The Book: 2007 Football

[MakoMaker]

_ Question: Are you a lsu graduate disquised as someone who hates em and making us think you are for UL but just like to poise questions which could cause descent amongst us? Don't want to ruffle your feathers, just want to know the truth here. I believe we are causing more damage to our University's image with these blogs than we are doing good. We don't need to expose our dirty laundry to the world, DO WE ANYMORE? _

Wow...I have talked to IHateLaState and he's a pretty stand up guy....def not anti-cajun.

[rhineaux]

_

Keep the faith. It is most important in this difficult time that we here and consider all points of view.

The more points of view we have, the more likely we will find the one which is right.

While I am inclined to agree with you, the other side is making some pretty good arguments too. _

I'm not trying to say that I don't hear what you're saying, and I know that differing points of view are what this is all about. But, I see it differently than you. Like i said before, I was still on board with bustle before last weekend, or at least I was ok with keeping him. I was the guy that was playing devil's advocate and listening and kinda repeating that we should give it more time and at least let it play out a little more. the problem now is that not only do we have a really bad season on our hands, but the team took a major step back on Sunday.

Maybe some of the desire to wait for a while has to do with the relationship that some folks have with bustle. Its not uncommon for anyone who has some relationship with someone else, to want to see that other person succeed. Especially since bustle did bring some excitement to this program a couple years ago. It binded the fans with him that much more. but, as i said before, this isn't about us and the coaches. This is about the public, the recruits (not only this year's recruits), the students, the sponsors, the boosters, and everyone else who isn't as involved with the program as us, seeing a problem. It is not worth the risk of keeping him around and it not working. I know some folks will be sad to see him go, but a change has to be made to continue the momentum. If it isn't, then in four or five years, Bustle's name will be added to the list of recent coaches who have run this program into the ground. and when he's gone, it will make the job seem that much worse to future potential coaches.

Our long period of losing season has most certainly brought forth some complacency from the older Cajun fans. but here is an oppurtunity to end that complacency and become proactive and progressive and take the next step. We can't hope for things to change on our own. We have to demand that they are changed now.

Again, the risk of the "let it play out" experiment failing, is not worth actually failing and falling back into a hole that we all know will be too hard and take too long to get out of.

[anhil8tor]

The guy is a starting true freshman, he will be good give him time. Plus, the guy obviously wants to play pretty bad no matter what, that's something that can't be said as much throughout the reat of the team.

Why not give him some credit?

I am tickled pink for the guy. Kudos to him for not giving up and making bustle give him a chance.

[IHateLaState]

_ Are you in Louisiana yet? Hope you enjoy your time down here. _

Sounds like she is coming down?? it would be great to meet her and let her know we all are very appreciative that her son chose to come here.... Maybe it would be fun to have a gathering of posters on here.... I can wear P&G to just ____ UL JIM off.... Problem is I dont own any P&G...lol... Anyone interested??? How about the Alumni Tent at 3??

[NewCajunDad]

Leave your frustrations here or at the stadium. Support is what these boys and these coaches need when you see them in public or on the walk!!

Part of the problem IS youth and inexperience. Bustle has recruited talent and has the most qualified staff here since his tenure began.

One or two freshmen can make a positive difference but when the majority of your "trench" players are freshmen / sophomores, you will struggle even at seasons' end. These guys all try very hard and UL, as a program, has tried to aggressively redshirt but many things have forced a change. We have seen other teams with this situation and things turned around a year later. It will happen here.

UL-L has had as many as 38 - 39 freshman / sophomores travel and dress / participate in games this year. I count atleast seven true freshmen playing and 3 of these have atleast one start on defense. That coupled with injuries (both sides of the ball to senior linemen, DBs, RBs etc.), we are very young! We have very little experienced "depth" anywhere!! Defensive line has had three senior starters with true freshmen forced to see action behind / with them. Same in O-line. Tough to be consistent with inconsistent lineup and youth.

