June Jones Q&A Part 2 / Manuwai / L. Gibson / Etc.

The Star-Bulletin has the second installment of the June Jones Q&A. He talks about the running backs, letting Graunke play more, incoming players, playing service academies in the future, and his defensive philosphy. A pretty long excerpt:

...Takeaways and being the top offensive team win more games than any other combination.

Q: Is it hard to get defensive coaches to subscribe to that?

A: It is, because it's been inbred in them for so long that you want to burn the clock. And I said, If you don't want to be on the field get off the field! Stop 'em in three plays. (Take the ball away.) Yeah, exactly. Get me on the field!

So the mind-set was not that way. I think any defensive coach who coached for me ... I guarantee you they'd rather coach in what we do than coach with what other coaches do. Because I don't hassle them. I say just get off the field and be aggressive and take the ball away. I don't care if they score. Just go get the ball.

Q: They like it that you want them to dictate the action, rather than letting the opponents do so?

A: Exactly. You hold onto your rear end, in every game if you make a mistake in the fourth quarter you're going to lose. I'd rather play the other way. Go blitz. Just go blitz, I don't care. If you sack 'em that's great, if you get a pick, that's great, if they score, that's OK, too.

Q: Have you ever told them, "Let 'em score"?

A: No, I've never told anybody that. But I've had games where I knew they were going to run out the clock and kick a field goal with no time. It's kind of like basketball, the philosophy of letting them have the last shot. They're running down the clock, should you foul them, let them make the one-and-one, and then you've got enough time to make the last shot, or are you going to let them go down the final second, take the shot, and you lose?

I love it. The McMackin Attackin Defense gonna be a monster this year.

Kalani Simpson goes off on a tangent, but a really great one, in this profile of June Jones raising his kids.

Yes, it turns out that even Jones was one of those harried dads -- straight out of a Chevy Chase "Vacation" movie -- who insists everybody get in the car so he can drive them to some wholesome, educational, family fun. While they would rather be doing ... well, anything else. Just anything at all. The way kids always do.

"And they used to just be funny," Jones says, "because I'm a history kind of guy and I would drive them the place, like" -- he's doing the kids' voices now -- " 'No!'

"And I would tell them the story," Jones says. "And they would be like, 'Dad, we don't want to see that again!' "

Pretty funny.

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Stephen Tsai talks to former UH offensive lineman Vince Manuwai, who's in town as a guest instructor for this weekend's Hawaii Football Camp, along with:

At least nine other former UH players — including Nate Ilaoa, Dane Uperesa, Michael Carter, David Maeva, Kelly McGill and Ma'a Tanuvasa — also will be guest coaches at the camp, which runs through next week.

This Star-Bulletin article says Garret Gabriel and kicking expert Mike McCabe will be there as well.

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Here's a recap of the high school All-Star game incoming DB LeMarcus Gibson played in last night.

"It was an honor to play in this game," Gibson said. "I didn't get picked for a lot of stuff. I went out and did my job. The Hawaii coaches wanted me to make some plays and I did that."

South All-star coach Durwood Anderson of Raleigh thinks the Big 3 will regret not landing a quality player in Gibson, who had offers from Tulsa, Houston and Buffalo.

"A lot of schools missed the boat on that kid," Anderson said. "Gibson is a good kid who wants to do well and has a lot of ability. I think he has a chance to be special."

That's awesome. Congratulations to LeMarcus.

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Timmy Chang didn't end up playing in last night's Ticat game, which Hamilton lost, 22 to 18.

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And some interesting developments regarding the WAC's TV deal with ESPN.

The Western Athletic Conference, feeling good about itself in the wake of Boise State's Fiesta Bowl victory and a highly anticipated 2007 football season, is betting that its stock will only continue to rise.

Despite a contract extension offer from television giant ESPN this summer, the league did not agree to extend its deal, WAC commissioner Karl Benson said Thursday.

...

"We have confidence that we'll continue to grow the WAC, and its value in two years will be greater than it is today. ... The WAC has to make sure we get the best possible business deal we can."

Oh no, not CSTV!

Benson said the inability to reach an agreement on an extension now does not mean that the league would be headed elsewhere after its contract expires.

"Right now, I don't sense that there is anyone else in the marketplace that we'd be interested in," Benson said.

Thank goodness. Well, let's hope the WAC continues to "Play UP!" and no one leaves the conference.