The Book: 2007 Football

[IHateLaState]

_ i've been gone from b.r. and in laf. for over 25 years. laf. is a great place to live, and, based on my regular visits back, b.r. ain't what it was when i left.

bit i do wonder if the vitriol seen here toward our capital city would be shared in the other 'major' louisiana cities. i think not; it all gets back to the UL hating lsu thing--got so much hate need to hate the city it's in as well. _

sorry but ask any native new orleanian..... not a football fan... and their feelings towards BR would be similar..... of course for most football fans the aura of TS takes precedence over anything....

[CajunNation]

_ Yes he did and more... THIS is what has me so upset with him and this program.... Here we are 6 years into this regime and not sure if we can beat others in the friggin SunBelt Conference.... Something to the effect of IF we play like we did last Saturday, we can COMPETE with anyone left on our schedule....

OH boy, we as fans can hope against hope that IF we play our very very best we wont get friggin blown out..... PEOPLE THIS IS OUTRAGIOUS AND UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And his lackeys in the media just play along... That bimbo in the morning telling us how YOUNG we are... We are in the 6th year... WHEN is it that we grow up??????????????? Then he tells us to be PROUD of 2 years ago when we went 6-5.... WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! 6-5 is what we have to look forward to???

PEOPLE SOMETHING IS WRONG.............. We have to expect and demand more than this............

Geez............... _

If you're waiting for our local media to be unbiased towards UL, you'll be waiting a looooonnnng time.

They defended Baldwin until days before he was let go 'cause they were told of his firing at that time. The green light was given.

I'll tell you this. If you ever hear our local media being very critical of Bustle, he's already gone.

[AstroCajun]

_ Yes he did and more... THIS is what has me so upset with him and this program.... Here we are 6 years into this regime and not sure if we can beat others in the friggin SunBelt Conference.... Something to the effect of IF we play like we did last Saturday, we can COMPETE with anyone left on our schedule....

OH boy, we as fans can hope against hope that IF we play our very very best we wont get friggin blown out..... PEOPLE THIS IS OUTRAGIOUS AND UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And his lackeys in the media just play along... That bimbo in the morning telling us how YOUNG we are... We are in the 6th year... WHEN is it that we grow up??????????????? Then he tells us to be PROUD of 2 years ago when we went 6-5.... WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! 6-5 is what we have to look forward to???

PEOPLE SOMETHING IS WRONG.............. We have to expect and demand more than this............

Geez............... _

0-4 is frustrating for everyone but keep this in mind.

We have 14 freshmen playing right now.

Let me say that again.

We have 14 freshmen playing right now.

Mostly on the Defensive side but they are playing significant downs.

Moving Grant Flemming to LB was a very good move, he's agressive and I see alot to like in him. We will be talking about him alot in the next few years.

As for offense, we lose exactly 1 starter going in to 2008.

If our defense could play consistently and make the third down stops, we wouldn't be gnashing our teeth right now. It is unfortunate that our defense is taking a big step back just as the rest of the schools in conference take a step forward in offence.

But again, it's cyclical. In 2008 Troy loses Cattouse and Haugabook, NT loses Jamario Thomas, ULM loses Calvin Dawson (and darn near their entire offensive line), on and on, you get the picture. They'll step back and we'll step forward.

[AstroCajun]

_ Well that should get more women to the games!

Sorry sometimes it is better to laugh than cry. _

What do you mean, sometimes?

[AstroCajun]

_ Sad thing is, TheFan, that I've watched the Knights long enough that I feel like they have to PROVE to me they can play to their potential game in and game out. Until they string together several consistent weeks, I will never feel certain which team will show up on game day... _

You can strike the word "Knights" and replace it with "Cajuns" and you'd pretty much nail how we Cajuns feel as well.

[Kernel]

They'll step back and we'll step forward.

Ah, the 'ol "wait 'til next year." They've been selling us that bill of goods for awhile now. The problem is, "next' year has always been a disappointment under Bustle.

[Corndog308]

Hypothetically, if Bustle DID get fired after this year. Wouldn't it be the beginning stages of the "still rebuilding" process............ AGAIN? I hope we aren't singing this same ol' song 20 years from now.

[Zeebart21]

Hypothetically, if Bustle DID get fired after this year. Wouldn't it be the beginning stages of the "still rebuilding" process............ AGAIN? I hope we aren't singing this same ol' song 20 years from now.