Do I still believe there is room for improvement on the offensive and defensive schemes we are implementing? Absolutely, and this should have improved substantially more than it has to date. But with the given youth factor, these young men are having difficulties adjusting to the speed of the college game not to mention a new system where the guy next to them is also unfamiliar. When the guy in the trench beside you is also a freshman or sophmore, where is the leadership? Put that many freshmen in a system and you will struggle.

I know it is difficult to be understanding of the season but we must. This team had more depth last year in the offensive and defensive lines. While we struggled at times (maybe this was why we changed coordinators!!), the juniors you see now as seniors were backing up last year's seniors in the line. We have only 14 juniors that play this year and a couple are strictly on special teams. With the exception of Seth Adams and Erik Jones (TE), this junior group does not have a single lineman who plays or provides depth in the trenches. A couple of other guys in this group are transfers as well creating similar experience problems in the defensive secondary.

Next year's team will still be young by some standards due to the 14 only juniors (seniors to be). But, there will be 17 juniors to back that up including significant parts of your starting offensive and defensive lines. Depth and experience.

I see that as a significant step up in competitive ability. I still see this as a positive recruiting tool. The rope is short, but we must continue to hang on.

Running back is / will be solid
QB will have experience (and the RS Freshmen will have another year in the system)
OL will be solid due to forced development this year
DL, same as OL
Defensive backs / LB are young now and another year developing bodies / experience as well as getting a couple of kids involved who missed out academically.

All the while giving a young man who wants to bust his b--- the opportunity to play as a true or redshirt freshman.

[IHateLaState]

NCD,
Thanks for the post... I truely hope you are correct because I simply dont see the change being made... I personally have nothing but admiration and respect for the young men who fly the Cajun colors and would do nothing at the stadium or anywhere else to make them feel anything but appreciated... For that reason I will not stand bye if anyone starts catcalling or otherwise verbally abusing the coaches or players... That does not change my opinion but what the heck... Ive been wrong before... heres hoping I am this time

[MissingMandy]

_ Leave your frustrations here or at the stadium. Support is what these boys and these coaches need when you see them in public or on the walk!!

Part of the problem IS youth and inexperience. Bustle has recruited talent and has the most qualified staff here since his tenure began.

One or two freshmen can make a positive difference but when the majority of your "trench" players are freshmen / sophomores, you will struggle even at seasons' end. These guys all try very hard and UL, as a program, has tried to aggressively redshirt but many things have forced a change. We have seen other teams with this situation and things turned around a year later. It will happen here.

UL-L has had as many as 38 - 39 freshman / sophomores travel and dress / participate in games this year. I count atleast seven true freshmen playing and 3 of these have atleast one start on defense. That coupled with injuries (both sides of the ball to senior linemen, DBs, RBs etc.), we are very young! We have very little experienced "depth" anywhere!! Defensive line has had three senior starters with true freshmen forced to see action behind / with them. Same in O-line. Tough to be consistent with inconsistent lineup and youth.

Do I still believe there is room for improvement on the offensive and defensive schemes we are implementing? Absolutely, and this should have improved substantially more than it has to date. But with the given youth factor, these young men are having difficulties adjusting to the speed of the college game not to mention a new system where the guy next to them is also unfamiliar. When the guy in the trench beside you is also a freshman or sophmore, where is the leadership? Put that many freshmen in a system and you will struggle.

I know it is difficult to be understanding of the season but we must. This team had more depth last year in the offensive and defensive lines. While we struggled at times (maybe this was why we changed coordinators!!), the juniors you see now as seniors were backing up last year's seniors in the line. We have only 14 juniors that play this year and a couple are strictly on special teams. With the exception of Seth Adams and Erik Jones (TE), this junior group does not have a single lineman who plays or provides depth in the trenches. A couple of other guys in this group are transfers as well creating similar experience problems in the defensive secondary.

Next year's team will still be young by some standards due to the 14 only juniors (seniors to be). But, there will be 17 juniors to back that up including significant parts of your starting offensive and defensive lines. Depth and experience.

I see that as a significant step up in competitive ability. I still see this as a positive recruiting tool. The rope is short, but we must continue to hang on.

