BCS Openings and Paul Johnson

[couch 'em]

So we're under the assumption that only big name "charasmatic" coaches will recruit well at SMU. Nice. Despite knowing very little about Johnson's personality (coaches in a small media market), and knowing nothing about his experience at recruiting at a school with a relatively "normal" model, we have assumed this will be his shortcoming.

Let me put it this way, does his success at Navy (admittedly a unique place for recruits), inturn forecast a recruiting disaster at SMU? Where is the logic, other than he doesn't have a great degree traditional experience?

Did Bennett's prior success forcast a recruiting disaster at SMU? At the time not many people thought that.

[PonyPatrol]

Nice work, couch'em, with that logic we can now just scratch off all coaches that have had prior success because this in turn means they are Bennett. Good! Now we're truly closing in on the coach that is more of SMU's caliber...

[davidsmu94]

I do have problems with some people's assumptions on Johnson.

Here are the assumptions I do not agree with.

1. Just because he hasn't had to recruit in a simlar model, he clearly cannot recruit at SMU

In my mind the guy has won everywhere he has been and he will adapt to whatever "model" he's in. I also believe that he will hire a staff that can recruit the area.

2. He will force the offense he runs at Navy here, ignoring the skills of his players.

I just don't see this happening. While we can assume that the option would be part of the package, you can't look at SMU's skill positions and assume he's going to make an illogical decision and run the ball 50 times a game.

[Hoop Fan]

put it this way, Johnson is not a wow hire by any means. He is an admission that SMU is "special" and intends to stay that way. And by special I mean hoping to win despite ourselves. tell me again why were not battling Baylor for Art Briles if we are intent on winning? This also fits with the inside knowledge that we never offered or wanted Houston Nutt. He was probably too dirty for our self image. Afterall, we are more like the Naval Academy than schools like Baylor, Houston and Arkansas. Our former SWC mates.

[PonyPatrol]

Thank you, david.

[davidsmu94]

put it this way, Johnson is not a wow hire by any means. He is an admission that SMU is "special" and intends to stay that way. And by special I mean hoping to win despite ourselves. tell me again why were not battling Baylor for Art Briles if we are intent on winning? This also fits with the inside knowledge that we never offered or wanted Houston Nutt. He was probably too dirty for our self image. Afterall, we are more like the Naval Academy than schools like Baylor, Houston and Arkansas. Our former SWC mates.

If we use that logic, is that why Colorado hired Barnett from Northwestern? and Florida hired Spurrier from Duke?

[Hoop Fan]

put it this way, Johnson is not a wow hire by any means. He is an admission that SMU is "special" and intends to stay that way. And by special I mean hoping to win despite ourselves. tell me again why were not battling Baylor for Art Briles if we are intent on winning? This also fits with the inside knowledge that we never offered or wanted Houston Nutt. He was probably too dirty for our self image. Afterall, we are more like the Naval Academy than schools like Baylor, Houston and Arkansas. Our former SWC mates.

If we use that logic, is that why Colorado hired Barnett from Northwestern? and Florida hired Spurrier from Duke?

to put it mildly, SMU is in a bit different position than Florida and Colorado. Is Paul Johnson a guy who is going to push and argue for more reforms at SMU, or is he gonna be a guy who understands the Navy way and is satisifed to have more flexiblity than that? In some ways, Phil Bennett was a more encouraging hire 6 years ago, although it turned out to be a mismatch because he for some reason recruited only a handful of jucos here.

[PonyPatrol]

Whatever "kind of guy" he is, the only real evidence we have at this point is that it's the kind of guy who wins. At every stop. Seriously, that is the only concrete statement any of us can make. Remember sportsfans, we're at SMU, every candidate will have a "fault". Luckily PJ's question mark isn't even something that we can yet accuse him of.

[davidsmu94]

put it this way, Johnson is not a wow hire by any means. He is an admission that SMU is "special" and intends to stay that way. And by special I mean hoping to win despite ourselves. tell me again why were not battling Baylor for Art Briles if we are intent on winning? This also fits with the inside knowledge that we never offered or wanted Houston Nutt. He was probably too dirty for our self image. Afterall, we are more like the Naval Academy than schools like Baylor, Houston and Arkansas. Our former SWC mates.

If we use that logic, is that why Colorado hired Barnett from Northwestern? and Florida hired Spurrier from Duke?

to put it mildly, SMU is in a bit different position than Florida and Colorado. Is Paul Johnson a guy who is going to push and argue for more reforms at SMU, or is he gonna be a guy who understands the Navy way and is satisifed to have more flexiblity than that? In some ways, Phil Bennett was a more encouraging hire 6 years ago, although it turned out to be a mismatch because he for some reason recruited only a handful of jucos here.

