This isn't what Dickens meant, because these are the kind of expectations that swallow you as a lion might his prey. They're more than great. They're powerful, intense, overwhelming.
"You have to work and work and work on a daily basis, and not get caught up in the past," Gary Crowton said. "You can't equal 29 seasons and 20 conference titles and a Heisman Trophy and a national championship in one year.
"Hopefully, I can have enough of my own success to look back one day and see some of those same things. Right now, I'm only looking at our first game."
Crowton is the first-year football coach at BYU, the program that has produced record-setting quarterbacks like K-Mart does blue light specials. For the first time since 1972, since Nixon was president and a gallon of gasoline cost 36 cents, LaVell Edwards won't stroll the BYU sidelines as head coach.
Will his presence be felt? Probably.
His name is on the stadium.
"I knew all about the level of excellence before taking the job," said Crowton, a former BYU assistant who was offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears the last two years. "Everyone has to understand that I'm not LaVell Edwards. If they expect me to be him, I'm in big trouble."
Longevity, some say, produces complacency, that too much of one opinion, no matter how brilliant and innovative and respected, can eventually diminish the mystique.
That even a Jaguar eventually needs a tuneup.
BYU has missed the bowl season twice since 1997 and finished 6-6 last year, just its second non-winning season since '74. Like other Mountain West Conference teams, the Cougars have watched Colorado State establish itself as the league's best program the past several years.
"Sometimes, you can get too comfortable with your surroundings and how you do things," said BYU senior linebacker Justin Ena. "There will always be a lot of Coach Edwards around the program, but I think this change is good. It is still an adjustment, but Coach Crowton is handling it real well. We all want to work for him. We all want to win for him."
Some just have a funny way of showing it.
The spotlight since Crowton arrived has not shown itself on the potential for one of the nation's most exciting offenses this season, with the same four- and five-receiver sets and pass-happy scheme that ranked third nationally and produced eight games of 50 or more points while Crowton was coach at Louisiana Tech. Suddenly, the number most being associated with BYU football is five, the number of player arrests the last six months.
The charges have ranged from suspicion of driving under the influence to stealing beer and sandwiches from a convenience store. When deemed necessary, discipline has come swiftly from Crowton, a Mormon who believes in the principles his faith seeks to uphold.
"I feel responsible for this team, and while I do see (the arrests) as negative things, I see a lot of positive things, too," Crowton said. "There are too many other guys doing positive things to focus too much on these other things."
Focus, he does. Edwards in those final years (and even before that) delegated authority like an older brother does to his siblings. Assistant coaches handled most daily details, big and small, from practice plans to grade checks to game preparation.
Crowton?
If needed, he will wash uniforms. He is that involved, that close to the program's every facet.
"There will never be another Coach Edwards," said junior running back Luke Staley. "But it is time for Coach Crowton to start his own era."
It won't be easy. It never is.
Sometimes, nothing is good enough. Earle Bruce replaced Woody Hayes at Ohio State and went 81-26-1 in nine years. Not good enough. Fred Akers succeeded Darrell Royal at Texas and went 81-31-2 in 10 seasons. Not good enough. Ray Goff took over for Vince Dooley at Georgia and was 46-34-1 mark in six years. Really, really, really not good enough.
Crowton, for his part, wants no part of such comparisons. He refuses to chase an untouchable ghost.
"I think the best idea is to take some of the things the former coach used that worked and combine them with your own ideas," Crowton said. "It's not a bad thing to draw on the experiences of someone who was so successful for such a long time.
"After all, you're not that person and never will be."
Translation: You don't replace a legend.
You follow one.
Ed Graney covers college football for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
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