Archived Topic

If you were Bronco, how would you handle our QBs?

by Dcr36 · 9/24/2011

Dcr36

9/24/2011, 7:22:20 PM

Option #1: Heaps is our starting QB, period, and deserves our deference. Unless he does something as boneheaded as throwing 7 picks into Idaho State, he's our guy for the rest of this season. BYU goes into camp after this season with the presumption that Heaps starts next year, too.

Option #2: Heaps is our starting QB for the remainder of the year, barring utter catastrophe or multiple losses. However, given the cupcake nature of the remainder of our schedule, the coaches shouldn't read into ANY success he has for the remainder of our regular season. Camp starts with a clear statement that the QB position is up for grabs, and Heaps has to earn it back.

Option #3: Heaps should start next week, and continue to start if we keep winning, even if the PER stays low. But the minute we lose a game that we have no business losing, he gets benched and has to earn his way back to the starting slot. Camp outlook is the same as option #2.

Option #4: Heaps should start next week, but if he plays another substandard game he needs to get benched, win or lose. He needs to earn his way back to the starting slot. Camp outlook is the same as option #2.

Option #5: Bench Heaps now. He should not start for the remainder of the season unless we discover that Nelson and Lark are just as (if not more) inept. He's lost the starting position and needs to earn it back. Either the camp outlook is the same as option #2, or the coaches should just assume Jake is a headcase with no upside who can't perform in game-time situations and look elsewhere.

mizzoucoug

9/24/2011, 11:47:24 PM

Option 4. Sure let Heaps start vs USU, but if he sucks it up again he goes plain and simple. I don't give a $*& what happens in practice, I don't. And you know what? 100 other D1 coaches at this point in the season don't either. GAMETIME PLAY IS ALL THAT MATTERS!

Ddawg

9/25/2011, 12:05:59 AM

#4. So much hype surrounded Jake - and in practice he shines - because he has a gifted arm. But, when the real pressure comes & he gets hit. All that tentative apprehension pushes his timing & judgement to the side.

I want to see Jake succeed. More importantly though - I want to see the Cougars succeed.

stuckinbig10country

9/25/2011, 12:15:39 AM

The question is do you care if Heaps is back next year? If he's benched he transfers next year. All these options break down to the answer to that question.

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snoscythe

9/25/2011, 12:20:28 AM

stuckinbig10country wrote:
The question is do you care if Heaps is back next year? If he's benched he transfers next year. All these options break down to the answer to that question.

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All that would do is confirm that he is soft, not a competitor, and he lacks any fire to fight.

Who would be crying if the kid you bench for sub-standard play goes somewhere else?

Ddawg

9/25/2011, 12:23:22 AM

snoscythe wrote:
The question is do you care if Heaps is back next year? If he's benched he transfers next year. All these options break down to the answer to that question.

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All that would do is confirm that he is soft, not a competitor, and he lacks any fire to fight.

That would be an "eye popping wow!" I cannot imagine that. But, I have learned through time all things are possible. We fly, we walk on the moon & we have a President that doesn't like America. Anything can happen.

mizzoucoug

9/25/2011, 12:30:01 AM

stuckinbig10country wrote:
The question is do you care if Heaps is back next year? If he's benched he transfers next year. All these options break down to the answer to that question.

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LOL, he can go then. And he can try to take his ball with him if he wants.

superchargedcougar

9/25/2011, 2:11:07 AM

If I were Bronco I'd be fasting 4 times a week

Gunk

9/25/2011, 2:21:09 AM

stuckinbig10country wrote:
The question is do you care if Heaps is back next year? If he's benched he transfers next year. All these options break down to the answer to that question.

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Option 4.

If Heaps doesn't want to play here, I don't want him here and someone else can take his spot that wants to play. Heaps leaves, no skin off my back and it just reinforces he's just another entitled 20-something.

Bronco runs stats on his players. The ones that succeed are typically returned missionaries, farm boys, had a job while in high school or over came some type adversity. None of which Heaps has done. Heaps gets through this season and this will be the most "adversity" he's dealt with.

birdie702

9/25/2011, 2:29:50 AM

Jake will continue to struggle this year. At first I had no good feelings and thoughts about the kid, but I'm not in his shoes... I feel bad for him. He clearly has talent. I think he'll be better next year. I will continue to support him because I know he's got a lot of potential. Doman needs to do a better job in getting Jake to where he needs to be, even if he has to bench him for a game or do something...whatever... He's our QB and he needs our full support.

SpiffCoug

9/25/2011, 3:10:21 AM

birdie702 wrote:
He's our QB and he needs our full support.

Yes and no. The QB at BYU is kind of like the Presidency. You get more than your fair share of the blame and credit. I respect the position, not the person. My first loyalty is to the team. I expect whomever mans that position to perform at a certain level. IF you can't perform at that level (which I've set at 136 PER) then you either need to quickly start performing at that level or move aside to see if someone else can.

Ddawg

9/25/2011, 4:00:00 AM

I think we need to throttle back - way back. Unless someone has some real inside scoop about Jake getting benched, and transferring? Holy smokes! Where did all this talk come from? Seriously.

