Heaps is not the problem

Typical in BYU fan fashion, the main problem in our offensive struggles in most fans minds, is Jake Heaps. The only thing that surprises me with all of the venom vented in his direction is it is a year too late. Heaps was playing much worse last year and everyone was blaming Robert Anae.



Guys, I am a true believer in Bronco's philosphy that players play the way they are coached. The offense is playing exactly as it is coached right now. The 7 turnovers are a product of coaching. I know that Brandon Doman is not coaching all of the best techniques of how to drop the ball on the ground but something he is doing is causing hesitation, tentativenes, lack of concentration. This is not a player problem, it is all coaching. We are using the same offensive line that we had last year that helped us to a record number of 200 yard per game running games last year and yet we can't run block. Heaps was more comfortable in the pocket last year against utah with this same offensive line that can't pick up the blitz this year. Our running backs rarely fumbled last year and we had 6 fumbles yesterday. Our center snapped in the shot gun formation 95% of the time last year and I can't remember ever giving the ball away last year on a bad snap. Guys, there is something wrong in our coaching, I don't know what it is but if that gets fixed, the team will be fine. Doman is a rookie, I hope he figures it out soon or this year could get ugly.

I agree 100%. I think Doman will be a good OC eventually, but the team doesn't operate with confidence right now. I think that the adrenaline was flowing too much in this game that the offense made mistakes.



I was a little encouraged in the 3rd quarter after the muffed kickoff. Because we were down by 21 the offense wasn't taking their time getting into the plays. They completed a few passes and looked crisp for a litle bit. Too bad they couldn't sustain it.

CORRECTION: Heaps is not the ONLY problem.

Yep. Heaps looked like one of the only ones after the loss ready to get back on the horse and do it again.



Our offense is in bad shape. Shockingly bad. Like you mentioned, we have silly penalties, bad turnovers, and stuff that should just be clockwork. And it means a lot coming from you, lol. I can still remember our epic Heaps vs Nelson battles from yesteryear, lol.



I'm not saying Heaps is our best player on our team now (slots 1-5 are designated for the defense right now. Van Noy, Kaveinga, Sorenson, Pendleton and Tree - in pretty much that order), but he certainly isn't our worse offensive player. Those honors would go to Houston Reynolds, Terrence Brown, and anyone with RB as a position indicator.



Heaps moved the ball very well, and yes he looked rattled. I would too standing behind that line, and having my RB's *not* picking up blitzes.



He has stood in the pocket and thrown before. There is no reason to think he can't now, unless you think problems on the Oline aren't fixable. And if that is the case, we will just barely see the positive side of .500 again this year, no matter WHO is playing qb.

I think the whole offense is broke and it starts at the top. I am not blaming the players because we saw these same players play at a much higher level last year. I have said it before that I think that Doman is a brilliant offensive mind, he just isn't getting what he wants done clearly communicated to the players and that is causing them to not play well. I think that all the problems are fixable but I don't know how soon it can be done. Last year when the defense was broke, Bronco fixed the problems in 1 week but he is an experienced Dcoordinator and knew exactly what was needed to get it done. Do we have any offensive coaches that can do that? I just hope the light comes on soon with Doman or this could be a long year.

I have to disagree, Heaps IS the problem. Just not the only problem.

rblack wrote:
I have to disagree, Heaps IS the problem. Just not the only problem.

I think that if there were a clear offensive direction Heaps would look closer to the UTEP heaps then the utah Heaps. there are too many break downs in too many areas of the entire offense for this to be a QB problem. This is a coaching problem.

I agree that coaching is a problem. Doman is finding out just how difficult it is to call a game, Cahoon is finding that it's a lot easier to do than teach, and DuPaix still hasn't figured out to run behind a 300+ pound lineman.



This is why we're seeing a bunch of problems in the running game, receivers are not looking as sharp as we wanted, the line has struggled at times.



A good coach will look at the situation we've got going on right now and make some serious changes. Let the starters who are struggling so badly right now take a game on the sidelines to study whats happening during the game. Let the game come to them from a vantage they haven't seen before, the bench. Lets reignite their passion.

