Mendenhall's experiment - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

MikeWaters · 10-27-2009, 10:54 PM

Bronco has embarked on this experiment of conducting a "lite" football program.

The players practice less. The coaches coach less.

The coaches go home at a reasonable hour to have dinner with their family. No, they don't come back into the office, they stay home. Bronco has done away with the workaholic life style, and said, "We can win, doing less than everyone else."

This may actually not be working.

Combine this with the statement that Bronco made about not seeing himself as a coach long term. I think Bronco doesn't like the grind, doesn't like the sacrifices, and is frustrated that everyone doesn't see the world like him. If the fans could be like him, the fans would be perfect. If the players could be like him, the players would be perfect. Thus, failure is due to not meeting his standards.

The curious case of Bronco Mendenhall. What happens next? We're reasonably happy with the results. But we note a program that suddenly seems to not have top-level talent, that is getting pasted when it counts.

Here's the kicker: are we going to take some chances, recruiting players who are not stripling warriors? That is, players who are not LDS, but who say the right things, who seem like decent kids, but we know in our heart of hearts, represent a risk of getting kicked out of school.

I think the Board of Trustees and AD are perfectly happy to win 8-9 games a year as long as BYU is not in the news for crime and vice. That is something we need to come to terms with.

10-27-2009, 10:54 PM	#1
MikeWaters Demiurge Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36,365	Mendenhall's experiment Bronco has embarked on this experiment of conducting a "lite" football program. The players practice less. The coaches coach less. The coaches go home at a reasonable hour to have dinner with their family. No, they don't come back into the office, they stay home. Bronco has done away with the workaholic life style, and said, "We can win, doing less than everyone else." This may actually not be working. Combine this with the statement that Bronco made about not seeing himself as a coach long term. I think Bronco doesn't like the grind, doesn't like the sacrifices, and is frustrated that everyone doesn't see the world like him. If the fans could be like him, the fans would be perfect. If the players could be like him, the players would be perfect. Thus, failure is due to not meeting his standards. The curious case of Bronco Mendenhall. What happens next? We're reasonably happy with the results. But we note a program that suddenly seems to not have top-level talent, that is getting pasted when it counts. Here's the kicker: are we going to take some chances, recruiting players who are not stripling warriors? That is, players who are not LDS, but who say the right things, who seem like decent kids, but we know in our heart of hearts, represent a risk of getting kicked out of school. I think the Board of Trustees and AD are perfectly happy to win 8-9 games a year as long as BYU is not in the news for crime and vice. That is something we need to come to terms with.