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OT: Bronco starting to get under people's skin at Virginia?

by Fido · 6/11/2018

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Fido
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Fido
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Fido
Here is an article giving context to the comments:

http://www.dailyprogress.com/cavalierinsider/virginia-football-coach-bronco-mendenhall-i-want-to-play-the/article_b078b4a6-6d06-11e8-bf92-13b2eda458bb.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=user-share



...

Mendenhall opted to make an appearance at the UVa Board of Visitors meeting because he wanted to give a direct “State of the Program” address without, in his words, an unreliable press serving as an intermediary.



As it stands now, Virginia has several difficult nonconference games on its future schedule. The Cavaliers will finish a series with Indiana this season, and will play at Notre Dame in 2019, face Georgia in 2020 in Atlanta, and have games against BYU and Illinois the year after.



“I don’t want to go to Boise,” Mendenhall said, referring to a game at Boise State on last year’s schedule. “I don’t want to go to UCLA, I don’t want to go to Oregon. I don’t want to go back to BYU. I’d rather them come here and lose.”



ACC teams currently play eight conference games and four nonconference games. Included in those nonconference games is one mandatory game against a power-five conference opponent. That’s the game Mendenhall said he hopes is “the worst one we can play.”



In addition, for the three other games “I want to find three other games that are close and beatable.”

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So I guess this means we can kiss any future H/H schedule with Virginia goodbye. And it looks like he isn't concerned about his relationship with the media or how he comes off to the fans--or even some players. Some things never change.
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Guest
"I hate coach speak, I wish coaches would just say it how it is."



"How dare a coach not use coach speak, it's an outrage!"
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Fido
Here is some of the fan/media responses:
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Fido
hawkwing wrote:

"I hate coach speak, I wish coaches would just say it how it is."



"How dare a coach not use coach speak, it's an outrage!"


Really..... :lol:
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Fido
snoscythe wrote:

Here's a more reasoned review of his remarks that looks at the substance more than the sound bites:



https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/bronco-mendenhall-says-virginia-has-27-acc-caliber-football-players-on-our-roster/


More reasoned but not wholly kind:



"There are many ways his comment could be described. Most succinctly: yeesh."



"Since taking over, Mendenhall's classes have finished near the bottom of the ACC: 13th in 2016, 12th in 2017 and 11th in 2018. The silver lining is that while movement has been small, it has trended upwards. The bad news is the 2018 class still featured just three in-state recruits. London, for all of his shortcomings, didn't have that problem."



I'm not a Bronco hater, but my problems with these comments are:

- His relationship with his upper classmen. How are they going to take that they are basically being labeled as not belonging in the ACC by their own coach?

- It doesn't matter whether it is BYU or Virginia, he is complaining about not having as easy a schedule as possible. So if he gets an easy schedule and gets no respect for his SOS, then what?

- The continued back-handed relationship with the press. That apparently wasn't a problem with the Utah media since he doesn't seem to get along with the Virginia media either.

- Feels like he is making excuses for himself and trying to deflect judgement until 2020--when his contract is up for renewal. Why do that unless you feel like things aren't progressing like people expected 3 years into the job. Sitake surely isn't getting 5 years to prove himself. ;)
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Gunk
Bronco reminds me of the people I've worked with that find some weird stat and use it as an excuse to not do their job.



Who cares if 80% of NFL players come from single families.
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scott715
He is preparing to come back to the Y as our DC in a couple of years.
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Fido
The pro football talk article lights him up.



"First, he claimed that “85 percent of the makeup of the NFL, those young people all come, 85 percent from single-parent homes.” Apart from likely being a wildly gross exaggeration of reality, it’s unclear what his point is.



Second, Mendenhall suggested that four of five players who succeed in the NFL are destined to leave the game broken, in multiple ways.



“The lucky ones that make it to their second contract — that means there is some sustainability — when they leave the NFL, they are all of the following — this is 78 percent, almost 80 percent,” Mendenhall said. “They are divorced, bankrupt, a substance abuser and disabled, all four. That’s almost 80 percent of the lucky ones that make it to their second contract.”



So 80 percent of all players who earn a second contract in the NFL, according to Mendenhall, leave the game divorced and bankrupt and a substance abuser and disabled. Not one of the four. All of the four.



A UVA athletics spokesperson was asked where Mendenhall got his statistics. The response? “No idea.”



We’ve got no idea regarding what Mendenhall is trying to prove, but it’s safe to say that the coaches against whom he recruits will be printing and laminating his comments for use in recruiting."
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ABYUFAN
Fido wrote:

The pro football talk article lights him up.



"First, he claimed that “85 percent of the makeup of the NFL, those young people all come, 85 percent from single-parent homes.” Apart from likely being a wildly gross exaggeration of reality, it’s unclear what his point is.



