I remember during the off-season several years ago, I was getting set to watch a replay of a BYU football game on KBYU. It was a few minutes before the start of the game and I caught the very tail end of a speech/talk by Gordon B. Hinckley. Again, I just caught a bit of it but the gist was that LDS folks have to stop with the arrogance. I think that message is applicable now and could go a along ways to turning around the football program.

Arrogance of the fans. Granted, the fans don't have a whole lot to do with wins and losses but it does affect the perception of the program (see the many "holier than thou" comments from opposing fans). We've seen plenty of polls that name BYU fans as the most annoying in the nation. Tone down the attitude when players or coaches or fans from other schools make mistakes. Show a little more kindness and humility.

Arrogance of the coaches. "The system is phenomenal." I'll tell you this, the system is not "phenomenal" if it requires perfect execution from all eleven 100% of the time. The system is not "phenomenal" if it requires players to be in the system for a couple years to become trusted and assignment sound. The practice model is not efficient and effective as it has been touted - that is evident by the product on the field. "We only concentrate on what we do" - extremely arrogant if you think that your system is so perfect that all that needs to be done is to execute it. How 'bout you sprinkle in some game planning to exploit weaknesses of the team you're going against? Arrogance just oozes from preparation to execution. Also, claiming to be doing things and wanting to win "the right way" - implying that no one else is.

Arrogance of the players. Not really a huge deal, but it's there. We heard Mitch Mathews say that they were looking ahead to UCF when they were getting ready to play USU. Sometimes you get the feeling that they expect to win just because they're BYU. Confidence is a huge part of athletics and you don't want to quash it, but it does need to be tempered so it doesn't evolve into arrogance.

Arrogance of the school. Paying less than market for coaches because it should be an honor and a privilege to be offered the job. You get what you pay for. Sometimes you can get a little more out of things than what you put into them, but that's definitely the exception and not the rule. If you truly want to compete, be competitive with the salaries you pay - especially for assistant coaches.

Overall arrogance. Thinking that the team/program is better just because of what the school/program represents. I'm sure the Good Lord is happy with BYU football trying to churn out the best young men possible but, in my opinion, He isn't concerned with doling out wins based on how good the boys are off the field. The attitude reminds me of this old story:

A terrible storm came into a town and local officials sent out an emergency warning that the riverbanks would soon overflow and flood the nearby homes. They ordered everyone in the town to evacuate immediately.

A faithful Christian man heard the warning and decided to stay, saying to himself, “I will trust God and if I am in danger, then God will send a divine miracle to save me.”

The neighbors came by his house and said to him, “We’re leaving and there is room for you in our car, please come with us!” But the man declined. “I have faith that God will save me.”

As the man stood on his porch watching the water rise up the steps, a man in a canoe paddled by and called to him, “Hurry and come into my canoe, the waters are rising quickly!” But the man again said, “No thanks, God will save me.”

The floodwaters rose higher pouring water into his living room and the man had to retreat to the second floor. A police motorboat came by and saw him at the window. “We will come up and rescue you!” they shouted. But the man refused, waving them off saying, “Use your time to save someone else! I have faith that God will save me!”

The flood waters rose higher and higher and the man had to climb up to his rooftop.

A helicopter spotted him and dropped a rope ladder. A rescue officer came down the ladder and pleaded with the man, "Grab my hand and I will pull you up!" But the man STILL refused, folding his arms tightly to his body. “No thank you! God will save me!”

Shortly after, the house broke up and the floodwaters swept the man away and he drowned.

When in Heaven, the man stood before God and asked, “I put all of my faith in You. Why didn’t You come and save me?”

And God said, “Son, I sent you a warning. I sent you a car. I sent you a canoe. I sent you a motorboat. I sent you a helicopter. What more were you looking for?”


Clear up the arrogance and save the program.