Post-Season Honors For Willis?

[bigdaddy08091]

None of this touchy-feely stuff means anything if Jones doesn't like the way he plays the position. I have heard nothing from Jones indicating he likes Willis as his QB, but I have heard him talk about how excited he is about some of the younger QBs.

With 2 years of eligibility left I am quite sure several schools would love to have him. This is a pretty stupid thread anyway since JWill has been the face of the program and by all means a team leader is several diff ways. If SMU wants to take its best player and sit him on the bench and sacrifice 2 or more years to build a program, go right ahead. To win you play your best players. All the PLAYERS know who the starters (best players are). I hope JJ is not that ego driven.

[smu diamond m]

Here we go again...

[jtstang]

With 2 years of eligibility left I am quite sure several schools would love to have him. This is a pretty stupid thread anyway since JWill has been the face of the program and by all means a team leader is several diff ways.

I'm sure if he wants to go play two years at Abilene Christian they'd welcome him with open arms. As for "face of the program," that's a 1-10 program last year, so big deal. And team leader? When's the last time he was that? Some time before he was suspended in the spring I imagine?

Bigdaddy, my prior post did not slight Willis, so try not to take offense. I have stated numerous times I hope he is the starter against Rice. I just have a gut feeling he won't be, and if you saw my gut you'd know it's a pretty big feeling.

[LAPonyAir]

This is a pretty stupid thread anyway since JWill has been the face of the program and by all means a team leader is several diff ways.

Don't you need to lead in order to be a leader?

[chillinfool]

JW was a leader on a very young team, and the only, or one of the very few, Soph team captains SMU has ever had. He's a fighter, a competitor, and took a beating last year but always went back into the game, even when injured and they were losing, and it would have been easy for him give up and sit out, and I respect that and know his teammates did also, at least the one's I have talked to.

And yes, he gets upset, even threw his helmet, ONCE, but that's because he was frustrated, as we all were, about losing, the crappy coaching, and playcalling. If people call that poor leadership, so be it, I like the fire and knowing he didn't give up on the team as some players did last year!

And before it's brought up, yes, he stood by Bennet when he was about be fired, so that shows he's loyal. Besides look at the outcome, do you think there was a chance JJ would have came her last year???

We'll see how it works out, guess we're fortunate to even have this discussion.

[couch 'em]

I fail to see how most people on this board can judge his leadership when you know nothing about the guy except what you see on the field. You can point to two incredibly minor negatives, and you can point to two years of positives.

Unless someone has first hand knowledge of Willis they cannot judge his "leadership".

[Mexmustang]

As far as two incredibly minor negatives--giving up on his team and teammates, getting busted the week of an important game against UTEP, losing his head on the sidelines and "pouting" with his head turned away from his teamates struggling to make it a game for almost a quarter, and in general believing that he is exempt from the rules (attending meetings and class) when a "made to order" new coaching team arrives are major in my book.
As far as anyone's judgement of his leadership, I will leave that to his teamates. But his behavior cost the entire offensive team a very important opportunity to properly learn a new system this spring. Those teamates I talked to earlier in the year were pretty fed up with him. He is the quarterback, a position that comes with the requirement that you "lead". I hope he has grown up, I hope he starts, I hope he is everything we ever wanted as a quarterback, but you can't seperate the position from leadership.

[Beanman]

I get so tired of all of the armchair qb's cutting down a 20 year old kid for lack of maturity. I also tire of those same experts demeaning a kid who tried to carry the whole weight of a loosing program on his shoulders and made a few mistakes in the process.

Remember, this is the same kid who gave Southlake Carroll and Chase Daniels a pretty good run for the money for state when he was at Denton Ryan. And he had a much weaker supporting cast. And, after his freshman year with us we heard "heisman" candidate comments ringing out.

If JJ choses to go another direction then so be it. He is the expert. But I hear few on this board capable of judging JW's, Logan's or anyone elses potential prowess. And for the moment JW has exhibited skills beyond anyone in the past few years of SMU history.

Where is your SMU class? How would you feel if you were this kid or his folks reading the garbage written here?

[PonySnob]

He's a fighter

Especially if you fly the "Rainbow" flag!!!

[ponyboy]

And yes, he gets upset, even threw his helmet, ONCE, but that's because he was frustrated, as we all were, about losing, the crappy coaching, and playcalling. If people call that poor leadership, so be it, I like the fire and knowing he didn't give up on the team as some players did last year!

Yes. I like his fire too! I like the helmet throwing! Shows he's got a friggin' pulse. Hope it didn't spill any lukewarm fan's bloody mary or interrupt their golf clap. Justin Willis is the best quarterback this team has seen since Ramon Flanigan. He may end up better.

[ponyboy]

He's a fighter

Especially if you fly the "Rainbow" flag!!!

If that guy didn't have it coming, I don't know who does. I'll take fire all day long.

[PerunaPunch]

I guess some of us have forgotten what it's like to be in college and 20 years old.

I got into a couple of scraps. Of course nobody cared because I wasn't the starting QB. Or starting anything for that matter. But if you're a tough kid with a little pride, and somebody pushes you, I imagine you're probably going to push back.

I took a flyer one semester and missed some classes, and got put on probation, and still ended up with a decent (not great) GPA. That's not to say I was a bad kid or even a bad student.

Everybody throws around that word "maturity". I think it's highly overrated. I think my moment of maturity came when I decided that I needed to work real hard at my internship in order to get a job there when I graduated.

I don't know Justin well. But I have talked to him. And I think his head's on straight. I mean, after all, Orsini DID leave the ship rudderless for a LOOOOONG time before he got JJ in. And what did we all expect a bunch of college kids to do disappointed and with no real direction for the future?

And as for leadership, he's the one I see throwing most of the balls in 7-on-7. Of course JJ & Co. aren't there, so you never know. But just looking at the voluntary, unorganized 7-on-7, yeah, I'd say JWill is a leader of the offense.

I think everyone, including all the players I've talked to, are careful not to presume what JJ might or might not do. But I think in most spots, players have a pretty good idea about who's going to be playing where, who's starting and who's backup.

[SMU Hockey 2010]

And yes, he gets upset, even threw his helmet, ONCE, but that's because he was frustrated, as we all were, about losing, the crappy coaching, and playcalling. If people call that poor leadership, so be it, I like the fire and knowing he didn't give up on the team as some players did last year!

Yes. I like his fire too! I like the helmet throwing! Shows he's got a friggin' pulse. Hope it didn't spill any lukewarm fan's bloody mary or interrupt their golf clap. Justin Willis is the best quarterback this team has seen since Ramon Flanigan. He may end up better.

This team needs people who get pissed off when things go wrong, not shrug their shoulders and go "aw shucks."

Even more than that, they need players who can actually DO SOMETHING about it. With TD passing records and, oh, he was one of our leading rushers last year, I'd say Willis fits that category.

Have some faith in the kid.

[SmooBoy]

If Willis wins any awards, can we arrange for Gary Coleman to be the presenter? I'm guessing he could use the work.

[jtstang]

I think he will not be the starter against Rice. I hope I am wrong. No good reason, just a premonition. Kinda like last year when everybody was saying we were going 8-4 and to a bowl game and I kept saying I was worried about our defense. Which I am this year too. I hope I am wrong there too.