No excuses allowed

[Turbine]

When was the last time we actually hired a seasoned head coach? _

Not once in 110 years.

[zephyr]

_ Let's pretend for a second that every year the FBS kicked out all the schools performing at the current UL level and below. OK? In 20 years the remaining 10 schools couldn't fill out a complete schedule.

Instead the most valuable part of FBS "The UL's of the world" need to quit playing so many money games in which they are afraid to bring their "A" game and two things will happen. (1) Their income will rise through the roof (2) The perception that they need to drop down to FCS will disappear. _

The money games are not the issue and as nearly everybody else in the country has figured out, they are, at this time, an essential part of our operating budget. However, I would certainly agree that the attitude for which we take into that game is completely ubsurd and that is a sign of our leadership by the coaches to approach such games with timidness and conservative nature. Nearly every program outside of the BCS schools rely upon money games and many schools play as many or more than we do on a yearly basis. That is not our problem.

[ShowDog]

_ We suffer from a mental illness. Every year we have the same caliber of coach, funding and players yet we expect different results. I've been on this elevator that only goes down for over 25 years and I don't see things changing. During the early Stokley years we had good reason to hope for better days. Every year we get excited about football for about three weeks and then it is over. When was the last time we actually hired a seasoned head coach? _

That's what I was talking about. I'd hate to see us step back but like I said, if we're not going to make the commitment what's the use.

We keep banging our heads against the same wall and like you said, expect different results. That is the definition on insanity.

[ShowDog]

_ You’re post is ridiculous, however i do agree that we do not have D1 caliber coaching!!! _

Do you feel we have Division I caliber players? I don't.
My point is if the community, the school president and the whole athletic dept. doesn't commit, we will never move forward.

Bustle's ineptness should be rewarded with a one way ticket to the city of his choice and get someone who gives a darn to replace him.

[Turbine]

_ The money games are not the issue and as nearly everybody else in the country has figured out, they are, at this time, an essential part of our operating budget. However, I would certainly agree that the attitude for which we take into that game is completely ubsurd and that is a sign of our leadership by the coaches to approach such games with timidness and conservative nature. Nearly every program outside of the BCS schools rely upon money games and many schools play as many or more than we do on a yearly basis. That is not our problem. _

When Nelson was AD the buget was $8 mil, now it is reported betwen $12 and $14 mil. Now since you are talking "budget" what cost changed so drastically in the past few years that the budget went up that much?

Just curious.

[zephyr]

_ When Nelson was AD the buget was $8 mil, now it is reported betwen $12 and $14 mil. Now since you are talking "budget" what cost changed so drastically in the past few years that the budget went up that much?

Just curious. _

Turbine, are you serious? Everything in the landscape of collegiate athletics has gone up. I think your point would be better served by going back to see what the average payout for those games was and what percentage of your budget it represented. We played the games back then as we do now. The thing is, you have more D-1 teams now than back then to compete against, salaries are higher, travel cost is higher and the need for facility upgrades and their enormous cost have been recognized. I don't know where you can possibly state that costs have not gone up.

However, the budget is not there to cover costs, as it rarely does unless you are one of the top 20 or so programs in the country for which your athletic department can actually make money. We, I can tell you, are not one of them. The athletic budget is there to support all sports, not just football. Are coaches across the board paid more today than back then? I'd say so. Were we significantly underbudgeted back then thanks to you know who? I'd say.

[RCAJUN90]

_ That's what I was talking about. I'd hate to see us step back but like I said, if we're not going to make the commitment what's the use.

We keep banging our heads against the same wall and like you said, expect different results. That is the definition on insanity. _

I'm going to get flamed for this but you know sometimes you must bring things to a breaking point. I really believe the powers that be don't care about football very much and athletics in general. Stop going to the games and send a message. Then things might change. I do not want to step down. I want to jump up and slap Martin Hall in the face and kick them in the rear section! We should have gave Busted the boot after the McNeese debacle.

[zephyr]

_ I'm going to get flamed for this but you know sometimes you must bring things to a breaking point. I really believe the powers that be don't care about football very much and athletics in general. Stop going to the games and send a message. Then things might change. I do not want to step down. I want to jump up and slap Martin Hall in the face and kick them in the rear section! We should have gave Busted the boot after the McNeese debacle. _

In all fairness to your post, you are wrong. Actually, you don't know how wrong you are by saying that the administration does not care. They do. If they didn't you wouldn't see the numerous facility upgrades going up that will benefit almost every one of our sporting programs directly, not to mention the planned football stadium overhaul. The problem is always dollars. When your crunched for dollars and have to weigh every single one of those dollars as it goes out the door versus what you are taking in, its tough to make the decisions that would normally be easier with more funds in hand and less risk. They took the step and made the statement with the Marlin hire and the fact that he makes more than Bustle is a statement in itself to Bustle that they are prepared to pay to get someone to do the job. Football is going to be a much more difficult hire, filled with more risk. The type of guy we would like with head coaching experience over here is going to cost us a lot. We are likely going to have to pay near the top of the SBC coaches and I think that is in the neighborhood of 375k to 400k but maybe more (Not sure). If the state only allows us to pay about 225k per year out of state funds, the money is going to have to come from private dollars, likely taking away from some allocated projects that are in the pipeline. Sure, the hire along with renewed interest would hopefully increase ticket sales and energy into the program and directly increase dollars but nothing is a given and risk is involved to a high degree. I think that is why you've seen the patience that so many have questioned over the years. Its understandable to see the frustration and quite frankly, I'm at the point that I don't think the program will have any choice after this season but to make a change. But everyone needs to have a level of understanding when it comes to such decisions.

