In Retrospect

[ASUCHRIS]

While I was definitely against June Jones for a variety of reasons, after the coaching search debacle, I think the Jones package would be superior to the Graham poo poo platter.

Jones clearly wasn't a long term option, but it seems that if we did hire Jones, we probably would have retained Mazzone and Broussard, would have brought Klemm on board, and at least would have kept Brock around for another year.

Thoughts?

 

[Diamondback Jay]

I stated then, and I'll state it now. Jones would not have been as bad as the fan base painted him out to be.

Hindsight is 20-20 of course, but Jones' SMU team just waxed Pitt in the Compass Bowl.. Just saying.

 

[Mainstreet]

It's maybe what they say, "too many cooks spoil the broth" (or too few). However, June Jones nor Todd Graham appear the type candidates ASU should have been seeking. I think ASU went into the coaching search unprepared for backup options after Kevin Sumlin. ASU might have been off waiting like Penn State thinking long term.

 

[overseascardfan]

I cannot understand how ASU did not go after Malzahn. I thought ASU had no shot of landing the guy and thus decided not to waste their time but then he takes the HC job at ASU (Arkansas State)? Plus Malzahn snags Keith Patterson away as his DC, this is not looking good but time will tell.

 

[Gaddabout]

Are you suggesting that SMU beating Pitt means June Jones is > that Todd Graham? I hope you're using other criteria, because Graham was at Pitt for less than a year, never had a single recruiting class, and spent a painfully rough season trying to transform a plodding offense into a race horse. Graham hasn't been at Pitt for a month, and the staff that remains is bare bones. Pitt players resent all of them.

I'm not a Graham fan, but I don't understand why I'm seeing so many people drawing conclusions based on that bowl game.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

Are you suggesting that SMU beating Pitt means June Jones is > that Todd Graham? I hope you're using other criteria, because Graham was at Pitt for less than a year, never had a single recruiting class, and spent a painfully rough season trying to transform a plodding offense into a race horse. Graham hasn't been at Pitt for a month, and the staff that remains is bare bones. Pitt players resent all of them.

I'm not a Graham fan, but I don't understand why I'm seeing so many people drawing conclusions based on that bowl game.

Not at all, my conclusion has nothing to do with the bowl game, rather the other reasons I listed above.

 

[Mathew81]

There's still no way I'd have taken Jones. He would have been an absolutely horrible fit in the current situation. The players were completely doing whatever they wanted and Jones wouldn't have done anything to turn that around.

 

[Diamondback Jay]

Are you suggesting that SMU beating Pitt means June Jones is > that Todd Graham? I hope you're using other criteria, because Graham was at Pitt for less than a year, never had a single recruiting class, and spent a painfully rough season trying to transform a plodding offense into a race horse. Graham hasn't been at Pitt for a month, and the staff that remains is bare bones. Pitt players resent all of them.

I'm not a Graham fan, but I don't understand why I'm seeing so many people drawing conclusions based on that bowl game.

That bowl game means next to nothing in the grand scope.

I base my criteria off this.

Graham inherited a pretty good Tulsa team, did well with them. He inherited a bowl regular Pitt team and the Panthers REGRESSED. Of course, there were many factors behind that regression, putting a high Octane offense with Tino Sunseri as QB is about as bad of a mix as you can get, and losing Ray Graham hurt them. However, Graham also showed many glaring and concerning flaws in his one year here, enough for concern going forward.

Jones on the other hand inherited a Hawaii team that had sputtered pretty significantly before he took over, and an absolute nightmarish mess at SMU, and turned both into better programs than the ones he inherited.

I dunno. I prefered Jones to Graham, however Graham's age and health worked in his favor here. Those were the two biggest issues I had with Jones.

 

[Gaddabout]

Yeah, I wouldn't have picked either, but Jones body of work at Hawaii and SMU came over the course of more than a year. Graham took over a decent program at Tulsa from Steve Kragthorpe and made it better, at least in terms of wins.

There's always a way to point towards hope with a new coach because there's always SOME nominal way to explain their hiring. The grand picture is ASU has lofty goals that require a coach who understands the terrain here, and can do it without stretching the credibility of fundamental football. I have doubts Graham does, but I'm much more certain Jones doesn't.