Brawling Hibernian

A New Beginning

2009-12-15T17:58:00.000-05:00

While I realize that this post is comes a bit after the fact, I wanted to announce to my readers (thanks to both of you...you've been wonderful), that I am moving on from my cozy, little blog here at Brawling Hibernian and into the big time with Subway Domer. For those of you unfamiliar with the site, Subway Domer has been providing ass-kickingly solid coverage of Notre Dame football for several years now and has graciously asked me to be a contributor to his blog. I have to admit, I feel a little bit like Ringo Starr falling assbackwards into an amazing situation (though, I'm not sure who Pete Best is in this analogy). Anyway, I just want to thank all of you for your support and thoughtful consideration of Brawling Hibernian over the last few seasons and hope you'll continue following me over at Subway Domer. Take a look, my first post went up today. Thanks again and I'll see you all soon!

Of Tea Leaves and Coaching Searches

2009-11-27T13:15:00.000-05:00

"Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong." (Hugh Akston, 'Atlas Shrugged')

Back in July, I decided to take my best crack at predicting the type of season Notre Dame would have in 2009. After taking a look at the returning talent (very good), the coaching staff (a big question mark ) and the schedule (challenging, but not oppressive), I came up with my answer. I said 6-6. Why, you may ask, in spite of what would appear to be relatively favorable circumstances, might I think the Irish would have the same disappointing record as they did in 2008? Simple - history didn't support an improvement. Yes, they had been very impressive against Hawaii, but what had they done prior to that? Was it a team that, on the whole, got better as the season wore on? Never mind wins and losses, were there any areas of the team which seemed better in November than they had in September? Not from where I was sitting. Improvement is not about a game, it's about steady, incremental progress, and Notre Dame hadn't had any. That, coupled with the aforementioned coaching question marks, led me to believe 2009 would be, in so many ways, nothing more than 2008 redux.
After a few days of thinking it over, I did what every SAT-taker is advised to avoid - I changed my original answer. I decided I was being far too dour and there was no way this monstrously talented team could be as average as they had been the season before. While I did restate some of the concerns from the previous post, I used rationalization instead of actual reason to guide me to a revised prediction of 9-3. In other words, I goofed.
With all this in mind, is it possible to use the same type of rational deductions to determine the next Irish head coach? No. Unlike prognostications relating to a game or season, in a coaching search, there are far too many variables and unknowns at play: Who's available? Who's interested? How much might one option cost versus another? Who has attributes the administration favors and who has those which are frowned upon? Is the administration willing to make concessions or are they being conservative? You get the idea. Without being on the inside of this process, no one can answer any of those questions with real certainty. So, while Stoops, Kelly and yes, even Urban have all been mentioned prominently; it's also entirely possible that the new ND head coach is someone who has not been on or near the radar of most fans.
At this point, if you want to get a sense as to what the future holds, you take a look what we can say with certainty. For my money, there are two things: 1) Charlie is gone, and 2) Jack Swarbrick is exactly the right person to find his replacement. On the first point, entirely too much has been said. We all know Charlie's a lame duck heading into Stanford. In fact, I actually think Charlie's already been told he's gone, but they've refrained from going public with the declaration in order to give further cover to the search for his replacement. That leaves us with #2.
What we know about Swarbrick is that he is an exceptionally savvy fellow. He has an undergrad from ND and JD from Stanford. He was a partner at big-time law firm, Baker & Daniels. The Big 12 had him as a candidate for commissioner, the NCAA had him as a finalist for president and he was a leading member of the group that brought the Super Bowl to Indianapolis. Take a look at that last factoid for a minute. The man was compelling enough to bring the Super Bowl to Indy for the first time and a cold weather venue for just the fourth (Detroit - 1982, 2006 and Minneapolis - 1992). This is clearly a very impressive individual.
Given his C.V., I think it's fair to assume Swarbrick is going to make a splash with this pick. In Weis, he is living with a decision made by his predecessor after an embarrasing and, ultimately, misguided search process. Whether he opts to stay on as AD or, as some have suggested, move on to the post of NCAA president, this hire will become a massive part of Swarbrick's legacy. To that end, Jack Swarbrick will want to make this pick count and, I have every confidence, will come up with a choice that, in the end, will thrill Irish fans. As to whom that will be, I can't say. My gut says Kelly is most likely with Stoops in second place but, as mentioned previously, I don't have nearly enough information upon which I can offer anything more than an uneducated guess.
Nevertheless, the most important thing for Notre Dame fans to reflect on as this season comes to an end, is that the future is bright. This is not just some lame bromide akin to "wait 'til next year." In this instance, in this moment, Notre Dame has a chance to finally get it right. The proper AD and president are in place to assure this happens. The proper mix of talent and depth are in place to both attract and bring success to a new coach. If 2009 was a lost season, 2010 will be the rediscovery of a program. Not another "return to glory", but the actual first step in a climb back to the pinnacle. How do I know? I've checked my premises.

The Curtain Closes

2009-11-21T18:37:00.000-05:00

And there it is. Anyone looking for reasons as to why Charlie Weis must be replaced as head coach of Notre Dame need only watch what took place in South Bend today for their answers. This was precisely the type of game which has plagued the Irish throughout Weis' tenure; particularly the last two seasons. In spite of jumping out to a big lead and dominating many of the game stats, Notre Dame found a way to lose. All of the old issues were there: horrendous tackling, stupid penalties, poor special teams play, ineffectiveness in the red zone, etc. If the Irish wanted to pay tribute to their beleagured coach, they could scarcely have done better than playing a game which highlighted so many of his coaching deficiencies.
At this point, there's no use going over the actual events in the game. The reasons for this loss are the same as the losses which preceeded it. Instead, a few quick hitters on bigger pictures items:

First off, congratulations to the UConn Huskies. This has been an incredibly difficult season for them both on the field (five losses by a total of 15 points) and, more importantly, off with the tragic murder of their teammate, Jasper Howard. In spite of all that, the Huskies never got down, kept motivated and continued to play hard. They are to be congratulated.
A big thanks to the Notre Dame seniors who played their final home game today. This game, much like so much of their time with the program, was frustrating. Still, it was these guys who enabled a program with incredibly thin ranks to slowly build itself back up. Whomever replaces Charlie will have them to thank for believing in the school and helping to, once again, bring top-flight talent back to South Bend.
Speaking of Charlie, a special thanks to him as well. Obviously, on the field, his teams never became that for which we'd all hoped. It wasn't for lack of effort, however. I think it's fair to say that Weis gave his all for this program and his results in recruiting, player academics and overall human decency are laudable. Unfortunately, those are only a few of the things expected of Notre Dame's head football coach. While winning eluded him, seeing Weis walk onto the field, arm-in-arm, with his players, a tear falling from his eye showed just how much this team and program mean to him. All the best, Charlie; sorry things couldn't have been different.
For whatever it's worth, Oklahoma got pummeled, 41-13, by Texas Tech today. I would have to imagine in light of his loss and Notre Dame's impending opening, the Irish might look like a pretty solid option to Bob Stoops.

IBG: "Killing Productivity One Post At A Time" Edition

2009-11-19T20:05:00.000-05:00

Sarah over at Bad Trade bravely picks us up out of the ashes of the Pitt loss and into UConn week:

1. The Pitt loss: give me something good about it, something bad about it, and something ugly about it.

The "bad" and "ugly" portions of this answer are easy - take basically any moment Notre Dame had, from kickoff to final gun, and you can probably apply either. "Good", conversely, is not as easy. With that prelude, here are my choices:

Good: Golden Tate's 87-yard punt return for a touchdown proved, yet again, why he's one of the most electric players in all of college football and, in a more just world, would be the leading Heisman candidate.

Bad: A dynamic Notre Dame offense with one of the best quarterbacks and two of the best receivers in the country managing just three points in the first half and 15 points all game.

Ugly: Notre Dame's porous, awful defense allowing 6 yards-per-carry against Pitt. Since they've sucked against freshman QBs this year, I suppose it's only appropriate they suck against freshman RBs, too. Just terrible.

2. UConn this week. Does the sellout streak end? Do you care if it does end? And if it does, does this have any meaning beyond it being the end of yet another ND streak during the Charlie Weis era?

Ok, a few questions here, so let me take them one at a time:

A) No, the streak doesn't end. ND still manages a sell-out at home.

B) It wouldn't ruin my weekend or anything, but I would be a little bothered that Notre Dame fans would care so little about this year's seniors that they'd avoid their last home game and moment of recognition.

C) If ND does fail to sell-out this weekend, I think it's further evidence that Weis has lost the Irish fanbase. It's one thing for all of us to bitch and gripe online, but voting with your feet (and wallet) represents much more tangible evidence of dissatisfaction.

3. UConn is coming off of a bye week, with three losses just before that, including close losses to West Virginia and Cincinnati. The last time they won was just before cornerback Jaspar Howard was killed. These factors - along with ND's sorry performances recently - suggest to me that UConn is a dangerous team for a Notre Dame team that could really use a win going into Stanford. Should I be worried about this game? And what should I be worried about?

Given the manner in which Notre Dame has played this year, I scarcely think there are many teams Irish fans shouldn't be worried about. UConn, in particular, is a much better team than their record would suggest. They are currently 4-5, but those five losses have come by a combined 15 points. Moreover, they've gone on the road and taken both Pitt and Cincinnati to the wire (losing by three and two points, respectively). In light of those factors, not to mention the continued motivation of playing for their tragically fallen teammate, the Huskies represent a real challenge to be overcome for the Irish. What most concerns me is the state of mind in which ND finds itself. Have the players given up? Are they rallying for their season and/or Weis? Does it even matter? I do think Notre Dame will find a way to prevail on Saturday, but I would not at all be surprised if this were yet another nailbiter.

4. Notre Dame will be seeing a familiar face in UConn quarterback Zach Frazer. Is there anyone who transferred out of Notre Dame, or who the Irish nearly got in the recruiting process, that you think would have made a significant difference on this year's team?
One of each that might have made some difference:

Transferred out: Joseph Fauria. With Kyle Rudolph going down against Navy, having another big, talented tight end to use would have been very helpful.

Missed out on: Given the struggles Notre Dame has had against the run in the last two weeks, I would say either Justin Trattou or Omar Hunter (assuming Hunter would have been healthier in South Bend than he's been in Gainesville).
I definitely think that, in both cases, these players would have made a difference, though I can't say that it would have been significant enough to change the trajectory of this season.

5. I, for one, was very optimistic at the beginning of the season. Now, at 6-4, I am nearly disgusted with this team, and I admit to some actions regarding Notre Dame football that I never thought I would engage in. I can't imagine I am alone. Have you done anything this season - turn off games at halftime, leave early, not watch at all, etc. - that smack of desperation and disgust with this team?

Over the last three years, specifically, and 15 years, generally, I have run the gamut of both emotions and rituals. This year, the one thing that I have re-implemented is watching games on mute. I find that listening to both the asinine banter and verbal fellating of the other team by whomever is announcing makes the games completely awful for me. I've debated turning on the Criqui/Pinkett radio broadcast while watching the muted game on TV but, for me, the silence tends to be better for my blood pressure.

The Case For Bob Stoops

2009-11-16T20:11:00.002-05:00

My original idea for this post was to take the most prominent names currently being discussed as possible replacements for Charlie Weis and lay out the relative pros and cons of each. As I began to do that, however, it became patently obvious that one coach brought far more to the table than any other - Oklahoma head coach, Bob Stoops. Before I begin to lay out the case for Stoops, I should mention that this all hinges on the assumption that he's actually interested in the position. The Chicago Sun-Times reported as much this weekend and, for our purposes, we'll assume that's accurate.

With that, here's what makes Stoops such an intriguing choice:

He is young (49)
Stoops has successfully led a major college football program for over a decade winning a national championship (2000) and six conference championships (2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008)
He has been equally adept at developing players (Tommie Harris, Adrian Peterson, Sam Bradford) and assistants (Mark Mangino, Mike Leach, Kevin Sumlin)
He has coached two Heisman Trophy winners (Sam Bradford, Jason White) and four others (Adrian Peterson - second in 2004, Jason White - third in 2004, Roy Williams - seventh in 2001 and Josh Heupel - second in 2000) who finished in the top seven
He is a tremendous recruiter. Since 2002, Oklahoma has six Top 10 recruiting classes and Scout currently has Oklahoma's 2010 class ranked #1
In 11 years, Stoops has just three more losses (28) than Weis has in five seasons
During his tenure, Stoops has enjoyed eight seasons of double-digit wins
Stoops enjoys a 33-12 (.733%) record against ranked competition and an overall record of 114-28 (.802)
Coaching at the school which owns the NCAA record for longest winning streak, Stoops has two of the seven longest streaks in program history. His 2000 and 2001 teams won 20 straight, while his 2002 and 2003 teams won 14 in a row. All of these wins came against Division IA opponents
Stoops is Catholic and attended the same high school (Cardinal Mooney in Youngstown, OH) as current Notre Dame players, Kyle and Dan McCarthy

Beyond the accolades, there have been a few criticisms of Stoops. Among the most prominent are having been on the receiving end of NCAA sanctions and an unimpressive graduation rate for his players. While those do, and should, give reason for pause, one would assume that, at least some of these shortcomings are attributable to the environment at Oklahoma. There is good reason Notre Dame has been able to maintain its standards (both in and out of the classroom) through numerous coaching regimes - namely, an obsessive committment to these ideals. Oklahoma, conversely, has a history of scandal in its athletic department. Obviously, this is not to exonerate Stoops; rather, I think it suggests the degree to which institutional control matters. Because of this, the same behavior would neither be allowed nor tolerated at Notre Dame.

Of course, the question remains: would Bob Stoops leave his perch in Norman to come to South Bend? The timing would certainly seem to support the decision. With four losses in ten games, the Sooners are on pace for the school's worst record since the 2005 squad finished 8-4 (Stoop's worst record came with his first OU team in 1999 which went 7-5). As a result of these struggles, the chorus of disocontented Sooner fans has grown both larger and more shrill over the course of the season. Beyond that, though, the Irish also present a few intriguing possibilities. First, in spite of the program's struggles, Notre Dame still maintains a unique position in college football. Restoring the program to its position among the elite, and the resulting accolades such an accomplishment would bring, makes for an enticing prospect. Second, and perhaps more important, Stoops would be coming into a situation ripe for immediate success. Unlike when Charlie Weis took over for Ty Willingham, the program is stocked with a bevy of talented and experienced players. Assuming a coach with the prestige of a Bob Stoops could keep current players and recruits from bolting, Notre Dame would be in a position similar to that of Florida in 2005. When Urban Meyer arrived from Utah, he immediately benefited from the recruiting abilities of his predecessor, Ron Zook. While Zook's abilities as a head coach left much to be desired, his skill in recruiting is beyond doubt. Similarly, Weis has been able to bring in a tremendous group for which the next Irish coach will benefit. Will it be Stoops? Only time will tell but, if Notre Dame is smart, they will put their best foot forward in trying to secure his services.

IBG: "Spinning Newspapers With Topical Headlines" Edition

2009-11-13T19:06:00.006-05:00

This week, IBG founder and emotional rock, Subway Domer, leads us into Pitt week with a "straight from the headlines" theme.

1. After weeks and weeks of living on the edge, Notre Dame finally fell off of that edge into a pile of shit. Please describe your mental state since the Navy game. Are you hopeless or hopeful? Why?

Local Man Settles Into Booze-Induced Coma

Much like a bear plying himself with large amounts of food in order to make it through the winter, I intend to take part in a similar, yet boozier, ritual for the remainder of the Irish season. To put it in mild terms, I am not hopeful. During the course of the season, I have had several occasions to flirt with hope and optimism. Unfortunately, I've found both to be unfit suitors and now am back to my longtime paramour, despair. I have absolutely zero confidence in the "abilities" of Charlie Weis or his coordinators. They have proven to be erratic and deeply flawed. I fully expect them to beat Pitt by three touchdowns and then lose by four at home to UConn. I should be anxiously awaiting this game and, instead, it feels like the onset of some type of rote obligation. In other words, the name "Charlie Weis" has, for me, become a euphemism for "ennui."

The author enjoying yet another of Charlie's masterpieces

2. Given the sorry state of the Fighting Irish defense, are they capable of slowing down Pitt's offense, or will Stull, Baldwin, and Lewis have career days?

MENSA Elects Ignoramus to Board of Directors

Bill Stull is not a good quarterback. Yes, I realize he is fifth nationally in passing efficiency and is having a nice, little season for himself. I don't care. I repeat, Bill Stull is not a good quarterback. He has been able to mask that fact with a solid receiver (Baldwin) and dynamic runner (Lewis), but this is still the same guy who threw 9 TDs to 10 INTs a year ago while at the helm of Pitt's offense. I mention all this because, in spite of his limitations, Stull is about to look like one of the most explosive QBs in the country. The most yards Stull has had in a game this season is 268 in a win over UConn...if he doesn't hit 300 by mid-3rd quarter against the sieve-like ND secondary, I'll be shocked. I actually do think the Irish will find a way to slow down Dion Lewis; however, as we've seen them do in the past, it will be at the expense of stopping the pass. Therefore, Average Joe, Bill Stull, will become Joe Montana by game's end. If you don't believe me, allow me to introduce you to: Tate Forcier (for the freshman QB, the ND game represents 15% of his total passing yards for season and second-highest yardage output), Kirk Cousins (for the first-year starter, the ND game was one of only two he went over 300 yards passing...the other was Western Michigan), Joey Ellliot (the first-year starter had a cool 289 yards and three TDs against the Irish), Jake Locker (his second most passing yards in a game this season came against Notre Dame), Matt Barkley (the freshman had his most passing yards in a game by nearly 100 yards in South Bend) and David Shinskie (his most passing yards in a game came against Notre Dame).

3. Notre Dame has had serious Red-Zone issues this year. They can't score... why is that? What needs to be corrected and how can they do this?

Being An Unoriginal Pussy No Way To Go Through Life, Experts Warn

Stop running the friggin' fade route over and over and over! For the love of God, Charlie Weis is supposed to be a strategic genius, but when his team gets inside the redzone, suddenly he's Colonel Klink. Weis has a playsheet that's the size of a boogie board and yet, he calls the same five plays when the Irish get inside the twenty. Here's my advice to Charlie: Mix it up, try something different and stop being such a completely predictable d-bag your whole life.

4. Charlie Weis and Dave Wannstache started coaching their alma maters at the same time. They have both coached on crutches. They both seem to recruit fairly well. They are both considered disappointing in their respective 5 year campaigns. After reviewing their total body of work, who would you rather have coaching ND in 2010? Explain.

Citizens Asked To Choose Between Gang Rape By Meth-Fueled Grizzlies or Listening To 36 Consecutive Hours Of "Donny Osmond's Straight Outta Provo: A Hip-Hop History of Mormonism"

If these are my only two choices, I very reluctantly choose The Wannstache. Neither of these two are coaches I would put on my short list but, since "Option C: Any Other Sentient Being on the Planet" was not given, I will choose the only one of the two who actually seems to have his program moving in a positive direction. Take a look at the trajectory both schools have taken since these head coaches started at their alma maters. Weis' records: 9-3, 10-3, 3-9, 7-6, 6-3. Wannstedt's records: 5-6, 6-6, 5-7, 9-4, 8-1. Now, it's entirely possible that what Pitt is experiencing now is what the Irish did in 2005 and 2006 and, eventually, the Panthers will settle back to the median. Still, there's at least a sense that John Holmes-with-a-clipboard has Pitt moving in the right direction while the Irish are an inconsistent mess. For me, even a sense of forward progress would be a welcome improvement.

Yes, yes y'all

5. Prediction time. How does this game play out. Please include a score, an offensive MVP, a defensive MVP, and a sleeper.

ESPN Analyst Mark May Fired For "Lewd Behavior"

I kind of think this headline's a possibility regardless of the outcome. If the Irish win, I can see May directing a torrent of profanities towards a smiling Lou Holtz. If the Panthers win, I can see Markie Mark pleasuring himself to the box score on national television. So which one will it be? Since last week Notre Dame managed to drop a game most everyone thought they'd win, I think this week they flip the script. I should add that, at this point, any prediction as to Notre Dame's performance is guided more by own dumbfounded groping than logic, so take that into consideration.

Score: 27-17, Irish

Offensive MVP:Shaq Evans (why the hell not?)

Defensive MVP: Ethan Johnson

Sleeper: Notre Dame secondary...they may even be narcoleptic

I can't see his hands, but he does look like he's enjoying himself

Goodbye, Charlie

2009-11-07T18:10:00.002-05:00

First off, congrats to the Naval Academy's football team. They're a fine group of young men and represent our country with unbelievable class, distinction and valor. Now, on to the tough stuff...
Charlie Weis needs to go. He seems like a nice guy, is a good recruiter and represents Notre Dame well; he's just a lousy coach. Check that; a lousy head coach. He can put together a solid offensive gameplan (though this week was not his finest hour), but he does not attend well to the myriad of things a college head coach must do. From overall player development to putting a team strategy in place, Weis has been awful. This squad, stocked with blue-chip players, just lost to Navy for the second time in three seasons. To put this in some perspective, none of the previous six Irish coaches lost once to the Midshipmen. Not Willingham, not Davie, not Faust. None of them. Beyond that, ND has still yet to beat a team of consequence during the Weis era. I recognize this point has been beaten to death but, after five years, a signature win still eludes the man.
For me, today was it. I can no longer hope that somehow it all goes right and that Charlie becomes a good coach. I've waited five years and have seen nothing in the way of improvement. The program peaked during Weis' first two years in South Bend and has not been able to rise above those, albeit, mediocre standards since.
I have no idea who should replace Weis. Perhaps it's Brian Kelly, perhaps someone else. All I know is, if this program is ever to return to glory, Weis must be shown the door. In a perfect world, Weis, who obviously loves the school, would step down of his own volition. Explain to his players it's to spend more time with his family, do charity work or something else plausible and just leave. It would be clean, it would cut down attrition and it would be a gift to the school Charlie Weis loves.
With that out of the way, a few assorted game notes:

This defense is bad...real bad. Yes, I know Navy's triple-option is complicated, but it wasn't even a contest out there. A bunch of undersized, moderately-talented guys just kicked the asses of Notre Dame's defense all day long. If Weis goes, Tenuta and Brown should follow.
Harrison Smith is a moron. I'm beyond the point of having difficulty critiquing Irish players. Smith is useless in pass coverage and does incredibly stupid things like hit the QB well after the ball is released. Why is he on the field every week? Where is this "depth" about which I keep hearing?
The offensive line was terrible. After much ballyhoo over the progress they've made under Verducci this season, they took a huge step backwards. They allowed a safety for the second time in three weeks and an undersized Navy defense harassed Clausen far too often. Pitt has, arguably, the best defensive line on ND's schedule and will absolutely destroy Jimmy if this situation doesn't improve.
Why would you not defer to the second half? Just when I thought he'd come around to seeing that the Lou Holtz deferral strategy was right, Charlie takes the opening kickoff. I am sure he did it because he couldn't wait to get an offense with Michael Floyd back in the lineup on the field. It was still stupid. With a team that eats as much clock as Navy, you need to make sure you're getting the first crack at scoring in the second half, just in case. Terrible decision.
Last week's concern: depth at quarterback. This week's concerns: depth at quarterback AND tight end. I have no idea how long the Irish will be without Kyle Rudolph, but it didn't look promising. This does not bode well for the near term. Outstanding work chasing Joseph Fauria out of town, you ass-sniffing layabouts in Res Life.
Jimmy Clausen's knees were down when he "fumbled" near the goalline. Add that to the pile of "we got jobbed by the refs" arguments for this season.
Incidentally, I officially hate coach's challenge/instant replay in college football (and not because it has been a thorn in ND's side this season). The amount of time spent reviewing even the most pedestrian of occurrences is mind-boggling.
How bad was this loss? Consider the following: in their losses to Navy; Western Kentucky and SMU both scored more points than did Notre Dame. Also, Temple, freakin' Temple, managed to actually WIN their game against Navy (and, yes, I realize Dobbs wasn't playing...that certainly makes this loss better, doesn't it?).
What does this do for the potential of Clausen and/or Tate leaving early? Looking at Clausen, the fact that he got banged up again might be a wake-up call/motivator to leave. The fact that his stock likely dropped is reason to stay. Tate, on the other hand, is probably in the same position as before the game. Of course, both may just want off of this sinking ship before it takes on any more water (forgive the naval punnery).
I feel badly for Michael Floyd. Yes, he had two big drops on ND's second-to-last possession but, for a guy coming back from a serious injury, he played awfully well.
Is Ram Vela in like his eighth year? I swear the guy is Annapolis' answer to Van Wilder. Graduate already!
I would rather not watch ND every week than have to put up with Haden and Hammond. As it is, I have to watch the game on mute. The two are intolerable jackholes and appear to have graduated from the Joe Buck School of Broadcast Mediocrity. Does the Peter Principle apply to everyone in sportscasting?
I couldn't help realizing this is the second straight November (I'm willing to write-off all of 2007) the Irish have managed to blow a home game they should have won comfortably (Syracuse, quite obviously, being last year's debacle). This is a further indictment of the coaching staff. This late in the season, good teams are hitting on all cylinders and don't lose at home to double-digit underdogs. You lose in the first week or two, and that can be forgiven. Upsets in September happen. In November, losses like this only happen to teams who don't deserve to be favored in the first place.

IBG: Gold Helmets As Far As The Eye Can See...

2009-11-07T08:43:00.000-05:00

This week, the Irish square off against the Middies and the good folks over at Charlie's Nasties dial up the IBG questions..

1. With all of the recent injuries, what scenario would you rather have? Option A: Dayne Crist out for the season, Trevor Robinson out indefinitely with an ankle sprain and Jimmy Clausen suffering week to week with turf toe OR Option B: All of the above players are 100% and Floyd is out for the year?

Well, obviously, I'd prefer Option C: Everyone's healthy but, if that's off the table, I'll go with A. Certainly, the situation at QB is tenuous right now, but Jimmy has proven himself to be exceptionally resilient and Sharpley is a solid back-up who has started in the past. As for T-Rob, while he's arguably Notre Dame's best offensive lineman, being able to bring in another former starter (Dan Wenger) isn't exactly a terrible option. With Floyd in the line-up, the offense goes from "very good" to "unstoppable."

2. After experiencing our first neutral site game at San Antonio this week, it got me thinking about our upcoming off site game against Navy. What are your thoughts on playing Navy in Ireland in 2012? Should the 7-4-1 model take us abroad?

I remember when Notre Dame played Navy in Dublin in 1996, and I thought it was pretty awesome. I mean, it's one thing for an NFL team to go overseas for a game, but how many college teams could plausibly pull that off? So, yes, I definitely support the going abroad thing. It's a fantastic bit of global marketing and really unique opportunity which ND affords its student-athletes.

3. Navy's unique offense and personnel always seem to test the Irish in some ways that other opponents don't. What position matchup are you most looking forward to this weekend?

I'm actual looking forward to seeing a match-up of two players: Darius Fleming versus Navy FB, Vince Murray. Murray is a beast who's averaging 4.7 ypc and who has only been stopped for loss once this season. Fleming, conversely, has really become a force since the Michigan game and now is eighth nationally with 11.5 tackles for loss. To me, this match-up is the microcosm that will define what type of day it's going to be for ND. If Fleming is getting penetration and stuffing Murray, then the defense is likely playing well and Navy's offense is stalling. If, however, Murray continues apace, it's going to be a long afternoon in South Bend.

4. The Navy football stereotype is generally that the players are undersized and have less star power, but by emphasizing the fundamentals, minimizing mental errors, and playing as a team, they are always able to put up a fight. What position or player on Notre Dame's roster do you think could benefit from approaching games with this attitude?

Harrison Smith. I don't relish calling out ND players, but Smith has been a little, shall we say, 'confused' this season. He's unquestionably got a ton of talent, but it's the mental part of his game that's lacking. I do think that some work cleaning up the mental flubs and focusing on solid fundamentals would go a long way towards making him the type of player we all expect to see out there.

5. Everyone in the country saw that Navy took #6 Ohio State down to the wire in the opening week; how will the Midshipmen fare against the Irish? Predictions please.

You can go ahead and disregard the Ohio State game for two reasons: 1) First games of the season are notoriously bad as a gauge of how good or bad a team is because of how many variables come into play (i.e., who's already gelled as a team vs. who's coming together, who's more excited, who's more focused, etc.), 2) Navy's triple-option was a new wrinkle for the Buckeyes, whereas the Irish see it every year. With that out of the way, I really don't think Saturday's game is going to be all that close. ND's defense has really improved against the run and, if they're able to slow down Navy's rushing attack, the Midshipmen are sunk (annnnnd there's your obligatory naval pun). On the other side of the ball, Notre Dame gets Michael Floyd back in the line-up and he is going to be quite fired up. While Navy has a tough defense, one look at their schedule tells you they have not faced anything close to the caliber of the Irish offense this season. I'm going to with ND, 41 - Navy, 17.

IBG: Halloween At The Alamo Edition

2009-10-30T20:53:00.005-04:00

With Notre Dame stepping into primetime to play the Cougars of Washington State, One Foot Down steps up with this week's questions:

1. The 7-4-1 scheduling model has been the subject of much heated debate amongst Irish fans since it was first announced back in 2006. This week the Fighting Irish will play the first neutral site “barnstorming game” in said model so now is as good of a time as any to weigh in on the controversial subject. What do you think about a) 7-4-1 as a whole, b) the neutral site/ barnstorming game in general and c) specifically playing Washington State in San Antonio.

A) I know this is a minority opinion among Irish fans, but I'm fine with it. The primary argument against the 7-4-1, as best I can tell, is that it makes it makes it difficult to schedule games against better competition. Well, boo-fucking-hoo. First of all, Notre Dame will continue to play games against programs like Michigan, Michigan State and Southern Cal every year. Second, and here's the important part, since when is a brutal schedule the key to a national championship? I grew up watching the Notre Dame teams of the late '80's and early '90's. They were immensely talented, yet only won one national championship while getting screwed out of two others. The Irish took great pride in consistently playing either the toughest or, at the very least, one of the toughest schedules in the country every year. In the meantime, the teams that were winning national championships were mostly feasting on cupcakes (take a look at Florida State and Miami's schedules from those eras). Even now, the top teams don't exactly kill themselves. This season, Florida has Charleston Southern, Troy and Florida International on their non-conference schedule. For their part, Texas will be playing Louisiana-Monroe, UTEP and UCF this year. Tell me again why Notre Dame must be different? If you take the position that the Irish need to play an exceptionally difficult schedule every year, that's fine, but don't complain when a battered and weary Irish team drops a game it shouldn't or when some team that's played no one is hoisting the crystal football in January because they have a better record than ND.

B) I like the neutral site game. The Irish recruit nationally and, as such, it's great to actually be able to take the field in as much of the country as possible. Plus, since the NCAA allows programs to provide tickets to recruits for these games, it's a nice way to further reach out to blue chippers.

C) It's fine. It's good to have a game in Texas and, if the Irish can light up an inferior team in the process, all the better.

2. I have personally had this game circled on the schedule for quite some time as the one “sure thing.” After the last few games I have really been looking forward to a drama free victory. As luck would have it I started looking at the Cougars more closely this morning and it appears that freshman quarterback Jeff Tuel went 28 of 42 for 354 yards and 2 TD’s in a losing effort against Cal over the weekend. With the Irish secondary still struggling to get it together what are the chances that yet another freshman signal caller makes this one way more interesting than it should be on Saturday night in San Antonio?

