Step Back and Get Perspective

I've been frustrated with Heaps the past two weeks. It's not because I'd rather Nelson be out there, or because I would rather we would've redshirted Heaps--those ships have sailed and I've made my peace with them. What has frustrated me to no end is the lack of fire I've seen from Jake when things are going badly. When receivers drop balls, you see him pat his chest and say "my bad" to the receiver who just let the ball sail between his hands and hit him in the facemask. He gets sacked on 3rd and 4 when Reynolds pushes the speed rush to the outside instead of forcing him inside to allow the roll out, and Heaps just ho hum trots to the sidelines and talks to Anae or Doman with a blank ho-hum look on his face. It's been aggravating to no end.



Then this morning I realized something--this is possibly the first time Heaps has had to deal with these struggles. This is probably the first time in a long time he has played this poorly (relatively speaking), and this is probably the first time he has been on a team that has been this bad (relatively speaking). Succinctly put, the kid has never had to lead a team out of the doldrums, and he has probably never had to worry about his own mental fortitude when personal performance isn't up to snuff.



I was just thinking to myself how rough it must be to be this low after being so high. It's got to be tough on the kid trying to not only deal with his personal demons, but to figure out how to lead the offense to do the same as a collective.



Here's hoping that Jake gets a grasp on dealing with adversity on the field quickly and leads our team to a bowl game. I think he can do it, it's just a matter of blazing a trail he's never needed to take before.

It sure worked for John Beck. I don't know John's high school stats but those early losses sure lit a fire for the remainder of his BYU career.

I think it actually could be a good sign that he is calm and collected. He could not only be a great athlete, but also could have nerves of steel and cold blood running through his veins. 8)



He has to be frustrated, but it would be tough to be a "leader" on a team full of experienced guys much older than you.



I remember being a freshman at BYU, and I am pretty sure it would be hard to handle the expectations he has, as there seemed to be so many other things that made life different from high school.



Jake has shown flashes of brilliance, and flashes of being a very calm, collected QB. I really think that will come back to be a major strength for us in the future.

snoscythe wrote:
I've been frustrated with Heaps the past two weeks. It's not because I'd rather Nelson be out there, or because I would rather we would've redshirted Heaps--those ships have sailed and I've made my peace with them. What has frustrated me to no end is the lack of fire I've seen from Jake when things are going badly. When receivers drop balls, you see him pat his chest and say "my bad" to the receiver who just let the ball sail between his hands and hit him in the facemask. He gets sacked on 3rd and 4 when Reynolds pushes the speed rush to the outside instead of forcing him inside to allow the roll out, and Heaps just ho hum trots to the sidelines and talks to Anae or Doman with a blank ho-hum look on his face. It's been aggravating to no end.



Then this morning I realized something--this is possibly the first time Heaps has had to deal with these struggles. This is probably the first time in a long time he has played this poorly (relatively speaking), and this is probably the first time he has been on a team that has been this bad (relatively speaking). Succinctly put, the kid has never had to lead a team out of the doldrums, and he has probably never had to worry about his own mental fortitude when personal performance isn't up to snuff.



I was just thinking to myself how rough it must be to be this low after being so high. It's got to be tough on the kid trying to not only deal with his personal demons, but to figure out how to lead the offense to do the same as a collective.



Here's hoping that Jake gets a grasp on dealing with adversity on the field quickly and leads our team to a bowl game. I think he can do it, it's just a matter of blazing a trail he's never needed to take before.

I saw just the opposite. I was amazed with his poise and how he never let anything get to him. I saw fire when they scored even when he knew it didn't matter. I saw him not lose his cool or hang his head down. I saw him never give up. I didn't take his actions the same way you did. He is a freshman, he can't yell at his guys or make too much of a stink. He plays with poise and control. He never gives up and never loses his cool. Max Hall could learn a lesson. When he got 'too' fired up he started throwing picks (not comparing the two, max has had success, jake hasn't). I was happy to see him not go off with his head down. to do so would signal defeat or frustration to the other players.



I think Jake has it together mentally. He is a fierce competitor that is not letting the disappointments affect him negatively (the best he can anyway). I can just say I felt like hw as one of the few who never game up in that game. Him and Hoffman. Most the others on offense seemed like they were just going threw the motions, hanging their heads, and dropping passes. I saw him really trying to win when things were pretty much out of reach.



