According to some Wyo players tweets..

[McPeachy]

There was a discussion a while ago (possibly rumor) that DC decided to essentially "wipe the record clean and start over" as far as the strength and conditioning records. Not sure if this was ever substantiated, but if it was true, then there is a lot of ground to make up as far as getting back to "Cowboy tough". Those records were there for a reason...and those guys that put them up there deserve better...

That was a fact, not a rumor. Greener & DC took it upon themselves to wipe the existing records off the "records board". Pissed me off royally, as there were some great names & records up there. They wanted the board to reflect "their guys". I can understand that, but that is disrespectful to all of the past Wyoming record holders and players, and lowers the bar significantly.

 

[whyoh]

Does Bohl subscribe to all hitting exercises? Like hitting the books?

No, he wants his players to flunk out....what an intelligent question....not!

Some...er, most...D1 coaches don't exactly emphasize academics. It's not a dumb question.

It is an incredibly dumb question. In Bohl's contract there is an academic standards clause and there are people in the athletic department that report to Burman who monitors the players progress and are there to help and council the athletes. The school closely monitors the academic progress of the all of the athletes at UW because they can get NCAA penalties if they do not keep up certain standards, and Wyoming had problems in the past with some of the programs and Burman is intensely interested in this and I am sure that Bohl is as well. You have been smoking some of that stuff from Colorado that is now legal if you think most D1 coaches don't emphasize academics....it is their life and blood to keep players eligible. It is one of the main things that most coaches speak about when they recruit kids and that is what are the academics like and what type of support there is, etc., etc..

Staying compliant and keeping athletes eligible is FAR different than emphasizing true academia.

Making sure an athlete stays eligible by enrolling him in the easier classes available at the school and throwing tutors at them because they can barely handle that isn't exactly ensuring success away from the football field. Comparable to that "good enough" attitude we talk about so much.

I think the fact that Richard Sherman can barely form a complete sentence after graduating from freaking STANFORD says a little something about where academics stand in the world of college football.

Anyone that would attempt to use Richard Sherman as an excuse or example in this argument is scrambling desperately for any type of place to hide their weak argument. It would be interesting to see how you would communicate after an emotional football game where you are out of breath and at an elevated level of excitement....would you be a credit to the institution that you graduated from? Highly unlikely!

Don't you think that the HC needs to stress going to class and going to study hall so that the athlete stays in good standing as a student? Isn't this called hitting the books? Do you not think that coaches want to see their kids excel in the classroom? Not everyone is going to be a Rhoades Scholar....all they have to do is take a look at you and see that not everyone achieves in academia. I saw a report I don't know how long ago that the football team had an average higher GPA than the average male student at UW. Do you not think that this is achieving in academia? The question and your continued defense of this question draws into your question your basic knowledge of how college athletics works in this day and time. You are living in the past where coaches could and did live in a world of where they didn't have to worry or think about academics and that the academia side was rigged for that athlete at their institution. I don't remember that ever being the situation at Wyoming, as I remember a number of athletes in my classes while I attended UW. But now a days, coaches have to be so much more than they were years ago, and being actively involved in the academic success of their athletes is one of these areas. I suggest that you take your argument to the football coaching office if you have the guts and you will hear and see the exact same thing that I am talking about and would come away with a new understanding and appreciation for exactly how big supporters the coaches are in the academic success of their athletes. Quit attempting to defend a question that was a joke to begin with, because your continued defense is making you look kind of like a bad joke.

I've heard the guy had a solid GPA at Stanford. But, I guess it is perfectly acceptable to base a persons intelligence on a post game rant.

Go Pokes!!
Go Broncos!!

i figured it was more about this

 

[jarhead]

Wow this thread got derailed. Let me see if I can get it back on track... The strength and conditioning phase of the year began in earnest yesterday. Duvall is different in that he has a different approach. When DC was here he wants lean and fast to facilitate his spread offensive style. Coach Bohl wants big and strong therefore you have to have a different approach to how you train the players. The lifting sets have returned to three sets of ten and the workouts have been split into a strength and a conditioning phase. Yesterday the conditioning phase of the workout ie. the tweets you probably saw, was brutal. Partly because of the intensity but more likely because it was the first one out of the gate. Players are being trained to develop into big strong athletes as opposed to strong/fast athletes. It is simply a different philosophy which is new for most all of the player who were recruited under DC's system. They will adapt.