I think there's a pretty good chance this game ends up being more interesting than it should, but that's only because it probably should be a 63-3 drubbing. Tuel will definitely get his yards (everybody does against the Irish secondary), but that doesn't mean this game will actually be in doubt. I see Notre Dame winning in a manner reminiscent of last year's game against the Washington Huskies in Seattle...one where, in the end, the Irish win by a much smaller margin than they could have done.

3. Assuming that the Fighting Irish are able to take care of business and put this one away early what non-starters would you most like to see get some reps this week? Why?

1) Dayne Crist: Because, frankly I'm not sure Jimmy will be here in 2010 and, even if he is, it's always good to get your back-up QB some reps.

2) Any Reserve Offensive Linemen: While there is, of course, concern over the prospect of Clausen leaving early for the NFL, I think the bigger issue for 2010 is the offensive line. Assuming Chris Stewart doesn't return for a fifth-year, the Irish will need to replace four starters. The possibility of Dan Wenger coming back for a fifth helps, but as ND fans have learned in recent years, experience in the trenches is too important to take lightly.

4. With the game being played on Halloween Night chances are that if you are not traveling to San Antonio you most likely have a scheduling conflict. Whether you are supposed to be at a party dressed as Fat Elvis, taking your kids trick-or-treating or just dealing with your doorbell ringing nonstop how do you plan to watch the game? If you are going what are you most looking forward to?

We will be heading out in Boston with my wife's family so, unfortunately, I'll be watching in snippets as we head into bars or getting updates on my Blackberry when I can. Not a great way to catch a game, but I'll be DVRing it to watch later. Because of all this, ND/WSU will likely end up being "The Game of the Century" and my DVR will choose Saturday night to die.

5. Trick or Treat? Predictions please.

Treat. I predict that, by the end of Saturday night, I'll have had waaaaaay too much to drink, offended hordes of innocent bystanders and be quite contented with a tidy and comfortable Irish victory: ND, 38 - WSU, 13.

BC Fans Enjoy Whining, Dislike Thinking

2009-10-27T19:30:00.000-04:00

There are certain immutable laws of nature: the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, the orbit of planets is elliptical and, after each of their losses, some douchebag BC fan will pen a completely illogical screed which only serves to highlight their own mental limitations. This week, our offending author is from BC's Scout.com site and, apparently, is a big girl who can use the computer all by herself. The results are predictable....let's mock them.

Notre Dame and Boston College clashed in what might be the last battle of the "Holy Wars" in South Bend this weekend. Well, technically, in the unincorporated community of Notre Dame, which is just southeast of South Bend and is home to the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College, and Holy Cross College, but we will just let that slide.

Which part of this are we letting slide? The unincorporated community? If that's the case, it's worth pointing out that our friends in Chestnut Hill haven't gotten around to "incorporating" either.

Many thought the game was over when BC found itself facing needing 16 yards on fourth down from its own 26-yard line. However, Shinskie, who had not completed many longer passes in the game, channeled the students singing “Living on a Prayer."

Two points here: 1) while true that Shinskie had not completed many longer passes in the game; of his 17 completions, 10 were 20 yards or more which pretty much makes the one described incredibly consistent with his effort to that point, and 2) um, the game was at Notre Dame, which students would our boy Shinskie have been channeling exactly?

In the end, the Eagles and their fans were disappointed and watched Jimmy Clausen (arguably the NCAA’s least-liked successful player) kneel three times to end the game.

While I realize the qualifier "arguably" was thrown in, doesn't that allow any statement to follow without any factual basis? For example, I could say that Rich Gunnell is, arguably the college player most likely to enjoy being sodomized by vagrants while dressed as Rainbow Brite, but that hardly makes it accurate....likely, but not necessarily accurate.

Clausen made himself even less-likable by shoving Gunnell after the game. The Irish quarterback claims he intended to congratulate the senior captain on his career game, but the receiver was not interested in the “phony” sportsmanship. Gunnell must have said something Clausen did not like, because he gave him a shove and spun away.

There is video of this incident. It is patently clear that Jimmy Clausen was coming up to Gunnell in a show of sportsmanship, phony or otherwise. It is also clear that Gunnell stuck his finger in Clausen's face and began mouthing off. While neither I, nor the author of this putrid article, can testify to precisely what was said, let's not act as though there isn't any type of documentary evidence as to what transpired. "Gee, I guess Gunnell must have said something Clausen didn't like." Yup, I tend to be a little put off too when people begin an exchange by pointing their finger in my face...funny, that?

Clausen was not the only Notre Dame football player to give off a bad impression. Before the game a friend of my father’s watched the Irish’s version of the Eagle Walk, when the players parade into the stadium. An unidentified player looked at the man’s BC hat, looked around, and spat on his chest. Yes, you read that right: a Notre Dame player SPAT on a BC fan. Well aren't they just a friendly bunch?

Ok, I'm calling "bullshit." Let me see if I get this straight, a vaguely identified BC fan ("my father's friend") claims that an "unidentified" ND player spat on him and we just uncritically accept this information? First, since the rest of the incident is so clearly remembered (the player "looked at the man's BC hat, looked around and spat on his chest"), wouldn't you kind of notice who it was? We're expected to believe that this person remembered everything, but the most important detail? ("Yup, so I was really taking in everything but then, wouldn't you know it, I forgot to take a look at the the guy's face and then see who it was in the game program.") Then of course, we have the claim that "he looked around." For what exactly? To make sure no one else saw? In attendance would have have been all of this player's teammates and coaches plus, Oh, I don't know, the throng of BC and ND fans standing there. Tell you what, if you believe it possible that no one else would have borne witness to this, try it for yourself. Next time you're walking through a crowd, try to discreetly spit on someone else's front torso while not being spotted by either that person or anyone else. I will guarantee you that, without even the benefit of a program that identifies you by name, someone will manage to point you out. Based on this risible claim, I think it's fair to say that not only are BC fans stupid, but mendacious and gullible as well.

Luckily for BC fans, there was more to the trip to Notre Dame then the game. True, we would not have a reason to assemble at Notre Dame without the game, but it is as much about the experience. When else are nine college kids going to squeeze into a four-person RV, navigated by three rotating drivers while the others party in the back? That may not have been my experience, but many BC students do it that way. Others drive normal-sized cars or fly, staying in local hotels or with friends on campus.

This gets my vote for being the single worst piece of writing I've read in a column not written by Peter King. Though it nearly defies parody, let me try:

"Sure, without the game, it would have been completely pointless for us to trek out to northern Indiana, but hey...wait, where was I going with this? Oh, right; so, a whole bunch of college kids can squeeze into a clown car and drive cross-country, partying and enjoying themselves along the way....or not, you know, whatever. Actually, there are lots of ways to travel, let me catalog them for you here in this column that is ostensibly dedicated to sports. In my next piece, I'll talk about a number of other things I didn't do and then rattle off a list of other options I could have chosen to, you know, not do."

The cold rainy weather may not have been conducive to campus tours, but Touchdown Jesus and the Golden Dome are unavoidable. As the only two buildings, besides a water tower, visible above the walls of the stadium, you cannot miss the two sights Domers love the most. Personally, I do not find either one that impressive. They were kind of cool the first time I saw them, two years ago, but the mystique quickly faded. To be honest, the idea of Jesus celebrating a touchdown strikes me as a bit odd – doesn’t he have bigger concerns?

In most cases, I would assume this last sentence to be very poor sarcasm but, in the case of our lobotomized authoress, who the hell knows. In case it's not, allow me to point out that the mural does not depict Jesus celebrating a touchdown; rather it shows him throwing up His hands in exasperated disgust at the remarkable stupidity of BC fans.

Whether or not you loved the well-known structures of Notre Dame’s campus, celebrated the outcome of the game, or enjoyed the weather (not many BC fans did any of these), the experience of going out to Notre Dame is a special one. The student section seems to come together more than at home even; maybe it’s the subtraction of those who do not actually care. BC was serenaded with its fight song after every score without the band to lead the chorus, a feat rarely managed in Alumni Stadium. The trip was a blast, right up until that last 1:48 when Gunnell and Shinskie read the play differently and the ball ended up in the wrong hands. Even still, the experience will be sorely missed if the rivalry does in fact end after next year.

This is stream of consciousness writing that would make William S. Burroughs scratch his head. There is not a linear thought expressed in this entire paragraph. Worse, it contradicts most of the bitching that preceeds it. A perfect end to a perfectly awful column. Could any piece of writing more perfectly summarize the paranoid, incoherent and obtuse mindset of the BC faithful? I'll guess we'll have to wait until next year to find out.

IBG: Fredo is Weak and Stupid Edition

2009-10-22T19:10:00.001-04:00

It's been a lousy week. Losing to a rival is bad. Losing in the final seconds to a rival who has beaten you eight straight times is worse. Losing in the final seconds to a rival who has beaten you eight straight times and whose players and coaches have the collective intellect of a one-celled organism and all the class of a common street walker urinating in the bushes...well, you get the idea. This week provides a chance for redemption, though. Sure, it's not USC, but it's a rival who has had ND's number recently and the Irish can exorcise a particularly vexing demon with a win. So, without further adieu, I present this week's IBG:

1. Coming off a very difficult loss to a rival that has now beaten them eight straight times, Notre Dame faces another that's beaten them six straight. Can Notre Dame end the losing streak against BC or will the combined weight of the USC loss and recent history against the Eagles be too much to overcome? Explain.

While the possibility certainly exists that an emotionally drained and physically beaten ND team takes the field against BC on Saturday, I don't think that will be the case. After having lost to Michigan this season, in another hard-fought and tough rivalry loss, the Irish bounced back with a win over a Michigan State team which is looking increasingly solid as the year moves along. So prepared was Notre Dame that they actually jumped on top of the Spartans for a quick 13-3 lead, that actually might have been worse. I would expect the same type of effort this week against the Eagles for two reasons: 1) while Charlie can be maddening as a coach, he has done a good job in keeping the team focused on the game this week and letting go of the last one and, 2) there is going to be a huge, noticeable drop-off in talent between USC and Boston College. Don't get me wrong, BC is a good team and the Irish should not take them lightly; but after taking one of the premier teams in the country to the wire just a week ago, I imagine the Eagles are not going to be nearly as daunting.

2. Not unlike Notre Dame's defense, BC's offense has been pretty erratic this season. While in their most recent win, they rolled up 480 total yards and scored 52 points; in their two losses, they've averaged 109 yards and 11 points. Which BC offense and which ND defense show up on Saturday? Why?

Let's start with the Irish. At this point in the season, I think it's fair to say, Notre Dame's defense is not going to become formidable all of a sudden. While it's nice to think that the combination of talent on both the coaching staff and roster will suddenly gel; after six games, I'm just not buying it. As a result, I see this week's defensive performance being flawed, aggravating and beneath a Pop Warner team comprised of children with rickets. That leaves us with the BC offense. While they have had moments where they've looked, dare I say, 'dominant'; their talent and experience level would suggest something else entirely. I see BC playing better than they have in their previous losses (see: Notre Dame's defense, shittiness of), but still making enough stupid mistakes to allow the Irish to win without any last-second heroics.

3. Does anyone seem primed to have a Robby Parris-like breakout moment against the Eagles? If so, who is it and why?

Shaq Evans. Heading into the USC game, all signs were pointing to him being on the verge of a breakout. Unfortunately, illness prevented him from playing last week against the Trojans. This week, he'll be in there and, since the Irish will likely be without Parris, Evans will get a chance to shine against a team allowing over 200 yards passing per game.

4. It's been an and up-and-down year for Boston sports. After a strong start, the Red Sox folded in the second half of the year. The Patriots, meanwhile, seem to be on the upswing after a 59-0 dismantling of Tennessee. For their part, Boston College has seemed as though their season could go either way. Ultimately, will the Eagles be the Sox or the Pats?

Were it not for the fact that they play in the abysmally bad ACC, it would definitely be Sox. However, since the post-ND portion of the Eagles' schedule looks like a big, fat helping of meh, I would have to default to the Pats (who play in the NFL's version of the ACC, the AFC East). If BC doesn't win eight games against the rogues gallery of suck they play this season, I'll be shocked.

5. While most Irish fans refer to BC as "Fredo", tell me to which other cinematic character you would compare the Eagles.

Sling Blade. Lumbering and mentally deficient, the Eagles are also a team that has proven capable of inflicting great harm if one is not careful with them.

Yeah...it's like that.

Updates:

Her Loyal Sons get into the brawling spirit!

Charlie's Nasties are screaming for vengeance.

Domer Law is looking for a beatdown of BC.

One Foot Down looks forward to ND going beyond Thunderdome against the Eagles.

Spirit of '77?

2009-10-14T20:36:00.000-04:00

It's been an interesting year for the Fighting Irish. Led by a blond quarterback with a reputation for comebacks, the team kicked off the year with an impressive win before dropping their second game in disappointing fashion. The loss has put ever more pressure on a head coach whose overall record with the program has considered disappointing by the Irish fan base. After pulling together to win their next three games, they are 4-1 and preparing for a home game against a tough USC team ranked in the nation's Top-10. The Trojans have also lost one game, a heartbreaker in the final seconds, but are widely expected to beat Notre Dame, as they've vanquished the Irish in six of the last seven seasons. Still, a certain confidence hangs over ND...
While this could be an assessment of Notre Dame 2009, it is actually where ND stood on the eve of the, now famous, "Green Jerseys Game" against USC in 1977. After throttling the Trojans, 49-19, the Joe Montana-led Irish would go on to win their last five regular season games before destroying the top-ranked Texas Longhorns, 38-10, in the Cotton Bowl. As a result of all this, Notre Dame secured the school's tenth national championship.
If you think the prospect of the Irish winning the national championship this season seems an impossible dream, just remember, it did in October of 1977, too.

IBG: Hatin' on Troy Edition

2009-10-14T19:14:00.000-04:00

I hate USC. No, hate really doesn't cover it. I despise USC with an unbridled intensity. They are the unholy manifestation of every rancid thing I can conceive. Their coach is part hippie guru, part overly "friendly" gym teacher, their players are perfectly suited to be extras in "Grand Theft Auto: The Movie"and the student body is a douchier version of "Laguna Beach." If college football were a rug, USC would be the steaming pile of dog excrement sitting atop slowly manifesting itself into a big, brown stain. Yes, folks, I hate this program. With that as my prelude, I now turn to this week's IBG hosted by the awesome, OC Domer:

1. The weather forecast for Saturday's game (as of this writing) has the high temperature in the mid 40's with some chance of rain (or snow?). What weather would give Notre Dame the best chance to beat USC? Why?

I would have to say, cold and clear. The reason I would not like to see either rain or snow is that our offense hinges much more on the passing game than does USC's. With a rainy/snowy day, we would have to rely more heavily on pounding the ball against the Trojans. While our running game has improved significantly this season, I'm not sure we're quite at the point where we can count on it carrying us against a good defense. I'd much rather take my chances with Mr. Clausen being able to chuck it around the yard all afternoon. That said, a day that was unseasonably cold (think visible breath) might work out fine. That would probably be just enough to make the visitors a little uncomfortable with the conditions while still allowing the Irish offense to play its game.

Snow? Maybe with the '92 offense.

2. Irresistable Force or Immovable Object? Notre Dame's offense is ranked #10 in yards (470 per game) and #27 in points (32.6 per game). USC's defense is ranked #6 in yards allowed (238.6 per game) and #4 in scoring allowed (just 8.6 points per game). In 2008 Notre Dame had just 91 total yards against USC. Will the Notre Dame offense be able to move the ball on Saturday? If so, how?

Yes, I definitely think Notre Dame will be much, much better offensively than the last time they squared off against the Trojans. For one thing, Notre Dame seemed to come together as a team, particularly on offense, after their beatdown in LA. Second, USC's defensive numbers are a little inflated. Keep in mind, they haven't exactly faced a murderers' row of offenses. In order they've played:

San Jose State (115th in scoring offense, 118th in rushing offense, 73rd in passing offense and 117th in total offense),
Ohio State (46th in scoring offense, 41st in rushing offense, 108th in passing offense and 86th in total offense)
Washington (67th in scoring offense, 93rd in rushing offense, 42nd in passing offense and 74th in total offense)
Washington State (117th in scoring offense, 116th in rushing offense, 84th in passing offense and 120th...dead last...in total offense)
Cal (41st in scoring offense, 37th in rushing offense, 70th in passing offense and 49th in total offense)

In other words, they've had the benefit of playing, quite literally, two of the worst offenses in the country and several others who are case-studies in mediocrity. I certainly wish those who knock ND's schedule would keep things like this in mind when they heap praise upon the Trojans. Undoubtedly, USC has talent on defense, but they're also very green (8 new starters this year) and largely untested. Simply put, this defense has not faced an offense like Notre Dame's this season and, as a result, I think the Irish will be able to move the ball better than at any time in the last four years against SC.

3. USC's offense is #22 in yards (430.6 per game) and #53 in scoring (28.8 points per game). Notre Dame's defense is #100 in total defense (403.2 yards per game) and #59 in scoring defense (allowing 23.8 points per game). Will the Notre Dame defense be able to slow down the USC offense? If so, how?

Will the real Notre Dame defense please stand up. Because of how they've played this season, I have absolutely no idea which Notre Dame D will be on display against the Trojans. Will it be the ridiculously awful (giving up yards by the acre, missing tackles, blowing coverages), the remarkably good (three goal line stands against Washington, shutting out a potent Nevada offense) or some new wrinkle we've not yet seen? Who knows. With a defense that has as much youth and and as many moving parts as does Notre Dame's, I think calling it a work in progress is an understatement. Speaking of which, this game is going to be a great test of how just much progress has been made by Notre Dame's defense, particularly the front seven. USC's line is very good and very experienced, but if Tenuta can develop a scheme which enables the Irish to both slow the run (I'm not sure stopping the Trojans is a realistic goal) and bring some pressure, I think ND has a very good chance on Saturday.

4. In 2008, with Michael Floyd unable to play due to injury, Golden Tate had 2 catches against USC for a team-high 15 receiving yards. How do you expect Golden Tate to play against USC this year?

Much like Jimmy Clausen, Golden Tate has developed immensely as a player since last year's game against the Trojans. More importantly, though, the coaching staff has figured out ways to use him that make GT a weapon all game long. While I definitely think SC will give Tate a ton of attention, I expect that he is still going to get a bunch of yards. I would expect a heavy dose of quick passes, like short slants and outs, that can keep the defense a little off guard and enable Tate to use his natural abilities after the catch.

5. Jimmy Clausen has started to get some Heisman buzz. In your opinion, which Notre Dame player is the most deserving of Heisman attention, Jimmy or Golden Tate? Why?

They're both great candidates, but I have to go with Clausen. Tate has proven to be an incredibly versatile player who can hurt defenses in a lot of ways, but Clausen is unquestionably the key to the offense. In spite of losing his top receiver and playing with a bum toe on his plant foot, Jimmy has continued to be absolutely brilliant and astoundingly accurate. This season, JC has established himself as the premier QB in America and one who gives his team a great chance to win just by being on the field. That type of presence is, obviously, very special and the kind of thing that Heisman's are made of.

His jersey say's '7', but he'll be number '8' on ND's Heisman list.

6. Overrated or Underrated. Notre Dame cracked into the AP Poll at #25 this week. Are they overrated or underrated at #25? Where would you put them in your poll?

Slightly underrated. Last week, Ryan O'Leary, over at Blue and Gold, did a great job analyzing how the Irish have done thus far relative to the rest of the Top-25. What you notice is, in spite of the voter's mindless "analysis"; on the field, not much separates the performances of the various ranked teams. Should ND be a Top-10 team? Not yet, but I think somewhere between 15 and 20 is justified.

7. USC Song Girls: Ambassadors of Collegiate Goodwill or Anachronism from a bygone era of oppressive sexist stereotypes?

There is virtually nothing any decent, normal human being can possibly like about the University of Southern California (see my intro). That said, the Song Girls are awesome. Sure, sometimes they cheer at the wrong time, but they are consistently hot and thoroughly enjoyable.

Yes, they're hot. No, MENSA will not be calling.

8. Green Jerseys? There's a lot of "green" talk coming from campus this week, and it raises the question of whether the team will be wearing green on Saturday. Do you want to see the green jerseys or not? Why?

No, no, no...for the love of God, no! For years, the wearing of the green jerseys was a special occasion and, perhaps coincidentally, tended to augur well for Irish victory. Since Charlie's been coach, however, they've been used pretty much every season and, with the exception of beating a terrible Army team in 2006, not with much success. So, no, please don't bring out the green jerseys, please don't put names on the backs (ala last year's Hawaii Bowl) and don't erect a giant wooden horse like in '77. Just go out and beat SC mano a mano with no gimmicks, surprises or homages to past success. This team doesn't need to be nostalgic, it needs to punch the Trojans in the mouth and create its own place in Irish lore.

Joe made it work, but this team needs their own mojo.

9. Name the next number in this sequence: -3, -20, -38, -35, _______. Explain.

I'm not noted for my optimism but, screw it, I'm going with +24. This is based, not on some crazy, Phil Steele-like formulation, but rather two things I can't help thinking: 1) after four straight nail-biters, ND is due to come out and thoroughly kick someone's ass, and 2) this team has to be completely fed up with losing badly to the Trojans. No one on this team has ever beaten them and the closest the seniors have come is a 20-point loss in 2006. In my gut, I think the confluence of those two data points should result in a surprisingly lopsided ND win on Saturday.

Random Thoughts: Washington Edition

2009-10-04T17:39:00.001-04:00

So, see any good college games lately? Hopefully, by now the pulses of Irish fans have stopped racing and blood pressures have returned to safer levels. It's a criminal understatement to call Saturday's battle against Washington "a good game" - it was amazing. Seven lead changes, three goallines stands, an OT decided by a devastating hit on 4th and 19...what more could you ask for? Should it have been as close? Probably not, but it was and the Irish won. And, with that, here are this week's random thoughts:

What was good:

Jimmy Clausen: A few times during the first half, I wondered whether this was destined to be an off week for Jimmy. It's not that he was playing badly, per se, it's just that some of his decisions (the backward pass to Allen, inability to punch it in from the red zone) seemed to suggest maybe he wasn't at the top of his game. Of course, his final stat line read, 23-31, 422 yards, 2 TDs, 1 int (which was not his fault), which just goes to show how foolish it is to underestimate the awesome ability of James Clausen. 422 yards...are you kidding me?! That's the fifth best total in a game for any Irish QB ever. Then, when you consider how masterful Clausen looked in directing the final drive in regulation (yet again) and on his pass to Tate in OT, you can't help but be amazed. Five games into this season, there is absolutely no question that Jimmy Clausen is the finest QB in America. No player has been more important to his team, no QB has shown the same level of composure or, frankly, ability. That he is not being mentioned as the leading candidate for the Heisman at this point is a far greater indictment of the writers who make those decisions than it is of Clausen.

Golden Tate: As amazing as Jimmy was on Saturday, it's possible he didn't even have the best offensive performance on his own team. That's because Golden Tate went out and had 9 catches for 244 yards (the second best one game total for a receiver in Irish history), 1 TD (very nearly 2), plus an additional 31 yards rushing on the first play of the game for Notre Dame. All up, his 275 total yards are the fourth best one game total in Notre Dame history. Not bad for a guy who was the focus of the defense's attention most of the afternoon. So, how did he do it? Afterall, when Michael Floyd went down, there was concern that defenses would largely take the threat of Tate away. One thing I noticed was that Jimmy moved around in the pocket very well and fairly often. Doing this took took defenders out of their normal coverage just enough for Tate to slip into the seams that then opened up. Since all it takes is a little room for a guy like Golden Tate, this ended up really hurting Washington. Beyond that, though, is the fact that Tate is an absolutely brilliant athlete with amazing instinct and phenomenal ability. I said it last week, I'll repeat it again, just as Jimmy should be at the top of the Heisman list, Tate should be on it very prominently.

The Front Seven: While the tackling still leaves a lot to be desired (more on that later), any time a group can manage three goalline stands in a game, credit must be given. In the many years I've been a fan, I have absolutely never seen an Irish team do that...hell, I don't remember seeing any team do that. What's more amazing to me is that it was accomplished against a big, athletic QB and a running back having a career day. I have had my doubts about the heart of the defense a few times this season but, there is no questioning how much of themselves they put into their efforts near the goalline. That was positively incredible and deserves to go into the annals of Irish lore. On an individual basis, Te'o (10 tackles) looked awesome in his first start. The guy has a nose for the ball and finds his way to it all day long. Kerry Neal was also tremendous chipping in with seven, with two for loss, including a sack. Kyle McCarthy, of course, was the player we all expect him to be - 12 tackles and a bone-jarring hit (along with Harrison Smith) on D'Andre Goodwin of Washington that knocked the ball loose and ended the game. Others who made important contributions: Kapron Lewis-Moore 7 tackles, two for loss, one sack), Ethan Johnson (five tackles, two for loss, one sack, one forced fumble) and Brian Smith (seven tackles). Of course, any time you allow 30 points and 457 total yards, all is not well, but, in the final summary, there were a lot of things to like from this group on Saturday.

Nick Tausch: As excited as Irish fans are, and should be, about the many star performances on both offense and defense Saturday, the one that may have been the most critical was that of Tausch. 5-5 on field goals, 2-2 on extra points and on none was there a doubt as to the outcome. His kickoffs were ok, but the rest of his game was awesome. Notre Dame has a real weapon in Nick Tausch - a confident, accurate scoring machine. The fact that he will be with the program for three more seasons is a huge benefit. Over the last, say, five seasons, how many missed field goals have their been? How different would ND's record look if it had a kicker in whom the coaches had confidence (think Navy 2007 for one)? The importance of a good kicker cannot be overstated and Tausch is absolutely that.

Charlie Weis: For all the complaints I have with Charlie Weis as head coach, I must give him credit for calling a very good game against the Huskies. There were none of the head-scratching calls which had been happening weekly and he largely called plays that exploited the weaknesses of the defense. When an offense puts up 530 total yards and 37 points, it's a good bet that the guy calling the offensive plays is doing something right. True, the red zone offense was a little spotty but, I think that's as much a function of the team as a whole still trying to find a replacement for Michael Floyd in those situations. If 6'5 Duval Kamara would remember how to catch, this problem would be solved but, without that, it will be an issue until someone else steps up. Kyle Rudolph has certainly looked the part with two big 4th quarter touchdown catches the last two weeks, but I'd expect the level of attention he'll be getting from defenses to also go up exponentially. Whether or not Charlie can develop a third option (beyond Tate and Rudolph) in the red zone will, ultimately, determine the fate of the team's offensive production but, this Saturday, he did a nice job.

Robert Hughes: For the second week in a row, Hughes ran like a man possessed. Hughes ran 8 times for 70 yards - an astounding 8.8 ypc. More than that, though, he bailed the Irish out when they needed it most. Be it moving them out of lousy field position or his run to get the Irish their two-point conversion (one of the guttiest I've seen in a long time), Hughes was a beast. Until a week ago, I assumed Hughes had become a forgotten man in the Irish offense. Now, he's one of the most indispensable parts. I've always really liked Hughes. Not only is he a big and powerful runner, but his resolve in coming back to the team in the wake of his brother's murder a few seasons ago was both touching and inspiring. Of all the players on this team, Hughes may be the one for whom I'm happiest. He continues to bounce back from difficulty to prove he's both an incredibly resilient athlete and person.

The Offensive Line: Yes, Clausen was sacked three times, but there's so much more to the story than that. First off, in spite of sacks (and frankly, at least one was Jimmy falling down untouched), the line kept Clausen upright long enough to throw for over 400 yards and, ultimately, Irish runners did pick up 159 yards on the ground while averaging over 5 ypc, minus sacks (29 carries, 159 yards, 5.5 per). What does not show up on the stat sheet, however, is that this unit, like their defensive counterparts, were at their best when they most needed to be. When push came to shove and the game was in the balance, the o-line opened holes and kept Jimmy upright. With each passing week, this is a group that is gaining in confidence and, so it would seem, results. I have no idea what Frank Verducci is doing that his predecessor, John Latina, did not, but I hope he keeps it up.

Notre Dame Fans: Here's to you, Irish faithful. So many times, Notre Dame Stadium seems not to live up to its potential as home field advantage for ND, but that was not the case Saturday. The fans were loud, ornery and involved. On a few occasions, it was clear Locker was really struggling in making calls to his team. I was pleasantly reminded of the 1988 Michigan game where Wolverine QB, Michael Taylor was totally disrupted by the home crowd. Sure, it wasn't quite that loud, but it was a good start. To paraphrase Lou Holtz after the 1988 Miami game, this was a win for the Notre Dame spirit. While the stakes may not have been as high as 21 years ago, the fan's passion nearly was...and that's saying quite a lot.

What, um, sucked:

The Defense: I realize I may seem to be a hypocrite for saying they were at once something that was good and that sucked, but this was an exceptionally schizophrenic group on Saturday. Take a look at the goalline stands - yes, it was amazing that the Irish stopped Washington on those three occasions, but one has to consider that it's this same defense that allowed Washington to get to the goalline in the first place. It's not as though the Huskies just stumbled upon it or a dopplelganger defense invited them there, Irish defenders flailed, blew assignments and missed tackles up and down the field for a huge part of the game. How bad were they at times? Washington came into the game with the nation's 94th ranked rushing offense and gained 176 yards on the ground, including Chris Polk's first 100-yard game. That's pretty bad. A better job was done by the secondary (finally!) in containing Jake Locker. Yes, he had 281 yards passing, but that's eight less than unheralded Joey Elliot had the previous week. Locker is a big-time QB who is capable of single-handedly taking a game into his hands and he wasn't able to do so, finishing with just a 55% completion rate (Jimmy's, conversely, was 74%). Still, things need to get better quickly in order for Notre Dame to have any hope of being a BCS team this season. Notre Dame's defense was particularly awful at the end of the half (allowing Washington a field goal to go ahead) and the end of the game (allowing the game-tying field goal). Also, while the Huskies were a relatively average 7-17 (41%) on 3rd down conversions, those seven always seemed to come at the worst time. The Irish really need to do a better job getting off the field when they've held up the offense for two downs. Eventually, the shortcomings of this defense are going to put the offense in a position from which they can't come back. Let's hope that Jon Tenuta and Corwin Brown can find the right formula with their players prior to that happening.

Red Zone Offense*: Feel free to launch the charges of hypocrite yet again. In fairness, though, I'm listing this one with an asterisk. Undoubtedly, Notre Dame did a poor job in the red zone Saturday, including a 1st and goal from the one where they were forced to settle for a field goal. In spite of that, however, I do believe this is an area where we'll see significant improvement in coming games. Michael Floyd, a huge target/diversion in the red zone, went out against Michigan State. Then, against Purdue, Jimmy Clausen only played about half the game. So, basically, this was the first game since Floyd's injury where the starting offense was available to try and figure out life inside the 20 without him. They struggled mightily for a large part of the game, but between the final drive and OT, they improved tremendously. So long as that momentum or mojo or whatever keeps going, I think they'll be fine going forward. Still, it sucked pretty hard Saturday.