Mabye I am wrong. Maybe he doesn't care. I can't really know. but that it not the impression i got. e.

jonnylingo wrote:

I've been frustrated with Heaps the past two weeks. It's not because I'd rather Nelson be out there, or because I would rather we would've redshirted Heaps--those ships have sailed and I've made my peace with them. What has frustrated me to no end is the lack of fire I've seen from Jake when things are going badly. When receivers drop balls, you see him pat his chest and say "my bad" to the receiver who just let the ball sail between his hands and hit him in the facemask. He gets sacked on 3rd and 4 when Reynolds pushes the speed rush to the outside instead of forcing him inside to allow the roll out, and Heaps just ho hum trots to the sidelines and talks to Anae or Doman with a blank ho-hum look on his face. It's been aggravating to no end.



Then this morning I realized something--this is possibly the first time Heaps has had to deal with these struggles. This is probably the first time in a long time he has played this poorly (relatively speaking), and this is probably the first time he has been on a team that has been this bad (relatively speaking). Succinctly put, the kid has never had to lead a team out of the doldrums, and he has probably never had to worry about his own mental fortitude when personal performance isn't up to snuff.



I was just thinking to myself how rough it must be to be this low after being so high. It's got to be tough on the kid trying to not only deal with his personal demons, but to figure out how to lead the offense to do the same as a collective.



Here's hoping that Jake gets a grasp on dealing with adversity on the field quickly and leads our team to a bowl game. I think he can do it, it's just a matter of blazing a trail he's never needed to take before.

I saw just the opposite. I was amazed with his poise and how he never let anything get to him. I saw fire when they scored even when he knew it didn't matter. I saw him not lose his cool or hang his head down. I saw him never give up. I didn't take his actions the same way you did. He is a freshman, he can't yell at his guys or make too much of a stink. He plays with poise and control. He never gives up and never loses his cool. Max Hall could learn a lesson. When he got 'too' fired up he started throwing picks (not comparing the two, max has had success, jake hasn't). I was happy to see him not go off with his head down. to do so would signal defeat or frustration to the other players.



I think Jake has it together mentally. He is a fierce competitor that is not letting the disappointments affect him negatively (the best he can anyway). I can just say I felt like hw as one of the few who never game up in that game. Him and Hoffman. Most the others on offense seemed like they were just going threw the motions, hanging their heads, and dropping passes. I saw him really trying to win when things were pretty much out of reach.



Mabye I am wrong. Maybe he doesn't care. I can't really know. but that it not the impression i got. e.

I tend to agree with you johnny. Heaps is trying to take the pressure off of his receivers rather than add to it. He is leading by example, not by yelling. As a freshman, I think that's the best way for him to lead at this point.

I feel Jake is purposefully sabotaging his team by throwing perfect strikes @ 100 MPH - at the precise point between the receivers hands - where it's impossible to bring their hands together quick enough to stop the rock!!! Yeahhh!! That's the ticket!!



By the way - did Obama ever get that birth certificate thang straightened out??? LOL!!

:whistle:

jonnylingo wrote:
Mabye I am wrong. Maybe he doesn't care. I can't really know. but that it not the impression i got. e.

I don't mean to suggest he doesn't care--I just think this is a new situation for him, and he's got to learn how to deal with it on the fly and people like me who are waiting to see fire and active leadership instead of the passive water-slides-off-my-back persona from the kid need to be patient.



As far as the idea that he is just being poised, I think that's hogwash from people who just want the kid to succeed so bad that they are looking for positives anywhere and everywhere and ignoring warts. When Luke Ashworth messes up on a route and goes ho-hum to the sideline, the internet lights up about how he doesn't care and isn't trying hard enough, and it's the same with nearly every other player on the team. There's a difference between being poised and passive. I like that Jake is poised in that big hits ant mistakes don't seem to throw him off. It's the passivity where it looks like he just doesn't care that is irritating. Again, I think this is just new territory for him and that we are watching growing pains, so I'm calling for patience from people like me who are waiting for him to show the passion and heart our offense is completely lacking at every position this season. It's not coming from the upperclassmen, so we need it from our QB.