 

[PotatoCreekPete]

Wow this thread got derailed. Let me see if I can get it back on track... The strength and conditioning phase of the year began in earnest yesterday. Duvall is different in that he has a different approach. When DC was here he wants lean and fast to facilitate his spread offensive style. Coach Bohl wants big and strong therefore you have to have a different approach to how you train the players. The lifting sets have returned to three sets of ten and the workouts have been split into a strength and a conditioning phase. Yesterday the conditioning phase of the workout ie. the tweets you probably saw, was brutal. Partly because of the intensity but more likely because it was the first one out of the gate. Players are being trained to develop into big strong athletes as opposed to strong/fast athletes. It is simply a different philosophy which is new for most all of the player who were recruited under DC's system. They will adapt.

Thank you for getting the thread back on track. The differences between what Christensen and Bohl want is significant, but one point that you made I have a question about. You said that Christensen wanted the players to be: Strong/Fast, while Bohl wants them to be: Big and Strong. I remember listening to the S&C guy at NDSU who talked about their program and how one of the things that they do is to develop quickness with some of their training. I would imagine that Bohl does not want to sacrifice speed or quickness, but does want the guys to be bigger so that they can use their strength and bulk/weight to achieve the type of game that he wants. Do you think that the type of training now does anything to sacrifice quickness or speed, and is there a part of Duval's training that will address speed and quickness? I remember under Christensen that he wanted his OL to be lighter so that they could be quicker and more mobile. Some of the OL had to lose weight under Christensen. It appears from what Bohl had at NDSU he likes his OL to be big. How do you see Duval addressing the issue of strength and bulk vs. speed and quickness? Thanks.

 

[fromolwyoming]

Wow this thread got derailed. Let me see if I can get it back on track... The strength and conditioning phase of the year began in earnest yesterday. Duvall is different in that he has a different approach. When DC was here he wants lean and fast to facilitate his spread offensive style. Coach Bohl wants big and strong therefore you have to have a different approach to how you train the players. The lifting sets have returned to three sets of ten and the workouts have been split into a strength and a conditioning phase. Yesterday the conditioning phase of the workout ie. the tweets you probably saw, was brutal. Partly because of the intensity but more likely because it was the first one out of the gate. Players are being trained to develop into big strong athletes as opposed to strong/fast athletes. It is simply a different philosophy which is new for most all of the player who were recruited under DC's system. They will adapt.

Fast and strong isn't a bad thing, if done right. But all too often our lines, on both sides, were pushed around way too easily. Case in point, on a QB draw play against Texas State, when Brett got the ball, the line was pushed backwards so quickly, Brett's forward progress was stopped while standing straight up while in the middle of his own o-linemen who had been pushed backwards into him. This sort of thing lasted all season. And against Hawaii, despite Brett's record setting performance, was still sacked and/or pressured on almost every snap. I know the idea was to have lighter and quicker o-linemen, but if they can't get a solid block on consistently, like what happened all season, the guys in the backfield are going to have a tough time.

Our d-line? Well, Olive, as a freshmen, was the strongest guy on the team last season. Awesome for him, but what about the rest of the d-linemen? You know, how in the 3-4 defense, the biggest thing for a d-line is size and power? Yeah, we lacked the first one a bit, and the second one badly. The whole point of the 3-4 defensive linemen, is to eat up as many blockers as they can so the linebackers can make the play. If the d-linemen can eat up blockers and still disrupt the play, even better. But case in point, all too often our d-line was ineffective.

 

[Slow Hand]

Wow this thread got derailed. Let me see if I can get it back on track... The strength and conditioning phase of the year began in earnest yesterday. Duvall is different in that he has a different approach. When DC was here he wants lean and fast to facilitate his spread offensive style. Coach Bohl wants big and strong therefore you have to have a different approach to how you train the players. The lifting sets have returned to three sets of ten and the workouts have been split into a strength and a conditioning phase. Yesterday the conditioning phase of the workout ie. the tweets you probably saw, was brutal. Partly because of the intensity but more likely because it was the first one out of the gate. Players are being trained to develop into big strong athletes as opposed to strong/fast athletes. It is simply a different philosophy which is new for most all of the player who were recruited under DC's system. They will adapt.

