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You can find it at various places around the Acadiana area. So far I have found some at Rouses in Youngsville, Rees Street Market in Breaux Bridge, and Millers in Loreauville.Quote:
Originally Posted by moorecajun
One day I will be like MelRock and take a trip down the Bourbon Trail.
I'll add my .02 to this discussion. A lot contributed to this season's problems but I don't for one minute think it is because we have "bad" coaches or players. There is so much that goes into making a TEAM and sometimes it just doesn't come together.
I recall a few baseball seasons over the past decade where we underwhelmed and I don't think anyone would argue the fact that Tony is a great coach and those same players came back in subsequent seasons and made dramatic improvements.
In life everyone wants to look for one simple answer to fix "the problem". In reality that is rarely the case. As someone who has spent a considerable amount of time evaluating industrial accidents I can tell you that it is almost always a cascade of failures at multiple levels that ultimately creates a major disaster.
So this year we have some injuries and we don't fill those holes very well physically. We also lose some on the field leadership. We have some missteps in the scheme (ref. two qb's). We start shuffling players around to fill holes because of more injuries. We lose confidence. Instead of player leadership we get infighting. We out think ourselves trying to "fix it" (coaches).
Welcome to a poor year in the win column.
Well, I would hardly call them "tirades". I used your name because most people associated with Cajun athletics can recognize the example, and as you've stated in the above post, it fits. We can agree to disagree, but demons of the past should never steer your vehicle toward the future. I'm young enough to remember those days too. Obviously not in the same capacity as you Jay, but it did kinda suck to be in the select few that actually went and rooted for the Cajuns. Not much interest back then from the community at large. Things have changed. It looks like we've finally made a commitment to athletics. And the thing is, just like with out athletic budget, we can't afford to miss much. We can't afford to miss on $1 million dollars 3 years in a row. We don't have the history, the support, the alumni backing, or the national brand to back-track. If we don't continue to capitalize NOW, we'll head right back into the dark that you speak of.Quote:
Originally Posted by BirdofParadise
I do not take "joy" in anticipating disaster. I prefer to find solutions before the ship wrecks into the god damn rock. You've said many times, you watch the games differently than fans do. Well, I'll steal a page from your book and say, I probably watch the game differently than most fans do as well. I won't bog us down into the minutia of that, but I'm rarely concerned about that stats of a football game. I look for assignment sound football, discipline, checks and reads, schemes, route trees, does the staff understand what to do when, using personnel correctly, adapting and evolving, development of players, etc etc. These are the things that will tell you what kind of staff you have, and thats what I'm interested in.
Terrance Broadway covered a lot of ills. So did Zo, Ringo, Hamilton, Andersen, on and on.. I've been concerned about our people running the show for a few years now, and I've said that here. This year was a culmination of a lot of things. Injuries? Bad luck? Timing? Law of averages? All probably played a part, yes. Did injuries throw a pick 6 with seconds left in the half against Tech? A play that in a million years should never be called? Did injuries botch the QB situation in the spring and into the season? Did injuries cause the locker room to be in COMPLETE disarray? There are many other issues that I won't get into.
Hell bent? Yea, I'm hell bent on telling you that this is not a blip. Hudspeth is better than we've had, but he's not a million dollar coach, and his ceiling is much lower than people around the program think. Take out the FCS games, and the no chance P5 games. Then take out the bottom feeders of the SBC. He should be judged, starting year 2, on what he's done in about 6 games a year. The guy is 7-12 in OOC games. Thats good to you? Ok. I expect more, in this league, with this schedule.
Arkansas St, (I would assume you would consider them a peer), has done continued to win or compete for this conference championship every year. They compete every year with their OOC schedule. They've done it with several different players, coaches, QB's.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cajun90
Thats too much to ask for? For a million bucks, thats too much to expect?