[Cajunsmike]

_ In all fairness to your post, you are wrong. Actually, you don't know how wrong you are by saying that the administration does not care. They do. If they didn't you wouldn't see the numerous facility upgrades going up that will benefit almost every one of our sporting programs directly, not to mention the planned football stadium overhaul. The problem is always dollars. When your crunched for dollars and have to weigh every single one of those dollars as it goes out the door versus what you are taking in, its tough to make the decisions that would normally be easier with more funds in hand and less risk. They took the step and made the statement with the Marlin hire and the fact that he makes more than Bustle is a statement in itself to Bustle that they are prepared to pay to get someone to do the job. Football is going to be a much more difficult hire, filled with more risk. The type of guy we would like with head coaching experience over here is going to cost us a lot. We are likely going to have to pay near the top of the SBC coaches and I think that is in the neighborhood of 375k to 400k but maybe more (Not sure). If the state only allows us to pay about 225k per year out of state funds, the money is going to have to come from private dollars, likely taking away from some allocated projects that are in the pipeline. Sure, the hire along with renewed interest would hopefully increase ticket sales and energy into the program and directly increase dollars but nothing is a given and risk is involved to a high degree. I think that is why you've seen the patience that so many have questioned over the years. Its understandable to see the frustration and quite frankly, I'm at the point that I don't think the program will have any choice after this season but to make a change. But everyone needs to have a level of understanding when it comes to such decisions. _

Zephyr, that is an excellent post. You explained well our current situation. I understand your view that a change may be inevitable at season's end. However, keep in mind that we have been in this situation in the past and the team surprises us. Maybe that will happen Saturday.

[Turbine]

_ When Nelson was AD the buget was $8 mil, now it is reported betwen $12 and $14 mil. Now since you are talking "budget" what cost changed so drastically in the past few years that the budget went up that much?

Just curious. _

_ Turbine, are you serious? Everything in the landscape of collegiate athletics has gone up. I think your point would be better served by going back to see what the average payout for those games was and what percentage of your budget it represented. We played the games back then as we do now. The thing is, you have more D-1 teams now than back then to compete against, salaries are higher, travel cost is higher and the need for facility upgrades and their enormous cost have been recognized. I don't know where you can possibly state that costs have not gone up.

OK let me reword the question after I say Nelson had UL getting $500 $600 $G paydays. Meaing from that revenue source the budget should only be $600 G higher.

So what other income changed so drastically in the past few years that the budget went up that much?

[RCAJUN90]

_ In all fairness to your post, you are wrong. Actually, you don't know how wrong you are by saying that the administration does not care. They do. If they didn't you wouldn't see the numerous facility upgrades going up that will benefit almost every one of our sporting programs directly, not to mention the planned football stadium overhaul. The problem is always dollars. When your crunched for dollars and have to weigh every single one of those dollars as it goes out the door versus what you are taking in, its tough to make the decisions that would normally be easier with more funds in hand and less risk. They took the step and made the statement with the Marlin hire and the fact that he makes more than Bustle is a statement in itself to Bustle that they are prepared to pay to get someone to do the job. Football is going to be a much more difficult hire, filled with more risk. The type of guy we would like with head coaching experience over here is going to cost us a lot. We are likely going to have to pay near the top of the SBC coaches and I think that is in the neighborhood of 375k to 400k but maybe more (Not sure). If the state only allows us to pay about 225k per year out of state funds, the money is going to have to come from private dollars, likely taking away from some allocated projects that are in the pipeline. Sure, the hire along with renewed interest would hopefully increase ticket sales and energy into the program and directly increase dollars but nothing is a given and risk is involved to a high degree. I think that is why you've seen the patience that so many have questioned over the years. Its understandable to see the frustration and quite frankly, I'm at the point that I don't think the program will have any choice after this season but to make a change. But everyone needs to have a level of understanding when it comes to such decisions. _

You make a great well thought out post. You really did but I heard all this stuff in 1985! Not on the internet because it didn't exist but in local newspaper and of course the "Vermilion"? When I was a student we played and beat Memphis, ECU, Tulsa and sometimes USM. They today are way ahead of us. I have seen program after program pass us. Have you ever been to Hattiesburg or Troy Alabama? Hattiesburg is getting much better but Troy is a sleepy little "Hell Hole" that nobody in their right mind unless they want to play sports would ever go. How did Troy become the class of this conference before us? Lack of vision etc... on the admin and nothing else.

[Hammer58]

_ OK let me reword the question after I say Nelson had UL getting $500 $600 $G paydays. Meaning from that revenue source the budget should only be $600 G higher.

So what other income changed so drastically in the past few years that the budget went up that much? _

I think part of that is due to the recent change that increased the percentage of overall budget that could be allocated to athletics. And I think our overall budget actually went up somewhat over the past few years when the state was flush with money. Now that is changing and we will likely see our athletic budget reduced as the overall budget is cut back.