Tackling: This was so painfully bad throughout most of the game that I'm actually listing it as a separate category from the defense. Go back and watch the tape of that game. How many times on both run and pass plays did the Irish blow, not one, but multiple tackles? I have no idea who is teaching these guys that the shoulder is a tackling implement, but it is not. Yes, I know all about the last play of the game, it doesn't absolve the billion and one missed shoulder tackles from earlier. The goalline stands were nice, too, but I wouldn't suggest they're a strategy the Irish should count on all season. Furthermore, if you can get your hands on a ball-carrier, you must find a way to bring him down. Arm tackling is not acceptable, you must actually hit someone. This is not accomplished by standing there and catching them. You need to be in motion and moving towards them. I know I'm a broken record on this topic, but it doesn't go away and there seems to be no urgency in making corrections. If players continue utilizing the same failed techniques each week, I can only assume the coaches are not showing them how to do things properly or else they're being totally ignored. Were I Tenuta or Brown, I might think about implementing a "you miss a tackle, you run until you vomit" approach. It might get the players attention a little bit better than the current system of, "you miss a tackle, try the same thing again and, when it fails, keep doing it."

Playing Down to the Competition: Really, this has been the problem all season. Notre Dame has not yet played a team who they are not vastly superior to in terms of talent (including Michigan). Unfortunately, for some reason, rather than coming out and dominating these teams (except Nevada), the Irish seem to play to their level. Forget how much better teams might be than we thought in the preseason - can you honestly point to a team the Irish could not/should not have dominated (definining that concept as winning by two or more touchdowns)? I sure as hell can't. Now, maybe that means they'll play "up to" USC and find a way to win, as they're also more experienced than the Trojans. Still, it's a disconcerting trend and one that the Irish need to move past. The season is far too long to expect last-minute victories each week. Eventually, the law of averages catches up with you and flips the script. Much like tackling and improving the offense in the red zone, in order to have the type of season so many thought possible, Notre Dame needs to develop a killer instinct. Right now, what I'm seeing is a largely passive team that gets fired up when it's back is to the wall. It shouldn't take that, though. The Irish need to believe they're the superior team and then go out and prove to what extent. It needs to be viewed as a personal affront that any team should deign to challenge them. Get pissed and get nasty. Stop being the cat pawing at the mouse...kill the fucking thing already!

All in all, a great win. I do believe this is a game that ought to have been won more comfortably, but I'm still delighted with another 'W.' Just in terms of sheer gameplay, this was one of the best Notre Dame games I've seen in years. While I normally think the writers of College Football News.com are a bunch of anti-Notre Dame crap weasels, writer Aaron Calhoun did a really nice job summarizing how terrific a game this was for college football fans.

Now, it's a much-deserved week off for all of us - players, coaches and fans. After the high drama of the last four weeks, it couldn't come at a better time.

My Heart Needs The Bye Week...

2009-10-03T19:40:00.000-04:00

More to say about tonight's game later but, for now, I think I'll go with, "wow."

IBG: "Gettin' Grungy Wit It" Edition

2009-10-01T18:53:00.000-04:00

With the most popular thing to come from Seattle since that guy who choked to death, that other guy that shot himself and, of course, that rancid, overpriced coffee coming to town on Saturday, IBG founder, Subway Domer, steps up to the plate with this week's questions.

1. Describe your worst nightmare coming true on Saturday. Can that nightmare become a reality?

Well, since my worst nightmare involves being chained in Pete Carroll's basement with him dressed as The Gimp, I pray to God this does not come true. As for the game itself, my biggest fears are that, A) Locker's elusiveness enables him to avoid being tackled and generating yards both on the ground and through the air and, B) the injury bug hits again and any combination of starters go down. In both cases, I do think they can happen and only time and, in the case of the former, good coaching, will determine whether or not they do.

Not shown in picture: a drugged Matt Leinart sans pants

2. Can we all agree that Jake Locker will be the best quarterback that we have/will face all season?

When the season began, I thought Locker would be one of the best we'd see but, to this point, I would have to put him in the top spot. Given the propensity for Notre Dame's defense to turn marginally talented (ahem, Joey Elliot) or completely inexperienced (Oh, I don't know...Tate Forcier and Kirk Cousins) quarterbacks into superstars, this is particularly alarming. ND's defense is going to have to play better against this offense than any they've faced to date, including Nevada, to avoid getting shredded. Think of it in these terms, if Joey Elliot of Purdue can go for nearly 300 yards, what could a guy like Locker do? If you'll excuse me, I'm now going to go rock back and forth while sobbing.

3. Replace two starters on both sides of the football for the Washington game. Who are they, who are they replacing, and why?

Since the defense has been the most inconsistent, I will start with them. First and foremost is Manti Te'o in for Toryan Smith. Washington's run game is not going to terrify many teams (94th nationally) but, as mentioned above, Jake Locker will. Te'o is quicker and more agile than Smith and, as a result, a much better fit to combat both Washington's passing game and Locker's scrambling. In the secondary, I am going to with Gary Gray for Darrin Walls. Walls has really seemed to struggle a bit this season and, based on his performance last game, Gray would appear to have the hot(ter) hand at the moment. Until that changes, I would go with Gray. On offense, I'd bump Robby Parris up past Duval Kamara. Kamara had a miserable game against Purdue with two illegal formation penalties and a few drops as well. Parris, conversely, seems to be a fundamentally solid player who catches what's thrown to him - that gets the nod from me every time. Other than that, it's a tough call. Most other players on offense have played pretty well, so I don't know that any warrant replacing. The only thing I might suggest is rotating in running backs with some regularity to A) ease Allen back into the line-up, B) keep fresh legs in the game and C) give Washington's poor rushing defense more to think about.

4. Ty Willingham enters the stadium in the second quarter. What happens?

Since Willingham is basically King Midas in reverse (to borrow a line from The Hollies), the only thing I can imagine happening is something approaching apocalyptic cataclysm. Both teams would likely contract the ebola virus immediately while the stadium's structural integrity would suddenly become unsound resulting in thousands of fan casualties. What's important to remember, though, is that the real cause of all this will have been racism.

Ty and the rest of his foursome

5. Are you impressed with the improvement in the run game in 2009, or is it a figment of our imagination?

Mostly impressed. While Notre Dame's four opponents don't exactly have the most stout of run defenses (MSU is 45th, UM is 69th, Nevada is 71st and Purdue 99th nationally against the run), ND has definitely asserted themselves on the ground in a manner which was not evident the last two seasons. The Irish are currently 54th in the nation averaging 158 ypg. They ended 2008 101st averaging a shade below 110 ypg and, in 2007, they were 115th averaging about 75 ypg. Clearly, improvements have been made. What's particularly impressive is that this is an offense that, at least until Purdue, really kept their focus on the passing game - the rushing yards have only been a, relatively, minor accompaniment to the pass. What's more, the offensive line proved in the second quarter last week that, if called upon to switch their attention from passing/balanced attack to rushing offense, they can do so. That too represents a step forward. USC will really be a good test of how far this aspect of the offense has come but, to date, they've made great strides.

6. Who's hotter, Wendi Nix or Erin Andrews? Why. Is your hottie a defensive or offensive player?

Erin Andrews. While I certainly think Wendi Nix is attractive, she strikes me as more reserved than does Andrews. Certainly, I can never picture Wendi Nix staging a nude video of herself in order to garner attention (that's right, Andrews, we all know). In addition to the video, Andrews seems, to me, the type that just oozes sex appeal. For one thing, she was on the dance team at Florida which, by virtue of stereotype, means she has the sexual appetite of a young Catherine the Great coupled with the intellect of a young Koko the ape (I kid, I kid...I have no idea if Andrews knows sign language). As to whether she is an offensive or defensive player, my hope would be for defense. Certainly, I can imagine no other sideline reporter whom I'd rather have tackle me.

Fortunately, the Mark May sex tape hasn't found a distributor

7. Predictions please...

While the Huskies have been impressive in the early part of the season, I have a hard time believing that a team which was incapable of winning a game last year has improved dramatically enough in the offseason that Notre Dame shouldn't still be able to beat them. Last year, in Seattle, Notre Dame won by 26 points while throttling the Husky offense. This year, in spite of the return of Jake Locker and arrival of Steve Sarkisian, the outcome should be the same. The game's in South Bend and, if anything, Notre Dame's offense is more versatile than they were a year ago. This combination should be enough to propel ND to another victory in this series. I'm going with, Notre Dame - 31, Washington - 17.

Random Thoughts: Purdue Edition

2009-09-30T18:40:00.000-04:00

In a week where the nation's #4, #5, #6, #9, #18, #22 and #24 teams all lost and, in every case but #9 Miami, to non-Top 25 teams; maybe it's not surprising that Notre Dame had to struggle to pull out a win over Purdue. Throughout a large swath of college football last Saturday, Davids were rising up to topple Goliaths. Thankfully, in West Lafayette, Goliath fought back.
Still, the question remains - is Notre Dame lucky or good? To be honest, much like The Biscuit over at Her Loyal Sons, I have no idea. I'm not sure I've ever been this confused as to what type of an Irish team I'm watching. Like so many others, I'm happy with beating Purdue but, other than getting halfway to bowl-eligibility, I really don't know what it means in the grand scheme. So, with that backdrop of bewilderment, I offer the following random thoughts from Saturday:

Jimmy Clausen: I recognize that it's been stated to the point of cliche, but the kid's a winner, a leader and just a tough dude. For all the crap Jimmy has gotten from the punditocracy of college football, he now deserves to be recognized for the many positives he brings his team and for the performances he's had. Many have commented on the poise and lack of panic on the part of Notre Dame, even when they fell behind late in the game. I noticed it as well, and I think Clausen's a big reason. The guy gives you a chance to win just by being in the game and there's a confidence he projects that his teammates seem to feed off of. To me, the game-winning drive against Purdue on Saturday ranks right up there with Brady Quinn's last minute pass to Jeff Samardzija to beat UCLA in 2006 in the annals of great finishes in Irish history. Terrific stuff.
Charlie Weis: Is there a more maddening coach in college football than Charlie Weis? Given the limitations in personnel with which he was dealing, Weis drew up a really nice game plan. Mixing and matching Crist and Clausen, drawing up some great running schemes and just generally confusing Purdue's defense was Weis at his best. Of course, he wouldn't be Charlie without a bone-headed decision. I am, of course, talking about the pass on 4th and 10. For the love of God, why are you not punting there? Given Maust's inability to punt the ball long, you're probably looking at pinning Purdue deep in their territory. At the very least, you put them at their 20 with 80 yards to go. Let's face it, it's not like ND's offense was lighting it up and tossing the ball all over the yard to that point. This is exactly the kind of "too cute" play-calling I referred to a few weeks ago. Charlie seems to think that, by virtue of the fact that he's called it, it's a brilliant play. How often does that work out, Chuckles? I suppose that, after 5 seasons, this isn't going to change. If Weis remains Notre Dame's head coach, fans are just going to have to get used to these types of brain farts happening at least once a game.
Golden Tate: While we Irish fans have legitimately felt that Jimmy Clausen ought to be given more Heisman consideration, how about Golden Tate? In addition to being one of the most dangerous wide receivers in the country, Tate showed on Saturday that he's a threat out of the backfield as well. With Michael Floyd shelved for the season, Tate is clearly going to be a much bigger part of the offense whether catching the ball, running the ball or just drawing defensive attention away from other players. While the numbers may not yet put him into the rarified category of Heisman contender, Golden Tate's versatitilty may just force that conversation to take place by season's end.

The Running Game: Allow me to preface my praise by saying, the rushing yards put up by the Irish (167) came against a defense ranked 102nd in the country against the run. With that out of the way, it was still a good performance. We finally got a chance to see three things which need to continue if ND is to have anywhere near the type of success that fans expect/hope for this year - 1) the success of multiple running backs, 2) the offensive line won the battle in the trenches and 3) the running plays dialed up were, by and large, very good. If all three of these factors hold up and, in fact, improve, the loss of Michael Floyd will not be nearly as devastating to the offense as originally feared.

The Defense: A small step forward, to be sure. The improvements against the run that were made in the second half against MSU seemed to carry over to this game. In particular, Darius Fleming and Kapron Lewis-Moore looked like much different/better players this week. Stopping a runner as prolific as Ralph Bolden was a big accomplishment for this defense and, hopefully, something it can build off of as the season moves forward. On the other hand, the porous pass defense continues its sieve-like ways. How the hell does Joey Elliot go for 289 yards in the air?! What's more, go back and watch the tape of that game - how many passes were on the money that his receivers dropped (it's a bunch, incidentally). For me, this game featured two quintessential examples of how poorly the secondary has played this year with Aaron Valentin's 36-yard TD catch in the 1st and Jaycen Taylor's 38-yard TD catch in the 4th quarter. On Valentin's TD, the weak attempts at tackling would have been considered bad if they had been made by a freshman team in high school. At this level, they're inexcusable. On Taylor's, coverage was completely blown and no one was even remotely near him, including stalwart Kyle McCarthy. These have been, by far, the unit's biggest problems. Tackling is atrocious and coverage is just bad. With this much talent and as good a secondary coach as Corwin Brown, I have no idea why this continues to be a problem week in and week out.

Nick Tausch: It's obviously still early in both the season and Tausch's career at Notre Dame, but it's looking more and more like this kid's going to be a great one. He is an increasingly reliable placekicker and his kickoffs seem to be improving as well. This is a weapon that Notre Dame really hasn't had in some time and, if Tausch can manage to become something akin to this generation's Craig Hentrich, the Irish will be a much better team for it.
The Officiating: I am not going to dwell on this subject too intensely, but I do want to add the following: in two games with Big Ten officials this year, Notre Dame had 20 penalties for 174 yards. This week, with a Big East crew, they had 6 for 41 yards, or 4 penalties and 46 yards less than the average of the two previous games. Sure, some of this could have been players being more conscientous but, having watched all three games, I can't help thinking that the officiating was just as big a factor. Add in the bogus interception call in the Indiana/Michigan game this past weekend and I think it's fair to say the Big Ten leaves a lot to be desired with the officials it's hired.

Now we come to the Washington game. During the offseason, this looked like it would fall into the category of 'easy win' but, then the season began and Washington nearly upset LSU (who, while I think overrated, is a Top 5 team) and did knock off USC. Even with the beating they absorbed at the hands of Stanford this past week, the Huskies are dangerous and represent a tough challenge for Notre Dame. The big questions on which this game will hinge: 1) was Washington's loss this week a let-down post-USC or representative of who they truly are as a team, 2) can Notre Dame's offense shut down a Jake Locker-led offense, and 3) what can the Irish offense do against a bad Husky rushing defense (106th nationally) and fairly decent pass defense (41st nationally)? I'll have more to say on that later in the week. For now, I'm just going to sit back and enjoy one of the oddest 3-1 starts I can ever remember watching.

IBG: Life After Michael Floyd Edition

2009-09-24T21:26:00.000-04:00

This week's IBG is brought to you courtesy of the consistently awesome, UHND:

1. The obvious question for the week, how does Notre Dame deal with the loss of Michael Floyd? What wide receiver steps up? How, if at all, does the offense change?

What I think you'll likely see is more of a ball-control offense featuring short, high percentage passes mixed with runs and, on occasion, the long ball. With the exception of an inexperienced Shaquelle Evans and Golden Tate, who will be the focus of a lot of attention, the personnel does not lend itself to much in the way of a deep threat. At the same time, Charlie is quite used to choreographing long, sustained drives with a balanced offense from his days in New England. From the perspective of receivers, I think Duval Kamara, both because of his blocking and experience, and Shaq Evans because of his big-play potential will be the most important. That said, the key to this whole offense is Jimmy Clausen. His development as a very accurate and poised quarterback is what will make this offense, and its young receivers, click.

2. After seeing three games from Notre Dame in 2009 have your expectations increased, decreased, or remained the same?

While, in the preseason, I expected Notre Dame to be around 9-4 or 10-3; with Michael Floyd in the lineup all year, I think they may have done better. Yes, the defense has been a work-in-progress but, with a healthy Floyd, the offense gave the Irish a chance every week, including USC. Without him, however, I think ND probably does drop at least another two games. So, bascially, my answer is, the same as in the preseason, a little bit decreased from the eary portion of the regular season.

3. The last two years against Purdue, a Notre Dame player has had their breakout game. In 2007 it was Golden Tate and in 2008 it was Armando Allen. Who do you think could have their breakout game against the Boilermakers this year?

Jonas Gray. With Michael Floyd out and, in my opinion, the offensive focus about to shift to small ball, who better to take the reins than Jonas Gray? Purdue is 102nd in the country in rush defense and Gray is a beast when he gets a head of steam behind him. Allen's a little dinged and giving him an opportunity to get a bit of rest while Gray leads the charge would be a smart strategy for ND. Much like Allen's breakout against the Boilermakers in '08, I think we could be talking about a 100-yard + performance by Gray this year.

4. How would you grade the three new coaches on this year’s staff based on the first three games?

This is tough because there's such a small sample size with which to work, but I guess I would go with:

Verducci: B+. The line has opened up running lanes in both conventional formations and via the Wildcat and their pass blocking has been outstanding. This is easily the best the starters on this unit have played in several seasons and the reserves have also played well. Two things keep this grade from being an A - 1) This is a very experienced unit that should be doing at least as well as it has, and 2) when it counted against Michigan, they couldn't move a smaller defensive line back a few yards to run out the clock. The fact that these guys hadn't worn out the Wolverine front seven by that point in the game is somewhat inexplicable.

Alford: B. Allen has really improved and is a much more consistently solid runner than he has been previously. This, in some part, deserves a nod of the cap to Alford. On the flip side, while Jonas Gray has shown flashes of brilliance as a runner, he has been pretty terrible at pass blocking. Moreover, while it looks like Theo Riddick is going to be very good, what's happened to Robert Hughes? Hughes was once viewed as a candidate to be a featured back and now he's an afterthought. Sure, some of that is competition, but when he's been in the game, I've not seen anywhere near the same progress as with Allen. If we're going to give Alford credit for Allen, we need to deduct for Hughes. All in all, a better rushing game, but certainly not yet an A.

Hart: C. As I mentioned in a previous post, I think the defensive line is not as far away from being good as many may think. They have shown the potential to penetrate, but either overpursue or miss tackles. A lot of this is youth and inexperience. I do think that Hart is doing a good job technically with his troops, but they really need to provide better results on the field before this grade can improve.

5. Your thoughts on Golden Tate’s stage dive into the Michigan State band? Was he trying to avoid running into the band? Was the whole thing intentional? Little of column A, little of column B?

Little from Column A, little from Column B. I think that Tate probably made the catch, figured he couldn't stop and decided to make the best of it with the most theatrical post-touchdown performance I can remember seeing from an Irish player. I know the Spartan band probably hated it, but it was the kind of good-natured and silly fun that seems to be part of Tate's nature and makes him such an enjoyable player to watch.

6. How has your opinion of the Notre Dame schedule changed from how you felt about it in the pre-season?

It's probably around the same. Michigan is certainly better than I thought, but Michigan State and Nevada are worse. Looking forward, I am still not sold on Washington (they've played well but, ultimately, could prove to be Stanford 2007 redux), USC is probaby worse, BC, Washington State, Navy, Pitt and UConn about the same and Stanford slightly worse. Starting this week, I think the season will start to come in to much clearer focus as teams are more than a quarter of the way through the year and will start to settle into what they'll be for the rest of it.

7. Should Jimmy Clausen be getting more hype for the Heisman?

Absolutely, yes. People always say that being a QB at ND automatically puts you into the Heisman conversation. True, but it can also be a detriment. There is an awful lot of anti-ND sentiment in the media (shocking, I know, but press on) and, when you've received the same hype as has Clausen, expectations tend to be totally unreasonable. Even with that, find me another player, at any position, who has been as infallible as Clause this season. Can't be done. Ridiculous completion percentage, 300 yards + passing every game, nine TD passes and ZERO interceptions. Tremendous. And, since the last time I checked, Clausen doesn't pay defense, it's awfullly hard to hold Irish shortcomings against him...though Heisman voters clearly will.

Random Thoughts: Michigan State Edition

2009-09-22T20:26:00.000-04:00

A little bit of a delay in posting this week thanks to the unwelcome advances of real life but, nonetheless, here we go:

Ok, it wasn't pretty and it was too close for comfort but, at the end of the day, it was a win. This is more than just platitude. Notre Dame absolutely, positively needed a victory on Saturday; regardless of how it came about. The program needed it because of the losing streak at home to Michigan State but, more importantly, this team needed it to get past the Michigan loss. Consider the corollary to 2006. That year, Notre Dame came off a brutal, error-filled beatdown at home to Michigan to play at Michigan State. After playing horribly most of the game, the Irish finally got themselves together late, rallied and claimed a last minute victory over the Spartans. They would go on to win their next seven games, with only the classic battle against UCLA being a close affair. Would they have had similar success if they'd lost to Michigan State? Doubtful. Losing tough games, especially back-to-back, tends to wear on a team's psyche and makes it exponentially harder to win. Similarly, I'm not sure this team could have survived another loss; especially after losing Michael Floyd. Which brings us to...
How big a loss to the offense is Michael Floyd? Consider the following stats: of Clausen's 62 completions in 2009, 13 (21%) were to Floyd. Of Clausen's 951 yards passing, 358 were to Floyd (38%). Finally, of Clausen's 9 TD passes, 5 (56%) were to Floyd. So, to put it another way, over 1/5 of Clausen's completions, 1/3 of his passing yards and 1/2 of his touchdowns are the result of Michael Floyd. Ouch.

Hearing those statistics, one might be inclined to think this offense is doomed to the same type of failure they endured last year when Floyd was out. While I'm certain it will not be quite as productive as when #3 is available, I am also sure we will not see a drop-off as severe as that which took place last year. There are two reasons for this guarded optimism: 1) the running game, and 2) Jimmy Clausen. To me, the running game is still very much a work in progress, but it has made great strides in the offseason and has added a great deal of balance to the offense this year. After only three games, Armando Allen is not yet someone I'm ready to consider a consistent "go-to" player, but he has played tremendously well this season and is now a guy defenses have to account for and scheme around - that hasn't happened with an Irish back since Darius Walker left. In addition, I think the flashes of potential we've seen in guys like Jonas Gray and Theo Ridddick are very encouraging. The more important factor, though, is Clausen. Clausen has become a tremendously good, tremendously accurate college quarterback. As a result of that improvement in accuracy (and general decision making), Notre Dame will be better on offense. Take a look at what the Giants did Sunday night against Dallas. With one receiver down and two young, green receivers (Irish scourges Steve Smith and Mario Manningham) in the game, Eli Manning was able to be very productive (25-38, 330 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs)...and keep in mind, this was without a functional running game. The reason is that talented, experienced quarterbacks make good decisions and can, ultimately, make inexperienced receivers look good. I think Irish fans will see something similar in the weeks to come.
And then there's the Wildcat. Yes, it was great on two touchdowns (one running, one throwing), but it was also a lousy call on Notre Dame's first drive of the second quarter, with Golden Tate going for a loss of a yard and the Irish suffering a loss of momentum(compounded by penalties on the next two plays and a sack on the third on which Clausen was injured). Can I blame all of that on the Wildcat? No, but it was unnecessary and the kind of "too cute", gimmicky call which, I was hoping, Charlie had gotten past reverting to this year.

The officiating was, again, awful. Beyond the much-discussed Floyd non-TD catch (where, incidentally, the Big East got into the act of screwing the Irish - it was their crew in the booth), there was something else that stood out. Two plays occurring within minutes of one another highlight the problem. On the drive after Michigan State's flubbed punt return in the second quarter, Robert Blanton was called for a late hit out of bounds after inadvertently taking a guy down on a tackle that had started in the field of play. A short time later, after a nice Jonas Gray run to get inside Michigan State's 10-yard line, he was taken down out of bounds by Greg Jones of MSU in an almost identical manner to what Blanton had done earlier, and it happened right in front of an official -no call. Those examples are exactly the problem. It's not that any of the calls against Notre Dame (other than the Floyd catch) were wrong, it's that the officials refused to apply the same standards to both teams. While I prefer refs to take a more laissez-faire approach to things anyway, if they are going to be ticky-tack, at least be consistent to avoid the appearance of impropriety and charges that you are a biased douchenozzle.

And now for the defense. While the d-line and linebackers have come in for a lot of criticism over the last few days, I actually don't think they're all that far away from being pretty solid units. In reviewing the tape, a lot of the problems tend to stem from technique rather than strategy. Oftentimes, guys were in the backfield, but either overpursued or just missed tackles. A big reason for the latter is that, with regularity, Notre Dame players still "catch" ball-carriers rather than hit them with a head of steam. You do that and you put yourself in a position to get run over, stiff-armed or otherwise avoided. Run to the guy with the ball, wrap-up and drive. Do those things and a lot of these problems solve themselves.
As for the secondary, I thought the coverage was very spotty. Sure, they were often left on islands because of blitzes that didn't arrive, but they were also giving way too much cushion for a large part of the afternoon and, in other cases, they were where they needed to be, but failed to make the play (dropped interceptions were a particular problem....Darrin Walls, I'm looking in your direction). Those things need to improve quickly. With as much talent as the defensive backfield possesses, they should be a bigger help to the overall defensive effort than they've been thus far.

While I know many Irish fans were disappointed with the team's performance on Saturday, bear in mind that Notre Dame had to overcome both a devastating loss to a key rival the week before and the mental hurdle of a Michigan State team who has owned them in recent years. That's a lot, even for a group as talented as ND. With that now behind them and the team back to its winning ways, I expect we will see a lot more of the squad we believed them to be as the season began.

IBG: Redemption Begins With A 'W' Edition

2009-09-18T07:44:00.000-04:00

This week's IBG comes to us courtesy of the always delightful Sarah over at Bad Trade.

1. Still trying to get the taste of last weekend's game out of my mouth, so let's start with something fun. With Sparty on its way into South Bend, give me your favorite memory of the ND-MSU series. I don't care what it is: John L. Smith losing it, the image of MSU guarding against nothing, an actual game memory, whatever.

Well, since I posted a bunch of videos yesterday showing some of my favorite games in the series, I am going with a non-game moment - Detroit talk show host Mike Valenti's meltdown after Notre Dame's come-from-behind win in 2006. For those of you who've not heard this gem, it is a classic study in delicious, delicious schadenfreude, complete with references to "choking on applesauce", Hurricane Katrina and, everyone's favorite, Teddy Ruxpin. Enjoy:

2. Since 1997, Michigan State has won 9 of 12 games against the Irish. I view this as a classic case of Sparty having ND's number. What worries you most about Michigan State this weekend?

One of the theories that has floated around as to why Notre Dame has done so poorly against Michigan State over the last decade, is that the game against the Spartans tends to follow a tough, emotional, high profile game against Michigan and the Irish come out flat. If this is true, than this week is likely to be brutal for Notre Dame. True, both teams lost heartbreakers last week but, for Michigan State, getting fired up for ND after facing Montana State and Central Michigan should be no problem. Can the Irish be similarly motivated and emotionally grounded after back-to-back games against Nevada and Michigan? Those are going to be the questions that determine the outcome - which team can bounce back better from a tough loss and which team is more fired up, generally. If history is any guide, I am concerned about Irish chances.

3. Between my lingering bad feelings from last weekend and the history of this series in the last decade plus, give me a good reason or two or three to feel optimistic about a change in fortune for the Irish, because right now, I could use some optimism.

Well, Michigan State did just lose at home to Central Michigan. Whatever you think about Notre Dame's loss to the Wolverines, it's better than that. More importantly, though, this seems to be a very mature Irish team that understands the gravity of the situation in which they find themselves. They know that their credibility, their coach's job and the program's prominence is in their hands. As a result, I have no doubt that this team will have put the Ann Arbor debacle behind them by Saturday afternoon. So long as they do, they should certainly win this game. They are more talented and more experienced than Michigan State and they're playing at home. Combine all these factors and I think you'll see a fairly comfortable Irish win (somewhere around the 10 points they're favored by).

4. As it is my week, I get to address my current ND obsession. Have the last two games changed your opinion/reinforced your opinion re: Charlie in the box versus Charlie on the field?

First off, if Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has taught us nothing else, it's that nobody wants a Charlie-In-The-Box. Beyond that, though, I'm not sure it matters. Yes, Charlie called a great game against Hawaii while in the box but, I think anyone would be hard-pressed to say that the performance of the offense in the first two games suffered because of Charlie being on the field.

5. If nothing else, I can count on one thing to look forward to on Saturday - tailgating. Anyone have a good recipe for me to try? I make no limitations on what it can be - a drink recipe, dessert, appetizer. So long as it can be made on a grill, camp stove, or ahead of time, I am happy to listen. The better the suggestion, the more likely you are to get invited to my own tailgate.
An easy, tasty and potentially lethal rum punch combo that I stumbled upon this summer goes as follows:

- Light rum
- Coconut rum
- Pineapple juice
- Grenadine

Yes, men will have to drink this with a pinky extended, but it is a thoroughly enjoyable cocktail. While I'm sure this mixture already has a name, for IBG purposes I am going to name it after the one Irish player who hails from a tropical locale...I call it, "The Manti."

6. Finally, any predictions for the game? I encourage your predictions to involve something other than a final score, but otherwise, I make no suggestions.

I predict that Notre Dame will score seven touchdowns but, because it is yet another Big 10 officiating crew, will only be awarded four points for each. Michigan State, conversely, will have three touchdowns, but will be given nine points per. After extra points, ND sneaks out a 35-30 win over the Spartans in spite of having to play the last two-and-a-half quarters with six men on the field thanks to an official's questionable interpretation of the penalty that applies to offsides.

Misty Water-Colored Memories: MSU Edition

2009-09-16T21:27:00.000-04:00

With a huge game against Michigan State coming up on Saturday, I thought I'd take a stroll down memory lane and revel in the joys of past Irish victories over the Spartans.

And, because it's been a rough week and we could all use a laugh, a little Spartan-related humor:

Parting The Clouds

2009-09-14T21:38:00.000-04:00

Thank God for Mondays. While yesterday was one of the worst days of my Notre Dame fandom (and there've been some beauties over the years), today felt a lot better. With the benefit of a little extra time, some insight from other Irish fans (foremeost among them, my esteemed colleague, Subway Domer) and, frankly, a desire not to give up on a season that's just two weeks old, I've turned a corner. The Michigan game is dead, let's move forward. As readers know, I am no pollyanna when it comes to this team. In fact, in the past, I have even been excused of being, ahem, too negative. Against that backdrop, I am issuing the following request/directive to my fellow Irish fans: Do not lose heart. Do not give up. In this, our darkest hour, I put to you reasons for optimism.

