JJ - Bait and Switch?

[shadowman]

I seldom criticize June but am having a hard time understanding his amnesia on our goal for this year. All season he has stated numerous times that SMU's goal was to win C-USA, you can replay your early "The Climb" episodes and clearly see that. Also can read quotes.

Now, all of a sudden, after losing to Houston, our goal all season long was to make it to six wins and get to a bowl game, not one mention of a conference championship. I have seen it in black and white the last two weeks. most recently after the Tulane win.

To me, this seems like Jones is purposely trying to change the season goal, basically lowering the bar, so it can look like he (the team) has succeeded again if we make a bowl.

What gives here? If our goal was to win C-USA (which was stated numerous times up until the Houston loss) then that should still be our goal, and if SMU fails to reach that goal, so be it. and yes a bowl game would be a nice consolation, but don't insult the fan's intelligence by pretending that reaching a bowl was the goal all along, that was last year.

[JasonB]

He isn't trying to do anything sneaky or anything like that.

Perhaps he is just resetting expectations a bit. Not so that he looks better, but maybe because he knows the team is not quite there yet.

[SMU 86]

Since the CUSA championship is out of our hands (because we have to depend on Houston not winning) Coach Jones is being a realist. And not only that but we are not playing were not playing that well until the last 17 minutes of the game. If we win next week and Houston loses were are back in control over our own destiny and then we can talk CUSA championship. But overall the most important thing is that we go to a bowl game 2 years in a row and more to keep our bowl string alive for recruiting purposes.

[Nacho]

i read in the dmn on sunday where he feels that we still have a chance to win the west.

uoh could easily lose to ucf tulsa and usm. we're still in it. in fact they may lose to tt and lose out.
wouldn't that be nice.

[smuuth]

Maybe they have more than one goal or a list of goals without a timeline such as a bowl, CUSA championship, undefeated. I didn't say BCS bowl or national championship because that is in the hands of pollsters. About all we can do there is to upgrade our nonconference schedule and make sure some of the future games have huge buyouts so teams don't "chicken out".

[mrydel]

We no longer control our own destiny for the CUSA Championship. If and when Houston loses and as long as we keep winning, then it can be the goal again. Until Houston loses, the best we can do is another bowl game. Not bait and switch, merely reality.

[shadowman]

I agree with the statements everyone said, however, there is still something deceptive about it.

Look, I agree, we no longer control our own destiny and we need to ensure that we at least get to six wins and get a bowl game.

Anyone can be a realist and see these points, however, to come out and say (go to the DMN on Sunday and you can see it) Our goal all season long was to make a bowl is quite frankly not true. That may be our amended goal, but it was not THE goal. Just man up and say we still are going to fight for the conference championship and still have in our control of making a bowl game.

[EastStang]

If UCF beats UH next week (not totally off the wall) and we win, our destiny is in our hands.

[Nacho]

i never set goals myself. too much stress.

[Mestengo]

Whenever you have to count on another team to do something you should have , no you are not in control ...

BTW UCF is going to put a beat down on Houston , and don't forget it's on ESPN Friday night 7:00 pm
Go Knights!

[rich59]

I said before the season began( you can check my posts and see) that last season was somewhat of an abberation and that I would be satisfied with 6-6 and some crummy bowl. This SMU team is far from a solid team. Anything better than 6-6 will make me very, very happy. Hopefully, next year, we will get a lot better.

[Thumper]

I agree with your preseason prediction, rich59, and I agree with you (and with Coach Jones) that 2011 is the year we might really roll some teams.

[Topper]

Re: JJ - Bait and Switch?
by rich59 » Mon Nov 01, 2010 5:13 pm

I said before the season began( you can check my posts and see) that last season was somewhat of an abberation and that I would be satisfied with 6-6 and some crummy bowl. This SMU team is far from a solid team. Anything better than 6-6 will make me very, very happy. Hopefully, next year, we will get a lot better.

Agreed. I know that at one point the stated goal was to win CUSA, but that was coach's hyperbole and pretty unrealistic given our lack of depth this year. It should be our goal to win every game, but considering we were 1-11 two seasons ago, I won't complain if we have two winning seasons in a row with a lot of improvement next season. We still don't match up physically with Tech or TCU, and our lack of depth shows when our CUSA opponents wear down our defense and our special teams don't come through.

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

shadowman wouldn't that be kind of stupid to not adjust your goal once your destiny is out of your control? think about it...if June keeps saying "yes our only goal is the CUSA Championship" and then we fall just short, but still get say 7 wins and go to a bowl...what good does it do to the psyche of your team to make them feel like they are failures when in fact it would still be a pretty darn good year, although short of the stated pre-season goal of a CUSA Championship. to me this team is still very young and taking "baby steps" and must be treated as such. once events on the ground change the reality, then goals must be re-set. it's not unusual for coaches after losses to re-set more realistic goals. If say a Bob Stoops says in the pre-season the goal is a National Championship, but the Sooners lose a game or two...wouldn't it be stupid on Stoops part to continue saying the National Championship is the only goal?

[Mestengo]

Sterling More will play...