Getting Ready for 2004 Football is it Spring yet

[NewsCopy]

FB Today @ the SWAMP 1pm

[cajun tom]

I am taking the red and laying three points. This should be more exciting than the two previous red and white games since Coach Bustle has taken over.

[bigearl]

What the hell were they thinking? I must say, I applaud both Coach Evans and Coach Bustle for making the right (and very dificult) decision to remove these problems from the program. I honestly would rather loose every game we play with guys who bust there buts, day in and day out, and who want to be here, that to go undefeated with guys who make stupid decisions like this. There is no loyalty to the coaching staff, the other players or to themselves when these players make stupid decisions.

GOOD JOB, Coach Bustle and Coach Evans!!!!!

[CajunFanatic91]

This is an embarrassment. I'm a wildcard fan with no connection to the University what so ever. I followed this team starting in 2003 in football because they were the ultimate underdog and fun to cheer for. Since I started following them the team posted a 4-1 record. I was looking forward to the return of Bill Sampy.

Then I followed the Basketball team from the beginning of there campaign, won the conference outright, tourney and season. Made the NCAA. Two starters, seniors, gone.

This sort of thing makes me reconsider my D-1 college affiliation.

[texascajun]

"Cajun D represents". Obviously you have not watched a TRUE Spring Game with LIVE referees over the past 5 years. Pass interference will be called four times saturday.... guaranteed.

[CajunCharlie]

Don't bail out, 91!! Sad to see this happen to our football team, and hopefully they will not be missed. At the same time you can be proud of the fact that Bustle did not hem and haw over this incident. He delivered his "message" effectively, with no reservations. Sad to say but you have these elements in college and professional sports. You do your best to educate the athletes on the use of drugs, but some guys never listen. They know it all, and rationalize that their actions are not hurting anyone. Stupid is, as stupid does!!

[CajunFanatic91]

I don't plan on bailing out I'm just ticked off that players think they can do this and still play. But Coach Bustle did the right thing. I'm sure at Nebraska they would have hushed the whole thing up.

[CajunCharlie]

I don't know about Nebraska, but for sure Colorado would have. By the way thanks for adopting us. You are the second person in the last two weeks that have adopted us. One fellow in Illinois said he adopted us because our Ragin Cajun name sounded cool!!

[NewsCopy]

LOUISIANA La. — Ragin' Cajun head football coach Rickey Bustle is taking a different approach to this year’s Cajun Bowl.

For one thing, he has a pair of local TV sportscasters serving as head coaches of the two teams — KATC-TV’s Scott Brazda leading the red team and George Faust of KLFY-TV heading the white squad — for today’s 1 p.m. contest at Cajun Field.

Beyond that, though, the game will have a different look than the first two under Bustle.

“Before,” Bustle said, “the spring game has been part of situations we needed to get accomplished. We’ve changed it up some this year, with a draft on Thursday to make it interesting for the kids.

“We’re also not going to sit around grading film from the game, because a lot of these players haven’t been working together. We’ve already got a lot of film on team and down-and-distance situations.

“We will be looking at film for what we’ve been teaching, and how they perform as individuals. I want them to go out and compete, and I think it’s going to be some fun.”

Verbal exchanges have already started between the two selected teams. Bragging rights on the line, but the losing team from today’s game will also have to serve members of the winning team at a team dinner later this spring.

That’s part of the added spice this year for Bustle, who already has plenty to evaluate from spring drills.

“I’ve been really happy with our defense,” said Bustle, whose team is changing schemes for the 2004 campaign. “We obviously don’t have the whole defense in yet, but I think they’ve made a good transition.

“I also think our running game has gotten better. We haven’t thrown the ball like we’d like, but we’ve emphasized the running game this spring. I think we’ll be able to throw the ball, but we wanted to be able to take some of the pressure off the passing game.

The rest of the story

Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[Smeegles]

son ive played in live spring games, dont throw that card at me, the D will put it on the O, without a doubt, sit back and watch it happen