Bronco articulates his verbal commitment policy

[byu71]

This seems like a policy Urban could get away with.

Urban and Bronco are so very, very much alike and yet the same fans that deify Bronco detest Urban. The same fans that mock Tebo's mission have something run down there leg when a BYU player says he is going on a mission.

[il Padrino Ute]

Back to my real point though, where are these BYU fans getting off riding the kids character into the mud. In order to back Bronco do you really have to make the Kona's dirt bags.

[Hot Lunch]

This seems like a policy Urban could get away with.

I agree with you SU. I think there are only a handful of coaches that could get away with it and Bronco isn't one of them.

I understand where Bronco is coming from. I just don't agree with it.

[Hot Lunch]

Back to my real point though, where are these BYU fans getting off riding the kids character into the mud. In order to back Bronco do you really have to make the Kona's dirt bags.

This is the thing that has pissed me off the most about this situation.

I say good luck to Kona. I hope he performs well at Notre Dame. I love seeing LDS kids play at big time college football programs.

[byu71]

Maybe it didn't come down to giving an ultimatum since Philips appeared to quickly reconsider his trip. I'm not sure we have definitive proof there was or wasn't an ultimatum made to Philips.

Well then Philips is a liar and I don't think he will be able to live the honor code.

Note: I was just playing the role of a self righteous self manipulating BYU fan.

[jay santos]

I look at what Bronco said about Teo last year, what he did with Schwenke, what he says here, and I just can't help but think it does nothing but hurt your potential as a program. But I'm probably wrong. People love Bronco and he's getting results.

I went to the Cougar Club lunch yesterday. Bronco's opening comment of course was something confrontational about people in the audience oohing and ahing during the video about which name schools had recruited the player or the number of stars and how we don't know shit as fans and how he recruits them based on character and how bad they want to be at BYU.

I think after five years, I've collected enough data to make a judgment. I've tried to wait. I think I'll never like Bronco as a person. He represents everything I hate about Mormonism. He represents all the hard-ass mullah priesthood authority figures in my life that have hurt a lot of people. I just really think he's a dick. Goat thinks it's an act. I gave it a long time to evaluate, but I just don't think it's an act. He really is an asshole.

But I also think Bronco's a good if not great football coach and probably exactly what BYU needs right now. So I'll try to enjoy the wins, focus on the positives in the program, and ignore the Bronco schtick.

[byu71]

This is the thing that has pissed me off the most about this situation.

I say good luck to Kona. I hope he performs well at Notre Dame. I love seeing LDS kids play at big time college football programs.

This is why I like this site. You and I can express this opinion with out 75% of the board thinking we are apostates like say...............

[SeattleUte]

I agree with you SU. I think there are only a handful of coaches that could get away with it and Bronco isn't one of them.

I understand where Bronco is coming from. I just don't agree with it.

I think there are more nuanced ways to manage the problem. First, clearly most verbals turn into loi's. So, a verbal in the hand is better than nothing. If you have that talk Bonco says he has with the kid and he says, "Okay, you've convinced me, I won't commit," I bet he never will. On the other hand, if he commits, a kind of inertia or mementum sets in; it starts to become reality. Meanwhile, a coach can continue to try to line up a lot more than he needs, knowing that he will lose some commits. What's wrong with a little flexibility all around?

Also, it's not like a kid is doing anything unethical. A commit is not a contract. An LOI is. The rules let them decommit. Only a god like Urban can alter natural laws in his favor. This is like saying a school is unethical for firing the coach and paying the buy out. In fact, if a kid suffers the agreed consequence, even breaking an loi isn't immoral.

But what else is new? Par for the course with Bronco. It will be interesting to see if he can still get a 40th ranked class lined up by August.

[byu71]

I look at what Bronco said about Teo last year, what he did with Schwenke, what he says here, and I just can't help but think it does nothing but hurt your potential as a program. But I'm probably wrong. People love Bronco and he's getting results.

I went to the Cougar Club lunch yesterday. Bronco's opening comment of course was something confrontational about people in the audience oohing and ahing during the video about which name schools had recruited the player or the number of stars and how we don't know shit as fans and how he recruits them based on character and how bad they want to be at BYU.

I think after five years, I've collected enough data to make a judgment. I've tried to wait. I think I'll never like Bronco as a person. He represents everything I hate about Mormonism. He represents all the hard-ass mullah priesthood authority figures in my life that have hurt a lot of people. I just really think he's a dick. Goat thinks it's an act. I gave it a long time to evaluate, but I just don't think it's an act. He really is an asshole.

But I also think Bronco's a good if not great football coach and probably exactly what BYU needs right now. So I'll try to enjoy the wins, focus on the positives in the program, and ignore the Bronco schtick.

