It's about time we talk about or beloved coach. Bronco Mendenhall, who has been hailed as the savior of the program (after the dark days of the Crowton era), has risen as BYU's Lavell Edwards reincarnated, to return BYU football to the glory days of old.
Or has he?
In this blog, you will find evidence that or beloved Coach Mendenhall has only returned the Y to known days of mediocrity.
Evidence #1: Bronco's defensive minded sets. Bronco has been a defensive coordinator most of the time before heading over to BYU. So, I ask the question... what happened? Amnesia? Did he forget all his good defensive sets? Sure, you can argue or athletes are inferior due to the pressures of recruiting at an LDS school, but come on. When Utah puts 50 points on you, that's embarassing. When FSU blows you out at home by 30 points and your defensive players are blaming the newly installed turf for the blowout, you have problems. And the problems start at the top. Sure, or offense (usually) looks great. He's done a good job keeping the BYU offense alive (keeping Robert Anai too). But everyone who watched the Air Force game last Saturday knows Bronco is being outcoached by offensive schemes.
Evidence #2: The Vegas Bowl. Those are 3 words, as an avid fan, that I'm tired of hearing. And I'm even MORE tired of people being excited about going. College Football has evolved into the haves and the have-nots. The only way you become a Have is by going to the BCS. Anything less than this must be considered failure. Despite this, many cheer the Vegas bowl as some sort of excellent option, and yet, is this all we want? Are we satisfied with this mediocrity? No. The bottom line is that Bronco Mendenhall does not know how to win the big games. He does not know what it will take to take us the distance. Wittingham did it. Urban Meyer did it. Chris Peterson did it. Heck, TCU can even make the BCS. Until Bronco proves to me that he can crash the party, he can't sell me on the idea that we should keep him.
Evidence #3: The 2 QB dibacle. In the history of football, you can hold up on 1 hand the number of times a 2 QB system was effective and successful. On one hand! The way Bronco has handled the situation has also clearly displayed how much of the idea was his. Clearly, the 2 QB method is his baby. He will stand or fall with it. Against Washington, we got lucky. Both QB's played well in front of a home crowd. However, AFA revealed how disastrous the system could be. Nelson played almost the entire game (which left many fans, including myself, screaming at the TV for Bronco to put in the passing quarterback, which, for some INEXPLICABLE reason, he chose not to) without success. The BYU offense, which usually looks at AFA the way a boxer looks at a punching bag, mustered 14 points, while or defense got outclassed, outsmarted, and outmuscled. Overall, it was embarrassing.
It's time for this madness to end. It's time to bring in a fresh mind, a coach who isn't afraid to pull out the stops and not fear 1 or 2 losing seasons in order to achieve true greatness. A coach who actually understands defenses. A coach who hates going to the Vegas Bowl. A coach who will start Jake Heaps, for crying out loud, or at least play him when Riley Nelson is clearly doing nothing for us.
And don't you dare criticize my fanhood. I'm as big a fan as BYU football as you will ever meet. Which is why I must proclaim the truth about Bronco. And the truth shall set you free...
Come on, you're such a hater, a fairweather fan. You only like BYU when it's doing well. Then you turn your back. We all know I'm the true fan here.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Evidence 1: There is no questioning that we have struggled defensively in several games. Many games attest to this (Florida State, Utah, Air Force, et al). I really have never had much faith in BYU's defense and sometimes just go into a game thinking that it will be a shootout and hope that we have the ball last. In fact, the occasional good performance by the defense is seen as an anomaly (OK, UCLA).
ReplyDeleteMy faith in the defense reached perhaps an all-time low on Saturday with that effort (or lack thereof) against Air Force. Not at one point did I feel comfortable with our defense on the field. If AF had a 3rd and 15, I had reason to think that they would convert by running the ball. Usually running the ball on 3rd and a mile is a sign that the offense is conceding that they will not get a first down but just don't want to throw a pick or do something stupid. In the game on Saturday, I just assumed AF would pick up the first down by running the option. Or, if a corner bit, the quarterback would throw it to a man downfield with nothing but the endzone in front of him. It was painful to watch. BYU looked like a junior high team out there.
Evidence 2: I also want something more than the Vegas Bowl. But, we won't be going to the Vegas Bowl again for a long time if it makes you feel better. We won't win the conference this year and since we are leaving the MWC we won't get an invite in the future. Of course, if we don’t win we might just substitute the Vegas Bowl for the Petersburg pres. by Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl. Point being: We need to get into a BCS bowl game. Soon.
Evidence 3: Debacle is the perfect word. Though defense isn’t BYU’s forte, moving the ball through the air is. Why was Jake Heaps not in the game? When we’re down by multiple touchdowns, I don’t want to see designed quarterback draws. Let me be clear: I do like Riley Nelson. He’s a good athlete and a great competitor. He just isn’t a starting quarterback. Heaps needs to be the man. History has shown that the two-quarterback system does not work. Heaps needs to be named so the team has some consistency. If Bronco wants to give a few plays per game to Riley, fine. But it can’t be every other possession. Put them both on the field together in certain circumstances if you want (potential to confuse defenses/trick plays) etc.) but name 1 quarterback: Jake Heaps.