Midseason Analysis

[Lexhead]

I don't see a bowl in our future this year, boys. Honestly, this is a very bad football team. I am a Ragin' Cajun for life, but I have to calls 'em like I sees 'em. It isn't that they aren't good, it's just that they are really bad. So my standards have been permanently lowered. I am at least glad that there was fight in the dog until the very end.

And Hud, please don't insult my intelligence with that BS coachspeak about how we just started late. We are simply and fundamentally bad. Can't tackle, can't block, can't pass, can't cover.

[cajunhawk]

I don't see a bowl in our future this year, boys. Honestly, this is a very bad football team. I am a Ragin' Cajun for life, but I have to calls 'em like I sees 'em. It isn't that they aren't good, it's just that they are really bad. So my standards have been permanently lowered. I am at least glad that there was fight in the dog until the very end.

And Hud, please don't insult my intelligence with that BS coachspeak about how we just started late. We are simply and fundamentally bad. Can't tackle, can't block, can't pass, can't cover.

I don't think we are a bad team. We have showed that we have talent and when they are prepared (2nd half after adjustments are made) for what is coming at them...they can compete. We showed it against Kentucky, we even showed it last night. The main problem here...is the coaching staff...and ultimately...Hud. We either cannot adequately prepare our team for the team we are playing...or we CHOOSE not to. We are trying to force a fundamentally unsound quarterback into a situation where he cannot succeed, and we push to the side a fundamentally sound quarterback because...who knows. We take a legitimate NFL prospect who is elusive...and we use him exclusively as a battering ram, instead of allowing him to get out in space and take over the game. We brazenly ham fist a 3 down lineman set for our defense and we handicap ourselves against the run...and try to play catch up in pass defense when we have ZERO pressure on the opposing quarterback.

[RaisingCajun08]

Until 2k make that trip.

This could be the year. With the economy the way it is people will not want to spend the money around Christmas time on a bowl game for the 5th time in a row.

Sadly I admit that wife and I have decided that we will not be making a trip to any bowl game this year because of the exact reason above.

[BankerCajun]

Can't tackle, can't block, can't pass, can't cover.
Can't run routes...

[cajunhawk]

Can't tackle, can't block, can't pass, can't cover.
Can't run routes...

All around...a poorly coached team.

[ManAboutTown]

Now the radio idiots are saying the missed FG early on changed the game.. Unbelievable!!

[CrazyCajun]

Now the radio idiots are saying the missed FG early on changed the game.. Unbelievable!!

How many points did stAte leave on the field? I never get why people think you can just take away plays and insert scenarios etc... If knighten could throw we would have lost by 40... Didn't their kicker miss 2 FG and an extra point? We got beat and out coached. Hopefully HUD enjoyed the ___ sandwich Anderson fed him at midfield right after. Hopefully it felt as awkward as it looked.

[Lexhead]

I don't think we are a bad team. We have showed that we have talent and when they are prepared (2nd half after adjustments are made) for what is coming at them...they can compete. We showed it against Kentucky, we even showed it last night. The main problem here...is the coaching staff...and ultimately...Hud. We either cannot adequately prepare our team for the team we are playing...or we CHOOSE not to. We are trying to force a fundamentally unsound quarterback into a situation where he cannot succeed, and we push to the side a fundamentally sound quarterback because...who knows. We take a legitimate NFL prospect who is elusive...and we use him exclusively as a battering ram, instead of allowing him to get out in space and take over the game. We brazenly ham fist a 3 down lineman set for our defense and we handicap ourselves against the run...and try to play catch up in pass defense when we have ZERO pressure on the opposing quarterback.

Interesting that you and I, who sit so near each other, see something so completely different. I see fundamental failures. Inability to tackle, inability to cover, inability to block and inability to pass. (Admittedly I saw some good down filed blocking last night.) Perhaps there is some common ground in that I believe these fundamentals are the responsibility of the coaching staff to either (1) recruit for or (2) teach. They also bear responsibility for stubbornly sticking with man press in the face of overwhelming evidence that we cannot perform in that scheme. However, I would disagree that we have the talent to compete in the Belt. There are at least three teams in the belt in the bottom 25 of the FBS, two of which we have yet to play. I expect two more wins there. That is all. That is not to say that I am a fair whether fan. I love my Cajuns and I spend considerable money to travel to watch them play. This is just a fundamentally poor football team.