He may not be reacting with fire because he may not know how to react. As you said, this is uncharted waters for him.



I think playing well as a team this week will be very good for him.

Well, he has now been on the losing side that is twice the number of loses he suffered his entire varsity career (2). So it most certainly is uncharted for him. But having WR's suffering from "the drops" is probably something he had to deal with before and maybe even more often. After all not every WR he threw to was a D-1 athlete and he was zinging those balls around them. Personally I don't think that speak very well to the group of WR's we have if his HS WR's could handle his "fastballs".

imuakahuku wrote:
Well, he has now been on the losing side that is twice the number of loses he suffered his entire varsity career (2). So it most certainly is uncharted for him. But having WR's suffering from "the drops" is probably something he had to deal with before and maybe even more often. After all not every WR he threw to was a D-1 athlete and he was zinging those balls around them. Personally I don't think that speak very well to the group of WR's we have if his HS WR's could handle his "fastballs".

I agree! We need to go change Kasen Williams mind AND recruit all of Jakes former WR's. :munch:

snoscythe wrote:
I've been frustrated with Heaps the past two weeks. It's not because I'd rather Nelson be out there, or because I would rather we would've redshirted Heaps--those ships have sailed and I've made my peace with them. What has frustrated me to no end is the lack of fire I've seen from Jake when things are going badly. When receivers drop balls, you see him pat his chest and say "my bad" to the receiver who just let the ball sail between his hands and hit him in the facemask. He gets sacked on 3rd and 4 when Reynolds pushes the speed rush to the outside instead of forcing him inside to allow the roll out, and Heaps just ho hum trots to the sidelines and talks to Anae or Doman with a blank ho-hum look on his face. It's been aggravating to no end.



Then this morning I realized something--this is possibly the first time Heaps has had to deal with these struggles. This is probably the first time in a long time he has played this poorly (relatively speaking), and this is probably the first time he has been on a team that has been this bad (relatively speaking). Succinctly put, the kid has never had to lead a team out of the doldrums, and he has probably never had to worry about his own mental fortitude when personal performance isn't up to snuff.



I was just thinking to myself how rough it must be to be this low after being so high. It's got to be tough on the kid trying to not only deal with his personal demons, but to figure out how to lead the offense to do the same as a collective.



Here's hoping that Jake gets a grasp on dealing with adversity on the field quickly and leads our team to a bowl game. I think he can do it, it's just a matter of blazing a trail he's never needed to take before.

I agree with this post, completely. Problem is, he is turning into Bronco jr. Good news is, he is turning into Bronco jr.



I think at this point it isn't enough on field time for him to start "demoting" people, but it will be soon. I hope that he can and will take some guys by the facemask soon, and get things right.

I see both sides of this. I have thought to myself that JH should show more emotion and vocal leadership (somebody please get in the face of those receivers!!). But the ability to remain calm under pressure is a gift too. Somebody please step up and be a vocal leader on offense. The QB has to do that to a certain extent, but he's just a frosh...give him time. Leadership can be learned.

BlueIsBetter wrote:
I agree with this post, completely. Problem is, he is turning into Bronco jr. Good news is, he is turning into Bronco jr.



I think at this point it isn't enough on field time for him to start "demoting" people, but it will be soon. I hope that he can and will take some guys by the facemask soon, and get things right.

I don't know if he's turning into Bronco Jr -- which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing -- I just think he doesn't know how to react so he simply isn't reacting.

I think it is highly unusual for a true freshman to come in and bark orders at more veteran guys. It just does not happen, and is a huge reason my freshman rarely play QB. Every coach knows it too, which is why bronco talked "leadership" so much in fall Camp. Leadership comes from veteran guys with experience typically. They have to earn that respect of their peers first. I think by next year, with another offseason of spring and summer ball, that changes completely and Jake will be more vocal. I just do not see it as an issue right now. The leaders on this team and the vocal guys need to be Reynolds, So'oto, Rich, Bradley and Logan. Jake will be a go to guy next year.

snoscythe wrote:

Mabye I am wrong. Maybe he doesn't care. I can't really know. but that it not the impression i got. e.

