actually, I saw pulling him at halftime of the season opener as throwing him under the bus. keeping him on the sideline while the turnover machine rolls on is just backing up over him... that's all well and good. Giving Hendrix quality game time experience and then not going to him again when the turn over machine goes down... what message does that send to both of those players?
Gip, I think we're on two different wave lengths here, and it's my fault. You said potato and I said tomato. You were referring to someone else's inference that the crowd noise affects how the team plays. I was referring only to the inconsistent level of enthusiasm from game to game. Like you, I believe that crowd enthusiasm does not affect how the team plays. My original comments on this subject were in reply to Terry's reference to a Texas fan citing ND stadium as one of the louder stadiums he (the fan) had experienced. I will say, however, that - putting the horse before the cart - IMO if the team is playing well, the crowd noise can provide fuel for the momentum engine.
Corey, let me ask you, to what extent do you believe that Rees is responsible for the loss last night? Did he play defense? Was he blocking for the RBs? Did he encourage Calabrese's stupid taunting penalty that led to a Southern Cal FG? Did he let the flat pass/fumble roll off his fingertips then let Southern Cal recover it? You seem to be focusing on what he doesn't do. I guess I'm just looking at what he does do. I don't need to tell you that it's a team game. You don't need an all-american QB with a cannon arm as long as the other elements of the team are clicking (OL, defense, special teams, etc.). You need a guy who manages the game within the scheme that the coaching staff has put together. Last night he did his part adequately, as he's done the prior 4 games. Rees was not the problem.
I'd say we need to get on a run of being really good, then we'll find out that our crowd is pretty darn good. Maybe it's just me but I like to stand and cheer at certain times but I don't equate standing with being a "good" fan. I can be pretty loud sitting down. Not to mention I'm not real loud when things are going poorly for the team. Texas A&M has a reputation for being a really loud stadium, they are having a good season. Did it help them when they coughed up the game vs OK State this season at home? Did it help them during the latter stages of RC Slocums career, or during the entire Dennis Franchionne regime, or the first couple of years of Mike Sherman? Did the Swamp help Ron Zook? Did the Swamp help Urban Meyer last year when he didn't have Tim Tebow? Miami had a fearsome team at home for many years and poor attendance for most of their games, what's that about?
Rees was not the problem last night. Both lines got their asses kicked and our LBs moved like they were wearing leg irons. Those were far bigger problems. Bringing Hendrix in at the goal line for one play was a stupid decision. Kelly ruined two QB's confidence in one move. A banged up Rees was his only option after that.
I really didn't have that much of a problem with alternating QB's in the goal line series, and if Crist doesn't fumble and we score neither would anybody else. There certainly is a firestorm going on right now. Kelly is clueless, Kelly is classless, Kelly is just like Weis thinks he can out scheme you, Kelly gives up on the run too fast. Kelly has to fire Diaco, Kelly has to give up calling plays and hire a real OCoord. I have no clue whether Kelly will be successful in the long haul, those who think Swarbrick should be getting out his short list are certainly going to be disappointed. I do not know Jack Swarbrick, but I doubt very seriously that he will give up on Kelly and start any sort of preliminary process to replace him any sooner than the end of his 3rd year, and if Kelly goes 8-4 in the regular season and win or loses a bowl game Kelly will not be on the hot seat. Remember Swarbrick was evaluating Kelly during 2008 and kept Weis hanging for a couple of weeks as to whether or not he would return, ultimately he decided to go with Weis another year and continued to watch Kelly in 2009 which was Kelly's undefeated season. So he has some skin invested in Kelly. 2012 schedule is very tough, and if we have another 4 or more loss season there certainly will be tremendous pressure on him to make a move. As far as Kelly making staff changes, I'd be surprised if he does. Now it's always possible there will be staff turnover due to guys getting opportunities to move up to Coord or HC. I would be surprised though if Diaco got an offer to be a HC even at a MAC level school. Chuck Martins name was mentioned in relation to a couple of MAC schools last year, and Warriner was the OCoord for some pretty good Kansas teams under Mangino so you never know. But I think Kelly has enough Irish (stubborn) in him that if Swarbrick tells him to make staff changes it won't go well.
Other thoughts... After the Crist fumble/scoop and score we got a good kick return, and drove the ball efficiently for the score to get right back to 24-17. Then we get a stop on SC and they miss a FG. At that point I'm thinking we will score again and maybe this will go to OT. Of course then Cierre Wood misses the easy catch and doesn't jump on the lateral and oh well game over....then we have the pick ...and we are done.
