many effects of drugs and anger over the years.

But his biggest whopper is suggesting that Kilani is the solution.

But hes right about Howell. And again, Howells DB unit has suffered in his absence in a year they should have been dominant, especially pre-injuries. I like Howell, i think and have said he was cut from the same cloth as Bronco, but it looks more like he was cut from the Bronco leftover cloth as a non-player and a bad high school coach.

And by the way, another of "LaVells guys", BDoman, a guy with a solid coaching pedigree and even some back-up time in the NFL, was a near disaster.

Still, Take out some of the irrational and vitriolic words and Derek's message carries much more credibility. too bad. could havebeen a good piece. Instead he reinforces himself as the crazy addict in recovery who is still just angry and lawless.

I like watching Derek annoy Ute fans, but he's pretty far off base on this. He subscribes to the fallacy that everybody he played with is a football genius, and everyone that has played since is a moron, he was attacking Andrew Rich last night on twitter.



The fact of the matter is, if we want to get better, we need to stop looking to former BYU players as potential coaches, and start looking for established or up and coming coaches with little or no previous affiliation with BYU. Our very weakest link right now is Kelly Poppinga, a former player, and coach of our 2 biggest problem areas.



But I wouldn't expect much more from the group at lawless, they hate that BYU tries to be more than just football and would remove any Mormon affiliation if they could, much like TCU has dropped the Christian act.

I would argue our weakest coach I'd on the defensive line in coach Kaufusi



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There are a few things going on here concerning Derik.



First, he (like a lot of other former players) do not feel "welcomed" by current regime. So, I actually kind of understand that part of the the frustration. However, when Bronco was welcoming, he got burned several times by several players. So I also understand Bronco's side of this. The atmosphere at Utah is different from my understanding, but I'm not sure which is more conducive to winning.



Second, Derik's buddy Sitake wants to be at BYU. I don't know how that sits with KWhitt. The only way Kilani moves to BYU from Utah is if he's the head coach. Personally, if Bronco could get Kilani to come be the D coordinator, but run Bronco's scheme, that would be the best fit, but Kilani isn't moving from a DC job at a Pac 12 school to be a DC at BYU.



Third, there is a false perception out there among former players and some members of the media that BYU has been able to or should be able to get other coaches to come in and have BYU not be their first time as an OC or DC. That is just plain false. Go back throughout the history of good BYU football. All of Lavell's coordinators were first timers except for maybe one (the guy who ended up coaching SDSU). The only two exceptions I can think of over the last 42 years as BYU not being the first place for the jobs they came to BYU for: Gary Crowton (La Tech HC) and Bronco Mendenhall (OSU, UNM DC).



The arguments against Bronco Mendenhall are for the most part weak. Especially if the best we can come up with to actually replace him is Kilani Sitaki. Derik is just a bitter former player that wants the access his buddy has promised him.

SpiffCoug wrote:
I would argue our weakest coach I'd on the defensive line in coach Kaufusi



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This year or every year? Seems like DL has been a strength in the past and this year is an aberration.



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There are several valid points mixed in with an emotional outburst that wrecks the value of the valid points because they get lost in the barrage. Throw in a couple of cuss words and extreme descriptions of Book von Mormon figures, and he alienates much of his target audience.



A couple of days ago, I started to post a thread of things for Bronco to ponder, but my phone died before I hit send, and I did not have time to start over. This article hit on a few of the things I would have posted. My post would have been made in a supportive mode. I love Sitake, but would be far from ready to hand the HC reins to him at BYU.



The first time I started to reply to Hawk on this thread re "Christian Schools", my phone went dead before I hit send.



So maybe I should avoid this topic, or make sure my phone is charged before I start typing.



The way this was presented was unprofessional, offensive, and unnecessarily attacking in nature with some valid points.



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I think he has some valid points, despite the ranting.



I like the idea of doing firesides in the off season. I see why Bronco does it during the season because the team is traveling and he's then able to do the firesides in those cities and spread the word. But, I can see how it would be a distraction.



Our in-state record sucks and it is very telling of Bronco. Our record against teams with winning records also sucks, especially if we're claiming to be on par with the P5.



Not impressed with Howell at all. I can see how it would affect recruiting. This could change, assuming Howell and the defensive improves.



We hardly send anybody to the NFL, particularly on offense. That may change if Anae can get the offense rolling again, but with the exception of Hoffman (didn't make an NFL team despite breaking BYU records) our best players on offense keep ending up in crutches.