Thank you for getting the thread back on track. The differences between what Christensen and Bohl want is significant, but one point that you made I have a question about. You said that Christensen wanted the players to be: Strong/Fast, while Bohl wants them to be: Big and Strong. I remember listening to the S&C guy at NDSU who talked about their program and how one of the things that they do is to develop quickness with some of their training. I would imagine that Bohl does not want to sacrifice speed or quickness, but does want the guys to be bigger so that they can use their strength and bulk/weight to achieve the type of game that he wants. Do you think that the type of training now does anything to sacrifice quickness or speed, and is there a part of Duval's training that will address speed and quickness? I remember under Christensen that he wanted his OL to be lighter so that they could be quicker and more mobile. Some of the OL had to lose weight under Christensen. It appears from what Bohl had at NDSU he likes his OL to be big. How do you see Duval addressing the issue of strength and bulk vs. speed and quickness? Thanks.

First off there is a difference between fast .....and quick. I would say that under Bohl's system he will not sacrifice "Quickness" However because the players will be carrying more weight they are definitely going to be slower. I bet most all the 40 times will get slower. But strength will go through the roof!

 

[Cowboy Junky]

It doesn't matter how quick and fast you are if you can't get off a block and get blown off the line every play. It's been obvious for years that our defense needed strength. It's good to see that Bohl is addressing it.

 

[kdwrightuwyo]

Per one of the players: I'm not gonna say tougher just because I'm always prepared for the challenge. But it's a lot more productive than our old plan

 

[Cowboy Junky]

This is one of the reasons why I'm hopeful that are lines aren't in as bad of shape as it looks on paper and most of us think. I think we might have a pretty salty rotation of defensive linemen by the time fall rolls around with the new focus on strength.

Offensive line might be more of a challenge. I don't know how difficult it's going to be to turn a bunch of 6'7" guys into power rushing blockers.

 

[PotatoCreekPete]

Wow this thread got derailed. Let me see if I can get it back on track... The strength and conditioning phase of the year began in earnest yesterday. Duvall is different in that he has a different approach. When DC was here he wants lean and fast to facilitate his spread offensive style. Coach Bohl wants big and strong therefore you have to have a different approach to how you train the players. The lifting sets have returned to three sets of ten and the workouts have been split into a strength and a conditioning phase. Yesterday the conditioning phase of the workout ie. the tweets you probably saw, was brutal. Partly because of the intensity but more likely because it was the first one out of the gate. Players are being trained to develop into big strong athletes as opposed to strong/fast athletes. It is simply a different philosophy which is new for most all of the player who were recruited under DC's system. They will adapt.

Fast and strong isn't a bad thing, if done right. But all too often our lines, on both sides, were pushed around way too easily. Case in point, on a QB draw play against Texas State, when Brett got the ball, the line was pushed backwards so quickly, Brett's forward progress was stopped while standing straight up while in the middle of his own o-linemen who had been pushed backwards into him. This sort of thing lasted all season. And against Hawaii, despite Brett's record setting performance, was still sacked and/or pressured on almost every snap. I know the idea was to have lighter and quicker o-linemen, but if they can't get a solid block on consistently, like what happened all season, the guys in the backfield are going to have a tough time.

Our d-line? Well, Olive, as a freshmen, was the strongest guy on the team last season. Awesome for him, but what about the rest of the d-linemen? You know, how in the 3-4 defense, the biggest thing for a d-line is size and power? Yeah, we lacked the first one a bit, and the second one badly. The whole point of the 3-4 defensive linemen, is to eat up as many blockers as they can so the linebackers can make the play. If the d-linemen can eat up blockers and still disrupt the play, even better. But case in point, all too often our d-line was ineffective.

Good points. Both Bernthaler and Mertens are guys that started their careers as DE's (and very good DE's!!) that were moved to DT's. Heck Bernthaler was a very highly rated JC DE but was moved to DT and at 260 pounds was there any question why he would have difficulty, that was just crazy! Putting a 310 or so OL up against a 260 pound DT is not even fair, that is almost like putting an OL against a large LB! At least Mertens was about 295. I just wondered how the Wyoming coaches last year ever thought that they would be successful with two DE's being converted into DT's? The lousy job that Christensen and his staff did at developing players was no more evident than on the DL. If I were the DL coach this year, I would test putting Mertens back at DE, and move Siaosi Hala'api'api back to LB (where he belongs!!!), and that would put Yarbrough at one DE and Mertens at the other and Puletasi in the rotation. In the middle you would have Boyland, Olive, Diamanti and Fields to rotate between. With Duval making these guys bigger and stronger I would hope that we would see a huge improvement in the DL next season.

