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Let the entertainment begin...

- Does anyone realistically think that somehow Garrett Gilbert is going to start completing 65 percent of his passes?

Nope, I haven't seen any indication that that is about to happen.

- June Jones' game management and recruiting (or lack thereof) records speak for themselves. They are dreadful. So bad, it's mind-boggling. How the hell did he go unbeaten in the WAC? And, look at Hawaii now. They are awful (in other words, he left the cupboard bare out there).

Not true about leaving the cupboard bare, and our recruiting has been much better the last 5 years than it was pre June from every rivals rating and offer list and star rating measure you want to come up with. There are a lot of reasons for that, many of which have nothing to do with June perhaps, but it is true.

- In FIVE YEARS, he has not recruited a SINGLE Division I running back (remember Zach Line was a linebacker, from out of state, for that matter).

Is there any evidence for this? Zach has started for four years, don't you have to wait for the others to play before making this type of statement? How was our running game in the bowl without Zach?

- He has not recruited a Division I kicker or punter.

Nobody wants to have more than 2 scholarships on a kicker or punter. Prior to loftus, we had the MS transfer from A&M who did well. We spent our scholarship on Loftus, who has been awful until this season, where it looks like he is kicking off well and punting well. Last season was a flat out disaster, and this year hasn't been great, but I think Loftus is going to be worth his scholarship now. I think Jones tried to scrimp on scholarships for kickers because he had so many other positions that needed help that he needed to recruit for, and we are paying for that.

- He has not recruited a single better WR than he inherited. And, he is delusional enough to say that Darius Johnson is the best WR he has EVER coached? Yep, not even the best WR he has coached here. What about Ashley Lelie and Davone Bess? C'mon June, who are you kidding here?

DJ has been a bust this year. I think we all expected more out of him this season, not just Coach Jones. No quesiton that WR has been a disappointment and we all expected to be able to reload at this point.

- Margus Hunt was handed to him by the track coach, who doesn't even have a men's team (another subject for another day).

We did have a coach who refused to get kickers from the soccer team before. So give him credit for bringing a track guy in .

- On top of that, he has yet to develop ONE quarterback. He inherited Justin Willis and promptly relegated him to third-team WR and the kid, to this day, in two seasons, STILL holds the school's career TD pass record. Now, he has the former No. 1 recruit in the country and the guy is the lowest rated QB in the NATION after six games.

No arguments here, although I do think the recruiting at QB has improved every year, and Birchum is going to be really good.

- June's game and clock management is as bad as I have ever seen. If his name wasn't June Jones, he'd be crucified for that alone. Not sure SMU has executed a SINGLE two-minute drill to end a half or game with points in five seasons. He punts when he should go for it on 4th down. His team cannot execute an onside kick. It goes on and on and on. He doesn't know when to go for two.

The passing play on first and goal is enough here. Desperation is what it is at the end of a game, but that play call was awful.

- June Jones was a desperate, bad hire, a few extra wins aside. A misfit for this culture. He has bullied his way to three crappy bowl games in the 35-game, 6-6 bowl era. The supposed outreach to former players is a myth. He has only reached out to guys who played in the NFL (which is about 15-20). Just ask some of those former players.

You are on crack if you believe the first part. I waited 25 years for us to go to a bowl game and loved the fact that we went to three straight. As miserable as this season has been to this point, I am grateful for not losing the last three years. I don't lose sight of the bigger prize, but I realize that it is an evolving process. If this continues, we are going to have to move on, but do have an appreciation for the last three years.

- And, Jason Phillips. Didn't he bring this guy in the spark the offense? Wasn't it June who did originally say Phillips would call plays? Maybe, you should give that a try, coach. No way. June Jones is a stubborn old coach. "We do what we do." Well, coach, you ain't doing it so well.

Jones never said phillips would call plays.

- He may be a players' coach, but he's not a fan's coach. And, it's time he is sent packing. Now. This week. Get it over with. No one had the nuts to fire him after the ASU debacle. Please, please, please tell me the new AD came here with a short list of replacements. Surely, a Joe Castiglione (Oklahoma AD) disciple has been trained in this manner. Surely.

Take a step back. From an outsider's perspective, if SMU axes a coach who went to three bowls after 25 years of death, would you have any interest in this job? sometimes, you have to let the chips fall first before you make a move.

- In the meantime, with a backup QB, TCU ate Baylor's lunch last night as the chasm continues to widen. And, don't tell me the 24-16 game in the rain means anything other than TCU continues to whip our asses. They put up 49 on Baylor (we scored 3 meaningful points and didn't score a TD until it was 48-3 in Week 1).