I think it is his personality. Some people are drawn to it. As long as he wins I don't care. However, as I have said before the excitement for BYU football I once had is way down. He is catering primarily to the Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity side of the fan base. I have missed one BYU football game since the mid seventies. Last year I missed 3. Next year I have told my nephew he can buy my tickets. I do want them back in 2011, but I don't want them if things stay the same in the even years.

Now, I would say to me, who cares. If those that are drawn to the religion, talk down to fans style outnumber those that are turned off by it, it doesn't matter a bit what I think.

[MartyFunkhouser]

Yes, but we all know that a verbal commit isn't binding in college sports. Mendenhall personally believes it is, which is fine. But the problem seems to be that Mendenhall thinks it's a character issue if a kids verbally commits to BYU then decides to look at other offers.

It isn't. It's called life. People change their minds all the time and rightfully so because it's their prerogative to do so. Mendenhall needs to accept that.

Plus, he says that going back on a verbal commitment is a sign that a player will not make it at BYU. If this were true, why does he recruit other players that have verbally committed to other schools.

His policy is clearly working but the crap about it being a character issue is bull shit.

[Goatnapper'96]

I look at what Bronco said about Teo last year, what he did with Schwenke, what he says here, and I just can't help but think it does nothing but hurt your potential as a program. But I'm probably wrong. People love Bronco and he's getting results.

I went to the Cougar Club lunch yesterday. Bronco's opening comment of course was something confrontational about people in the audience oohing and ahing during the video about which name schools had recruited the player or the number of stars and how we don't know shit as fans and how he recruits them based on character and how bad they want to be at BYU.

I think after five years, I've collected enough data to make a judgment. I've tried to wait. I think I'll never like Bronco as a person. He represents everything I hate about Mormonism. He represents all the hard-ass mullah priesthood authority figures in my life that have hurt a lot of people. I just really think he's a dick. Goat thinks it's an act. I gave it a long time to evaluate, but I just don't think it's an act. He really is an asshole.

But I also think Bronco's a good if not great football coach and probably exactly what BYU needs right now. So I'll try to enjoy the wins, focus on the positives in the program, and ignore the Bronco schtick.

I think the dude spent a great deal of his life way outside the mullah lifestyle. He might be the dickhead former partier who makes it to AP in the mission field, but I still believe he is playing people. He gets far too good results to be the dick you think he is. That schtick you reference would be exposed. There are the little spiffs here and there that throws Utefans.net, you and the others into a tizzy string pulling tantrum, but I think that 5 years of player loyalty, minor coaches turnover and what I believe is improved player attrition rates indicates that he is not the asshole you believe. Those results just don't lie. I don't know, maybe the BYU experience is more than I give it credit and that is the glue keeping the bandwagon together, but I doubt it.

[cougjunkie]

I think the dude spent a great deal of his life way outside the mullah lifestyle. He might be the dickhead former partier who makes it to AP in the mission field, but I still believe he is playing people. He gets far too good results to be the dick you think he is. That schtick you reference would be exposed. There are the little spiffs here and there that throws Utefans.net, you and the others into a tizzy string pulling tantrum, but I think that 5 years of player loyalty, minor coaches turnover and what I believe is improved player attrition rates indicates that he is not the asshole you believe. Those results just don't lie. I don't know, maybe the BYU experience is more than I give it credit and that is the glue keeping the bandwagon together, but I doubt it.

I agree this is a man that did not serve a mission, has been divorced already once, and from everything I have heard is a legend at OSU for the way he used to party it up.

He has obviously come a long ways from those days and is forming in to somewhat of a Mullah. But thats what makes him so great he can related to both sides of the fanbase.

[kccougar]

And you think this is being straight forward and upfront? I don't. No problem, but because we disagree don't call me someone of poor character and someone that couldn't live the honor code.

You do know that Schwenke recanted that little bit about Bronco questioning his son's character, right? That part just didn't happen.

[Indy Coug]

There are the little spiffs here and there that throws Utefans.net, you and the others into a tizzy string pulling tantrum, but I think that 5 years of player loyalty, minor coaches turnover and what I believe is improved player attrition rates indicates that he is not the asshole you believe.

I was about to bust out the "string pulling" line, but I had faith you would shortly arrive and use it in your own inimitable fashion. My faith in you has been reaffirmed.

[kccougar]

If Boylen is doing that - I honestly haven't heard one way or another - then he's wrong to do it too.

The day after the Kona issue blew up, Boylen was interviewed on the radio and was asked about the situation in general terms. He basically agreed with Bronco by saying once a recruit committed to him he would not allow that recruit to continue taking trips.