I don't mean to suggest he doesn't care--I just think this is a new situation for him, and he's got to learn how to deal with it on the fly and people like me who are waiting to see fire and active leadership instead of the passive water-slides-off-my-back persona from the kid need to be patient.



As far as the idea that he is just being poised, I think that's hogwash from people who just want the kid to succeed so bad that they are looking for positives anywhere and everywhere and ignoring warts. When Luke Ashworth messes up on a route and goes ho-hum to the sideline, the internet lights up about how he doesn't care and isn't trying hard enough, and it's the same with nearly every other player on the team. There's a difference between being poised and passive. I like that Jake is poised in that big hits ant mistakes don't seem to throw him off. It's the passivity where it looks like he just doesn't care that is irritating. Again, I think this is just new territory for him and that we are watching growing pains, so I'm calling for patience from people like me who are waiting for him to show the passion and heart our offense is completely lacking at every position this season. It's not coming from the upperclassmen, so we need it from our QB.

Well, I think your opinion that he lacks fire and is being passive at at the very least debatable. I disagree with your comments about poise being hogwash as well. Jake is INCREDIBLY poised for a true freshman. Nothing seems to get to him. I think you are keying in too much to his sidelines trots. Did you say him snapping his hands at ashworth and fist pumping after catches were actually made. did you see him freak out after the touchdown and rushing his teamates to get lined up quicker to go for the next play. I just don't see it as passivity. I see it as him keeping his cool. I remember watching his high school game on espn. He never lost his poise, even when they were down and he had the flu. I just don't think its jake's style to yell and curse and throwing his hands in the air when things go wrong. I don't think its passivity. but i don't know him personally and haven't seen him play for many games at this point, so its just an opinion.

kitic77 wrote:

I agree with this post, completely. Problem is, he is turning into Bronco jr. Good news is, he is turning into Bronco jr.



I think at this point it isn't enough on field time for him to start "demoting" people, but it will be soon. I hope that he can and will take some guys by the facemask soon, and get things right.

I don't know if he's turning into Bronco Jr -- which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing -- I just think he doesn't know how to react so he simply isn't reacting.

i don't buy this line of thinking. he knows how to react and he is choosing not to overreact but to just not give up. I think he is maintaining his composure and as others have pointed out starting to yell at receivers, etc. is not going to help as a true freshman, it will only make things worse.

I don't think we know one way or another how he is reacting. He could be reacting with poise. He could simply be not reacting. We just don't know.



It's probably somewhere in between. I think he's very poised for a true freshman. But I do think he is struggling - maybe off the field - with all the losing which is something of which he has very little experience.

jonnylingo wrote:

BlueIsBetter wrote:
I agree with this post, completely. Problem is, he is turning into Bronco jr. Good news is, he is turning into Bronco jr.



I think at this point it isn't enough on field time for him to start "demoting" people, but it will be soon. I hope that he can and will take some guys by the facemask soon, and get things right.

I don't know if he's turning into Bronco Jr -- which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing -- I just think he doesn't know how to react so he simply isn't reacting.

i don't buy this line of thinking. he knows how to react and he is choosing not to overreact but to just not give up. I think he is maintaining his composure and as others have pointed out starting to yell at receivers, etc. is not going to help as a true freshman, it will only make things worse.

I agree with all of jonny's posts on this thread so far. As an unproven freshman, yelling at his teammates would just be feeding the monster of negativity that has clouded this team. When the new guy who just joined your work group without any experience on your level starts to chew everyone out, how well does that go over? (especially when he is still making plenty of mistakes himself). In this case he needs to bring positive leadership; he is leading by example, and he is bringing it every play. From my observation, Heaps has been playing to win all the way down to the end of each game.

kitic77 wrote:

I agree with this post, completely. Problem is, he is turning into Bronco jr. Good news is, he is turning into Bronco jr.



I think at this point it isn't enough on field time for him to start "demoting" people, but it will be soon. I hope that he can and will take some guys by the facemask soon, and get things right.

I don't know if he's turning into Bronco Jr -- which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing -- I just think he doesn't know how to react so he simply isn't reacting.

Well, in all the post game stuff, he has the "coachspeak" and "super self criticism" down.



That is what I was referring to. I am all for someone taking the team on their backs and stepping up, but at the same time, maybe drop a few of the dead weights.