I agree it's a different situation, but if your assumption is right, and this is an acknowledgment by SMU that they want to have a model more similar to Navy... Why in the world would Johnson even consider the job, if the situation wasn't or didn't hold the promise of being better than what he has at Navy?

[Hoop Fan]

Whatever "kind of guy" he is, the only real evidence we have at this point is that it's the kind of guy who wins. At every stop. Seriously, that is the only concrete statement any of us can make. Remember sportsfans, we're at SMU, every candidate will have a "fault". Luckily PJ's question mark isn't even something that we can yet accuse him of.

I have no qualm with Paul Johnson, but his hiring tells me more about SMU than it does Paul Johnson.

[Hoop Fan]

put it this way, Johnson is not a wow hire by any means. He is an admission that SMU is "special" and intends to stay that way. And by special I mean hoping to win despite ourselves. tell me again why were not battling Baylor for Art Briles if we are intent on winning? This also fits with the inside knowledge that we never offered or wanted Houston Nutt. He was probably too dirty for our self image. Afterall, we are more like the Naval Academy than schools like Baylor, Houston and Arkansas. Our former SWC mates.

If we use that logic, is that why Colorado hired Barnett from Northwestern? and Florida hired Spurrier from Duke?

to put it mildly, SMU is in a bit different position than Florida and Colorado. Is Paul Johnson a guy who is going to push and argue for more reforms at SMU, or is he gonna be a guy who understands the Navy way and is satisifed to have more flexiblity than that? In some ways, Phil Bennett was a more encouraging hire 6 years ago, although it turned out to be a mismatch because he for some reason recruited only a handful of jucos here.

I agree it's a different situation, but if your assumption is right, and this is an acknowledgment by SMU that they want to have a model more similar to Navy... Why in the world would Johnson even consider the job, if the situation wasn't or didn't hold the promise of being better than what he has at Navy?

well, by definition he will have more flexibility at SMU than he has at Navy. Thats not saying much.

[davidsmu94]

put it this way, Johnson is not a wow hire by any means. He is an admission that SMU is "special" and intends to stay that way. And by special I mean hoping to win despite ourselves. tell me again why were not battling Baylor for Art Briles if we are intent on winning? This also fits with the inside knowledge that we never offered or wanted Houston Nutt. He was probably too dirty for our self image. Afterall, we are more like the Naval Academy than schools like Baylor, Houston and Arkansas. Our former SWC mates.

If we use that logic, is that why Colorado hired Barnett from Northwestern? and Florida hired Spurrier from Duke?

to put it mildly, SMU is in a bit different position than Florida and Colorado. Is Paul Johnson a guy who is going to push and argue for more reforms at SMU, or is he gonna be a guy who understands the Navy way and is satisifed to have more flexiblity than that? In some ways, Phil Bennett was a more encouraging hire 6 years ago, although it turned out to be a mismatch because he for some reason recruited only a handful of jucos here.

I agree it's a different situation, but if your assumption is right, and this is an acknowledgment by SMU that they want to have a model more similar to Navy... Why in the world would Johnson even consider the job, if the situation wasn't or didn't hold the promise of being better than what he has at Navy?

well, by definition he will have more flexibility at SMU than he has at Navy. Thats not saying much.

You are right.. it's not much... so why leave?

[Hoop Fan]

I don't know, maybe you know you have done all you can do at Navy, and can only go down from there if you stay. I am sure that Johnson is confident in his abilities to turn us around, but so was Phil Bennett.

[davidsmu94]

I don't know, maybe you know you have done all you can do at Navy, and can only go down from there if you stay. I am sure that Johnson is confident in his abilities to turn us around, but so was Phil Bennett.

Yeah, but if you are right and SMU want's to be "special".. he could probably wait it out and get a job with some state school where recruiting and getting Juco transfers is easier. He's a hot name right now. Maybe he wouldn't get a BCS job, but he could get the job at some place like Houston..

[couch 'em]

Nice work, couch'em, with that logic we can now just scratch off all coaches that have had prior success because this in turn means they are Bennett. Good! Now we're truly closing in on the coach that is more of SMU's caliber...

Kind of like how you suggested that since there is no evidence that Johnson CAN'T recruit at SMU that we should assume that he CAN? By your logic I should be a viable candidate for a recruiter position.

Johnson's ability to recruit at a school like SMU is unproven. It is unknown. We don't know for sure whether he 'has it' or not with respect to recruiting. I don't know that we can get anyone better overall, but that doesn't mean we should whitewash this serious question about PJ.