Boondoggle ...

[newshound]

ponyte: "That (2.1 million) was the price it took to get any decent coach to come to SMU." That's utter nonsense. There is no reason SMU should ever have to have the 15th highest paid coach in college football.

We draw 15,000 fans per game. It's so completely out of line with our budget and the previous and current conference. For $2.1 million, we should have gotten more than a carpetbagging, one-foot-out-the-door, lifeless, lazy coach, with no plan. He has NO PLAN. Week to week, he has no plan. Forget about next season.

Pay me $100,000 and I could have assembled a staff for the other $2 million that would have run circles around this sorry group of retreads and never-has-beens.

In Year Six, we should have a roster full of fifth-year seniors and top-rated players -- and we should be at the very least be competitive with everyone on the schedule (At least Rice hit A&M in the mouth and North Texas hit Georgia in the mouth; we died like dogs).

Part of the problem is that the staff has NO CONCEPT of redshirting and player development. They don't even grasp the concept of a running back.

Are you watching the same team and following the same program as I am? In a putrid conference, we've made four middling bowl games, played for one conference title (where we scored seven points), beaten 5 or 6 teams with winning records and haven't even sniffed the Top 25. IT'S YEAR SIX. And, yet there is NO FOUNDATION in place.

That's reality. I am grateful to the staff for the mere fact that we are marginally better. But, that's about it. Now, move on, please. We have the tenth-rated program in the state (out of 10) right now, according the ESPNDallas.com. Even if that's one man's opinion, that should be telling.

[ponyte]

The beauty of a fan board is we can express our thoughts, philosophies and opinions and disagree. In this case we will have to agree to disagree.

I for one think we couldn't get out of the death spiral we were in without paying a lot of money to attract a proven winner. We had hired unproven coaches for two decades and the results was disaster.

Others feel we could find that 'hot' coach that magically would turn around a generation of losing. Sure it is possible. As a matter of fact, we had tried it several times. Some would say the definition of insanity is doing the dame thing over an over and expect the result to be different.

Thank goodness the CofC decided to try something different.

12.6 million dollars is sure a lot of money and I didn't have to pay a penny of it. Thus, I have no expectation that anyone would care what I think about how the money was spent. And that includes the CofC, Hart, JJ, and all the fans of the Mustangs.

I think the people who did spend 12.6 million over 6 years got their money's worth as we are no longer a futile doormat.

Now to go to the next level, I also disagree that paying some unknown with a paltry salary with NOT take us to the next level.

Once again, I think we will need to invest even more to get more. And I don't think the CofC will pony up all that is required to move to the next level. That will take a commitment from a lot of fans and it will be a risk as well.

[lwjr]

I do not know how the economics of getting a coach to come here worked in 2008, we know Orsini wanted a name and went after Paul Johnson. I assume 2 million was the going rate to get a "named" coach to come to SMU, especially one that had just taken a Hawaii team to the Sugar Bowl, because that is what the CofC was willing to pay. Yes they were blown out by Georgia. But JJ did bring this program back from the dead. I had hoped he would have been a better recruiter and it seemed to me he waited to long to establish relationships with Texas HS coaches. JJ should have been gone after the ASU debacle but I don't have a say in that so it's just my opinion. I will be forever grateful to June Jones for what he has done for this program but he should have been gone two years ago.
Was the 2 million a year worth it? That's is what SMU was willing to pay so yes. The last couple of years not so much. Someone must be happy because he is still here.
Just my opinion
Edit: One last thing, TCU took a chance on GP, any coach you take a chance on. We need to move to the next level, JJ will not get us there. I'm willing to Pony Up what I can to help bring in a new coach

[Rebel10]

No one feels that we could get a hot coach to turn things around in an instant. I think most feel it would take about 3 recruiting classes to turn things more upward. But if we do not try we will get the same thing over and over. And that is mediocrity. If you are fine with mediocrity then fight to keep JJ which you apparently are. We are in a better position now and can attract a better coach. Like I said if nothing else David Bailiff would run here for 2 mil per year (if we could not get anyone else) and probably build a better staff.

[newshound]

My biggest issue with paying what the CofC paid is that there is no guarantee we get to the next level at this point. The American is kinda, sorta, but not really the next level.

The program, the very shaky foundation, the current roster: Do you think it's in place to get to the next level? We are MARGINALLY better off than we were six years ago, in the big picture. Marginally.

I appreciate your passion, ponyte, I just don't agree with you. And, that's OK. I appreciate the few passionate fans we have left. But, fact of the matter is, when all things are considered, we have not come close to getting our money's worth. And, throwing money at the problem has proven to bring no guarantees. Just as winning doesn't solve all of your problems. You have to build something.

The stadium is still half empty, the team still plays at a less than enthusiastic level week after week. This has to start at the top and the real foundation has to be created. We're still mixing the cement on that. To me, that's the biggest disappointment. TCU continues to outplay, outcoach and outclass us on every single level. We have not caught up to them at all; in fact, we have fallen further behind during the Jones tenure as TCU has dusted us off and played their way into the Big 12.

I am hopeful that Hart & Co. are empowered to make a change and bring in a real program builder who can get everyone energized about SMU football again. Hopeful. For going on 30 years.

[newshound]

$2 million was Leigh Steinberg's sucker price. It wasn't exactly a bidding war. No one else offered June a gig. I repeat: NO ONE.

[lwjr]

$2 million was Leigh Steinberg's sucker price. It wasn't exactly a bidding war. No one else offered June a gig. I repeat: NO ONE.

Not a bad poker move for a drunk

[Charleston Pony]

we could debate whether we are "no longer a futile doormat". I don't see that we have closed the gap at all between this program and our former SWC mates who have moved on to the BCS world

[Rebel10]

SMU made the Today USA Misery Index.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nc ... x/2891411/