Napier Shooting straight

Playing the 2 SEC teams this year hurt us more from a program standpoint than the big pay checks helped. It was terrible timing to play both of those games this season.

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Originally Posted by Crawfish

Playing the 2 SEC teams this year hurt us more from a program standpoint than the big play checks helped. It was terrible timing to play both of those games this season.

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Thanks Farmer

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Originally Posted by CajunVic

Wear black and they will be back.

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NOT.
A.
SCHOOL.
COLOR.

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Originally Posted by Cajunrunner

NOT.
A.
SCHOOL.
COLOR.

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It's not a color, so quit with the color crap.

I’ll stir the pot a little bit.

It is hard to overstate just how big of an impact Coach Hud had in getting fans into the stadium and getting people to buy in to the program. As good as Napier seems to be as a coach, this is one area he is lacking in. When Hud got here, he gave people (even the casual fans) a reason to invest their time and money into the program. People didn’t just show up because they thought they’d have a good time. It was more than that. They showed up because they felt obligated to. They bought in to the dream. Hud made them feel like a necessary and vital part of the team. And they felt like supporting this team mattered — that the team’s success would pay off for themselves, this city, and the University.

Hold the rope. Never let go. Pull in the same direction. It was brilliant.

We’ve talked a lot about why attendance has been low. But even if we make meaningful changes and start winning we might not ever get to Hud attendance levels again unless Napier can take a page out of Hud’s book and realize he is THE guy who needs to make a hard pitch to the community to buy in again. In G5 college football, it is not enough to just be a good football coach.

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Originally Posted by CajunRebel

I’ll stir the pot a little bit.

It is hard to overstate just how big of an impact Coach Hud had in getting fans into the stadium and getting people to buy in to the program. As good as Napier seems to be as a coach, this is one area he is lacking in. When Hud got here, he gave people (even the casual fans) a reason to invest their time and money into the program. People didn’t just show up because they thought they’d have a good time. It was more than that. They showed up because they felt obligated to. They bought in to the dream. Hud made them feel like a necessary and vital part of the team. And they felt like supporting this team mattered — that the team’s success would pay off for themselves, this city, and the University.

Hold the rope. Never let go. Pull in the same direction. It was brilliant.

We’ve talked a lot about why attendance has been low. But even if we make meaningful changes and start winning we might not ever get to Hud attendance levels again unless Napier can take a page out of Hud’s book and realize he is THE guy who needs to make a hard pitch to the community to buy in again. In G5 college football, it is not enough to just be a good football coach.

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Napier needs to keep doing what he’s doing now. Build a solid foundation and keep winning.

Hud was here for the race. Napier is a marathon man.

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Originally Posted by RC8

Napier needs to keep doing what he’s doing now. Build a solid foundation and keep winning.

Hud was here for the race. Napier is a marathon man.

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Bingo...the cheerleader role was cool & productive at first...you eventually have to lead and coach.

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Originally Posted by CajunRebel

I’ll stir the pot a little bit.

It is hard to overstate just how big of an impact Coach Hud had in getting fans into the stadium and getting people to buy in to the program. As good as Napier seems to be as a coach, this is one area he is lacking in. When Hud got here, he gave people (even the casual fans) a reason to invest their time and money into the program. People didn’t just show up because they thought they’d have a good time. It was more than that. They showed up because they felt obligated to. They bought in to the dream. Hud made them feel like a necessary and vital part of the team. And they felt like supporting this team mattered — that the team’s success would pay off for themselves, this city, and the University.

Hold the rope. Never let go. Pull in the same direction. It was brilliant.

We’ve talked a lot about why attendance has been low. But even if we make meaningful changes and start winning we might not ever get to Hud attendance levels again unless Napier can take a page out of Hud’s book and realize he is THE guy who needs to make a hard pitch to the community to buy in again. In G5 college football, it is not enough to just be a good football coach.

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There is no doubt that you have something here, something really big. HUD portrayed Cajun Football and the University as bigger than life and took the time and made the effort to get buyin from all that he came into contact with, whether it be one on one, in a small group, before the quarter back club or before the media. I've been hard on where HUD ended his career here, but from the beginning until trouble started, he had this right - he had this right biggly.

