Where are the June Jones Supporters ...

[HorseSense]

My biggest beef with June is his overall demeanor, and I feel that in ways it's reflected by performance with the players. There's always this non-chalant air with him whether where down by 40 or winning by 40, and I understand composure and rationality are great assets to have, but damn can you show a little enthusiasm from time to time? I look at the teams we play, and their players seem to be a little more lively and excited to be playing ball than ours, and I feel that it's Junes demeanor that plays a part in that. I'm not saying that's the only reason we're losing games, but is it too much to wish for us to compete and make the scores a little less lopsided? I think that same demeanor June has also impacts the recruiting, I just feel that if I were a recruit then I'd be more interested in playing for a coach with a little more fire. It's no wonder we have nothing but a bunch of 2 star recruits, hell, I'm looking at North Texas and I'd be willing to bet that they'd put up a W on us. There just seems to be no heart or chemistry with this team, and I lay that blame at the feet of JJ. You're not going to get quality recruits with a non-chalant attitude that isn't convincing them that the program is headed in the right direction.

Agree completely

[PonySnob]

Have always wondered why he has such an ego - 33% winning record in the NFL, had a few good seasons at Hawaii against a schedule of average to below average teams, his team has had the [deleted] beaten out of it anytime they've gone up against a physical BCS team on the mainland (I know he won a few at Hawaii, but somebody pointed out in another thread how those teams weren't that good when they played them). If the system was so great, wouldn't everybody be using it?

[1983 Cotton Bowl]

June is a great self-promotor. He's taken a few career highlights, an unusual personality (for a football coach), and a trademark offense and fashioned those ingredients into the legend of June Jones. But hey, I don't begrudge him that. That's the way these guys have to play the game today if they want to get ahead. He's done very well for himself. And although I don't think he's the future of the SMU program at this point, I'd say he's done well by SMU as well. Any reasonable comparison of the state of our program in 2008 compared to the state of the program today validates that. The question we now face is where to find the team that will take it to the next level. But no hate for June here.

[RyanSMU98]

June is a great self-promotor. He's taken a few career highlights, an unusual personality (for a football coach), and a trademark offense and fashioned those ingredients into the legend of June Jones. But hey, I don't begrudge him that. That's the way these guys have to play the game today if they want to get ahead. He's done very well for himself. And although I don't think he's the future of the SMU program at this point, I'd say he's done well by SMU as well. Any reasonable comparison of the state of our program in 2008 compared to the state of the program today validates that. The question we now face is where to find the team that will take it to the next level. But no hate for June here.

Spot on. It's great that we all have higher aspirations now, and that is to June's credit. The catch is, we all have higher aspirations now and I don't know if he has enough left in the tank to meet them.

[redpony]

jj simply doesn't care. he just wants the checks to get to the bank and then later he will sail off to the islands.

[ClassOf81]

His demeanor? That's what this has come to -- the fact that he doesn't jump up and down and smile and yell and do whatever else is deemed more coach-ish? He doesn't care because he keeps things inside rather than sharing all of his emotions with the media? Those shortcomings are probably what made Tom Landry such an abject failure, too.

Newsflash: head coaches have egos. ALL head coaches have egos. You don't ascend to that position without one. I'm glad June has an ego, and I'm also glad he doesn't rant and rave to the media and throw his players under the bus. If he's a little guarded with the information he shares with the public (the fans and the opponents), that's a good thing.

[redpony]

81- not referring to his sideline demeanor. how about doing a little recruiting of top level recruits? How about putting together a staff that can coach and recruit?
Doing those type of things are an indication that he cares about the university and our success in fball.

[ClassOf81]

How much he recruits players who end up at other schools is anyone's guess, but the fact is that we're not yet beating out the UTs and LSUs and OUs for the top blue-chip guys yet. That's one of those things where better players bring more wins, and then more wins bring better recruits, etc. He has put together a staff that has done what the four before it couldn't -- get the team to bowl games -- and they recruit better than their predecessors did, despite what some computer geek somewhere thinks. We have been through the names before, guys like Zach Line, Ja'Gared Davis, Taylor Reed, etc., who were lightly recruited and have turned around to be very productive players. Until we're in a position to start winning those recruiting battles for the biggest HS stars, our coaches have to project guys like that, and have done a better job of it than the staffs before them. Have they hit on every one? Of course not. But they're doing better than most on here want to give them credit for. That said ... I'm with you -- I want to see better players and more wins, starting with a win over TCU!

[SMU_Alumni11]

starting with a win over TCU!

A dream my friend. A wipeout from TCU will hopefully convert the June to the death supporters. How long can JJ keep getting defended by 3 bowl wins (mediocre ones at best). His flirting with ASU should signify that he's ready to leave and since he couldn't successfully leave he will sit back collect dough and then retire in Hawaii

[SMUer]

If you act like you don't care (no matter how you really feel) AND you are doing a [deleted] job, you can almost always expect criticism or being fired...in all walks of life.