Running back is / will be solid
QB will have experience (and the RS Freshmen will have another year in the system)
OL will be solid due to forced development this year
DL, same as OL
Defensive backs / LB are young now and another year developing bodies / experience as well as getting a couple of kids involved who missed out academically.

All the while giving a young man who wants to bust his b--- the opportunity to play as a true or redshirt freshman. _

Thanks NCD....I sometimes feel like I'm preaching to the choir. It's nice to hear your opinion...one I agree with 100%. Our boys need our support and so does the coaching staff.

[rhineaux]

_ Sounds like she is coming down?? it would be great to meet her and let her know we all are very appreciative that her son chose to come here.... Maybe it would be fun to have a gathering of posters on here.... I can wear P&G to just ____ UL JIM off.... Problem is I dont own any P&G...lol... Anyone interested??? How about the Alumni Tent at 3?? _

that could be cool. I'll try to remember.

I'll be the good looking one.

[RCAJUN90]

" Leave your frustrations here or at the stadium. Support is what these boys and these coaches need when you see them in public or on the walk!!"

You can support the boys and not the coach.

"Part of the problem IS youth and inexperience. Bustle has recruited talent and has the most qualified staff here since his tenure began."

The man has had "6" YEARS! A good coach doesn't have down years but simply reloads. He has had one winning season in "6" YEARS! Is the best we can hope for is a winning season every six years and then a down trend? We deserve better than that and our players deserve better than that.

"Next year's team will still be young by some standards due to the 14 only juniors (seniors to be). But, there will be 17 juniors to back that up including significant parts of your starting offensive and defensive lines. Depth and experience.

I see that as a significant step up in competitive ability. I still see this as a positive recruiting tool. The rope is short, but we must continue to hang on.

Running back is / will be solid
QB will have experience (and the RS Freshmen will have another year in the system)
OL will be solid due to forced development this year
DL, same as OL
Defensive backs / LB are young now and another year developing bodies / experience as well as getting a couple of kids involved who missed out academically.

All the while giving a young man who wants to bust his b--- the opportunity to play as a true or redshirt freshman."

Just wait until next year? I heard way to many times.

[anhil8tor]

Got an update from Mr. Farmer today...

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for writing after last week’s game. Your e-mail shows your genuine interest in the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the Ragin’ Cajun Athletics Department. Without your e-mail, we may not have known that a problem exists.



By copy of this e-mail, I am asking our Physical Plant to address this issue you pointed out. Obviously, I cannot promise a solution by Homecoming, but we’ll see what can be done.



Once again, thank you for caring and GEAUX CAJUNS!


Its nice to get a response....

[MissingMandy]

_ that could be cool. I'll try to remember.

I'll be the good looking one. _

Z said he was the good lookin one...said he looked like George Clooney?

[CajunProud]

I whole hearedly agree that there should never be any personal attacks on the Coaches and ESPECIALLY the young men who come and play for UL. We should never, ever boo them on the field and things of that nature.


I can only speak for myself, but the frustration that I am feeling comes from not just years of disappointment, but from decades. We like to reminisce about the good old days when Jake was here and when Brian Mitchell was here and the Texas A&M win, but the sad truth is that we really have no winning tradition here at the school. Other than Jake’s years here, when have we really had a sustained winning program? Never. Oh, we have had some great moral victories like South Carolina this year and two or three years ago, and the time we almost beat Oklahoma State when Barry Sanders was there, but that’s all they were, and we think that we were somehow greater than what we were.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to be negative, just stating the truth. I want us to win. I was born and raised here and am a UL alum. I truly bleed vermillion and white like most, if not all of you.

My frustration is with the administration that has allowed this to happen over decades. Lafayette is a great community with great fans who hunger for a winning football program. We have some of the best talent in the State that we could get but we don’t. Yes, it appears that with the departure of Dr. A, things may start to turn around, but until that happens, I will continue to be upset, disappointed, frustrated, angry etc…….. I am tired of hearing about next year. I have been hearing about next year since I was born. I am tired of the same old politics at UL that is a microcosm of the political problems that we have in local and State government, i.e. “The Good Old Boy” mentality.

