Way before Robbie Bosco announced he was climbing off the battle horse to take a job begging for money, many natives wanted a flashy name as offensive coordinator to resurrect BYU's offense and return it to a tool for ticking off MWC coaches on the scoreboard.
After two seasons in which Gary Crowton's offense struggled, the pitch got higher. Bring in Danny White. Go get Charlie Stubbs at Tulsa. Hire anybody with a pulse at Boise State. Get Andy Reid to step down from the Philadelphia Eagles and donate his time in Provo, yada, yada, yada.
In the meantime, USC's Norm Chow figured nobody could coordinate BYU's offense better than Crowton, well, besides him. And he wasn't going to trade Fort Knox for blessings in Provo. Still, restless fans dreamed Crowton would hire a miracle worker to fix all that on that side of the Cougar line.
Instead, they got an offensive line coach.
Crowton made a statement with his hire announced on Wednesday. If his butt's on the line this fall, it will be his own neck on the block. He will coordinate his own offense — just like he did in 2001. Although then-receiver coach Mike Borich had the title in '01, Crowton was the coordinator that launched the nation's top scoring offense his first year.
Will it bear fruit? Is it a huge risk? Not to Crowton, the master gambler. He believes he will succeed in 2004 despite the toughest schedule in school history. He just signed seven receivers, and he hired an offensive line coach and rewired longtime running back coach Lance Reynolds to his old job.
Offensive line coach? "That's where it all begins," according to Mike Leach, coach of Texas Tech's No. 1 offensive attack in 2003. Look no further than Utah's success this past year, an attack buoyed by outstanding blocking. The Utes rarely gave up a sack, 16 to be exact. The Cougars gave up 35 in 2003 and from September to January's off-season drills, the two main BYU QBs — Matt Berry and John Beck — suffered four broken hands, a broken nose, a concussion, a deep arm bruise to the bone and myriad other ailments.
ASU's Jeff Grimes agreed to join Crowton's campaign last week. Why a Pac-10 assistant with few if any ties to BYU would sign on remains a mystery. Grimes said it was for "personal reasons" and his family life may have been a factor.
Grimes played for Philadelphia Eagle coach Reid at UTEP, but he said Wednesday he didn't know if Reid had a hand in his hire. There is talk BYU's administration asked Reid Grimes. "I haven't talked to him and I didn't ask him to call in my behalf. I didn't know Gary before this but I had people who let me know BYU was looking for a hire after Robbie Bosco left. People told Gary enough about me that he called (ASU coach) Dirk Koetter and asked permission to interview me."
What does Grimes bring to BYU? Perhaps aggressive attitudes like former coach Roger French — only in his own style. French wore on some staffers and players toward the end, but he was a solid career coach whose first BYU game was to protect Jim McMahon.
Grimes said he believes the offensive line should be composed of the hardest working athletes on a football team. "I'm a big believer in that. Offensive linemen have to be blue-collar guys, tough players who like to get after it. To do it, you train them that way, get them used to beating up on each other.
"I believe in guys working the entire time they are out there in practices. One of my pet peeves is having three or four guys standing around while another guy is working. I think that's a tremendous waste of time. If you aren't working, you should be getting ready to be working on a drill or a formation. It's not a matter of constantly running or moving, but making the most of your time out there."
The move for Reynolds? History speaks well for Reynolds with runners. He's coached four that made NFL rosters including Ronney Jenkins, Luke Staley, Jamal Willis and Dustin Johnson. Others of note since his hire in 1985 include Brian McKenzie, Matt Bellini and Brian McDonald.
LaVell Edwards always maintained Reynolds was smart when it comes to "schematics" and had a mind for figuring things out for both he and Chow. Some maintain Reynolds may have the highest IQ on staff. He is also a player's coach, very respected.
It was Reynolds who suggested Edwards insert Brandon Doman in the lineup to end the 2000 season in wins over New Mexico and Utah. As offensive coordinator in post-Chow times, he formulated a package for the former Skyline quarterback that worked. As a graduate assistant who led the JV program, he's the guy who placed then-unknown Steve Young in a wishbone attack that befuddled UNLV.
The shuffle and hire could prove beneficial. After all, these are the days of offensive lines and the coaches who build them.
Consider: On Wednesday ASU hired Washington offensive line coach Brent Meyers to replace Grimes 27 days after Meyers left Utah. The Utes then hired former USC line coach Keith Uperesa to replace Meyers.
Must be something to it.
E-mail: dharmon@desnews.com