Really, REALLY??????? I found that to be true, and if I were a Notre Dame alum or fan I would be quite proud of it....and he wants it to change??? Geez guys, first more "criminals needed on the team"...now less hospitality to visiting fans...do you really think that these things have anything to do with your W-L record?....and even if so, do you really want to go down that road? There is no offense intended in this post. Hopefully he is just asking for a bit more noise.
Stu From an article in the South Bend Trib If your fans were not giving your team a "home field" advantage wouldn't you want some changes in attitude? Swarbrick wants visiting fans to feel welcome and visiting teams to feel uncomfortable. That's what he wants really, REALLY!!!
ND <r><QUOTE><s> </e></QUOTE> Yes, I'm with Swarbrick, I want opposing teams to dread coming to ND stadium. Absolutely. Hospitality?!! We want wins, not friends. Noise? yeah, we want it crazy loud!!!</r>
I think Brian Kelly was right, we need a winning team on the field and the other stuff will follow. This complaining about the crowd at the stadium being too passive wasn't around before the mediocrity started.
I think that big plays really jack up a crowd. Pick sixes, blind side sacks forcing a fumble, punt returns to the house, 65 yd. TD runs, bombs, these are plays that get the crowd going. And it's these types of plays that have been so few the past decade. Tuitt's gallop on Sat. had Aviva rocking. So did GAIII's TD. What's been missing most the past few years is play makers on Defense and Special Teams.
I agree with Coach Kelly and Gip. Win and the problem goes away. Pull off big plays, like Gip described above, and the problem goes away. Non-student ND fans tend to fall into three categories: 1) Nice, sensible fans with or without kids who know when to cheer and how to be courteous to those around them during the plays, by far the majority; 2) Rude, inconsiderate fans who think paying for a ticket gives them the right to say and do what they want, regardless of the impact on surrounding fans, fortunately a minority; 3) fans, usually older farts, who don't comprehend the enthusiasm of other fans, and constantly are saying, down in front, even between plays, also fortunately a minority. Over the years, I've tried to be the first type but have encountered types 2 and 3. It's part of the game day experience. On rare occasions, I've called out a 2 or a 3. On one occasion years ago, my son and I opted to keep quiet because we knew as soon as we said something to the big lug behind us, a fight would break out and we would be booted. That was a challenge, but common sense prevailed. Stu, I'm not sure where you are going with your comments above. I understand what Swarbrick is saying. Simply, he's encouraging fans to continue to be gracious before and after the game but loud and supportive of the home team during the game, nothing more. I sense your Purdue-based competitiveness rising to the fore. :wink: Bingo!
I sat next to Sid at a game, he's exactly the type of fan we need more of at the games. He even tried to mimic the student section by doing push ups with me! He probably could have done it when I weighed only 125lbs!
Watch out, Stu, rumor has it that the Irish's AD recently purchased 10 of these bomb sniffing bad boys to provide visiting teams what is described as "the Columbus Welcome Wagon".
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=5E9H_DvwOVc&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D5E9H_DvwOVc&gl=US Can't seem to embed from my tablet. Hope the link works. Sid, I tried to say I meant nothing negative... Wasn't being competitive either. I always thought the quality of your players and the hospitality in your stadium was enviable. Now you've got a prominent former player wanting bad boys and an administrator wanting the hospitality to end. Nothing wrong with boisterous cheering. I always thought that when Cooper tried criticizing the fans for lack of enthusiasm it was a cop out for a poor product. I'll quit now. Hell, can't even compliment you guys without somebody thinking it was backhanded. :wink:
I agree with the sentiment that the onfield product would/should take care of the crowd, but that's not the reality. I've been told to sit down. I've had ushers come over and ask us to keep it down because of complaints behind us. Mind you WE WERE HOLDING A BABY!!! We simply cheered and I assure you that my ex-wife cheers much louder than I do. Doc has sat next to me at a game. He'll tell ya, I am not the loud, obnoxious fan.. Notre Dame is still the best game day experience in terms of beauty and history that I've experienced. At the same time, it hasn't been a very haunting place for opposing teams. This is something that isn't new, it's been building over time. This complaint has gone on for well over a decade.
