2011 BYU Football Thread

[Sizzle]

Imagine fuga loni and manumaleuna all starting on the D line with our athletic linebackers rushing the open lanes for sacks. I know that’s not prototypical to have a 305 pound DE but if it works then run with it. I for one would love to see it used as bronco could really use his stable of nose tackle talent along the defensive line. Either way we are going to be tough to run against. Go cougars!"

Actually, thats how a 3-4 is supposed to work. As compared to a 4-3 with two cloggers and two guys who can get pressure from the edges, the 3-4 has three guys whose primary jobs are to occupy the offensive line and keep the linebackers free to make plays. It is a huge reason why you saw Jan Jorgensens sack totals (and NFL chances) diminish when he was asked to play end in the 3-4. He did his job occupying blockers and the linebackers benefitted immensely. You also look at some of the ends at BYU, like Manamaleuna or Romney Fuga and yes they can also play NT. They are more interchangeable than the traditional ends we are used to in a 4-3 where you expect them to get pressure from the edge and contain. Containment becomes the backers responsibility in the 3-4. With three solid d-linemen in the 3-4 the hope is that you gain an advantage over the offense an play eight defenders on six (or five if you can require TE blocking help) offensive players.

If you want an ideal 3-4 end, look no further than Haloti Ngata. Size and strength to demand a double team but enough quickness that he can still penetrate and cause havoc in the backfield.

It also allows for more flexibility in where you bring pressure in passing situations since you essentially have eight guys starting out in coverage to cover five eligible receivers. Instead of the traditional four down linemen who are "coming every time" you have three known and a very high likelihood that one of the backers is coming, just not knowing which one. This Is why Bronco loves the 3-4 because it is so similar to his 3-3-5 roots but fits BYUs personnel much much better.

[happyone]

The NE Patriots (as much as I hate them) and the Steelers (as much as I hate them too) both run 3-4 defenses with big DEs. If you've got the athletes, it seems to work well.

Don't forget the World Champion Green Bay Packers - Jenkins and Raji/Pickett are all big men

I read somewhere that the prototypical 3-4 defensive end in the NFL is 6-2/6-3 and between 300 - 310 lbs

[MarkGrace]

"He's good. He's a leader. He's got a ton of 'want-to.' He can throw it around," Doman said. "The players look up to him and respect him now. It's taken some time, but they know who to lean on and who to look to. He's stepped forward to be the leader. Completion percentage-wise, he's as good as any quarterback we've had in spring practice. He's understanding the offense and putting the ball where it needs to be. The timing, decision-making and accuracy, all that kind of stuff, is proving that he will be a great quarterback here. That allows BYU to be really good, as we've seen in the past."

Physically, Heaps has matured as well, Doman said.

"He was going through a bit of a recovery through an injury. I don't know that he's as far along physically as he needs to be. But he's put on some weight and his body is maturing. He's 20 years old now. His strength gains are going up, his squats and bench and core lifts are improving. I would say that by August, physically, he'll be ready to go. That's the only part he needs to gain momentum in right now, is the physical strength and conditioning part of his game."

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700122704/BYU-football-Jake-Heaps-grown-up-and-Cougars-clear-cut-starter.html?s_cid=rss-28

He's definitely looking bigger and more filled out in that photo. Or maybe it's just because he's standing next to Donny Osmond.

[LiveCoug]

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/7...l?s_cid=rss-28

He's definitely looking bigger and more filled out in that photo. Or maybe it's just because he's standing next to Donny Osmond.

He's also rocking a very nice Max Hall hairdo.

[HBCoug]

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/7...l?s_cid=rss-28

He's definitely looking bigger and more filled out in that photo. Or maybe it's just because he's standing next to Donny Osmond.

Are we to take this to mean Jake is a little bit country?

[MarkGrace]

Fangroupon getting some love.

Remember the name Hebron Fangupo.

He may be one of the most important additions to the BYU football program in 2011.

His adjustment to playing the nose in Mendenhall’s 3-4 defense has been surprisingly fast, having previously played defensive tackle in USC’s 4-3 alignment. The responsibilities and skill sets required by the two positions are very different, yet Fangupo has consistently shown an ability to control the interior of the line and occupy the opposing guard and center, a must for a nose tackle in the 3-4.

http://deepshadesofblue.com/byus-new-man-in-the-middle/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DeepShadesOfBlue+%28Deep+Shades+of+Blue%29

[SipiTau]

Interesting comment on the DSOB post on Loni. When the O's running game was romping roughshod (btw, that's called alliteration) on the D, Bronco paired Fangupo and Manu as the ends and (according to the poster) it stopped the bleeding immediately.

