Tweet
I started a new topic because I want this one to be very specific on how to help Jake fix what's ailing him. Lebowski if this is bad please fold it over into the regular Heaps thread.
Last night I was driving home from the game flipping stations. It was interesting to hear the differing opinions regarding who should start next week as well as what to do with Heaps. The 1280 guys (Hans and Jan in this case) were advocating that Nelson start. The 1320 guy (I'm not sure who it was but am thinking that it was possibly Riley Jensen) went to great lengths to diminish anything Nelson did and advocated for Heaps.
I figure that they next three games should be easy BYU wins no matter who starts. We could bring Jake back and let him try to work out the kinks against the patsies and hope he can fix things enough to beat TCU. Or we could give the start to Riley and force Jake to try and work things out in practice. I have a hunch Nelson will get the start so lets keep this focused on Heaps.
To me the problems with Jake are threefold:
1. He has become a wussy basket case. This leads him not go through progressions, have happy feet, throw into double and triple coverage, and screws up his footwork so he's not stepping into throws which is killing his accuracy.
2. He desperately needs to develop some touch on his throws. Number one is affecting this but I feel it's a separate issue. When Jake throws simple out routes short I almost feel like he's trying to hold back on the velocity but it isn't working. Also in the last couple of games he has been overthrowing everything deep. This is weird because he underthrew a number of deeper throws in the first two games.
3. Rehabilitate his relationship with his teammates and possibly coaches. CJ pointed out that the offense played harder for Nelson. This adds fuel to the dissension in the ranks fire. Why is it that the supporting cast picked things up with Nelson in the game? Is it because they do not respect Jake's attitude and crappy play or could it simply be that they thought a change was overdue?
Without having given the issue too much thought here's what I'd do:
1. Bring in a dedicated QB coach asap. Doman needs to be freed up to concentrate on his coordinator duties. Unfortunately this goal my have to wait until the offseason. If I were Bronco I'd pursue Detmer in a major way. If throwing money at Ty didn't work I'd spend whatever it took to get a reputable QB guru. Jake is so frazzled that he may have to be rebuilt from the ground up.
2. Jake must be made to take velocity off some of his throws and to get some air under the ball. I know how I do this with younger QB's but this approach is probably too simplistic for someone like Jake. A QB coach will help in this regard. Somehow Jake needs to pull this together. It may require developing a separate throwing mechanic for the shorter throws.
3. Jake needs to get the team behind him again. If I'm him I address the team prior to Monday's practice stating that I'm willing to support whatever the coaches decide regarding the QB situation even if it means I don't play a down for the rest of the season. I would also offer congrats to Riley and pledge to support him in any way possible should he be chosen to start. Then I would state clearly that I will work even harder in practice, rededicate myself to film study, and try to have a better demeanor at all times. Jake needs to appear humble and earn back that trust. It wouldn't hurt of news of Jake's pre-practice speech leaked to the media so the fans could perceive the change in attitude and start lining up behind him again.
4. Take off the green jersey. He needs to get used to being hit.
Last night I was driving home from the game flipping stations. It was interesting to hear the differing opinions regarding who should start next week as well as what to do with Heaps. The 1280 guys (Hans and Jan in this case) were advocating that Nelson start. The 1320 guy (I'm not sure who it was but am thinking that it was possibly Riley Jensen) went to great lengths to diminish anything Nelson did and advocated for Heaps.
I figure that they next three games should be easy BYU wins no matter who starts. We could bring Jake back and let him try to work out the kinks against the patsies and hope he can fix things enough to beat TCU. Or we could give the start to Riley and force Jake to try and work things out in practice. I have a hunch Nelson will get the start so lets keep this focused on Heaps.
To me the problems with Jake are threefold:
1. He has become a wussy basket case. This leads him not go through progressions, have happy feet, throw into double and triple coverage, and screws up his footwork so he's not stepping into throws which is killing his accuracy.
2. He desperately needs to develop some touch on his throws. Number one is affecting this but I feel it's a separate issue. When Jake throws simple out routes short I almost feel like he's trying to hold back on the velocity but it isn't working. Also in the last couple of games he has been overthrowing everything deep. This is weird because he underthrew a number of deeper throws in the first two games.
3. Rehabilitate his relationship with his teammates and possibly coaches. CJ pointed out that the offense played harder for Nelson. This adds fuel to the dissension in the ranks fire. Why is it that the supporting cast picked things up with Nelson in the game? Is it because they do not respect Jake's attitude and crappy play or could it simply be that they thought a change was overdue?
Without having given the issue too much thought here's what I'd do:
1. Bring in a dedicated QB coach asap. Doman needs to be freed up to concentrate on his coordinator duties. Unfortunately this goal my have to wait until the offseason. If I were Bronco I'd pursue Detmer in a major way. If throwing money at Ty didn't work I'd spend whatever it took to get a reputable QB guru. Jake is so frazzled that he may have to be rebuilt from the ground up.
2. Jake must be made to take velocity off some of his throws and to get some air under the ball. I know how I do this with younger QB's but this approach is probably too simplistic for someone like Jake. A QB coach will help in this regard. Somehow Jake needs to pull this together. It may require developing a separate throwing mechanic for the shorter throws.
3. Jake needs to get the team behind him again. If I'm him I address the team prior to Monday's practice stating that I'm willing to support whatever the coaches decide regarding the QB situation even if it means I don't play a down for the rest of the season. I would also offer congrats to Riley and pledge to support him in any way possible should he be chosen to start. Then I would state clearly that I will work even harder in practice, rededicate myself to film study, and try to have a better demeanor at all times. Jake needs to appear humble and earn back that trust. It wouldn't hurt of news of Jake's pre-practice speech leaked to the media so the fans could perceive the change in attitude and start lining up behind him again.
4. Take off the green jersey. He needs to get used to being hit.
Comment