WACoug wrote:

runbyu1 wrote:

Good call! I can only imagine how those "yo mama" jokes go over with the linemen! "Yo mama's so fat..." Uh,...

Hilarious. Maybe that DOES explain how Bruce Davis was able to get around the corner so much...

Hey, easy! That guy plays a mean cello. Oh, wait. That's Yo Yo Ma, not Yo MaMa. Sorry, my bad. :lol:

You guys are killing me.

Cruiser, you're killing me...slowly. I thought I was content with bball, but no-you had to come out dangling that tasty tidbit in front of us all and remind us of the real purpose of life. Dang!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.

buzzard wrote:

One quote from Cruisers article that I hope is not the case was talking about Bronco being at the workouts pushing the players to work harder. It is against the rules for coaches to attend off-season workout. Omer, no big deal, Mendenhall, big deal indeed.
So I am hoping that was a misperception on Cruisers part.

He responded to that in the comment section. Coaches can be present for conditioning (if a football is present they need to leave.) This only applies pre-spring. After spring only conditioning Coach (Omer) can be present.

craigoscarson: Hola, Clawson and Tuitama are the only early arrivals. The rest will be here in fall.

Pwride wrote:

buzzard wrote:

One quote from Cruisers article that I hope is not the case was talking about Bronco being at the workouts pushing the players to work harder. It is against the rules for coaches to attend off-season workout. Omer, no big deal, Mendenhall, big deal indeed.
So I am hoping that was a misperception on Cruisers part.

He responded to that in the comment section. Coaches can be present for conditioning (if a football is present they need to leave.) This only applies pre-spring. After spring only conditioning Coach (Omer) can be present.

craigoscarson: Hola, Clawson and Tuitama are the only early arrivals. The rest will be here in fall.

Pwride's got it right here. All the coaches can be with the players now---until a football shows up. As soon as the conditioning is done each day and the skill guys start playing 7-on-7, the coaches must leave. That's when the position captains take over, and they're doing a great job this winter. After Spring ball is over, the only coach who can be with the team during conditioning or weights or even on the field, is Coach Omer. Again, the position captains will run the show on the field each day of the summer until Fall camp. Bronco abides by the rules as strictly as anyone in college football--or more so. But he has also learned how to take advantage of the opportunities granted by the rules. His team leadership council is probably one of the best, and most mature, player-leadership units in the country. And they all follow Bronco's lead. They work, work, work, getting the most out of every practice, each day. It is really something to watch. In fact, that may be why the Kansas State and West Virginia head coaches were here recently, watching the team go through their workouts. Bronco has very quickly become one of the most promising young coaches in college football, and a lot of people are interested in what he's doing and how he's doing it. Needless to say, he's doing it right.

craigoscarson wrote:

Here's my problem with reading these tidbits from Cruiser.

It's like feeding a hungry tiger a slim jim. I just want more now :cheer:

Now I want to know about every player and how they look in workouts.

Is Tialevea healthy?

Are Rich, Clawon, Hola, Moala, etc. in school and working out too?

How does Fui look? (BTW if any of you wonder if Fui belongs in the backfield as a dominant player, then you obviously have forgotten the Oregon-Vegas Bowl; this guy is a legit punisher when he's right)

Did Reynolds get a butt whooping by dad after the Vegas bowl? What's the status on his brothers?

How fast are G Pittman, Bradley in these Omer workouts?

Is anyone looking like they're not improving with the rest?

How about Hafoka? Is Michael Reed getting lean or bulking up; is his speed improving?

I'd love to see a depth chart at receiver and linebacker....

the list goes on.....I can't handle just a tidbit

Either way, thanks for caring Cruiser and sharing it's certainly better than nothing.

Craig, that's quite a list, but I'll do my best.

Tialavea is still pounding the weights on muscle beach but looks to be moving without pain. He had a very serious knee injury, and nobody really knows if he'll be back at full strength this fall. Right now, he seems to be making good progress, and I am cautiously optimistic. He'll miss Spring ball, but we'll know more this summer if he comes out and starts conditioning with the team.

Pwride already answered your next question, but I'll add that Andrew Rich is also in school and is working out with the team. He looks like a good athlete, and he came to school in good shape (as did all the guys from Snow). Now he needs to learn Hill's defense. Right now, it's too early to say how well he will do for us. Personally, I think he'll be a strong addition to the safeties, but we'll have to wait and see.

Fui is working hard. He let himself get a little heavy after the LV Bowl, and now he is paying the price to get back down to where he wants to be (235-240). He is very strong, amazingly strong, and it's tempting to think of him as a fullback, but frankly, he seems to want nothing to do with that position. He sees himself as a tailback and focuses almost all of his efforts on that position. The question with Fui this year will be his attitude toward contact. As we all know, he shied away from big hits last year, trying to elude tacklers instead of punishing them, as Harvey and Manase did. And because of his weight, he wasn't able to elude most tacklers. Will he run aggressively and hit hard this year? Nobody knows yet, and even after Spring ball we may not know. Last year he was great in practice then seemed to get soft in the games. Everybody in football knows that he can be the most punishing runner in the conference if he wants to be. The question, though, is if he has mentally bounced back from the devastating injuries he suffered his sophomore year. In my opinion, we won't know until September.

