I realize I may get plenty of thumbs down as a result, and I understand that. I'm not a guy who lets the koolaid go to my head. There's no use in ignoring a persistent problem as a fan. I suppose if you get too emotionally involved with BYU sports then ignorance is bliss.

We like to make fun of Whitt and some of the decisions he's made at Utah. I posted about it myself, talking about how he didn't know how to pick good OCs: http://www.cougarboard.com/board/message.html?id=13034337
We like to laugh about his decision to make Brian Johnson the OC, and sure enough Utah fails to get things going on offense. He hires a couple of more OCs that are past their prime, and now has a guy who fooled everyone into thinking he was a good OC with his offenses at Wyoming that turned out to be paper tigers upon further inspection.

Now, it has left Whitt with a seat that's been getting warmer with every season, and more than likely will end up being vacant at season's end. We mock, and scoff as Whitt and his team sink further into irrelevance in the Pac 12, and defend Bronco and BYU and their winning seasons and bowl appearances. After the decisions that Bronco has made and the debacle last night we are all of us, everyone who did the mocking and scoffing and failed to acknowledge Bronco's ineptitude, hypocrites. That definitely includes me.

The thing is, each of those decisions by Whitt outside of Brian Johnson WERE BETTER than the decisions made by Bronco in recent years. Why? Because those coordinators at least had experience taking control of teams and offenses in their coaching tenures. Erickson and Chow had both reached the highest heights while doing so in their careers. Making decisions to make them OC was world's better than any of the decisions that Bronco has made regarding coordinators except Anae, but of course since Anae has a coaching career that extends back to 1986!

These are not small mistakes. They are critical errors. Errors that could have cost BYU BCS runs, and now a NY6/playoff run...

In 2009 BYU was poised to make a run at the BCS. They have a future NFL starting TE, an NFL level RB, and a future NFL quarterback at the helm of an offense that consistently ranks among the best in the country. Couple that with one of the consistently best defenses in the country and you have all the makings of a BCS buster... Bronco inserts Hill as DC. BYU gets past OU in a great game, and then falls flat on their face at home against a Florida State team that squeaked out a win against Jacksonville State the previous week. That Florida State team went 6-6 during the regular season. The only blowout wins they had that year were... BYU and Wake Forest. Bronco takes over the DC duties again after Utah State that year, but the damage is done. No coach is perfect, and mistakes are made, but there are mistakes and then there are MISTAKES. The Hill experiment was a HUGE mistake. What happens that year if Bronco is the DC from the start of the season? Does it change the way the game against TCU unfolds? There are those who might say no, but something so pivotal as a coordinator change can have huge implications throughout the entire season. Perhaps BYU is able to get by TCU in a hard-fought defensive game... say 14-10ish?

After 2010, Anae has had enough. Apparently there is in-fighting within the staff, and rather than Bronco realizing what he has in Anae and thoroughly stamping out any insubordination or discord within the offensive ranks (toe the line or see ya later... that's they way it should be) Anae takes matters into his own hands. I don't believe Anae was let go. I believe him when he says that he left on his own. It is such an Anae thing to do it seems, but I get why he did it. What resulted was another catastrophic decision by Bronco to promote Doman as the OC. The outcome was horrendous. Jake Heaps failed to continue the development that he was making under Anae (and Doman... as a QB coach) in 2010 when he ended his young Freshman career with a win over UTEP in a bowl game. It's hard to pick out any decisions made by Doman during his short tenure as an OC that were good ones. Notwithstanding, BYU was able to go bowling! That's why Bronco is a good coach imo. Despite having major flaws in his judgment with coordinator hires he's managed to continue to win. It's pretty amazing to think about, but also depressing when you think about what could have been possible imo.

Thank goodness that little tiny locomotive that was the BYU offense from 2010-2012 finally wrecked with Doman's departure, and Anae comes back to pick up the pieces and get things going again... so that Bronco can turn around and commit the VERY SAME MISTAKE HE MADE IN 2009! This time he blatantly ignores the experience on the offensive side of the football with Doman, and does the EXACT SAME THING ON DEFENSE by promoting Howell...

Why Bronco?? WHY???

I just can't do it anymore. I can't defend those kinds of decisions anymore. Jaime Hill was one thing, but letting people question Anae's leadership back in 2010, and then promoting Doman? Then... DOING THE EXACT SAME THING ON DEFENSE... it's baffling. Consider that Howell didn't become a full-blown defensive coach until 2010... yes... 4 years ago. Folks, that's similar to someone who started as an intern in your company six years ago, and became a full blown employee 2 years later... then promoting them to COO or CFO... WHO WOULD DO THAT!!?? it's craziness.

I'm not one who likes to spew negativity on a consistent basis on this board so this is plenty of negativity for me to last a season. I won't join in on riding the negativity train all season long, but I won't defend Bronco's actions anymore.

Here's the thing, though... many would like to get rid of Bronco, and yet there are still no candidates out there that you can be sure would be able to replace what Bronco has done and be able to take BYU to that next step. What if those fans get what they want and BYU becomes Crowton 2.0? Then what??