Paul Johnson or June Jones

[StingStang]

Hi all. New on the board. Went to Georgia Tech but am a grad student at SMU. Looking forward to some good football on the hilltop this fall, so you can count me in as another fan in the stands (when the Jackets aren't busy). So count yourselves +1 in the fan department.

We were all held in suspense 1.5 years ago as SMU, Duke, and GT were all chasing down Paul Johnson. Reportedly, PJ visited Dallas with his wife, and left with an enormous offer. Ultimately the choice came down to conference affiliation, local ties, opportunity to win championships, etc. This of course was followed by SMU's fantastic hiring of June Jones.

First off let me say that SMU WILL get it in gear under Jones. I have the eyes of an outsider, but I do feel this program is something of a sleeping bear. A little success should breed a little more. JJ just has to get that ball rolling this year. There should be enough talent in this state to go around - I see that Scout has 164 players rated 3* or better in Texas, and another 115 at 2*. After UT, A&M, OU, OKSt, LSU have their fill, there will still be solid D1 talent to go around. The recruiting pitch should be fairly easy: great campus, great city, great coaches, good facilities, and some amazing "talent" possessing a pair of X chromosomes. These kids were not even born in 1987 - that's ancient history. And you won't need the best of the best to win in CUSA - what you need is coaching to get the most out of what you have. And I think you have that.

That being said, interested to know if any of you would have rather hired Paul Johnson, given the choice. Would have seemed a good fit, bringing tough discipline, an offense that doesn't require NFL-prototype quarterbacks or huge linemen, and a return to a rushing attack that could recall the "Pony Express" days.

If for some reason JJ doesn't work out or decides to bolt, I hope Orsini will have the name Ken Niumatalolo (Navy head football coach) scribbled on a short list in his top desk drawer. Can't wait for the Navy game this year.

[Alaric]

June Jones but I've always been a Paul Johnson fan and he'll win big at Ga Tech

[MidlandMustang]

Appreciate you being upbeat and positive. I agree with almost everything you had to say. Nothing against PJ, but I am happy with the hiring of JJ. I would have to say that I wish JJ would be more defensive minded, which I believe PJ has the edge in that dept., but I enjoy watching JJ's offense much more. I don't think we would go wrong with either one of them at the helm. I don't know what kind of recruiter PJ is. I do know that as JJ's time has gone on at SMU it appears that the recruiting and the talent gets better and better.

[CalallenStang]

I was hoping for PJ, as I thought he would have been a tremendous fit here. At the time, we had a mobile QB (Willis) and a couple of good running backs (Martin, Mapps, Butler) who would have excelled in PJ's offense. I believe that PJ would have had more immediate success at SMU than June Jones has had.

That being said, I believe that JJ may be able to take this program to greater heights than PJ would have been able to. His offense may also get the "butts in seats" number up as soon as it starts clicking.

[Cadillac]

Having followed Navy off and on since my enlistment in 1992, I loved watching the triple option once a year... When they played Army. I was tentative about the possibility of Johnson coming to SMU. I thought that if he could get the sort of Cupcake schedule that Navy was getting, that he'd have SMU back to winning seasons fairly soon. However, from an aesthetic point, I wasn't too interested in watching the triple option 13 times a year.

So I was of mixed emotions when Paul Johnson turned us down for the opportunity to play in a BCS conference and, if things went well for him, to prove that his system could work in the bigs. That all ended though when June Jones came in. Having been a Charger fan all my life (see, Navy family and all that, plenty of time in Southern California), I remembered Jones as the guy who took less money to take a more rewarding job. I knew that was the kind of guy we could really use around here. The fact that he took a BOATLOAD of money to take this job didn't give me much hesitation, because his track record spoke for itself.

Anyhow, I think that I would have been pleased to see either coach here, but am happier to have the Run and Shoot being implemented than the Triple Option.

-CoS

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

Both are very good coaches, both would be successful at SMU, but I like the June Jones style of ball so much better. When either of these coaches had all their pieces in place at SMU....in my mind there is no doubt which one I would prefer to watch.

[smuuth]

Good post from someone who knows their football. Both coaches have a resume filled with success. I think Georgia Tech has a shot at the national championship if they stay healthy and with so many returning starters. (Although when a team has a month to prepare for the "bone" rather than a week it is a big advantage). Will be interesting to see how they do this year since the other teams won't be overlooking them. Will they still be successful since so many defenses are now schemed to stop the spread and more pro-type offenses? Who would have thought the shotgun would become more of a staple in the NFL when hardly anyone except Staubach was doing it in the 70's. And now the "wildcat" is making the rounds in the NFL. I still don't see how the wishbone can be used effectively over time since the defenses will make the QB run and punish him accordingly. Kids have dreams of playing in the NFL and the wishbone is not going to prepare the QB's, backs or offensive lineman.

[SMU 86]

I don't know about having a shot at the national championship, but I do believe they will be a pretty good ACC team.

[Billy Joe]

Both Johnson and Jones are hugh upgrades over Bennett. Both coaches have a distinct offense and proven success......something SMU has not had in a head coach in a long, long time. I do not blame Johnson for taking the Ga. Tech. job though. I would have been just as excited if he were hired to be SMU's coach. I am still shocked we have Jones. There are not a lot of Texas college coaches that have turned around teams like Jones has and not many have coached in a BCS game. I like where SMU is going and I like the positive vibes surrounding the team. Win, lose, or draw at least SMU if finally putting forth a good-faith effort to put a winning team on the field. I am once again proud to be an SMU football fan and I now wear my SMU gear in public with pride.

[StingStang]

Good post from someone who knows their football. Both coaches have a resume filled with success. I think Georgia Tech has a shot at the national championship if they stay healthy and with so many returning starters. (Although when a team has a month to prepare for the "bone" rather than a week it is a big advantage). Will be interesting to see how they do this year since the other teams won't be overlooking them. Will they still be successful since so many defenses are now schemed to stop the spread and more pro-type offenses? Who would have thought the shotgun would become more of a staple in the NFL when hardly anyone except Staubach was doing it in the 70's. And now the "wildcat" is making the rounds in the NFL. I still don't see how the wishbone can be used effectively over time since the defenses will make the QB run and punish him accordingly. Kids have dreams of playing in the NFL and the wishbone is not going to prepare the QB's, backs or offensive lineman.

I'll respond to a few of these questions. Although I don't intend to talk GT on this board, just to make it clear. If you're not interested in the GT tangent, skip the rest of this reply.

1) "No" on the national championship hopes. Hoping to compete for the ACC crown. ACC is not respected as a top conference, therefore GT would really have to run the table to have a chance. It's unlikely, though it did happen as recently as 1990.

2) Ask Army and Air Force if seeing the flexbone option every year helped them prepare for it. On an absolutely level playing field, talent-wise (service academy vs. service academy), PJ was 11-1, with a loss to AF in his first year. Or at Georgia Southern, where he coached 5 years, his conference record was 36-4, winning the conference all 5 years, with 2 national titles. His regular competition did not adapt.

3) There is nothing you can do scheme-wise to stop the option. You can't cover all three options soundly. You are forced to play man coverage, assignment football. The best way to defeat GT is to out-athlete them; i.e. defeat the blocking in one-on-one battles. See LSU, Chick-fil-A bowl, 2009.

4) The second best way to beat GT is to play "kill the QB", as you mention. IF you have good enough tackles to take away the dive, and the optioned defender (usually DE) plays the pitch, then you can force the QB keep and punish him. VT did this with success. I expect to see more of this idea. GT definitely needs 2-3 viable QB's at all times, and is not quite there. Also need a real passing threat.

5) GT was lousy at running it in year one. Whatever improvement opponents can make with an extra 1 or 2 weeks of preparation will be trumped by the improvements GT will make over the entire second year of the installation. This is exactly the same sort of quantum leap I expect from June Jones and SMU in 2009.

6) NFL. GT isn't trying to recruit NFL QB's, which is actually a recruiting advantage. We want the dual-threat guy with an average arm who other schools recruit to play safety or WR. Giving that player the chance to play QB when no one else will is a recruiting advantage. GT tries to recruit 3 or 4 of them a year. The ones that don't work out can easily transition to the offensive/defensive backfield.

I don't think that recruiting backs will be a problem at all. The nature of the system leads to huge numbers for all the backs. Jon Dwyer is currently ranked #1 on Mel Kiper's big board. These are the per carry averages of the top three backs: 7.0, 8.5, 7.7. It's an RB paradise actually. If Dwyer stays as a top 5 pick, RB's will be knocking down the door. Much like Calvin Johnson is still helping GT recruit WR's, despite throwing the ball on 20% of downs.

Offensive line recruitment might be tough, but again, GT is looking for a different sort than say UGA/Texas, et al. GT needs quick, fast, low OL. They don't need to be so big, so that is another recruiting advantage. They need to be able to cut block and be athletic enough to get LB's on the ground in the second level.

7) Being unconventional is the best way the David's can beat the Goliath's of this world. (http://smartfootball.blogspot.com/2009/05/david-strategies-and-goliath-strategies.html) SMU and GT share one thing in common, we are both the David's of our respective football universe. Trying to beat Goliath at his own game is a losing proposition, which is why JJ and PJ are great choices, respectively.

Bringing it back around to the Mustangs, what type of OL does June Jones want for the 'Shoot? Is it more of the blot-out-the-sun type of guy that Texas Tech has? I hope not, because every other team in the nation wants the same thing. Same thing at QB. The prospects for long term success at SMU hinge upon attracting great QB's and OL's. This is my biggest concern with SMU football. I'm not worried about the WR's so much as long as we can attract smart, sure handed, precise route-runners. They don't have to be the tallest or fastest, they don't have to be great blockers, etc. The "read and react" nature of the 'Shoot will get the WR's open, moreso than great individual ability. SMU already has a pretty good looking stable of scat-back style WR's that fit very well.

Finally, I think SMU just needs average defense for now, to get back to bowl games. Preferably an aggressive, blitz-heavy, gambling scheme to maximize turnovers and give the offense more possessions. That would seem to fit the talent (or lack of) that is currently on hand. Over time, hopefully SMU will improve the athleticism and size on defense and be able to play more conventionally.

[SMU 86]

We go for the more athletic offensive lineman whether they are really big or not. The question is are they athletic.

[BIGHORSE]

June Jones will make S.MU. great again!!!

[Charleston Pony]

got to believe either one of these guys would have been (and that Jones will be) successful at SMU. I tend to think Johnson would have had more immediate success but agree with those who say Jones will ultimately produce a more exciting brand of football.

[VarsityShop]

7) Being unconventional is the best way the David's can beat the Goliath's of this world. Trying to beat Goliath at his own game is a losing proposition, which is why JJ and PJ are great choices, respectively.

StingStang I agree 100%

[that's great raplh]

june all the way