Heaps threw for over 200yards in the first half. If I'm not mistaken that is not too shabby. I think Doman needs to go up to the press box and someone like Detmer needs to be hired to coach the QB's. In this day and age we need an OC that concentrates on his main responsibility and that alone and not being a mentor or big brother. I can see Bronco being HC and DC but it did lead to the failing on offense because he is very hands off (his own admittance).



I didn't expect to go undefeated but I did expect to put a beat down on Utah. Time for the O-line to get mad and nasty and start living up to the press clippings. If they are as good as their writups then even I should be able to be a 100 yard rusher. And giving up pressure when only three rush is completely unacceptable.



As for backside coverage please play your position. One TD over your head is a learning experience, two is complete failure.

rblack wrote:
I have to disagree, Heaps IS the problem. Just not the only problem.

I think blaming Heaps that this point is an oversimplification of what we have seen. Yes, he should have just fallen on the ball. Other than that, what else is purely Heaps' fault?



Is it his fault that Utah caused the fumble inside the five yard line? I am sorry, but that was a fantastic defensive play.



Was it his fault that Juice fumbled?



Was it his fault that he got creamed on the play action pass when Kariya completely whiffed the pass protection block? If the only option is to play action and then protect the ball in that instance, then what is the point of the play action?



Was it his fault that Falslev not only muffed the kickoff but also couldn't hold on to the ball and caused an INT?



Was it his fault that on two occasions, the defensive appeared to have held the Utes to 3 and out only to give way to unnecessary PI penalties?



I suppose its Heaps fault we cannot run the ball.



Heaps is probably also responsible for Obama being in office and for the sagging economy.



Come to think of it, Heaps is probably responsible for my lack of a raise in the past few years.



The bottom line is this...BYU, as a team, imploded. You simply cannot give away 24 points, fail to score in side the five, resulting in a 31 point swing and expect to win.



Of that 31 point swing, I hold Heaps completely responsible for 0. He was partially responsible for the fumble in the end zone...but you know, it really wasn't Heaps problem that the ball sailed three feet over his head.



Oh wait, he is the BYU quarterback, so it is his fault.



My bad.

Heaps should have not snapped it over his own head.

Heaps should have not fumbled at midfield on the next drive.

Heaps should not have fumbled at the 2 the next drive.

Heaps should have subbed himself in for Eason and knocked down that duck that went for a 70 yard touchdown, and picked the ball that hit him right in the chest, and not left his area on the touchdown to Murphy.

Heaps should have also subbed himself in for Uale so he could have stopped those two pass interference penalties.

Heaps should have been returning kicks so the ball wouldn't have hit Falslev in the face.

Heaps should have been playing linebacker and D tackle to stuff those long touchdown runs.

Heaps should have been playing o tackle so Riley doesnt get sacked and fumble for another defensive touchdown.

Heaps should play running back and O line so we can get more than .5 yards a carry.



People on here are ridiculous. Ya he missed a few throws, but he also hit quite a few throws. Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers don't miss throws, but they are only ones on the planet. Jake had not been playing that bad, It is pretty damn hard to score in the red zone if the running game is not even an option, good red zone teams run the ball down there, even the patriots and the colts. Jordan Wynn played like ass against BYU, like really bad. Eason and Uale just bailed him out on bad throws time after time. Reading these boards is like listening to the annoying women at the byu game that piss and moan the whole time but have no idea what is going on. Heaps is not the problem, he is doing ok, the line is playing awful, so are the running backs, so are a corner and a safety. Riley Nelson is not the answer neither is Lark and if you think they are then you lack the critical thinking skills necessary to function on a daily basis.

Luckily Heaps doesn't consistently rush his throws to avoid being hit.

Thank goodness Heaps doesn't throw either 10 yards over the head of his target, or skip it to his receiver in the dirt.

I've never seen Heaps lock onto his intended target from before the snap and never even glance at any other part of the field.



Was Heaps the only problem in this game? No, we had one bad shotgun snap. We had a few mental breakdowns on defense. We had some costly mistakes by the running backs. We see a lack of expected dominance by the offensive line. But there was only 1 drive in which Heaps actually looked like he had the tools to play QB at BYU.



Maybe it just wasn't as easy to tell from TV as it was at the game. But every single series I saw at least one time when the pass was rushed, when a ball was over/under thrown, etc.

pjmuli wrote:

I have to disagree, Heaps IS the problem. Just not the only problem.