Second, Mendenhall suggested that four of five players who succeed in the NFL are destined to leave the game broken, in multiple ways.



“The lucky ones that make it to their second contract — that means there is some sustainability — when they leave the NFL, they are all of the following — this is 78 percent, almost 80 percent,” Mendenhall said. “They are divorced, bankrupt, a substance abuser and disabled, all four. That’s almost 80 percent of the lucky ones that make it to their second contract.”



So 80 percent of all players who earn a second contract in the NFL, according to Mendenhall, leave the game divorced and bankrupt and a substance abuser and disabled. Not one of the four. All of the four.



A UVA athletics spokesperson was asked where Mendenhall got his statistics. The response? “No idea.”



We’ve got no idea regarding what Mendenhall is trying to prove, but it’s safe to say that the coaches against whom he recruits will be printing and laminating his comments for use in recruiting."

The good folks at Profootball talk are dumb. It's very clear what he is saying - Bronco is clear that it's stupid to think that making it to the NFL guarantees you a happy future. Bronco is clearly preaching balance. Other coaches may tee off on these comments, but that's OK. These comments are who Bronco is. They add nothing new to the things that other coaches already say about him to recruits anyway.
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Gunk
Bronco just killed his career. He's trying to use these stats as justification for not making the NFL a priority for players, for future failure to get players into the NFL, and failure to recruit highly touted players. Remember, Bronco favors grit over athleticism.



18 year olds have big dreams. He's being a dream crusher. For some the dose of "reality" works. For most, particularly gifted athletes, Bronco's sales pitch is a deterrent.



At BYU, his "realism" was probably received fairly well. BYU recruits tend to prioritize family, health, and longevity more so than their peers at non-LDS schools. When you're looking to get married at 21 after 2 years as a missionary, someone telling you that the dream you had as an 18 year old is actually fool's gold probably resonates quite well. "Oh...playing in the NFL is bad for me!? Thanks, Bronco, for saving me from a life of drugs and waywardness."
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BroncoBot
I dunno. sounds like a guy just speaking his mind. It's why I liked having Bronco around. socially awkward. To the point. Deep desire to win and at the same time feet pretty planted in reality.
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Guest
https://twitter.com/PaulWileyVA/status/1006308408356720640


“When your mission is to change the world, you’re not just recruiting a tailback.”



That line was emblematic of the tone in Bronco Mendenhall’s remarks to the Board of Visitors on Friday, June 8th. He pitched a clear-eyed vision for producing both conference champion-level football teams that “directly and specifically and completely align” with the goals and values of the University, AND a generation of leaders who have developed fortitude and a sense of purpose beyond themselves.



Yes, this is the same Board of Visitors meeting you read about in the Daily Progress. The same one over which you’ve seen fury and ire pour forth across Twitter or message boards.



Because you’d never know we were talking about the same meeting if you read Sam Blum.



In a series of articles posted Sunday night, the UVA beat reporter published Mendenhall’s comments with framing that either omitted or distorted the surrounding context. Instead of the inspirational vision presented to the Board, Blum painted a picture of an oafish buffoon with little regard for truth.



Sometimes the painting perfectly captures only the artist who holds the brush.
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scott715
So they have SL Tribune writers in VA too?
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CrimsonCoug
First, reading further about this Board of Visitors meeting, it's pretty clear that 1. He was doing a first-year AD a favor by attending, and 2. He was speaking his mind because he didn't think the press would be there. In fact, on article on this meeting said that in 40 years of covering UVa athletics, he had never attended a BOV meeting, and didn't know of anyone else that had either. The only reason that any of his comments were reported on is because an academics reporter from an obscure local paper happened to be there. So when Whiley talks about Blum taking Mendenhall's words and framing out of context--he's exactly right, because Blum wasn't there.



He was speaking his mind--including about why he was there speaking his mind (to avoid going through sports reporters' spin)--because he didn't think there were reporters around to misconstrue what he was saying. And when they press happened to find out they'd been scooped, they predictably did exactly what he lambasted them for.



And this philosophy of Bronco of encouraging his players to find purpose beyond (meaning after) football is exactly what got him recruited to and hired by UVa in the first place.



It is interesting, though, that Bronco's scheduling philosophy has changed. Maybe because as a P5 he no longer needs to anything other than win, but it's interesting that he's doing the opposite of what he was doing at BYU by telling Tom to schedule the toughest opponents he could.
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Cougarfan87
Though he may have gotten a couple of statistics a little off I had no issue with anything he said.
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Mars
Bronco almost has to make life harder for himself. It's as if he prefers... Running into the wind.
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frdbtr
hawkwing wrote:

"I hate coach speak, I wish coaches would just say it how it is."



"How dare a coach not use coach speak, it's an outrage!"


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