News and Notes:
Criddle: “When I played, Nate Hutchinson was the funniest guy on the team.”
Dickson: “I heard that he did a great Bronco impression.”
Criddle: “He just always had something to say. You’d ask him how it was going and he’d say something like ‘No room for improvement… or Living the Dream’.”
Criddle: “There are still 6 BYU players from this years class who are on NFL rosters right now. Teams made the cut down to 90 players after this weekend.”
Criddle: “Jake Heaps signed a free agent deal with the Jets after mini-camp after this weekend.”
Criddle: “Bronco was on Talking Sports last night, there were a few times that you had to read between the lines, but there were some gems.”
How We See It:
Twuestion of the day: “How do you feel about Bronco’s hire w/in philosophy rather than Lavell’s hire from w/out?”
Dickson: “All the nasty stuff that was being said on social media would be directed to Roger French and Norm Chow.”
Dickson: “There aren’t a whole lot of coaches who would really be able to make it here because of all the requirements.”
Dickson: “As Bronco you need to ask, do I get a guy who knows the rules, or a guy who is more talented and will struggle?”
Dickson: “It’s no different from recruiting, do you want a kid who knows the culture or risk a scholarship on a kid who may struggle?”
Criddle: “One thing that he brought up was that 1 year coaching is like 7 years in any other job.”
Criddle: “LaVell’s relationship with Bill Walsh was critical in bringing in more coaching talent.”
Criddle: “Bill Walsh convinced Doug Scovil to come to BYU.”
Criddle: “Bronco Mendenhall has trust issues, that’s primarily why he hires from within in my opinion.”
Criddle: “Anyone who has been coached by Coach Howell knows that he understands the game.”
Criddle: “I don’t think his problem was the scheme, or the players, but how the hearts of the team were captured.”
Criddle: “I see a new Bronco Mendenhall heading into his contract year, he’s better with the media, he’s reenergized, and he’s taking over the defense again.”
4:30 Segment:
Mauss: “1st round pick 2016, 4th round pick 2017, million dollar fine, and 4 game suspension for Brady.”
Dickson: “Sit at home and watch some football games with your wife, Tom.”
Criddle: “Bronco said, ‘Obviously the Big 12 or the Pac 12 are the best fits for BYU. Independence isn’t a long term destination.’ If BYU misses out on what we expect to be the next round of conference realignment in 2017, how long can they stay competitive.”
Dickson: “If I’m Tom Holmoe, I’m grilling every contact I have in the Pac-12 to find out what BYU has to do to get in there. That’s the best fit.”
Dickson: “If I’m Tom, I’m sending some gifts, taking some guys out to dinner, maybe giving out some free tickets.”
Cougar Insider Report:
Criddle: “If you put TJ Haws, Nick Emery, Erik Mika, and a couple other studs coming in coached by Ben Criddle they could win a lot of games.”
Dickson: “I think that Ben Criddle could take them to a state championship, but not a national championship. I think that Quincy brings a lot to the table with all he did for Lone Peak, traveling the nation and beating some of these power teams from Chicago and Florida.”
Criddle: “Part of the reason you bring on a coach isn’t because of how well they coach, but because how well they can really recruit.”
Criddle: “Is Calipari that could of a coach, or is he just a really good salesman who gets good players?”
Criddle: “A lot of people say that Quincy is an X’s and O’s guy and he has great philosophy, but we need to know how well he can recruit.”
Dickson: “Quincy will fill in a lot of holes on the coaching staff in the way that he coaches, but we don’t know how we’ll recruit.”
Evan Brennan Interview:
Brennan: “De’Ondre had quite a few offers after the draft. Baltimore didn’t have a ton of OL on their depth chart after the draft and he has a good chance to make the team. He’s really excited about his prospects.”
Brennan: “Jacksonville came in, San Diego was involved, so was Atlanta, there were a few others. He has a big body and is very athletic.”
Brennan: “Baltimore only has 4 tackles on their roster so it’s a good spot.’
Brennan: “Coach Atuaia and Coach Holliday championed Paul to the Cardinals. They went above and beyond to push him there.”
Brennan: “The Cardinals made a roster move to make some room for Paul to join the team.”
Brennan: “If anyone who is under contract fails a physical, it gives an opportunity for non-contract guys to make a team.”
Brennan: “Solo performed very well and was added to the hot list for the Cardinals.”
Brennan: “The hot list is where a player may perform well at a mini-camp but don’t get a deal immediately and could be added later on.”
Brennan: “I talked to an executive from the Packers and they were complimentary of Skye, he remains very high on their hot list.”
Brennan: “The Chiefs and Chargers are holding camps this week so we are trying to get our guys there and see if they can stick.”
Brennan: “Jordan is in an awesome place right now.”
Brennan: “I think the mission age definitely effects the way that BYU is perceived in the NFL.”