The offense is frighteningly good: As has been widely discussed, this offense is, quite possibly, the best in school history. How good are they? On one of his worst days, Golden Tate still led the team in catches (9) for over 100 yards and two scores. More important, though, is the fact that, in a pass-first offense, Notre Dame has a better running game than at any point in the last three years. Yes, there were some problems against Michigan, but this team has now gone over 150 yards on the ground in each of its first two games in spite of the run being largely an afterthought in this offense. Now with a balanced attack, the potential for this offense is off the charts. That fact alone gives this team more than a chance in every single game this year.
The defense will improve: Coming into this season, we all knew that the defensive line was an area of concern, but we also knew that it had a great deal of young talent. The good news is, this defense will only improve as the season goes on. As the younger players get reps and become acclimated to the college game, their abilities will start to take over and the results will be better. Think of it another way, would you rather have the defenses of 2005 and 2006 or this one? In terms of pure talent and potential, there is no question as to the answer. The 2005 and 2006 teams had very marginal defenses whose shortcomings were glossed over because of a prolific offense. The 2009 team has a much more talented core of defensive players around which to build and a phenomenal offense to carry them through the growing pains (see above). Plus, in Corwin Brown and Jon Tenuta, the Irish have two outstanding defensive minds (not to mention guys like Bryant Young and Randy Hart) which is something they did not have in the past either (uh, Rick Minter, anyone?). I know it may not seem it right now, but all of the tools are there for this to be a very, very good defense in 2009.
The schedule improves: While it obviously remains to be seen as to how difficult the schedule will ultimately be, what is undeniable is that Notre Dame will be at home for four of the next five games. And, of those away from Notre Dame Stadium, one is against a rebuilding Purdue team and one is in San Antonio against a still bad Washington State team. The best thing for a team coming off a tough loss on the road is the comfort and support of a home crowd. If the fans that show up on Saturday are raucous, supportive and get the place rocking, the Michigan game will be a distant memory for Irish players.
Stuff happens: On the same day that Notre Dame was losing to Michigan, the fifth-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys were losing at home to an unranked Houston team. Earlier in the day, a Michigan State team that was supposed to be a dark horse contender for the Big Ten title lost to Central Michigan. In both cases, the better team lost...and that's just one Saturday. Yes, it always sucks when it's your team that loses and, yes, it's even worse when the loss comes to a rival but, unfortunately, sometimes upsets do happen. Obviously, if this loss begets others, it's a problem; but what if it doesn't? What if this is an isolated incident, one of those early season upsets I briefly discussed in last week's IBG. Is 11-1, 10-2 or, even 9-3 not a good season? I know, at Notre Dame the goal is a national championship every year, but let's face it, that was probably a long-shot at best in 2009. What's more, in past years, the reason a 9-3 record wasn't considered "good enough" was because it was more anomaly than trend. It was because at some point, in the subsequent two years, Notre Dame would drop to 6-6 or worse. At this point, though, recruiting is great, depth has improved and there's every reason to think that, with a good season in 2009, the Irish will be heading for even brighter seasons down the road. Consider this, while most Notre Dame fans (myself included) remember the Holtz era as "the good old days"; even then the team routinely lost a handful of games. In '87 they lost four games, they lost three in '90 (including a brutal upset at home to Stanford while the Irish were #1...the Cardinal ended the year 5-6, by the way), another three in '91 (including a loss at Michigan in their second game and a heartbreaking loss at home to Tennessee late in the year...ND was up 31-7 at the half and lost 35-34), then they lost five games plus a tie in '94 and three in both'95 and '96. So, yes, Lou had '88 (12-0) and '89 (12-1) and he had '92 (10-1-1) and '93 (11-1), but he had an awful lot of three loss seasons, too. If a three-loss 2009 were the start of a Lou-like run, would anyone complain?

My point in bringing all this up is, while spirits may be low right now, as fans, we really need to lift up our chins, grit our teeth and root like hell for this team come Saturday. Being a fan, a real fan, can be both the most exhilirating and nauseating experience imagineable. In good times, we celebrate, in bad we mourn, but we always come back...that's the deal. Indeed, Saturday was a very bad time but, as I've hopefully shown above, there's an awful lot to get excited about with this team. More importantly, even if you're fed up with Charlie or think Tenuta's overrated or whatever, there's a team full of kids who came to this school and who've worked their asses off to be a part of this program and to help it regain its prominence - they deserve both our respect and wholehearted support. With that, I say to you, my fellow Irish fans, quit your bitching, quit your moaning and let's kick some Spartan ass on Saturday. Go Irish, beat Spartans!

Random Thoughts: Michigan Edition

2009-09-13T12:40:00.000-04:00

Terrible. Heartbreaking. Atrocious. Those are just a few of the adjectives that describe what took place in Ann Arbor yesterday. After having (somewhat) calmed down, here are my general thoughts on the debacle:

The Officiating: Simply put, this cost Notre Dame the game. Yes, there were plenty of things Notre Dame did to give Michigan an opportunity to win, but if the Big Ten officials don't call back Armando Allen's screen pass touchdown, this is a whole different game. In fact, the margin of victory for Michigan (four points) is precisely the difference between the touchdown ND would have had and the field goal for which they were forced to settle. Here's the thing: I can see why you would want to review that play - Allen's foot was close to the line. However, upon reviewing it upstairs, there is no way any reasonable person could reach the conclusion that his foot was out; nevermind that it was so conclusively out that the call on the field ought to be overturned. Add in any number of absurd holding calls and pass interference non-calls, and there's your game. This is a travesty. Both teams battled too hard to have a game come down to biased officiating. These men deserve to be fired.

Charlie Weis: Very much a mixed bag on this one. On the one hand, Charlie Weis - Offensive Coordinator, did a pretty terrific job. Hard to argue with 490 yards of total offense and 34 points; and, while people can debate the merits of throwing the ball with the lead and two minutes to play, Shaq Evans was open. A better throw and nobody's debating this point. Also, for the most part, Charlie called a very good offensive game (Statue of Liberty play, anyone?). Still, he is not merely Charlie Weis - Offensive Coordinator, he is, primarily, Charlie Weis - Head Coach and, in that role, it is hard to give him much credit. This was a game Notre Dame absolutely should have won. They were the better team all day and there's no reason they should have come away with a loss. Worse, depending on how the team responds, this is the type of loss that can unravel an otherwise promising season (particularly with a talented and angry Michigan State team coming to town next week). Keep in mind, it was Notre Dame's come-from-behind win against Michigan State in 2006 that destroyed the Spartans season that year and led to Coach John L. Smith's firing. Simply put, we will know all we need to about this team and the future of Coach Weis at Notre Dame by next Saturday night.

Brian Smith: Allow me to blunt - shut the fuck up. Smith's comment before the game that Michigan was "stupid" for starting two freshman quarterbacks lacked both class and commonsense. Worse, after Tate Forcier shoved it right down the throat of Smith and his colleagues, the comment seemed phenomenally asinine. Brian Smith's a good football player, but he really needs to keep his big mouth shut when reporters are around.

Jimmy Clausen: There is no one for whom I feel worse than Jimmy Clausen. This kid went out and did absolutely everything you could possibly ask to get a win and the team really let him down. 336 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 60% completion rate in a hostile environment is a good day for any QB. It's a complete shame that ND wasted such a great performance.

Michael Floyd/Golden Tate: Yes, Tate had a few uncharacteristic drops, but combining for 16 catches, 246 yards and three touchdowns is still a pretty solid afternoon. I just hope that Floyd's injury is minor and he's back out there next week.

Armando Allen: Definitely a banner day for Allen. Just when people (including me) were wondering whether it should be Jonas Gray getting the majority of carries, Allen comes out and cranks out 139 yards on the ground at nearly 7 ypc. Great game for Armando and something to build on as the season moves forward.

The Secondary: I said it last week, and I'll say it again, Notre Dame's secondary is wildly overrated. Tate Forcier is going to be a good quarterback, but allowing a freshman in his second collegiate game to throw for 240 yards, 2 tds and a 70% completion rate all without his best receiver is unforgiveable. While everyone's been wailing about the rush defense (which definitely created its own cause for concern), the secondary has been Notre Dame's dirty little secret. A unit that was supposed to be among the best in the country has been terrible in its first two outings.

The Rest of the Defense: Did a nice job in the first half containing the run and really limiting the effectiveness of Michigan's offense. Then, in the second half, the wheels came off. My charitable read is that some of it was exhaustion brought on from the no-huddle but, whatever the case, they played a very poor second half against a very average offense. Tenuta really needs to make some tough personnel choices this week. If what we've heard about Notre Dame's improving depth being a benefit to the team is true, this is the week it needs to manifest itself.

Summary: Contra college football punditry, Michigan is not a good football team. They are quite average and, under no circumstance, should Notre Dame have lost this game. Just when we thought that the travails of the last two years, particularly the collapses of 2008 (UNC, Pitt, Syracuse), were behind us, we find out that this team really isn't much different than last year's version. Sure, their stat lines look better but, ultimately, they still don't have the ability to put a game away and they still make incredibly stupid mistakes at the worst possible times. While I don't want to be a defeatist and give up on the season two games in, having watched this team the last few years, I am not filled with abundant optimism with regard to their ability to rise to the occasion. Still, most of the games on the schedule are still very winnable and the potential, however remote it may seem ths morning, of a BCS bowl still exists. As I said earlier, this week's game against MSU is going to be a referendum on whether Charlie can, or should, continue on as Irish coach. I only wish I had any sense as to the answer.

IBG: "Ann Arbor's No Lady" Edition

2009-09-09T21:02:00.000-04:00

With ND's annual game against their ethically compromised rivals to the north nearly here, Her Loyal Sons steps up with this week's IBG questions:

1) Being that you're a ND blogger, and thus follow a Catholic university's football team religiously and/or are Catholic yourself, you're probably very familiar with the notion that bad things happen to good people. For a concrete example of that, look to every Irish player, coach, and fan who had to suffer through the last 2 seasons. But never forget that bad things can happen to really rotten people too. For a really fun example of that, look to Rich Rod going 3-9 in his big debut season in Ann Arbor. Now let's mess with your heads a bit: Give me one very good reason why great things might happen to very bad people by explaining to me A) How and why Michigan (sucks!) might beat ND this weekend and B) How Michigan (sucks!) will compete for a BCS berth in 2009.

The answer to A) is simple - "pride goeth before the fall." Notre Dame is justifiably happy with their performance against Nevada on Saturday; but it's a short trip from joy to pride. Should Irish chests swell too far, they will no doubt be served a heaping helping of humility by Satan's minions in Ann Arbor. As for B), the only rational explanation for a Michigan BCS bid this year would be, at some point this fall, Armageddon takes place with "The Beast" knocking off "The Lamb" in an upset for the ages. In other words, good is defeated, evil prevails and we are all sentenced to an eternity in the bowels of Bo Schembechler.

2) After week 1, just as in 2008, the leading tacklers for the Notre Dame fighting Irish are both safeties: Kyle McCarthy with 7 and Harrison Smith with 5. DE Kerry Neal isn't even on the stat sheet, Brian Smith, while making 2 very big plays, didn't make a single other tackle, and Ethan Johnson had 1 tackle all game. Convince me that Michigan (sucks!) wont just run a "9 yards and a cloud of dust" offense against ND all freaking game.

Before I answer this question, a few related thoughts. If a Nevada team, which averaged 37.6 points and 508.5 yards in 2008, couldn't score and only eked out 308 yards against the Irish, why do we think a Michigan team who was 109th out of 119 teams in total offense last year will be able to impose their will? Is it because Michigan's "back" after scoring 31 points at home against Western Michigan? Guess what - in their opener last year, Michigan nearly knocked off a Utah team that would end the season undefeated and ranked #2 in the country. Did that make them a good team? Not a chance - they ended up with the worst record in the history of the program. Look at it another way, was there a pundit in the country who didn't expect Michigan to beat Western Michigan? Why then are we declaring the program "back" after a game everyone expected them to win? Or, for yet another perspective, pit Nevada against Western Michigan - who do you see winning and by how much? Still think Michigan deserves the accolades they've received this week? So, I guess my answer to the original question is, "who gives a shit?" Until Michigan shows they can consistently play well against reasonable competition, it makes no difference whether they plan to run, pass or crawl against Notre Dame.

3) We've now got the concrete data of 1 game to bat around. Aside from any answers involving T'eo, tell me what position changes/depth chart engineering you hope to see the staff at least tinker with during the Michigan (sucks!) game.

Developing a defensive line rotation. I would like to see Tenuta/Brown get a solid rotation of their defensive linemen into the game in order to 1) to keep fresh legs on the field, 2) give Michigan's offense some different defensive looks and 3) get some experience for the talented, but untested, Irish d-linemen. As much as it pains me to say this as a Giants fan, the Philadelphia Eagles have used a similar approach to great effect, finishing seventh in the league against the run in 2007 and fourth last year (former Irish stars Victor Abiamiri and Trevor Laws have been a part of this strategy). While doing this might result in a few growing pains here and there, I think it would give Notre Dame a great chance to have a dominant and healthy d-line as they move forward.

4) The state of Michigan has decided that they've ripped off the Rudy soundtrack long enough and need a new advertising scheme to attract people to their state and support tourism. "Pure Michigan (sucks!)" is so two-thousand-and-late. Give me the new hotness. Give me your best new tourism slogans for Michigan (sucks!).

How about, "Like Canada, But With Ugly Strippers."

5) Navy took tOSU down to the wire, Washington actually looked like a team that's coached to play football games, WSU put up some fight. After Week 1, do you now feel like the Irish '09 schedule is tougher or easier than you felt heading into last week? Why?

The same. Week 1 upsets, or near upsets, are rarely a good arbiter of what type of season a team will have. There is far too much volatility in terms of who's prepared, who's fired up, who's still coming together as a team, etc. early on in the year. If those schools who have come out of the gate strong, or stronger than expected, are still playing well after three games, then we can talk about the impact on the Irish schedule. I just don't think that will be the case, though - I think most of those results will prove to be anomalies. As seasons progress, talent levels start to show, losses start to happen and a team's will to fight tends to wilt. As a result, things end up leveling out. It's easy for a team to be better than expected for one game, especially if it's the first. Every year, upsets and near upsets happen in the first two weeks of the season and the pundits start salivating. It's an annual event, and rarely do those results serve as harbingers of a team's impending success.

Get To Know A Fan Base: Michigan Wolverines

2009-09-08T19:30:00.000-04:00

With the season upon us, Brawling Hibernian provides the Irish faithful with insight into the fans who will be looking across the parking lot at them each week.
Completely Fake Word That Best Describes Them: Douchetards. Known throughout the college football world for being both "smug" and "dickish," Michigan fans are an unbearable gaggle of Cliffs Notes intellectuals. While they are known to enjoy peppering conversations with quotes from Neruda, Camus and Kierkegaard; in reality, most Michigan fans are barely capable of grasping the plotline complexities in the average Perfect Strangers episode.

"Wait, I'm confused, which one's from Mypos?"

Antithesis (Chief Rival): Ohio State Buckeyes. If ever one needed solid evidence of how badly government wastes taxpayer dollars, they should look no further than the intellectual compost heap these two state colleges produce annually. The game, and its attendant frenzy, further underscore the massive, publically-funded vortexes of doom that are these two schools.
Other than the faint hope of a stadium implosion, there is little to recommend this matchup for non-fans of these programs. The action on the field is typically dull (who doesn't love conservative offenses that occasionally crack 30 points), the level of competition is weak (in recent years, Michigan victories have come with the same frequency as a lunar eclipse) and the melange of vomit, pepper spray and car fires that follow the game can be off-putting to most.

Pop Culture Depiction (Exemplification): Moby. Politically correct, vegan poseur who has incomprehensibly attained fame in spite of making "music" that is one step above cow flatulence in terms of sonic appeal. Moby is the type of insufferable a-hole who always seems to take the empty seat next to you on the train or start chatting you up at a cocktail party. Because of these characteristics (as well as his neo-hipster/boho image), he would fit in nicely amongst the doucherazzi in Ann Arbor.

This man used to sleep with Natalie Portman. BTW, that feeling you're now experiencing is the crushing unfairness of life. Enjoy.

What To Bring To Their Tailgate: Brie and a copy of The New Republic. Neither will actually be used, but you will be viewed as a trendy, fellow traveler with whom the Ann Arborites can freely associate. While there, the following will serve as outstanding icebreakers: the genius of Atom Egoyan, the versatility of arugula and the self-evident awesomeness of thick-rimmed glasses.

Arugula: Is there anything it can't do?

Friendliness Factor (Out of 5): Three. While not terribly warm, fans of the Wolverines are incredibly vain and will seek out anyone they haven't yet bored with anecdotes about sustainable energy or how underrated Richard Dawkins is. Though it's questionable as to whether this compulsion technically qualifies as "friendliness," it's likely enough to cause you to endure time with a UMer.

Random Thoughts: Nevada Edition

2009-09-06T08:23:00.000-04:00

Wow - that was impressive. I have watched a lot of ND season openers and that may have been the best I can remember. Sure, it wasn't beating a ranked team or winning in dramatic fashion, but it was going out and absolutely dominating a solid team that will be playing in a bowl game this year. More importantly, in back-to-back games, dating to last year's Hawaii Bowl, the Irish finally look as though they are playing up to their enormous potential. So, without further adieu, a few random and disconnected observations from the game:

Offense

Jimmy looked fantastic yet again. In his last two games, he has two more touchdown passes than incompletions (9 to 7). Let that sink in for a second. There's still plenty of season left to play, but I hope that what Clausen is doing will begin to silence his critics. The kid deserves some serious respect.

On each of his four catches, Michael Floyd showed why he was such a highly-recruited player. He managed to use his size, speed, strength and soft hands to blow the game wide open. I'm not sure I've ever seen an Irish receiver have a game like Floyd did.

With all the focus on Floyd, it's easy to overlook Golden Tate, Kyle Rudolph and the rest of the receivers, all of whom played very well. For me, the best part is, ND was able to win big by showing only a little of what it's capable of bringing to bear. There is so much depth for defensive coordinators to worry about, I wouldn't be surprised if each week someone new is stepping up in a big way.

I hated the Wildcat. Yes, it's something for other teams to consider in their game-planning, but it was not well-executed and served as a bit of a momentum drain.

The offensive line looked much, much better. Against a good run defense (6th nationally in 2008), the Irish managed 178 yards on the ground. That's 90 more than teams averaged against the Wolfpack last year. They also provided outstanding protection against a pass rush that was 11th nationally in sacks last year. On top of all that is what they didn't do...no false starts and no stupid holding penalties. While they're an experienced group, there was some position shifting that took place in the offseason. To perform this well in their new roles the first game out is a very good sign.

Speaking of the running game, this may have been the first time we've had a chance to appreciate the depth the Irish have in the backfield. In all, five backs got carries and all did well. Among the rushing leaders, Allen looked good, but I thought Gray looked better. It's going to be tough for Weis to not give him more and more carries as the season progresses. Riddick looked surprisingly good, but he really needs to stop trying to leap over people before he gets himself hurt (full disclosure, the first time he did it, I thought it was great).

Overall, nice gameplan for Charlie. He took what the defense was giving and didn't really try to force anything or get too fancy.

Defense

This team is nothing if not a streak breaker. In December, they ended the program's nine-game, 15-year bowl losing streak which included the first kickoff return TD since 2002 (and first in a bowl game since 1973). This season, they open things up with Notre Dame's first shutout in seven seasons.

While I am definitely concerned with the way the Irish defended the run - giving up over 150 yards on the ground and over 5 ypc - I can't help wondering if a big part of that wasn't The Pistol. As I mentioned in the IBG this week, it's an offense Notre Dame has never faced before, so it would be natural for them to struggle in defending it; particularly when it's run as expertly it is by Nevada. No, the Irish don't get a pass on this, but I'm not sure I'm as freaked out yet as some other ND fans.

The pass rush was awesome. It seems as though the team has finally "gotten" Tenuta's system and the right players are in place to make it work. Kaepernick was harassed all day and, were he not as mobile as he is, would have been sacked a bunch more.

In spite of being touted as one of the best defensive backfields in the country, I thought the secondary left a lot to be desired. Nevada does not have a particularly good group of receivers, but they managed to get open with regularity and, if they had been better able to hang on to the ball, this would have been a more competitive game.

Manti Te'o was great. That young man has quite a motor and who didn't love watching him apply the "Te'o KO" to a few ball carriers. I can't imagine he doesn't see the field a ton this year.

While the depth on offense is obvious, the defense is no slouch either. In spite of wholesale substitution in the latter portion of the game, ND's defense continued to be intense and very solid throughout. Great to see.

So, I was right that ND would win and I was nearly right on the points they'd score (I said 38), but I was way off on the type of contest it would turn out to be (I thought ND would win, 38-31). Each game, there are going to be things fans can criticize, but it's hard not to really love what the Irish did against Nevada. They managed to carry the momentum they gained against Hawaii into this season and start it off already in midseason form. What I think we witnessed on Saturday was the great benefit that has been gained from the last two years. Despite still being a relatively young team, it is one that has is very experienced and, as a result, knows how to pick up where it left off. As always, each week will be a unique challenge but, after watching the way things have started off, I feel very confident in what this team can and will do this year.

Irish Blogger Gathering: "Let's Light This Candle" Edition

2009-09-03T17:46:00.000-04:00

With the long offseason finally near an end, Domer Law kicks off the first edition of the second season of Irish Blogger Gatherings:

1. My season preview included music video footage for each position group. What song or video do you feel typifies this year's Notre Dame team heading into the season? Embed a youtube or other similar video if possible.

Irish band? Check. Rocking song? Check. Sweeping anthem with themes of drinking, fighting, friendship and return? Checks across the board. This one was a no-brainer.

2. Post a picture that to you portrays the attitude of this year's team and discuss.

Poor grammar aside, I hope this pretty much encapsulates what the Irish will be thinking each time they show up to play.

3. What do you perceive as the team's biggest weakness heading into the season?

Lack of testicular fortitude (see above). This team really needs to develop some nasty. Too often it has seemed that, rather than chomping at the bit to absolutely destroy their opponents, the Irish would prefer to curl up with a Snuggie and a warm glass of milk. Go back and watch tapes of Holtz's teams, particularly the '88 and '89 squads. They were very talented, but they were also enthusiastic about kicking the other team's ass. In watching those teams play, you'll see that, with some regularity, the Irish were flagged with some type of late hit, roughing the passer, etc (watch the Miami and Fiesta Bowl games from the '88 season). While I'm obviously not advocating penalties, those types are indicative of a team playing with passion and intensity, rather than the passiveness we've seen for most of the Weis era. So, yeah, I'd rather an Irish defender be so fired up he drills someone out of bounds, than have him engage in the kind of weakass, Kennedy Compound two-hand touch that has come to epitomize the team. Hopefully, this season, ND puts the Snuggie away and breaks out the hammer.

4. With the exception of the 1990s, Notre Dame has won a National Championship in every decade since the 1920s. What are the chances (a) that Notre Dame wins a championship this year, and (b) if not this year, when do you predict the next championship for the Irish?

Wow, is this a tough question. First off, while some sort of unexpected, 1988-esque national championship could take place this year, I think it's pretty doubtful. While the talent has improved tremendously, we still don't have nearly the depth of talent as places like USC and Florida. Secondly, let's face it, Notre Dame was pretty erratic in 2008 (please see losses to UNC, Pitt and Syracuse and narrow wins over Navy and Stanford). I would be very surprised if, during the offseason, the Irish developed the type of consistency necessary to win a championship. I'd be thrilled to death if it happened, but I just don't think it occurs in 2009. So, when will it happen? With a nice nucleus of talent slated to come back and, what will likely be, another deep and talented recruiting class coming on board, 2010's a very real possibility. If not next year, I think in the next 3-5 (assuming recruiting trends continue), the long championship-less drought will come to an end.

5. Nevada runs the Pistol offense, Navy the Triple Option, and Michigan the Spread Option. Which offensive scheme do you think is the most difficult to prepare for, and why?

The Pistol - Simply because ND's never seen it live. The Irish play against the triple option every year and have faced the spread with Michigan as recently as a season ago. On the other hand, with The Pistol, they only have tape of porous WAC defenses trying to stop it in order to go on. More importantly, Nevada's players are more talented than Navy's and more experienced in their system than Michigan's. This is going to be a tall order for the Irish 'D'.

6. Is Colin Capaernick the best quarterback we'll see this year? If not, who is?

With apologies to Colin "The Quarterbeast" Capaernick (Nickname courtesy of Brawling Hibernian Industries, all rights reserved), I am going with Matt Barkley of USC. Being inexperienced and being untalented are two completely different things and, I don't think anyone can doubt Barkley's talent. Consider that he just won the honor of leading one of the best teams in the country by beating out two other highly-recruited quarterbacks (Aaron Corp and Mitch Mustain) as a freakin' incoming freshman! Sure, he could suck, but I doubt it. For one thing, Pete Carroll is too good a coach to take a flyer on someone he perceives to be a question mark. For another, the talent surrounding him is enough to give him the confidence he needs to grow into the position.

7. Prediction time. We have to get on the record before the season kicks off. Give me:

(1) Overall prediction for wins/losses.

10-3

(2) Projected bowl game and result.

A non-national championship, BCS game that the Irish manage to win.

(3) Predicted final ranking.

(4) Best player on the team.

Jimmy Clausen

(5) Heisman trophy winner.

Tim Tebow...because sportswriters relate to him the way he relates to Jesus.

(6) National Champion.

Florida - in spite of managing to lose at least two regular season games, they'll win their conference championship and the familiar refrain of "The SEC is sooooooo hard" will be enough to get them into the title game.

(7) Prediction for Nevada game, including score.

Irish win a nail-biter, 38-31.

McMackin Should Have Been Fired

2009-08-03T20:41:00.000-04:00

I speak here, not as an aggrieved Irish fan, but as a rational human being - Hawaii coach Greg McMackin should have been fired, rather than receive a 30-day slap on the wrist. Let's review the facts, shall we? Greg McMackin stepped up to a podium, in a room filled with reporters, and blatantly uttered a vulgar gay slur, not once, but several times. He then asked for the same group of reporters to "cover" for him. In other words, he clearly knew what he was saying and had little compunction about the phrasing. Imagine this scenario another way. Imagine rather than the gay slur he did use, McMackin had said, "They get up and do this little cheer...this little 'n-word' dance." Would McMackin have kept his job? Should McMackin have kept his job? Of course not. For anyone who thinks otherwise, consider that Don Imus was fired for less than that. Why is this any different?
What makes matters even worse is that McMackin coaches the football team at the official academic institution of a state that has been at the vanguard of gay rights in America. As such, this is not merely a failure on the part of Greg McMackin, it is a failure of the administration and, in fact, the State of Hawaii.
Sure, McMackin whined, grovelled and cried his mea culpa. Big deal. If he had half a brain, or an ounce of decency, none of that would have been necessary. He simply would have kept his big mouth shut and not engaged in unprovoked and indefensible slander.
Ah, but what about free speech? Fine, McMackin is more than within his rights to make crude, ignorant and asinine comments. Similarly, the University of Hawaii would have been (again, should have been) well within their's to depose such an embarrasing employee and representative of the school. Sadly, it is far easier for academics to consider concepts of right and wrong in the warm, theoretical cocoon of a classroom; quite another to exercise those concepts in the real world.

Get To Know A Fan Base: Nevada Wolf Pack

2009-07-31T19:15:00.000-04:00

With a new season just around the corner, Brawling Hibernian provides the Irish faithful with insight into the fans who be looking across the parking lot at them this year.

Completely Fake Word That Best Describes Them: Gamblors. Since the University of Nevada is located in Reno (city motto: "Fleecing and Debauching Midwesterners Since 1914"), it's only natural their fans would be imbued with a gaming spirit. So tied to games of chance are Wolf Pack fans that, until 1979, the university's mascot was "Francis", an anthropomorphic slot machine wielding a tire iron.
When not rooting for their beloved Wolf Pack, Nevada fans can be found selling organs (often taken from wayward tourists) in order to fund their massive and untreated addiction. In fact, Reno's economy is based almost entirely on organ trafficking and dinner theater.

Sure, it looks gruesome, but it's still better than Gary Coleman in 'Guys and Dolls'

Antithesis (Chief Rival): Officially, it's the UNLV Rebels but, in actuality, the answer is propriety. Playing Gomorrah to Vegas' Sodom, Reno is a city steeped in the dark arts of human decadence. As such, Nevada fans instinctively gravitate toward the seamier side of life. Among their favored forms of entertainment: chimpanzee knife fights, puma sodomy and Yahtzee (which, in Reno, involves murdering drifters).

In spite of how it may sound, chimpanzee knife fights are actually rather elegant affairs

Pop Culture Depiction (Exemplification): Deputy Travis Junior. Who better to epitomize a Nevada Wolf Pack fan than one of Reno's Finest? With his love of guns, porn and classic southern rock, Deputy Junior would feel right at home among the denizens of Mackay Stadium. More importantly, his ubiquitous kevlar vest would protect him nicely from most of the small arms fire erupting from the beerquila-fueled mayhem taking place during post-game tailgating.

Who were you expecting? George Will?

What To Bring To Their Tailgate: Meth...and lots of it. Chasing the white dragon is to Nevada tailgating what tossing a football in jorts is to SEC fans. Throughout the WAC, Wolf Pack fans have long been noted for their crazed, vacant stares and frenzied sexual compulsion. As a result, the tailgating scene in Reno can best be described as Shaun of the Dead meets Caligula.

Just like burgers and brats...if they could be injected into the rectum and resulted in three day murder sprees.

Friendliness Factor (Out of 5): Two. While Nevada fans will get down with anyone, their demons really hurt their score here. Losing a kidney to organ theft, being clipped by handgun fire and being violated by meth-crazed zombies can all get in the way of a good time (unless you're into zombies). Moreover, none of these things exactly reeks of friendliness. As a result, Wolf Pack fans rate but a lowly "Two" on our scale.

Weis Apologizes to Redheads, Stepchildren

2009-07-30T19:28:00.000-04:00

SOUTH BEND (BH) - Just hours after University of Hawaii football coach Greg McMackin was forced to back away from controversial comments he made regarding Notre Dame, Irish coach Charlie Weis found himself apologizing for his own inappropriate statement.
During an address to The Monogram Club, Weis told the audience that Hawaii had been "beaten like a redheaded stepchild" during Notre Dame's 49-21 Hawaii Bowl victory over them in December. The comment drew immediate criticism from members of America's Redheaded Stepchildren (ARS), a group formed to combat negative stereotypes of it's nearly 42 members. ARS president, a ginger-haired firebrand named Sean McInernay, angrily asserted that, "to associate redheaded stepchildren with the kind of weak, pathetic and wholly unathletic performance of the University of Hawaii football team is an atrocious slur." McInernay then sobbed together a few disjointed sentences about "a father's love being forever" and "not being accepted hurts more than a belt buckle" before he was helped away from the podium.
In response, Weis admitted he had crossed a line, "I should never have said that. Because of their difficulty with exposure to natural light and seemingly inherent inability to provoke feelings of love or respect, redheaded stepchildren often grow into tough, hardened and resilient adults. In other words, they are the complete opposite of anything having to do with Hawaii's football program. I am deeply sorry." In conclusion, Weis added, "Is it me or does it seem kind of weird that someone who coaches a team that, until recently, was known as the Rainbow Warriors has a problem with gay people? Projecting much?" Calls to Greg McMackin's office went unreturned as the coach was busy angrily suppressing his inner desires through homophobic invective.

Sean McInernay knows how you feel...

Reflections On Negativity: A Preview Reconsidered

2009-07-12T13:48:00.000-04:00

The other day, I put up my 2009 season preview and, admittedly, ended up being a bit negative in handicapping the Irish prospects this season.
In response, I was greeted with feedback that was as strong as it was disparaging. For those of you who took me to task because you felt my perspective was wrong, thanks for your opinion. I always appreciate hearing from readers, regardless of whether or not we agree. For readers who issued instructions like, "go kill yourself, we will all be better off", I just want to say you bring a truly amazing level of wit and intellectual vigor to the table. Stay classy!
In any event, I took the opportunity to re-read what I'd written and, I have to say, I think I was wrong. While I do still have concerns (let's face it, there are always concerns), I think I might have overstated them. In essence, they boil down to the following:

The Team: While exceptionally talented, this squad has yet to prove itself consistently.
The Coaches: Did Weis plateau in 2006? Can he take this program to the next level?
The Bowl Factor: The Hawaii Bowl was phenomenal, but it was just one game (afterall, the 2003 squad won a game by 50 points on the road - Stanford, 57-7- then lost the following game in ending 5-7 on the year).
The Schedule: While the schedule in 2005 looked very difficult at the start of the season, thanks to the failings of several teams on it, was viewed to be much lighter by the end - this season has the potential to be the inverse.
Historical Precedent: By season's end, in each of the last three seasons, Notre Dame's record/season performance ended up being worse than I had expected prior to the first game.