Here's the facts as I see them:

#1 Jake is struggling. Not just to live up to the hype. He's struggling to just be a good QB. I think Jake went to bed Friday night & stared @ the ceiling - and said something like this: "Man, I gotta get better. This has got to change. I'm re-committing myself this week."

#2 Jake is a project. I think that Jake came in - with an ego the size of the Smith Field House, believing the hype, feeling entitled, and a young mind lacking the understanding of what of it takes to succeed at the D1 level. If you talked to Jake last year, he said all the right things & he worked hard. But he had never taken a snap in a D1 game & had a 255 lb. DE breathing down his neck. Jake gets a serious dose of reality every snap he takes. Teams have scouted him & know he gets rattled when the heat comes. So it comes more frequently & with vigor.

#3 Jake has woken up to reality. Nothing is easy. Luckily, he has Brandon Doman to work with. I believe there is not a more dedicated & brighter Offensive Coordinator around. He just needs time in the saddle. The learning curve is steep, but Doman is up to the challenge. Doman & Jake make a good team - they have not yet arrived.

#4 Practice this week will have a serious Jake & a committed Cougar team. Jake's teammates will be pushing him & not cutting him slack. I think Doman will push - not coddle Jake. The Coug Offense will improve this week.

#5 I think Jake has a solid game this weekend. I think he turns a corner. IMHO.

SpiffCoug

9/25/2011, 4:06:09 AM

#1 Heaps is struggling to be an average QB.

#2 Jake is much more of a product than anyone thought he was (coaches included).

#3 It's yet to be seen if he's woken up.

#4 This is completely unknowable.

#5 I thought he might have a solid game this week. I think he turns a corner as well. I'm just not sure which way he's going to turn.

Brayden Green

9/25/2011, 7:47:11 AM

LoL.

One guy claims that Jake might transfer is we bench him (100% conjecture), and all the sudden people are figuring out what school he would transfer to.

Wow. :lol:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VePxbFQ-qfw

frdbtr

9/25/2011, 1:24:47 PM

SpiffCoug wrote:
#1 Heaps is struggling to be an average QB.

#2 Jake is much more of a product than anyone thought he was (coaches included).

#3 It's yet to be seen if he's woken up.

#4 This is completely unknowable.

#5 I thought he might have a solid game this week. I think he turns a corner as well. I'm just not sure which way he's going to turn.

I agree with #1 but disagree with #2. The coaches know exactly where Jake is. I heard quotes in fall camp from BYU coaches that stated that Jake is ahead of where he was last year but not as far ahead as fans think. The FANS are who thought Jake was going to be better then John Beck during his sr year and thought he might have a year like Detmer did his sophomore year. The fans are who are disapointed because he has not lived up to the FANS unrealistic expectations of him. The coaches know exactly how far along he is and are working to get him better prepared.

I frankly, expected the offense to struggle the first few games this year because Brandon Doman is a rookie and has never called a game before. He is still learning. Last game was better but was still a horribly called game. The offense is struggling to run the plays that he is calling as designed and that is the real reason that everyone is playing worse then expected. Our offensive line is struggling, our running game is struggling, the QB is struggleing and the recievers are running wrong routes. All because of bad coaching. I still think that Doman will get this thing figured out. I just hope it is sooner then later. Once the coaches prepare the players properly to succeed, then you guys will be talking about how great Heaps is and how happy we are that we didn't bench him and destroy his confidence.

Cougy_Monster

9/25/2011, 3:14:44 PM

Ddawg wrote:

#3 Jake has woken up to reality. Nothing is easy. Luckily, he has Brandon Doman to work with. I believe there is not a more dedicated & brighter Offensive Coordinator around. He just needs time in the saddle. The learning curve is steep, but Doman is up to the challenge. Doman & Jake make a good team - they have not yet arrived.

I really liked Doman as a player and as a QB coach. I love his attitude and apparent work ethic. But I don't see how anybody can say Doman is a bright OC.....yet. He hasn't done anything yet to show that there aren't 100 other OCs out there just as good or better than he is. Clock mangement, play calling, execution, and most importantly managing the psychology of the players has all been well below reasonable expectations.

Cougarbib

9/25/2011, 3:21:06 PM

stuckinbig10country wrote:
The question is do you care if Heaps is back next year? If he's benched he transfers next year. All these options break down to the answer to that question.

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Fans and maybe even coaches have been held hostage to this worry for a year and a half too long. That and worrying about him going NFL early. Neither is likely and both are getting less likely by the second.

I would start the USU game in the Wild Cougar formation and run it until USZ figures out how to stop it - then bring in Jake on 4th and long.

Riley deserves significant PT vs USU. I would pull the cat out of the bag at least once a quarter and I would have Nelson on the field holding on every kick and in the backfield on every punt just to keep opponents guessing at all times. Then once every 2 or 3 games - fake kick.

If we somehow get a big lead - get Lark some reps.

