June Jone, the realist
Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 7:54 pmInteresting listen to coach's brief and terse postgame comments. I mean, what else can the guy say after a clunker like yesterday?
It's at the very least somewhat encouraging that he freely admits that he knows the deal. Yes, his team could have easily gone 3-9 last season and who knows what would have happened had BLM not gone down vs. UH last season?
Fact is, teams have now seen Padron on tape, he misses Sanders and Wilkerson and, as terrific as Zach Line has been, he cannot take it to the house -- and teams KNOW that. I noticed it at Navy and again Saturday. Teams have gone to playing two very deep safeties and then loading up the box to stop the run. The draw play was not very effective yesterday, but the counter/trap running play was there most of the game.
Would really like to see June play with a little more confidence in his team -- as in go for two with 2:51 left at Navy to try to break that 19-game non-conference road losing streak. Or, go for 4th-and-1 at the UH 28 on the opening drive. To me, June's reputation is that of a coach that has a system that causes chaos on defense. That's not happening enough this season.
I also cannot figure out how, in 33 games as the SMU coach, he has not run ONE trick play on offense. Sure, he might not want to put anything on tape until his team is a real contender. I'd also like to understand why the team has so little depth. He has players that were his recruits that are true juniors and redshirt sophomores. Where are these guys?
Even at this stage, we are much better off than we have been in a long time, so it's too early to throw stones at the guy. But the last three halves of football are not his proudest moments as a head coach. The Navy game was doubly troubling because it was a carbon copy of what Navy did to us the year before, except that we played for OT at home instead of trying to win the game with a two-point conversion attempt in the final minute.
C'mon, June. Ya gotta start letting it all hang out. When you play "not to lose," well, you usually lose. And, that doesn't mean throw deep all the time. Change up the tempo, run some hurry-up, get the 2-minute drill polished once and for all. Without better talent, the other teams have proved that they can defense your system reasonably well, well enough to beat you.
It's at the very least somewhat encouraging that he freely admits that he knows the deal. Yes, his team could have easily gone 3-9 last season and who knows what would have happened had BLM not gone down vs. UH last season?
Fact is, teams have now seen Padron on tape, he misses Sanders and Wilkerson and, as terrific as Zach Line has been, he cannot take it to the house -- and teams KNOW that. I noticed it at Navy and again Saturday. Teams have gone to playing two very deep safeties and then loading up the box to stop the run. The draw play was not very effective yesterday, but the counter/trap running play was there most of the game.
Would really like to see June play with a little more confidence in his team -- as in go for two with 2:51 left at Navy to try to break that 19-game non-conference road losing streak. Or, go for 4th-and-1 at the UH 28 on the opening drive. To me, June's reputation is that of a coach that has a system that causes chaos on defense. That's not happening enough this season.
I also cannot figure out how, in 33 games as the SMU coach, he has not run ONE trick play on offense. Sure, he might not want to put anything on tape until his team is a real contender. I'd also like to understand why the team has so little depth. He has players that were his recruits that are true juniors and redshirt sophomores. Where are these guys?
Even at this stage, we are much better off than we have been in a long time, so it's too early to throw stones at the guy. But the last three halves of football are not his proudest moments as a head coach. The Navy game was doubly troubling because it was a carbon copy of what Navy did to us the year before, except that we played for OT at home instead of trying to win the game with a two-point conversion attempt in the final minute.
C'mon, June. Ya gotta start letting it all hang out. When you play "not to lose," well, you usually lose. And, that doesn't mean throw deep all the time. Change up the tempo, run some hurry-up, get the 2-minute drill polished once and for all. Without better talent, the other teams have proved that they can defense your system reasonably well, well enough to beat you.