Brennan: “The new S&C programs at BYU are going to help them out a lot more with both speed and mental edge.”
Brennan: “Players may have preferences so we’ll break down everything on the roster and relationships and explain what we think is the best fit.”
Brennan: “To be an agent you have to have a masters degree, you have to go out to DC and take a written test, it’s very hard.”
Brennan: “There are a few agents who don’t even have any clients in the NFL.”
Brennan: “There are a lot of times that more talented players get passed by because they think that someone else has a higher ceiling.”
5:30 Segment:
Dickson: “Can BYU develop talent at BYU right now?”
Criddle: “I was a white walk-on who got lucky and played on a really good team.”
Criddle: “I played with Cam Jensen, Kelly Poppinga, David Nixon, Kehl, Beck, Coats, Harline etc.”
Criddle: “Every year, BYU has great outside linebackers because they showcase them. They run a 3-4 D and they stand out.”
Criddle: “You saw glimpses of greatness from Fred last year, unfortunately he was sidelined with some injuries.”
Criddle: “I think Solo Kafu is an NFL talent but he wanted to be a engineer and was spread thin.”
Criddle: “You can’t excel and be elite at everything, School, Church, Social life, Football and Family life.”
Criddle: “Austin Collie came on our show and said that he went to BYU to major in football. Not everyone comes in to do that.”
Criddle: “He minimized his focus in other areas and maximized his focus in football.”
Criddle: “I took the minimum credits, not everyone can do that, and not everyone should do that.”
Dickson: “I believe that BYU has the talent to go to the NFL, but they aren’t developing it.”
Aaron Gordon Interview:
Gordon: “I represent Uona Kaveinga, Joey Iosefa, Iona Pritchard, and a few other guys with BYU ties.”
Gordon: “Iona had pretty good numbers, he had a 40″ vertical. He hasn’t gotten a ton of love but is on the short list for some teams.”
Criddle: “How is Josh Quezada doing?”
Gordon: “Yeah Josh did really well at Fresno St, put up a lot of production. He’s only 5’11” and not incredibly fast so that hurt him a little bit.”
Gordon: “VJ Fehoko was undersized but plays harder and prepares harder than anyone I’ve ever seen.”
Gordon: “There are a couple teams that are having their mini camps this week and said they’d get back to him.”
Gordon: “Uona’s preparation for Pro Day helped him a lot, he took a year off from football and showed really well and now has some interest.”
Gordon: “Uona went to Green Bay this past weekend and they are more impressed than they were expecting from him.”
Gordon: “Once he got into plays, he came in with a lot of confidence and played really well while other guys were like deer in headlights.”
Gordon: “He didn’t get a contract because of numbers, but he’s on the short list to get called by a few teams.”
Gordon: “If you show up to Pro Day and blow some numbers out of the water you’re going to get a lot of notice.”
Gordon: “There were a lot of things that BYU was trying to do to market their players and warm them up to scouts.”
Gordon: “I think it helped scouts realize that there are good players who are there, they just need to be marketed better.”
Gordon: “If a guy is 25 you can count him as 23 because he took 2 years off of football.”
Gordon: “It’s not like they were out there grinding their bodies, they are still fresh.”
Gordon: “Scouts know that they’re getting high quality guys from BYU who they’re not going to have to babysit.”
Kicking or Sticking:
Criddle: “We’ve gone through the first round of cuts and a few guys have stuck around.”
Darnell: “I think that Rob Daniel is going to stick, from what I’m hearing he’s performed well and he’s very athletic.”
Criddle: “He’s too big, too strong, too talented not to. He struggled his Sr. year but has some great film from his Jr. year.”
Criddle: “Rob follows those who are great leaders. When he was a Jr. he had Brnco at the helm and followed him.”
Dickson: “I don’t know about Alani, I don’t think he’ll make it.”
Criddle: “I think he has too much upside where he can add some weight, and still run like a gazelle.”
Criddle: “He made some incredible plays.”
Dickson: “I’m not a big fan of celebrations, what do you do when you get an A on a test? Throw it down and stomp it onto the ground.”
Dickson: “I think that Paul has some great attributes, but he just doesn’t have the speed to stick around in the NFL.”
Dickson: “He wants to be a coach after he finishes, I think he’ll be a fantastic coach.”
Criddle: “If the coaches at BYU were able to convince the Arizona Cardinals to take him.. I don’t know.”
Dickson: “I think that Jordan Leslie was definitely BYU’s best receiver last year.”
Dickson: “I’m gonna kick Mahina, I just don’t know how good of a blocker he is, especially at the NFL level.”
Random Thoughts:
Criddle: “I was a senior in 2001 and I saw the effects of fast and furious where people would put these trash can like tubes as their exhaust pipes or they’d cut the springs on their suspension so it could get low to the ground.”
Criddle: “The biggest technological oversight ever was that in 2015, they are using walkie-talkies while driving in Furious 7.”