I am as frustrated with our inability to compete in the Baylor and A&M games as anyone. No argument here, although we are built to handle TCU's offense better than most other teams because of what we do.

So sickening an attempt to be a June Jones apologist.

Translation: You are much more reasonable than me.

I am no expert but just look at who else is offering SMU commits/recruits. That tells you all you need to know...recruiting is not going well for jones. Stars mean very little.

the faux 3 star fantasy bubble is bursting-remember who told you first. Recruiting is relative to your competition. SMU recruits competitively at the CUSA level but can't stay on the field with teams who recruit the real 3+ stars which really are the Texas Top 150 who are highly recruited by multiple schools with quality offers. TCU built their program by increasingly attracting BCS level talent-SMU must find a way to do the same to follow TCU's performance

Stallion wrote:the faux 3 star fantasy bubble is bursting-remember who told you first. Recruiting is relative to your competition. SMU recruits competitively at the CUSA level but can't stay on the field with teams who recruit the real 3+ stars which really are the Texas Top 150 who are highly recruited by multiple schools with quality offers. TCU built their program by increasingly attracting BCS level talent-SMU must find a way to do the same to follow TCU's performance

I can't remember, who was it?

I'm not a SMU fan so take my opinion for what it's worth, but I'd dump Jones after this season. I thought Jones was doing a good job right up until the Arizona State job offer. When Jones publicly screwed that up you had an exodus of assistants and that recruiting class completely fell apart. To me, that was the turning point for the program.

Jones will leave the program in better shape than he found it, but he has already screwed up the rebuild and it's not something he can fix.

SMU is not the Alabama job obviously, but it's got academics, city life, recruiting location, 6th best conference affiliation, and comes with a $2M paycheck. That's an attractive job to a lot of good coaches out there. Go hire yourselves a real coach who actually cares enough to at least pretend to care about SMU football.

If you're going to say June Jones doesn't get credit for recruiting a Div. I running back since Zach Line was recruited as a linebacker, then by that rule you have to give him for recruiting a Div. I running back in Kevin Pope, who was recruited as a running back.

I agree with some things that many of the posters here have said, but JasonB makes one point that can't be overlooked:

Let's say it is decided (by Hart, Turner, Circle of Champions ... whoever) that a change should be made and targets you as a potential replacement. "We have decided to replace the coach who has come to a place where many have felt coaches simply can't win, inherited a team made up of players who were recruited to play different offensive and defensive systems, taken the team to three straight bowls, won two of them and competed in a conference championship game, but gosh, that loss to Tulane really stung. Want the job?"

No coach in his right mind would want to talk in to a work environment like that.

"Seriously, Coach, we need you. Fans are up in arms that there are 35 bowls out there, so maybe it has been easy for Coach Jones, and you know what? They're right. In Coach Bennett's last year, there were only 34 bowls, 32 the year before that, 32 the year before that, 29 the year before that and 28 the year before that, so they're working on MUCH different models. See? We were justified in getting rid of Coach Bennett when he didn't get us to a bowl in six years."

I assume everyone from the CoC to Turner to Hart hate that we lost to Tulane. I know I do, and it took the fun out of New Orleans for me, which is hard to do. But I'd be shocked if a change is made, and while some of the losses (including Tulane) have been disappointing, I have yet to see a reason one should be. I don't care that JJ doesn't sound fired up in interviews. It's not his personality. In the videos after bowl wins in Hawaii and Birmingham, he looked like his team had just lost. So what? He can walk to the microphone wearing a zombie mask for all I care. What I do care about is seeing my team in bowls every year. Hopefully we make it four in a row this year.

^^^ we will NOT go to a bowl this year... HOW CAN YOU EVEN PRETEND WE WILL?

There is much stiffer competition coming our way, and I can bet my life on it we will lose more than just 1 more...

Imagine our team and fan base going into next year's football season... with June Jones... and his horrific recruiting class...

You may have doubts a change is made, but I don't. The 'circle of champions' will not stand for it. We need their money and RGT knows that. He is not going to make a decision that ostricizes our MAJOR DONORS, FANS, and new BE home!

If June Jones is NOT fired??? Then RGT should be. That simple.

I'm not pretending we will or won't. I said "HOPEFULLY we make it four in a row."

There is no team on the schedule we can't lose to, and no team we can't beat. My hope every time SMU takes the field is that the Ponies will win.

We could go 8-4 or we could go 2-10. More than likely, we'll finish somewhere in between. That, however, does not change my support of SMU or its teams, and never will.

