The Jones Extension

[Mustangsabu]

He's not right. It all totally misses the point. You go on Saturday to watch your team. The team should be the focus.

And then there is the very simple truth about all of this.

Everyone wanted Jones. Jones turned it around. 1-11 to 8-5. The bowl streak started. In order to get JJ we needed to dedicate $$ and he was given a contract. Before he had achieved anything he was given a 5 year deal. He turned it around in 2. He got an extension. No one complained. In year three we made the conference championship game. In year four we flirted with the top 25 before our QB got hurt. Year 5 had a couple of poor performances and the natives are restless because we seem to have plateaued. Beginning of year 6 and everyone is clamoring for his head. Impatient, needy and classless. Apparently we should not honor his contract because his approach to recruiting is not what we want. It never was what we are now saying we wanted. He did all this the way he runs a program. But now "he didn't do it right". I'm amazed he hasn't quit. The fan base is awful. Remember how you felt when the 2009 Hawaii bowl was unfolding. Remember last year when Margus was destroying Fresno. Remember Pitt? Remember TCU? Ingrates abound.

Where the $&:@ were those moments for 20 years?

No, you don't get it, because you are a transplant foreigner who doesn't understand what a real competitive program that is trying to win looks like. This is not your fault, but that doesn't change that you are wrong. Recruiting and commitment to the program by the administration is more powerful than coaching. Coaching just finishes it off. What we have is like a pro soccer team with a good X and O's coach, but the staff refuses to evaluate talent for trades and drafts and the owner spends a fraction of the salary of other teams.

Then why did you all want him? He'd never recruited? He plainly said he expected the talent to come to him. We got into bed with June and we should see it out. I'm not saying I don't wholly agree with what is said about recruiting. But SMU didn't go that route and it has never been tested here. I hope it works when we do. I. The meantime SMU went with the system guy. We need to live with that. It's not forever.

And you clearly don't understand "soccer" in he way a transplant foreigner would

[stc9]

And you might be right. I am well aware that JJ has had a better chance than anyone. But he has had us in 4 straight bowls. Only 28 teams in the country last year were in their 4th straight bowl. He hasn't had a season with less than 7 wins in 5 years. He didn't get us to the top 25 yet, but we got close. We didn't win a championship but we made it to the final. And because we want 10 wins he should be fired. We would be the laughing stock of college football. And then when we discover that it is harder to recruit football than basketball and we have "any other coach" bringing us 4-7 wins, we'll look like the spoiled little children our fan base acts like.

We had one chance to fire JJ and it was ASU. We didn't. We need to man up and make the best of it. It's entirely possible that that will be a good thing. But reading this site shows me that we are not man enough in that way. We want to spit the dummy out and have a tantrum.

Abu,

The vitriol against JJ is MOSTLY HIS OWN DOING! He has never embraced us, the SMU fans. He has tried to leave us multiple times (Maryland and ASU). He always gives the impression that he is aloof and disengaged from our alma mater. Is this 100% fair or accurate... Maybe or maybe not. The problem is that perception is reality and he did nothing to get out in front of the perception.

You are right, he should have been fired for cause with the ASU debacle. Steve O should have manned up. He didn't and we are where we are.

Do we love the fact that we have been to 4 straight bowl games? Of course we do. Given where we came from he did a wonderful job getting the ball rolling, but what no one can see, why PFs are calling for his scalp, is even small steps towards improvement or competitiveness with even lower level Big XII programs. What have we consistently seen over the past several years? We have seen a team that gets unnecessary penalties. We see a team that looks totally unprepared to play, especially on the road. We see a team that plays with no heart. We are six years into a coach's tenure, these are issues that should have been put to rest.

Even given the above... JJ could win us back if we saw a glimpse that this program is improving and have a shot at being competitive

[ponyinNC]

Even given the above... JJ could win us back if we saw a glimpse that this program is improving and have a shot at being competitive

I actually agree with this. If a young staff was hired, hit the recruiting trail hard and got results - I think you'd see most folks back off.

I honesty think if we somehow make a bowl this year - JJ stays. He has to. Can't fire a coach who has taken a team to 5 straight bowls. BUt I think the AD would have to step in and say you get no extension unless you change folks on the staff and commit to actually recruiting top level talent.

My $.02

[redpony]

BUt I think the AD would have to step in and say you get no extension unless you change folks on the staff and commit to actually recruiting top level talent.
My $.02

PNC- do you really believe that our casper milquetoast AD would have the cajones to force an issue like that? I seriously doubt it.

