Cajuns showing interest in Josh Brister

[zephyr]

What about Justin Hamilton's prediction has been overblown? He'll be a four year letterman & three year starter, and an All conference player this season. He'll get invited to the national scouting combine. And he still has a very very good chance of being a first round draft pick depending on how well he plays this season. You care to explain how I could overblow that? Especially coming from a guy who said he'd be red shirted & wouldn't see the field until his third season if he worked real hard & was lucky.

First of all, I can now confirm that you believe what you want to believe and say what you want to say and that is it. If you remembered anything accurately, you'd remember that I was as high as Hamilton coming into UL as anybody in that class. As a matter of fact, I mentioned that he was the one guy I felt would be an immediate contributor since we had always lacked a large and immovable force inside for the 4-3 we ran. For years, we took OLB and converted them to DE's and took DE's and converted them to DT's which always made us smaller on the line than other teams. The fact that I felt this way and knew what Justin Hamilton possessed in the form of size, strength and speed is the absolute reason I thought he'd be an immediate contributor and this is undisputed. You must have me confused with someone else although I'm sure you will debate it all day and night.

The issue is that you took this enthusiasm and ran with it as if you were the only person in cajun land who had similar feelings for him and tend to use that to throw in people's faces to make yourself into eye for talent genius when MANY here felt that way about Hamilton.

Where you have overblown it is the, without a doubt and you are stupid if you believe otherwise, notion that he will be a starting DT in the league his first year out of college and first round pick. I say you have overblown this in the sense that while Justin has been solid for us, he's been double teamed way too often and given way too much attention to garner the numbers that would impress scouts to make him such a highly drafted kid. Until he's able to show that he can beat double teams and find a way to the QB more than he's done this far, he will certainly get looks but he hasn't been a first team SBC performer the past several years as you expected and may not even by a first teamer this year.

[Bandwagon King]

I'll tell you what Noah Marks' problem was. His combine numbers would have sucked. He wasn't particularly fast in the forty. His upper body strength could be better & will improve massively under under Witt. And his pass blocking skills might be questionable only because of the type of offense Westminster ran. But as a road grading tank there wasn;t a lineman in this country who was any better. He'll open holes for the prophet like Nate Newsome & Mark whatever his name was, used to do for Emmit Smith. My prediction: There will be a LOT of touchdowns scored behing that big man's wide behind before he leaves that school.

I'll say it again. Somone call the law because somebody got away with pure thievery on that guy.

[Bandwagon King]

Thanks Kyle! I did look it up and what you predicted then doesn't quite match up to what we've seen with Justin so far, but he still has a season to go, his 4th, which means he didn't go pro after 3. I do agree with your assessment of his athletic ability!

I'm a Justin fan and I'm looking forward to seeing his full potential this fall. Based on what I've heard, we are 3 deep on the DL this year, so when Justin is in the game, he should be fresh and that should spell trouble for the opposing team. He's shown the talent you described back when, but he hasn't done it consistently. I believe that is due to conditioning and being on the field too long. I hope he realizes he has a pro football future if he gets fit and stays fit throughout the season. Also, this season is his last to show the NFL what he can do, or pro sports lingo, this is HIS CONTRACT YEAR!

Now compare that to what Zephyr wrote then & see who the biggest revisionist is. (:

[zephyr]

Now compare that to what Zephyr wrote then & see who the biggest revisionist is. (:

Revisionist or inaccuracy? You were inaccurate, at least based upon your statements you made. I was high on Justin Hamilton but I also was willing to temper expectations because I know that there is a difference from physical size and ability versus actually entering a D-1 program and learning and improving over a time period for which you have to do it on the field. People are often way too willing to anoint a player the second coming of ......... just based on a game film from their senior year or physical measurables. I use Brooks Haack as an example. Do I see him being a quality player in the future for us? Yes, possibly even our starter for two years down the line. However, as he was coming into the program two years ago, I heard he was the most accurate passer we had ever had and would be one of the best QB's to ever play here etc... Nobody knows that from the limited information we had, especially not having seen him play one down of meaningful football in game situations. This is often the type of statements that make me temper expectations and those were the type of expectations you had on Hamilton. I saw promise and size but wanted to wait and see how he would develop.

[Bandwagon King]

Bump

We're having fun. Get over it. He's gonna end up where he ends up, & nothing I write on here will change that. For the record I agree with what a lot of guys are saying about Josh really having to step his game up & kick some behind in a major way to get noticed like he has to now. But that's not even gonna help now with most schools, because without those combine numbers for the coaches to convince themselves, it's a moot point. He's in the same boat with Xenno & Marks & I have to face that. So I either have to peddle him to one of UL's FBS competitors, send him to an FCS school, or send him the JUCO route & do this all over again next year armed with the proper first hand knowledge. I'm guessing JUCO route. But that'll be up to him to ultimately decide.

