Cajuns Football: A Slow Climb

[CajunRed]

I'm just trying to get a feel for things.

Next year we will play 3 BCS teams, all of which have football budgets anywhere from 3 to 10 times ours. We will probably start the season 0 and 3.

Question... if we then do not win 7 of the remaining 9 games, should this current staff or a staff we have in the future facing the same schedule be considered failures and let go? This is the kind of question we need to answer for ourselves REGARDLESS of who is coaching... Coach Bustle and his staff or his replacement if it comes to that.

My thought is that pressure needs to be put on the AD's department, which includes David Walker, as well as fan-favorite Scott Farmer, to play only "1" true money game against an overwhelming opponent on the road. Until we do that, 6 and 6 cannot necessarily be considered a failing grade.

[CajunRage]

_ I'm just trying to get a feel for things.

Next year we will play 3 BCS teams, all of which have football budgets anywhere from 3 to 10 times ours. We will probably start the season 0 and 3.

Question... if we then do not win 7 of the remaining 9 games, should this current staff or a staff we have in the future facing the same schedule be considered failures and let go? This is the kind of question we need to answer for ourselves REGARDLESS of who is coaching... Coach Bustle and his staff or his replacement if it comes to that.

My thought is that pressure needs to be put on the AD's department, which includes David Walker, as well as fan-favorite Scott Farmer, to play only "1" true money game against an overwhelming opponent on the road. Until we do that, 6 and 6 cannot necessarily be considered a failing grade. _

Everyone needs to stop looking at just the record. We lay eggs with Bustle and his staff. We start out 1-0 against Southern. We beat K-State to go 2-0. Big time win. A couple bounces go our way and we are in the game against LSU but that doesn't happen. 2-1. We get stomped by Nebraska. Although we weren't expected to win, a little disheartening. 2-2 going into conference. Better than the 1-3 record expected. We start out 2-0 in conference over NT and WKU going into homecoming against a 1 win FAU. We get our @$$es handed to us. Ok, we are 2-1 in conference and 4-3 overall. And the skid of horrible 2nd half play has begun. We lose to another 1 win team in FIU. 4-4. We then go to stAte and knock them off which we weren't supposed to do. 5-4. Go to MT and lead at half only to make no adjustments and mark down the L. 5-5. We beat ULM as we should and get beat by Troy to finish 6-6.

We won 2 games that we were not expected to win. Big seasons for programs like us consist of ALWAYS winning the games you should and then some. Beating K-State and stAte means nothing when we lose to other bottomfeeders like FIU and FAU. With those 2 wins, our 6-6 expectations were immediately escalated to 8-4 expectations. Bustle and his staff did not meet expectations and therefore are not doing their job.

[CajunRed]

_ Everyone needs to stop looking at just the record. We lay eggs with Bustle and his staff. We start out 1-0 against Southern. We beat K-State to go 2-0. Big time win. A couple bounces go our way and we are in the game against LSU but that doesn't happen. 2-1. We get stomped by Nebraska. Although we weren't expected to win, a little disheartening. 2-2 going into conference. Better than the 1-3 record expected. We start out 2-0 in conference over NT and WKU going into homecoming against a 1 win FAU. We get our @$$es handed to us. Ok, we are 2-1 in conference and 4-3 overall. And the skid of horrible 2nd half play has begun. We lose to another 1 win team in FIU. 4-4. We then go to stAte and knock them off which we weren't supposed to do. 5-4. Go to MT and lead at half only to make no adjustments and mark down the L. 5-5. We beat ULM as we should and get beat by Troy to finish 6-6.

We won 2 games that we were not expected to win. Big seasons for programs like us consist of ALWAYS winning the games you should and then some. Beating K-State and stAte means nothing when we lose to other bottomfeeders like FIU and FAU. With those 2 wins, our 6-6 expectations were immediately escalated to 8-4 expectations. Bustle and his staff did not meet expectations and therefore are not doing their job. _

You did not address my question concerning years like next year... which will include "3" very strong BCS programs. Will you expect us to win 7 of our last 9 games? And will that be expected of any future coaches we have?

[Turbine]

This would apply even if a coaching change had been made.

Next year UL plays 6 bowl teams (mentioned by Walker) and 6 non bowl teams.

Since UL is bowl eligible it fits squarely in the middle of next years caliber of opponents, UL should go 6-6 minimum.

[CajunRed]

_ This would apply even if a coaching change had been made.

Next year UL plays 6 bowl teams (mentioned by Walker) and 6 non bowl teams.

Since UL is bowl eligible it fits squarely in the middle of next years caliber of opponents, UL should go 6-6 minimum. _

So if we had changed coaches and he did not win 7 games, he should be fired.