If Nape does not find a way to take some of this page from the HUD play book, he may never get the buyin that HUD got, no matter the results. To survive in G5, the head coach has to be much more than just the head coach. It just is what it is.

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Originally Posted by CajunRebel

I'll stir the pot a little bit.

It is hard to overstate just how big of an impact Coach Hud had in getting fans into the stadium and getting people to buy in to the program. As good as Napier seems to be as a coach, this is one area he is lacking in. When Hud got here, he gave people (even the casual fans) a reason to invest their time and money into the program. People didn't just show up because they thought they'd have a good time. It was more than that. They showed up because they felt obligated to. They bought in to the dream. Hud made them feel like a necessary and vital part of the team. And they felt like supporting this team mattered — that the team's success would pay off for themselves, this city, and the University.

Hold the rope. Never let go. Pull in the same direction. It was brilliant.

We've talked a lot about why attendance has been low. But even if we make meaningful changes and start winning we might not ever get to Hud attendance levels again unless Napier can take a page out of Hud's book and realize he is THE guy who needs to make a hard pitch to the community to buy in again. In G5 college football, it is not enough to just be a good football coach.

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We won't see those average for a awhile a good amount of fans are still ____ed at the univ from the previous coaching staff and Administration which will take time to heal.

Napier should not have to worry about that he just has to focus on winning we have people hired to handle fan support.

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Originally Posted by CajunJeaux

Bingo...the cheerleader role was cool & productive at first...you eventually have to lead and coach.

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ACT probation, 13 arrested, f DT video (especially when the cheer leader changed the cheers to addresses down almost every single donor in favor of the video) combined with poor performance on the field - no cheerleader regardless of how charismatic, can survive. He didn't.

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Originally Posted by cajun_lannister

. . .we have people hired to handle fan support.

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And right now, those have the ire of the casual fan which we need to develop to get to the desired levels.

Don't fool yourself, if this is going to get done, the G5 coach will need to help.

Also, right now, many of those that HUD got to buyin are still buying, but they are not going to the games. We need help from the coach to get this group interested again and thereby attending.

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Originally Posted by CajunRebel

I'll stir the pot a little bit.

It is hard to overstate just how big of an impact Coach Hud had in getting fans into the stadium and getting people to buy in to the program. As good as Napier seems to be as a coach, this is one area he is lacking in. When Hud got here, he gave people (even the casual fans) a reason to invest their time and money into the program. People didn't just show up because they thought they'd have a good time. It was more than that. They showed up because they felt obligated to. They bought in to the dream. Hud made them feel like a necessary and vital part of the team. And they felt like supporting this team mattered — that the team's success would pay off for themselves, this city, and the University.

Hold the rope. Never let go. Pull in the same direction. It was brilliant.

We've talked a lot about why attendance has been low. But even if we make meaningful changes and start winning we might not ever get to Hud attendance levels again unless Napier can take a page out of Hud's book and realize he is THE guy who needs to make a hard pitch to the community to buy in again. In G5 college football, it is not enough to just be a good football coach.

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I had the same conversation with a friend over lunch earlier this week. I agree Hudspeth was great at firing students as well supporters up about the program. His charisma was also very effective in helping raise funds for facilities and RCAF. Some people have a gift for that sort of thing and others do not. I don't believe Coach Napier would come off the same way to students because it would be unnatural for him.

Coach Napier is a motivator to his athletes through a process that focuses on working hard daily and building trust with them through his actions and that of his staff. The students don't have that relationship with Napier because they don't see or hear him daily, they are not part of the process.

I'm willing to give it a shot, but I don't think it will help much right now. I think winning and creating their own traditions will help get the students back in the stands.

We have to attract the marginal fan. As said before... we need to win. We also need to price our product accordingly. Tickets and concessions are hurting our attendance. There aren't enough people in the stands to warrant our pricing. Take the student side and sell those seats at a price that people can't pass up. Give them a concession voucher at a reasonable price. Make those borderline fans come back. Whatever it is.. make it happen. Fill that side of the stadium.