[Bandwagon King]

Revisionist or inaccuracy? You were inaccurate, at least based upon your statements you made. I was high on Justin Hamilton but I also was willing to temper expectations because I know that there is a difference from physical size and ability versus actually entering a D-1 program and learning and improving over a time period for which you have to do it on the field. People are often way too willing to anoint a player the second coming of ......... just based on a game film from their senior year or physical measurables. I use Brooks Haack as an example. Do I see him being a quality player in the future for us? Yes, possibly even our starter for two years down the line. However, as he was coming into the program two years ago, I heard he was the most accurate passer we had ever had and would be one of the best QB's to ever play here etc... Nobody knows that from the limited information we had, especially not having seen him play one down of meaningful football in game situations. This is often the type of statements that make me temper expectations and those were the type of expectations you had on Hamilton. I saw promise and size but wanted to wait and see how he would develop.

You said he'd be red shirted. That trumps any of my BS.

[Bandwagon King]

Thanks Kyle! I did look it up and what you predicted then doesn't quite match up to what we've seen with Justin so far, but he still has a season to go, his 4th, which means he didn't go pro after 3. I do agree with your assessment of his athletic ability!

I'm a Justin fan and I'm looking forward to seeing his full potential this fall. Based on what I've heard, we are 3 deep on the DL this year, so when Justin is in the game, he should be fresh and that should spell trouble for the opposing team. He's shown the talent you described back when, but he hasn't done it consistently. I believe that is due to conditioning and being on the field too long. I hope he realizes he has a pro football future if he gets fit and stays fit throughout the season. Also, this season is his last to show the NFL what he can do, or pro sports lingo, this is HIS CONTRACT YEAR!

I did forget my pro after three years prediction. You could have helped me out & forgotten it also. You see how that revisionist stuff works? (; (;

[CrazyCajun]

We're having fun. Get over it. He's gonna end up where he ends up, & nothing I write on here will change that. For the record I agree with what a lot of guys are saying about Josh really having to step his game up & kick some behind in a major way to get noticed like he has to now. But that's not even gonna help now with most schools, because without those combine numbers for the coaches to convince themselves, it's a moot point. He's in the same boat with Xenno & Marks & I have to face that. So I either have to peddle him to one of UL's FBS competitors, send him to an FCS school, or send him the JUCO route & do this all over again next year armed with the proper first hand knowledge. I'm guessing JUCO route. But that'll be up to him to ultimately decide.

You don't know that, you can't possibly know that. He still has a whole year of school left. You are acting like he is starting his freshman year of college in 2 months. You may be just having fun but keep in mind, coaches read these boards.

[Bandwagon King]

You don't know that, you can't possibly know that. He still has a whole year of school left. You are acting like he is starting his freshman year of college in 2 months. You may be just having fun but keep in mind, coaches read these boards.

And I'm telling you by example the realities of life. No one could have had a better senior year at the 1-A level than Xenno did. No one could have been in better condition or stronger than Xenno was. On one hand I have guys like you telling me I need to get a grip & be honest with myself. And on the other hand when I do that I have guys like you telling me I don't know what I'm talking about when I am honest. And you don't have an idea. The fact is Josh doesn't have official combine numbers to justify his being offered by an FBS school to overcome the fact that he's from a 1-a class program. That was the ONLY way HE was ever gonna get looked at by a P5 school. Period. No matter what you, BJ, me, or anyone else want to believe t doesn't matter. He's not a skill position player. And even if he were, someone would always be around to poke holes in his achievement unless he had those combine numbers to put himself up against the top flight rated guys in America.

What's the first thing you want to know when UL gets a player? Answer: Who else offered.
No. 2- What school? Meaning which class did he compete & how strong was their competition level.
No.3- Where did he rank? Nobody admits just like nobody voted for Edwards or Obama. But it's a fact.
No.4-How many All state & state championships does he have. Obviously that didn't help Xennon as good as his career was.

You think coaches are any different than the fans? You think they don't know what their fans & boosters are looking for? If you can't give a real good answer for for numbers for 1,2, & 4. You darned well better have number three, or be riding the Mark Hudspeth cloud of invincibility. He's about the only guy in America who could get away with taking a guy on instinct. And he isn't gonna stetch his neck out that far without good reason. And me being a good soldier & keeping my mouth shut aint good enough.