I believe we have a really nice nucleus of talent. Find the right guy, who knows what might happen.

Its not great right now, but NOwhere near where it was when Ricky took over from Baldwin.

Remember, its hypothetical!! I like Coach Bustle and hope he gets this "mutha" turned around. He is a really good dude.

Z

[Turbine]

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.

[RaginFan2]

_ 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. _

I hate to play "spin doctor", but ... Look at the teams we've played so far: S. Carolina - up-and-coming SEC team who gave LSU a pretty decent game (which few will be able to do this year); Ohio - pretty good team which could win their division of the MAC again this year; McNeese - Top 10 FCS team which is favored to win their conference; and Troy - favored to win The SBC. That's a pretty tough group of teams. I think we were only pre-season favorites in 1 of those games. Bottom-line is we're still 0-4. It IS VERY DISAPPOINTING, but let's hang in there and see how the rest of the season plays out. I know the most disappointing thing is the way we've lost. Many are comparing this season to 6 years ago. But try to think back. That was a much worse feeling than now. I think the biggest reason everyone is SO down is due to the raised expectations. The Baldwin years never had any expectations. I think last week's 14K was a typical home attendance during that era, rather than an unexpected dip. Again, let's hang in there til the end of this season and then take another look, Obviously, this weekend is not expected to be the one to right the ship. But who knows?

[CajunNation]

_ 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. _

I understand what you're saying, but we have GOT TO win a few games from here on out to stop the bleeding or recruiting will go in the tank again.

[DestinCajun]

sorry but ask any native new orleanian..... not a football fan... and their feelings towards BR would be similar.....

Actually, there are about 100,00 of them here and most seem fine with BR. Now, the folks who are still in FEMA trailers may feel differently and no doubt others are homesick but the ones I've talked with seem adjusted and many will stay on.

[Damon]

Sugar-crusted or not, almost all Cajun fans are eating alot of crow this year. I hope we can beat a few teams and not be the doormat of the SBC.

[ULBaby!]

_

LAFAYETTE -- Lafayette continues to receive props for its business-friendly climate and high-tech innovation.
Leading all Louisiana cities, Lafayette ranked 68th in the country for doing business in the latest edition of Inc. Magazine.

Inc., which gave Lafayette high marks for its information technology development, based its rankings on job growth and balance among different sectors of the economy.

Lafayette ranked 126 last year.

Inc. considered 274 metro areas. New Orleans ranked second in the state at 123, Lake Charles 131, Baton Rouge 134, Shreveport 144, Monroe 176, Alexandria 209 and Houma-Thibodaux 231.

Lafayette showed the highest growth in Louisiana for information technology jobs, which grew 21.5 percent in the last three years.

The only other city in Louisiana with growth in that sector was Baton Rouge, which grew 1.3 percent.

Inc. concluded in its study that high-paying technology jobs have declined in areas like Silicon Valley and Boston and popped up in smaller towns, where the cost of living and doing business is lower and quality of life is high.

City-Parish President Joey Durel said in a statement Friday he's glad Lafayette is being recognized as a "business-friendly" community.

"Lafayette continues to be a progressive city, and when you combine that with a business-friendly climate, the reputation we are garnering as a technologically savvy city and the excellent quality of life that we enjoy, it can only help in our efforts to bring business and jobs to this area," Durel said.

In October, Entrepreneur magazine named Lafayette as one of the four most attractive areas in the country for high-tech business.

The rest of the story

By KEVIN BLANCHARD
kblanchard@theadvocate.com
Acadiana bureau _

Heck Yeah! What'd you think?

Let us get down to the nitty gritty here... Baton Rouge has one H-E-double toothpicks of a football team. But that is really about all there is...well that and our progressive legislative bodies...OK, belay that last part. BUT...the bottom line here is that Lafayette is a nice city, and yes, it does contribute wonderfully to the "making" of UL... and that's how we like it! It is so nice to see at least one city in Louisiana appearing at the top of a "good" list for a change.

Reading earlier, I noticed someone say they knew why Lafayette was better. I'd like to know what you see. I have lived in small town LA and in Lake Charles as well as a couple of other states and Lafayette IS different and in many ways better than most places. Give us the scoop.

[ULBaby!]

What Damon said is pretty close - He(?) has a little more optimism regarding an at-large bowl bid, but otherwise, what Damon said...