ND/purdue <r>WE'RE ON UPSET ALERT!!!!!<br/> <br/> The ESPN gang with Mark May as the ringleader have put ND on upset alert against Purdue!!! May says Navy put 192yds passing on us so imagine what Terbush/Marve are gonna do to us!!! Besides that ND has jetlag from the jaunt to Dubin Ireland!! Another of the commentators when asked if the Irish deserve to be in the top 25 poll states we shouldn't be concerning ourselves with rankings right now but about how daunting our schedule is with Mich St., Mich, BYU etc, etc. Trouble is it's his college Reese Davis who asked him the question, not ND, the coaching staff or even fans! Talking about creating a straw man!<br/> <br/> <B><s></s>I want everyone to remember that the majority of the commentators on all the networks are calling Purdue a GOOD team at the time I'm writing this. <e></e></B> I'm just sayin.</r>
ND/Purdue <r>I found out why everyone is thinking Purdue is "Good" this year. It's because of what they accomplished LAST season. Here are the highlights:<br/> <br/> Purdue compiled a record of <B><s></s>7-6<e></e></B> and finished in <B><s></s>third place<e></e></B> in the newly-formed Leaders Division of the Big Ten Conference. Highlights of Purdue's 2011 season included <B><s></s>a 21–14 victory over #21 Illinois<e></e></B>, and <B><s></s>a 26–23 overtime victory over Ohio State<e></e></B> and their first bowl game since 2007. Purdue's season ended with <B><s></s>a 37-32 victory against Western Michigan <e></e></B>in the 2011 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.<br/> <br/> <br/> Wow, a 37-32 bowl game win against Western Michigan???? Really? A victory over a then #21 Illinois team.(didn't they fire their coach?) and a overtime win against a Ohio St. program that was a mess after firing their coach and booting several players off the team. <br/> <br/> Yeah, there right. I see why they should be so good this year. How could I have been so blind?</r>
I think May picking a Purdue upset is part of the whole Mark May hates ND schtick that he does with Holtz. Now I'm not taking the game for granted, Purdue will be a better passing team than Navy so our inexperienced CB's will be tested and Purdue supposedly has a good defensive line, although they lost a very good LB to suspension. I still think we win and cover the spread.
It doesn't matter what others think of Purdue, good or bad. We can never overlook them. Period. I agree with Terry re: Mark May's schtick. My son within the past two years has been present during a private conversation between a few ND folks and Mark May. He respects ND and believes we are on the right track. He has a tight relationship with Coach Holtz. Don't believe everything you hear from him on TV.
ND/Purdue <t>Sid, Terry, Corey and everybody else,<br/> <br/> Yes it's true....I don't like Purdue. No revelation here! What's bothering me is the way the media wants to treat this game now. I guess I just let them get under my skin and with this being a game against Purdue, it makes it worse. I'm fairly confident that Mark may knows there are a lot of ND fans like me who will take his comments to heart(and hate him for it). I guess truth be told, you can make a case where you could say "why should this year be any different at ND than the past decade". Why should they not think that we will be the same old two step forward and one step back, why should we not live up to the expectations the fans have? Looking at it from their view, they are probably right in a lot of ways(not all). What ND needs to do is simply go out and perform to their ability and WIN consistently when they SHOULD win and maybe the media will start to come around, and all the other problems will be solved too(stadium atmosphere etc.) this Purdue game is a prime example. When you look at these two teams on paper there is no way a reasonable person could do anything but pick ND to win. Now I realize this is a rivalry game and it's even more of a rivalry for Purdue than ND, and on any given Saturday DIV 1 team could beat any other team but 9 times out of 10, ND would come up a winner in this game. Who knows TerBush or Marve may light up the scoreboard and torch ND for 400+ yds and 6 TDs and beat our butts, but I just feel there is a lot of anti-ND bias in the media that makes it's way into their comments that just doesn't make sense. <br/> <br/> ND should cover the points... if not, we DO have a problem.</t>
Almost half of those yds. came in the first series in the second half when Navy abandoned ship...er....their running game. From that point on, ND went back into a traditional defense that doesn't have to rely solely on the DBs doing all the coverage. Navy never scored again. Oh, and ND rushed for twice as much as the vaunted Naval rushing attack. Lastly, What "jet lag" they might have had was done by Tues. It's a complete non issue.
ND <t>Gipper,<br/> <br/> You're right. I just let idiots like May get to me. Maybe someday ND's performance on the field will finally shut these guys up. I'm hoping it's sooner than later.</t>
New ND commit <t>Well I got so worked up over the Purdue game I didn't realize ND just got another verbal commit! It's an nice one too. Doug Randolph a LB from Virginia committed. He had been a verbal to Stanford. Looks like he's 4 star quality.</t>