[redpony]

OK- IMO a good example is LB. Pretty laid back like JJ but is recruiting top level players like crazy. Will we get them? Probably not but we might end up getting a couple of them.. Other recruits see who else is interested in a school and IMO that does have some influence on some decisions. When you have recruits like the Harrison twins including us in their final 3 it has to impress other recruits.
LB has no 'contact me and say you are interested, then send me a tape' type of attitude. He goes after the players.
I suspect that in two years our bball program will be top 25 or very close. In the meantime, our fball program will be floundering in the lower levels of the BE as a result of the different attitudes in recruiting.

[ClassOf81]

You're saying a loss to a team ranked in the top 20 will make June's supporters jump ship? Considering we're 1-2 and they're 17th or something in the country, shouldn't a loss, maybe even a lopsided loss be expected? I don't expect a win, but obviously I'm hoping for one -- it's part of that "being a fan" thing that I do. As for the ASU thing, for the umpteenth time, having your coach courted by other programs is an indication that he's doing something well. He started winning at a place where many thought coaches went to kill their careers, and he absolutely gets defended by those 3 bowl appearances, because nobody had been able to make it to even one for the previous two decades. No, they weren't the Rose and Orange bowls, but they're better bowls than four coaches before him got us to. That's not meant as a slap in the faces of those coaches. I have all the respect in the world for those guys, especially Gregg and Rossley. But the fact is that we started making bowl games under JJ, and the result of Saturday's game is not going to affect my view of his ability. We're supposed to lose, at least on paper. But my hope is that we don't do what we're supposed to and keep the Skillet for another year.

[SMU_Alumni11]

Ok, one TCU looks to be very overranked based on the past game no offense TCU people just saying I think the virgina game will be tight despite being unranked. Also a rivalry game throughs out all top 25 designation because anything can happen in those games. However since we have no offense because of multiple reasons particularly WR drops or not getting space. I no doubt want a win but I also hoped for at least the same score when we played AM in their stadium. So based on three games we will get blown out in unbiased observation. As a fan I hope we can fry frogs but most likely be giving them the iron skillet before the game starts.

A loyal coach should have 1) never let it get to the signing of papers moment 2) do this [deleted] right before the biggest recruiting moment in our history and that went straigh through the window.

JJ had the only and best opportunity to make a good program. Lower academic restraints and more funding behind it than the 4 coaches. Thus we went to 3 bowls lost to army, beat a broken Pitt team, and beat Nevada (whoopie, great at the time but now irrelevant). When we were 5-1 our team looks like now, given up, against so miss and Tulsa throwing away our best chance at a 9-3 10-2 season. How could a coach allow that to happen twice!

[Rebel10]

How much he recruits players who end up at other schools is anyone's guess, but the fact is that we're not yet beating out the UTs and LSUs and OUs for the top blue-chip guys yet. That's one of those things where better players bring more wins, and then more wins bring better recruits, etc. He has put together a staff that has done what the four before it couldn't -- get the team to bowl games -- and they recruit better than their predecessors did, despite what some computer geek somewhere thinks. We have been through the names before, guys like Zach Line, Ja'Gared Davis, Taylor Reed, etc., who were lightly recruited and have turned around to be very productive players. Until we're in a position to start winning those recruiting battles for the biggest HS stars, our coaches have to project guys like that, and have done a better job of it than the staffs before them. Have they hit on every one? Of course not. But they're doing better than most on here want to give them credit for. That said ... I'm with you -- I want to see better players and more wins, starting with a win over TCU!

Yes we are doing a little better than the previous staff I guess since the previous staff recruited an offensive line June used for 4 years, Emmanuel Sanders, Alderick Robinson etc. Actually the computer geeks, as you so degradingly call them, has June Jone as recruiting some of the best players here since the DP so you are wrong in your snide accusation. But now people are starting to look at offers and not stars. If you look at stars then we are doing pretty good but if you look at offers we are headed into a disaster in the future going into the BE. One local high school that produced D1 talent all the time said while SMU offers some of their players that they had not seem an SMU coach on campus in 5 years. Other local high schools have said the same thing. It helps when you have a good relations with local coaches rather that just watch film and offer. We have been to 3 bowl games in a row and going to the BE and we are recruiting like UNT. Sorry sir while your overtone in one of a June to the death supporter you argument is full of trash as you try to make excuses for the staff. We should be battling with eh Iowa States, Kansas and other mid to lower tier BCS teams and not mostly UTSA (no not extremely like OU and TX). You can tell June to the death supporters because they have the same talking points. For every project player that hits pay-dirt there are 10 others that fail and then you have depth problems with is what SMU has. We should be comparing ourselves to other schools not previous coaching staffs at this point. But you are witnessing now the result of your so call project players that this staff (as you say) HAS to recruit.

[redpony]

REB- totally agree with your comments. Just compare the difference in recruiting between LB and JJ. It is like night and day.