HB Arnett's "Lite" <mailto:hbarnett@fiber.net> hbarnett@fiber.net 801 372 0819 Vol. 38, Issue 3 - A, August 20, 2018 Football Is Not Rocket Science Put two football teams on a field and both could be coached by the top elite think tanks from the East Coast or by the top spy agencies and analysts of the CIA. It wouldn't make any difference. The team with the biggest, strongest and fastest players would beat the other team with the smallest, weakest and slowest players 98 out of 100 times they played. The other two times, the games would be played in a massive snow storm or hurricane. Are some football coaches brighter and smarter than others? Sure. But give the dumber coaches the bigger, stronger and faster players and they would win 96 out of 100 times they played. The two extra losses would because the officiating crew was related to the other team's coaching staff. Thinking is overrated in football. Just get better players and it will eventually all work out. That's been my opinion for decades and I'm sticking to it. That's why I find all this BYU fall camp quarterback intrigue and mystique humorous. After two weeks, if this BYU staff can't figure out where they are at quarterback. they might be dumb and dumber than we think.or BYU's offense might be in bigger trouble than we, the fans, think. It's neither. Neither Arizona or BYU are going to be surprised by what they see on the field in Tucson on September 1. Both coaching staffs already know what the other team has in way of talent and scheme. This isn't CIA stuff. This is football. It's a game where each team is hoping they have bigger, faster and stronger players and everything will work out. In my opinion, the secrecy involved in BYU's quarterback drama this fall isn't about Arizona and surprising them, it is about the same thing that Nick Saban is doing at Alabama. He is trying to keep his two best quarterbacks on the roster for multiple seasons, Tua Tagovailoa on the left and Jalen Hurts on the right. So are Kalani Sitake and Jeff Grimes. In case you haven't been keeping track, since <https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomlayberger/2018/05/23/jalen-hurts-would-be-t he-11th-quarterback-to-transfer-from-alabama-in-the-nick-saban-era/#213a1a62 6b98> Saban has been at Alabama, he has had 11 quarterbacks transfer. He is trying to keep what would be his 12th, in Jalen Hurts, from following suit. Again, my opinion only, but I think what Sitake and Grimes are doing this fall isn't about Arizona but trying to keep their best two quarterbacks on the roster for multiple seasons. BYU offensive coaches know that Zach Wilson, on the right, is good. He will more than likely start the Arizona game. Yes, he is that good. So is Jaren Hall, on the left. He is as talented as Wilson. He just didn't get all the spring reps and practice that Wilson did because he was finishing up his LDS (oops, my bad) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints mission in California. There is a reason Hall is getting plenty of reps and is the 3rd qb in camp in front of Joe Critchlow. There is a reason that he will see the field this season. Yes, there is still a battle going on between Wilson and Tanner Mangum for early season playing time, but the bigger battle brewing is going to be between Wilson and Hall and it will start playing out seriously by the middle of this season. The new 4-game redshirt rule will be a huge part of this battle. The think tank and spy gate secrecy of this fall camp at quarterback, and again I emphasize this is only my opinion, is because offensive coaches want to signal to Hall that he is still in the quarterback picture now and especially during the coming years. If he doesn't feel that way, like Hurts at Alabama, he is too good to stay in Provo 4 years as a backup. So is Wilson. Again, my opinion, but one of these guys will be playing quarterback somewhere else in a couple of years. <https://twitter.com/i/status/1031735936852230145> This video from yesterday doesn't mean squat because it is practice without any pass rush and any live tackling. But look at the athleticism of Wilson #11 and Hall #1. It's a battle brewing. One more thing, the way the BYU coaches are handling the quarterback thing is really smart. It might be accidental or brilliant. Again, my opinion, but it is obvious to me that they know they have two freshmen quarterbacks in the program with big time talent. Forget a need for running backs necessitating the move of Beau Hoge to running back. The quarterback numbers needed thinning with the arrival of two big time guys. But regardless of whether Wilson or Hall transfer down the road, you are going to need somebody to back up your super star in case of injury. Maybe this staff is smarter than we think. Maybe Ed Lamb's comments in Cedar City about Joe Critchlow becoming an all time BYU great QB, was to ensure that there will be a backup to either Hall or Wilson down the road. Just some of my random thoughts. Let me emphasize these are my thoughts and mine only. And maybe, just maybe, there is a new BYU football think tank in Provo and they are smarter than we give them credit for.