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Cougy_Monster

9/25/2011, 3:21:46 PM

I voted #4. Any player at any position who CONSISTENTLY doesn't produce results should be at risk for having his backup get a chance. In 2003 Crowton benched any QB after a bad drive. That obviously doesn't work. But Heaps has had 4 entire games, and only produced 4-5 impressive drives. If an unknowing observer watched film of this season they would probably assume Jake was a 2 star HS QB lucky to get his chance in D1 football.

Last year I though Heaps had some psych issues to work through due to sharing time with Riley and also from what appeared to be a rift between Anae and Heaps. I thought that'd all go away this year since Doman and Bronco threw their entire support behind Heaps and essentially gave him the team.

Nothing has changed this year. In fact, Heaps is worse than last year.

Why does BYU invest so many resources in stockpiling great QBs only to then put all their eggs in one QBs basket? Texas would not have beat us if they were afraid to hurt their QBs feelings by yoinking them from the game when they sucked.

Cougarbib

9/25/2011, 3:39:13 PM

South Carolina pulled their star QB yesterday in a game they were winning and continued to win because he was playing poorly. They didn't worry about him transferring, fracturing his fragile psyche, or going to the NFL early. I imagine he will be back next week, and with a more focused effort. That is what tough coaches do. It may fracture fragile psyches - usually it toughens a player's resolve. Jake needs toughening. He needs to see what someone else can deliver with the same supporting cast long enough to realize beyond a doubt, that he needs to step up his level of playmaking.

I would suggest less hosiery. Maybe he would stand out less as a target. Make a fashion stmt - working man QB, gritty, tough, competitor, playmaker, bare arms and legs and hands. And when he backs up and spins turning his back to the defense and then rolls to the left side, he better make a mu h more convincing fake on the hand-off - 2nd week he has telegraphed that and taken a big sack.

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Cougs_Rule

9/25/2011, 4:03:33 PM

Ddawg wrote:
I think we need to throttle back - way back. Unless someone has some real inside scoop about Jake getting benched, and transferring? Holy smokes! Where did all this talk come from? Seriously.

Here's the facts as I see them:

#1 Jake is struggling. Not just to live up to the hype. He's struggling to just be a good QB. I think Jake went to bed Friday night & stared @ the ceiling - and said something like this: "Man, I gotta get better. This has got to change. I'm re-committing myself this week."

#2 Jake is a project. I think that Jake came in - with an ego the size of the Smith Field House, believing the hype, feeling entitled, and a young mind lacking the understanding of what of it takes to succeed at the D1 level. If you talked to Jake last year, he said all the right things & he worked hard. But he had never taken a snap in a D1 game & had a 255 lb. DE breathing down his neck. Jake gets a serious dose of reality every snap he takes. Teams have scouted him & know he gets rattled when the heat comes. So it comes more frequently & with vigor.

#3 Jake has woken up to reality. Nothing is easy. Luckily, he has Brandon Doman to work with. I believe there is not a more dedicated & brighter Offensive Coordinator around. He just needs time in the saddle. The learning curve is steep, but Doman is up to the challenge. Doman & Jake make a good team - they have not yet arrived.

#4 Practice this week will have a serious Jake & a committed Cougar team. Jake's teammates will be pushing him & not cutting him slack. I think Doman will push - not coddle Jake. The Coug Offense will improve this week.

#5 I think Jake has a solid game this weekend. I think he turns a corner. IMHO.

Thank you DDAWG!! Finally a measured, reasonable, non-stat twisting, non-horribilizing response from someone on this board.

#6. I think what could be added was that I finally see some of the players on the sideline, like JJ and Kariya who are finally mentoring and supporting, and yes getting in his face in a supportive kind of way, rather than fuming, avoiding and colluding with Jake's performance problems and character deficiencies. Its almost as if they all are finally getting over Jake's hype (most especially jake) and pulling together as a team and getting on the same page. And Jake is finally feeling secure enough to admit his failures instead of trying to ACT the part of a leader--which he wasnt doing a great job of.

I regularly roast Bib on his whole Leadership shtick; but the truth is, Jake's leadership was underdeveloped for the strains put on him by a bad offense last year and a struggling one this year--which is part of the psychological part of the game--and quite frankly I havent seen much leadership from anyone on offense pulling behind this guy (Tonga-esque). Whether its been the residual of rifts from last year that extended all the way to the coaches or whether coaches have been protecting him from whatever pressures mentally and/or physically (too much "green shirt" protection-ism). When I watched the replay and compared my observations from what I see on the sideline (i sit not too far from the byu sideline), I really think the team meetings earlier this week helped start to resolve some fairly deep seeded animosities and divisions on the offense.

I also think Doman going up to the booth has allowed several positive directions. I saw Lance REynolds working through things with Jake on the sideline so the rookie OC doesnt have to worry about Jake as much. So, yes, while Jake needs more help and development than probably what coaches thought and certainly what fans expected, thank goodness the coaches have had the fortitude, experience and maturity to avoid another QB whirling dervish that would certainly have put this program into deep disarray AGAIN!!

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