The Book: 2007 Football

[CajunProud]

_ Sunbelt may be the worst in D1A, but it is because we are the newest conference. We are making ground as a conference and a program. We are certainly not the weakest conference in the country! We are stronger than the D1aa, D11 etc.


Some more great things are getting ready to happen for UL Athletics so lets not thwart the great efforts of many others, lets be more positive than "Crapbelt" statements!!

Thanks,
DaddyCajun _

Sorry DC. I have just been very frustrated (as everybody has) for the last few weeks. I'll try to hold my tongue.

[Essency]

I'm disappointed I won't get to see Tyrell on the field Saturday (non-sarcastically speaking). It's smart though getting him game-ready for the more-important conference schedule. I hope he's healthy for the UNT game next week.

At least Desormeaux will be behind center this week.

Go Knights!!!

[HoustonCajun]

_ All this shows is that the Crapbelt is still the worst conference in the country. _

I hate this conference as well. But, our only option is being an Independent, which is not really an option. The worse part is, UL is one of the worse teams in the conference and is one of the main reasons it is rated so low. We do absolutely nothing to help our cause.

[SlappyCajun]

Turbine-

You know that just because Bustle worked for Frank Beamer that does not mean every single one of his assistants that gets another job will do exactly like him. Take Coach K at Duke...

Tommy Amaker at Michigan fired
Quinn Snyder at Missouri fired

He coached Michael Vick, the most talented athlete in college football in the past decade. You would never know a good play call from a bad cuz Vick would make more out of busted plays than good ones.

We are 0 and 4. We are a bad football program, and have been that way for a long time. I came to games with Baldwin when our friends were literally the only people sitting in the entire section on the student side of the field. Bustle has raised the program a few notches which I will always be extremely grateful for. I know the program was bad, FAU didn't even have a program, and now they are going on the road beating big 10 teams.

I like Bustle, and want him to figure it out. If he gets another year, that's fine so be it. But no one can gripe about people not going to fan day, or leaving tailgating to go into the games, because quite frankly people are tired of watching their team lose, at least if they stay outside they can be happy and party with friends.

[WriterKnight]

I was sorry to read that Fenroy wouldn't make the trip--he sounds like he'd be a fun guy to watch.

[Kernel]

There's just too much parity in this conference now for any one team to dominate for any longer than a year or two.

Even accepting your premise (which I think is flawed), Bustle's teams have continually disappointed because UL hasn't been the best team in the league for one season under him, much less two.

He's had time. Now I'm not naive enough to think the university will actually step up and fire him after this season given the money he is owed. But I do expect us the reach a new post-Baldwin low for the program. I just hope someone can fix the damage.

[AstroCajun]

_ Even accepting your premise (which I think is flawed), Bustle's teams have continually disappointed because UL hasn't been the best team in the league for one season under him, much less two.

He's had time. Now I'm not naive enough to think the university will actually step up and fire him after this season given the money he is owed. But I do expect us the reach a new post-Baldwin low for the program. I just hope someone can fix the damage. _

Look at what the local experts (who know our program best) predicted before the season started (3-5 wins). They are not looking at us in a vacuum.
Heck, I thought we'd have 7 wins, but I looked at Ohio and McNeese and possibly Troy in that column - remove those and its a 4-5 win season.

I'm not happy that we haven't won yet, but all I have is the perhaps irrational belief that things will get better. I still see us winning v. NT, MT, FIU and Monroe.

We do that and I'll stick with Bustle at least until next year. A new regime means a new offense and a new defense for the third year in a row. How can you expect us to win and grow from that?

By no means am I giving him a pass. If we can't manage more than two wins this season, I think we don't have any other choice but to hope for change.

[CajunFun]

I'm still trying to figure out why UL can't be great academically and also have decent football.

If not, then why not?

No reason we can't have both.

But first of all, every school in the US is competing with us for one of them (guess which!)... so the competition there is steep. We have to pay our dues, roll the dice a WHOLE lot.

And if I could only have one, football, or academics & a strong community, I know this won't be popular with some people, but...

[Hammer58]

_ I am so geeked about how this team is following the Beamer model I can't even put into words how good they will be after this year ( and from then on out ) till Bustle leaves of his own accord. _

Did Beamer fire half of his staff a full season prior to his breakout year? That may be where the similarity ends.

[Clutch0364]

_ I am so geeked about how this team is following the Beamer model I can't even put into words how good they will be after this year ( and from then on out ) till Bustle leaves of his own accord. _

Turbine I respect your data and all you have come up with. I respect your opinion but I can't use this as a reason to be excited for next year. We have been telling ourselves wait till next year wait till next year. I like Bustle and what he has done for our program but sometimes you have to cut ties with guys you like to get over the hump. I just dont like comparing different programs and how they were built even if they come from the same staff.

You can look at it like this to...Urban Meyer took over a program at Bowling Green and won I believe 9 games in his second year and then went to Utah and won in his second year.

You can look at a lot of different programs and all would be different in the building process because they are all different.

[Turbine]

_ Did Beamer fire half of his staff a full season prior to his breakout year? That may be where the similarity ends. _

Yes he did, except he before the season of his break out year.

A difference being, Beamer was able to promote from within, taking his QB coach to become his OC. While Bustle had to go outside.

[Turbine]

You know that just because Bustle worked for Frank Beamer that does not mean every single one of his assistants that gets another job will do exactly like him. . . .

. . . He coached Michael Vick, the most talented athlete in college football in the past decade. You would never know a good play call from a bad cuz Vick would make more out of busted plays than good ones.

You are right except so far Bustle has done exactly the same as Beamer.

Vick came along 6 or 7 years after the turning point, he had nothing to do with the victory jump in year 7. I think it was year 14 when Vick and Bustle went to the national championship. By that time VT had already been to 7 straight bowls. But you are right there is no doubt he was a luxury.

If anything Beamer had many advantages over Bustle. When Beamer took over VT was coming off 2 bowl games in the past 3 seasons. Bustle took over from 6 straight losing seasons. No coach in UL history has had to contend with that.

I think Beamer did have some NCAA restrictions to contend with so that may be why VT was so patient, but I say Bustle's hurdles were greater. For 1 thing this new APR deal that restricts coaching staffs from taking chances on players is a big handcuff. This is the 1st yar of a full scholarsip allotment.I could go on and on

Still this team is going to win big next year and might (just might) win its fair share of games the rest of this year.

jmo