Between Fangroupon, Manu, Tuiloma, Rowley and Fuga we're going to have a lot of NT types and I like that Bronco is experimenting with using even the bigger horses at the ends. Here's the comment:

"I actually really liked what bronco did with “loni” towards the end of practice to slow down our offenses run game. He put him at defensive end with manumaleuna at the other DE spot and we totally shut them down and ended up getting a safety. Imagine fuga loni and manumaleuna all starting on the D line with our athletic linebackers rushing the open lanes for sacks. I know that’s not prototypical to have a 305 pound DE but if it works then run with it. I for one would love to see it used as bronco could really use his stable of nose tackle talent along the defensive line. Either way we are going to be tough to run against. Go cougars!"

It doesn't surprise me he did well with the shift to 3-4 DE. While at Troy he split time at NT and the 3 technique; in SC's scheme the 3 tech DT aligns and plays similarly to the 3-4 DE.

They really liked him at NT, before he got injured, he was running with the 1's at NT and they moved Jurrell Casey over to the 3 technique. If he stays healthy, he'll be a major factor to your DLine. I'm sending good vibes and karma Loni's way.

[MarkGrace]

I'm sending good vibes and karma Loni's way.

:rockon1:

[MarkGrace]

Bronco on Drew Phillips:

"Has a lot to show in terms of consistency but he is a potential play maker but life choices day in and day out are something that I think he can work on."

Ouch.

[MarkGrace]

Someone on CB claims it was mostly in reference to some academic issues.

I am not sure what I can say, but Drew's "choices" are not related to an attitude problem or anything like that.
The team loves him and his trash talk is always "friendly" and taken that way-- He is a uniter, not a divider.
He has some issues that are causing him to struggle, and that he will most likely continue to struggle with as long as he is in an academic environment. Luckily the Athletic Department has a good support structure in place for these kids and I think Bronco is referring to him choosing to take advantage of those opportunities as consistently as he needs to, or not. He is a good kid, who really wants to help the team... so don't misconstrue what Bronco is saying as implying that he has a bad attitude or is making BAD choices...

[falafel]

Bronco on Drew Phillips:



Ouch.

More bad than good there.

[MarkGrace]

Someone on CB claims it was mostly in reference to some academic issues.

fwiw, Phillips' brother supported this comment when it was made.

[Coach McGuirk]

Doman interview this morning on DJ/PK,

http://1320kfan.com/index.php/audio/listen/brandon_doman_interview_march_30th

[Moliere]

They are a really solid set of backups and I think Frazier, Stout and Jorgenson could probably start for many college programs. Wagner not so much, but he isn't bad for a backup.

I am interested to see what happens with Stout. A mission would be good for both him and the program, IMO. If he doesn't go on a mission, I hope they redshirt him. I think the ILB will be held down nicely by Kaveinga and Ogletree with adequate back ups in Jorgenson, Leing Wei and Tyler Beck. IMO if Stout doesn't start this year, redshirt him to extend his elgibility. He can be a primary back up next year and then start for two years after that with Spencer Hadley.

Is Tyler Beck slated to be an ILB? I swear he's not big enough. I've had him in my house several times and I was shocked to find out he was a line backer and now I'm even more shocked to see at ILB. He's not a big guy unless he's put on some weight. It could be that he lost a lot during the mission (he was in my area right before going home) but he's still listed at 210 lbs, which seems small.

[KillerDog]

Is Tyler Beck slated to be an ILB? I swear he's not big enough. I've had him in my house several times and I was shocked to find out he was a line backer and now I'm even more shocked to see at ILB. He's not a big guy unless he's put on some weight. It could be that he lost a lot during the mission (he was in my area right before going home) but he's still listed at 210 lbs, which seems small.

I haven't noticed that our ILBs are particularly big generally. I think our WLB is sometimes big but SAM, Buck and Mike all seem to run in the 210-225 range and we've had a few smaller. I do think he'll have trouble getting time given that our Mike and Buck linebackers are getting bigger (stout and Kaveinga).