After reading this guy talk about how athletically superior the UCLA players are, I started to look at his comments objectively.  I noticed that they are completely biased and have zero foundation in the facts.

For starters I want to talk about what athletic means.  An athletic person is not simply a player that can jump high, run fast, and lift a lot of weights – otherwise everyone who went to the combine would get picked up. An athlete is an individual that can excel in numerous athletic disciplines.  He possesses coordination and the ability to learn quickly in order to perform to an exceptional level.  When I think of athletes I think of guys that can pick up a tennis racket, a ping-pong paddle, kick a soccer ball, shoot a basketball, or swim in a pool, and still be competitive.  An athlete isn’t a a kid that has all the “natural measurables” to fill out a football jersey.  Its an ability; not a look. I would like to know whose dads are paying this guy to be their trainer.  He is his own worst critic.  He begins by saying he was a walk-on at UCLA, but only lasted a short time. Then he tells us that he works with a lot of the BYU players but they just aren’t the caliber player that the major programs are looking for.  So when did BYU become a mediocre football program and when is it good for a personal trainer to say, sorry I can’t help you build your body into something that a “major” college would consider “athletic”?  That’s his job! I wonder how long he will last. I felt like I was taking crazy pills listening to this guy say that Harvey is big, has great feet and plays extremely hard, but doesn’t have the look of a major running back.  I guess this trainer thinks that Harvey is too fat, too slow, and too weak to play for UCLA.  I would put BYU’s top players against any in the country.  Put us up on any lift they wanted and the BYU player would not only compete but excel.  Whether they were squatting, benching, cleaning, jumping, or running our players would match-up and be competitive.  Would they look as good? Probably not.  They might have a little extra maturity around the middle, but when it comes time to push the weight our players perform.  They have to because the are required to every day they are in the weight room and on the field.  I would love to see any UCLA player do the workouts that Coach Omer puts our guys through.

Football is more than size and strength.  Football consists mostly of what is between your ears and what is pounding in your chest.  Their prized 4 and 5 star recruits would last through the core lifts but when Coach Omer started picking up the tempo of the workout, those guys would be wondering where their stars went as walk-on after walk-on would pass them up.  Our coaching staff takes pride in making those prized recruits rethink their decisions.  BYU wants players just like this trainer describes.  BYU wants good football players, not players that just look or act the part, but can play the part.  A Cougar is a player that can understand his role and fulfill his role to the best of his ability.

If you want to know what the Pac-10 players think of our guys just ask them.  I would start with the UCLA corner – Verner.  I believe he would have a good idea of what kind of “athleticism” our players have.  That is, if he can still talk after the beating he took at the hands of Austin.  You could also ask UCLA’s safeties how athletic BYU’s tight ends were, except you’ll have to wait until they pick themselves up off the ground.  You could ask their defensive lineman how good BYU’s offensive linemen were.  Oh wait, UCLA already answered that question, “…four of the five BYU offensive linemen will play in the NFL.” But what do the actual UCLA starters know about athleticism – let’s ask a walk-on that didn’t last at UCLA!

How is it a negative thing that BYU gets the most out of their players?  Coach Omer should be hailed as one of the best weight coaches in the country.  He takes these 1 or 2-star players and molds them into a someone that can perform against any 4 or 5-star player and win 12 games in a row.  This guy says that his training business is thriving because of Coach Omers ineffective lifting regiment.  The way I see it is that the player that is going to this guy isn’t applying himself in a manner that will bring results and is instead looking for an easier way to get a certain look.  I would think that Coach Omer’s credentials speak for themselves.  This guys has, what, 4 years of experience? Coach Omer has over 30.  That’s a no brainier, Bub.  Coach Omer is in the business of producing football players, not beach bodies.

Let me tell you about potential.  A player’s potential can only be reached with the right scheme, coaching, and hard work.  UCLA may have a lot of talent but unless they change their habits, they will never reach their potential.  Being a 4 or 5-star recruit just sets some guys up for failure because they lack the intelligence and desire to work through the hard times.  UCLA fans will really see what kind of recruits they’ve got when they play their next games.  And if you don’t think that Mr. Neuheisel or Mr. Chow wouldn’t give their left arm to have a handful of BYU players on their team, you’re crazy.

As far as turning heads at a combine is concerned, you might be right.  Yet, BYU players that have gone to the combine have done very well in the measurables, and all of those players received try outs from NFL teams.  I guarantee if it came down to a UCLA player with the proper dimensions and a BYU player with intelligence and work ethic, the NFL coach will choose the BYU player 10 out of 10 times.  Why invest in something that will give up at the first sign of difficulty?  Because it looks good?  I’m not buying that crap.  UCLA can have all of their 4 and 5-star recruits that come into their program, show a flash or two and then fizzle out because they lack the intelligence to stay eligible or lack the discipline to work day in and day out so they can make plays on the field.  A BYU player understands that he is not entitled to anything, all the way down to the newest pair of Nike cleats.

The guy that wrote this drivel is a joke and I want to back up what I am saying so I am going to talk to Coach Omer today to get some statistical data, because it is impressive.  Check back after lunch and hopefully I will have it by then.  The scout.com thread is funny, and as you read on more and more people start to see through this guy’s crap. His ideas are as old and erroneous as Mr. Burn’s love for phrenology.