At this point I'm not too worried about my son losing something Iknow he's not gonna get. I'm trying to figure out a way to get him where he should have been two and a half months ago.

[CrazyCajun]

And I'm telling you by example the realities of life. No one could have had a better senior year at the 1-A level than Xenno did. No one could have been in better condition or stronger than Xenno was. On one hand I have guys like you telling me I need to get a grip & be honest with myself. And on the other hand when I do that I have guys like you telling me I don't know what I'm talking about when I am honest. And you don't have an idea. The fact is Josh doesn't have official combine numbers to justify his being offered by an FBS school to overcome the fact that he's from a 1-a class program. That was the ONLY way HE was ever gonna get looked at by a P5 school. Period. No matter what you, BJ, me, or anyone else want to believe t doesn't matter. He's not a skill position player. And even if he were, someone would always be around to poke holes in his achievement unless he had those combine numbers to put himself up against the top flight rated guys in America.

What's the first thing you want to know when UL gets a player? Answer: Who else offered.
No. 2- What school? Meaning which class did he compete & how strong was their competition level.
No.3- Where did he rank? Nobody admits just like nobody voted for Edwards or Obama. But it's a fact.
No.4-How many All state & state championships does he have. Obviously that didn't help Xennon as good as his career was.

You think coaches are any different than the fans? You think they don't know what their fans & boosters are looking for? If you can't give a real good answer for for numbers for 1,2, & 4. You darned well better have number three, or be riding the Mark Hudspeth cloud of invincibility. He's about the only guy in America who could get away with taking a guy on instinct. And he isn't gonna stetch his neck out that far without good reason. And me being a good soldier & keeping my mouth shut aint good enough.

At this point I'm not too worried about my son losing something Iknow he's not gonna get. I'm trying to figure out a way to get him where he should have been two and a half months ago.

So what do you want to do now Kyle? What do you want to do since you failed to get your son to the right camp? Answer this one question, will your son get a free education and get to play football somewhere? If the answer is yes quit _____ing and moaning and sounding so damn ungrateful. There are millions of kids that would trade places with your son for that opportunity I'm sorry it won't be as cool for you standing around the water cooler having everyone stroke your ego. Look at half the saints OL and tell them how they got screwed by not going to a P5 or a high school combine. Quit being a damn baby.

[CajunT]

The start of that stupidity was depending on YOU my man. I asked YOU what I needed to do two years ago & i'm doing it. The problem was your perception based on him going to a class 1-A high school. I kept telling you you needed to open your mind up. I kept telling you that if he continued to do work like he was working he was gonna blow up. Every time you showed me a guy UL signed & I could see how Josh was bigger & had better structure.

You think I want to be on here having this little tiff? You're wrong. But you say what you want. I've spent enough money on his recruiting process & sending him to a myriad of camps across the state to pay for his first year of tuition at Stanford. Has he gotten some great coaching & met some outstanding coaches? Absolutely. But his chances of getting to an FBS program because he didn't attend one of those combines was crippled beyond what I can calculate. And if you know anything about the system you know what I'm saying is the absolute truth. No matter what you say, you know I'm right. You may not have realized the importance before now. But you sure as hell do now, thanks to my son's lost opportunities which we will never even know about. How many more Noah Marks are ther out there BJ? Who is going to give those guys a well deserved opportunity?

UL couldn't even hold a Spring football game because they didn't have enough depth on the offensive line to play one & no one seems to be bothered about that. If they lose the SBC this season, it won't be because Broadway sucked, or we didn't have top flight recieving corps. It certainly won't be because of one of the best group of Running backs in the nation. It will be because we were to beat up or beat down at the LOS. Noah Marks alone could have been that difference maker for that program if it doesn't happen for that team this season. Noah never had a chance because he believed in a system which was set up to lock him out. I personally saw Les Miles step right over him to talk to a couple of Rival's wonder boys & offer them right in front of my face. I even wrote about it last year when I thought UL would offer him. I wonder if he would have been offerd had LSU made any overtones? I am fighting to avoid that for my son & any other parent & child from a small school, or big school around the Lafayette area from now on for that matter. That's why I'm on here sounding like a fool. I don't care because it does matter.

Edit: Your perception of 1-A high school football is certainly not unique. That's the problem. I went to the Nicholls camp myself. And I can tell you now. I saw whole squads of players from East Felliciano, Jesuit, Suphur High, and Evangel. East Felliciano looked just as good as Jesuit, Sulphur & Evangel. Maybe better. Just because a guy comes from a 1-a or 2-a program doesn't matter that much. Are the odds of seeing more college ready players better at a big school game? Yes they are. But there are plenty of college ready players on the 1-a & 2-a level. Is the talent always as refined? Most likely not. But that's what coaching is for.

