After reading Brad Rock's article in the Deseret News this afternoon about Heaps and Mendenhall, something occurred to me about Heaps that didn't before, and this may explain Heaps whole problem.
Many in the media have remarked how well Jake Heaps took his benching, and how mature he has been about his punishment. Being benched in favor of Riley Nelson. Perhaps he has been a little bit too mature and a little bit too content with getting benched. Maybe that is why Heaps doesn't deserve to start.
Allow me to share a personal experience. Several years ago I was managing the swing shift. Then the company decided that it was too costly for us to continue to be a 24-hour shop and decided to become a 12-hour shop. 3 people on my team were fired. I should have been fired, too. But instead, I was demoted. Should I have been grateful that I still had a job? Of course. But I was rather ticked off about being demoted. About a year later, someone who worked for me became my boss. Again, I should have been mature and content about the situation, on the outside I tried to say and do all of the right things, but on the inside, I was upset. I am competitive by nature, and it took me another six months to get used to this idea.
Well, that is all behind me now, and that shop is no longer in business. Based upon my experience, I do not blame Heaps if he is not the least bit upset on the inside. If not, then that may explain his problem in a nutshell. I hope that Jake Heaps wants to be the starter in Provo, and has the work ethic to prove he can win the starting job back. I hope he has the desire to win the job back and to excel at the Cougar quarterback. I hope he wants to win games and impress NFL scouts.
I think back on the podcast I heard on Tuesday with David Locke and Greg Wrubbel. I wonder if Jake Heaps has the fire. That something inside of him that says that he wants to be the best. Jim McMahon did and was very vocal about that. Steve Young did and threw up before every game. Sometimes, Jake Heaps' performance can be described as sleepwalking. Sometimes, he is good, but rarely is he brilliant.
Talent and natural skill are important in sports, but may not be the most important thing to posses to win on the field. I certainly want to win, but I lack the talent to quarterback a college football team. One has to be able to throw the ball beyond the line of scrimmage, but talent and skills only go so far. Watching Tebow and the Broncos drives this point home. Tim Tebow is not the most talented quarterback in the NFL, but he wants to win and it shows. It inspires his team to perform at a higher level. Denver is seeing results in the only statistic that really matters, wins. That is what Riley Nelson does for BYU. He inspires a greater performance out of his team.
Perhaps, Heaps had it too easy in high school and has not made the adjustment to playing at the college level. Is that his fault? Part of the blame is his, and part of the blame is the coaching staff. Maybe they are not used to someone who is as hyped out of college as Heaps was and did not know how to light the fire in him. Perhaps Heaps now has all that he ever dreamed of as a kid and does not know what to do now.
It may not be the coaching staff in Provo at all. If so, we will find out if he transfers to another school and succeeds, or if he simply fades away. But if he does not have the fire burning inside him, who is to say that he would succeed somewhere else? There were a list of BCS schools attempting to recruit him out of high school, but it would be a risk to take him on now. If I were a college coach, I would want to give a scholarship to someone who wants to succeed, not to someone who is indifferent about winning. Just like any other business hire. You have got to love to compete if you are going to succeed. Does Jake have that desire? Maybe BYU has sapped it out of him. Maybe he never had it to begin with.
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