I do think that every one of these is valid and will need to be addressed during the course of the year; however, this team has enough going for it that it should be able to overcome most, if not all, of them. Here's why:

The Team: In spite of still being a youngish group, this team has gained a huge amount of game experience in the the last few seasons which will pay big dividends during the 2009 campaign. Yes, this team blew too many leads in 2008. No question about it, they left three wins on the field (UNC, Pitt, Syracuse) and allowed two other games (Stanford, Navy) to be alarmingly close prior to securing victory. While difficult to watch last year, those types of games will end up being instructive as this team moves forward. Part of their growing up was figuring out how to win close games. Sometimes the best way to learn is to lose a few. Simply put, should this team find itself in a hard-fought, back-and-forth contest in 2009, they will be prepared. Moreover, this team is tremendously talented. This is the finest group of athletes to take the field for the Irish since, at least, the 1995 season, if not earlier. The WRs and DBs are among the best in the country, the LBs are young, but stacked and the RBs are deep. Add to that, a veteran QB just coming in to his own and an offensive line that has logged a ton of time together and you have a team that is loaded. One area of the team that has been a bit overlooked, but also bears mentioning - special teams. Both punter Eric Maust and kicker Brandon Walker return this year and will help ND tremendously. In two seasons, Maust has averaged 42 and 41 yards per punt, respectively, and will be a big help in the field position game in '09. Walker, after having started terribly last season (1 for his first 7) ended the year making 13 of his last 17 and looking much more confident. He will be a huge X-factor in any close games. Quite simply, with the exception of USC, this team is better than every team on their schedule. That, combined with the aforementioned experienced level, should be enough to guarantee at least eight wins.
The Coaches: Like so many Irish fans, I am still uncertain as to whether Charlie Weis is the right man to coach this program. That hasn't changed. What has is who is surrounding him and what roles people will play. To begin, Jon Tenuta might be the best assistant coach at ND since Joe Moore (yes, I know Urban Meyer was at ND in the intervening years, but his best coaching occurred after his time in South Bend). This season, Tenuta gets more control of the defense and, with a season in his system under their belt, the players will be better able to execute his schemes. Corwin Brown, conversely, was named Associate Head Coach and will be picking up some slack from Weis as he re-takes the reins at offensive coordinator. To me, this is a good choice as Brown already seems to enjoy a good rapport with the players and will be a nice conduit between them and Weis. Additionally, it helps better prepare Brown to, eventually, become a head coach. New to the team this season are offensive line coach Frank Verducci and running backs coach Tony Alford. Both will be coaching units that have been areas of concern and, I believe, in both cases, will lead their charges to better results than that which they'd previously achieved. Finally, as mentioned, Weis will, once again, be calling the offensive plays. This seemed to work really well in the Hawaii Bowl and, with Brown taking over some of the "big picture" responsibilities, should allow Weis to bring his strengths fully to bear.
The Bowl Factor: It is definitely very easy to project too much significance on one game. For example, in 2005, nearly beating USC seemed to suggest that Notre Dame's program was once again ready to compete at the highest levels of college football. Unfortunately, that was not yet the case. Still, the team's performance on Christmas Eve last year does, in retrospect, seem to be something of a watershed. It's not that Hawaii was a juggernaut -they were actually pretty mediocre - it's that Notre Dame did to them exactly what a team with as much talent as the Irish possess ought to have done ...they crushed them. That may have been the best performance of the Weis era. All facets of the team, including the coaching staff, hit the right notes and imposed their will on an overmatched opponent. Do I think there will be a carry-over from that game into the 2009 season? Yes and no. No, I don't think Notre Dame will still have momentum from a game played over nine months prior to the season opener. Yes, I do think that, similar to the experience of last year's tough losses, this Irish team now has something to draw on and in which to be confident. They know the potential they possess and what needs to be done in order to fulfill it. This was not a fluke - not simply a matter of getting lucky or an opponent having a bad day. This was talent coming of age. The 2009 season will show just how far it has come.
The Schedule: As I mentioned in my preview, I do believe that ND's schedule has gotten a bit of short shrift. Generally, when it's discussed, words like "manageable" are used. While I don't think that's untrue, I do feel that it may prove more challenging than is generally assumed. Consider that, at least four teams the Irish face (Michigan, Washington, Washington State, Stanford) will undoubtedly be improved in 2009 (if only because, in some cases, being worse would be difficult). An additional three (Nevada, Michigan State, Pitt) do lose some key players, but are all likely to compete for their conference championships and be bowl-eligible. The remaining five will likely slip from their 2008 performance, but they include a Top 10 team (USC), one that has beaten the Irish six straight times (BC) and one that is coming off a 9-win campaign and has the advantage of a starting QB who was previously on the Notre Dame team. Of course, no one knows exactly how the season will play out, but I think these are reasonable assumptions and, if true, represent a potentially treacherous slate. Even still, there is not a team the Irish will face that possesses their combination of skill and experience. While that may not always prove decisive, it will more often than not.
Historical Precedent: It is absolutely true that, with the exception of 2005, Notre Dame's teams have failed to live up to pre-season expectations during the Weis era. Even if the difference was only one or two wins less than what was predicted, the results have still been largely disappointing. Due to the factors discussed above, though, I do believe 2009 has the potential to be a completely different type of season. If anything, while most preseason prognosticators have been respectful of the Irish (generally predicting eight or nine wins), few have felt them to be more than a mid-lower Top 25 team (Phil Steele has them at #7, but he is by far the exception). This clearly creates a situation, like 2005, where Notre Dame can exceed expectations and become an important part of the conversation. The key difference here is, in 2005, the Irish didn't have nearly the firepower to ultimately vault them to the upper echelons - this team does. Barring injury, transfer or any other variety of unforeseen catastrophe, Notre Dame should end up at least a 9-win team playing in a meaningful bowl game that they have a chance to win. This would represent a break with the past and position the program nicely for the future.

So there it is. While no one knows what this season will actually bring, I did think I was a bit too dour with my initial projections. Admitting you are wrong (or at least think you were), is never easy, but it is sometimes necessary. This was the case here.

2009 Notre Dame Season Preview: Pessimism Prevails

2009-07-08T21:09:00.000-04:00

Before I begin, allow me to say, I hate the offseason. Yes, I know there's plenty going on (recruiting, Blue-Gold Game, etc.) but, for me, the season is still too far away and thoughts of it too abstract during the late winter and spring. It's not until summer comes and the glimmer of a new season can be seen shining in the distance that I get excited. Which brings us to now...
The talk of Irish fans heading into the 2009 season is the prospect of an amazing, redemptive, 10-win plus season. I'm not sold. Maybe it's my natural Irish pessimism (or contrarianism), maybe it's the many times my hopes have wilted under ND's failures to deliver on expectations throughout the years; whatever it is, I just don't see this season being an overwhelming success.
To begin, the schedule is not the walk in the park so many pundits claim it to be. In essence, there are four games that Notre Dame absolutely should win (Purdue, Washington, Washington State, Navy), two games that they probably should win (Michigan, UConn), five that could go either way (Nevada, Michigan State, BC, Pitt, Stanford) and one they should probably lose (USC). If that script roughly holds, the Irish are likely 8-4 or 9-3. Unfortunately, at this point, I think even that may represent too rosy a view.

With the exception of their tremendous performance in the Hawaii Bowl, has this team done anything to inspire enough confidence to believe them BCS Bowl-bound? Yes, they're talented, but they've also proven very erratic. Bear in mind, in 2008, they blew double-digit leads in losses to UNC, Pitt and Syracuse. AND, they also blew large 4th quarter leads in wins over Stanford and Navy (28-7 and 27-7, respectively). Then, of course, they were also this close to losing their home opener to San Diego State. So, while the optimists in the group say ND probably should have won nine regular season games, I would contend they might have lost just as many. Sure, some of that is youth, but the bigger part is coaching. Well-coached teams do not lose significant leads and they do win close games. Are we to believe the coaches have improved?
So, what do I expect? Well, I will use two examples from our old friends - the execrable Michigan Wolverines. I think that, in the best case, Notre Dame ends up being Michigan 2007. That season, Michigan began with lofty expectations and a #5 ranking nationally before crashing to earth with home losses to Appalachian State and Oregon to start they year. The Wolverines then went on an eight game winning streak (kicked off with a 38-0 disembowling of ND in Ann Arbor) before ending the season with losses to Wisconsin and Ohio State. Ultimately, though, Michigan redeemed itself by stunning a very good, Tim Tebow-led Florida Gators team, 41-35, in the Citrus Bowl.
In the worst case, I believe Notre Dame ends up as Michigan 2005. That squad began the year with, arguably, higher expectations and a #3 ranking to go along with them. After starting off with a 33-17 thumping of Northern Illinois, the Irish came into Ann Arbor and secured a hard-fought 17-10 victory. That loss helped set the tone for what would be an incredibly disappointing 7-5 campaign that ended with a 32-28 loss to Nebraska in the Alamo Bowl.
So, why and how do I think Notre Dame will come up short? Let's take a stroll through the upcoming season:

9/5 Nevada, Prediction: Loss
With the exception of the stunning 42-21 blowout of Pitt that kicked off his first season in 2005, Charlie Weis' teams have been slow starters. In 2006, ND began the season ranked #2 in the AP poll and #3 in the coaches' and were lucky to scratch out a 14-10 win over an unranked Georgia Tech team in the season opener. The next year, Georgia Tech came north to South Bend and whacked the Irish, 33-3, in what would be the beginning of a historically terrible season. Then, last year, Notre Dame eked out a 21-13 win at home over a horrible San Diego State team in a game they were a goalline fumble away from losing. Enter Nevada.
The Wolf Pack are a potent offensive team that can move the ball with ease. Led by 6-6 quarterbeast Colin Kapernick (2,849 passing yards, 1,130 rushing yards, 22 passing tds, 17 rushing tds) and running back Vai Taua (1,521 yards rushing), Nevada averaged over 500 yards of total offense per game in 2008. With a defensive front seven as inexperienced as ND's, this type of attack presents serious problems.
On the flip side, Nevada's defense was fairly terrible last year, giving up over 400 yards per game, so this could be a barnburner. Unfortunately, Notre Dame's offense can only score if they're on the field and, with an offense like the Wolf Pack's, the potential exists for Jimmy Clausen and Co. to be spending a fair amount of time waiting their turn on the sideline. That, combined with the aforementioned slow-starting of Weis' teams, leads me to believe that this will represent the first big upset of the 2009 season (though, given their schedule and talent level, Nevada may be a ranked team by season's end).

9/12 at Michigan, Prediction: Loss
How badly has Notre Dame fared at the Big House in recent history? Let's take a look:

2007 - L, 38-0
2005 - W, 17-10
2003 - L, 38-0
2001 - L, 25-22
1999 - L, 21-14

For those keeping score at home, that's a 1-4 record that could very easily have been 0-5 were it not for a nail-biter of a win in 2005. Worse, thanks to two 38-0 drubbings, the average score of those games is 27-11 in favor of the Wolverines. Ah, but this year is different, right? I'm not so sure.
Without question, Michigan was terrible last year. Much like the Irish in 2007, the Wolverines struggled to a 3-9 finish thanks, in large part, to a woeful offense. Then, in the offseason, they lost a QB who had started eight games in 2008 (Steven Threet - transferred to Arizona State) and a RB who put up over 130 yards against ND (Sam McGuffie - transferred to Rice). Even with that, though, I think Michigan will have a markedly better offense than a year ago. That's because they return all five offensive linemen, running backs Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown and bring in a QB, Tate Forcier, who is much better suited to Rich Rodriguez's offensive scheme than either Threet or, this year's back-up, Nick Sheridan ever were. Add receivers Greg Matthews and Martavious Odoms to the fold, and the Wolverine offense should certainly do much better than last year's #109 national ranking.
In 2008, Michigan's defense was somewhat underrated. As a group, they finished 67th nationally but, as Irish fans may remember, did manage to hold Notre Dame to their third lowest yardage total (260) of the season (MSU held ND to 258, USC to 91). However, unless new defensive coordinator Greg Robinson (last seen leading a horrid Syracuse team to victory over Notre Dame in the most embarrasing loss in program history) can manage to work wonders in the offseason, this year's team will be hard-pressed to replicate last year's rank as six starters will need to be replaced.
In spite of the score (35-17), last year's game in South Bend was a relatively close affair - Michigan's six turnovers made the margin much wider than it might otherwise have been. Given that: this year's game is in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines should be a bit better than in 2008 and it's a rivalry game that Michigan will be pumped for; Notre Dame could be in for a surprisingly tough day. Homefield advantage gives the Wolverines the edge and upset here.

9/19 Michigan State, Prediction: Loss
While Notre Dame has done poorly against Michigan on the road over the last decade, they've done poorly against Michigan State, regardless of venue, during that time. Since 1997, the Spartans are 9-3 against the Irish, which includes a 6-0 record at Notre Dame Stadium.
In spite of losing running back Javon Ringer, quarterback Brian Hoyer and two offensive linemen, the Spartan offense should still be able to move the chains in 2009. That's because seven starters, including receivers Mark Dell, Blair White and BJ Cunningham, as well as tight end Charlie Gantt, will be back. That's good news for whomever ends up winning the battle to be Michigan State's starting QB (it's currently a fight between last year's back-up Kirk Cousins and Oklahoma transfer Keith Nichol).
Defensively, MSU should be very tough. They return eight starters from a defense that stifled the Irish a year ago and have a chance to be just as formidable this season. While the defensive line won't scare anyone, the linebackers, led by Greg Jones, are a talented group who will wreak havoc on opposing rushers. The Spartan secondary, while losing S Otis Wiley, returns three starters and will almost certainly improve upon last year's 70th ranked pass defense.
In 2008, MSU coach Mark Dantonio led the program to their best record (9-4) since the 1999 season, when the Spartans went 10-2. What's more, he has his team set to challenge for Big Ten primacy in 2009. While their quest for a Rose Bowl may fall short, they have a great chance to, once again, knock off the Irish. Michigan State has a huge mental advantage, having already firmly convinced themselves of their dominance over Notre Dame. Unfortunately, ND has done nothing to dispel them of this opinion and likely won't in 2009.

9/26 at Purdue, Prediction: Win

Fear not, Irish faithful, the Irish will not suffer two 0-4 starts in three years. Luckily for Notre Dame, Purdue is going to be a train wreck in 2009. Last season, the Boilermakers limped to a 4-8 finish in spite of both an experienced and talented offense and a longtime coach in his last season with the program. This year, a new head coach and a depleted offense operating without its quarterback, leading rusher and four of its five top receivers from a year ago, will yield an outcome that's no better.

On the defensive side, Purdue does return seven starters, but that's from a group which gave up nearly 175 ypg on the ground, including 201 to an anemic Irish rushing attack. Worse for them, among the few players they do lose is last year's leading tackler, LB Anthony Heygood.

While the Irish are only 2-3 at Ross-Ade Stadium over the last decade, this year's trip should be reminiscent of the 2005 game. That year, an explosive Irish offense racked up seven touchdowns and over 600 yards against the 22nd ranked Boilermakers in a 49-28 rout. This year, Notre Dame should have an equally large advantage in terms of overall talent and, as a result, the outcome should be no closer than in '05. Oftentimes, the best tonic for a struggling team is a team that's worse. For many squads in 2009, including ND, Purdue will be that team.

10/3 Washington, Prediction: Win

After finishing 0-12 in 2008, Washington has nowhere to go but up in 2009. Getting a new head coach in Steve Sarkisian and a healthy Jake Locker at QB will provide immediate boosts to a team that had nothing going for it last season.

While getting Locker back should be a big help to the Husky offense, they may experience something of a learning curve adjusting to Sarkisian's offensive scheme. In addition, Washington will need to replace three offensive linemen and their leading rusher from 2008. Adding to their woes, it was recently announced that running backs David Freeman and Brandon Johnson would be leaving the program "for unspecified reasons." This leaves the Huskies with just four scholarship backs heading into camp.

For Washington's defense, the upside is they return 10 starters. The downside, however, is that they come from a unit that finished #118 against the run, #117 in scoring and #112 overall. What's more, the one area in which they were relatively competent (#62 against the pass) is also where they lose their only starter - CB Mesphin Foster. It's fair to assume that the Husky defense will be improved in 2009, but they may only mean cracking the top 100 nationally.

It appears that UW has found the right coach to help bring the program back to respectability. Sarkisian has already proven to be an outstanding recruiter and his coaching work as both offensive coordinator and QB coach at USC speaks for itself. Unfortunately, the Huskies will still be pretty awful in 2009. This is a team Notre Dame should easily dispatch while running their all-time record against Washington to a perfect 9-0.

10/17, USC, Prediction: Loss

Yes, 2009 will be a reloading year for USC, as they have to break in a new QB and eight new defensive starters. No, this will not be a bad year for the Trojans. As they've proven time and again, the SC program stockpiles obscene amounts of talent and simply replaces pieces as needed.

Even with a new QB at the helm, the Trojan offense will be a juggernaut this season. Their new signal-caller will be either sophomore Aaron Corp or freshman Matt Barkley. Both are incredibly talented and, in spite of his age, Barkley reportedly had a great spring. Whomever lines up behind center for USC will be surrounded by a wildly talented supporting cast. Southern Cal returns six (six!) of their top rushers, nine (freakin' nine!!) of their top receivers and all five offensive linemen from 2008. This is an offense that is deep, spreads the ball around brilliantly and is an absolute nightmare to defend.

The defense is a different story. They return just three starters from last year's incredibly dominating unit. To highlight just how much USC has lost, consider that NFL teams drafted eight Trojan defenders in April. When you are #2 in total defense, #1 in scoring defense (9 ppg), #5 in rushing defense (87 ypg) and #1 in pass defense (134 ypg), this should come as no surprise. Needless to say, replacing that many stars and that much success will be a significant challenge but, if any program is capable of rising to it, it's Southern Cal.

So, what does this mean for Notre Dame? Well, this year's game should be much closer than last year, but not nearly as close as 2005. Notre Dame loses by two touchdowns.

10/24 Boston College, Prediction: Win

While 2009 may not be the year the Irish get the Michigan State monkey off their backs, it will be the year that their woes against Boston College (six straight losses) come to an end. With a new head coach and key personnel losses, BC should be ripe to fall to ND this season.

With the exception of QB, the Eagles will have an experienced offense in 2009. The offensive line returns four starters, both running backs (Josh Haden and Montel Harris) are back and the receivers, led by senior Rich Gunnell, are veterans. Unfortunately, this group was not the strength of BC's team last year, finishing #93 nationally in total offense. In 2009, the quarterback situation is also likely to be cause for concern. Projected starter Dominque Davis left the program this spring and the Eagles have few good options in his place. At this point, it's a three-way race between Justin Tuggle, Codi Boeck and Mike Marscovetra; with Tuggle likely to get the nod. None has starting experience, so they'll have to endure their growing pains in a tough spot.

BC's defense, usually a strength, actually may be cause for concern in 2009. That's because star linemen BJ Raji and Ron Brace are gone; as is LB Brian Toal. In May, the Eagles received upsetting news when starting LB Mark Herzlich announced he was battling a malignant tumor and, in all likelihood, would not be back for his senior season. Herzlich tallied six interceptions to go along with 110 tackles in 2008 and represents a huge loss. The one glimmer of hope is that three starters return from a secondary that gave up just 177 ypg in 2008 (and also managed to intercept Jimmy Clausen four times in a 17-0 BC win).

With a suspect offense, a thin defense and a new head coach, this is likely to be a year filled with growing pains for Boston College. Of course, last year was also supposed to be a transitional season after star QB Matt Ryan and a host of experienced players departed. The Eagles responded to that challenge by winning nine games. Repeating that performance is unlikely, however and the Irish will have both homefield advantage and the payback factor going for them in 2009. This, plus a big edge in talent, should be enough to get Notre Dame the 'W'.

10/31 Washington State (at The Alamodome), Prediction: Win

In 2008, Washington State was only slightly less awful than their cross-state rivals - winning two games to UW's zero, including a narrow 16-13 victory over the Huskies. This coming year, both will still be terrible but, it's likely, the Cougars will be the ones dredging the bottom of the PAC-10 barrel.

Properly evaluating Washington State's prospects for 2009 depends on whether you are a "glass half-full" or "glass half-empty" kind of person. The optimist will point out that the Cougars return fourteen starters from last season (eight offense, six defense). The pessimist will counter that this is the same group who finished 119th out of 120 teams in total offense and 109th in total defense in 2008. Needless to say, much remains to be done in order to make this an even remotely competitive team.

Unfortunately, whatever gains WSU may make in the offseason, it will not be nearly enough for them to best the Irish. The last (and only) time these programs met, Notre Dame overcame a 19-point deficit to sneak past Washington State, 29-26 in OT in 2003. This time, no dramatic comebacks should be required. Simply put, the Cougars are the worst team on Notre Dame's schedule this season and the Irish should be able to have their way with them. Even with back-to-back games against rivals USC and BC preceeding this one, the talent gap between the teams is far too great. Even a sub-par performance should guarantee Notre Dame no less than a two-touchdown victory.

11/7 Navy, Prediction: Win
Over the years, the Navy/Notre Dame rivalry has involved some very close calls and tight finishes. In just the last two seasons, each team has won a game that was decided in the waning moments. This pattern will not hold in 2009.

This season, Navy's offense will be inexperienced and undersized. Facing off against a speedy and athletic Irish defense will create serious problems for this group. Notre Dame's defensive linemen should be able to dominate Navy's much smaller offensive line, while an aggressive group of Irish linebackers and d-backs will stifle the best efforts of the Midshipmen backfield.

The Navy defense brings back eight starters from last season, but it is a unit that will not fare well against a much more talented Irish offensive group. Much as is the case on the other side of the ball, the Irish possess far too much size and speed for a gritty Navy team to hang with long.

While this rivalry has heated up in recent years, 2009 should be a year in which Notre Dame is able to secure a much more comfortable margin of victory over their long-time rivals. I see Dayne Crist getting significant playing time for the second week in a row and Irish running backs sharing many carries in running down the clock.

11/14 at Pittsburgh, Prediction: Loss

Tell me if this sounds familiar: Notre Dame goes on the road in November to play a team with a sub-par offense and a very good defense and ends up losing. While I could be talking about last year's tilt with BC in Chestnut Hill, I am actually referring to this year's matchup with Pitt.

Like the Eagles a year ago, Pitt is likely to struggle offensively in 2009. While they were not world-beaters in 2008 either, this year could be worse. Yes, Bill Stull returns at QB, but that may not be such a huge benefit. Afterall, Stull did manage to throw more interceptions (10) than TDs (9) last year. Worse, Stull will not have TJ Porter (25 catches, 357 yards in '08) to throw to as the receiver left the program in the offseason following a suspension. The strength of the Panther offense in 2008 was their running game but, that will see a very big drop-off in 2009. That's because star back LeSean McCoy, his back-up LaRod Stephens-Howling and fullback Conredge Collins are all gone. The two positives for the Pitt 'O' in 2009 will be the return of three senior tight ends and four starters on the offensive line.

Pitt's defense is almost the polar opposite. With USC's defense having to replace so many starters, this may be the best defense the Irish will face in 2009. The defensive line is the heart of this unit and may prove to be the best in the country. The group's three returning starters combined for 121 tackles and 17.5 sacks in 2008 and will be led by All-Big East selection, Greg Romeus. Pitt's linebackers have the most to replace, having lost two of three starters, including All-American Scott McKillop. The secondary, however, only loses one starter (S Eric Thatcher) and may allow the Panthers to be even better against the pass than last year when they finished 38th nationally.

As the old saying goes, "games are won and lost in the trenches." If that's true, Pitt has a big advantage here. Their offensive line is experienced and their defensive line is tremendous. Combine that with the game being played at Pitt and this is a tough spot in which to pick the Irish. I see the defense holding Clausen and Co. in check and the Panther's offense doing just enough to sneak out a win.

11/21 UConn, Prediction: Win

In a decade's time, Randy Edsall has guided the University of Connecticut's football program from a recent entrant into the ranks of IA to a bowl-winning team that saw four players go in the first two rounds of this April's NFL draft. While Edsall has done a tremendous job in Storrs, 2009 may represent a rebuilding year for the Huskies.

Among the players who left for the riches of the NFL were 2,000-yard rusher Donald Brown and left tackle Will Beatty. With a new QB (ND transfer Zach Frazer) lining up behind center, the absence of these two will be felt tremendously. Fortunately for Frazer, he does have three returning linemen and a talented receiver in Kashif Moore to help him guide UConn's offense.

UConn's defense will also need to replace some important contributor's to the team's 2008 success. Gone are NFL draftees, DE Cody Brown and CB Darius Butler, as are S Dahna Deleston and DE Julius Williams. Those four helped form the core of a defense that ranked 6th nationally. Still, the cupboard's not totally bare. That's because LB Scott Lutrus (106 tackles, nine sacks), CB Jasper Howard and four other starters from that unit will be back in 2009. While a repeat of last year's success is unlikely, this will still be a group that causes some headaches for offensive coordinators.

Last season, Notre Dame came into its final home game of the year and suffered a nauseating loss to lowly Syracuse. This year, their competition will be better, but so will the result. UConn has enough talent to keep this game close for a while but, in the end, the Irish have too much firepower and will be able to put the Huskies away.

11/28 at Stanford, Prediction: Loss

In four of their last five meetings, Stanford has come tantalizingly close to victory over Notre Dame only to fall short. In 2004, the Cardinal's need to settle for field goals, rather than score touchdowns, allowed the Irish to scratch out a hard-fought 23-15 win. Then, in 2005, it took a Darius Walker touchdown and two-point conversion with under a minute left for Notre Dame to avoid a huge upset that would have kept them out of a BCS bowl. In 2007, ND eked out a 21-14 victory in a game that saw Stanford miss four field goals and fail to score from inside the Irish ten on four straight plays at the end of the game. Finally, last season, Notre Dame stormed out to a 28-7 lead only to watch the Cardinal rally furiously in the fourth quarter to get themselves within a TD before running out of steam. This season, Stanford will have their revenge.

As was the case in 2008, the running game will be the key to Stanford's offense this year. Power back Toby Gerhart returns to the Cardinal backfield after having rushed for over 1,100 yards and 15 TDs last season. He will be joined by hard-blocking fullback Owen Marecic and three experienced starters on the offensive line. Unless Notre Dame's green front seven makes significant strides over the course of the year, this presents a potentially large match-up problem for them. While Stanford does return its top two receivers from a season ago (Doug Baldwin and Ryan Whalen), QB Tavita Pritchard has largely disappointed since engineering the Cardinal's historic upset of USC in 2007. Last season, Pritchard did complete a respectable 58% of his passes, but only threw for 1,100 yards and three more interceptions (13) than touchdowns (10). Still, it will be Gerhart's legs, not Pritchard's arm that will make or break Stanford's offense this season.

Stanford's defense also brings back a large number (7) of last season's starters. While the linebacking corps does need to break in two new players, the one returning starter, Clinton Snyder, is very good. Up front, the Cardinal return three linemen who will provide a stiff test for the Irish offensive line. And, though Notre Dame's receivers should certainly prove superior, Stanford's secondary, led by CB Bo McNally, will not go quietly.

Over the last decade, Notre Dame has been to Stanford what Michigan State has been to the Irish - a hump they just can't seem to get over. And, while I don't think this is the year ND exorcises their demon, I do see it as Stanford's time. The Cardinal are experienced, they are home and their offense is perfectly suited to exploiting the weaknesses of the Irish defense and keeping Notre Dame's offense on the sideline. Gird your loins now, Irish fans, Jim Harbaugh's big mouth will be running at full speed after this one.

Conclusion: Yet another year where the Irish come up short with a 6-6 record. For better or worse (depending on your perspective), Weis will get the axe at season's end, interim coach Corwin Brown will coach the team in their mid-December bowl game and the "Urban's coming to Notre Dame" rumor mill will begin churning anew.

Obviously, these predictions do not represent what I want to see happen; only what I think will. If it came down to my wishes, Notre Dame would never lose another game, their Heisman case would be overflowing and the USC football program would be relegated to the ash heap of history where it belongs. Unfortunately, wishes and predictions are different creatures born of different places.

Perhaps I'll be proved wrong. Maybe this really is the year the Irish will put it all together, overcome past deficiencies and take the college football world by storm. That would be amazing. Alas, until this team shows me that, week in and week out, they can be what their talent suggests; I just can't see them as more than mediocre.

The End of Hibernian's Hibernation

2009-02-07T08:38:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I slept through National Signing Day...well, as long as Latina's still with the team...

After a long, snowy hiatus, Brawling Hibernian is back. I realize that, in my absence, there have been a number of Irish football-related happenings but, I'm happy to report, the ND blogosphere was humming at peak efficiency and managed to ably report and analyze all of them. And so we move on.
One exciting piece of news, the always tremendous, Subway Domer, was kind enough to invite me to take part in his annual Recruiting Spectacular. The fruits of our labor should be up on his site this weekend, so be sure to check in and have a look. Unless you are a joyless miser with an allergy to fun, you will not be disappointed. If you are a joyless miser with an allergy to fun, you will likely go into anaphylactic shock immediately. My apologies.
Since I know the offseason is a long slog of misery, I have a few things planned to make the time more bearable. My plan is to get back to posting on, at least, a weekly basis so, with any luck, there should be plenty of content with which you can wile away the time. In the meantime, don't forget to check out the Recruiting Specatacular.

UPDATE: Subway Domer's 2009 Recruiting Spectacular is up:

http://subwaydomer.blogspot.com/2009/02/2009-subway-domer-recruiting.html

Laugh, learn, love.

A Glimpse Into The Future?

2009-01-12T22:15:00.000-05:00

Today, Rivals released its way early pre-season Top 25 for 2009 and, lo and behold, our beloved Irish manage to sneak in at #23. While I expect that most Notre Dame fans see the team finishing 2009 higher than that, beginning the season anywhere in the Top 25 would be a solid step forward given how miserable much of 2008 turned out to be.
On another note - yes, I realize that USC is nothing more than a football factory stockpiled with a grotesque collection of blue-chip uber freaks. And, yes, yes, I know that Princess Pete is the Scipio Africanus of college football; dazzling and bedeviling all who are foolhardy enough to take the field against his legions. Still, SC is about to lose their entire defense, their defensive coordinator and, if history has taught us anything, likely several others to the NFL draft, mandatory minimums and the sweet Siren's song of Japanese snuff films; yet they are still ranked #3? God, I don't know what I hate worse, the USC Trojans or the media's endless love affair with them.

Pollard to UCLA (Again)

2009-01-11T19:03:00.000-05:00

As had been rumoured for some time, Marlon Pollard has decommitted from ND and recommitted to UCLA. Obviously, this is a disappointing development for the Irish. Pollard is a 4-star athlete and would have been a fine addition to the program. That having been said, this is a much more disappointing development for Pollard as student-athlete. Consider the following:

UCLA is coached by a man (Rick Neuheisel) who has been cited for violations of NCAA rules at two different schools (Colorado and Washington). In the case of his time at Colorado, the NCAA cited 51 separate violations which they described as "a football coaching staff, led by the former head football coach, in a calculated attempt to gain recruiting advantage, pushed beyond the permissibly bounds of legislation, resulting in a pattern of recruiting violations." Neuheisel is not a "molder of men" or a role model to be followed; he is a total sleaze.
In 2008, the University of Notre Dame topped all BCS college football programs with a 94% graduation rate for its football players. UCLA was tied for 40th with a 62% rate.
Worse, still, UCLA's graduation rate for black football players was a woeful 47% (Notre Dame was second nationally with a 74% rate).

