PonyFans.com

Qualifier: I am a passionate SMU fan and recent grad. I desperately want to see SMU relevant and consistantly ranked. I believe we are a football school at the core. If and when things lock into place, it will be wild and amazing.

The big picture: I think to understand football, you need to consider the input into a football program. In conference USA, there was a medium to low standard of football excellence. The revenue and media attention is very small. CUSA is not a big boy conference. We profitted a mere 1million from being a member in CUSA. As we go to the big east in 2013, we are entering a big boy conference. We are lucky to be included, especially in all sports. The money going into our programs will be significant. We stand to profit 10-20 million more than CUSA! With that massive influx, we will be investing that into coaching, recruiting, and facilities. Also, the money we were using to cover our athletic deficit every year will go to educational things - and rightfully so.

This year: This year has no bowling written all over it. No one would of guessed we would lose to Tulane. But there is a huge benifit from this game. June Jone's had very very obvious coaching mistakes. He has not recruited well. He does not have passion for this team anymore. It is time the school notices it, I think we all cannot deny it at this point. I think this was the defining end to his time at SMU. It is great that our school has raised expectations now. If we look to Texas A&M, they have struggled with coaches for a long time, and had very high expectations. No more "death penalty" talk please. That is history and we are past it and can / should / deserve to expect a competitive season every year.

With JJ gone, our program can move again in the right direction. The next hire will be very very important. We need someone that invests in our program and CARES. When we become competitive and victorious on the gridiron again, we will know that we deserve national respect - having competed in a top conference (despite the recent attacks on the BE).

We have the right formula for growth FINALLY. SMU's athletic and national presence will flourish more now, then ever before - I believe. Our focus is much simplier now. We can better make the decisions which result in success academically and athletically.

Over and out

Ummm..JJ is leaving?

I am afraid to say you are right. The AD has to look at not just where the program is but where it is headed based on recruiting efforts, fanbase and coaches. Hopefully the AD will talk confidentially to some of the coaches and players on the team to get an accurate reading. If he waits a year or two then it may take several years to make up for the lack of recruiting and it is even harder to recruit for a new guy when the program is all the way down. Make the change now before all the ground that has been made up the last few years is lost. It is not about losing to Tulane....it is about the future. That is the danger when you got an older guy who has lost the work ethic and passion and he is in an extension with his cronies on the staff trying to ride it out before retiring but doesn't have the pride to step down because he is in it for the money. On top of that he is calling the plays. He doesn't get that the recruits in this state don't care or even know about his past and aren't going to come to him...he has to go to them. It ain't gonna happen. I doubt he even knows the names of the high school coaches or what high schools are recruiting hotbeds. Sad ending but when the ASU fiasco went down all credibility with his offensive players is gone. Kind of like leaving your wife for a more attractive girlfriend and then getting spurned and going back to your wife....the trust isn't there and it will never be the same again. SMU and Dallas deserve much better.

Rick Hart is a RGT "yes man" of the highest order. The only way June Jones is fired/resigns at the end of this season is that we go 2-10 (possible) or June's fat, lazy [deleted] retires. RGT and Hart have no interest in making us anything better than 7-5.

ghost wrote:I am afraid to say you are right. The AD has to look at not just where the program is but where it is headed based on recruiting efforts, fanbase and coaches. Hopefully the AD will talk confidentially to some of the coaches and players on the team to get an accurate reading. If he waits a year or two then it may take several years to make up for the lack of recruiting and it is even harder to recruit for a new guy when the program is all the way down. Make the change now before all the ground that has been made up the last few years is lost. It is not about losing to Tulane....it is about the future. That is the danger when you got an older guy who has lost the work ethic and passion and he is in an extension with his cronies on the staff trying to ride it out before retiring but doesn't have the pride to step down because he is in it for the money. On top of that he is calling the plays. He doesn't get that the recruits in this state don't care or even know about his past and aren't going to come to him...he has to go to them. It ain't gonna happen. I doubt he even knows the names of the high school coaches or what high schools are recruiting hotbeds. Sad ending but when the ASU fiasco went down all credibility with his offensive players is gone. Kind of like leaving your wife for a more attractive girlfriend and then getting spurned and going back to your wife....the trust isn't there and it will never be the same again. SMU and Dallas deserve much better.

We must always be reminded that JJ's non-conventional play calling should give us an advantage with the opposing D coordinator never knowing what to expect. In defense of JJ he is unpredictable and opposing defenses are never given the obvious opportunity to lock into a situational defense. Problem is that this sometimes backfires and in the case of Tulane we failed to run down the clock on the last red zone series. I am not defending JJ; however, merely pointing out that we see far too much predictability in play calling at all levels of football today and most most football fans are bemoaning predictability when plays fail.

StallionsModelT wrote:Rick Hart is a RGT "yes man" of the highest order. The only way June Jones is fired/resigns at the end of this season is that we go 2-10 (possible) or June's fat, lazy [deleted] retires. RGT and Hart have no interest in making us anything better than 7-5.

As I said on another board to you, what evidence do you have that RH is a RGT "Yes Man"? He's only been in charge for a little while and even Orsini gave PB another year after things turned sour....is this just your restatement of the sentiment from other know-nothings on the boards (of which I am one), or do you know something factual?