Alumni day report...general thoughts

[scott715]

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Robert Anae addressed the alumni last week. Here are some points he made:

- Said when he was at TTech and was approached by BYU about a possible return to his alma mater, he was very hesitant. "I had such wonderful memories of my playing days and of the campus experience, why would I want to ruin all that?"
- Said in his previous coaching stint at BYU they had some "good" teams and were close to being "great" but were never quite able to get over the hump. Said he left BYU when it was evident the program was not moving in the direction he wanted it to go.
- Anae explained his departure from BYU. Said the media had it COMPLETELY wrong and that they just made stuff up because he didn't give them ANY soundclips or quotes.
- He said he's been fired a few times, which is what you sign up for in college football, but he essentially fired himself from BYU. He said he had an offer to coach at Arizona to coach with some old friends in the coaching business and he learned some crazy offensive schemes at Arizona that is the future of college football.
- After a few seasons at AZ he received a phone call from TH and Tom explained that they wanted him back at BYU...they needed an offense to match the defense. Anae said his wife's response was, "Are you crazy?! Why would you ever want to go back there?" Anae said in all his stops (TTech, BSU, AZ) the hard-core fans and boosters have been overwhelmingly positive and supportive, except at BYU where they are "by far" the most critical. (He later went on to say that Lavell's success "created a beast".)
- Anae said he is back at BYU because he absolutely believes BYU can be "great". He said he has no ax to grind, no agenda, no coaching aspirations. He's merely at BYU to achieve something special.

- Anae talked a little bit about the unique academic standards at BYU...as a reference he said last year BYU denied 4 applicants with perfect ACT scores. He said they have a unique challenge targeting players that can meet academic standards, honor code standards, and athletic standards. But he said a high percentage of their players would qualify for school even without a football scholarship, and those that wouldn't are better players because they are being challenged in the classroom.
- Anae talked for a few minutes about team discipline...as an example he said they have a locker-room check every night at 10pm and if anything is amiss (tape on the floor, garbage not cleaned up, etc.) then the team is subject to discipline - "And I am pretty creative when it comes to developing ideas for punitive damages." He said 3 players lost ALL locker-room privileges over the winter...they had no locker, no laundry service, etc.

- Anae talked about the success of Lavell and he said in his opinion the strengths of those teams were in the trenches. He said when he returned form Arizona, having played Pac10 competition, it was blatantly obvious that we were severely lacking quality and depth on both fronts.
- Anae said they are making great progress on both lines, but we aren't there yet. Said we need to get back to the way it was in the "glory days" where they are able to groom linemen for a few years, let them grow and develop before throwing them into the fire. He said it was almost unheard of in the 80's for a true freshman to come in and start on the o-line, and this has happened WAY too much recently. He mentioned starting an 18 year old kid last year...opening game....the most important position on the o-line (center)...on the road in ACC country...silent count..."are you kidding me?"
- Anae talked extensively about the read-option...said this is quickly becoming the future of college football AND pro football. He said it really isn't much different from the old wishbone option, except it is being run from a spread attack. He said it takes a special athlete to run this offense, but if you look at the top QBs being drafted, most of them are suited for this scheme.
- Anae said he would love to return to the 'glory day offense' of BYU, which he loved as a player, but those days are gone. "The game is evolving at a crazy pace."
- The question was asked if he needs to recruit a different body style for the o-line. Anae said, "Nothing has changed in the trenches over the past 40 years. You still need big, strong bodies who can move, play at a good pad level, and not stumble over themselves."
- The question was asked if Taysom would have better protection this year or if "he'll be running for his life again". Anae took exception to the question and pointed out some offensive stats showing BYU as a top-10 running team and a top-15 offense. He then asked for a show of hands - "How many of you believe Taysom was 'running for his life' last year?"

At the conclusion of spring (having only seen 2 practices) here are some of my general thoughts:

- I REALLY like our DB situation. We have a lot of talent and depth at corner and safety, and this will make a HUGE difference in the schemes Bronco is able to run.
- It seems that Kurtz started to make his presence felt toward the end of spring.
- Our o-line will be greatly improved. I like what I see from the new bodies.
- I worry about the depth we have at linebacker. Yeah, I know we have some play-makers, but we seem pretty thin behind overall. With a few injuries, this unit could become a liability. And maybe I'm off-base, but seeing Stout listed as a starter is worrisome.
- The incoming receivers for fall will be VERY welcome. We need speed and depth in a major way.
- TE is still a huge mystery to me. Houk now seems to be the featured player at this position, but it's just been an absolute merry-go-round the past several years. Who knows what will happen in the fall.
- Fall RB reps will be very interesting. Yes, JW will be the feature back, but who else will receive meaningful snaps? I think Hine has the most upside, but for whatever reason (injuries...) he can't seem to step up to next level. Algie Brown, meanwhile, seems to be one of Bronco's favorites (BTW, he really seems to have bulked up since last fall), and Lasike just seems to keep earning the respect of coaches and teammates.
- I hope to see fewer carries from Taysom this fall. Frankly, I think we were VERY fortunate he remained healthy last season. He needs to be more productive through the air and less dependent on his legs.

[runbyu1]

Really great stuff. Thanks so much for sharing!