Given how important academics are to both he and his mother, this would seem to be a bad decision. Still, Pollard has a right to his choice and we wish him all the best...especially against USC.

Irish Recruiting Overview

2009-01-03T11:06:00.001-05:00

With both the Army All-American Bowl and Under Armour All-American Game being played this weekend, I thought I'd take a look at where the Irish are with recruiting to this point.

VERBAL COMMITTMENTS

EJ Banks, CB, (5'11, 181)
The Skinny: Another speedy (4.5) lockdown corner for the Irish secondary.
2009 Prospects: Not great. There's a ton of depth at his position and Banks tore his ACL in team's last game of the 2008 season.

Alex Bullard, OG, (6'3, 275)
The Skinny: A great get for ND. Very physical, highly-recruited (Alabama, Michigan, Oklahoma, etc.) guard from a state (TN) the Irish have done well in as of late.
2009 Prospects: Decent. With his size and strength, there's a chance Bullard could log some minutes in 2009.

Carlo Calabrese, ILB, (6'2, 225)
The Skinny: Though not as highly recruited as some recent Irish linebackers, Calabrese is an aggressive, "nasty" player that Weis really likes.
2009 Prospects: Probably won't see the field much in 2009. There are some solid players ahead of him, so his freshman year will likely be more about learning the system and getting acclimated to the college game.

Jordan Cowart, SNP, (6'2, 225)
The Skinny: Talk about a specialty pick. Cowart was recruited specifically as a snapper. That's it. Still, given the importance of special teams, this could be a wise move.
2009 Prospects: Absolutely has a real chance to see the field in '09.

Tyler Eifert, TE, (6'5, 225)
The Skinny: Lightly recruited (Cincinnati, Miami (OH), Northwestern) as an athlete; Notre Dame has opted to put Eifert at TE. Hails from the same high school as sophomore receiver, John Goodman.
2009 Prospects: Probably needs at least a year to bulk up and settle in to TE at the college level.

Shaquelle Evans, WR, (6'1, 190)
The Skinny: A true blue-chipper. Everyone and their brother wanted this kid. Smart (3.5 GPA, 1230 SAT) and unbelievably talented.
2009 Prospects: He will absolutely be playing in 2009. With the departure of David Grimes, a spot opens up among the WRs. Evans could be this season's Michael Floyd.

Dan Fox, OLB, (6'4, 219)
The Skinny: Not highly-recruited (West Virginia, Kansas, Cincinnati), Fox is believed to be a work-in-progress who is just beginning to realize his considerable potential.
2009 Prospects: Will certainly need at least a year to
allow the talent around him to bring out his best.

Jake Golic, TE, (6'4, 216)
The Skinny: Like his brother Mike last year, was the first commit of this year's class.
2009 Prospects: While well thought of in high school, Golic will need to bulk up considerably before hitting the field as a tight end in college.

Zach Martin, OT, (6'5, 270)
The Skinny: A nice pick-up for the Irish at a very important position where there's a real need for depth. Martin had been highly recruited by Michigan.
2009 Prospects: Depending on how games go this year, it's entirely possibly Martin might have a chance to see the field late in order to get him some experience. Again, OT is a tremendously important position and the more reps a player has, the better.

Zeke Motta, OLB, (6'2, 207)
The Skinny: Notre Dame beat out Florida and UCLA for the services of Motta; a beast of a tackler.
2009 Prospects: Very good. If Harrison Smith moves to safety (as expected), Motta would be well-positioned to get some reps at OLB.

Nyshier Oliver, WR, (5'10, 170)
The Skinny: Decommitted from Tennessee prior to being offered by the Irish. A speedy (4.4) former running back. Oliver is similar in size to George West and background to Golden Tate.
2009 Prospects: Much like Deion Walker last year, Oliver will benefit from a year backing up the enormously talented WRs in the Irish fold.

Marlan Pollard, CB, (6'1, 160)
The Skinny: Exceptionally talented player who had originally comitted to UCLA.
2009 Prospects: Good. Pollard could be this year's Robert Blanton. Even in a crowded defensive backfield, Pollard could see some PT.

Theo Riddick, RB, (5'10, 185)
The Skinny: While not nearly as highly-touted as some of his Irish backfield mates, Riddick has speed (4.4) and nice numbers, rushing for 1,192 yards (7.5 ypc) and 13 TDs his junior year, in spite of missing three games with an injury.
2009 Prospects: Riddick finds himself coming into a very deep ND backfield so, it is likely he will need to wait his turn for a few seasons. This can only help his development.

Tyler Stockton, DT, (6'1, 290)
The Skinny: A big-time player who has been compared favorably to Trevor Laws.
2009 Prospects: Decent. Given the lack of depth on the DL, Stockton certainly has an opportunity to make a name for himself early. If he can push some of the incumbents, he could see the field sooner rather than later.

Nicholas Tausch, K, (6'1, 180)
The Skinny: A solid kicker who had a long of 53-yards his senior season.
2009 Prospects: Moderate. If Walker struggles again, Tausch can make a play for the role. As of now, his best chance may be on kickoffs, for which his strong leg may be well-suited.

Ben Turk, P, (6'0, 190)
The Skinny: Averaging around 40-yards per kick in high school, Turk will enter ND with teammate Jordan Cowart.
2009 Prospects: Moderate. Should injury or the lure of baseball take Maust out of the picture, the punting job would fall to Turk.

Chris Watt, OG, (6'3, 280)
The Skinny: An enormously important get for ND. Watt is a first-team USA Today All-American who had offers from everyone.
2009 Prospects: While ND returns its top three guards from this season, the lack of a running game could lead to some experimenation along the line, with Watt being a likely entrant.

Cierre Wood, RB, (6'0, 192)
The Skinny: Yet another first-team USA Today All-American, Wood is an all-world player with talent and versatility.
2009 Prospects: Like classmate, Shaquelle Evans, Wood will absolutely see the field in 2009. While carries may be tough to come by, he may have an opportunity on special teams returning kicks.

WHO'S LEFT

Jordan Barrett, ILB, (6'3, 225)
The Skinny: Hailing from the same high school as Dayne Crist and Anthony McDonald, Barrett is a defensive beast who racked up over 100 tackles his junior year.
Irish Prospects: Slim. While Barrett has not yet committed, all indications suggest that he will likely remain on the west coast.

Tyler Gaffney, FB, (6'1, 215)
The Skinny: Gaffney was the 2008 San Diego Player of the Year and, with Asaph Schwapp graduating, would be an important get in this class.
Irish Prospects: Good. It's still a three-team race between ND, Stanford and USC but, it's believed, Gaffney is an Irish lean. He makes an official visit to Stanford on 1/9.

Jelani Jenkins, OLB, (6'1, 210)
The Skinny: A five-star linebacker with smarts (4.0 GPA), Jenkins is still being pursued by several schools; though he has had good experiences on campus at ND.
Irish Prospects: Questionable. A few weeks ago, it was falsely reported that Jenkins was heading to Florida. While that turned out to not be the case, Jenkins does have many suitors and it's hard to say where the Irish fit in.

Jawanza Starling, S, (6'2, 195)
The Skinny: A big, physical hitter. Starling racked up 98 tackles, 10 tfl and 2 picks his junior year.
Irish Prospects: Fading. While Starling still plans on scheduling an official visit to ND, he is said to be leaning towards Georgia where his cousin, Bryan Evans, plays.

Manti Te'o, ILB, (6'2, 230)
The Skinny: All-everything, 5-star linebacker who is one of the top overall prospects in the 2009 class. A devout Mormon, Te'o will be leaving school after his freshman year to go on a two-year mission.
Irish Prospects: Tough to say. Te'o will likely make no decision before signing day on 2/4, but is still being very actively pursued by USC, UCLA, Stanford and BYU.

UPDATE: Clearly, the biggest news of the last few days is the committment of Christian Lombard to the Class of 2010. Lombard is phenomenal talent and a great addition to the program. One other piece of recruiting news that is not nearly as cheery is that CB Marlon Pollard, who had committed to the Irish in July, will be taking an official visit to UCLA this weekend. Pollard had originally committed to the Bruins in 2007 and it had been rumored that he was reconsidering. Corwin Brown is scheduled to fly out and meet with Pollard tomorrow. Here's hoping he can keep him in the ND family.

Happy Christmas (Losing Streak Is Over)

2008-12-30T12:21:00.000-05:00

Finally, a decent Christmas present. Since Christmas usually consists of exchanges of poorly wrapped socks, monumental efforts to suppress disappointment and awkward silences punctuated by drunken outbursts; Notre Dame's 49-21 throttling of Hawaii was a welcome addition to the lineup. For one night, at least, the Irish looked like the team we'd all hoped they'd be this year. With that in mind, here are my thoughts on the game, the future and all other miscellany concerning ND football.

As mentioned in the title of this post (with apologies to John Lennon), Notre Dame's nine-game, 15-year exercise in bowl futility has finally come to an end. Many have opined that getting this monkey off their back will provide a boost for the Irish program. I have absolutely no idea if that's true or not, but I can say that, as a fan, it feels terrific. How long was this streak? Well, when ND last won a bowl game, I was a senior in high school. I am now 32. So, for those of you keeping score at home, I have essentially waited half my life for Notre Dame to, once again, win in the post-season. And yes, reading that last sentence does make the term "existential crisis" come to mind, thank you.
Jimmy Clausen was amazing. 22-26, 401 yards, 5 TDs. I don't care on what level of football you're playing or against whom, those are phenomenal statistics. For anyone who may doubt the brilliance of this performance (and I know there are still many Jimmy haters out there), grab a friend and try to complete 22 of 26 passes to them in your backyard. This was, unquestionably, the best performance by a Notre Dame quarterback I've ever seen.
Speaking of amazing, Golden Tate is the most exciting and fun Notre Dame player to watch since, at least, Reggie Brooks. On every play, he gives the Irish a chance to score, regardless of where they are on the field. To really see how terrific he is, watch his 69-yard TD reception. The separation he gets from his defender is mind-boggling. And how about his production - half of his six catches went for touchdowns.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention Michael Floyd. While he only had two catches for 17 yards, his mere presence opened up opportunities for other receivers. It's impossible to overstate this young man's importance to the Irish offense.

Between Clausen and Tate's record-breaking performances, it's easy to overlook the day Kyle Rudolph had - 4 catches, and a career-best 78-yards. In just one season, Rudolph has already established himself as "the next great Notre Dame tight end". If he stays healthy, we may one day be referring to him as the greatest there ever was.
The running game, unfortunately, is still a complete disaster. Notre Dame running backs had 27 carries for a grand total of 77 yards (2.9 ypc) against a defense that was giving up 148 per game coming into the contest. The lack of production was not for lack of trying. To put it in perspective, the Irish threw the ball 28 times during the course of the day. ND probably did not need 148 yards on the ground but, given the number of carries, somewhere in the neighborhood of 110 -120 (a 4.0 -4.5 ypc average) should have been a given. For those that would argue that the running game was irrelevant, I would counter the following: A) the number of running plays ND called would suggest the coaches don't necessarily agree, B) Jimmy isn't going to throw for 400 yards every game and C) not being able to run puts A TON of pressure on the defense and gives opponents more opportunities and more clock than they otherwise would have. Lack of a running game is precisely the reason ND was such a lousy second half team this year. By the second half of games, the defense had worn down and opponents had plenty of time to overtake the Irish. Moreover, since Notre Dame's offensive line was not wearing down defensive lines, it created a significant challenge for offensive production as well. If this problem is not fixed, I guarantee, 2009 will be as disappointing as 2008.

The defense looked very good. Eight sacks, two turnovers and consistent stops were great to see from a defense which had trouble generating any of the above this season. Granted, Hawaii's offensive line is nearly as sieve-like as the 2007 Notre Dame version (giving up 57 sacks this season, one short of ND's NCAA record) but, eight sacks is eight sacks. As with the offense, this was the defense we all expected when Tenuta signed on. Given the returning starters (including Darrin Walls), experience gained by underclassmen as well as comfort and familiarity with the system; 2009 should be a banner year for this unit (assuming Kuntz and Bruton can be replaced).
Armando Allen's 96-yard kickoff return score was a great step forward for Notre Dame's special teams as it ended a six-year drought for the Irish (Vontez Duff had the last one in 2002 against Navy). Quietly and deliberately, Notre Dame has made significant strides in special teams. Their kick coverage unit was the nation's best this season and, after a disastrous start, Brandon Walker became a consistently solid field goal kicker. If Allen's TD signifies a similar improvement in the return area, that will go a long way towards success for ND in 2009.

I have to admit, I hated the names on the back of the players' jerseys. For one thing, I was in attendance the last time they had them (the 1988 Cotton Bowl) and the sting of that 35-10 beatdown has never really left me. For another, I kind of like the "team first" concept that not having names on jerseys embodies. That having been said, if something as simple as that provides enough of a spark to generate outcomes like this, I can certainly get over my objection.

Having now ended the bowl losing streak, finished with a winning record and played easily their best game in over two years; what does this do for Notre Dame's chances in 2009? Certainly, Notre Dame should go into the offseason feeling very good about themselves. Hawaii may not be a great team, but they're not terrible either and the Irish thoroughly dismantled them at home. Still, how much this will mean when the Irish kick off against Nevada next September still remains to be seen. Can the momentum from this game last nearly ten months? Probably not. What can happen, though, is that Notre Dame can have yet another offseason where they continue to improve. Bear in mind, as disappointing as the 2008 team may have been, they were leaps and bounds better than the 2007 squad. The pass blocking was better, the offense could actually score and the defense did a much better job of stopping opponents. This offseason, run blocking will need to be the top priority with defensive line play right behind. Assuming those areas are no longer liabilities, 2009 may become something very special, indeed.

Irish Blogger Gathering: Mele Kalikimaka Edition

2008-12-19T11:38:00.000-05:00

With Notre Dame gearing up for its most recent attempt to end the nation's longest streak of bowl suckitude, the venerable Domer Law Blog was gracious enough to provide the questions for this week's Irish Blogger Gathering.

1) Hele mei hoohiwahiwa. There has been some controversy about the Irish accepting a Christmas Eve bowl bid, as we are a Catholic institution, and many feel that the bowl game will get in the way of celebrating Christmas. Give me your thoughts.

Of all the arguments for Notre Dame not taking part in this game, the "it's Christmas Eve" line seems by far the most lame. Let's face it, what we're really talking about here is attending Mass and, if memory serves, Mass is still offered on, you know, Christmas Day so, I'm not quite sure why the Irish playing the day before would prevent attendance. Even if your particular family tradition centers on Christmas Eve services, just hit Midnight Mass instead of one of the earlier ones. Either way, the religious objection to this game is complete bunk. The "we suck so bad, we shouldn't be in a bowl game" argument, however...

Roughly the echelon of lameness the Christmas Eve argument falls into

2) 'Onipa'a. The Notre Dame administration has decided to stand by their man and bring Coach Weis back as head coach next year. What specific changes (a) do you think ought to be made in the offseason? (b) do you think will be made in the offseason?

I'm glad Domer Law broke this question out in this way because I think there will be a world of difference between what should be done and what actually will be done. On the what needs to happen now, now, now side of the ledger are - fire Latina and Haywood, bring in a real, honest-to-goodness offensive coordinator, let Powlus go hang out with Beano Cook while Charlie attends to the QBs and, for the love of God, prepare an offseason regimen that is completely draconian so that this team is no longer the bunch of limp-dicked, pinky-out, tea-sipping crybabies they've been the last couple of years. This team needs to discover anger and toughnesss immediately. As for what will happen? Charlie will make one or two sacrificial firings, hire the wrong people, make a bunch of assertions which will not match reality, become consumed with minutiae and lead a largely unprepared team into the 2009 season.

A Notre Dame player showing the team's customary tenacity

3) Pupukahi i holomua. What are your expectations for next season?

Next season will likely be a 12-game version of Bergman's The Seventh Seal with Charlie as Antonius Block engaged in a chess game with Death for the future of Irish football. I anticipate that, in spite of a favorable schedule and a great deal of talent, Notre Dame will still disappoint. They'll likely lose five games with, at least, two of those losses being mind-boggling.

Can we try this again with Chutes and Ladders?

4) O ka makapo wale no ka mea hapapa i ka pouli. Also, if we start looking for a new coach next year, who do you think we (a) can get, and (b) would be the best possible hire? (i.e., is all of this Urban Meyer talk hot air or substance?)

While I do believe it will become necessary to begin a coaching search in earnest next year, I have absolutely no confidence that any top-flight college coach will be coming to South Bend any time soon. With it already being reported that Bob Stoops was contacted by ND and opted not to respond; one can only imagine Urban would follow suit. Notre Dame is his "dream job" in much the same way that the hottest girl in your high school was looking for a smart and funny guy who treated her well, yet always seemed to date vapid, but handsome, bastards.
With this in mind, I think the Irish may as well cast their lot with Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson. He loves ridiculous hyperbole, is equivocating and often contradictory, is useless in spite of a reputation for brilliance and has helped to oversee the demise of a once august institution. In short, he's Charlie Weis. Sure, it's not technically an upgrade, but he'll likely be available shortly.

In fairness, he has as much head coaching experience as Charlie did

5) 'A 'ohe lokomaika 'i i nele i ke pana 'i. 'Tis the season, so tell me: what is the best gift you are giving someone this holiday season?

Given my overall food consumption this holiday season, the best gift I'll be giving is that of job security to my primary care physician. In these dire economic times, it feels good to know that the various cholesterol-related afflictions from which I'll be suffering will provide at least one family with a warm home and bright future.

Pictured here: the author in his doctor's waiting room

6) Mahalo nui loa na ho'olaule'a me la kaua. What are your predictions for the game? Will the Irish be celebrating on the long plane ride home, or will this be another long offseason of listening to the chatter about our decades-long bowl losing streak?

The Gallic name should have been a clue - Notre Dame has become the French Army of football teams. In spite of (largely undeserved) prominence, Notre Dame, like their etymological forebears, has been failing magnificently in the clutch for as long as anyone can remember. Given this history, I believe ND will, somehow find a way to lose on Wednesday. Whether it's Jimmy Clausen eating rotten poi, Michael Floyd being sacrificed at a volcano, David Bruton uncovering a cursed Tiki relic, or the team just sucking as they're wont to do; the Irish will leave Honolulu as losers.

Notre Dame prepares for the Hawaii Bowl

Brawling Hibernian Presents The Notre Dame Fans' Guide to Hawaii

2008-12-10T16:20:00.000-05:00

As Notre Dame prepares to play Sanger Rainsford to Hawaii's General Zaroff in this bowl season's version of The Most Dangerous Game, I thought I would provide a much-needed service to Irish fans everywhere who find themselves wondering, "Why the hell are we going to Hawaii on Christmas Eve?"

Welcome to the island, Irish...start running.

While the real answers, of course, are desperation and malaise; I chose to keep my focus on the similarities between the University of Notre Dame and The Aloha State.

Hawaii Fact: In 1893, Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani attempted to impose a new constitution claiming more authority for native Hawaiians, but opposition leaders occupied the government office in Honolulu and overthrew the monarchy.

Notre Dame Corollary: Monk Malloy. Sadly, for Irish fans, Monk was able, at least partially, to impose his concept of a world where Notre Dame football was castrated and hamstrung upon the faithful of ND Nation. To this day, we are living through the "Brave New World", old Eddie conceived. If only Irish partisans had shown the same pluck as their Hawaiian counterparts, we might have deposed this tyrant before he had done so much damage.

As every Hawaiian schoolboy knows, 'Liliuokalani' literally translates to "pretentious douche". Coincidence?

Hawaii Fact: When measured from east to west, Hawaii is the widest state in the United States.

Notre Dame Corollary: Charlie Weis. Combine a failed gastric bypass surgery with a love of empty carbs and you get the NCAA equivalent of Jiminy Glick. While nowhere near as delightfully tropical as Hawaii, Weis' breadth is of a similarly epic level.

Hawaii Fact: The island of Kahoolawe was once used as a target by the U.S. Navy and Air Force.

Notre Dame Corollary: Notre Dame football program. In 2007, after 43 consecutive wins, Notre Dame lost, at home, to Navy 46-44. Not to be outdone, the following week, Air Force flew into South Bend and strafed the Irish, 41-24. This season, both Air Force and Navy finished with better records than Notre Dame (8-4 to ND's 6-6) and Navy fell just short of a second-straight upset. To put this all in context, it is now safer to pull up a beach chair and bottle of Coppertone on Kahoolawe than it is to be an Irish player lining up against either the Middies or Falcons.

Hawaii Fact: Hawaii is considered the nation's endangered species capitol.

Notre Dame Corollary: Notre Dame head football coach. Once considered the premier job in all of coaching, Notre Dame has now burned through 3 coaches in 11 years and is on the verge of placing an ad in the classifieds for yet another. Worse, as precarious as the job is, the list of candidates lobbying to fill it is depressingly small.

Much like his human counterpart, Charlie Weis, the Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat faces an uncertain future.

Hawaii Fact: Hawaii has its own time zone.

Notre Dame corollary: NBC. While it may not be as impressive as having its own time zone, Notre Dame is still the only NCAA program to have its own exclusive television deal with a major network. Though, in fairness, any network that trots out Pat Haden and Tom Hammond really shouldn't be considered "major" by any sane mind.

Hawaii Fact: Hawaii's Iolani Palace is the only royal residence in the United States.

Notre Dame Corollary: The Golden Dome. In spite of the recent downturn in Notre Dame's football fortunes, the Golden Dome remains not only the most recognizable administration building in America, but also the royal palace of collegiate sport.

Meh...without the gold and religious iconography, it just falls flat.

Hawaii Fact: Kalaaupapa, on the island of Molokai, was once a leper colony administered by Father Damien.

Notre Dame Corollary: Once again, Notre Dame football program. This time, administered by Father Jenkins; the program has become a vast wasteland where the affirmed come to await death at the hands of terminal contagions like Syracuse.

Hawaii Fact: James Cook, the first European to land in Hawaii, was clubbed over the head and then stabbed to death by Hawaiian natives in the surf of Kealakekua Bay in 1779.

Notre Dame Corollary: The future of Irish football. Substitute Aloha Stadium for Kealakekua Bay, and the Irish may be looking at their own murder at the hands of a pack of angry Hawaiians come December 24th.

Artist's depiction of the 2008 Hawaii Bowl

Death of a Program?

2008-12-01T18:39:00.000-05:00

The Backstory
Empires fall. Egypt gave way to the Persians. The Persians gave way to the Macedonian Greeks. The Macedonian Greeks gave way to the Romans. For their part, the Romans allowed their empire to rot and decay from the inside until hordes of barbarians kicked in its walls and brought it to an end. Which brings us to Notre Dame football.
For the better part of the twentieth century (1913-1996, to be precise), Notre Dame was the crown jewel of college football. During that time, the Irish amassed 11 national championships, 7 Heisman Trophy winners, legions of All-Americans and a combination of success and mythology unparalled in college athletics. In just 83 years, a small Catholic school in northern Indiana became known the world over; almost entirely thanks to its accomplishments on the gridiron. And then, after an excrutiating procession of failure, it was all over.
ND fans know the story well enough - Lou Holtz leaves in 1996 and is followed by a carousel of unworthy heirs who proceed to steer the Notre Dame franchise further and further toward the abyss of irrelevance. Then, every few seasons, fans (and t-shirt manufacturers) declare a "Return to Glory" after a rather pedestrian accomplishment leads to false hopes which are dashed by the following season's failures. So, how bad have the last 11 seasons been? By any objective measure, the worst in school history.

The Comparison
Most Irish fans would consider the Gerry Faust era (1981-1985) to be the low-water mark for ineptitude in the program. While Faust's 30-26-1 record was pitiful, it lasted only five seasons and, ultimately, was followed by the dominance of the Holtz era. In reality, the only comparable period to the current one in the history of Notre Dame football came in the ten years (1954-1963) between Frank Leahy's retirement and Ara Parseghian's hiring.
From the time Terry Brennan's first team set foot on the field in 1954 to the day Hugh Devore stepped aside in 1963, Notre Dame went a combined 68-48 (.586) as three different coaches (Brennan Devore and Joe Kuharich) tried desperately to bring the program back to the prominence it once enjoyed. From 1997 through the end of the 2008 regular season, Notre Dame has gone 84-62 (.575) while, again, three consecutive coaches have failed to return the Irish to the lofty position to which fans and alums had become accustomed.
With such a similar winning percentage, why is the current era worse than the post-Leahy (or pre-Parseghian, if you prefer) period? Well, for one thing, in spite of some bad or mediocre seasons mixed in, Notre Dame was still a highly ranked team roughly half the time. Between 1954 and 1963, the Irish finished in the the Top 5 once (1954 - #4), the Top 10 three times (1954, 1955 - #9 and 1957 - #10) and, overall, in the Top 20 five times (1954, 1955, 1957, 1958 - #17 and 1959 - #17). Conversely, from 1997-2008, ND has never finished in the Top 5, has finished in the Top 10 once (2005 - #9) and in the Top 20 four times (2000 - #15, 2002 - #17, 2005 and 2006 - #17). The only other season during this timeframe that a Notre Dame team ended the season ranked was in 1998-1999 when they were #22 after losing the Gator Bowl to Georgia Tech.
Beyond rankings, the Irish were also still able to produce historically significant moments for the program in the post-Leahy era. In 1956, in spite of playing on a team that finished 2-8, Paul Hornung became Notre Dame's fourth Heisman Trophy winner. Then, in 1957, the team scored one of the program's biggest victories when they went into Norman and snapped Oklahoma's record 47-game winning streak, 7-0. In the last decade, Brady Quinn's third-place finish in 2006 is the closest ND has come to the Heisman and, can anyone really name a significant win the school has had in that time? Really, the most memorable game during the period was the 2005 loss to USC. Moreover, ND has gone just 17-34 (.333) against ranked teams and have fared poorly against their rivals, going a combined 6-18 against USC and Michigan State and 3-7 against Boston College. To put things another way, the barbarians are in the foyer.

Hope?
In light of how far the program's fallen, Notre Dame football has, essentially, just two cards left to play - one with Charlie, one without.
With the administration having now decided to bring Charlie Weis back in 2009, what needs to happen in order for him to be the program's savior? The short answer - Tom Coughlin. While Irish fans will always remember Tom Coughlin as the coach who led BC to victory and denied Notre Dame a national championship in 1993, his recent record with the New York Giants should give them something to pin their hopes on as it is a classic tale of coaching redemption.
In Coughlin's first season with the Giants (2004), the team raced out to a 5-2 start before faltering, down the stretch, to a disappointing 6-10 finish. Along the way, Coughlin opted to play for the future and replaced veteran QB Kurt Warner with highly-touted rookie, Eli Manning (shades of ND 2007). The following season, the Manning-led Giants won the NFC East with an impressive 11-5 record before being thumped at home, 23-0, by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the playoffs (shades of Notre Dame's 2005 and 2006 seasons). 2006 began much like 2004. The Giants began the season 6-2 before injuries and inconsistency forced them to a 2-6 finish (shades of ND 2008). Of those six losses, the most disheartening was a 24-21 collapse to the Tennessee Titans in a game the Giants led 21-0 in the fourth quarter. After eeking out a win against the Washington Redskins in the season finale (in a game which ended up being much closer than it should have...much like Notre Dame-Navy this year), the Giants snuck into the playoffs where they lost in the wild card round to the Philadelphia Eagles. Following the playoffs, it was widely assumed that Coughlin would be fired. Fans and NY sports writers all clamored for him to be sacked. Then a funny thing happened - in a surprise move, the Giants gave him a one-year contract extension. 2007 would be the make or break year for Coughlin (does this sound at all familiar?). As everyone now knows, in 2007 Tom Coughlin was able to guide his team past injuries, low-expectations and the continual role of underdog to win the Super Bowl in one of the biggest upsets in the history of sport. Charlie Weis needs to somehow undergo a Tom Coughlin-like transformation this offseason. Clearly, it can be done. Giants fan (and former assistant) Charlie just needs to figure out how.
Assuming Weis doesn't manage to summon his inner-Coughlin and is forced out after the 2009 season, what needs to happen? There can be absolutely no doubt - the Irish must somehow secure the services of a proven, top-flight, college head coach. They can no longer afford to settle for an assistant taking the reins for the first time, head coach of a mid-level program or someone whose primary experience is in the NFL. Simply put, they need someone in the league of an Urban Meyer or a Bob Stoops. It doesn't necessarily have to be either of those two, specifically, but it would have to be someone of their caliber. This is a tall order. For one thing, Notre Dame no longer commands the same level of prestige it once did and getting a coach is in a comfortable position at a perennial winner to come to South Bend would take quite a lot. For another, this individual would have to deal both with a massive and ravenous fanbase clamoring for instant gratification as well as the pressure of knowing that failure would relegate Notre Dame football to the ash heap of history. This strategy is not a silver bullet, it's a Hail Mary.

Whither the Irish
The future of Notre Dame football now comes down to scenarios akin to the miraculous. Can a seemingly mediocre coach somehow achieve greatness? Would a proven champion agree to lead the Irish into the future? At this moment in time, neither seems particularly likely. Sadly, for Irish fans and, really, all of college football, it is beginning to appear that Notre Dame football, as we've come to know it, is dead. Sure, the Irish will still line up on Saturdays - the stadium will fill, the band will play and the fans will cheer; but they will do so largely out of reverence for the past, rather than excitement over the present and future. Notre Dame football will become like a Civil War re-enactment or a '50's themed diner - an anachronistic piece of nostalgia played out against the backdrop of a new world. I hope I'm wrong. I hope that a solitary candle burning in the Grotto somehow brings the blessings of providence down upon Irish football. I hope that future generations can grow up as I did; watching Notre Dame contend for college football supremacy year in and year out. Mostly, though, I hope that the barbarians can be pushed back and the empire rise again.

Irish Blogger Gathering: "Are We There Yet?" Edition

2008-11-26T16:03:00.000-05:00

For the second consecutive year, I am anxiously awaiting the end of Notre Dame's season. At this point, I am ready to passively accept the seven-touchdown throttling that the Irish will receive on Saturday and get on with my life. This season has sucked. With that in mind, the great Subway Domer hosts this week's Irish Blogger Gathering.

1. Regardless of what you may have heard and what may happen, what do you think should be the fate of Charlie Weis? Please give an explanation in detail along with a possible replacement if you said...FIRED. No Urban Meyer bullshit here. He's not coming. Get over it.

I am sure this isn't a totally original position, but I think you give Charlie one more year. If, with a veteran group of top-flight athletes at his disposal, Weis can't get the Irish to a Top-10 finish, he needs to go. Who replaces him? While, certainly, the Urban Meyers of the world aren't coming to South Bend, there should be a solid enough nucleus of talent in place to entice a decent up-and-comer. Here's my top three (assuming they're all still available):

Skip Holtz (East Carolina): When East Carolina got off to a hot start, ND Nation was abuzz with the prospect of Holtz coming to Notre Dame. Then, after a tough three-game stretch, that buzz wore off. Why? He's young (44). He's a Notre Dame alum (not that that's been a big help with Charlie, but whatever). And, he's currently 7-4 coaching a team with a ton less talent than the Irish have. To me, this should be a no-brainer. Holtz would be a welcome shot-in-the-arm and, I think, a worthy successor to his father's legacy at the school.
Jim Grobe (Wake Forest): He has managed to make a perennial winner out of Wake Forest. Let that thought sink in for a second. Plus, it would appear that Grobe is ready for his next step. He started at Ohio U., then stepped up to Wake Forest and now, after seven seasons, it may be time to him to jump to the big-time.
Jim Leavitt (South Florida): Another guy who may be ready for a bigger opportunity. During his time at USF, Leavitt has literally created a program out of nothing and compiled a 79-47 record over 11 seasons. While he has turned down offers from schools like Alabama, Kansas State and Miami in the past, the time could be right for the Irish.