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Originally Posted by RC8

Napier needs to keep doing what he’s doing now. Build a solid foundation and keep winning.

Hud was here for the race. Napier is a marathon man.

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I don’t see why it has to be either/or. He can do both.

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Originally Posted by CajunRebel

I don't see why it has to be either/or. He can do both.

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Its like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole if Napier tried to Ra Ra like Hud it would feel forced.

Just imagine Bustle trying to give the hold the rope speech

Never put my faith in a coach, but I think we need to extend his contract by 2 yrs and raise his salary to 1.5 million a year we need to make it happen he is the man I want running this program. His view about improving this team and his view on attendance has me thinking he is the right man for the job!!

We need to show how much faith that he can get this program turned around, and change the culture here in making Louisiana a household name.

I don’t think this will be the HUD situation all over again.

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Originally Posted by cajun_lannister

We won't see those average for a awhile a good amount of fans are still ____ed at the univ from the previous coaching staff and Administration which will take time to heal.

Napier should not have to worry about that he just has to focus on winning we have people hired to handle fan support.

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I disagree. One of the things I remember Mike Alden talking about was how in college football your coach is THE face of the program. He is the name everyone knows, the one the media want to hear speak, the one everyone talks about, the one who inspires the boosters to donate, and the one who motivates fans to show up.

To a large extent, the people in charge of fan support can only work with what the coach gives them. Napier bears a large part of the responsibility to get people in the stadium on game day.

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Originally Posted by cajun_lannister

Its like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole if Napier tried to Ra Ra like Hud it would feel forced.

Just imagine Bustle trying to give the hold the rope speech

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I get it. I’m not asking Napier to be anything other than himself. If the man can find a way to motivate his players to buy in without the rah rah, I’m confident he can do the same with us.

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Originally Posted by CajunRebel

I’ll stir the pot a little bit.

It is hard to overstate just how big of an impact Coach Hud had in getting fans into the stadium and getting people to buy in to the program. As good as Napier seems to be as a coach, this is one area he is lacking in. When Hud got here, he gave people (even the casual fans) a reason to invest their time and money into the program. People didn’t just show up because they thought they’d have a good time. It was more than that. They showed up because they felt obligated to. They bought in to the dream. Hud made them feel like a necessary and vital part of the team. And they felt like supporting this team mattered — that the team’s success would pay off for themselves, this city, and the University.

Hold the rope. Never let go. Pull in the same direction. It was brilliant.

We’ve talked a lot about why attendance has been low. But even if we make meaningful changes and start winning we might not ever get to Hud attendance levels again unless Napier can take a page out of Hud’s book and realize he is THE guy who needs to make a hard pitch to the community to buy in again. In G5 college football, it is not enough to just be a good football coach.

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As per usual, you’re wrong.

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Originally Posted by cajun_lannister

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tonight Billy Napier addressed the attendance woes. Saturday UL "placed" a season low 17,068 fans in the stadium. Coach spoke for several minutes on the topic hitting many of the usual talking points, but also shouldering some of the blame. <a href="https://t.co/sn4B9CQBQE">pic.twitter.com/sn4B9CQBQE</a></p>— Andrew Clay (@AndrewClayTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewClayTV/status/1057804974997016576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

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The video will not open. Is it because of the browser I'm using? Maybe only Google will open it. I'm using IE.

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Originally Posted by CajunRebel

I’ll stir the pot a little bit.

It is hard to overstate just how big of an impact Coach Hud had in getting fans into the stadium and getting people to buy in to the program. As good as Napier seems to be as a coach, this is one area he is lacking in. When Hud got here, he gave people (even the casual fans) a reason to invest their time and money into the program. People didn’t just show up because they thought they’d have a good time. It was more than that. They showed up because they felt obligated to. They bought in to the dream. Hud made them feel like a necessary and vital part of the team. And they felt like supporting this team mattered — that the team’s success would pay off for themselves, this city, and the University.

Hold the rope. Never let go. Pull in the same direction. It was brilliant.

