One thing that concerns me about a JJ-led team...

[LonghornFan68]

... and that could potentially affect SMU down the road. His penchant for high-powered, pass-attack offenses really leaves no room for a back like Martin. I watched several Hawaii games this season including as much as I could stomach of the Sugar Bowl and I noticed that Hawaii often ran 5-wide sets and rarely rant the ball. Is this ok with the Ponyfans crowd? I, for one, do not think this type of offense can be successful against good defenses (read: Georgia). I see Texas Tech employ a similar offense and while I would contend that they are successful, I don't think they can be as successful as other teams that have more balance. Am I off-base here?

[CalallenStang]

A large amount of Hawaii fans will tell you that he ran the ball less this year than he had in years previously because for whatever reason he was not able to recruit anyone to fit his system at RB. Remember that Jones did have a 1000-yard rusher when he was coaching at Atlanta.

[QuikSStang]

... and that could potentially affect SMU down the road. His penchant for high-powered, pass-attack offenses really leaves no room for a back like Martin. I watched several Hawaii games this season including as much as I could stomach of the Sugar Bowl and I noticed that Hawaii often ran 5-wide sets and rarely rant the ball. Is this ok with the Ponyfans crowd? I, for one, do not think this type of offense can be successful against good defenses (read: Georgia). I see Texas Tech employ a similar offense and while I would contend that they are successful, I don't think they can be as successful as other teams that have more balance. Am I off-base here?

i have been worried about D-mart too. He may do a slow transition into the Shoot n Run offense rather than get right into it. look at Urban Meyer with Florida. In the transition into his spread offense, he won a national championship. Not saying we will go 11-1 and go to a BCS bowl, but I see success in our future

[Me]

If Jones has a RB that deserves the ball and can truly help them win then I have no doubt in my mind that he will be used. Obviously it probably won't be in a two tight set or probably even one tight but that doesn't mean you can't run the ball and run it very well.

[Rocky Stang]

Dmart has not played well for two years, so his not fitting in to the spread is the least of my worries.

[smu diamond m]

I really think JJ will make use of everything he has here. It is quite apparent DM will get the ball less.

EDIT: I also don't think he'll be recruiting many RBs in the future though...

[EastStang]

If DM can catch a pass out of the backfield and get 8-10 yards on a draw play, he'll be out there.

[originaloverthehilltop1]

hold on. u of houston had that big bck that ran for as many yards as the aldreidge kid against us 2 yrs ago. and d mart can catch the ball, too. let's not write him off so fast. the problem i see is that martin hasn't looked like our best back in some time.

[2112]

hawaii had 4 games this season.... where they ran the ball more than twenty times.

[LonghornFan68]

hold on. u of houston had that big bck that ran for as many yards as the aldreidge kid against us 2 yrs ago. and d mart can catch the ball, too. let's not write him off so fast. the problem i see is that martin hasn't looked like our best back in some time.

Who's writing off Martin? I'm certainly not. I chalk up his performance the last two years as more indicative of the coaching staff than abilities. I just wonder if he'll be overlooked in this offense. If he, I wonder if he might transfer so as to heighten his nfl prospects.

[LonghornFan68]

hawaii had 4 games this season.... where they ran the ball more than twenty times.

and?

[SMUgLife]

If Jones is as good a coach as he appears to be, he can tweek his system to fit the personnel he has.

[PonyPatrol]

It will be interesting to see who comes out of the fray at RB...DMart does have solid hands out of the backfield - as does Mapps. Butler is in the bowling ball mold of some of JJ's former RB's and Shankle could be the x-factor if healthy. Word is the kid can fly, and could really be dangerous in the open field in this offense.

Could be the best position battle in the spring to see who is able to acclimate to the new scheme...

My biggest fear with this offense (both running and passing) is going to be our OLine. Georgia destroyed UH off the edge, and OT's will be paramount in containing the pass rush (especially with no TE's), which can neutralize this offense. Now I realize we don't have a lot of UGA's in CUSA, but if our tackles are 270, it's not going to make much of a difference.

[Dr Death]

I noticed that Hawaii often ran 5-wide sets...

Rarely does JJ use 5 Wide sets... there was a game earlier this year... I want to say it was Fresno State, but I could be mistaken, where they came out in 5 Wide for the first several plays and I nearly fell off the couch.

JJ is 99% Run & Shoot... which is 4 Wide, 1 RB... now, as far as running the ball... June once told Steve Bartkowski, when both were playing for Atlanta, that one day he would coach a team and never run the ball once. This is how much he... 1: Loves to throw the ball... 2: Believes in the R&S... 3: Is always thinking outside the box...

Now I know, most Traditional Football Fans will be aghast at that. You must run the ball... blah, blah, blah... No, you really don't. To give some prime examples besides JJ let's look at two professional teams...

The 2002 Oakland Raiders, led by Rich Gannon, rarely ran the ball. Gannon broke records for most 300 yard games in a season, most completions in a season, most consecutive completions in a game... plus he shattered all team records. The Raiders went 11-5 that year, and in the AFC Championship Game vs the Titans, their first 41 plays were passing plays, enabling the Raiders to build a lead en route to a 41-24 victory.

The 2007 New England Patriots. This may come as a shock to some of you, but the Pats are running a variation of JJ's Run & Shoot. They use 3 Wide, 4 Wide and 5 Wide sets, they use TE's and sometimes 2 RB's, but it is a variation of the scheme that JJ runs. When in Cleveland in the mid 90's as HC, Bill Belichick was so awed by JJ's offense, he had the Browns practice the Falcons a lot in training camp, trying to find ways to stop it.

The Patriots, by the way, are 16-0...

June prefers backs that are big... they have to be able to pass block, almost like a 6th lineman, they must be able to break tackles and they must be able to catch the ball.

When he has backs like this... he will run more.

This may not satisfy you, but it's as honest an answer as there is with June and his running game.

[me@smu]

Just to continue Dr. Death's comment...that Raiders offense actually utilized the RB a bunch, but instead of hand offs, it is swings out of the backfield and bubble screens, passes that are essentially long hand offs and designed to get the RBs out in space.

D-Mart will get his yards, just going to be a little more creative in getting him the ball.