When Coach Bustle arrived, I was very excited and thought that positive changes were coming, and I have seen some. The talent level of the football team has increased, we are expecting more out of the program (as is evident from the angry posts on this site), fan support in the community has visibly increased, etc… However, I am very concerned that the excitement that has been building over the last several years will all be undone with the way the team performed in the second half of last season and so far this season. I don’t know if I can stand the apathy that was so prevalent for so long around here again. I hope I am wrong, but I really think Coach Bustle has done all he can do. It is time to move on.

[CajunGuru]

_ Their last 2 games, UCA has played the '04 SLC champs and the '05 SLC champs.

In these 2 games, UCA amassed:

61 first downs

1,138 total yards

98 points

won both games by an average score of 49-17

What else do you want him to do? _

Nation, I don't have a problem with Conque interviewing. He is just not my first choice out of the names listed on the board. Any hire is a risk, but a measured hire with some criteria is a safer hire. Conque is building a program at Cent. Arkansas from DivII, he has not shown he can do it in the SLC. He has not won a championship in the SLC. Until then, he is not my first choice ; and Viator has at least shown he can win the SLC championship, with less money. Individual game statisitics mean very little in the over all scheme of hiring a head coach.

What is your criteria? I have defind mine specifically.

[CajunGuru]

_ I whole hearedly agree that there should never be any personal attacks on the Coaches and ESPECIALLY the young men who come and play for UL. We should never, ever boo them on the field and things of that nature.


I can only speak for myself, but the frustration that I am feeling comes from not just years of disappointment, but from decades. We like to reminisce about the good old days when Jake was here and when Brian Mitchell was here and the Texas A&M win, but the sad truth is that we really have no winning tradition here at the school. Other than Jake’s years here, when have we really had a sustained winning program? Never. Oh, we have had some great moral victories like South Carolina this year and two or three years ago, and the time we almost beat Oklahoma State when Barry Sanders was there, but that’s all they were, and we think that we were somehow greater than what we were.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to be negative, just stating the truth. I want us to win. I was born and raised here and am a UL alum. I truly bleed vermillion and white like most, if not all of you.

My frustration is with the administration that has allowed this to happen over decades. Lafayette is a great community with great fans who hunger for a winning football program. We have some of the best talent in the State that we could get but we don’t. Yes, it appears that with the departure of Dr. A, things may start to turn around, but until that happens, I will continue to be upset, disappointed, frustrated, angry etc…….. I am tired of hearing about next year. I have been hearing about next year since I was born. I am tired of the same old politics at UL that is a microcosm of the political problems that we have in local and State government, i.e. “The Good Old Boy” mentality.

When Coach Bustle arrived, I was very excited and thought that positive changes were coming, and I have seen some. The talent level of the football team has increased, we are expecting more out of the program (as is evident from the angry posts on this site), fan support in the community has visibly increased, etc… However, I am very concerned that the excitement that has been building over the last several years will all be undone with the way the team performed in the second half of last season and so far this season. I don’t know if I can stand the apathy that was so prevalent for so long around here again. I hope I am wrong, but I really think Coach Bustle has done all he can do. It is time to move on. _

Well Stated! It should never be about personal attacks, but results. I share your concern and I hope the parents that visit this board understand as well. Under no circumstance should any athlete be booed period.

[IHateLaState]

_ Well Stated! It should never be about personal attacks, but results. I share your concern and I hope the parents that visit this board understand as well. Under no circumstance should any athlete be booed period. _

I too hope the parents understand.... I've had this discussion online with Missing Mandy...

We are forever greatful that your sons and daughters chose UL.... We are passionate about the program however and feel that the current leadership are not the right individuals to lead the ship.... Under no circumstances does that dissatisfaction extend to any of the athletes nor to the team endeavors... i for one will not miss a home game... still contemplating a trip to Knoxville and will forever cheer on our team.....

we love your kids!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!