Full Transcript of DMN Chat

[ponyboy]

Sports Chat Moderator: June Jones will be here at 10 a.m. (CT) for some SMU football Q&A. Bring on the Q's ...

June Jones: Good morning. Looking forward to taking your questions.

mkg: Came out to watch a spring practice. Your staff appeared to emphasize positive reinforcement and motivation in addition to high expectations in regard to execution. How important is positive reinforcement in your coaching philosophy?
June Jones: It’s just the way we do things. I don’t think it, it just happens to be positive. I don’t set out to do it. It’s just the way we do things, you know. And it has worked.

Hilltopper: There is obviously a losing culture at SMU ... all you have to do is look at all the winnable games the Mustangs lost in the fourth quarter last season. How do you change that expect-to-lose feeling that is gripping this program?
June Jones: That’s probably the biggest challenge, changing the mindset of the players. Eventually we have to win those games to change the mindset. We do a lot of team building things, a lot of things that make the difference in the close games. It’s all the intangible things you do in the locker room, are the reason you win those close games.

From e-mail: How is the current talent level at SMU compared to the talent level at your first year in Hawaii? D.G.
June Jones: I think from skill level players, we’re better at SMU. I think from the big guys, we’re probably not quite as good as we were on the d-line and o-line. We had two offensive lineman and a couple defensive lineman who went to the NFL off the 1999 team. We didn’t have many of them; if we had lost one of them we wouldn’t have been able to finish the game. Here we have more people, but we had some good players in 1999.

Mark: We have heard quite a bit about the offense, but haven't heard your assessment of the defense (which struggled last year). What have you seen so far?
June Jones: I like what I see from the defensive line, even though I was told coming in that that was probably the suspect part. Because of the schemes the defensive staff is running we’re better than I thought we were. We’ll need a lot of young kids to come in and fill in the secondary. Bryan McCann did really well; Derrius Bell had a good spring. We need some depth at linebacker and safety. We need more players. The kids practice hard, but we have no depth at those positions. The incoming freshmen give us some depth at corner and we probably won’t redshirt any of them.

Junior: What is your philosophy on early recruiting, which is really prevalent in Texas?
June Jones: It’s definitely a different experience. We didn’t have to do that in Hawaii. We were 0-for-10,000 in junior recruiting. We’re already pretty solid on who we’re going to offer this spring. The coaches are going to get out to probably every school in Dallas anyway. We’re going to do a lot of early offers and we already have probably 10-to-12 offers already. It’s going to still be unknown whether anybody will early commit to SMU. That comes from the tradition of winning and having success. Kids sometimes pre-commit to USC and Texas, but we’re just going to have to find out for ourselves how effective the junior recruiting is.

03mustang: What are your expectations for the upcoming season? Do you expect a certain number of wins and/or a bowl this year?
June Jones: I don’t get into predicting that. We have goals within the team and those are what we focus on. I know that the way we do things within the team setting works. It just depends on how fast it will work. That’s what we focus on.

Aloha: You were very torn about leaving Hawaii (who wouldn't be?). Now that you've been here for a while, what are your impressions of North Texas?
June Jones: I’ve always liked Texas. I loved living in Houston, but Dallas seems like a better town. I haven’t had an opportunity to do a whole lot yet because I’ve been so busy. I’m looking forward to having some time to enjoy the downtown area and some of the golf courses I haven’t been able to get to yet. The people here are warm and hospitable, a lot like the Polynesian culture. It’s a lot of the same qualities of life.

T-Roy: How are you going to introduce the team to your offensive system? Is it going to take a while for the team to get it, or can you get them up to speed on the basics pretty quickly?
June Jones: Well, we already have it installed. We put everything in this spring. It’s going to take a little while to get everybody on the same page. That doesn’t mean we won’t be productive while were learning. My experience is it takes game experience together to really get going. Usually by the third, fourth or fifth game, that’s when the light comes on for everybody.

Jeff George: Coach Jones, what can the city and the fans do to make SMU football relevant again?
June Jones: Certainly, supporting us in the stands is one way. Showing up will help us, but ultimately winning puts people in the stands and that’s what we’re here to try to do.

