Archived Topic

A Few Random End-of-the-Season Thoughts

by mcgregor · 12/27/2009

BoiseBYU

12/28/2009, 8:46:10 PM

Among other things, Chambers may be the best down field blocker I have ever seen at BYU....

frdbtr

12/28/2009, 9:16:42 PM

gmj81 wrote:
Let's get one thing straight. Chambers has fumbled twice this year. That's it. And neither was as costly as Jacobson's botched PR in the OU game but no one seems to keep harping on that little miscue.

I really don't get the criticism of Chambers. Out of one side of their mouth, BYU fans are calling for the players to be more passionate and 'nasty', then in the very next breath they start slamming guys like Chambers and Scott Johnson (for what was clearly not a helmet to helmet hit or even an attempted one).

I like Chambers. He is currently a better reciever then Reed was as a Sr. He is not going to make anyone forget about Austin Collie (Yet) but he has been very good. I can't wait to see what he does with his final 2 years at BYU.

Mars

12/29/2009, 2:44:50 AM

bball wrote:
2. I think Chambers is deserving of some "ire" from the fans; here's why. A) he has shown nothing as a punt or kick returner, he runs straight ahead, makes no moves, avoids no tackles. B) he fumbles, C) he does some really stupid things that hurts the team, like personal foul penalties. I hope he gets better, and maybe he will, but he has not won me over by a long shot.

3. Max Hall played for three full years and never really got injured, or missed a game. I think he did sit out the Utah State game his first year, and he had the shoulder injury, but he still played. He deserves credit just for being tough. I've watched a lot of QBs play this year, and he is better than most of them.

2- I think you're crazy. Chambers is awesome and has had some AMAZING returns for us this season. I love his passion and the fire he plays with!

3- John Beck sat out the USU game for Ja. Beck (I believe). Max Hall suffered a 3rd degree shoulder seperation on the road at Wyoming after a blind-side sack, but played the next week. The guy is a true warrior.

Metallicat

12/29/2009, 4:36:46 AM

The only thing I'd like to see out of Chambers is to see him call for a fair catch when he's surrounded. Other than that, I like him.

Y 4 Ever

12/29/2009, 4:45:08 PM

craigoscarson wrote:
I'm very interested to see how the QB battle shapes up. The QBs who will be competing have very different strengths. It'll be interesting to see how Anae, Doman and Bronco frame the QB battle so that each QB can demonstrate their strengths. I'm not sure lining each QB up and saying run plays X, Y and Z will be sufficient. But how do you have Heaps run plays A, B and C while Nelson does L, M, N and Lark T, U and V and get a fair comparison? I think it's going to be very interesting to see how it plays out.

If someone other than Nelson gets the nod, I hope the coaching staff is smart enough to see what Utah has done int he past up north and employ Nelson in the game plan.

I still dont' see the wisdom of starting a true freshman in light of the other talent we have at qb, but it we do, I'd sure like to see Nelson actively involved on the field.

Do you think Nelson's athletic enough to play slot? Imagine the kinds of plays you could run with Nelson on an end-around - pass/run option kind of a play. The other team would NEVER know what to expect when Nelson lined up in the slot. Or at HB. Just a thought.

Y 4 Ever

12/29/2009, 4:50:51 PM

mcgregor wrote:

2. I think Chambers is deserving of some "ire" from the fans; here's why. A) he has shown nothing as a punt or kick returner, he runs straight ahead, makes no moves, avoids no tackles. B) he fumbles, C) he does some really stupid things that hurts the team, like personal foul penalties. I hope he gets better, and maybe he will, but he has not won me over by a long shot.

This is part of my problem. First, take away that personal foul against OSU--he said that he couldn't hear the whistle, and under those conditions, and being so far downfield, I believe him. Other than that, has he really had more personal fouls than Max Hall? Scott Johnson?

I seem to remember Chambers doing quite well returning punts against Utah, and gaining some respectable yards in other games. If you expect him to return every other kick, then you are right, he does not meet expectations. But is he an improvement over the other talent we've fielded over the past few years? I think so.

Yes, he fumbles. Part of that is because of the position he puts himself in. He will learn to protect the ball better as time goes on.

All in all, Chambers is a great upgrade. I love watching him play, especially on the plays he doesn't get the ball.

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a player who improved as much (on the field, maturity wise, and mental focus) between their Freshman and Sophomore years than Chambers did.

