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tntoak said...

Between some of the interviews we've seen and articles we've read, we've gotten an idea of how Jones approaches this job. But the recruiting celebration today shed some additional light on things. here are my observations:

1. The focus on family is apparent from Coach Jones on down to every coach on staff. Each coach started out by telling the audience about their families (just as Coach Jones did as his introductory press conference), and this carries over into recruiting. When Coach Jones was talking about Vereen's guitar playing, he mentioned that they have a hospitality suite at the hotel the players and their families stay at, and while the players are out on the town with their hosts, the families are at the hotel mingling with the coaches and their families. To me, that's a big deal, because instead of just meeting "Coach" Jones/Jake/Strip/Garner/etc, you're getting to know them as actual people.

2. Unlike previous coaches, Jones is really allowing these assistants to speak to the media and the public and let their personalities show. You could really see this with Thigpen's standup act this evening, which was hilarious.

3. It's clear that this staff is looking for three main things when recruiting: players that have solid skills, who know what it takes to win titles, and players with high character. One of the first things that Jones said was that star ratings weren't all that important to him and the staff. I don't think that means they ignore them, but I do think it means that this staff is more likely to take a 3 or 4-star player that meets their criteria than a 5-star recruit who does not.

4. This staff seems to be more focused on fundamentals - defensive players going after the ball, TEs and RBs getting downfield rather than running east-west all the time, etc. Jones said a couple of times tonight that this was going to be a "blue collar" team, and that the players would be evaluated on their efforts not only in the weight room and in practices, but in the classroom and elsewhere.

5. Jones knows how to carry a room. Once Kesling dispensed with the introduction and formalities, Jones ran the show in Knoxville tonight (I'd assume the same applied to Memphis and Nashville), with Kesling only coming back on stage to wrap things up.

6. Jay Graham is the "star" of this staff, and Coach Jones knows it. He said as much when introducing him this evening.

7. Each member of this staff is very good at speaking in a straightforward, direct manner. There were no weird analogies or explanations thrown out this evening, and when they were discussing Xs and Os, they did so in a manner that the majority of people could understand.

8. This staff knows how to relate to players, their families, and fans alike, and I think that will translate into even better team cohesiveness and fan support going forward.

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