From e-mail: At Hawaii you generally did not substitute your receivers during the game unless there was an injury. Will you continue this philosophy at SMU? What are the benefits of this philosophy and is there a downside?Edward
June Jones: The bottom line is your going to play your 11 best guys. If there’s a significant drop-off to the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth receivers, you’re obviously going to play your first four the whole time. If they’re evenly matched, you utilize more players. It’s important the quarterbacks and receivers develop chemistry, and they only do that by playing in the games. When the quarterbacks and receivers do that, they’re clearly a cut above the other guys. My intention would be to play the best players the whole time.

MyNameIsBob: What is your role in scheduling nonconference games for upcoming seasons? How do you feel about playing mostly other Texas schools in those nonconference games vs. playing a more diverse nonconference schedule?
June Jones: Well, I think the scheduling is already done for the next five years, so we’re talking six years down the road. What we did in Hawaii is what needs to be done here. We played USC three times; we played Alabama. If you want to be the best, we have to play the best. I know from talking to Steve Orsini that that’s his philosophy too. The future schedules, I’m sure, will reflect the beliefs that Steve and I have.

smustang2011: There was a lot of talk about SMU's academic standards for athletes, especially in recruiting. Is SMU now on a level playing field in terms of recruiting with other programs across the country?
June Jones: My understanding is that – I’ve only been here two-and-a-half months – we were able to get the players we needed and wanted. My understanding is it has been on a level playing field the last four or five years. Prior to that, it was an issue for the coaches. Asking those questions when I came here, it has been. If you’re an NCAA qualifier and we want you, you can come to school here.

scrowe: You had some big tailbacks in the system at Hawaii. How does a back like DeMyron Martin fit into the run and shoot?
June Jones: I think he’s perfect. If I was to ask for a guy who can run like a little guy and block like a big guy, it would be DeMyron. Ideally, you want a kid 6-2, 6-3, 240, who can do those types of things. I think he’ll fit in perfectly.

From e-mail: After spring practice, would you say the team seems to be coming along better or worse than you thought it would when you first got here?John
June Jones: We’re better than we were the first day, that’s for sure.We’re going to be alright. I’m pleased with the effort and the attitude and how hard the guys worked and tried to buy into what we’re trying to teach them.

From e-mail: Any chance you'll will bring back the white helmets? The uniforms that Phil brought in don’t look as good as the old ones.Bobby
June Jones: I like white. I’m going to try to get that done.

Mark: What can you tell us about the QB situation, including the status of Justin Willis?
June Jones: I was pleased with how Logan Turner came along. I would anticipate that Justin would be back in the fall and will compete for the job.

Jeff George: Where do you think Colt Brennan will end up in the upcoming NFL Draft?
June Jones: I don’t know what team. I’ve gotten a lot of calls on him. I would think he’d get drafted somewhere third to sixth round. It just depends on who really takes an interest on him from a coaching stand point.

PonyFans.com: We're lucky enough to have a punter, Thomas Morstead, with what appears to be a bionic leg. Does having a guy with a leg like that change your strategy when a drive reaches midfield, or the area where coaches have to decide whether to go for it or punt the ball away?
June Jones: I don’t think about punting.

PonyFans.com: Of the receivers you worked with this spring, who has a chance to emerge into a leading role, like you had with Davone Bess at Hawaii?
June Jones: I thought Aldrick Robinson really jumped off the page, Emmanuel Sanders and Josh Bryant had good camps and Zach Zimmerman showed flashes too.

aus10fromhous10: The previous coaching staff focused almost exclusively on recruiting in-state. Given that you've had to recruit from all over the country when you were at Hawaii, do you think you will continue that method, or will you focus on more Texas players?
June Jones: We’re going to focus on Texas, but we’re getting calls from all over the world, including Samoa. So, we’ll recruit everywhere.

BCarroll: What was the overall vibe among the players during spring practice?
June Jones: All the players were very positive about the things we’re doing and excited about football again. That’s going to play a factor in those intangible things I talked about earlier.

johnb: What do you have to say people who are skeptical about the prospects for the Mustangs? I remember when Coach Bennett first came to SMU, he was able to muster some excitement, which was quickly extinguished by losing seasons (mainly the winless season).
June Jones: You’re always going to have skeptics, you’ll have them when you’re winning too. Hopefully we’ll have those kind of skeptics.