 

[Cowboy Junky]

It seemed like the last few years DC was trying to pull a trick or two from Gary Patterson's playbook. He was trying to convert smaller, more athletic guys to bigger positions. The problem with that, he wasn't converting a bunch of three star running backs into defensive ends and linebackers like Patterson was. He was trying to convert less athletic smaller guys into defensive tackles and it didn't work.

Haliapiapi definitely needs to go back to linebacker though. He's got great athleticism and the body to be a great middle linebacker in the Tampa 2.

 

[PotatoCreekPete]

Wow this thread got derailed. Let me see if I can get it back on track... The strength and conditioning phase of the year began in earnest yesterday. Duvall is different in that he has a different approach. When DC was here he wants lean and fast to facilitate his spread offensive style. Coach Bohl wants big and strong therefore you have to have a different approach to how you train the players. The lifting sets have returned to three sets of ten and the workouts have been split into a strength and a conditioning phase. Yesterday the conditioning phase of the workout ie. the tweets you probably saw, was brutal. Partly because of the intensity but more likely because it was the first one out of the gate. Players are being trained to develop into big strong athletes as opposed to strong/fast athletes. It is simply a different philosophy which is new for most all of the player who were recruited under DC's system. They will adapt.

Thank you for getting the thread back on track. The differences between what Christensen and Bohl want is significant, but one point that you made I have a question about. You said that Christensen wanted the players to be: Strong/Fast, while Bohl wants them to be: Big and Strong. I remember listening to the S&C guy at NDSU who talked about their program and how one of the things that they do is to develop quickness with some of their training. I would imagine that Bohl does not want to sacrifice speed or quickness, but does want the guys to be bigger so that they can use their strength and bulk/weight to achieve the type of game that he wants. Do you think that the type of training now does anything to sacrifice quickness or speed, and is there a part of Duval's training that will address speed and quickness? I remember under Christensen that he wanted his OL to be lighter so that they could be quicker and more mobile. Some of the OL had to lose weight under Christensen. It appears from what Bohl had at NDSU he likes his OL to be big. How do you see Duval addressing the issue of strength and bulk vs. speed and quickness? Thanks.

First off there is a difference between fast .....and quick. I would say that under Bohl's system he will not sacrifice "Quickness" However because the players will be carrying more weight they are definitely going to be slower. I bet most all the 40 times will get slower. But strength will go through the roof!

Probably just for the OL, DL and LB's. However, for the WR's, RB's and DB's you wouldn't want to see your 40 times getting slower.....that could make things very bad in a hurry. Our WR's for the most part last year were unable to get separation and this caused huge issues in the passing game and for Brett. The last thing that we need to do is to see any of the skill positions get slower, IMO.

 

[JimmyDimes]

Agree....I find it interesting that with all the speed we had at WR, that we weren't able to get open easier. Then, we look at what Herron is doing at the Senior Bowl.....definitely a head scratcher.

Our teams haven't been tough for years.....this is exactly what we need to get to the next level.

 

[OrediggerPoke]

Agree....I find it interesting that with all the speed we had at WR, that we weren't able to get open easier. Then, we look at what Herron is doing at the Senior Bowl.....definitely a head scratcher.

Our teams haven't been tough for years.....this is exactly what we need to get to the next level.

Herron did get open quite a bit. His big problem was the drops.

 

[PotatoCreekPete]

It seemed like the last few years DC was trying to pull a trick or two from Gary Patterson's playbook. He was trying to convert smaller, more athletic guys to bigger positions. The problem with that, he wasn't converting a bunch of three star running backs into defensive ends and linebackers like Patterson was. He was trying to convert less athletic smaller guys into defensive tackles and it didn't work.

Haliapiapi definitely needs to go back to linebacker though. He's got great athleticism and the body to be a great middle linebacker in the Tampa 2.

Very true! It appeared for whatever reason that players got into the dog house with Christensen and his staff and even if that meant a position wouldn't actually be manned from players that were actually trained for that position, (i.e. no real DT manned the DT position), that was ok. After 5 years, Christensen complained about the lack of depth when he uttered the famous last words..."You can only play who you have..." Forget about the guys sitting on the bench that you brought in from JC to be immediate help but failed to develop!!!!

I still don't understand why they moved Siaosi Hala'api'api from linebacker????? The guy is an animal and a great LB. In all fairness Stanton did a remarkable job at MLB. Lucas Wacha did a marvelous job at the WLB and I am anxious to see what Bohl's staff can do with this young man. Nzeocha is an incredible specimen, but there is no way that you can't tell me that Hala'api'api wouldn't have helped the team more in the rotation at the LB position.....than being an undersized DE back-up.

 

[PotatoCreekPete]

Agree....I find it interesting that with all the speed we had at WR, that we weren't able to get open easier. Then, we look at what Herron is doing at the Senior Bowl.....definitely a head scratcher.

Our teams haven't been tough for years.....this is exactly what we need to get to the next level.

Herron did get open quite a bit. His big problem was the drops.

I understand what you are saying, but I remember especially in the Utah St. game the WR's were having a horrible time getting open, and the TV announcers mentioned it constantly how the WR's were not getting separation....and this wasn't the only game. Dom was the only one getting any type of separation in that game and it wasn't much and he was working his tail off to do it. But he was the ONLY one. I also agree with you about Herron, I made several comments during the season about his hands....I wish Herron all the best in the NFL but I saw a bunch of drops that just made me shake my head with him.

Do you remember that at the beginning of the season we were all talking and touting the WR position with the Pokes. About how deep and talented it was, and probably the deepest it had been for years....but after the first few games, the WR position appeared to be taken away by the opponents defense on a regular basis. Hopefully this season we will see much better WR play for the WHOLE season and this means the coaches will have to make adjustments....I know this was something that was unheard of in a Christensen locker room at halftime, but hopefully Bohl will be able to make the adjustments that are correct and productive....I have the faith that he and his coaches will make the right adjustments.

 

[Brew_Poke]

Does Bohl subscribe to all hitting exercises? Like hitting the books?

No, he wants his players to flunk out....what an intelligent question....not!

Some...er, most...D1 coaches don't exactly emphasize academics. It's not a dumb question.

It is an incredibly dumb question. In Bohl's contract there is an academic standards clause and there are people in the athletic department that report to Burman who monitors the players progress and are there to help and council the athletes. The school closely monitors the academic progress of the all of the athletes at UW because they can get NCAA penalties if they do not keep up certain standards, and Wyoming had problems in the past with some of the programs and Burman is intensely interested in this and I am sure that Bohl is as well. You have been smoking some of that stuff from Colorado that is now legal if you think most D1 coaches don't emphasize academics....it is their life and blood to keep players eligible. It is one of the main things that most coaches speak about when they recruit kids and that is what are the academics like and what type of support there is, etc., etc..

Staying compliant and keeping athletes eligible is FAR different than emphasizing true academia.

Making sure an athlete stays eligible by enrolling him in the easier classes available at the school and throwing tutors at them because they can barely handle that isn't exactly ensuring success away from the football field. Comparable to that "good enough" attitude we talk about so much.

I think the fact that Richard Sherman can barely form a complete sentence after graduating from freaking STANFORD says a little something about where academics stand in the world of college football.

Richard Sherman is actually a pretty well-spokena and thoughtful guy when he's not letting his emotions get the better of him.

 

[mwc fan]

I was told the new workouts aren't extremely difficult. I was also told a lot of players are not in excellent shape yet. Some of the players are straight up work out junkies and take care of their bodies throughout the off season. Most of those guys are the top players on the team. I would love if close to all the scholarship players had the type of attitude. Hopefully the new strength trainer instills that discipline.

 

[lakesbison]

Your o line will get more tough and nasty. .believe that!

 

[Muzzle Loader2]

Looks like the S&C coach might help us attract talent as well. This is from the most recent recruit Alex Bush:

"The one thing that really hooked me was the conversation with the new Strength and Conditioning Coordinator," Bush said. "He has trained something like 18 All-Americans and one Heisman Trophy winner. I am really looking forward to working with him and seeing how I can develop over the next four years."