Is Notre Dame ready to win one for the Skipper?

2. Recruiting. Colin Cowherd has been murdering the recruiting services and Notre Dame. He thinks that the recruiting services rank Irish recruits higher than what they should be because of a marketing plan. Everyone else on the outside is falling in line with this thought. What are your opinions? Please explain and provide a solution.

Colin Cowherd is, in my humble opinion, yet another of ESPN's no-talent, infotainment talking heads who enjoys nothing more than prattling on about topics he doesn't remotely understand. How's this for marketing? ESPN also has a recruiting service and, lo and behold, of all the national services, they ranked Notre Dame's 2008 class the lowest. What Colin is really saying here is, "I am a bland corporate shill who is denigrating other recruiting services so that the rankings put out by my home office overlords are given maximum exposure and respect." Here's my solution - turn the dial and save yourself a few brain cells.

3. I made a comparison in a poorly written post about this team mirroring the 2004 team. I generally don't like doing comparisons to other years, but I felt it was valid. What is your take? Is the 2008 version of ND like the 2004 team, and do you think the 2009 team could have similar results to the team in 2005?

I actually read Subway Domer's post about the similarities between the 2004 and 2008 teams and, far from being poorly written, I thought it was pretty insightful. The post is here. If you haven't already done so, give it a read. I'll wait. As for my opinion, I actually think this team is, in a lot of ways, better than the 2004 team. Keep in mind, the 2003 team had gone 5-7 (the 2004 squad finished 6-6), so there wasn't a whole lot of improvement from one year to the next. They were basically the same team both years. Say what you will, this team has shown that it absolutely has the ability to significantly improve during an offseason. What's more, I think, Jimmy and his receivers are, developmentally, in a much better spot than Brady and Co. were in 2004. On the defensive side, the coaching is much better and, I think, the potential exists for this unit to be dominant in ways the 2005 team never was. Of course, we will have to wait until next season to see if any of this actually plays out on the field, but it is, at least, some cause for optimism.

4. Is Michael Floyd the Notre Dame team MVP? Why? If not, who then?

I have to admit, I've decided to take some liberties with my answer. Frankly, I don't believe that any of the players are this season's MVP. I think it's the Irish fanbase. We have been through a tremendous amount over the last decade, but never have things been more bleak than these past two seasons. As Notre Dame fans, we have endured awful, heartbreaking, soul-crushing games and have kept coming back. In spite of snarky comments, calls for coach's heads and the occasional thrown snowball, this is a committed group who love their team and desperately want to see them win. While the team may have quit, the fans haven't. That deserves something.

C'mon, does anyone have better fans?

5. What is Notre Dame's biggest problem schematically and mentally?

Lack of killer instinct. While there will always be questionable calls during the course of the year, on the whole, the schemes employed by the coaches are fine. Were they executed properly, Notre Dame would probably be somewhere between 9-2 and undefeated right now. No, the problem is this team lacks killer instinct. They don't want to kick the everliving shit out of their opponent. Players should absolutely want to destroy the team they're playing. Sadly, this team is lazy, complacent and, frankly, pussified. They need to find some balls during the offseason or 2009 is going to be just as miserable as the last two years.

The cat gets it, why can't Notre Dame?

6. Notre Dame is a 30-point underdog to U$C. It's safe to say that none of us thought that ND would ever be that big of an underdog in this rivalry game. Your thoughts and please include a prediction for the game.

Here's the scary part - I don't think USC will have a problem covering. Pete and the Trojans are going to make their last, desperate attempt to be part of the BCS discussion and, there's no better way to do that, than by laying waste to a hated rival. This game is going to get ugly, very quickly. Like, the firebombing of Dresden ugly. I say, 52-3, Trojans. There was already a gap in talent and experience, and now Notre Dame is also playing without any heart or emotion. This has all the makings of the worst loss in series history. God, I hate this season.

A survivor surveys the wreckage of the Golden Dome as the 2008 season draws to a close.

Irish Blogger Gathering: Orange Alert Edition

2008-11-20T18:45:00.000-05:00

This week's IBG is brought to you by the fine folks over at TGIAB. Stop by and give them a read when you have chance.

1. If you had the choice, which professional athlete would you rather be: A golfer on the PGA tour that hovers around 125-150 on the money list, a solid middle reliever in the MLB, a #4 starter on an MLB team, a 10th man on an NBA roster, or a punter in the NFL?

No question about it - 10th man on an NBA roster. First off, you don't have to play a lot, so there's not much pressure. Really, the most important thing for a 10th man during a game is to not be caught picking your nose or scratching your crotch when the TNT cameras pan by the bench. Second, the NBA league minimum this season is around $440K so, in essence, you'd have the pleasure of hitting a new tax bracket without breaking a sweat (unless you count that night with the triplets in Milwaukee). Lastly, Marko Jaric. Don't know who Marko Jaric is, do you? Not to worry, not many people do. He's a relatively obscure role player on the Memphis Grizzlies who has never once averaged so much as 10 ppg in his six-year NBA career. Why, then, would I pick Jaric? Easy - Marko managed to get himself engaged to Victoria Secret model and world-class hottie, Adriana Lima. I have no idea how he did it, but if this is what life on an NBA bench is all about, sign me up.

The boards aren't the only thing I'm banging, if you know what I mean...huh, huh?

2. If the made a movie about Notre Dame football from 1997-2008, what actors would you cast as Bob Davie, Tyrone Willingham, George O'Leary and Charlie Weis? Picture comparisons will be helpful.

While I loved the question, I admit two things - 1) I kind of suck at the "separated at birth" thing and 2) I took some liberties with my choices. BTW, if this movie were to be made, it would probably rival German porn for the most objectionable cinema ever created. Anyway, here are my choices:

Bob Davie (Billy Bob Thornton): Yeah, I know, they don't look A TON alike but, I'm pretty sure old Billy Bob could pull off the "Aw, shucks" dopeyness of Davie and pronounce "footbaw" with the same irritatating twang.

Having already played Slingblade, this might seem a bit like typecasting...

Tyrone Willingham (Tim Meadows): Since Willingham was essentially a walking SNL character anyway, I think it would be appropriate for "Ladies Man" Tim Meadows to take a crack at "Ty Willingham: Molder of Men, Loser of Games." As an added bonus, Meadows might be the only person whose career since 2000 has been more disappointing than Willingham's.

Bigger bomb - The Ladies Man movie or 2003 Notre Dame season?

Peter Graves (George O'Leary): This selection is based entirely on hair.

For years, George O'Leary erroneously claimed to have originated this hairstyle.

Art Donovan (Charlie Weis): Let's forget for a second that NFL Hall-of-Famer, Art Donovan is 31 years older than Weis and, you know, not an actor. The beefy (let's face it, fat) physique, the gruff demeanor, the crew cut...this guy IS Charlie Weis!

They don't look EXACTLY alike...Charlie's a D-cup, Donovan, more of a full C

3. We at tgiab.com (see Joe G) love the drink Sparks , which comes in Orange cans. While I can't truly relate that to any type of question, I figured I'd mention that because we are playing the Orange this weekend. I guess if I had to tie it in, I would say that I associate Sparks with football tailgates (and my subsequent lack of recollection of the game). Do you have a favorite product that comes in the color Orange? And, if so, do you relate it to football in any way shape or form?

When I really thought about it, I could only think of one orange thing, remotely associated with football, that I truly loved - Hooters shorts. There is really nothing better than drinking some beers, eating some wings (also, kind of orange) and awkwardly eye-banging the elementary ed. major working your section. In spite of having all the unseemly discomfort of strip clubs with none of the unclothed payoff; Hooters rates high on the list of places to watch a game and the shorts are a huge reason why.

She's working double shifts to pay for her last three credits, you're just hoping for some camel toe. Ah, the human drama that is Hooters...

4. This last weekend, one of the more die-hard Notre Dame fans I know told me that he has twice rooted against Notre Dame. Is there any scenario where you would root against Notre Dame? Or should we make this friend (and guest columnist) be the next Ice-T in Surviving the Game?

No. Your friend is an apostate and should be banned from Irish fandom. Would it be cool to root against America twice? Would it be ok to hope the terrorists pull off a couple 'W's here and again? Absolutely not! Being a fan is like being a gangmember - you live and die by your colors and the only way out is feet first.

Yes, banned, monkey! BANNED!!!

5. tgiab.com will host (in allegiance with jupmode.com and thesubwayalumnishow.com) a tailgate for the USC game. First off, you are all cordially invited. Secondly, and more importantly, we are looking for necessities to have at a tailgate. The following is what we will have:

Kegs and cases of beer
Liquor
Mixers (including bloody mary mix)
Grill
Meat
Watermelons
Condiments
A banner
A beer pong table
The Greatest Playlist of All Time

What else do we need? What else would you bring? How can we make this tailgate any better?

19th Century New York street gang. For one thing, they'd be bring you street cred and authenticity as they are, in so many ways, the original Fighting Irish. Beyond that, though, there would be practical benefits. Tell me if you have ever had this situation play out at a tailgate. You show up a few hours before the game, find a prime piece of real estate, set up your gear and start enjoying the day. You're grilling, drinking beers, maybe throwing a ball around and then, suddenly, one row over, fans of your team's rival pull in. It immediately gets a little uncomfortable for everyone but, you play it cool and decide to see what happens. About an hour later, they've had enough booze to start chanting for their team or yelling "(your team) sucks!" You're pissed. You want to retaliate violently, but you don't want to spend the day in jail and, more importantly, miss the game. What do you do? You unleash a ragged gang of cleaver and bottle-wielding psychos from the Five Points to sack their tailgate like it was Rome, that's what! Clearly, this has appeal beyond tailgating - the driver that takes your spot at the mall, the guy at work that keeps coming over to ask you questions, the drunk couple at the table next to you when you're out to dinner - there would literally be hundreds of uses for a 19th century NY street gang, but I think tailgating would be the best. Bring plenty of booze, though; those bastards can drink.

Take that ya Trojan mongrel!

The Unbearable Triteness of Being Teddy Greenstein

2008-11-18T19:08:00.000-05:00

I'm officially surly. With Notre Dame's season having somehow gone from rebuilding year to existential struggle in the eyes of fans, bloggers and, of course, the ubiquitous critics of the program, I have felt more than a little cranky lately. So, what to do about it? Well, I decided that perhaps the best option would be to kick the proverbial dog. (Note: kicking actual dogs in no way endorsed by Brawling Hibernian.)
Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune is a terrible writer. His columns are vapid, pointless and notable only for their animus towards Notre Dame. Also, he's a grown man who actually goes by "Teddy". This past week, Greenstein wrote a hit piece on Charlie Weis which is just begging to be thoroughly shredded. That day has come.

The guy who once boasted he could get "hoodlums and thugs and win tomorrow" strolled into Jeannette High School in the spring of 2007 to recruit superstar quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

We are exactly one sentence in and Greenstein has already misrepresented a Charlie Weis quote. The quote by Weis came during a speech he gave to an alumni group in PA. The point he was making was that he was looking for players who were good people and good athletes. This is obvious if you read the complete quote, "I could get hoodlums and thugs and win tomorrow. I won't do it that way." Of course, the other interesting (libelous?) point here is that, one could almost draw the conclusion that Greenstein was accusing Pryor of being a "hoodlum" or "thug" by tying these two completely disconnected topics together. Well done, Ted.

Jeannette coach Ray Reitz knew a bit about Charlie Weis and his reputation. Still, he was stunned by what he described as a level of conceit he never had seen from the dozens of college coaches he had visited with over the years. Weis certainly made a lasting impression. "Arrogant as hell," Reitz said.

First of all, the title of Greenstein's article is "Charlie Weis Alienates Irish Supporters." Since when is Ray Reitz an Irish supporter? Has Jeannette High School ever been a Notre Dame pipeline? Since there are currently no Jeannette alums on the ND roster, I'm guessing the answer to both is "no." As for "arrogant as hell," I suppose Reitz might know something about that. In spite of being a freshman who has played in exactly 11 collegiate games, his former player, Terrelle Pryor already has his own website up and running. Remind me again, did "prima donna" Jimmy Clausen do the same?

When Reitz told Weis that Pryor might attend a USC quarterbacks camp, he remembers Weis replying: "Why send him there? If he's with me for one day he'll be good, two days he'll be great and three days he'll be incredible."

So, what do you suppose Jim Tressel's reaction might have been had Reitz said something like, "Terrelle Pryor might be attending a Michigan quarterbacks camp." Do you suspect he would have sung the praises of his rival and encouraged Pryor to head up to Ann Arbor? I somehow doubt it. What Weis was doing is known in the business as "recruiting." Judging by his articles, Greenstein doesn't know a lot about sports, so I'll have to explain this concept to him. You see, when "recruiting a player," coaches try to sell themselves, their programs and their schools as being superior to others that player may be considering. Now, Teddy, you might want to sit down for this next part. Because of how lucrative the business of college football is, coaches are often rather cutthroat in their pursuit of top talent and engage in "hyperbole" and "rhetoric" in order to try and make the sale. You find me a coach who doesn't do this sort of thing and I'll show you Ty Willingham.

Later, unprompted, Weis asked the Jeannette coaches if they wanted to take a picture of his Super Bowl ring. "I did it, just to be polite, and then gave (the picture) to one of the kids," Reitz recalled.

How nice of Reitz to be so polite. As Emily Post would no doubt agree, it's considered the height of good manners to be agreeable to someone's face and then rip them unmercifully to the first hack writer who asks you a question.

Everyone who comes in contact with Weis, it seems, has a story - and they're rarely complimentary.

This is just lazy writing. Exactly how many people make up the sample size here? So far we've heard one anecdotal story that casts Weis in an unflattering light; should we assume we've reached consensus on that basis?

Many former players and alums are down on him for what they perceive as his arrogance, but they're reluctant to speak for the record.

So, let me get this straight, there are "many" disgruntled former players and alums and NONE of them were willing to speak on the record? You would think that if Greenstein's assertion of "many" were even remotely accurate some brave soul might have stepped out of the shadows to speak truth to the power of Weis; wouldn't you?

Why? As one prominent alum explained it, "A lot of things at Notre Dame hinge on your being a friend of the university." Alumni are fearful that if they speak out against Weis, they might lose their football tickets or their parking spots, or hinder their kids' chances for admission to the school.

I'm not sure I know what's more laughable here, the idea that Notre Dame is currently undergoing its own version of the Night of the Long Knives or that Greenstein keeps asking us to believe these unsourced assertions. If these people actually exist, they also no doubt believe that black helicopters are patrolling the skies over their neighborhoods, the moon landing was staged and a group known only as "The Pentaverate" runs the world.

Yet they paint a picture consistent with a coach who referred to himself as "an obnoxious, sarcastic guy from New Jersey" in a "60 Minutes" profile that aired in 2006. In the story, Weis screamed at a referee for a "bull----" call and yelled at one of his coaches to get the "(expletive)" off the field.

Hey, slow down a second here, Teddy; are you telling me that a football coach might strenuously object to what he perceives to be a bad call or express concern that another coach being on the field might result in a penalty? It's like I don't even know this sport anymore.

If Weis were arrogant, foul-mouthed and winning, few Notre Dame fans would grumble.

If Teddy Greenstein were lucid, talented and thought-provoking, his columns might actually rise to the level of readable.

But his record is 27-19. Gerry Faust went 25-20-1 through 46 games against tougher opponents. "And at least he was a good guy," one alum noted.

The mystery alum strikes again! This anoymous sourcing thing is terrific. That reminds me, I wanted to let you guys know that an unnamed blogger recently wrote, "Brawling Hibernian is a complete genius. Compared to Hibernian, the works of men like Faulkner, Steinbeck and Fitzgerald seem like the crayon-scribbled ramblings of four-year-olds." Anyway, back to the article. As for the Faust comparison, if Greenstein wants to compare the relative difficulties of schedule, then he'll no doubt also want to look at the talent both coaches had at their disposal. Faust inherited a program that had gone 9-2-1 the season before his arrival and was stocked with blue-chip talent. Weis inherited a program that had just finished 6-6 and were thin in both depth and talent. Oh, and Weis still has the higher winning percentage of the two.

Notre Dame is a special place, with a mix of football tradition and academic excellence matched perhaps only by Michigan and USC.

Hmm...this seems vaguely like a compliment. For some reason, I'm reminded of the expression, "giving with one hand and..."

But Weis is not a special coach and certainly hasn't seemed worthy of walking in the footsteps of Rockne, Leahy, Parseghian and Holtz.

"...taking with the other." Is Weis a special coach? Well, as recently as 2006, the conventional wisdom seemed to be 'yes.' Now, one bad season and one difficult rebuilding year and the zeitgeist turns completely on its head. This is simply "finger-in-the-wind" journalism. There is absolutely no depth of thought or insight here.

The sooner Notre Dame admits its colossal mistake and sends Weis back to Jersey, the better.

For whom would this be better? Is it considered an institutional success when you're hiring your third (fourth, if you count O'Leary) coach in six years? Would that make ND a more attractive option to potential coaches? How would this be a better outcome?

Weis is incredibly lucky. In his first season, using Tyrone Willingham's players, he parlayed a hot start - plus real or contrived interest from NFL teams - into a contract extension through 2015.

Actually, no. Weis took players that, under Willingham, had managed to be a part of such "Greatest Hits of Irish Football" as "Purdue, 41 - Notre Dame, 16", "Florida State, 37 - Notre Dame, 0" and, my personal favorite, "Syracuse, 38 - Notre Dame, 12" and got them to two straight BCS bowls. This is not "lucky"; this requires a reasonable degree of skill.

Months earlier Weis had said he "didn't come here to take a job in the NFL in three years." But Irish officials, desperate after the George O'Leary and Willingham flops, threw at least $30 million and six more seasons his way.

Could someone please explain how it's Weis' fault that the school gave him this contract? Let's assume that Weis blatantly lied and said NFL teams were giving him offers. Was Notre Dame required to offer him a long-term deal? Also, if Weis were truly just "lucky" in having had the success he did, it would be Notre Dame, not Weis, that was negligent in the making of this deal.

Although some believe that fat contract is serving as Weis' shield, a source with Notre Dame ties insists a costly buyout would play no role in whether the school keeps him.

Another phantom source, yet more specious reasoning. Have the Irish been offered some type of government bailout? If not, I can't imagine any situation where this type of large, financial committment would not, somehow, be a factor in whether or not Weis should be fired. I can only guess whatever fictional character Greenstein imagines is providing him this information, did not come equipped with a background in finance. A contract like this is a huge investment. The only way it would not impact the decision to fire Weis would be if the bottom completely fell out of the Irish program or if Charlie stripped naked, covered himself in Crisco and dry-humped Father Jenkins in the middle of Sunday mass. In other words, don't hold your breath, Teddy.

Other coaches should be so fortunate. Kansas State pulled the plug on Ron Prince after only 2 1/2 seasons, and Prince's Wildcats beat then-No. 4 Texas in 2006. What is Weis' signature win? His program peaked in 2005 when the Notre Dame clock hit triple zeros with the Irish leading USC 31-28. But seven seconds remained and Reggie Bush pushed Matt Leinart into end zone on the next play.

So, now Notre Dame and Charlie Weis are also responsible for the way in which other schools treat their coaches? How is it relevant that Kansas State ditched their coach after 2 1/2 seasons? Furthermore, if what a team was ranked at the time they were beaten matters, then Charlie's "signature" win was beating then-No. 3 Michigan, at home, in 2005.

Notre Dame beat a bunch of mediocre teams in 2006, arguably had its worst season in history last year and its five wins in 2008 are against teams that are a combined 12-37.

Of Notre Dame's ten wins in 2006, five were against bowl teams. What's more, their three losses were to teams that finished with a combined record of 33-6. To put the "Notre Dame beat a bunch of mediocre teams in 2006" comment in yet another context; BCS-title runners-up, Ohio State, beat just one more bowl team than the Irish that season and played one less. As for 2007, it was no doubt a brutal season, but it also featured a completely green team playing a schedule which featured nine bowl teams and four of the first six games on the road. This season, Notre Dame's schedule is currently ranked by Sagarin as tougher than that of Texas Tech, Alabama, Penn State and Missouri, among others. Granted, they have had some disappointing finishes but, to suggest the schedule is lousy, is incredibly misleading.

First-year athletic director Jack Swarbrick said this week that he sees "progress." Really? Weis' supporters point to his extensive charity work with his daughter's foundation and his supposedly stellar recruiting.

Let's forget for a second that the line about "extensive charity work" is probably the non-sequiter of the year. Whether or not you think the Irish should be better this year, how can you not see progress from 2007? For one thing, ten games into the season, they already have twice as many wins as all of last year and are bowl-eligible. If you want to look purely at statistics, in 2007, Notre Dame was dead last nationally in total offense and 39th in total defense. This season, they are 51st in total offense (an improvement of 68 spots) and 31st in total defense. So, yeah, "really." And, "supposedly stellar recruiting?" Rivals ranked the 2006 and 2007 classes as eighth in the country and the 2008 class as second. If Teddy thinks they're overrated, he should really take it up with Rivals, not Weis.

Rivals.com ranked his 2006 class eighth nationally. The 28-man class does not have one great player. Seven are no longer on the roster, including last season's original starting quarterback, Demetrious Jones. An eighth, tight end Will Yeatman, has been shelved by legal issues.

Obviously, the converse argument to this is that the 2007 and 2008 classes are chock full of great players who have played meaningful roles right out of the gate and have Notre Dame poised for an amazing next several seasons. As for the transfers, would any of them be starting over people currently on the team? The answer, of course, is no. While you always hate to see kids leave the program, it's hardly catastrophic if players who are likely to be buried on the depth chart seek greener pastures elsewhere.

What has Weis accomplished? He earned three Super Bowl rings - maybe he will let you take a picture of them - with the Patriots, but New England's success from 2000-2006 is forever clouded by "Spygate." How did Bill Belichick's tactic of videotaping defensive coaches' signals help Weis call plays and make second-half adjustments? We don't know because Weis won't say.

Wow. Where to begin? While it's true that Weis has three Super Bowl rings with the Patriots, he actually has four overall (one came with the Giants). I'm not sure exactly why "New England's success from 2000-2006" is relevant as Weis left in early 2005. Regarding "Spygate", perhaps the reason Weis won't comment on the topic is because it is nothing to do with him. The incident which led to the coining of the phrase happened in 2007 while Weis was entering his third year at Notre Dame. Could Greenstein at least get the simplest of facts straight before asserting paranoid conspiracy theories?

How have the Patriots fared without Weis? In 2007 they arguably had the most dominant regular season in NFL history.

Of course, they followed that up by face-planting in the only game that mattered - the Super Bowl. How have the Patriots done since Weis left? I know they won three Super Bowls while he was there; how many have they won since he left for South Bend?

When Weis visited Pryor's school in 2007, Reitz recalled, he said that if Pryor couldn't cut it at quarterback, "we'll use him on the outside." No other school introduced the idea that Pryor might play receiver. "Here's the best part," Reitz recalled, "He says to Terrelle: 'Call me tomorrow at 6. I'll be watching where Brady Quinn gets drafted.' " Pryor never called. He chose Ohio State.

Actually, HERE'S the best part, if Pryor wishes to be drafted one day, he may have been better off moving to receiver. Where is the last Ohio State spread-offense quarterback these days? Last he was seen, Troy Smith (a fifth-round pick) was riding the pines in Baltimore behind rookie Joe Flacco. As for Brady Quinn, he did, ultimately, get drafted (in the first round) and is now starting in Cleveland. Looks like Charlie may know a little bit more than Greenstein, Reitz or Pryor gave him credit for.

Irish Blogger Gathering: Through the Past Darkly Edition

2008-11-10T20:47:00.000-05:00

With the current state of Irish football being, oh what's the expression, vomit-inducing; I thought I would look back fondly to times when the simple act of watching a Notre Dame game didn't make me want to hurl my TV out the window like a strung-out drummer.
With that in mind, we go Through the Past Darkly in this week's edition of the IBG.

1. In the parlance of DJs, a "deep cut" is a song that wasn't released as a single and, generally, is not well-known. What Notre Dame victory is your favorite "deep cut" from the Irish catalog? In other words, what is your favorite victory that is not widely celebrated (i.e., not the "Snow Bowl" or the 1988 Miami game, etc.). Explain in much detail.

There are quite a few games that fit this description for me. For whatever reason, I just have fond memories of a bunch of Irish wins that, though inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, brought me a lot of joy when they happened. Amazingly enough, my choice was actually a Bob Davie-coached gem from his second season (seriously). Notre Dame began 1998 ranked #22 after going 7-6 with a loss to LSU in the Independence Bowl in 1997. After starting the season with stunning home win over defending national champion, Michigan, the Irish rolled to an 8-1 start. For their 10th game, Notre Dame took on a dangerous LSU team. Though they were just 4-5, they had begun the season #9 in the country and had lost four games by a total of 16 points.
This game was tremendous right from the outset. Less than two minutes into the game, LSU jumped on the board first after a Jarious Jackson pass was returned 53 yards for a touchdown. Notre Dame responded just three minutes later with a 22-yard David Givens TD run. After the two teams exchanged 2nd quarter TDs, LSU ended up going into halftime with a 21-14 lead on an 88-yard kickoff return for TD by Kevin Faulk. In spite of scoring quickly in the second half, Notre Dame still trailed after Jim Sanson missed the extra point attempt. LSU added two more TDS to take a, seemingly, comfortable 34-20 lead with 8:04 left in the 3rd. What happened next was remarkable. A Jarious Jackson TD pass to Malcolm Johnson and an 89-yard interception return for TD by Bobbie Howard brought ND to within one as Sanson missed another extra point (this time it was blocked). After the majority of the fourth quarter had gone by in a stalemate, with a minute and a half left, Notre Dame finally took the lead for the first time all game when Jackson hit Raki Nelson with a 10-yard TD pass to make the score 39-34, Irish. LSU then moved the ball to the Irish 31-yard line where, on 4th down, rather than attempt a long field goal, went for it and failed on an incomplete pass, turning the ball over on downs. If it had ended there, it would have been a great game, but not a Bob Davie game. No, instead, after a series of penalties and negative yardage plays, ND ended up with the ball on their own 10-yard line with under a minute to go. On 4th down, rather than risk a punt being blocked in the endzone, Bob Davie called for Jarious Jackson to take a safety. He did. Of course, he also tore his MCL after being tackled in the endzone and would miss the remainder of the season (two Irish losses, incidentally). After the kick, LSU had one last shot, but a desperation heave from Notre Dame's 47-yard line with no time remaining was knocked down. This was an absolutely great game. Plenty of big plays, excitement and down-to-the-wire thrills. I suspect that, had Jackson not been injured and Notre Dame won its final game against USC and then bowl game, this win might be remembered more fondly. Instead, it's now a "deep cut" that only grizzled old ND fans like me remember.

A classic Notre Dame win coached by Bob Davie? Hey, I was shocked, too.

2. As much fun as it is rooting for our heroes, it can be just as enjoyable to trash those we consider to be villains. A few years ago, the great Irish blog, Blue Gray Sky, wrote a post discussing the biggest villains in Notre Dame history. That post focused on external villains. Today's question is, of those associated with the program, who is the biggest villain? This individual must have been a player, coach or administrator at ND who, through reckless acts of cowardice, stupidity or malice, damaged the football program. (Note: Ty Willingham is off the board)

Let's all play junior detective for a moment, shall we? Since 2000, Notre Dame has:

- Extended the contract of a coach only to fire him the next season,
- Hired his replacement, only to discover he hadn't been properly vetted, leading to his scandal-plagued resignation five days later.
- Followed this up by hiring a man who, by all objective standards, was the worst head football coach in the history of the program.

What do all these things have in common? If you said, "Kevin White", give yourself a nice pat on the back. Hiring Willingham alone would be grounds for White to be branded a villain; but when you consider his other monumentally stupid moves as AD, he achieves a level of super-villainy unmatched by anyone not named "Dr. Evil." To be sure, the Notre Dame football program had seen its share of difficulties since Lou Holtz left in 1996, but the degree to which it's fallen over the last eight seasons is appalling. For all the apologists who might argue that, "over that time, they've gone to three BCS bowl games", I would counter the following - they've won none of them, been blown out in two and interspersed those seasons with three losing seasons, one .500 season and just one other winning season. In addition, there have been the aforementioned coaching moves. I'm also being charitable in not including the hiring of Charlie Weis in here. It's probably still too soon to render a judgment on that decision but, as of this writing, it's looking fairly consistent with White's history. With any luck, Notre Dame will someday break out of this decade-long malaise but, if somehow they don't, if the Notre Dame program that has been college football's gold standard for decades never again rises to its former heights, you can thank Dr. Kevin White for delivering the fatal blows.

Having already decimated Notre Dame football , Kevin White sets his sights on the Duke basketball program.

3. Falling in love is a wonderful thing. As Lt. Frank Drebin once observed, "you begin to notice things you never knew were there before; birds sing, dew glistening on a newly formed leaf, stop signs." Describe the moment that you knew that there would be no other; you were in love with Notre Dame.

For me, this can literally be traced back to a very specific point in time. November 21, 1987, 31 seconds remaining in the Notre Dame/Penn State game. It was, at that moment, as Tony Rice was being tackled short of the endzone on two-point conversion attempt that I knew I had fallen under the spell of Notre Dame. I had begun watching Irish games with my father the season before and, while I rooted for them, I didn't have a strong emotional investment. Then, as Rice hit the turf, and the realization that Notre Dame would lose suddenly hit home, I felt a twinge. It was an odd combination of despondency and anger that I had never experienced before (thanks to the last ten years of Notre Dame football, I now refer to this feeling as "Saturday"). It was actually a pretty awful, pit-of-your-stomach feeling and, for the life of me, I couldn't shake it. I actually cared about this team and this program.
Twenty-one years and 240 or so games later, I care more than ever. For twelve Saturdays each fall (and, God willing, one bowl game), the fortunes of Notre Dame football thrill me, sadden me, anger me and, yes, even amuse me. I have now watched several generations of young men pass through this amazing program. I've watched them develop into superstars and I've watched them fade into obscurity. I've watched incredible victories, depressing losses and all variety of contest in between. In that time, I've seen a lot of things concerning Notre Dame football and I wouldn't trade a second.

Like Jane and Frank, Hibernian and ND football are perfect for each other.

4. Regrets, we've had a few but, then again, too few to ever let go of any of them. What game, or specific play, in Irish history turns your dreams into nightmares and haunts your every waking moment? Describe this moment and why you wish ND could have another crack at it?

Having now said that I wouldn't trade a second of my time as a Notre Dame fan, there is one moment that I would love to have back again. Predictably, the moment came in the ultimate "what if?" game for Irish fans - the 1993 game against BC. Moments before Boston College would line up to kick the game-winning field goal, ND linebacker Pete Bercich had a Glenn Foley pass, that was intended for tight end Pete Mitchell, in his grasp and dropped it. If Bercich hangs on, ND wins and goes to the national championship game. Sadly, that's not the way it went. Bercich, who was an exceptional linebacker, just couldn't hang on and, ultimately, neither could ND. This is one of those plays that, as a fan, you play over in your mind ad nauseum. Would the Irish have been national champions that year? Maybe, maybe not. At the very least, it would have denied BC a win that is second only to Flutie's Hail Mary in their program's history. That alone would have been worth it.