BYU football is not getting better. At best, we've plateaued and it isn't a very high plateau. Using the last 5 years as a barometer, Bronco does not appear to be the one to get us to a higher plateau.

Derek Stevenson is a bitter tool who has a vendetta against Bronco, which leads him to blame Bronco for things Stevenson knows can't be laid at Bronco's feet.



When Anae came back, he got 100% control over his offensive staff. Anae is the one responsible for dumping Ben Cahoon and Brandon Doman, not Bronco. It's only because of Bronco that Doman has remained a friend of the program--Bronco wanted Doman to stay on as QB coach, but Anae almost got the athletic department mired in a scandal when he fired Doman with an ill-advised email that obviously did not go through Bronco, Holmoe, or any of the proper HR and legal channels a termination email should go through.



All that said, I don't think there a very strong argument that Jason Beck is worse as a QB coach than Doman, nor is there a very strong argument that Guy Holliday is worse than Ben Cahoon in coaching receivers. Nor is there a very good argument that Doman was a better OC than Anae is now. If anything, I think the stronger argument is that the offense in general and QB and WR play in particular have improved under Anae/Beck/Holliday compared to Doman/Cahoon. Trying to use that line of attack to demonstrate Bronco needs to go sounds more like "he didn't keep my friends!!!!" than "he made a poor staffing decision"

Gunk wrote:
BYU football is not getting better. At best, we've plateaued and it isn't a very high plateau. Using the last 5 years as a barometer, Bronco does not appear to be the one to get us to a higher plateau.

I disagree.



I think Bronco made huge upgrades to our offense with Anae coming back in place of Doman. Look at what Anae is accomplishing in the last few games with Christian Stewart, Paul Lasike, Jordan Leslie and Algernon Brown compared to what Doman was accomplishing with Riley Nelson/Taysom Hill/James Lark (all more highly touted out of HS than Stewart), Jamaal Williams, and Cody Hoffman in his last season here. I think the offense is trending upward, especially as the offensive line continues to improve as personnel and depth are upgraded over what Doman left behind.



Defense is an absolute disappointment this year, no doubt. However, I think anyone who thought that (a) there wouldn't be growing pains for a first-time-ever DC is/was delusional; or (b) that Bronco is going to fire his first-time-ever DC in the middle of the first season, especially given the litany of injuries this year, is also delusional. While I won't rule out a demotion after the end of the season, I think it's unlikely. I think Howell is on a two-year leash to see if he can settle in. Personally, I think Howell's shortcoming is that he hasn't been able to coach the secondary as well as he needs to if he is going to retain them as his position group. If he can find that balance, I think he shows promise as a DC.



So, I see the offense as trending better, and the jury is out on whether the defense is going to be worse over the long-term or if Howell can figure it out. If anything, Bronco has demonstrated in the past the willingness to step back in and reassert himself in the defense if he loses confidence in his DC.



I think BYU is improving, and I think it's overreacting to disappointment in seeing a possible, but unlikely undefeated season fall victim to injuries and a struggling DC/secondary coach when people say BYU has flat-lined. I would have agreed with that under the Bronco/Doman heading, but I think it's too early to be calling it quits on the Bronco/Anae/Howell iteration of the Cougars.

snoscythe wrote:

BYU football is not getting better. At best, we've plateaued and it isn't a very high plateau. Using the last 5 years as a barometer, Bronco does not appear to be the one to get us to a higher plateau.

I disagree.



I think Bronco made huge upgrades to our offense with Anae coming back in place of Doman. Look at what Anae is accomplishing in the last few games with Christian Stewart, Paul Lasike, Jordan Leslie and Algernon Brown compared to what Doman was accomplishing with Riley Nelson/Taysom Hill/James Lark (all more highly touted out of HS than Stewart), Jamaal Williams, and Cody Hoffman in his last season here. I think the offense is trending upward, especially as the offensive line continues to improve as personnel and depth are upgraded over what Doman left behind.



Defense is an absolute disappointment this year, no doubt. However, I think anyone who thought that (a) there wouldn't be growing pains for a first-time-ever DC is/was delusional; or (b) that Bronco is going to fire his first-time-ever DC in the middle of the first season, especially given the litany of injuries this year, is also delusional. While I won't rule out a demotion after the end of the season, I think it's unlikely. I think Howell is on a two-year leash to see if he can settle in. Personally, I think Howell's shortcoming is that he hasn't been able to coach the secondary as well as he needs to if he is going to retain them as his position group. If he can find that balance, I think he shows promise as a DC.



