BLM= Season down the drain

[pony warrior]

Same game...I'm telling you we are getting better. We just need to be better for the whole game. I like some of the personel changes that were made. We need a win to get some momentum going.

[Coolrey]

Cannot believe some of the comments on this board. SMU has lost for decades and you have people wanting the head of the QB and are questioning a coach who has been in the profession probably longer than many of his critics have been alive. SMU is so buried in the abyss, that it will take several years to get it to a respectful level regardless of who the head coach is. A senior QB who will be gone next year is not going to magically win games for SMU...SMU was not going to beat TT or TCU or even Rice regardless of who the QB or coach was. JJ is preparing for the future whether you like it or not. BLM is a work in progress and he will only get better w/ game experience and it isn't going to happen over night. He will do some good things and some dumb things, but if everyone just stays the course...including the players and fans...there will be a solid return on the time invested. Now if players read all this crap and they let it get to them, some might decide to leave..and that's not good...they need to stay the course and allow the process to work. Instant gratification is the nature of the day...too bad too few people are wise enough to grasp the reality of what is going on here. I'm sure BLM is a confident and mature kid for a freshman and is smart enough to understand that it is going to take some time for him to "get it". But he will "get it". Mark my word. He needs to keep working...keep playing...and keep learning...Stay the course.

[BRStang]

Cannot believe some of the comments on this board. SMU has lost for decades and you have people wanting the head of the QB and are questioning a coach who has been in the profession probably longer than many of his critics have been alive. SMU is so buried in the abyss, that it will take several years to get it to a respectful level regardless of who the head coach is. A senior QB who will be gone next year is not going to magically win games for SMU...SMU was not going to beat TT or TCU or even Rice regardless of who the QB or coach was. JJ is preparing for the future whether you like it or not. BLM is a work in progress and he will only get better w/ game experience and it isn't going to happen over night. He will do some good things and some dumb things, but if everyone just stays the course...including the players and fans...there will be a solid return on the time invested. Now if players read all this crap and they let it get to them, some might decide to leave..and that's not good...they need to stay the course and allow the process to work. Instant gratification is the nature of the day...too bad too few people are wise enough to grasp the reality of what is going on here. I'm sure BLM is a confident and mature kid for a freshman and is smart enough to understand that it is going to take some time for him to "get it". But he will "get it". Mark my word. He needs to keep working...keep playing...and keep learning...Stay the course.

To that I say, "Great!" I hope BLM is confident and sticks with it and gives his blood, sweat and tears to get better. But that should be his personal contribution to the team, the school and its fans. JJ's commitment to the team, the school and the fans should be to try to win at all costs. Throwing away an entire season when fans have just witnessed a 1-11 season that actually caused JJ's hiring is not the course of action anyone wanted when they heard JJ was hired. Sure, no one was expecting to go to the Sugar Bowl this season, but another laughing stock, cellar dweller season is not acceptable unless it was inevitable. Well, it is inevitable when you continue to put in a true freshman who is clearly not ready for prime time. JWill, on the other hand, could have given this team a chance to be competitive NOW. Trying to be competitive THIS YEAR and teaching for the future are not mutually exclusive.

I may be wrong, but to me JJ looks bull-headed. I'm sure, though, that he couldn't care less about anyone's opinion but his own right now, including the hundreds of people who are scratching their heads over all of this.

[regis]

Maybe us loyal season ticket holders should file a class action law suit for the blantant bait and switch sales tactics. We were sold tickets based on the promise of a high speed offense under JW, instead we have to watch our big money coach flush the whole season away to make a point.

Notice they didn't announce the QB switch until after the majority of the season tickets were sold. Somebody call the BBB!

