Excellent off-season QB commentary

https://youtu.be/rGpR0ZraNqQ



I think this interview was one of the best in awhile. John Beck gives a lot of parallels from the 2005-2006 seasons to this upcoming season. I like the idea of how an off-season with 1 QB and a few receivers practicing separately and voluntarily can impact the rest of the bunch. I like the reality of how competition at the QB position influences a better team generally. I like the idea of how scars from a rough season shape character. Good info here.



I hope that in every position, each player digs deep and finds their best. I do think we have a shot at a great season.

The difference for me is that in 2005, I could tell we were so close. We were moving the ball well, and there were so many close losses, all that with a brand a new staff. With a little continuity in the off-season, I expected better performance the next year.



Last year is a completely different story. We were not moving the ball at all. The losses were not close. The team quit in games. There was a bad team attitude. And we have a brand new offensive staff with no guarantees of any improved performance. Don't get me wrong, if we had BYU offenses and defenses of the past, there are definitely 10 wins on the schedule if you include a bowl game win. But last year's complete disfunction and quitting team, along with what looks like it could be a rough start to this year's schedule leaves me plenty of room to doubt there will be a return to the solid BYU teams of the past. I like John Beck, but this situation is nowhere near the same as the situation he was in. Bronco rooted out the bad culture in his first year. We'll see if Sitake has done the same after last year's results.

I think John was trying to be positive and get the fans excited. BYU sports nation is a blue goggled show which is why BYU fans love it. When guys come on their and interview, they are usually pretty blue goggled in order to keep the listenership happy. Even Trevor Matich when he was trying to be realistic during the debacle that was last year, was still positive once he dropped some reality about how bad they stunk in the last game.

frdbtr wrote:

I think John was trying to be positive and get the fans excited. BYU sports nation is a blue goggled show which is why BYU fans love it. When guys come on their and interview, they are usually pretty blue goggled in order to keep the listenership happy. Even Trevor Matich when he was trying to be realistic during the debacle that was last year, was still positive once he dropped some reality about how bad they stunk in the last game.

I agree, and frankly he should. Former players who are total downers sound like they are bitter about something. I am glad Beck is positive as he should be to give the fans something to look forward to. But, unfortunately, I see a much different situation then the one he was in. To me it feels like we are between 2003 and 2004 right now, not 2005 and 2006. But I really hope I am wrong because those were some dark years.

Cougarfan87 wrote:

I think John was trying to be positive and get the fans excited. BYU sports nation is a blue goggled show which is why BYU fans love it. When guys come on their and interview, they are usually pretty blue goggled in order to keep the listenership happy. Even Trevor Matich when he was trying to be realistic during the debacle that was last year, was still positive once he dropped some reality about how bad they stunk in the last game.

I agree, and frankly he should. Former players who are total downers sound like they are bitter about something. I am glad Beck is positive as he should be to give the fans something to look forward to. But, unfortunately, I see a much different situation then the one he was in. To me it feels like we are between 2003 and 2004 right now, not 2005 and 2006. But I really hope I am wrong because those were some dark years.

I agree. I am in "wait and see" mode right now. I am trying to be positive about what I hear about the offensive coaching staff but last year was a huge disaster so I am waiting to see what happens and not judging or believing anything I hear in the media.

To be fair, it wasn't John Beck that drew the comparison, but the host who first said that it reminded him of that situation and wondered what John saw as parallels. Being a polite guest, John obliged and did find some parallels--they underperformed and then out performed. John's point was the hard work that it took to get from "almost" to victory. He was also pretty clearly saying that it's preferable to be settled on a single QB coming out of Spring, though there can be some benefits to competition.



Listening carefully, I think Beck was actually showing some caution and restraint, even as he was giving advice to Tanner about what he could (and would need to) do to turn the ship around.

The worry that Beck's comments highlighted to me was that the difference between a team that regularly wins 9-10 games a year and one that wins 4 games is a year is work ethic and culture. This is where the current coaching staff's biggest weakness are, so will they be able to turn those weaknesses into strengths? We will see this season.

Yeah. All of the HC coaching changes have taught us that: Going from good to bad comes with a 1 year honeymoon season before reality hits (2002 and 2016), going from bad to good comes with a 1 year hangover (2005).

But just changing the OC seems to have a faster rate. Doman wasn't great his first year and couldn't improve his second. Anae picked things up in his first year of his return. Hopefully Grimes follows that pattern. So maybe there's reason to hope.

It's hard to make big changes in player talent and skill. Much easier to make changes in attitude and culture--though it's much harder to build than tear down.