Chesler: What if it’d been Jones?

Where would we be if…

June Jones was hired as the head coach of ASU football?

On December 7th, 2011, June Jones looked to be the sure-fire head coach of the Sun Devil football program. By December 8th, talks had broken down.

Media outlets blamed the sudden change of plans on a massive backlash from boosters and online ASU fans. School officials mentioned a multitude of problems, like concerns with Jones’ background. Either way, the door was suddenly open for the Todd Graham era, and the June Jones era was over before it ever began.

It’s very easy to be optimistic about the future of the Sun Devils under Todd Graham after last season’s success. An 8-5 record and a bowl win is nothing to scoff at in a coach’s first season. However, would the sky really have fallen in Tempe if Jones had been hired instead? I don’t think so.

The biggest factor in the team’s success would rely on what Jones is most known for – his “Run and Shoot” offense. With the great performances of running backs DJ Foster and Marion Grice last year, it might seem ridiculous to suggest that the team could spread the field and go 4-wide every down. It might just be ridiculous enough to work.

Neither Foster nor Grice have a fullback’s build to run straight up without a lead blocker, which the Run and Shoot can require. What both of them do have, however, is the ability to catch passes. The Sun Devils relied on both running backs in the passing game last year and they combined for just shy of 1000 receiving yards.

So, pass-catching, smallish size and explosiveness? That sounds like an ideal slotback. Foster and Grice would both play together with wide receivers on the outside of either one of them. They wouldn’t be able to bruise forward on third and short situations out of the Run and Shoot, but they could run out of motion or with one as a deep back and not enough guys in the box for the defense.

Now, there is a major inconsistency with how ASU ran their offense last year and the Run and Shoot: Chris Coyle. If June Jones had come to ASU, Chris Coyle would either be irrelevant or somewhere else. Looking at the stats, SMU (Jones’ current team) didn’t have a reception by anyone listed as a tight end last year.

Coyle would be a big-time loss and it’s completely unfair to suggest that ASU (under any head coach) could just replace that talent with talent at a different position. However, it’s not that unfair to suggest that a team in a Run and Shoot offense could do a better job recruiting wide receivers.

Add the hope that receivers would like to play in the Run and Shoot to the optimism surrounding newly added junior college transfer Jaelen Strong, and you have a potentially great (albeit completely untested) receiving core. If Foster and Grice adjusted to slotback positions as well as they seem like they would, most of the time only two receivers would be on the field at once.

The Sun Devils’ offensive line was acceptable last year, but certainly not some overpowering, SEC-type unit. The 37 sacks that ASU gave up last year probably won’t break Taylor Kelly (more on him later), but it’s not a line that’s so dominant that it needs to be featured. While the Run and Shoot often leaves just the O-Line to defend the quarterback, it also puts more burden on the quarterback to protect himself.

From a rushing standpoint, the line could continue to produce in the Run and Shoot. It’s hard to imagine too many linemen complaining about running the ball with five or six men in the box against a defense spread out wide, instead of one with eight in the box. Altogether, the ASU O-Line is probably solid no matter what formation they’re in – it’s a bit of a wash.

The last offensive position, the vaunted “most important position in sports,” has even more stringent requirements in a Run and Shoot offense. Taylor Kelly’s quarterback rating last year was 8th in the nation – it’s hard to argue that Kelly has a great skill set, but would it translate to the Run and Shoot?

Kelly is certainly not a statue in the pocket; his mobility is one of his strengths. That mobility could help him avoiding pressure without a lot of secondary blockers on the field in the Run and Shoot. As for Kelly’s ability to make reads and improvise on the fly? That’s a bit more up in the air. What we do know is that Taylor Kelly is a hard worker who can improve quickly – it’s not farfetched that he could learn to think on his feet more than he has to now.

While the Run and Shoot offense is the “good” that comes with June Jones, defense is less of his forte. ASU’s defense would not be as potent under Jones as it is under Todd Graham, that’s for sure. However, superstars are superstars, whether their coach improves the pieces around them or not. Will Sutton would still be Will Sutton under June Jones.

Sutton is not enough on his own – that makes sense. However, Jones’ defense schemes are not unusable (there’s a reason he’s still a Division 1 coach). SMU gave up 25.7 points per game last year, while ASU gave up 24.3. Obviously offenses in the Conference USA aren’t the same as those in the Pac-12, but rumors of Jones’ incompetence are a little exaggerated.

Now, with all of this being said, I still fly my Todd Graham flag high. The “Todd Graham for President” poster isn’t coming down from my room and I firmly believe that he’s the best coach to take the Sun Devils to the Promised Land. All I’m saying is that a Run and Shoot offense could work. It could put points on the board and fans in the seats. And while this is completely overdue, to all the fans complaining on December 7th, 2011: Calm down. June Jones might not quite be Todd Graham, but he’s no Dennis Erickson.

You can reach Jayson Chesler  on Twitter @JayChesler or by email jdchesl@asu.edu.

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