[MustangFan]

Cannot believe some of the comments on this board. SMU has lost for decades and you have people wanting the head of the QB and are questioning a coach who has been in the profession probably longer than many of his critics have been alive. SMU is so buried in the abyss, that it will take several years to get it to a respectful level regardless of who the head coach is. A senior QB who will be gone next year is not going to magically win games for SMU...SMU was not going to beat TT or TCU or even Rice regardless of who the QB or coach was. JJ is preparing for the future whether you like it or not. BLM is a work in progress and he will only get better w/ game experience and it isn't going to happen over night. He will do some good things and some dumb things, but if everyone just stays the course...including the players and fans...there will be a solid return on the time invested. Now if players read all this crap and they let it get to them, some might decide to leave..and that's not good...they need to stay the course and allow the process to work. Instant gratification is the nature of the day...too bad too few people are wise enough to grasp the reality of what is going on here. I'm sure BLM is a confident and mature kid for a freshman and is smart enough to understand that it is going to take some time for him to "get it". But he will "get it". Mark my word. He needs to keep working...keep playing...and keep learning...Stay the course.

Excellent post — and absolutely correct.

Maybe us loyal season ticket holders should file a class action law suit for the blantant bait and switch sales tactics. We were sold tickets based on the promise of a high speed offense under JW, instead we have to watch our big money coach flush the whole season away to make a point.

No we weren't. We were sold tickets based on the promise of an outstanding coach who was hired to come in and rebuild the program at SMU, not put a Band-Aid on a bullet hole. He teaches a potent offense, and we have seen glimpses of it. We also have seen evidence of the fact that our players are brand-new to the offense. We all remember the great Ramon Flanigan as a Run-and-Shoot wizard, but we got our butts kicked sometimes when he was a freshman, too. Those who thought Coach Jones would walk on campus and create a team — out of players recruited to play in a different system, it should be noted — that instantly would beat teams like Tech and TCU were shortsighted, at best. Coach Jones was hired to build the program, and I'll renew my season tickets the day they're available.

[westexSMU]

Stallion your are right in that coach just tried a short passing game to try to keep interceptions down against TCU and TCU knew we would do that going in....This SMU team reminded me last night of QB Mike Romo's 1989 SMU football team coming back from the DP. This team may actually be worse than that 1989 SMU team. That 89 team was actually competitive in alot of SWC games that year......One other thing....Can anyone tell me why the little walk on freshman from Allen, Chris Castro is STARTING ? It appears SMU have several better potential athletes availiable at his position. He did nothing against TCU that I saw.

[MustangFan]

If Castro started, it's because TCU started in a 3-WR set. I've heard the coaches are impressed with Castro — hard worker, makes the most of his ability, etc. — but the "starting" CBs clearly are McCann and Bell.

As for his performance against the Frogs, Castro dropped a should-be interception, but he made a few tackles, including a couple of nice ones in the open field.

[Ponybacker2]

Previous posters Coolrey and MustangFan got it right. Our new coaching staff are putting in the players to build our team for the future. Did anyone really expect more than a couple of wins this year. In fact I expect the real progress will not show until mid-season next year.

After all we have been watching the last 20 years go down the tubes so why are we are not willing to wait another year while our new coach builds experience with the R & S, improves the recruiting, and developes a team first attitude.

Our team right now needs our support and not all the fan bickering and complaining. Our time is coming. PONY UP!

[MustangFan]

You'll get assaulted for displaying such optimism and realism, but here's to you. Well said.

[bigdaddy08091]

Hey, this has nothing to do with BLM. This kid has great ability. He will be successful at this level. So JWill is not the QB, big deal. We can win with BLM if we have the best/most talented players on the field. Why don't we? Why isn't JWill on the field? He would play center if the team wins! Something is not right here! Why aren't we rotating 8-9 receivers like TCU. We have nothing to lose. Why aren't we playing all the RB's. They just block? We should be teaching all of them to block. If we are playing freshmen, hell play everybody. There are no expectations for this season? Let's find out what players can do and do the nut cutting.

