Well, if none of you other sad sacks is going to start a topic, I'll do it. Let's kick it off with the words of Allen Pinkett. The comments below are at the end of his Blueandgold.com analysis of the state of the team. In a nutshell, he fully supports Charley and at the same time concedes that this year's team is going to take some pretty hard lumps. I hope you high-hysteria fans out there (and you know who you are) are prepared to stay the course through this unfortunate experience. This year is a true test of the character of ND fandom. Some will pass the test. Many won't.
Sid...` <t>I have been a ND fan since I was thirteen years old and that was a few years ago so while I get nuts with the no-show of this years team I'm with them till the good LORD decides my time is up. I can easily see an 0-8 run here this year but I believe in Weis and most of his staff.<br/> When we get some legit talent on defense on the field with a bit of experience from this committed class plus the likes of the two young guys like Neal and Smith from last Saturday we stand a chance of it turning.<br/> I am more worried about what can be done with Claussen and the O-Line. That is the rub IMO regarding ND football. No matter I will be there pulling for them.<br/> I am glad I will be on vacation in Colorado starting Friday though. LOL !!</t>
I've been a ND fan since the early 50's. In our house my grandfather made sure everyone listened to every ND game. So I've lived and died with them almost all my life. I'm to old to abandon the ship during these rough times. The Irish will be back and it will sooner than most people think. The Irish will give Purdue all they can handle. Its time to see what these guys are made of. GO IRISH PJ in Jersey
A fan since 1964, I won't ever change allegiances. But that does not mean I will drink the Kool-Aid either. It's Ty's fault, we have growing pains yada yada yada.... Something is not right here. It's not just the losses. Its the total lack of senior leadership ( ex. Laws ). It's the detached nature of Weis. It's the growing list of defections. Vegas did not build those ivory towers from making stupid bets. The last line I heard was 21.5. Tiller would love to kill us in front of the home crowd. The Irish have shown me nothing to suggest that they will not squander the 21.5 spread by mid 3rd quarter to a vengeful Purdue team with mucho offensive weapons. I hope I'm wrong. :cry:
I'm here for the distance, I'm an old hand at this sort of thing having been an Oilers fan and an Astros fan as well.
George, I almost hope Tiller does run it up. Our team is young and will remember for the next 2 or 3 years. I think Dantonio was pretty smart to call in the dogs last week. As to the "defections" we're losing players who are down the depth chart. It's part of the natural selection in college football. These are kids that don't want to go to school at ND they just want to play football there. When they find out that they're not going to get playing time, they transfer. I didn't miss the Olsen sisters, Lovecchio, or that idiot receiver who spent all of a week before leaving school and going off to oblivion. The extra scholarship is more valuable to the team than a 4th round TE or a QB who can't pass. Last week we started to run the ball. If we can keep improving there, we might actually get the passing game going. That is....I assume that we have a passign game!
Gip, I hope your right about the transfers but there may be a disconnect between Charlie and his players. Hear me out. Weis was a tremendous pro offensive coordinator. He coached under two men who will probably be enshrined in Canton, Parcells and Belicek. Coaching in the pros is different.... these are men playing for a paycheck and a pension. They are highly skilled and need no additional motivation. College players are kids. They still are learning the game and need motivation. College sports are not antiseptic like pros; its a rah-rah atmosphrere and you need a coach that taps into that and leads accordingly. Charlie inherited a team that had excellent skill position players and could handle his professional schemes. Now he has to COACH. He needs to throw down the computer generated game plan and get in some faces. He needs to be Lou. The college game is based on emotion. Charlie needs to tap into this. If he does, coupled with his game planning, the Irish will rise again.
George I agree with much of what you say. Under Ty we had a miserable OC and didn't recruit well at all. Charlie came in and immediately brought offense to a talented group of players. The recruiting flaw was fixed. I'm somewhat concerned that the position coaches are not teaching the younger players as well as they should. This becomes evident especially in some of the games this year. I don't necessarily think that Charile has to become a Lou. Lou as you may remember had talent issues his last couple of years and lost to Air Force. Devine showed that you could win with talent and superior coaching even without the rah-rah stuff. Charlie is an ND man. He'll have his teams emotionally ready to play. (The SC game in 05 was a great example.) Right now we need depth and talent. The talent is important not only in the game but in practice. I doubt that the first team D and O gain much from practicing against each other. One last thing. Our special teams are a problem. But as I recall, Lou's teams were struggling to kick PATs (remember the SC game?) in his later years. Even the best coaches can struggle with some talent pools.
:shock: Nine posts and nothing about the Florida Gators? I'm shocked. I guess I'll have to go read the Ohio State section to get my Gator fix... I've been a Notre Dame fan since 1956. I followed the Irish before I had even heard of the Dodgers or knew that they existed. My dad and I listened to the games on Armed Forces Radio, while my stupid brother was still sucking his thumb. I'm in for the long haul. ......JO'Co
I'm not going to mention the Gators unless you count my signature and this remark! :lol: :lol: I don't know enough about Weis to know just how he's doing with his players. But I do know he's a great offensive mind, that he won with players he inherited and that he's getting great recruiting classes. If the players leaving are of the caliber that gipper mentions then the Irish are as he says getting spots for more great recruits. But it is possible Weis needs to learn more about how to lead college kids. Seeing his results through his career, if that is what he needs to do then I believe he will do it. But seeing what he did his first two years as a head coach I have to believe that once he is playing with all players he recruited he will win consistently.
As I was reading this I thought for sure, you were going to say that you listened to ND games while in your mothers womb. Now I'm dissapointed. :lol:
My take from the players leaving is this......D Jones told the press he was shocked he wasn't the # 1 and Charlie didn't make it clear etc...... Now I believe he told everybody where they stood and with his Jersey roots flat out told these kids where they exactly stand.......Some have fight in them and others don't (or parents think there kid is the next NFL star and transfer elsewhere) My other thought of this year was that it would be a long year, no problem with that. Then with all the media reports, practice reports I got pulled right in and then got pissed. Took a couple games to get back to my original feelings of rebuilding year. GO ND!!!! NO MORE #22 PLEASE TODAY WITH HIS BACK ALWAYS TO THE BALL Where art thou ZIBBY?
Dear Notre Dame: We've changed our mind. Have you considered the Atlantic Ten or 1AA? Yours The Big Ten