[ManAboutTown]

Interesting that you and I, who sit so near each other, see something so completely different. I see fundamental failures. Inability to tackle, inability to cover, inability to block and inability to pass. (Admittedly I saw some good down filed blocking last night.) Perhaps there is some common ground in that I believe these fundamentals are the responsibility of the coaching staff to either (1) recruit for or (2) teach. They also bear responsibility for stubbornly sticking with man press in the face of overwhelming evidence that we cannot perform in that scheme. However, I would disagree that we have the talent to compete in the Belt. There are at least three teams in the belt in the bottom 25 of the FBS, two of which we have yet to play. I expect two more wins there. That is all. That is not to say that I am a fair whether fan. I love my Cajuns and I spend considerable money to travel to watch them play. This is just a fundamentally poor football team.

Lex, we have the most talented and speedy LBs in the belt. We have the best player in the belt. We have the best punter in the belt. We have very capable WR in Gabe and Al Riles, and Scott could be so much better with a passing scheme). We had the best OL in Mike Quave. Who knows how good our TEs are because Jay Johnson refuses to let them make plays...

It ain't the players cat.

[cajunhawk]

Lex, we have the most talented and speedy LBs in the belt. We have the best player in the belt. We have the best punter in the belt. We have very capable WR in Gabe and Al Riles, and Scott could be so much better with a passing scheme). We had the best OL in Mike Quave. Who knows how good our TEs are because Jay Johnson refuses to let them make plays...

It ain't the players cat.

Especially against Akron and the rest of the Belt. These players are talented enough...they just aren't coached very well.

[Lexhead]

Lex, we have the most talented and speedy LBs in the belt. We have the best player in the belt. We have the best punter in the belt. We have very capable WR in Gabe and Al Riles, and Scott could be so much better with a passing scheme). We had the best OL in Mike Quave. Who knows how good our TEs are because Jay Johnson refuses to let them make plays...

It ain't the players cat.

Respectfully disagree. Unless my aging eyes are failing me (a genuine possibility), I see missed tackles, man coverage that is beyond explanation, a QB under constant pressure and whose ability to throw the ball is clearly suspect. I don't mean to say that there is no talent out there. What I mean to say is there is a clear absence of fundamental football.

I was not at ANY of the practices, so I cannot say if these players came to us without fundamentals and were not taught, or (more likely) just are not performing. There may be culpability in coaching there, but I think it more likely that these players are simply not performing. Where there is clearly culpability in coaching is the stubborn insistence in sticking with things that are not working (press man comes to mind).

So, to respond directly: It IS the players, slick. But there is plenty of suck to go around and the coaches are in the mix too.

[CajunRebel]

Interesting that you and I, who sit so near each other, see something so completely different. I see fundamental failures. Inability to tackle, inability to cover, inability to block and inability to pass. (Admittedly I saw some good down filed blocking last night.) Perhaps there is some common ground in that I believe these fundamentals are the responsibility of the coaching staff to either (1) recruit for or (2) teach. They also bear responsibility for stubbornly sticking with man press in the face of overwhelming evidence that we cannot perform in that scheme. However, I would disagree that we have the talent to compete in the Belt. There are at least three teams in the belt in the bottom 25 of the FBS, two of which we have yet to play. I expect two more wins there. That is all. That is not to say that I am a fair whether fan. I love my Cajuns and I spend considerable money to travel to watch them play. This is just a fundamentally poor football team.

I agree. I can't believe there are still people who think this team has lots of talent. You can't blame bad play calling On bad passes, missed blocks, getting beat deep, missed tackles, dropped passes, etc. Clearly this is a talent issue.

Either way it falls on Coach Hud's shoulders. It's his job to recruit the talent.