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LSU should try to play Shepard in the Pistol formation,The pistol formation can be used in a variety of ways, because the quarterback is closer to the line of scrimmage than a traditional shotgun formation. This allows him to see more easily over the line and make down field reads. He will also get the ball snapped to him faster, which can alter timing patterns greatly for a preparing defense. The pistol offense can effectively use draw plays, counters, and options using three wide receiver formations or multiple tight ends combined with a fullback for pass protection. In a pistol formation, hand-offs occur 2-3 yards closer than in the shotgun, which can make for a more effective running game, while keeping pass efficiency. This formation works well with dual threat quarterbacks who can both throw and run.

BYU fans. BYU Football has produced four of the top-10 largest audiences in ESPN history. Ask Alabama, Georgia, and Miss. State

Top All-Poly Performers Talk About Experience
Alema Te'o
Alema Te'o

By Talo Steves
TBS Managing Editor
Posted Jun 21, 2010


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It was time to put the pads on and make some noise. Suited up in full gear, players from various states hit the field with anticipation and unrivaled excitement. Chanting along the sidelines, six teams got ready to face off against each other and players got ready to give all they had in the hopes of catching the eyes of at least one of the many college coaches on hand.

It was hot out there on the football field, and not just because of the bright Utah sun beating at noonday. Players charged with emotion and adrenaline at Alema Te'o's All-Poly Camp last week were boiling over as pads and helmet collided to the sounds of jeers and cheers from onlookers.

"Oh, the competition is huge!" said BYU, Utah and Kansas offensive lineman recruit Ryker Mathews. "All of these players that you're going to talk to later on are all great players. Half or more of these kids have or could get offers to go places, and the All-Poly Camp really helps with that. They're tough, hard-hitting kids and all great players."

Ryker Mathews

"This was my first time here, and it was a really good experience being able to play with all these great players," said 6-foot-2-inch, 255-pound Talitiga Poloai, who was labeled as an athlete. "Where I'm from back in Sacramento, California, there's not as many big-name people hitting you. You gotta work on technique and if you don't use it out here, you'll get rolled over."

Poloai, who benches 375 and squats 550, is being recruited by UCLA, Cal, Boise State and has an offer from Washington State.

“On defense I play defensive tackle, end or nose, or middle linebacker," he said. "The one thing you have to do is never give up on a play out here. You have to hit guys hard but make sure you're still fundamentally sound when you do it. There's a lot of tough kids out here that take what they've learned from the coaches earlier in the day, and then they'll use that when it comes time to hit you in the mouth. It's been a really good experience for me."

But it wasn't just scrimmaging fun in the sun until the camp was done, so to speak. Rather, All-Poly Camp coaches such as Steve Kaufusi (BYU), Marcus Tuiasosopo (Arizona), Chad Kauhaahaa (Utah State), Johnny Nansen (Washington), Lance Anderson (Stanford), Junior Falevai (Idaho St.), Mike Fanogo (Wyoming) and Kalani Sitaki and John Pease (Utah), just to name a few, put participants through the ringer. They instructed players in various techniques designed to hone their abilities for position mastery.

"I learn a lot here," said Washington commit Tani Tupou. "The one thing that I learned more this time around was working with my hands with [former Denver Bronco] Coach Fatafehi. He really emphasized working hands and how to use your hands in certain ways. It's great working with all of these college coaches and letting them coach you up to show you how things are done at the next level. They really give you some good tools that will prepare you for the next season and college ball."

Tani Tupou

"I learned a lot about having a work ethic," said 6-foot-1-inch, 260-pound Bingham freshman defensive lineman Lowell Lotulelei. "When you play little league, you just go out there and play. Now you have to focus on technique and other things, but to get better you have to have a good work ethic and that's what I learned.”

Bingham’s Seni Fanuku, who has committed to the University of Utah, said the aspect of the All-Poly Camp that had the biggest impact on him wasn’t football-related.

"At the All-Poly Camp, they always push education first here," said Fanuku. "I think that part of the camp was the most beneficial part for me. Then after that they push the fundamentals of football. It's not always about the big hit but being fundamentally sound."

The All-Poly Camp is designed to provide prospects with an understanding of the NCAA Clearinghouse qualifications and next-level instruction from many Division I, Division II and junior college coaches. Thus, the opportunity to attend the camp is something that many can’t pass up, especially those that can't afford the cost of attending various camps across the country.

"Oh man, we've got kids coming from all over just to have the opportunity to be here at this camp," said Tupou. "You see kids coming from all around just for the chance to be a part of this. We've got kids from Washington, Hawaii, Maryland, Arizona, California and from everywhere. We've also got 30-plus college coaches out here.

"You get everything in one. You get SAT prep even before you get a chance to go out onto the field with the coaches. This year, we got a lesson in nutrition and how to increase your fitness level. Most camps cost around $500 just to attend, and if you were to add up the hotel cost while camping here, it probably cost about the same overall. But at this camp, you got all the Poly boys and the palangi [Caucasian] boys coming together as one. The atmosphere, training, experience and value you get at this camp is by far better than any other."

Fanuku also heaped a lot of praise on the All-Poly Camp.

"This is the best camp in the nation," said Fanuku. "You've got NFL guys helping out here, and some of the best college coaches out here in the country teaching us how to play football. Then you have some of the best players out here, and players looking to get noticed out here competing. This is the best camp around by far."