Sorry, but I have been a PonyFan since I went to school and will remain one until the day I die, and I refuse to apologize for it.

SMUfrat wrote:^^^ we will NOT go to a bowl this year... HOW CAN YOU EVEN PRETEND WE WILL?

There is much stiffer competition coming our way, and I can bet my life on it we will lose more than just 1 more...

Imagine our team and fan base going into next year's football season... with June Jones... and his horrific recruiting class...

You may have doubts a change is made, but I don't. The 'circle of champions' will not stand for it. We need their money and RGT knows that. He is not going to make a decision that ostricizes our MAJOR DONORS, FANS, and new BE home!

If June Jones is NOT fired??? Then RGT should be. That simple.

+10

Hilltopper wrote:I agree with some things that many of the posters here have said, but JasonB makes one point that can't be overlooked:

Let's say it is decided (by Hart, Turner, Circle of Champions ... whoever) that a change should be made and targets you as a potential replacement. "We have decided to replace the coach who has come to a place where many have felt coaches simply can't win, inherited a team made up of players who were recruited to play different offensive and defensive systems, taken the team to three straight bowls, won two of them and competed in a conference championship game, but gosh, that loss to Tulane really stung. Want the job?"

No coach in his right mind would want to talk in to a work environment like that.

"Seriously, Coach, we need you. Fans are up in arms that there are 35 bowls out there, so maybe it has been easy for Coach Jones, and you know what? They're right. In Coach Bennett's last year, there were only 34 bowls, 32 the year before that, 32 the year before that, 29 the year before that and 28 the year before that, so they're working on MUCH different models. See? We were justified in getting rid of Coach Bennett when he didn't get us to a bowl in six years."

I assume everyone from the CoC to Turner to Hart hate that we lost to Tulane. I know I do, and it took the fun out of New Orleans for me, which is hard to do. But I'd be shocked if a change is made, and while some of the losses (including Tulane) have been disappointing, I have yet to see a reason one should be. I don't care that JJ doesn't sound fired up in interviews. It's not his personality. In the videos after bowl wins in Hawaii and Birmingham, he looked like his team had just lost. So what? He can walk to the microphone wearing a zombie mask for all I care. What I do care about is seeing my team in bowls every year. Hopefully we make it four in a row this year.

Coaches like money and moving to jobs better than their last one, no one is going to be scared away from this job just because we fired a sub .500 coach.

Hilltopper wrote:I'm not pretending we will or won't. I said "HOPEFULLY we make it four in a row."

There is no team on the schedule we can't lose to, and no team we can't beat. My hope every time SMU takes the field is that the Ponies will win.

We could go 8-4 or we could go 2-10. More than likely, we'll finish somewhere in between. That, however, does not change my support of SMU or its teams, and never will.

Sorry, but I have been a PonyFan since I went to school and will remain one until the day I die, and I refuse to apologize for it.

No one is asking any fan to apologize. By any objective measure, JJ has taken us as far as he can (or wants). We're the equivalent of a crab right now, ie, going backwards. We're not going to a bowl this year. When we have gone to bowls in the last 3 years or so, the football program has still been essentially a cost center for us. Unless you win consistently year in and year out (which means winning conference championships), legitimately compete against mid-major programs, and go to better bowls, we're not going to get a lot of support and take our football program from the red. Jones has a platform in place now that previous coaches didn't. He's also paid a heck of a lot more, and while he took us from the abyss, we expect to be in an upward trajectory, particularly because that is what good teams do and because we're going to a better conference next year. I'm thankful he brought us back from the dead, but for the amount of money he gets paid and the infrastructure SMU now has in place, I don't think we should expect to be on life support and fully expecting to get throttled next year. The talent level between us and the BE teams is significant.

One shouldn't be evaluated based on past performance. He's not making the effort to continue to make us better, and that is not acceptable. The Auburn fans are ready to crucify their coach, and he took them to a national championship. If we do not expect more, we will get exactly what we deserve. The writing is on the wall. The time to make the change is now (should have happened when he almost left us for ASU).

If we don't fire him this year, and the recruiting level stays where it is, we are just prolonging the inevitable for one more year. Does anyone realistically think that recruiting is going to get better when JJ's contract hasn't been extended?? No way.

Like a band-aid, we need to remove JJ quickly rather than slowly tearing it off. Sure, there may be a lot of pain upfront, but that is better than continuous pain for another year. Remember, every year with mediocre recruiting will affect our team 3, 4, 5 years down the road, when we are playing in the Big East against teams like Boise, Louisville, USF, Cincy, etc.