And I think that you're going to see Chambers play a LOT of slot next year (if Apo is what we think he can be), and he'll be a beast on quick slants and or deep posts/seam routes. He'll be a handful for most MWC safeties.

Chambers is going to have a break-out year next year. And a special year as a senior. Will 2010 and 2011 be the years that we actually throw more passes to the WR group than the TE?

snoscythe

12/29/2009, 4:56:08 PM

33311710 wrote:
Will 2010 and 2011 be the years that we actually throw more passes to the WR group than the TE?

Absolutely, considering this year we completed 92 passes to tight-ends, and 106 to the receiving corps (and 84 to the backfield just to give the full distribution out of 282 completed passes). I don't see us completing more passes to tight-ends the next two years.

;)

jonnylingo

12/29/2009, 5:23:35 PM

kitic77 wrote:
I'm very interested to see how the QB battle shapes up. The QBs who will be competing have very different strengths. It'll be interesting to see how Anae, Doman and Bronco frame the QB battle so that each QB can demonstrate their strengths. I'm not sure lining each QB up and saying run plays X, Y and Z will be sufficient. But how do you have Heaps run plays A, B and C while Nelson does L, M, N and Lark T, U and V and get a fair comparison? I think it's going to be very interesting to see how it plays out.

Yes, I don't envy the coaches at all on this one. Making the right choice will be very difficult. If Nelson comes out throwing the ball well in spring ball I would be suprised if he didn't get he starting job. I am in the camp of let heaps learn and stick around before getting his start club. I just agree that qbs usually just to better that way.

jonnylingo

12/29/2009, 5:25:20 PM

Metallicat wrote:
The only thing I'd like to see out of Chambers is to see him call for a fair catch when he's surrounded. Other than that, I like him.

That and maybe cut back on the stupid untimely personal fouls.

I think everyone should admit however that without him we would not have won the Utah game this year.

mcgregor

12/29/2009, 9:40:55 PM

33311710 wrote:

And I think that you're going to see Chambers play a LOT of slot next year (if Apo is what we think he can be), and he'll be a beast on quick slants and or deep posts/seam routes. He'll be a handful for most MWC safeties.

The only issue with this is that Coach Anae's primary purpose for the slot is to have a quick guy that can clear out. The ideal slot receiver is a combination WR/fast RB.

Ygridiron4ever

12/30/2009, 6:15:22 PM

A few thoughts from a life-long fan who almost gives too much energy to cougar football, but who is an admitted novice regarding the inner workings of the program:

The beginning of this season made me as happy as I have been in years after the positive publicity following the Oklahoma victory. It was great listening to the natioanl media "welcome' BYU into the fold - and for the first two weeks they were not apologetic about it whatsoever! For the first time in a long time I liked Kirk Herbstreit.

College Game day came to Provo!! (I say came, even though I live in CA).

It was really cool hearing the phrase "BYU leads the nation in third down conversions" over and over again. I am sure that if they dug deep enough every team could find some silly thing in which they can claim to lead the nation, but third down conversions is a pretty significant stat.

I haven't been this excited about the future of the program since the first interview I heard with Gary Crowton on KSL (having acquired a pretty good team in the beginning, and with his almost silver-tongue, I believed we were in for several years of good stuff). I am cautiously optimistic that its for real this time.

And finally, even though Pitta was snubbed at the awards show, it was worth tuning in to because the piece on LaVell was pretty darn cool!

Mars

12/30/2009, 7:23:44 PM

mcgregor wrote:
The only issue with this is that Coach Anae's primary purpose for the slot is to have a quick guy that can clear out. The ideal slot receiver is a combination WR/fast RB.

Someone like Drew Phillips?

bball

12/30/2009, 9:12:33 PM

Phillips, Quesada, Apo, Mahina, Heaps...how many freshmen will start for BYU next fall? This could be the youngest team BYU has ever put on the field...and one of the best. IF these guys are any good, and i believe they are, and with a veteran Oline, this could still be a very potent offense.

I'm satisfied that BYU's offensive scheme is as good as anybody's in the country. I think BYU knows who they are, use the talent they have, play within their abilities, and are very well coached.