[Mustangsabu]

Even given the above... JJ could win us back if we saw a glimpse that this program is improving and have a shot at being competitive

I actually agree with this. If a young staff was hired, hit the recruiting trail hard and got results - I think you'd see most folks back off.

I honesty think if we somehow make a bowl this year - JJ stays. He has to. Can't fire a coach who has taken a team to 5 straight bowls. BUt I think the AD would have to step in and say you get no extension unless you change folks on the staff and commit to actually recruiting top level talent.

My $.02

Absolutely. It can't hurt to try.

[mrydel]

BUt I think the AD would have to step in and say you get no extension unless you change folks on the staff and commit to actually recruiting top level talent.
My $.02

PNC- do you really believe that our casper milquetoast AD would have the cajones to force an issue like that? I seriously doubt it.

I have seen nothing but positives from Hart so far. He makes himself available for open questions and suggestions, game day presentation is 100% improved, marketing is much better, etc. He has not yet been in a position of fire or hire so I think statements of ridicule like this are unfounded. We will see his abilities as time goes on, but for now I give him an A.

[ponyinNC]

BUt I think the AD would have to step in and say you get no extension unless you change folks on the staff and commit to actually recruiting top level talent.
My $.02

PNC- do you really believe that our casper milquetoast AD would have the cajones to force an issue like that? I seriously doubt it.

I have seen nothing but positives from Hart so far. He makes himself available for open questions and suggestions, game day presentation is 100% improved, marketing is much better, etc. He has not yet been in a position of fire or hire so I think statements of ridicule like this are unfounded. We will see his abilities as time goes on, but for now I give him an A.

agree

[ponyboy]

Can't fire a coach who has taken a team to 5 straight bowls.

I don't think there ever will be a firing. I believe JJ wants to go and they've already worked out an exit strategy.

[redpony]

Mrydel- agree with some of your thoughts- game day presy- improved, marketing-? I guess a little is better than nothing. Hire or fire- well we have coaches in other sports that should have been booted out (IMO) and nothing has happened. i.e. men's soccer. that coach has been here for a number or years and has taken a program that used to always be in top 10-15 to one that struggles to win a conference.
Yes, he does seem to communicate more than SO did but how much of that is fluff and how much is real substance? I guess we will see at the end of the fball season if he can do his job or not.

[Stallion]

I agree-I don't see any bad decisions by Hart- I see improvement in game prepartion. The AD doesn't coach teams-I never have really understood criticism of an AD based the team performance especially when he didn't hire the coaches. Coaches are responsible for their programs. Judge him on who he hirers and performance based on budgetary resources. When SMU has only 15,000 fans the budget is going to be small.

[ponyinNC]

Can't fire a coach who has taken a team to 5 straight bowls.

I don't think there ever will be a firing. I believe JJ wants to go and they've already worked out an exit strategy.

Yes - I agree with that.

[mrydel]

Mrydel- agree with some of your thoughts- game day presy- improved, marketing-? I guess a little is better than nothing. Hire or fire- well we have coaches in other sports that should have been booted out (IMO) and nothing has happened. i.e. men's soccer. that coach has been here for a number or years and has taken a program that used to always be in top 10-15 to one that struggles to win a conference.
Yes, he does seem to communicate more than SO did but how much of that is fluff and how much is real substance? I guess we will see at the end of the fball season if he can do his job or not.

Orsini hired the soccer coach. At least give Hart a chance to observe. He may fail when he gets to that stage but again, he is new and has done a lot of good in my opinion. We shall see as time goes on.

[lwjr]

If this is JJ's last year on the Hilltop so be it. God Bless the man, he took on what many thought was an impossible task and has made SMU a known brand again. But now the program seems to have plateaued. If the CofC is willing to buy him out and spend money to bring in a new coach that can take this program to the next level, I hope it happens. I wish I was in a position to help the CofC, but I am not at this time.
I do think whoever or whenever the next football coach is hired it will tell me what the school thinks and how much it backs what is needed to build a program that can compete on a higher level.

[East Coast Mustang]

I do think whoever or whenever the next football coach is hired it will tell me what the school thinks and how much it backs what is needed to build a program that can compete on a higher level.

This is true.

[Stallion]

SMU will not-and should not pay a head coach 2-3 Million per year from its own funds. This hire will tell us much more about whether SMU alumni big pockets have the stomach to keep paying the price tag for big time college football. They are floating this boat. It was expected that hiring these expensive head coaches would lead to substantially more revenue-that means season tickets and related revenue from the rest of us. Is June Jones' performance more disappointing or is the alumni's performance more disappointing to these guys? We'll get exactly the athletic department our alumni can afford and that's exactly the way it should be at a small, private school