If I'm wrong, I'll publicly say it. I'll go back and answer every post with "I was wrong, you are right".
you cant compare UL to Michigan State. Nor can you compare any team to any other team. Each year has its own issues. If this was three years in a row of this and excuse are still being made then someone is being then I would say, to use your words "enabling", them to think 9-4 is the ceiling at UL. I dont think it is nor do I think the Belt is the ceiling. Hud has said that major changes will happen this offseason and I will give him the benefit of the doubt to take care of it.Quote:
Originally Posted by cajunhawk
And in no way do i think that UL has not been substantially moved in the right direction by the success of the last 4 years. And in no way should you or anyone else think that I think that I am ok what this years result.
Buff, I hear you. And you're right mostly.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigbuf
But IMO, our fans spend too much time looking ahead and not enough time going back and dissecting the previous 4 years. And its because people seldom analyze wins. Because the ends justify the means. I get that. If you look at the games from an analytical stand-point, (forget that stats and outcomes), you will begin to see trends and issues. Watch the games with a coach, or smart player (preferably a offensive lineman). Things that took place this year are not new!
I get shy when I drink. You can't just take any color thong off and put it on your head in public... when you're shy.Quote:
Originally Posted by CajunT
I am sure no team is perfect, in any game, in any possession, in any play.Quote:
Originally Posted by ManAboutTown
I had an ex player tell me a couple of things before the season. Concerning the QB, I asked who would the team play for? He said Haack, said Nixon still had issues and Jordan Davis was the real deal. I inferred from that, Haack would be Captain and start. But after the Kentucky game I knew things were screwed up in that we didnt have the horses on the field with Haack in. But you are right it goes much deeper than that and it takes ex coaches/players and people that the coaches trust to really understand the multiple level failures it takes to have this crappy of a season. I am not one of those people, sure I know some ex players and have access to ex high school coaches but that just really give me a small snap shot of what is going on. I may be totally wrong on things.
Like another person posted I too have been in the safety field for many years and i can tell you with absolute certainty that the cause of every incident (4-? season) are problems that no-one saw coming and the real problem is something that surprises most people. But you really have to dig deep into it to get the answer. Short of talking to all the coaches, staff etc. you or anyone else will never know what really happened this year other than we had a crappy year, injuries, QB issues, O Line issues, D lines issues, Leadership issues, coaching issues, xyz issues, abc issues, new house issues etc. You have to take all of them into account even the one we don't know. In safety we term that as reactive. Something happens and you react to it to mitigate the hazard. Safety Professionals want to be proactive. We want to stop the incident from happening in the first place. I would equate that, in this instance, Defensive coaching changes, building the APC, setting up nutrition programs, pre-season camps, spring training and after season evaluations of the department top to bottom. In reality safety departments have to be poth because we cant for see every problem that will happen. The human factor is a funny thing in that its always there and there is no way to predict it. Recruiting is one of the best proactive tools they have but some kids change there mind, decide college is not for them, they don't like Lafayette or what ever. The point is even in recruiting the BEST P5 schools crap out at times.
I think UL in general has taken some very proactive steps since Dr. Savoie has been President. You and other may not like all or none of them, but its hard to argue that the stadium expansion, APC, 6+mil for the Tigue, and countless others has not been a huge step forward. Perfect? No but a far cry to what has happened in the past.
Why can we not compare teams? Does Michigan State not play in a conference, against peer institutions? Do they not call plays, or run an offense or defense? Do they not play football at all, and instead just show up for the dance team's halftime routine? You CAN compare football teams when you do it...OBJECTIVELY. In this case...injuries. All football teams have them. Comparing teams and how they handle injuries is a direct reflection on the quality of the coaching staffs ability to roll with the punches.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigbuf
This is three years in a row of the same problems. The chickens just came home to roost. The first two years it was glossed over by walloping SBC schools. Now we can't even do that. If you want to believe Hud...fine. I can't...because we have done this with him and the defense...3 times. It still hasn't worked out. So why does he deserve any benefit of the doubt? How much more has to go wrong before we realize it's lip service?
Then why are you giving him the benefit of the doubt? If you have serious concerns...why gloss them over?Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigbuf
If you cannot compare football teams...to...other...football teams...how in the blue blazes can you compare football teams to Safety departments?Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigbuf