The Jones Extension

[SMUer]

I echo coach 'em's sentiment too. Justifying season tickets to myself and my wife is getting harder as time goes on. I see no earnesty or passion on the sidelines nor in the administration. I hear "slow and steady" but I don't see us visible hitting benchmarks getting somewhere. It just doesn't warm my competitive cockles.

[stc9]

The amount of copeland-lover june-apologist types are really making me question continuing to support the program. I couldn't support another program, but with fans that dont want to be a legit program, and a school that doesn't seem to want to be a legit program, what the hell am I doing here?

Feel free to leave. We certainly don't need that attitude.

Actually he is right. We buy season tickets for 25 years and it seams like people are happy being mediocre.

I think we (PFs) are beyond that now. If mediocrity is what would make us happy, then we would all stop complaining and pat each other on the back for SMU's achievement. JJ has lead us out of the desert and now we want more. We want what Baylor and TCU have (one through politics and one through achievement). The irony is that the guy who lead us out of the desert and gave us expectations is probably not the right guy to get us where we want to go.

[Mustangsabu]

He's not right. It all totally misses the point. You go on Saturday to watch your team. The team should be the focus.

And then there is the very simple truth about all of this.

Everyone wanted Jones. Jones turned it around. 1-11 to 8-5. The bowl streak started. In order to get JJ we needed to dedicate $$ and he was given a contract. Before he had achieved anything he was given a 5 year deal. He turned it around in 2. He got an extension. No one complained. In year three we made the conference championship game. In year four we flirted with the top 25 before our QB got hurt. Year 5 had a couple of poor performances and the natives are restless because we seem to have plateaued. Beginning of year 6 and everyone is clamoring for his head. Impatient, needy and classless. Apparently we should not honor his contract because his approach to recruiting is not what we want. It never was what we are now saying we wanted. He did all this the way he runs a program. But now "he didn't do it right". I'm amazed he hasn't quit. The fan base is awful. Remember how you felt when the 2009 Hawaii bowl was unfolding. Remember last year when Margus was destroying Fresno. Remember Pitt? Remember TCU? Ingrates abound.

Where the $&:@ were those moments for 20 years?

[lwjr]

I agree with you SMUer. If Jones is coaching next year, I am going to be hard pressed to renew my season tickets. Coming in for a SMU home game is usually an over night trip for me, air, hotel, food, car and tickets it ads up. Since the ASU clusterf%#*, this program has just gone flat

[SMU2007]

I still can't understand the argument that is always brought up which is: how dare you say anything bad about June! Why, he took us to 4 straight bowl games after 2 decades of nothing!

The problem is the current/future of this team. Not what happened 4 years ago. Not what happened last year. What is currently happening and what is on the horizon. Well the future doesn't look so bright for what most of us are hoping, which is more than making it to the partypizzahutdotjohndeerebowlpresentedbysears. Yes, that was fun 4 years ago when we hadn't been to a bowl in decades. Time to set the bar higher and knock if off with the "hey- 4 straight bowls!". It's cute to beat Marshall and east Carolina and sometimes Utep or rice. It really is. But I'm ready to see us compete with a decent big 12 team. I'm ready to see us have a better recruiting class than UNT. I'm ready to see someone on the sidelines who can bring a little energy to the program rather than just look at their watch just counting down the days.

We'll see how the tcu game goes. We played tech competitively and looked abysmal against Montana st and a&m. I'm not saying it can't be done, but when you look at the lack of talent that June has brought through here and the apparent trajectory of the program, it's worrisome to say the least.

[ponyinNC]

He's not right. It all totally misses the point. You go on Saturday to watch your team. The team should be the focus.

And then there is the very simple truth about all of this.

Everyone wanted Jones. Jones turned it around. 1-11 to 8-5. The bowl streak started. In order to get JJ we needed to dedicate $$ and he was given a contract. Before he had achieved anything he was given a 5 year deal. He turned it around in 2. He got an extension. No one complained. In year three we made the conference championship game. In year four we flirted with the top 25 before our QB got hurt. Year 5 had a couple of poor performances and the natives are restless because we seem to have plateaued. Beginning of year 6 and everyone is clamoring for his head. Impatient, needy and classless. Apparently we should not honor his contract because his approach to recruiting is not what we want. It never was what we are now saying we wanted. He did all this the way he runs a program. But now "he didn't do it right". I'm amazed he hasn't quit. The fan base is awful. Remember how you felt when the 2009 Hawaii bowl was unfolding. Remember last year when Margus was destroying Fresno. Remember Pitt? Remember TCU? Ingrates abound.

Where the $&:@ were those moments for 20 years?

I'm sorry but you're in the minority. You're comparing apples to oranges. Comparing things from the 25 years before JJ ? You mean when we had recruiting restrictions? No JCs? Recruiting and admissions restrictions?? No coach before JJ was even given a chance to win here. JJ has said that himself!!!

The model has been changed. I truly believe any coach can get between 4-7 wins in any given year at SMU under our current model.

[SMU2007]

I truly believe any coach can get between 4-7 wins in any given year at SMU under our current model.

Wholeheartedly agree.