[zephyr]

_ Everyone needs to stop looking at just the record. We lay eggs with Bustle and his staff. We start out 1-0 against Southern. We beat K-State to go 2-0. Big time win. A couple bounces go our way and we are in the game against LSU but that doesn't happen. 2-1. We get stomped by Nebraska. Although we weren't expected to win, a little disheartening. 2-2 going into conference. Better than the 1-3 record expected. We start out 2-0 in conference over NT and WKU going into homecoming against a 1 win FAU. We get our @$$es handed to us. Ok, we are 2-1 in conference and 4-3 overall. And the skid of horrible 2nd half play has begun. We lose to another 1 win team in FIU. 4-4. We then go to stAte and knock them off which we weren't supposed to do. 5-4. Go to MT and lead at half only to make no adjustments and mark down the L. 5-5. We beat ULM as we should and get beat by Troy to finish 6-6.

We won 2 games that we were not expected to win. Big seasons for programs like us consist of ALWAYS winning the games you should and then some. Beating K-State and stAte means nothing when we lose to other bottomfeeders like FIU and FAU. With those 2 wins, our 6-6 expectations were immediately escalated to 8-4 expectations. Bustle and his staff did not meet expectations and therefore are not doing their job. _

If you want inconsistency, here's another little thing I thought of. Go back to the 2005 and 2006 seasons. This is what we thought would be the turning point of our program. 2005 we start off badly and If I remember correctly, we go 1-5 out of the gate. We then hit stride and win the next 5 games tying for the league title. Then, in 2006, we start out pretty well at 4-2. If you add those 5 games in 2005 and the 6 in 2006, we have a span where we go 9-2 which has to be the best 11 game stretch of any coach we've had. The problem, that stretch was not in the same season. However, play during this period was very solid. However, the bookends of that run are not as pretty. That stretch is surrounded by a 3-9 record and many of those losses came in the 2006 conference season. While those two seasons were fairly identical with a combined record of 12-11, you can see there was a lot of inconsistency mixed in. I thought that was calling card for Bustle's tenure here.

[zephyr]

_ You did not address my question concerning years like next year... which will include "3" very strong BCS programs. Will you expect us to win 7 of our last 9 games? And will that be expected of any future coaches we have? _

I will say this. Even with next year's challenging schedule, I think that expectations of 7 wins is not too much to ask. I believe a win over Ohio is highly possible and 6 wins in conference is certainly not too much to ask for a team that will return the most starters of anyone in the league while other teams have had some severe losses of great players.

[GeauxCajuns]

_ So if we had changed coaches and he did not win 7 games, he should be fired. _

obviously not, no one expects a coach to come in-in year one and catch fire. hence three years to build a program(not 8 like some believe in south La) if we could have gotten a new coach and gone 6-6 i think it would make a tremendous statement towards that new coach. no one got on bustle for having an awful season his first year, everyone said give him time, same with a new coach, if he comes in and does the same thing (6-6)in his first year as bustle would in his last, we are 1 year ahead of where we would be if bustle goes 6-6 and gets canned.

[CajunRed]

_ If you want inconsistency, here's another little thing I thought of. Go back to the 2005 and 2006 seasons. This is what we thought would be the turning point of our program. 2005 we start off badly and If I remember correctly, we go 1-5 out of the gate. We then hit stride and win the next 5 games tying for the league title. Then, in 2006, we start out pretty well at 4-2. If you add those 5 games in 2005 and the 6 in 2006, we have a span where we go 9-2 which has to be the best 11 game stretch of any coach we've had. The problem, that stretch was not in the same season. However, play during this period was very solid. However, the bookends of that run are not as pretty. That stretch is surrounded by a 3-9 record and many of those losses came in the 2006 conference season. While those two seasons were fairly identical with a combined record of 12-11, you can see there was a lot of inconsistency mixed in. I thought that was calling card for Bustle's tenure here. _

I'm not trying to simply be a Bustle defender, but I am trying to be realistic.

1) Who is the SunBelt (outside of Troy, which unfortunately plays and recruits in a difference world than the rest of the league) has not laid eggs in a game or two during each season?
2) Who in the SunBest has (outside of Troy) has won more games in the past 5 years than UL?

[Turbine]

_ So if we had changed coaches and he did not win 7 games, he should be fired. _

No and history says such. Bustle's record his first year was worse than Baldwin's last year.

[CajunRed]

_ No and history says such. Bustle's record his first year was worse than Baldwin's last year. _

But I thought you said 6 and 6 was not good enough? That means if we are going to change, it should be for an improvement... which begins at 7 and 5.

[GeauxCajuns]

_ But I thought you said 6 and 6 was not good enough? That means if we are going to change, it should be for an improvement... which begins at 7 and 5. _

so we should wait til bustle drives us to 3-9 and then start to rebuild with a new coach?
you're very intelligent