From e-mail: What will happen to all of the redshirts who become eligible this year? It took Phil Bennett a few years to get his redshirt program up and running due to the disaster he inherited. What approach do you envision for the future at SMU?Phillip
June Jones: The kids that redshirted, there’s some good players in the offensive line. The freshmen that I’m bringing in I would think that maybe half won’t redshirt, they may get on the field.

June Jones: Thanks to everybody. Sorry we couldn’t get to them all. We’ll try to do this again before the season starts.

[StallionsModelT]

June is a very confident guy (not cocky) and that even comes across in his chat log. This is going to be one hell of a fun ride these next few years.

Gotta love the comment about white helmets and going back to a white uniform.

I LOVED the comment about scheduling and that June feels its important to schedule big time non conference opponents. He said he's made that clear to Steve O. and that he feels the same way. Hopefully we can see some big name teams on our docket here in the coming years.

[mrydel]

He does not think about punting. Love it.

[ponyboy]

Hopefully we'll BE a big name team again.

[StallionsModelT]

ponyboy,

One of the things I love about Fresno State or Hawaii under JJ was that they scheduled anyone and everyone who would play them. Fresno damn near beat a USC team that many thought was unbeatable at their stadium! I don't have the Fresno schedules in front of me right now but I can remember off the top of my head they have played USC, A&M, and LSU in recent years. Boise played Georgia a couple years back and Hawaii played USC. Why can't we do the same?

[RGV Pony]

ponyboy,

One of the things I love about Fresno State or Hawaii under JJ was that they scheduled anyone and everyone who would play them. Fresno damn near beat a USC team that many thought was unbeatable at their stadium! I don't have the Fresno schedules in front of me right now but I can remember off the top of my head they have played USC, A&M, and LSU in recent years. Boise played Georgia a couple years back and Hawaii played USC. Why can't we do the same?

don't forget the Frogs went to Nebraska

[San Antonio Mustang]

ponyboy,

One of the things I love about Fresno State or Hawaii under JJ was that they scheduled anyone and everyone who would play them. Fresno damn near beat a USC team that many thought was unbeatable at their stadium! I don't have the Fresno schedules in front of me right now but I can remember off the top of my head they have played USC, A&M, and LSU in recent years. Boise played Georgia a couple years back and Hawaii played USC. Why can't we do the same?

We Will! First we learn to win in our conference and then we win against the perennial powerhouses.

[PonyLove]

He does not think about punting. Love it.

My favorite quote as well. (Although I am very glad to have Morestead just in case.)

[mr. pony]

June Jones: I’ve always liked Texas. I loved living in Houston, but Dallas seems like a better town.

Rice bulletin board material?

[StallionsModelT]

Anyone who has spent any amount of time in both Dallas and Houston knows Dallas is vastly superior to Houston.

[jkflamebo]

Anyone who has spent any amount of time in both Dallas and Houston knows Dallas is vastly superior to Houston.

i strongly second that statement

[mrydel]

June Jones: I’ve always liked Texas. I loved living in Houston, but Dallas seems like a better town.

Rice bulletin board material?

Dallas Chamber of Commerce Bulletin Board material.

[SMU 86]

Looks like a lot of our freshmen will get to play this year according to what JJ said. This season should be exciting.

[LA_Mustang]

Anyone who has spent any amount of time in both Dallas and Houston knows Dallas is vastly superior to Houston.

I don't see it that way at all. I'm from Dallas and with the exception of four years in LA, I've always lived here, but how is Dallas so much better than Houston? Dallas is a great place to live, but it has serious problems (crime, city management, public schools) that are far worse than Houston. Houston has done a fantastic job of revitalizing their downtown. Downtown Dallas is still a ghost town and/or a crime scene waiting to happen after dark. Houston has kept their pro team venues in the city, unlike Dallas. There is no debate between the school districts. In a recent study, only 40% of DISD students actually graduate…one of the lowest in the nation. As for city government, Dallas is busy covering up scandals, or constant infighting, rather than improving our city. But for some reason, Dallasites act like they have scoreboard on Houston, when clearly we don't.

[mr. pony]

The Dallas city council has been a joke for years. DISD is outa control.

But I digress .... GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!! BEAT RICE!!!!!!!