cruiser wrote:

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, you're awesome man. I agree with Craig though, it's not ever going to be enough info. Guess that's just part of being fully invested.
Strong work

cruiser wrote:

CougarPeasant wrote:

cruiser,

Big questions I have are how is the O-line coming together this spring and what kind of job do you think Coach Weber is doing?

In my opinion, the jury is still out on Coach Weber. I think it's fair to say that replacing Coach Grimes was a taller order than many people thought. Although we had some fine linemen with experience last year, we weren't able to run the ball or protect Hall as well as we expected to. This will be Weber's second year, and he should fully understand how the line integrates into the overall scheme, especially the running game. If things don't improve this year, even though we have some of the finest RBs in the conference, a lot of people will be taking a pretty hard look at Coach Weber. That's how I see it, anyway.

cruiser, thanks for your answer. I would also think Weber now has a better idea of what his players can and can't do and will scheme accordingly. I am hoping for total domination by the O-line in the run game. They have the size and talent. Could part of the problem have been Anae's wider splits verses what Weber would normally coach and he just didn't figure out how to utilize the splits as Anae would expect?

Answers beget more questions.

McGregor, if you are around, feel free to jump in with your own opinion as well please.

Thanks in advance cruiser, I look forward to your opinion.


Oh, and one more thing. I am glad to hear you think that the players are extra motivated. I would think that after back to back titles and bowl victories, they have come to believe in Bronco like never before. I think also that the team as a whole has hit one of those apexes of overall talent (like in 1984, 1996, 2001) that they could very well exceed even their own expectations for themselves.

Thanks for the great info Cruiser and Pwride! Interesting that West Virginia and Kansas State coaches came out to see how we do tihngs - especially considering West Virginia has a brand new coach... Great to see Bronco getting the respect he deserves with how he is running the program.

My question is -- what exactly were they looking for? I know you mentioned that they came to watch our conditioning drills. Was that all or were they also looking at how Bronco teaches, interacts, etc.? How long were they here for?

I know it's not the same, but when LaVell was on top, coaches from top 10 schools were coming to observe spring drills on a regular basis.
I seem to remember a comment-this is going back 20 years, so forgive if the gears slip a bit-that while Edwards contribution to passing offenses was significant, he and his staff singlehandly redifined Offensive Line play not only through schemes but how they taught the linemen to pass protect individually.

connecticutcougar wrote:

Thanks for the great info Cruiser and Pwride! Interesting that West Virginia and Kansas State coaches came out to see how we do tihngs - especially considering West Virginia has a brand new coach... Great to see Bronco getting the respect he deserves with how he is running the program.

My question is -- what exactly were they looking for? I know you mentioned that they came to watch our conditioning drills. Was that all or were they also looking at how Bronco teaches, interacts, etc.? How long were they here for?

I don't know what else they were looking for, but I'm sure they were doing more than paying their respects to an up and coming coach. Bronco goes to a lot of coaches conferences, and I'm sure he makes a lot of acquaintances there. The admiration he has earned among them is actually kind of startling. Some of the most storied coaches in the land are asking how he does things.

As far as the O-line goes, and their wider splits, I don't know if this was the big issue for the lineman last year. I have heard various things about what the "issue" was, but nothing was really solid or definitive. I would rather not speculate beyond what I have already said. Integrating his philosophy into the existing philosophy should be accomplished by this year, and every Cougar fan will be watching.

When you think about it, coming into a program like this, where Mendenhall, Kaufusi, Hill, and others have shone so brightly, it must be a little daunting. Personally, I think the O-line will improve this year, but I'm still a little anxious...

Just a quick thought about O-line. We forget thanks to the UCLA bowl game that BYU's line had been absolutely devastating in the run and pass game for most of the season. Watching Bright pull and lay out guys 10 yards down the field were some of the best moments of the year. Hall had time to pick apart defenses. The offensive line was good, next year they should be great.