This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

I mentioned in my practice report a few hours ago that the Cougars' practice tonight was "brutal," as far as intensity goes, as one player described it. And I just filed a story for the newspaper about how coach Bronco Mendenhall called out the receivers and tight ends in a meeting today. But that doesn't do justice to what went on today around the BYU football facility — before and during practice. Before practice, Mendenhall had some sort of meeting with offensive players, and he generally read them the riot act, I've been told. He called out specific guys, and told them to either improve their play and effort, or get tossed out the door. "The wide receivers and tight ends got yelled at good," my source said. Long after practice was over, one of those players was still running, doing pushups and somersault-type maneuvers under the watchful eye of a particular offensive coach. Looked like punishment to me — I can't be sure. The kid gloves are definitely off in Cougar Town. A 2-5 record will do that to a team — and to a coaching staff.——————————— Print reporters are not allowed to watch practice. A few more observations from someone in the know: * The tight end situation is as jumbled as it was when the season started. The five freshmen vying to be the starter — Richard Wilson, Mike Muehlmann, Marcus Mathews, Devin Mahina and Austin Holt — are all still in the mix, although Holt is out temporarily with a concussion. Earlier this week, Muehlmann and Mahina were put on the scout team, although they've probably played the most in games. By Tuesday, Muehlmann was back in the mix to be the starter due to Holt's concussion. But the unquestioned tight end star of practice tonight was Wilson, who caught four touchdown passes. "If he doesn't start [Saturday], I am going to punch somebody," my source said. (Another source told me over the weekend that Jake Heaps is most comfortable throwing to Wilson and has told people Wilson runs the best routes and gets open the most). McKay Jacobson and Cody Hoffman also caught a couple of touchdown passes apiece (going against the scout team) tonight. * I've been told that it was offensive coordinator Robert Anae's call to boot O'Neill Chambers off the team, and that Mendenhall merely supported the decision. While the "prank" that Chambers pulled on freshman QB Jake Heaps was part of the reason Chambers is gone, and perhaps the final straw, it was "his overall negative attitude around other players" that played a big role in his ouster. * The receivers definitely got the message from Mendenhall loud and clear, if their effort in practice tonight is any indication. "Receivers were going about three-quarters before, but they were definitely giving it 100 percent." * Safety Steven Thomas hasn't played since suffering a concussion against Florida State, but the time off has seemingly done him some good, if that's possible. Thomas looked good in practice tonight, was in the right place much of the time, and had some nice pass breakups.