[The PonyGrad]

Its not BLM's fault that he is starting. BLM was June's only scholarship QB recruit that June brought into this class and so he was the annoited one from the get-go. June wanted to get the experience thing out of the way early so he decided to start him now and let the chips fall where they may. It is my opinion that June never really considered any of the other QB options despite the reported competition. He didn't want a QB controversy so Willis was never an option. Willis still had two years left and starting him this year would make it impossible to bring in BLM as the main QB next year if BLM had been redshirted. If he played Logan Turner and Turner performed well than it would be tough to start BLM in place of him next year without controversy developing. I personally would have had him sit for the year as a redshirt so that he could get his bearings in school as well as on the field and then put him on the field next year. But that would have made too much sense. Expect to see a lot more of BLM for the rest of the year given June's investment in him. Not fair to the other QBs or the team but thats life. I hope that BLM can get his act together to at least salvage a few games this year. I will not be holding my breath, however.

Best post in this whole sorry lot.

[bigdaddy08091]

Its not BLM's fault that he is starting. BLM was June's only scholarship QB recruit that June brought into this class and so he was the annoited one from the get-go. June wanted to get the experience thing out of the way early so he decided to start him now and let the chips fall where they may. It is my opinion that June never really considered any of the other QB options despite the reported competition. He didn't want a QB controversy so Willis was never an option. Willis still had two years left and starting him this year would make it impossible to bring in BLM as the main QB next year if BLM had been redshirted. If he played Logan Turner and Turner performed well than it would be tough to start BLM in place of him next year without controversy developing. I personally would have had him sit for the year as a redshirt so that he could get his bearings in school as well as on the field and then put him on the field next year. But that would have made too much sense. Expect to see a lot more of BLM for the rest of the year given June's investment in him. Not fair to the other QBs or the team but thats life. I hope that BLM can get his act together to at least salvage a few games this year. I will not be holding my breath, however.

Best post in this whole sorry lot.

Great point! But I can't understant why JJ could not be honest with JWill and ask him to change positions. JWill is willing to play any position on the field to help this team win. He has moved on. Everybody else needs to move on. BLM is the QB of this team. JWills QB days are over at SMU. No problem, the kid is willing to play anywhere!

[chillinfool]

It would not surprise me if BLM isn't starting next year, and we have a new freshmen phenom to "evaluate." The other board says SMU is watching Colton Palmer from Kerrville, except he may run too much for JJ's liking.

JJ sounded like a broken man on the Ticket postgame, saying he has never seen a QB throw 2 int's to a defensive lineman, much less one one for such an easy TD. He also practicially apologized to the seniors on the team, saying their working hard but the team in not being competitive.

Also, anyone notice after the second interception, the only players on the sideline to even go talk to BLM was JWill and Sanders, even JJ turned away from him. I actually felt sorry for the kid.

[Oldmins]

I have been a fan since 1989 and I am not [deleted]. We have played 2 top 25 teams and we are playing with many freshman. Player retention will improve and recruiting is already better. The team will improve and win.

I do not think you are [deleted]. TCU is not a Top 25 team. OU will show you next week.
New Mexico-Tulsa beat them tonight by 50
Stephen F Austin-Pleez
Stanford-Horrible
Andy Dalton will run for his life next week

FYI, TCU now ranked by AP and Coaches either 22nd or 24th. Any other information you have for us?

[EastStang]

I agree with the posters that BLM was given a very thin playbook this week. And TCU's defense made our O line look like a bunch of freshmen which they were. I don't agree with the posts that our defense was that bad. In the first half, we did have some hurrys which resulted in poor throws near the goal line and some goal line stops. When we went nickle our lack of depth showed. #37 (who was he anyway) got owned by their running back on the dump passes. If our DB's ever learn to hold onto an interception we might improve even more. We dropped three int's that I saw. If Willis is not going to play QB this year, he might make a pretty decent safety. I don't think he's fast enough for corner. But given the lack of depth there, he couldn't do any worse. He could have at least stayed with TCU running back on a dump. The only good thing was the game was on CSTV opposite the LSU-Auburn and the Georgia game. I suspect that the ratings were pretty slim. So at least the only people who knew much about the game were the 30,000 at the game and the other 19,000 watching it on DirecTV.