[Dukie]

In year four we flirted with the top 25 before our QB got hurt. Year 5 had a couple of poor performances ...

The excerpts above are such unadulterated bull[fatterson] that your argument is wholly discredited. Thanks for playing.

I agree with couch'em.

[Mustangsabu]

And you might be right. I am well aware that JJ has had a better chance than anyone. But he has had us in 4 straight bowls. Only 28 teams in the country last year were in their 4th straight bowl. He hasn't had a season with less than 7 wins in 5 years. He didn't get us to the top 25 yet, but we got close. We didn't win a championship but we made it to the final. And because we want 10 wins he should be fired. We would be the laughing stock of college football. And then when we discover that it is harder to recruit football than basketball and we have "any other coach" bringing us 4-7 wins, we'll look like the spoiled little children our fan base acts like.

We had one chance to fire JJ and it was ASU. We didn't. We need to man up and make the best of it. It's entirely possible that that will be a good thing. But reading this site shows me that we are not man enough in that way. We want to spit the dummy out and have a tantrum.

[SMU2007]

But he has had us in 4 straight bowls. Only 28 teams in the country last year were in their 4th straight bowl.

I had to stop reading your post after this line. This logic is insanity. We would lose by 20+ points to all 27 of those other teams. They likely all play real schedules and have 6 legitimate wins.

[sbsmith]

And you might be right. I am well aware that JJ has had a better chance than anyone. But he has had us in 4 straight bowls. Only 28 teams in the country last year were in their 4th straight bowl. He hasn't had a season with less than 7 wins in 5 years. He didn't get us to the top 25 yet, but we got close. We didn't win a championship but we made it to the final. And because we want 10 wins he should be fired. We would be the laughing stock of college football. And then when we discover that it is harder to recruit football than basketball and we have "any other coach" bringing us 4-7 wins, we'll look like the spoiled little children our fan base acts like.

We had one chance to fire JJ and it was ASU. We didn't. We need to man up and make the best of it. It's entirely possible that that will be a good thing. But reading this site shows me that we are not man enough in that way. We want to spit the dummy out and have a tantrum.

Embrace mediocrity

[gostangs]

mustangsabu - i like your loyalty, but you are flat out wrong - and i am glad i am not your business partner if that is how you define success.

We cant afford to do what we are doing now. It is the same thing as going 3-8. June doesn't recruit. At all. Never. He has no passion for it. Without that we are not going to make the cut to the relevant teams when the music stops - which is soon. We may have missed our chance.

We have not been in a good conference in forever - so 6-7 wins is no big deal.

We are a laughing stock now. Firing JJ and getting a shot at something better is our only hope.

Pitt was a wreck most of their season - they didnt want to be there (again) and their coach just left. Fresno was also a mess. TCU was great two years ago - but is that all you have? Is that all you desire for this program? You will for sure be happy in life with the bar set that low. 6 yrs and three decent wins? You are making our case for us.

[Mustangsabu]

But he has had us in 4 straight bowls. Only 28 teams in the country last year were in their 4th straight bowl.

I had to stop reading your post after this line. This logic is insanity. We would lose by 20+ points to all 27 of those other teams. They likely all play real schedules and have 6 legitimate wins.[/quote

Name them all, tell me about their schedules over the past 4 years, and the re-read your post and don't dare talk to me about logic. It's a simple statistic showing the level of consistency JJ has achieved. You know nothing about these other teams but your hatred of June makes you assume that somehow this is invalid. We have won 7 or more games for the past 4 years. That's all.

I just hope for all y'all's sakes that the next guy is a home run.

[SMUer]

I just hope the next guy gives a [gary], unlike June

[couch 'em]

He's not right. It all totally misses the point. You go on Saturday to watch your team. The team should be the focus.

And then there is the very simple truth about all of this.

Everyone wanted Jones. Jones turned it around. 1-11 to 8-5. The bowl streak started. In order to get JJ we needed to dedicate $$ and he was given a contract. Before he had achieved anything he was given a 5 year deal. He turned it around in 2. He got an extension. No one complained. In year three we made the conference championship game. In year four we flirted with the top 25 before our QB got hurt. Year 5 had a couple of poor performances and the natives are restless because we seem to have plateaued. Beginning of year 6 and everyone is clamoring for his head. Impatient, needy and classless. Apparently we should not honor his contract because his approach to recruiting is not what we want. It never was what we are now saying we wanted. He did all this the way he runs a program. But now "he didn't do it right". I'm amazed he hasn't quit. The fan base is awful. Remember how you felt when the 2009 Hawaii bowl was unfolding. Remember last year when Margus was destroying Fresno. Remember Pitt? Remember TCU? Ingrates abound.

Where the $&:@ were those moments for 20 years?

No, you don't get it, because you are a transplant foreigner who doesn't understand what a real competitive program that is trying to win looks like. This is not your fault, but that doesn't change that you are wrong. Recruiting and commitment to the program by the administration is more powerful than coaching. Coaching just finishes it off. What we have is like a pro soccer team with a good X and O's coach, but the staff refuses to evaluate talent for trades and drafts and the owner spends a fraction of the salary of other teams.