Big Al's Temple of Doom

[Pony Boss]

Like Chad said in his post presser; they have done everything possible, to motivate these guys to just put out great effort.....and they just can't or won't do it.

I wonder how much this is factored into recruiting - we obviously cannot compete with the P5 programs that are attractive to the athletes on the states elite schools. The "you will play immediately" spin may attract them but they do not seem to perform the same when the wins don't come easily.
Maybe we should focus on some less than successful programs across the state and find the diamonds in the rough - those players that are recognized by their and other coaches for having the motivation/determination and performance even in adverse situations. How many players do we have that were all district/conference/etc on teams that did not make the playoffs? I thought that was the attraction of Chad and staff - having all those relationships and finding these guys.

Wrong. SMU can compete and become a top destination for recruits even in the American. Houston is proving to be one of the hottest programs in the state, (recruiting better than Tech and on par with TCU and Baylor) and they are in the AAC as well. It takes a lot of pieces to come together, but it can get done and SMU can reach that level. The problem isnt the recruits. And by the way, please stop saying that we should go for lesser diamond in the rough kids...that's what got us here in the first place. I want to follow the Houston/TCU model, not the June Jones/Bennett model.

[smitty329]

Wrong. SMU can compete and become a top destination for recruits even in the American. Houston is proving to be one of the hottest programs in the state, (recruiting better than Tech and on par with TCU and Baylor) and they are in the AAC as well. It takes a lot of pieces to come together, but it can get done and SMU can reach that level. The problem isnt the recruits. And by the way, please stop saying that we should go for lesser diamond in the rough kids...that's what got us here in the first place. I want to follow the Houston/TCU model, not the June Jones/Bennett model.

Wrong. You are talking about the ability for SMU to transform into a program that is a top destination. I think we all want to get there.
I am addressing motivation of the players - the issue that seems to be a concern of the staff at this time. My observation was, we might want to look at the mental make up of recruits as well as the physical. Target those with the glass half full mentality - that have demonstrated the ability to perform even in adverse circumstances, and build the program. And I didn't say "lesser" diamonds, if anything we want "greater" - those with the ability play at the P5 level regardless of the score or record, etc. I want the kid that lead their team to the playoffs their senior year for the first time in 10 years. I want the kid that was first team all district on a team that was 2 and 12. Motivation will not be an issue for those kids.

[footballdad]

Like Chad said in his post presser; they have done everything possible, to motivate these guys to just put out great effort.....and they just can't or won't do it.

I wonder how much this is factored into recruiting - we obviously cannot compete with the P5 programs that are attractive to the athletes on the states elite schools. The "you will play immediately" spin may attract them but they do not seem to perform the same when the wins don't come easily.
Maybe we should focus on some less than successful programs across the state and find the diamonds in the rough - those players that are recognized by their and other coaches for having the motivation/determination and performance even in adverse situations. How many players do we have that were all district/conference/etc on teams that did not make the playoffs? I thought that was the attraction of Chad and staff - having all those relationships and finding these guys.

A totally disinterested, and unmotivated team, and nobody thinks that's a coaching problem?

A head coach who says they have done everything possible, to motivate these guys, and they just can't or won't do it? Really.

Only on Ponyfans is the majority answer, it must be the kids fault. SMU is just the anomaly of all anomaly's, that just happened to get 111 bad kids with no motivation.

You've got 11 primary coaches, including the strength staff, and the best answer they can come up with is, we have done everything possible.

Unless it's deja vu, I think I remember Morris singing a very similar tune last year.

At the most basic level, put a motivated team on the field. If they're not motivated, that's you're damn fault. They are kids looking for inspiration and motivation. Maybe they are uninspired by you. Maybe whatever you're saying is going in one ear and out the other. Figure it out, and stop making excuses. What kind of leader throws his players under the bus in pressers, on radio shows?

Answer: A leader who will quickly lose the respect of said players, who will get tuned out, and who will soon find himself with a team full of uninspired and unmotivated players.

Hmmmm, see how this works yet?

Let's hope the 11 leaders of this team figure it out quickly.

[East Coast Mustang]

Like Chad said in his post presser; they have done everything possible, to motivate these guys to just put out great effort.....and they just can't or won't do it.

I wonder how much this is factored into recruiting - we obviously cannot compete with the P5 programs that are attractive to the athletes on the states elite schools. The "you will play immediately" spin may attract them but they do not seem to perform the same when the wins don't come easily.
Maybe we should focus on some less than successful programs across the state and find the diamonds in the rough - those players that are recognized by their and other coaches for having the motivation/determination and performance even in adverse situations. How many players do we have that were all district/conference/etc on teams that did not make the playoffs? I thought that was the attraction of Chad and staff - having all those relationships and finding these guys.

A totally disinterested, and unmotivated team, and nobody thinks that's a coaching problem?

A head coach who says they have done everything possible, to motivate these guys, and they just can't or won't do it? Really.

Only on Ponyfans is the majority answer, it must be the kids fault. SMU is just the anomaly of all anomaly's, that just happened to get 111 bad kids with no motivation.

You've got 11 primary coaches, including the strength staff, and the best answer they can come up with is, we have done everything possible.

Unless it's deja vu, I think I remember Morris singing a very similar tune last year.

At the most basic level, put a motivated team on the field. If they're not motivated, that's you're damn fault. They are kids looking for inspiration and motivation. Maybe they are uninspired by you. Maybe whatever you're saying is going in one ear and out the other. Figure it out, and stop making excuses. What kind of leader throws his players under the bus in pressers, on radio shows?