So, I see the offense as trending better, and the jury is out on whether the defense is going to be worse over the long-term or if Howell can figure it out. If anything, Bronco has demonstrated in the past the willingness to step back in and reassert himself in the defense if he loses confidence in his DC.



I think BYU is improving, and I think it's overreacting to disappointment in seeing a possible, but unlikely undefeated season fall victim to injuries and a struggling DC/secondary coach when people say BYU has flat-lined. I would have agreed with that under the Bronco/Doman heading, but I think it's too early to be calling it quits on the Bronco/Anae/Howell iteration of the Cougars.

I too agree about the O. How can a BYU fan not be happy at least compared to the crap we watched from 2010-2013? We score and almost expect to now.



But the D's performance is all on Bronco. He gave it up to a nobody coach. When Bronco runs the D they are dominant. He didn't want that responsibility anymore and thought Howell was ready. He though Jaime Hill was ready too. So far Bronco is 0-2 on DC's. This was the year to make noise in the nation--regardless of Taysom's health--and he blew it with horrible coaching and staffing decisions.

In other words, Derek Stevenson is no different than a poly sportscaster in PA.

I read the article and I think I lost a few IQ points. Even a broke clock is right twice a day, and when the team is struggling anyone can point out some of the problems. The gates falling. The lights are flashing. But the train ain't coming.

BYU as a whole is not improving. Just go look at our season records. At this rate we'll be lucky to finish 6 - 6. The offense may be improving, but the defense has regressed so bad it is negating any gains made on offense.



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Here's some additional insight into Derik Stevenson:



He claims to know what it means to win because he played for Lavell. While he was there and played special teams and some spot back-up play for the 14-1 1996 team, Stevenson was alos there for the 1995, 1997, and 1998 teams, when Lavell went 8-5, 7-4, 6-5, and 9-5 in the WAC and lost in the Liberty and Aloha Bowls. There were embarrassing losses in those seasons as well--Tulane, UNM, UTEP, and Rice.



Point is, Stevenson makes a lot of hay about his qualifications as having played for Lavell, playing for the Cotton Bowl cougars, and playing in the NFL. Turns out, he played for some of Lavell's most mediocre teams at a time when people were calling for Lavell's retirement, he wasn't a meaningful contributer to the 1996 team, the teams he contributed most to were 6-5 and 9-5 (for a 60% winning percentage, yet he gives Bronco a "D-" for a 63% winning percentage since 2010), and his NFL "career" consisted of one preseason with the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent where he was cut when the team had to get to a 70 man roster (which means he wasn't even close to the 53 man roster), and then a year keeping the bench warm for the almighty Amsterdam Admirals. He was only in Miami for 3 months, yet he wants everyone to believe he was an NFL linebacker--he's an NFL linebacker like all the other undrafted free agents who never made it to the regular season are NFL linebacker.



That's the thinkg--Stevenson is all about Stevenson. What he does is more about self-promotion and trying to get the radio gig he's been wanting for four years now. He pads his resume with the things that will impress you, but he leaves out the details that you really need to have for real context. He proudly labels himself a Lavell guy to borrow Lavell's resume, but neglects to remind you he was there at the disappointing tail end and never contributed to a great season or a bowl win. He tells you he was in the NFL to borrow that respect, but fails to tell you he couldn't make the second cut, or that in his one year in NFL Europe he never even saw the field--in NFL Europe. He wants you to believe he knows what makes a football team great, but he never had a hand in greatness after high school. In the end, he just wants the radio gig he keeps auditioning for, and he thinks the best way to get that is to rile people up in the tradition of Monson and Kinahan, and he's been doing it by puffing out his chest, acting tough, and telling everyone that disagrees with him that they are sissies and can't touch him because he's a Lavell NFL player. He's been doing it since 2010, and he'll keep doing it as long as he's getting page views.

It's surprising, quite frankly why Monson hasn't put some provocative stuff out there since the loss to BSU. It's coming.

Unfortunately DS continues to discredit himself with his rantings. Sounds like a mad forum poster. And, still, he has some valid points between all the angry stuff.

Cougs_Rule wrote:
And, still, he has some valid points between all the angry stuff.

The hard thing is dealing with people who read a valid point, and then assume/argue the entirety is valid.

"Derek Stevenson? Never heard of her." -Bronco Mendenhall









;)

That's funny. ;) :lol: :lol: