BYU football: Don’t blame the coaches for Cougars’ struggles

We have seen this before

Remember when Lavell Edwards retired? The following year, Gary Crowton led the Cougars to a 12-1 regular season record.

His players were Lavell’s recruits and players. The next three years were difficult as players struggled to adjust to the new system. Over the next three seasons, BYU football went 14-21 and did not go to any bowl games in that span. He was fired after that 2004 season and Bronco Mendenhall was brought in.

Crowton never had time to see his recruits play for BYU. He was fired the year before players such as John Beck, Austin Collie, Jonny Harline and Jan Jorgensen had a chance to show how good they were.

Would BYU football have found success with Crowton if he was given one or two more seasons for the transition to finish? Or would have the Cougars still struggled due to bad coaching? We will never know because Crowton was let go before the 2005 season.

Cougar fans, just have patience

The process may take a few years. Maybe the Cougars can get it all fixed this season. However, if they do not, let the transition happen. Let Kalani Sitake’s recruits become starters. Allow BYU to recruit a quarterback who is designed for the pro-style offense and linemen who are made for blocking for more than two seconds.

If all of this is able to happen, then we will really see how good the coaches are. The question is, do we have enough patience to let the process happen?