Head Coaching Carousel

[BirdofParadise]

Josh, I make no excuses for this year. It has sucked.

And, as I said earlier, if we have another season like this one, then we talk.

But you seem really hell bent on turning up a fire where, right now, none is necessary.

And, yes, I will always remember the bad times. I lived through them more than most, having been at those games, especially in the late 90's, early 2000s.

We would all do well to remember where we came from. And, this old ____er doesn't apologize for that.

I ABSOLUTELY don't want a return to those days. The difference between me and you is I don't see where we are headed in that direction.

If that makes me a "sunshine pumper" I'm good with it.

I'm not "comfortable" in the Belt. I just don't worry about it because there's nothing on the horizon that's going to give us an opportunity to change that.

I think HUD is a good coach. And, because I feel that way, I believe this year was a blip on the radar screen. I prefer to believe we are going to be better.

I think you, on the other hand, get joy out of anticipating disaster. That isn't in my makeup. That doesn't make either one of us bad people.

And, I would appreciate it if you would remember that when using my name in your tirades.

[Just1More]

I don't mean to stress the age aspect necessarily. My point is, there is a segment of our fan base that would rather not deal with the "hassle" of being a big time program. Money people especially, that enjoy their spot at the table, that enjoy the easy access to the coach, that enjoy their "position" as someone who matters, would prefer things to stay relatively similar to its current state.

It just so happens that usually when I've encountered them, they're usually older, weary of losing fans. People like Jay Walker who will always cite the "bad times" as an excuse when we beat bad SBC teams by small margins or getting b-slapped by LaTech, or don't compete against inferior OOC teams.

As long as success, of any kind, APPEARS to be taking place, that segment will be as comfortable as Scott Farmer and the admin in the belt.

I think you're referring to the people that have significant relationships with UL. Those are mostly going to be older people. They, like Jay, are in a unique situation. Outside of that unique group, I don't think there's an age relationship to the high or low fan expectation. That's just my observation.

You probably hang around a lot more 25 to 35 year olds than I do. You see... when I was that age... I wore my thong on my head. I appeared to be more brazen. I was actually just more intoxicated.

[CajunT]

Josh, I make no excuses for this year. It has sucked.

And, as I said earlier, if we have another season like this one, then we talk.

But you seem really hell bent on turning up a fire where, right now, none is necessary.

And, yes, I will always remember the bad times. I lived through them more than most, having been at those games, especially in the late 90's, early 2000s.

We would all do well to remember where we came from. And, this old ____er doesn't apologize for that.

I ABSOLUTELY don't want a return to those days. The difference between me and you is I don't see where we are headed in that direction.

If that makes me a "sunshine pumper" I'm good with it.

I'm not "comfortable" in the Belt. I just don't worry about it because there's nothing on the horizon that's going to give us an opportunity to change that.

I think HUD is a good coach. And, because I feel that way, I believe this year was a blip on the radar screen. I prefer to believe we are going to be better.

I think you, on the other hand, get joy out of anticipating disaster. That isn't in my makeup. That doesn't make either one of us bad people.

And, I would appreciate it if you would remember that when using my name in your tirades.

Man, what's up with this age discrimination thing? Should we all be discussing AARP now? LOL!!!

[BirdofParadise]

I think you're referring to the people that have significant relationships with UL. Those are mostly going to be older people. They, like Jay, are in a unique situation. Outside of that unique group, I don't think there's an age relationship to the high or low fan expectation. That's just my observation.

You probably hang around a lot more 25 to 35 year olds than I do. You see... when I was that age... I wore my thong on my head. I appeared to be more brazen. I was actually just more intoxicated.

As was I. Oh, the days of rock and roll radio.........

[CajunT]

I think you're referring to the people that have significant relationships with UL. Those are mostly going to be older people. They, like Jay, are in a unique situation. Outside of that unique group, I don't think there's an age relationship to the high or low fan expectation. That's just my observation.

You probably hang around a lot more 25 to 35 year olds than I do. You see... when I was that age... I wore my thong on my head. I appeared to be more brazen. I was actually just more intoxicated.

Matt, as you have gotten older I think your choices in the colors of the thongs you wear on your head haven been more moderate. I'm not so sure you are any less intoxicated at times. LOL!!!

[RaisingCajun08]

So, I've got to setup a road trip to Kentucky to get some? Don't get me wrong, I'm all in on road trips!

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.

One day I will be like MelRock and take a trip down the Bourbon Trail.

[Cajun90]

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.

[ManAboutTown]

Josh, I make no excuses for this year. It has sucked.

And, as I said earlier, if we have another season like this one, then we talk.

But you seem really hell bent on turning up a fire where, right now, none is necessary.

And, yes, I will always remember the bad times. I lived through them more than most, having been at those games, especially in the late 90's, early 2000s.

We would all do well to remember where we came from. And, this old ____er doesn't apologize for that.

I ABSOLUTELY don't want a return to those days. The difference between me and you is I don't see where we are headed in that direction.

If that makes me a "sunshine pumper" I'm good with it.

I'm not "comfortable" in the Belt. I just don't worry about it because there's nothing on the horizon that's going to give us an opportunity to change that.

I think HUD is a good coach. And, because I feel that way, I believe this year was a blip on the radar screen. I prefer to believe we are going to be better.

I think you, on the other hand, get joy out of anticipating disaster. That isn't in my makeup. That doesn't make either one of us bad people.

And, I would appreciate it if you would remember that when using my name in your tirades.

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.

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.

[ManAboutTown]

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.

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.

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".

[Bigbuf]

Injuries were never a problem for this team. Personnel, coaching, and recruiting were a problem for this team. Well coached teams take injury problems in stride. Michigan State has a friggin NFL caliber QB...who didn't play against Ohio State...AND THEY WON. Good coaches deal with the intangibles they are given, bad coaches make excuses and grasp at straws to try and find a solution when they don't have one in mind to begin with.

If Hud doesn't step away from micromanaging this team...nothing will change. If Hud doesn't change his recruiting style away from glorified athletes he has no clue where to put on the field...nothing will change. We can all be like Jay and relish the good times, because those bad times were so bad, or we can demand more from a guy we pay $1,000,000 to move this program in the right direction. One of those keeps us right were we are...one of those moves us on to bigger and better things. Be part of the solution...not an enabler.

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.

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.

[ManAboutTown]

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.

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.
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!

[Just1More]

Matt, as you have gotten older I think your choices in the colors of the thongs you wear on your head haven been more moderate. I'm not so sure you are any less intoxicated at times. LOL!!!

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.

[Bigbuf]

Buff, I hear you. And you're right mostly.
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 am sure no team is perfect, in any game, in any possession, in any play.

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.

[cajunhawk]

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.

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.

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?

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.

Then why are you giving him the benefit of the doubt? If you have serious concerns...why gloss them over?

[cajunhawk]

I am sure no team is perfect, in any game, in any possession, in any play.

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.

If you cannot compare football teams...to...other...football teams...how in the blue blazes can you compare football teams to Safety departments?