Answer: A leader who will quickly lose the respect of said players, who will get tuned out, and who will soon find himself with a team full of uninspired and unmotivated players.

Hmmmm, see how this works yet?

Let's hope the 11 leaders of this team figure it out quickly.

In the interest of accuracy, shouldnt you change your username to highschoolfootballdad?

[mtrout]

Wrong. You are talking about the ability for SMU to transform into a program that is a top destination. I think we all want to get there.
I am addressing motivation of the players - the issue that seems to be a concern of the staff at this time. My observation was, we might want to look at the mental make up of recruits as well as the physical. Target those with the glass half full mentality - that have demonstrated the ability to perform even in adverse circumstances, and build the program. And I didn't say "lesser" diamonds, if anything we want "greater" - those with the ability play at the P5 level regardless of the score or record, etc. I want the kid that lead their team to the playoffs their senior year for the first time in 10 years. I want the kid that was first team all district on a team that was 2 and 12. Motivation will not be an issue for those kids.

Maybe we could use the myers-briggs test. We could see about hiring someone who has experience administering it with athletes. Maybe we could get him a job as a professor.

[SoCal_Pony]

Let's see

16 seasons as Texas HC with a 169-38 record & 2 State Titles.

Clemson adores him.

Has signed 2 of our best classes in 30 years based in large part on his personality & motivational skills.

Hmm, I think I'll side with CM over footballdad on this one.

[mtrout]

At the most basic level, put a motivated team on the field. If they're not motivated, that's you're damn fault. They are kids looking for inspiration and motivation. Maybe they are uninspired by you. Maybe whatever you're saying is going in one ear and out the other. Figure it out, and stop making excuses. What kind of leader throws his players under the bus in pressers, on radio shows?

Lou Holtz would say the secret to motivation is to get rid of the unmotivated. We seem unwilling to do that in any significant capacity.

How would you motivate a unit consisting of an underwear model, primetime jr, and various other holdovers from the JJ quit era? Who motivated T Reed, Jagared Davis, Banjo, and Rambo? June and the boys?

[footballdad]

Let's see

16 seasons as Texas HC with a 169-38 record & 2 State Titles.

Clemson adores him.

Has signed 2 of our best classes in 30 years based in large part on his personality & motivational skills.

Hmm, I think I'll side with CM over footballdad on this one.

I'm not asking anyone to 'side' with me, and this unmotivated/uninterested team isn't my theory. This seems to be the observation of most of this board, and is an admitted problem of the guy you are 'siding' with. Makes sense.

Whatever he has done in the past, apparently isn't working with his current group. No?

[East Coast Mustang]

Why do you care, highschoolfootballdad? Your son couldn't even find a spot on this team when June Jones was giving out scholarships like candy to kids who had no business playing FBS

[footballdad]

At the most basic level, put a motivated team on the field. If they're not motivated, that's you're damn fault. They are kids looking for inspiration and motivation. Maybe they are uninspired by you. Maybe whatever you're saying is going in one ear and out the other. Figure it out, and stop making excuses. What kind of leader throws his players under the bus in pressers, on radio shows?

Lou Holtz would say the secret to motivation is to get rid of the unmotivated. We seem unwilling to do that in any significant capacity.

How would you motivate a unit consisting of an underwear model, primetime jr, and various other holdovers from the JJ quit era? Who motivated T Reed, Jagared Davis, Banjo, and Rambo? June and the boys?

That might make sense except for the fact that primetime, and a lot of the other guys from the JJ era, are long gone. The 'run off the bad apples' excuse is long gone. The reality is, the vast majority of the guys on the current roster are CM's guys. Look at the roster, stop trying to deflect. Is the team playing uninspired and unmotivated, or not? If CM's not lying in his interviews, why can't he seem to motivate them?

Stay on point, and answer the real questions. Don't try to deflect and change the subject.

[footballdad]

Why do you care, highschoolfootballdad? Your son couldn't even find a spot on this team when June Jones was giving out scholarships like candy to kids who had no business playing FBS

Don't like hypocrites. Morris may be the guy, but when the pressure mounts he seems to like to whine and deflect blame. Answer the real questions, and stop whining and deflecting yourself. Why is CM whining about his unmotivated roster when the vast majority are his guys. Come on now, let's see if you can focus and make a logic argument.

[ponyte]

Perhaps Morris is doing what those on this board are saying needs to happen. Bryant ran off most his team at A$M his first year. He did it by working out his team so hard many quit. Ron Meyer did a similar thing in the spring of '76 and fall of '76. He worked the teams o hard that many quit.

One side effect that both suffered from the culling of the herd work outs was injuries. Both Bryant and Meyer's teams suffer from injuries after the culling effect. And both were force to play a significant number of younger players. It became an attrition issue. Hurt players that are too banged up to recover get even more injuries.

I don't know if that is Morris' intention but he might just be doing that.

And when team is hurt, playing young players before their ready, mentally many give up. Its more a survival mode than a competitive mode.

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

How many June era players will use up their last year of eligibility this season?

I assume some will graduate and Chad may "run off" some others.

footballdad don't you think Chad should at least be given the time to clean house and have his players in place before the war drums start?

I do feel for Chad and his frustration...I know he needs to "vent", but I also worry that he is "throwing up his hands" almost saying I give up on these unmotivated guys....and hell what will Coach Chad be saying 4 or 5 games from now?

YIKES!

[smupony94]

Is June sending us any of his high school players from Hawaii?

[SMUer]

Chad won state championships with teams that he didn't get to pick and choose... you coach what you have, win with what you have, recruit what you need. This mentality that he can't do it without "his" guys is ridiculous.