Camp MVPs

QB Leon Jenkins: Lincoln HS, Tacoma, WA
RB Erik Takanaki: West HS, UT
RB Nate Lutu: Ramona HS, CA
QB Bo Reilly: Valley Center HS, CA
TE Zane Smith: Brighton HS, UT
RB Jeremiah Laufasa: Juanita HS, WA
QB Jason Thompson: Kennedy HS, WA
WR Dillon Appel: Snow Canyon HS, UT
QB Derek Newell: Brighton HS, UT
S Zach Keiser: Coeur-D'Alene HS, ID
DL Lawrence Vaituu: Jordan HS, UT
OG Ryker Mathews: American Fork HS, UT
ATH Jared Fanua: Juanita HS, WA
CB Walter Santiago: Kamehameha HS, HI
LB Karl Mickelsen: Morise HS CA
DB Taylor Taliveu: Aiea HS, HI
DT Tani Tupou: Arch Bishop Murphy HS, WA
ATH Talitiga Poloai: Luther Burbank HS, CA


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He can play tight end, outside linebacker or defensive end, but ... Notre Dame, LSU and Oklahoma and his father went to BYU (though he's not LDS). .... Viliami Moala, 6-5, 305, Sacramento (Calif.)

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Here are the reasons I wouldn't hire Crowton:

1. At his core, he believes in his own genius rather than his team's toughness. Every great football coach I have every watched carefully believes that toughness and execution are the keys to success. Crowton believes that thinking up the next great play is the key to success. The problem with this approach is that when things are tough or games are close, genius always yields to toughness and execution.

2. He has a lot of ideas, but no plan. Norm Chow was predictable, but with Norm every game plan included packages of plays that were designed to go together. One play set up another play which set up another play. With Crowton, it always seemed like Monty Python's "And now for something completely different!"

3. Crowton always panicked. There are endless stories about players complaining that Crowton never ran what they had practiced or that Crowton was trying to draw up and implement new plays on Friday night or Saturday morning or at half time or during the game. In a lot of games, it seemed like once we were behind by three, the game plan went out the window and Crowton started trying anything he could think of. Instead of trusting the players, the preparation, and the system, he immediately started trying desparate measures to come up with something new.

4. Crowton was never steady. The one thing that was constant with Crowton was that nothing was constant. One story I have heard a few times from a few sources had Crowton gathering the assistant coaches together (at some inconvenience to them) solely for the purpose of determining what time to hold a meeting. After some discussion, a meeting was set for a particular time. Ten minutes later, after everyone had dispersed, Crowton changed the meeting time and asked a staffer to get word to everyone. This carried over to the games. He changed game plans too fast. He changed quarterbacks too fast. He went back and forth on quarterbacks. He went back and forth on who calls plays. You just never knew from one day to the next what Crowton was all about.

5. Crowton was terrible to work for. By year three, there wasn't much loyalty left, and many of his assistants were complaining. At first the complaining was under-the-breath, then a little more to family and friends, and finally, off the record to the media. The defensive staff didn't like the offense since they were lazy, and the offensive coaches didn't like Crowton because whatever they tried to do, he would come back, take over, and mess it up.

6. Crowton didn't have the trust of the players. While I believe that some of the players liked Crowton as a person (and there is no doubt that John Beck saw him as a mentor of sorts), a lot of them were openly mocking him behind his back by the time he left. I have also heard more than a few serious comments along the lines of: "If he would just have us run the stuff we practiced, we would probably be fine" or "I don't know why he doesn't believe that we really can run the ball."

7. Crowton makes no sense. As a counterpoint to Norm's predictability, Crowton would run anything at any time, which we liked as long as Doman and Staley were making it work. When it didn't work, it looked stupid, and was. The win by 9 instead of 2 was senseless. The Curtis Brown 9 rushes for 100 + yards v. UNLV was senseless. About two-thirds of the screens he ran were senseless. His complete abandonment of the center of the field was senseless. Face it, a flea flicker on the first play of the Las Vegas Bowl (for a sack) was senseless.

8. Crowton's offenses do a million things, but nothing well. If you look at BYU in 2002-2004, you can't really define what BYU did on offense. Actually, the closest thing we had to a "system" was probably 2004 where we ran a lot of stretch hand-offs to set up the play action bomb to Watkins. Unfortunately, we didn't do the stretch hand-off well, as some of you may have noticed, so even that wasn't always effective.

At BYU he had a good year 2001, but when it got tough at the end of the year, we got killed twice. In some places, he has had some success, but it has generally ended with him getting killed and looking bad doing it.

In 2004, I thought the team had pretty darn good players for a BYU team. I figured if Crowton couldn't win with that bunch, he probably could win at BYU very often. I haven't seen anything to cause me to change that opinion, and I haven't seen anything at Oregon or in Crowton's history in Louisiana and with the Bears that really calls it into question either.

Bottom line: Unless LSU is hoping to use Crowton to solve Urban Meyer (Crowton ran a lot of Urban's stuff at Oregon), I don't have any idea why they are hiring him.

BaYoU Cougar
Slidell, Louisiana

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BYU did not back out of their game with lsu several years ago(2003) it was gary crowton's idea. BYU that same year had scheduled USC. That would have never happen under LaVell Edwards.