Matt Viator

[moorecajun]

_ Duggie: What we have at McNeese is a winning tradition. You guys could certainly use some of that. And while we are on the subject, you are right, one game does not a team make. I'll agree to that. Kinda like WKU celebrating the end of their 26 game losing streak at YOUR Homecoming. I know you guys are better than that, but hey, it happens. . .even to the worst of us.

Our victory several years ago (actually 3 years but I'd try to put that as far back in my memory too!) was because Bustle could not get the team to hold on to the ball? Are you serious? At best, that statement is laughable. Good teams not ony create turnovers but capitlize on them as well. At least that is what is always taught by good coaches like, well, Matt Viator.

BTW, you need to go check the overall record between McNeese and UL. There is a lot more hanging over your head than just one game. But, I digress. Try this, why don't you guys consider hiring Larry Blakeney from Troy? Since you guys turned him down "years ago" (to use your term) and hired that genius Jerry Baldwin he has flat out owned you guys as well as the Sun Belt Conference. But, I guess he came from the Southland Conference too and would not exactly measure up to the "strict" standards.

Seriously, good luck on the new hire. It's long overdue for some excitement in Lafayette on Saturday nights. I guess you could do worse than Matt Viator. Oh, wait! You did! The killer "B's" . . Baldwin and Bustle!! _

Well, no one with any sense can really deny your comments. I grew up in Lake Charles and came to USL / Lafayette for school. I hated McNeese and wanted to beat you guys so bad! But guess what, it didn't happen much! That's sports.

Too many people worry about what others are doing. We need to clean up our house and make up our beds; then everything will take care of itself!

I still want to beat you McNeese guys when we play, but I do root for you when we don't play, so good luck in the rest of your season!

Killer B's - funny.

[Duggie35]

_ Being new to this site and having gone to both UL and McNeese I have some perspective on both programs. Like all schools they have their strengths and weaknessess. I think we could all agree that McNeese has had a winning tradition in football where UL has not. While UL has had the winning tradition in men's basketball where McNeese has not. I won't get into a spit ball throwing contest on victories in Div 1 or Div 1AA FBS or FCS victories are victories in my opinion. With all that being said I don't think Coach Viator would be a good fit at UL or for that matter any FBS school. I think he likes where he is and will stay at McNeese for a while. I am not saying he wouldn't be interested in an FBS job I just feel he is not ready for that. Someone in another thread here mentioned that Ohio State Coach Tressel had success at a Div 1AA team then went straight to Ohio State and has been very sucessful. That is all true but he unlike Coach Viator he possessed at least 2 Div 1AA National Championships one of which he got playing Coach Kealser's Cowboys. He may have one or two more I am not sure but he point is his resume was more impressive with those championships as compared to Coach Viator. I like Coach Viator my grandsons played for him at SHS and later one of them at McNeese and he was and is an excellent coach. I just have not been overly impressed with him as a college coach. Yes he has done well but compared to some other Cowboy coaches Doland, Duplechain, Kealser, and even Tate he has not overly impressed me. If he left for UL or any other place for that matter I wouldn't be crying about it. He could be a good position or offensive coordinator at the next level but I am not sure about HC. Besides he might bring Lark Hebert with him as defensive coordinator and you don't want that. Wait maybe you should hire him a lot of Cowboy fans are not fans of Coach Hebert and would love to see him gone.

I am not sure what coach would be a good fit for UL but he needs to be I think a defensive minded coach because through the years I have observed they seem to have the greater overall success in football. He needs to be young 30ish and hungry for a HC job at the FBS level and wants to move up the ladder. I know UL fans don't want that someone staying 3 to 6 years then leave but if he has a good program setup you will succeed. Look at Bosie State their coach left for Colorado but they have just kept on ticking. The same can be said of Utah after Urban Meyer left. Weren't Baldwin and Bustle both in their 40's when they got the job at UL?? I think that is a bit old to be getting your first FBS HC job with no previous HC job at another level. UL needs a hungry guy, a young guy, a true southerner who is a good recriuter and can hire good offensive and defenisive coordinators. _

An excellent post that is very fair and balanced. The only thing that I would disagree with is your statement that UL fans would not be happy to have a Coach who would stay here only 3 to 6 years. I think Cajun fans are actually looking for someone who would do just that. We need a coach that can bring this program to a level that would attract BCS schools to consider him for a BCS job. That would mean the UL program had moved forward to another level.