I don't know about Dallas or any "butt whooping" from his father. He's better than he showed against Bruce Davis, but then, most O-linemen are. Davis was extraordinary and was incredibly motivated that game. But Dallas recognizes that he needs to get quicker. Because the competition for his spot will be even greater this year than last, he will have to keep improving, which is what he is trying to do every day. I think he'll be solid but probably not stellar, unless he can get a much quicker first step.

Pittman and Bradley are doing well in conditioning. Both are exceptional athletes. Personally, I think Pittman can be a special DB. He seems to have that extra something that allows him to be in the right place at the right time and make great plays. Bradley, of course, is still coming back from his Gooch-like knee injury. It's been a couple of years now, and he seems to be running pain-free, but this is just conditioning, and as hard as it is, it isn't game conditions. We'll know more about him when things are live in a few weeks.

A side note: the defense is looking great in 7-on-7s so far, especially the linebackers---more than the average number of interceptions and deflections. Hall is solid, and Gaskins is looking good too, but these linebackers are flying around the field and making plays. They're fast. (Matt Ah You is already looking like he's back to his old form, though he'd probably say he has a ways to go.) We won't have the biggest linebackers this year, but we'll definitely have some of the fastest and smartest. We lost some key guys on defense, but we should be as good or better this year, especially if Russell is back to his '06 form.

Spencer Hafoka is looking pretty fast, and Michael Reed seems to be his old self, which isn't too bad. If you're looking for surprises at receiver, look out for Landon Jaussi (pronounced Yow-see). He's big and strong (6-4, 215) and has quietly become one of the fast runners on the team, winning sprints against the other receivers almost every day. The question with him is, can he catch the ball consistently in traffic? Right now he looks pretty good. Again, we'll know more in Spring when receivers killed dismembered as soon as they touch the ball.

Overall, this team is showing a lot of character. They are simply the hardest-working, most focused team I have ever seen at BYU, and that's saying something. Their work ethic is so much better than anything under Edward's programs that they almost can't be compared. The '84 team had some great athletes and worked hard, but this team works harder, partly because Mendenhall is pushing them and partly because these guys are willing to go places mentally that other teams wouldn't. They are willing to endure pain, sometimes extreme pain, and keep fighting, keep working, keep growing. If we can stay relatively injury-free, this team could do something special this year. Of course, the ball takes some funny hops sometimes, and you can never predict what will happen, but this team is giving it everything they've got. If they don't exceed last year's record, it won't be for lack of effort and dedication. These guys want to win---BAD.

I know this doesn't answer all your questions, but I hope it helps. Just remember, spring ball is only 11 days away!

cruiser wrote:

....Bronco abides by the rules as strictly as anyone in college football--or more so. But he has also learned how to take advantage of the opportunities granted by the rules. His team leadership council is probably one of the best, and most mature, player-leadership units in the country. And they all follow Bronco's lead. They work, work, work, getting the most out of every practice, each day. It is really something to watch. In fact, that may be why the Kansas State and West Virginia head coaches were here recently, watching the team go through their workouts. Bronco has very quickly become one of the most promising young coaches in college football, and a lot of people are interested in what he's doing and how he's doing it. Needless to say, he's doing it right.

OK, cruiser, I guess I say thanks, but I feel like the starving man waiting for the supply truck to dole out my supplies - saying thanks feels at once contrived and humbling..I wish I could feed myself. But I cannot deny that the food you brought me allows me to survive at least one more day, so, yeah...thanks.

But you just now exposed my biggest fear....how long will Bronco be around? He's just 13 games away from some once-in-a-lifetime offers. Any idea on his disposition?

Ygridiron4ever wrote:

cruiser wrote:

....Bronco abides by the rules as strictly as anyone in college football--or more so. But he has also learned how to take advantage of the opportunities granted by the rules. His team leadership council is probably one of the best, and most mature, player-leadership units in the country. And they all follow Bronco's lead. They work, work, work, getting the most out of every practice, each day. It is really something to watch. In fact, that may be why the Kansas State and West Virginia head coaches were here recently, watching the team go through their workouts. Bronco has very quickly become one of the most promising young coaches in college football, and a lot of people are interested in what he's doing and how he's doing it. Needless to say, he's doing it right.

OK, cruiser, I guess I say thanks, but I feel like the starving man waiting for the supply truck to dole out my supplies - saying thanks feels at once contrived and humbling..I wish I could feed myself. But I cannot deny that the food you brought me allows me to survive at least one more day, so, yeah...thanks.

But you just now exposed my biggest fear....how long will Bronco be around? He's just 13 games away from some once-in-a-lifetime offers. Any idea on his disposition?

Bronco Mendenhall keeps his own counsel pretty well, so nobody can speak for him. But, between you and me, I would be surprised, and disappointed, if he left BYU. He sees this job almost as a calling directly from the Brethren, whom he speaks with from time to time. He also sees himself in the service a Higher Power in a way that he can't be in other places. He has worked in several other programs, and he seems about as happy here as he can be. He has earned tremendous respect from all of his bosses and has been given a lot of freedom. Although the money may be tempting at other schools from time to time, I expect (and sincerely hope) that he'll stay here. Of course, BYU will have to do the right thing as far as his salary goes to at least remain somewhat competitive. Like most of us, he wants to serve, but he doesn't want to be used.