Sid, Maybe it's because I am have the benefit of watching these games with video editing nerds who are breaking down the game (and countless others) at the same time, but I'm here to tell you that Rees sucks.. not just against USC, but against everyone. The offense puts up big numbers... but even when Rees is getting praise, he makes awful reads. I agree entirely that this loss was a team loss. How many of that is coaching? How much of that is on the players and their lack of (as Bear Bryant referred to it) 'want to'? That's all up for debate. I'm here to tell you that Rees is awful. Break down the films and you'll see what I am talking about. Even when he makes a 'good' play, far more often than not there was a much better read to be made. It all gets down into your expectations. Is this Notre Dame or North Dakota? We have, flat out, the best analyst on TV aside from Ron Jaworski and early in the game he noted that USC was not running the typical Kiffin 'Tampa 2' defense but that he was 'sure we'd see it later.' You know what? We didn't. They went playground on us. They put 3 DBs on Floyd all night and dared Rees to even look at someone else first. He couldn't, because he won't and it won't stop. You played this game, your boy played this game. Do the math, you know as well as I do how laughable that is. It's one thing to triple cover a guy in Lou Holtz' old pass scheme. Some times we only had 1 or 2 receivers en route on the play. That's not this offense. We have 5 targets on the field. They are rushing at least 4....always, sometimes 5... they are spending 3 guys on Floyd.. Doing the math, that's now 7 to 8 men meaning there is only 4 or 3 men to cover the other four WRs.. Crist never looked like the kid who was deer in headlights before Kelly got there. He does now. The only guy who looks comfortable is the one guy who basically ran this basic offense in HS. Which brings me to... this offense is NOT complex. It's not hard. I believe Terry mentioned that here or elsewhere. Kiffin basically scoffed at it. The only thing that makes this offense dangerous is the run and in order for the run to work, it requires great athletes at QB and RB.. How doesn't Hendrix know this offense already, or is that a cop out? Is Rees really running the system and making the right reads, or, is he just pumping the ball to Floyd against teams that weren't smart enough to do what Kiffin did... take Floyd out of the game and dare you to throw the ball to anyone else?? I think we got our answer Saturday.
BTW Corey, I wouldn't be shocked to see Crist at UCLA next year, the Bruin QB's I saw Thurs were beyond awful.
Really getting ugly over Kelly on NDNation, not shocking however. There were a lot of posters who were very disappointed that Kelly was hired in the first place, this was sort of the loss that broke the dam. While we will be favored in the next 4 games vs Navy, Wake, Maryland and Boston College a loss to any one of them will bring out the lynch mob. I think most can accept a loss to Stanford if we beat the crap out of the next 4, but the team has to play well in losing to Stanford, can't be hammered 65 to 21 like Washington.
It is early Stu, but the online community at ND is not known for it's patience. Esp when they were divided over his hire in the first place. Years of frustration of being an average team are in play here. Years of frustration of feeling that the Administration has put shackles on the program, and instead of going out and hiring the best coach, they went for the low hanging fruit.
I don't go to ND Nation during the season. There are too many delusional posters there that think that they know all the answers to hiring a coach and coaching a game. Believe me, you're better off avoiding that collection of idiots.
Stanford will probably have a NC invite on the line when they play us so I expect to get hammered in that game. I think the real trap games left otherwise are MD and Wake. A lot of the hype over the Irish is self-induced by the various BBs and magazines to be sure but they did enter the season rated #16 in the polls. Kelly came in with near unanimous support but quickly leveraged that with some strange play calling and sideline antics. Pulling the plug on Crist after one half of football this year has set the tone for the season in my view. He needs more time to be sure and what the hell's the difference anyway? We are a Top 40 team, I think. He is no Saban or Meyer and that is probably the magnitude of coach we would need under this microscope. I think we need to get back to a run oriented offense... we are trying to emulate Oregon with none of their speed.
You have to wonder when Meyer will gather up his insides for another run under the microscope. I think his heart might lie with Ohio State......his head with Notre Dame.....but his common sense and inner well being with Penn State. The PSU fan base has exhibited tremendous patience I think with JoePa....almost beyond the call of duty and I'll bet Meyer has noticed. Meyer would be a hero of major proportions and just as well paid if he brought the Nits back to national prominence.....no less so than if he did it at ND or Columbus. I think Penn St is the darkhorse favorite in this three team race.
Penn State, maybe....Ohio State or ND??? No way. I like Urban Meyer a LOT...but he has already shown that he does not like the stress of coaching in a cauldron. If he thinks Fla. was stressful, just try South Bend or Columbus. Telling all my friends that little ol' W. Lafayette might be a great place for him to resume coaching. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Mbk81X6WHA4" frameborder="0"></iframe>
Stu, The "online community" that Terry describes is NDNation, a bulletin board that has marketed itself as the internet voice of ND fans. In reality, it represents a very small but assertively vocal minority of people who as a group represent what I call the community of exploding heads. Terry is an active member of NDNation, and as we know, his contributions are intelligent, knowledgeable, and reasonable. He is the glaring exception to the rule on NDN. I agree with Gip. You will find that most ND fans with a brain feel the same way about NDN.