[CajunNation]

Stop talking about Viator.

He has not, is not, and will never be a serious candidate for head coach at Louisiana.

[RaginWaldo]

lame...

[allncr1966]

_ An excellent post that is very fair and balanced. The only thing that I would disagree with is your statement that UL fans would not be happy to have a Coach who would stay here only 3 to 6 years. I think Cajun fans are actually looking for someone who would do just that. We need a coach that can bring this program to a level that would attract BCS schools to consider him for a BCS job. That would mean the UL program had moved forward to another level. _

Thanks and you would know better than the fans attitude toward the kind of coach they want. You are correct you need to the guy who is looking to move up it keeps him motivated. If the coach moves to the next level that usually means his former school has also.

[California Cajun]

_ Same old lame smack we always here from the Legends of the Fall. And as usual its full of errors and delusions. Jerry Baldwin lost his case on appeal so he isn't reaping the windfall you claim. And as far as resume boosters it sure doesn't look like having Broke Back U on his (and nothing else) has helped Viator.

In the end you are still D1aa and no one outside of Lake Chuck cares. Thats why you have to spend so much time trolling on our message boards to get attention. _

The reality is, McNeese is the only Southland Conference holdover (uninterrupted membership) from the 70s and has gone down with the ship. They would like nothing better than for the old gang to come to their senses and return to them, because they know that level is as good as anybody outside of LSU is going to get, and their fans criticize those who aspire to step out of the box and find out how good they can be.

The problem is, nobody wants to return to 1-AA, and they stand in a revolving door while generations of schools come and go. Because of the transient nature of their relationships the last 30 years, they miss the good old days probably more than we do. That's why they come over here to visit. We may not always be happy with the state of football where we live, but neither are they and they live with that gnawing reality that where they choose to spend the rest of their days is on a dead-end street, proving to themselves that they can compete with schools in a classification they don't want to subject their entire schedule to playing.

By the way, how are they doing in other sports?

[cajunhawk]

_ Fair post, Duggie, fair post.

First of all, I guess McNeese has certainly been to more bowl games than USL but I can't remember the last time you guys went to a bowl game. Was it in 1970? Oh, yeah, the Grantland Rice Bowl. We went to the Independence Bowl 3 times and won the inaugural game. . after beating you guys of course. And, you're right, we have not won a playoff game in a while but we did have a couple of championship runs as you pointed out. How many times has UL actually won the Sun Belt? Was football still being played with leather helmets back then?

I also have to agree with you that we do not notice the level in competition or can tell the difference when playing 1A and 1AA schools. I guess that's because the 1A schools we have actually beaten were Monroe and Lafayette (please insert college moniker of choice here). And you are also correct that playing a schedule week in and week out in the FBS with the big boys would be a task to say the least. I guess that does not include UL or ULM-Monroe does it? Shucks! I would love to compare apples to apples with you guys because we had to beat you with 22 less players on our roster. You are also right; we do not play the same game as you that's obvious for all of the correct reasons. And, BTW, we have increased our admission standards so your crutch is starting to make your argument lame there.

As for recruiting, well, we've beaten that horse to death. Matt Viator seems to do pretty well against the 1A schools and our camps, like your own camps, help a lot. We don't really recruit against you guys because, well, Bustle and crew spends all of their time chasing Florida's leftovers. Frankly, we don't want to expend the cost for that when Houston, Acadiana, and East Texas are right in out backyard. Thanks for leaving us all of the gems we have found that you guys missed. BTW, good luck recruiting this year, seriously.

Frankly, if you guys were smart enough to offer Matt Viator, I would be happy for him. You could certainly pay him more and, frankly, he deserves it. I know he could recruit good athletes here and have them buy into his program, and UL would finally win. I just do not know if his future resume' having coached at UL would really benefit him. Most coaches come here and then leave and never coach again. That's not good. So, at the end of the day, it really will be the decision of the coach, not you, and what he would want for his future.