"The problem was your perception based on him going to a class 1-A high school. I kept telling you you needed to open your mind up. I kept telling you that if he continued to do work like he was working he was gonna blow up. "

Kyle, this comment pretty much explains everything! It's not me you have to convince of anything, its college football coaches! Without getting into all of our private conversations, I advised you to get him into college football camps, not just LSU, UL and the linemen camp at Nichols. Did he attend camps at Tulane, Louisiana Tech, Northwestern State, Southeastern or McNeese? I also advised you to get him to as many junior days as
possible and to not put your eggs in one basket; Besides UL or LSU, what other junior days did Josh attend?

In all out conversations until recently, not once did you inform me that you paid for NSCA's services. While they serve a purpose and help many kids, most athletes that are FBS or FCS prospects don't need their services because they will approach all divisions of college football including NAIA, DII or DIII. They offer their services to male and female athletes and their goals are to get you child a scholarship. They are not concerned with what division the program competes in. You made that decision as a parent.

"And if you know anything about the system you know what I'm saying is the absolute truth. No matter what you say, you know I'm right. You may not have realized the importance before now. But you sure as hell do now, thanks to my son's lost opportunities which we will never even know about. How many more Noah Marks are there out there BJ? Who is going to give those guys a well deserved opportunity?

Kyle, there are plenty opportunities for kids like Noah Marks, including FCS, NAIA, DII, DIII or Junior College. And there are many kids just like him that are big and strong, but need work on technique, getting the center core of their bodies balanced in a weight and conditioning program or just playing more football against better competition in junior college. You see, being just big and strong doesn't guarantee anyone the opportunity to play at the next level. And proclaiming that a kid is a top 50 talent and snubbing your nose or ignoring those opportunities that many other kids have had to work through to earn a scholarship, is both arrogant and condescending.

"I appreciate your information & you MAY be right about all that you are saying cocerning UL. But when I click on the Rival's sports web site, or the 24-7 web site. Almost every single picture of every top recruit listed has either an underarmor shirt on in front of a banner with with under armor all over it, or they have their picture with a Nike tee shirt which says NTFC. I'm going to assume that means National Training Football Combine. Almost every single top rated player in America. We're not talking about the top 50. We're talking about the top 5000 or more. The cold hard truth is that those combines are absolutely the easiest best way for an athlete, especially from a small school to get noticed by virtue of their athletic ability. Because they go through all the combine skills together with every FBS school in America watching. The coaches aren't running the drills. They are standing there watching the players go through the drills & evaluating in real time evidently."

Again, here is another example of you thinking you know everything because you have already made up your mind or drawing conclusions. First, there are former coaches or players running those camps and conducting the drills. But not a single one of them are current coaches at any NCAA football program today. It is against NCAA rules for any currently employed college football coach to attend combines put on by any national organization outside of the NCAA. They can get those combine numbers by paying for them from that particular service. This is why college football programs put on their own camps on so that their staff's can evaluate athletes much closer. There are many kids from the inner city or rural areas that can not afford to attend these camps or don't have the transportation to get to them. You won't see them wearing any NUC or Nike shirt, but some of them will end up signing with very good football program on National Signing Day and eventually get ranked. This is why UL and others are conducting off campus camps, to get to kids that otherwise could not attend your camp on site or any other camps.

Do those national combines help kids, yes. For the most part, some of them are just about getting top kids to come out and compete, while trying to influence or direct athletes to certain programs. In some cases, they are very similar to AAU Basketball or All Star teams.

I made this last post to answer you and to give one last bit of advice. It is July and a number of schools are going to have camps this month. Get on the phone and call McNeese, Louisiana Tech, ULM, Southeastern, Tulane and Northwestern State to see if you can get him in to any of those camps. Its not the end of world and Josh hasn't even played his senior year. Then this fall, bring him to as many games as possible on unofficial visits to show those programs you and he are interested. If you chose not to do those things, then that is your decision.

[Bandwagon King]

So what do you want to do now Kyle? What do you want to do since you failed to get your son to the right camp? Answer this one question, will your son get a free education and get to play football somewhere? If the answer is yes quit _____ing and moaning and sounding so damn ungrateful. There are millions of kids that would trade places with your son for that opportunity I'm sorry it won't be as cool for you standing around the water cooler having everyone stroke your ego. Look at half the saints OL and tell them how they got screwed by not going to a P5 or a high school combine. Quit being a damn baby.

You're right there. Sorry about the belly aching. But I wanted him to play for UL & Mark Hudspeth. And I know that's what he wanted too.