I think blaming Heaps that this point is an oversimplification of what we have seen. Yes, he should have just fallen on the ball. Other than that, what else is purely Heaps' fault?



Is it his fault that Utah caused the fumble inside the five yard line? I am sorry, but that was a fantastic defensive play.



Was it his fault that Juice fumbled?



Was it his fault that he got creamed on the play action pass when Kariya completely whiffed the pass protection block? If the only option is to play action and then protect the ball in that instance, then what is the point of the play action?



Was it his fault that Falslev not only muffed the kickoff but also couldn't hold on to the ball and caused an INT?



Was it his fault that on two occasions, the defensive appeared to have held the Utes to 3 and out only to give way to unnecessary PI penalties?



I suppose its Heaps fault we cannot run the ball.



Heaps is probably also responsible for Obama being in office and for the sagging economy.



Come to think of it, Heaps is probably responsible for my lack of a raise in the past few years.



The bottom line is this...BYU, as a team, imploded. You simply cannot give away 24 points, fail to score in side the five, resulting in a 31 point swing and expect to win.



Of that 31 point swing, I hold Heaps completely responsible for 0. He was partially responsible for the fumble in the end zone...but you know, it really wasn't Heaps problem that the ball sailed three feet over his head.



Oh wait, he is the BYU quarterback, so it is his fault.



My bad.

It is Heaps fault that he quit on the team in the second half. It is Heaps fault that only one drive in the second half went more than 6 plays. It it Heaps fault that BYU was only able to net 2 yards in the 3rd quarter on 3 drives. It is Heaps fault that after the drive that we score a Touchdown, we averaged 5 yards and Punted 4 times (no turnovers) on next 4 drives. This was the time that he needed to step up and he didn't. The turnovers just made the game look ugly. It is what Heaps didn't do during the momentum shift that ticks me off and it is this that lost the game.

You guys... You and your LOGIC.



Don't you know that you are supposed to address these situations with raw emotion and hatred?



Shame on you. Take that logic back to where it belongs, the basketball forum.

rblack wrote:

It is Heaps fault that he quit on the team in the second half. It is Heaps fault that only one drive in the second half went more than 6 plays. It it Heaps fault that BYU was only able to net 2 yards in the 3rd quarter on 3 drives. It is Heaps fault that after the drive that we score a Touchdown, we averaged 5 yards and Punted 4 times (no turnovers) on next 4 drives. This was the time that he needed to step up and he didn't. The turnovers just made the game look ugly. It is what Heaps didn't do during the momentum shift that ticks me off and it is this that lost the game.

Yeah, everything that you just said is untrue.



IF you replace "Heaps" with "defense" and "running game" then the answer to all your questions is yes.



Otherwise the answer stands as a firm "no."



And I promise you that Bronco and Doman will say the same. Just wait for the presser, and the after practice comments.

I stand by my opinion that heaps, while not an all american, is not the problem, he could improve, but he is not problem. The line, the running backs, eason, uale, and the coaching staff should shoulder a vast majority of the blame.

rblack wrote:

rblack wrote:
I have to disagree, Heaps IS the problem. Just not the only problem.

I think blaming Heaps that this point is an oversimplification of what we have seen. Yes, he should have just fallen on the ball. Other than that, what else is purely Heaps' fault?



Is it his fault that Utah caused the fumble inside the five yard line? I am sorry, but that was a fantastic defensive play.



Was it his fault that Juice fumbled?



Was it his fault that he got creamed on the play action pass when Kariya completely whiffed the pass protection block? If the only option is to play action and then protect the ball in that instance, then what is the point of the play action?



Was it his fault that Falslev not only muffed the kickoff but also couldn't hold on to the ball and caused an INT?



Was it his fault that on two occasions, the defensive appeared to have held the Utes to 3 and out only to give way to unnecessary PI penalties?



I suppose its Heaps fault we cannot run the ball.



Heaps is probably also responsible for Obama being in office and for the sagging economy.



Come to think of it, Heaps is probably responsible for my lack of a raise in the past few years.



The bottom line is this...BYU, as a team, imploded. You simply cannot give away 24 points, fail to score in side the five, resulting in a 31 point swing and expect to win.



Of that 31 point swing, I hold Heaps completely responsible for 0. He was partially responsible for the fumble in the end zone...but you know, it really wasn't Heaps problem that the ball sailed three feet over his head.



Oh wait, he is the BYU quarterback, so it is his fault.



My bad.

It is Heaps fault that he quit on the team in the second half. It is Heaps fault that only one drive in the second half went more than 6 plays. It it Heaps fault that BYU was only able to net 2 yards in the 3rd quarter on 3 drives. It is Heaps fault that after the drive that we score a Touchdown, we averaged 5 yards and Punted 4 times (no turnovers) on next 4 drives. This was the time that he needed to step up and he didn't. The turnovers just made the game look ugly. It is what Heaps didn't do during the momentum shift that ticks me off and it is this that lost the game.

Again, you can try and pour all of this onto Heaps...but few of your comments are based on tangible observations.



I find it interesting that some of us really want to pin this all on Heaps, particularly the offensive lethargy, when we amassed an impressive 11 yards rushing.



I do agree that Heaps is partially responsible for the offensive struggles, but he is also partially responsible for everything that went well.



This game was not lost in the lack of offensive prowess...and for some weird reason I feel a need to say this...but the game was lost on costly turnovers and mental miscues.

hawkwing wrote:
Luckily Heaps doesn't consistently rush his throws to avoid being hit.

Thank goodness Heaps doesn't throw either 10 yards over the head of his target, or skip it to his receiver in the dirt.

I've never seen Heaps lock onto his intended target from before the snap and never even glance at any other part of the field.



Was Heaps the only problem in this game? No, we had one bad shotgun snap. We had a few mental breakdowns on defense. We had some costly mistakes by the running backs. We see a lack of expected dominance by the offensive line. But there was only 1 drive in which Heaps actually looked like he had the tools to play QB at BYU.



Maybe it just wasn't as easy to tell from TV as it was at the game. But every single series I saw at least one time when the pass was rushed, when a ball was over/under thrown, etc.

I think this is a sensible observation Hawk...but these elements of Heaps game are not the driver for the embarrassing nature of the loss. He can improve...no question. Furthermore, he often looks rattled. Kind of like John Beck as a rookie for Dolphins. That happens to good quarterbacks when it looks like the offensive line gets blown up like a grenade was just thrown.



Perhaps more accurately stated on my part is the ridiculous disproportion that is being placed on Heaps. You take away all of the turnovers that were not directly connected to Heaps, and this is a pretty different ballgame.



We can get up in Heaps grill for the third quarter...but honestly, where was the quick, decisive passing plays that we saw early in the fourth, earlier in the game? The seven yard slants and things to Hoffman and Apo. Where was that stuff earlier when we could not establish a run game? It worked when we had to be one dimensional...had we done that stuff earlier, I really think it opens things up for the run.

I was a Heaps apologist until Saturday too. Believe me, it is much easier if you accept the truth. It will set you free.



Heaps isn't the only problem, but he is a huge problem. The rest of the offense is terrible too. He is a total pansy and will never be good until he man's up.



One play for me defines Heaps and why he will never be great: 1st half, hits Hoffman down the sidelines for a long play. I thought, "Great, he handled the rush, maybe he really isn't afraid to take a hit." When they showed the replay, as soon as the ball left his hand he cowers in a ball, waiting to get hit.



That alone defined him for me. He isn't good and he won't ever be because he is such a huge pansy. Take off your blue goggles and see for yourself.

northerncougar wrote:
I was a Heaps apologist until Saturday too. Believe me, it is much easier if you accept the truth. It will set you free.



Heaps isn't the only problem, but he is a huge problem. The rest of the offense is terrible too. He is a total pansy and will never be good until he man's up.



One play for me defines Heaps and why he will never be great: 1st half, hits Hoffman down the sidelines for a long play. I thought, "Great, he handled the rush, maybe he really isn't afraid to take a hit." When they showed the replay, as soon as the ball left his hand he cowers in a ball, waiting to get hit.



That alone defined him for me. He isn't good and he won't ever be because he is such a huge pansy. Take off your blue goggles and see for yourself.

See, this is the rallying cry of the Heaps Sucks movement:



He had 3 guys within 5 yards running at him. Show me a starting qb in the nfl that wouldn't do the same.