Even your Jerry Baldwin decision paid him much more in the end than as a coach. Somehow, UL's decison was wrong on that one. You could do worse and have done worse. Time to Bustle Up! _

Your argument is invalid. McNeese does not compete on the same level as the University of Louisiana. Matt Viator has zero experience coaching at the FBS level. Sure he has played FBS teams but it's not like they are prepping for McNeese like they would for an actual FBS team. Until then, McNeese is one of thse programs that can say they are better than an in state rival, but can't actually prove it because they play in FCS. I like Matt Viator. I was rooting for him to be our next coach. Then I got to thinking, he wouldn't be able to make it. Why? Here at UL we have actual majors like Engineering, Nursing, Marketing, etc. At McNeese it's Fertilizer, Barn Building, Calf Roping, and Cow Milking with a minor in Hoof Repair. We have student athletes, McNeese has student farm hands. We hold classes in a classroom, McNeese holds them in whatever field the cows are crapping in. So you see it's a matter of apples to oranges. Or maybe apples to cowpies. Lake Charles smells just as bad as Baton Rouge. Like ____.

[RaginWaldo]

_ Your argument is invalid. McNeese does not compete on the same level as the University of Louisiana. Matt Viator has zero experience coaching at the FBS level. Sure he has played FBS teams but it's not like they are prepping for McNeese like they would for an actual FBS team. Until then, McNeese is one of thse programs that can say they are better than an in state rival, but can't actually prove it because they play in FCS. I like Matt Viator. I was rooting for him to be our next coach. Then I got to thinking, he wouldn't be able to make it. Why? Here at UL we have actual majors like Engineering, Nursing, Marketing, etc. At McNeese it's Fertilizer, Barn Building, Calf Roping, and Cow Milking with a minor in Hoof Repair. We have student athletes, McNeese has student farm hands. We hold classes in a classroom, McNeese holds them in whatever field the cows are crapping in. So you see it's a matter of apples to oranges. Or maybe apples to cowpies. Lake Charles smells just as bad as Baton Rouge. Like ____. _

The effects of CajunHawk "Think Big" Campaign lol

[Cowboy Up]

Until then, McNeese is one of thse programs that can say they are better than an in state rival, but can't actually prove it because they play in FCS. Why? Here at UL we have actual majors like Engineering, Nursing, Marketing, etc. At McNeese it's Fertilizer, Barn Building, Calf Roping, and Cow Milking with a minor in Hoof Repair. We have student athletes, McNeese has student farm hands. We hold classes in a classroom, McNeese holds them in whatever field the cows are crapping in. So you see it's a matter of apples to oranges. Or maybe apples to cowpies. Lake Charles smells just as bad as Baton Rouge. Like ____.

Well, you must know a lot about Barns, Cows, and Fertilizer being from Mire! Please! Did somebody help you write that or you thought it up all by yourself? If you did it, then I'm impressed that you can write in reasonably complete sentences.

You probably never went to college but are one of those wanna-be fans like the so-called "swamp people".

Look, Boudreaux, I writ dat!!

[cajunhawk]

_ Well, you must know a lot about Barns, Cows, and Fertilizer being from Mire! Please! Did somebody help you write that or you thought it up all by yourself? If you did it, then I'm impressed that you can write in reasonably complete sentences.

You probably never went to college but are one of those wanna-be fans like the so-called "swamp people".

Look, Boudreaux, I writ dat!! _

Fall 2005 from the one and only University of Louisiana. I live in the country because it's quiet. I don't own livestock. UL didn't offer that class unfortunately. I wrote it all by myself. Do you think it's cool that you've changed your font? Did it take twenty hours to do that? But hey you live with your grandma so I guess you have nothing else to do. You have fun. Bye now.

[Turbine]

Damn right. Wouldn't have it any other way. So whats the joke Dbag.

At the collegiate level all that matters to identify a good coach is how is he doing against the same level of talent.

If he is winning when all things are equal, he is worthy of consideration. Whoever "he" may be. igeaux.mobi

[wgwillis]

_ The effects of CajunHawk "Think Big" Campaign lol _

A perfectly wonderful thread discussing the possible candidates for our football team next year has been hijacked by this 5 page rant about McNeese's football coach. Muck FcNeese! Let's start a new thread.

Bye