We’ve talked a lot about why attendance has been low. But even if we make meaningful changes and start winning we might not ever get to Hud attendance levels again unless Napier can take a page out of Hud’s book and realize he is THE guy who needs to make a hard pitch to the community to buy in again. In G5 college football, it is not enough to just be a good football coach.

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This is SPOT. ON!
I too have been Hard on Hud.
But after reading your Post, you are ABSOLUTELY correct.
When Hud came here, he cheer led the H#LL out the program and was absolutely instrumental in getting the fan base in their required seats.
In fact, I remember a statement he made in one of his first press conferences was that a PRIMARY JOB - as the Coach - was to get Butts in Seats.

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Originally Posted by CajunRebel

I’ll stir the pot a little bit.

It is hard to overstate just how big of an impact Coach Hud had in getting fans into the stadium and getting people to buy in to the program. As good as Napier seems to be as a coach, this is one area he is lacking in. When Hud got here, he gave people (even the casual fans) a reason to invest their time and money into the program. People didn’t just show up because they thought they’d have a good time. It was more than that. They showed up because they felt obligated to. They bought in to the dream. Hud made them feel like a necessary and vital part of the team. And they felt like supporting this team mattered — that the team’s success would pay off for themselves, this city, and the University.

Hold the rope. Never let go. Pull in the same direction. It was brilliant.

We’ve talked a lot about why attendance has been low. But even if we make meaningful changes and start winning we might not ever get to Hud attendance levels again unless Napier can take a page out of Hud’s book and realize he is THE guy who needs to make a hard pitch to the community to buy in again. In G5 college football, it is not enough to just be a good football coach.

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Hud's was a big fancy house built on sand. Napier is laying the proper foundation. When his house goes up, it will last.

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Originally Posted by Ragin9221

Never put my faith in a coach, but I think we need to extend his contract by 2 yrs and raise his salary to 1.5 million a year we need to make it happen he is the man I want running this program. His view about improving this team and his view on attendance has me thinking he is the right man for the job!!

We need to show how much faith that he can get this program turned around, and change the culture here in making Louisiana a household name.

I don’t think this will be the HUD all over again.

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While I understand your sentiments, I believe it is too early to do that and wouldn't do anything to keep him, anyway. I can't imagine Napier going to anything other than, at the least, a top AAC or MWC school. Any school at that level, and any P5 school in which he might be interested, can easily outbid Louisiana in terms of salary. Presuming he is ambitious and wants to eventually coach at a school that can contend for an NC, he will be gone if successful. If he is successful, and by that I mean at least a couple of ten win seasons and knocking off a P5 or two, there is little we could do to retain him if he is offered the right position. The good news is, I believe we have him for at least two more years.

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Originally Posted by CajunT

I had the same conversation with a friend over lunch earlier this week. I agree Hudspeth was great at firing students as well supporters up about the program. His charisma was also very effective in helping raise funds for facilities and RCAF. Some people have a gift for that sort of thing and others do not. I don't believe Coach Napier would come off the same way to students because it would be unnatural for him.

Coach Napier is a motivator to his athletes through a process that focuses on working hard daily and building trust with them through his actions and that of his staff. The students don't have that relationship with Napier because they don't see or hear him daily, they are not part of the process.

I'm willing to give it a shot, but I don't think it will help much right now. I think winning and creating their own traditions will help get the students back in the stands.

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As I said above, if he can motivate his players to buy in in his own way, I’m sure he can do the same for everyone else.

The thing is, I’m not sure coach Napier has taken ownership of this in the same way Hud did. While I appreciate his comments about the attendance where he acknowledges that we haven’t won enough to get people interested, I just hope he realizes that it will probably take more than just winning to get people to buy in. The casual fan isn’t going to know what we know about what Napier is doing behind closed doors. They aren’t going to understand that a 6-6 season this year would be a huge success and a sign of a bright future. He’s got to be involved in reaching out to them.

To be clear, I think he is a good coach. I’m glad he’s here. I think he’ll bring us success.

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Originally Posted by ManAboutTown

As per usual, you’re wrong.

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Are we arguing like 3rd graders again this morning? Ok.

No, YOU ARE WRONGER!!!