SpiffCoug

12/30/2009, 10:27:37 PM

[quote="bball"/\]I'm satisfied that BYU's offensive scheme is as good as anybody's in the country. I think BYU knows who they are, use the talent they have, play within their abilities, and are very well coached.[/quote]

One exciting thing is that BYU in 2007 lost a SR QB and had a bunch of QBs with no starting experience to chose from to replace him. The 2007 offense was still pretty good and could be argued didn't drop of nearly as far as it should it have. I think the bodes well for whomever starts at QB next year. The coaches seem to know how to pick a starter and get them ready to play.

Short_Change

12/30/2009, 11:26:47 PM

The QB battle will be a very interesting one. I think Riley Nelson brings a lot to the table, but obviously lacks in the arm department. Even if he doesn't start at QB I will be very disappointed if we don't use him. The kid has a knack for finding the whole and slipping off tacklers. I wouldn't be surprised to see him be named the starter and if he struggles then see Heaps come in. If Bronco didn't think he was a good QB they wouldn't have named him the back-up. I could see one QB transfering but we'll see. One of the things I loved most about Max was his toughness. He just never got "injured". We may not be so lucky in the future so we need a stable of guys that can step up if we need them. That's why I kind of want Heaps to be red shirted. Spread the guys out a little.

bigbluepuma

12/31/2009, 4:11:10 AM

craigoscarson wrote:
I'm very interested to see how the QB battle shapes up. The QBs who will be competing have very different strengths. It'll be interesting to see how Anae, Doman and Bronco frame the QB battle so that each QB can demonstrate their strengths. I'm not sure lining each QB up and saying run plays X, Y and Z will be sufficient. But how do you have Heaps run plays A, B and C while Nelson does L, M, N and Lark T, U and V and get a fair comparison? I think it's going to be very interesting to see how it plays out.

If someone other than Nelson gets the nod, I hope the coaching staff is smart enough to see what Utah has done int he past up north and employ Nelson in the game plan.

I still dont' see the wisdom of starting a true freshman in light of the other talent we have at qb, but it we do, I'd sure like to see Nelson actively involved on the field.

I agree. I think that he has as much to offer as a utility player as Weddle did for :utard: . I suspect that he would do more for the cougs there than at QB. He is an amazing talent, and could do many things as a utility option that could keep opposing defenses confused without having to add a lot of trick plays.

mcgregor

12/31/2009, 4:13:42 AM

Mars wrote:
The only issue with this is that Coach Anae's primary purpose for the slot is to have a quick guy that can clear out. The ideal slot receiver is a combination WR/fast RB.

Someone like Drew Phillips?

If I had to choose, yes, I would expect Drew Phillips to play slot. Or, at least, for some coaches to think he'd be a good fit for that position.

bigbluepuma

12/31/2009, 4:24:47 AM

33311710 wrote:
kitic77 wrote:
I'm very interested to see how the QB battle shapes up. The QBs who will be competing have very different strengths. It'll be interesting to see how Anae, Doman and Bronco frame the QB battle so that each QB can demonstrate their strengths. I'm not sure lining each QB up and saying run plays X, Y and Z will be sufficient. But how do you have Heaps run plays A, B and C while Nelson does L, M, N and Lark T, U and V and get a fair comparison? I think it's going to be very interesting to see how it plays out.

If someone other than Nelson gets the nod, I hope the coaching staff is smart enough to see what Utah has done int he past up north and employ Nelson in the game plan.

I still dont' see the wisdom of starting a true freshman in light of the other talent we have at qb, but it we do, I'd sure like to see Nelson actively involved on the field.

Do you think Nelson's athletic enough to play slot? Imagine the kinds of plays you could run with Nelson on an end-around - pass/run option kind of a play. The other team would NEVER know what to expect when Nelson lined up in the slot. Or at HB. Just a thought.

Absolutely!! He is very athletic.

bigbluepuma

12/31/2009, 4:29:29 AM

mcgregor wrote:

And I think that you're going to see Chambers play a LOT of slot next year (if Apo is what we think he can be), and he'll be a beast on quick slants and or deep posts/seam routes. He'll be a handful for most MWC safeties.

The only issue with this is that Coach Anae's primary purpose for the slot is to have a quick guy that can clear out. The ideal slot receiver is a combination WR/fast RB.

Phillips!! :) :)

scott715

12/31/2009, 9:13:46 PM

One difference is that Max has a year in the program running the scout team and the coaches knew he would be the next QB. This next year we don't have that. Nelson was the only one that the coaches had to work with and he might not be the guy.

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