If it's alright with you, I think we'll be doing the one where Bercich drops the pick against BC again, ok?

5. With 79 consensus All-Americans and 48 inductees in the College Football Hall of Fame, it is clear that there have been many great players in the history of Notre Dame football. What was the greatest single season from a player that you ever witnessed during your Irish fandom? Be specific. Use adjectives.

No question about it; Reggie Brooks in 1992. His senior season, Brooks rushed for 1,343 yards on 167 carries (an astounding 8 ypc!!!) and 13 tds. He also managed to grab the game-winning two-point conversion pass in the famed "Snow Bowl" against Penn State. No statistic, though, could do justice to actually watching Brooks run. In my lifetime, the three best college running backs I've ever seen are Barry Sanders, Reggie Brooks and Reggie Bush. In that order. And yes, I'm basing my assessment of Brooks on one season but, if you didn't see it, you can't appreciate how totally dominating and jaw-dropping it really was. Keep in mind, too, Brooks was sharing a backfield that season with future NFL Hall-of-Famer, Jerome Bettis. Let that sink in for a second
So what made Reggie Brooks so good? He was an absolute artist. Using a combination of speed, strength and balance; Brooks could juke, cut and bounce off tackles at will. If you really want to get a flavor for how amazing Reggie Brooks was in 1992, go to YouTube and watch his touchdown run against Michigan and his highlights from the USC game (where he ran for 227 yards). You will not be disappointed.

You magnificent bastard...

Irish Blogger Gathering: Saying A Lot By Asking Obtuse Questions Edition

2008-11-04T19:03:00.000-05:00

After the pain, heartache and shame of being taken for a Wannastache ride, it's time for a bit of levity. As the great Robert Plant once pondered, "Does anyone remember laughter?"
This week's set of IBG questions comes courtesy of the the fine folks over at Her Loyal Sons. Stop by and see them when you have a chance. Ladies drink for free.

1. What photo of some member of the 2008 Irish squad doing something, anything at all, really, says all 1,000 words that need to be said about this team? OR, which photo of some member of the 2008 Irish squad doing something would tell 1,000 lies about this team if you only saw the photo and didn't know better? (Double-secret word score bonus for answering both mutations of the same question).

They're gonna live forever...

Sign me up for the cherished double-secret word score bonus.

Truth: Unlike his My Super Sweet 16 introduction to the program at the College Football Hall of Fame, this picture shows Jimmy to be a regular guy; willing to hang with his teammates and have a few adult beverages (even if their ages aren't consistent with Indiana's definition of "adult"). In addition, it shows the closeness of this team (James Aldridge and Brian Smith are also pictured). Unlike 2007's exercise in cliques and bitchiness, the 2008 edition of the Irish seems to be a team that generally (shocking concept alert) likes each other! A big part of this year's relative success stems from this concept. Team cohesiveness is a key to success - look no further than the Beerlympics for evidence.

False: Were I a neophyte, unfamiliar with the program, I might think that this was either a poorly-staged homage to the 1979 film classic, The Warriors, or an exceptionally-talented group of street performers embarking upon a complex and moving dance set to "Hot Lunch Jam" from the soundtrack to Fame. Only one of these would be accurate.

2. Some of you may know that I (domer.mq) am a football stat geek. Which statistic do you think geeks like myself should really be paying attention to this season and why? (Can pertain to ND or CFB in general.)

I am, admittedly, not a huge stats guy. If ND is winning, I will certainly take a look at their stats and see what makes them so fundamentally awesome. When, as has been the case recently, ND is average or below, I am more consumed with the macro, rather than micro, picture. So, with the Irish once again in the throes of mediocrity, I turn my attention to the wider world of college football. In looking through the national statistics, I was stunned to discover that the Rice Owls have two of the Top-5 receivers in the country. Not Texas Tech, not USC, but Rice. That's right, Jarrett Dillard and James Casey (averaging 105.4 and 105.0 ypg, respectively) are numbers 4 and 5 nationally in receiving yards-per-game. We're not talking about a program with a rich and profound history. Rice has a grand total of 415 wins in the entire 96 year history of the school's football program (that's roughly 4 per year for you folks at home). What's more, in 2007, Rice was a grotesque 3-9 (remember how bad 3-9 sucked?). Now, in 2008, they are an offensive juggernaut. Impressive.

Hoo...the hell are these guys?

3. Seeing as how Boston College is nothing but an up-jumped program enjoying the luxury and soft Corinthian leather of an ACC schedule, which team from the current top 25 would you love to see this year's Irish play this weekend in Fredo's stead? Why? Do you think the Irish would win? Describe the game. Paint us a picture! I'll get the popcorn!

Ball State. First of all, it would be the Battle for Hoosier State Supremacy (each have already knocked off an Indiana school: Notre Dame defeated Purdue, Ball State defeated Indiana). Second, I actually think Notre Dame could win this one. Absent the aforementioned win over Indiana, Ball State's most impressive win this season has been over Navy (35-23). This seems a team ND could throttle. As a final reason I'd love to see this game, the list of genitalia-related jokes that would come along with playing this team would rival anything the Cocks or Trojans could muster.

Please don't leave me to play a school named after coglioni, Michael, PLEASE!!!

4. Let's dispose of the gradient colors and subtle vagaries of college football to answer this question with one of the supplied, absolute answers and a blurb defending your pick. No waffling! The Question: Why is Notre Dame unable to put away games when leading going into half time? The possible answers: 1) ND players have a soft, nougat center 2) The Coaches don't want to tick off potential future employers 3) God doesn't think it's classy to blow a team out 4) The ND Fanbase can't really stomach blowouts any more than they could stomach a protracted land war in Asia. Remember, you must pick one and you must defend it with much vigor!

In reviewing the options afforded me, the most reasonable conclusion I can reach is 1) ND players have a soft, nougat center. In fairness to candies everywhere, the wilting and melting exhibited by ND against UNC and Pitt was far worse than anything I've ever encountered with a piece of chocolate. From my experience, it takes something from Hershey's or Nestles', close to half an hour until it morphs into an amorphous blob of quasi-liquid flubber. Notre Dame, on the other hand, can achieve the same effect in under five minutes.

Me? Not like blowouts? Did you see the Spanish-American War?!

5) Tennessee just began celebrating the career of Phil Fulmer today as he announced that he'd been given the opportunity to make it look like resigning was his idea. Certainly, this is a clarion call to ADs across the country to begin worrying over their tea that, should their current HC not work out, they won't get a shot at #s 1-5 on their candidate list. Tell us about an AD who may be looking at this move Tennessee and acting a bit more aggressively towards a reduction in force of his current football staff now rather than later. And who might that AD be trying to seduce before Tennessee already has a "handshake agreement" with the guy?

Could there be an AD more desperately in need of relief than Daryl Gross at Syracuse? To begin, shortly after taking the reins, Gross fired Paul Pasqualoni; one of the winningest coaches in Orangemen history. Then, to compound the error, Gross hired Greg Robinson, one of the most cadaver-like coaches in NCAA history. To compare, Pasqualoni compliled 107-59-1 record (6-3 in bowls) at Syracuse over a 14-year period. Robinson, conversely, is 9-34 in nearly four seasons at the school. To put it mildly, Daryl needs to set this right.
So, in keeping with the spirit of redemption and "love conquers all", I say Gross needs to extend an olive branch (and lucrative multi-year contract) to Paul Pasqualoni. Sure, Pasqualoni is currently living the good life as defensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins; but, does nailing coked-out lingerie models on South Beach compare at all with coaching football in the crime-ridden snow globe that is Syracuse, NY? I think not. No, I think Coach Pasq could be lured back at the right price. Daryl Gross better hope so.

Coach Robinson, could you step up here for your exit interview, please?

No More Excuses

2008-11-01T18:19:00.000-04:00

Please spare me the talk of silver linings. While we're at it, I also don't want to hear about "development", "improvement" or "unlike last year..." There are no upsides to losses. There is only defeat. For two years now, Irish fans (myself included) have desperately clung to whatever "glass-half-full" malarkey got them through their Saturday heartache. No more. This is a team filled with four and five-star players that has the good fortune of playing an AWFUL schedule. They are 5-3 against that rogue's gallery of mediocrity and have lost two games after enjoying two-score leads at halftime. That is beyond disappointing; that is unacceptable.

I can hear the apologists already - "But, Hibernian, look how young this team is." Really? Last I checked, Alabama had three freshman starting and were the #2 team in the country. Oh, and they play in the SEC. Try again. "Well, after the way Ty left the program, Charlie had to rebuild. It was the equivalent of having received the 'death penalty'." Fair enough. With that in mind, Charlie has now strung together three straight Top-10 recruiting classes and, in spite of their youth, most of the starters are fairly veteran thanks to having been pressed into service much earlier than they otherwise might have been. Where's the payoff? Sure, the statistics look better, but it's wins and losses, not gaudy statistics, that matter at the end of the day.
Here's my point - if Notre Dame coaches, players and yes, even fans, truly want to see a team that is both dominant and a perennial power, they need to set expectations higher and demand better results. That means treating losses like Saturday's debacle against Pitt with the kind of contempt they deserve. Notre Dame had that game won on two separate occasions and still found a way to lose. Up 14 at halftime, Pitt was stopped on its first possession until Harrison Smith's idiotic penalty gave Pitt a second chance. They used it to good effect, scoring on that drive and regaining momentum.
Then, in the fourth quarter, the Irish scored with about five minutes left. A solid defensive stop probably ends the game. Instead, in under three minutes, the Panthers go the length of the field to tie the game. And, of course, there's the fact that all of this happened AT HOME. Unacceptable. Totally and completely unacceptable.

An artist's depiction of Notre Dame's 3rd quarter offensive effort against Pitt.

You want more evidence of how thoroughly disgusting this loss was? Ok, how about this - Notre Dame outgained Pitt, had more first downs, were +3 on turnovers and, in spite of Pitt's supposedly massive rushing advantage, had only 63 yards less on the ground. If I had only told you those things about the game, would anyone have guessed Notre Dame lost? I suppose it makes a little more sense when I add the Irish managed a grand total of 7 yards on 10 plays in the 3rd quarter. How great is it to have an offensive "genius" like Charlie leading the charge, huh? The schematic advantage he brings to every game is just remarkable!

"Hey, look, it's the myth of Charlie's genius."

So who were the heroes and villain's of this loss? Well, there were actually a fair number of heroes:

Michael Floyd was, once again, tremendous (10 catches, 100 yards, 2 TDs). The only sad part about watching him play is, at this rate, there's no way he stays four years.
Golden Tate was also brilliant. His official stat line read: 6 catches, 111 yards and 1 TD but, what doesn't show up there, is his 2nd quarter circus catch on Notre Dame's first scoring drive. Just unreal.
Jimmy Clausen, in spite of his struggles in OT, did a helluva job. Under duress for much of the afternoon, Jimmy still managed to throw for 271 yards, 3 TDs, no picks and was sacked just once. He gave Notre Dame an excellent chance to win.
David Bruton did all anyone could have asked of him - 16 tackles, 1 INT, 1 pass break-up. The guy left nothing on the field.
Neither did his safey-mate, Kyle McCarthy who had 15 tackles, including 2 for loss. It is going to be brutal replacing these two next season.
Ian Williams looked very good. He ended the day with 6 tackles, including 2 for loss and was disruptive the entire afternoon. After a solid freshman year, Williams has been quiet this season, but really did a nice job on Saturday.
And, finally, Brandon Walker. Yes, he missed a 38-yard field goal in the 4th OT, but it should absolutely never have come to that. Walker, for all the grief he's gotten this year, went out and hit 4 out of 5 field goals, including a monster from 48-yards in the 3rd OT that would have been good from 58. He has nothing to feel badly about.

Here's a picture of...ah, you get it, this loss was a disaster.

Now, on to yesterday's villains. While a smaller group they, sadly, had a bigger impact on the outcome:

Sam Young took a major step backwards against the Panthers. After having shown improvement most of the season, Young got knocked on his ass much of the afternoon. Sam Young is 6'8, 330 lbs. The players on Pitt he was facing were, generally, somewhere in the neighborhood of 60-70 lbs lighter and he got dominated. That should be a motivator. That should light a fire. If it does not, Sam Young should not be playing this game.
Terrail Lambert has been playing NCAA football for five seasons now and still has absolutely no clue how to tackle (or cover a receiver, for that matter). His grasping, lame attempts at wrapping up yesterday were cringe-inducing. If the defensive coaches have any sense of the obvious, Lambert will not play another down for the Irish. Robert Blanton is a solid tackler, covers well and is a leader. Time to call it a career for Terrail.
Harrison Smith. Sorry, Hayseed but, as mentioned previously, your penalty was one of the turning points in the game. You played decently, otherwise, but that one hiccup was costly.
Weis/Haywood. While the offense certainly did some things well, it was a very uneven and inconsistent effort. How many times was ND going to run swings and screens when it was clear neither was working? Irish receivers had a huge height advantage over Pitt's cornerbacks, where were the plays that took advantage of that? How about some more slants? While we're at it, how about a little more of the no-huddle. Then, of course, there was the debacle at the end of the game. With a minute left, you're really throwing it on 4th and 1 at the 50? That whole series, from the penalties to the head-scratching calls, was a terrible flashback to the game mismanagement of the Davieham era.

So, where does this leave us? I wish I could be more optimistic, but I think this leaves us poised for a beatdown at the hands of BC next week. The Eagles have lost two straight and are going to be majorly pumped to play the Irish in Chestnut Hill. What's more, I can't imagine there's any way that Notre Dame can bounce back from a loss as physically and emotionally exhausing as this one in a week's time. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think I am. Next week may get ugly.

On a non-football-related note, Tuesday is Election Day and, though Brawling Hibernian is an avowedly apolitical blog, I did want to make a point. No doubt, you have all been inundated with a continuing guilt trip from the media about getting out there to vote on Tuesday (MTV, I'm looking in your direction). I would like to make a slightly different request. If you have been following the issues and the candidates and actually have a solid understanding of both, you should absolutely go out and vote. However, if you don't follow politics closely and are only voting because the cast of Gossip Girl told you to, please stay home. Voting is a right, not an obligation and if you don't know what you're doing, you shouldn't be there. Let me put it another way, owning a gun is also a right, but I don't remember the last, "Everybody Get a Gun!" ad campaign. You know why? It would be irresponsible. Not everyone should own a gun. Same deal applies to voting. I'm Brawling Hibernian, and I approve this message.

Irish Blogger Gathering: Trick or Treat Edition

2008-10-27T20:58:00.000-04:00

Is there a better holiday than Halloween? Sure, Christmas, Easter, and even Thanksgiving, get all the credit, but Halloween just quietly goes out and produces. Think about it. Do people get stressed out over Halloween shopping? No. Do you have to get dressed up all nice to go to church? Not unless you're a satanist. When was the last time your brother sparked a family throwdown by coming out at Halloween dinner? Uh, never. In every way possible, Halloween has all other holidays soundly beaten...and that's even before we get to the whole "based on free candy" concept. Yes, Halloween is terrific. It is also the theme of this week's Irish Blogger Gathering hosted by the incomparable Charlie's Nasties. Here's this week's questions:

1. A loss to Washington would have been spooky, but we were able to pull it out. What was your favorite part of the victory?

Yes, yes, I know that, in the name of magnanimity, much of ND Nation has agreed to some type of omerta regarding Ty in the wake of the Irish victory. Sorry, I don't care. Let other bloggers talk about the dominance of the defense or the effectiveness of the running game; my favorite part of winning was pure, unrefined vengeance. When Ty was let go in 2004, large swaths of the sports media establishment got themselves worked into a state of high dudgeon over the decision of the university to do something like that to such an "esteemed" coach. Accusations and invective ranging from racism to immorality to shortsightedness were hurled wildly at Notre Dame for having the temerity to fire someone who wasn't doing their job. For his part, Ty was a royal douche. Instead of standing up, being a man and accepting his fate gracefully, he passive-aggressively validated the worst assumptions of all of the Notre Dame haters (see his 2005 interview with John Saunders). So now, four years later, Notre Dame finally has the greatest of all revenge. Not only have they gone 2-0 against Happy Gilmore since he left; this most recent victory led to Willingham being forced to step down as coach (I don't believe for a second that decision didn't come without a push). On the flip side, had Notre Dame lost, all of the "experts" would have been discussing "Ty's redemption." Not only would it have been a loss to a terrible team, it would have given cover and credence to a no-talent charlatan who deserves to ooze back into obscurity. Suck it, Ty. I hope your handicap never breaks 25.

Losing to Washington would have been the functional equivalent of having this waiting for you in your closet. Sweet dreams, by the way.

2. Charlie's Nasties does a Duds and Studs segment to reflect on every game. Name one player/coach that could have done better against the Huskies and one player/coach that stepped it up.

Not to belabor the point, but Jimmy didn't look great on Saturday. As has been much discussed, it was likely due to a little rust from the off week and, ultimately, it didn't matter. Still, any time your starting quarterback has just north of a 50% completion percentage against a dismal pass defense, a little concern is justified. Conversely, the defensive coaching tandem of Brown and Tenuta (sorry, hard to separate the two), stepped it up in a big way. They designed a defensive gameplan that absolutely stifled the Huskies. Even allowing for how bad Washington's offense is, only giving up 124 total yards (with about 65-70 coming on the last drive against the third-string defense) is remarkable. I have absolutely no idea if this is a harbinger of things to come or an aberration, but it has been years since a Notre Dame defense was able to deliver that level of dominance. If the Irish 'D' can look half as good against Pitt, it's going to be a very long afternoon for the Panthers.

The Notre Dame defensive gameplan for Washington.

3. Halloween involves people abandoning reality for awhile to dress up and imitate something that they are not. Pick one Halloween costume with traits you would like to see from the Notre Dame football team the rest of the season.

This one was a no-brainer. Last season, the brilliant Every Day Should Be Saturday referred to LSU as being "a werewolf with a chainsaw for a dick." To me, this perfectly epitomizes what Notre Dame should also aspire to be. I can imagine nothing more terror-inducing than a razor-clawed lycanthrope with a Stihl for a johnson. Well, I suppose him finding me to be arousing would be more terrifying, but whatever. The point is, this is what I would like to see Notre Dame morph into as we move into the last five games - a bloodthirsty killing machine capable of intimidation and wanton destruction of all who stand in their path. In other words, a team with, not only the ability, but the unquenchable desire to roll over opponents.

"If you think this is scary, you should see my genitals."

4. When trick-or-treating as a kid, there always seemed to be at least one house that handed out apples. What aspect of the football team this year is the biggest apple in your candy bag (aka biggest disappointment)?

Oh man, apples were the worst. Well, the small box of Sun-Maid raisins were probably the worst, but apples were right up there. In addition to the total suckitude of the apple versus, say, a Snickers Bar or Reeses' Peanut Butter Cup, there was also the potential (if urban legends are to be believed) that some psycho would have stuck a razor or a pin in there. I don't mind taking a pin to the mouth over a good piece of chocolate, but an apple?! Anyway, on to Notre Dame...
For me, the running game has been the proverbial apple in the bag. Notre Dame's inability to generate a consistent running game has been as baffling as it has been upsetting. To begin with, the Irish have a massive offensive line that has improved dramatically in their ability to pass block this season. Unfortunately, they have not made a similar jump in their run blocking aptitude. Then, there's the fact that the Irish have a stable of backs (Allen, Hughes, Aldridge, Gray) that is deeper than 90% of the teams in the country. These guys should be absolutely perplexing opposing defensive coordinators with the different looks they bring. On paper, Notre Dame should be running the ball down people's throats at will, and they just haven't been able to with any kind of regularity. While it hasn't been a huge factor thus far, eventually, in a close game, not having the ability to run the ball will be costly.

"Friggin' running game...I mean, apples."

5. This year, October 31st is coincidentally also the opener for ND's Men's Basketball team (preseason against Briar Cliff). Say a few words about one player that will make have the biggest impact on the success of the team this season (apologies to non-bball fans, but I couldn't resist).

Well, I have to admit, I am not nearly as into college basketball as football, so this one was a little tricky for me. With that in mind, I went with Luke Harangody. The guy averaged a double-double last season (20.4 points, 10.6 rebounds) and, in conference play, he was even better (23.3 points, 11.3 rebounds). He is an absolute monster who can dominate a game in a number of different ways. Coming off a year in which he was Big East Player of the Year and a second-team All-American, it's hard to think of anyone else being more important to the prospects of the Irish.

Luke Harangody arrives in Tokyo for a little spring break R n' R.

Irish Put Down Huskies

2008-10-26T10:24:00.000-04:00

All hail Notre Dame's new mascot - Travis Coates. Film fans will remember Coates as the character who, with a heavy heart, is forced to shoot and kill the rabid dog, Old Yeller. On Saturday night in Seattle, the Irish similarly dispatched the Huskies; though with more glee and cool precision than distress. As a result of the 33-7 drubbing they received from Notre Dame, the UW administration is now preparing to tell their fans a story about how Ty went to go live on a farm upstate.

Have you seen this movie? Hilarious!

With a power running game and stifling defense (note: neither of them Irish strong suits this season), ND was able to take care of business and gain their first road win of the season. While the final score was certainly commanding; a combination of offensive rust, liberal substitution and a refusal to pour it on kept it from being much worse.
This was a very important win for the Irish as they are now one 'W' away from bowl eligibility with five games to go. Furthermore, they were able to bounce back from a devastating loss to UNC and get a win against a team very motivated to play them.
A few other observations from the game:

Jimmy was very rusty. Particularly in the first half, he forced a number of passes, held on to the ball far too long and was generally off-target. In spite of this, he still put up over 200-yards in the air and, by the second half, seemed to have gotten into a rhythm. He'll be much better in the next few weeks.
The running game looked very good (as well it should have given the sieve of a defense they were facing). It was great to see Aldridge getting so many carries. I have long thought him to be the most complete back in the Irish stable and he showed why last night; combining power, speed and moves to lead the attack. In addition, it was tremendous that Jonas Gray got some PT. I have been excited to see him carry the ball in live action since hearing reports about his ability going back to training camp. He did not disappoint. This kid is going to be a star before he leaves South Bend.
The offensive line was a bit inconsistent. They looked great in run blocking, but their pass blocking left something to be desired. Clausen was rushed and sacked (2-22 yards) far too often against a bad defense. They need to get back to the form they showed earlier in the season before playing Pitt and BC. Sam Young looked very good on the two Irish touchdowns in the first half and is really starting to show the skills Irish fans have been waiting to see from him since he arrived on campus. It would be a huge loss if Olsen's injury were serious. Here's hoping he was kept out as a precaution rather than a necessity.
Michael Floyd turned in another 100-yard receiving performance and just missed on a few other passes during the course of the game. I absolutely love watching this kid play. The level of excitement he brings is unbelievable. He is electrifying.

Charlie Weis greets Ty Willingham at midfield.

This was absolutely the best the defense has looked in years. Yes, it was a terrible team playing without its star QB and, yes, there were several dropped passes by Husky receivers, but the Irish 'D' was still dominant. Anytime you are able to hold a team under 60 yards in a half, you are imposing your will upon them. Most impressive was Notre Dame's ability to stuff the run; holding the Huskies to 26-yards on 23 carries for the game.
Overall, Notre Dame's defense held UW to 124 total yards (most of them coming on their lone touchdown drive at the end of the game) and just nine first downs. Regardless of the opponent, this is impressive. Going into a tough two-game stretch, this was exactly the kind of shot-in-the-arm the Irish 'D' needed.
Harrison Smith looked unreal. He led the defense with two sacks (the team had four), had five tackles AND had a 35-yard run on a fake punt. He is an absolutely remarkable talent and it was great seeing him show his athleticism and versatility against the Huskies.
Good for Brandon Walker! The much-maligned kicker went 3-3 on extra points and, even better, 2-2 on field goals. While his first field goal (a 28-yarder in the 2nd quarter) just about made it, his 42-yarder in the 3rd quarter was straight down the pike. I remain convinced that Walker has all the physical tools to be a very good kicker and just needs a slight correction in technique and a huge boost in confidence. Hopefully, he got both against UW.

That's it, Huskies, drink to forget, drink to forget...

The next two games for Notre Dame will be very telling. It is undoubtedly their toughest two-game stretch of the season and how they perform will go a long way towards determining what kind of season this will be and what type of bowl they'll be going to.
Both Pitt and BC are tough opponents, but were humbled this past weekend. Pitt was thumped at home by lowly Rutgers, 54-34, and the Eagles were toasted on the road by UNC, 45-24. A big question this week will be, how does Pitt respond? Resilience has not been a hallmark of the Wannestedt era, so it will remain to be seen if this team can bounce back from such a humiliating defeat. BC, conversely, was largely exposed. They have a mediocre offense and a defense who has overachieved against average competition. In short, these suddenly look like two winnable games. If Notre Dame wins both, this season suddenly becomes very special (9 wins likely). If they split them, this season is very good (8 wins likely). If they lose them both, we start looking at the games against Navy and Syracuse as "must wins." Regardless, Irish fans should feel very good about what this young team has been able to do this season and what promise the future holds. Judging by the current state of Washington football, they should also be thankful that Willingham was sacked when he was.

Irish Blogger Gathering: Washington Edition

2008-10-21T18:30:00.000-04:00

Welcome to another edition of the Irish Blogger Gathering. This week's questions brought to you by the delightful and talented Sarah over at Bad Trade. Here we go:

1. You're having some beers and brats outside Notre Dame Stadium, just chilling with friends. If you could have one Notre Dame player or coach drop by to share a drink, a brat and some stories with you, who would it be?

I will assume this means any Notre Dame player, living or dead. If dead, I also assume that I have the power to regenerate them into the condition they were in while in their prime, rather than some horrible, zombified, Paternoesque version. If that is the case, then it's a no-brainer - George Gipp. Drinking, gambling, whoring - could you possibly pick a cooler dude to hang with? You'd be asking him about beating Army and he'd be doing body shots off a stripper while doubling down. Best.Tailgater.Ever!

"Ol' Gipp's gonna split aces...then we'll play cards"

2. What was your best experience with a tailgate party?

Since the question did not specifically reference football tailgating, I will relate an experience from a concert. Several summers ago, friends of mine decided to get tickets to a Bon Jovi concert at Giants Stadium (with apologies to Charlie, the guy is awful but, what can I say, I'm a sucker for peer pressure). It was an oppressively hot day (one of the many charms of Jersey being the six-inch-thick air in summer), and we had brought roughly a small distributorship worth of booze and little way in the way of food. Since drinking and heat go together like ambulances and hospital trips, in a short period of time, we were all in rare form and displaying all the grace, charm and joie de vivre that comes from drinking Hand Grenades on an empty stomach. As a result of our condition, networking among our fellow tailgaters became the order of business and we quickly made friends. Among these was a group of local ladies who, due to poor planning, had run out of beer and asked if they could have some of ours. Since we are firm believers in a robust system of capitalism that supports a free exchange of goods and services, we felt simply giving them beer would represent a form of welfare, thus taking us on a slippery slope towards socialism. So, in a moment of sheer inspiration, one of my friends asked if they'd be willing to show us their, well, how can I put this delicately...boobs, as compensation for beer. And so they did. So, dear readers, this is what made it the best tailgating experience ever. And yes, I just wrote a few hundred words so that I could tell you that I once saw boobs at a tailgate. Don't you dare judge me...

Unlike the women at a Bon Jovi concert, beer ain't cheap.

3. There are lots of great tailgate experiences around the country - what school's tailgate tradition do you most want to experience?

LSU. As history tells us, the State of Louisiana was founded as a refuge for French citizens who consistently rocked the party that rocked the body in their homeland and, simply felt that France was not nearly libertine enough for their tastes. As such, they took off for the new world and founded a place where, no matter how perverse a person might be, there was always someone else who could make you look chaste (his name's Sebastian). Several hundred years later, the modern citizens of the Bayou State still know that no party is complete without copious drinking, graphic nudity, fisticuffs and the occasional round of police brutality. That means that, while Big Televen fatties are sucking down brats and commenting on the foliage, LSU tailgaters are mud-wrestling drunken alligators. Count me in. I don't want to tailgate in a place where I might pick up an amusing anecdote; I want to tailgate somewhere that I'm likely to come away with a "Did I ever tell you how I lost the arm?" story. There is only one place for that kind of awesomeness - LSU, baby!

"Might want to step back a bit. He's had a lot to drink."

4. Indiana decides that their drinking laws are far too un-draconian (I'm from Wisconsin. I don't understand these things like "kids aren't allowed in bars," "your parents can't give you liquor if they are supervising" and "no alcohol purchases on Sunday"), and drinking is now forbidden on Saturdays. The Excise Police stop by your tailgate, and proceed to dump out the liquor you were attempting to hide from them. What do they pour out?

Tough one. Knowing that Indiana's answer to The Crucible would likely be playing out in my tiny piece of parking lot, I would probably plan in advance and bring several kegs of exceptionally cheap beer. Cheap beer so that I didn't mind so much that it got poured out. Kegs because, if they want to violate the sanctity of fandom by preventing alcohol consumption, they should really have to work for it.

5. OK, so I couldn't leave it alone completely. How do you feel about the impending end of the Coach Willingham era at Washington?

I'm of two minds on the subject. On the one hand, seeing Ty get canned is, at long last, vindication for Notre Dame's decision to "allow him to pursue other opportunities." On the other hand, watching the forces of karma impose soul-crushing loss after soul-crushing loss upon Mr. Willingham fills me with a kind of hyper-schadenfreude bordering on delirium. Watching his stoic, "stiff upper lip" performance on the sideline as team after team curb-stomp the Huskies is one of my true joys. It's so remarkably surreal that you can't help but delight in its execution. I'll miss that.

"Taaaake it easy, Ty, no reason to get excited."

State Of The Season: Gauging Things At The Halfway Point

2008-10-19T20:33:00.000-04:00

Notre Dame's 2008 regular season is half over. Yes, folks, after an interminably long offseason of waiting, agonizing, hoping and, in some cases, praying; the season that we awaited is now halfway to its conclusion. With that in mind, I thought it was a good time to reflect back on where we've gone and where we still need to go.

SAN DIEGO STATE (21-13, W):

Preconceptions: The preseason thinking with regard to the Aztecs was that they were a bad team (4-8 in 2007) that was likely to be worse in 2008 (lost several key starters to graduation). In short, a game Notre Dame was fully expected to dominate; especially after SDSU opened the season losing to IAA Cal Poly.
The Reality: Well, not so much the domination we all expected. Actually, without a fortuitous goalline fumble by the Aztecs, this is a game that the Irish very well may have lost. Luckily, McCarthy and Bruton made that play, the ND offense found the spark they'd been missing all afternoon and Notre Dame was able to open their season with a victory.
The Aftermath: San Diego State does in fact stink...badly. To date, they have only one victory and it is over lowly Idaho. Most recently, the Aztecs were routed, 70-7, by New Mexico. Seriously. 4-4, New Mexico. Without question, had the Irish lost a game like this, it would have been absolutely devastating to the program. While not a great win, it was a necessary one.

MICHIGAN (35-17, W):

Preconceptions: The expectation here was, in spite of Michigan being in rebuilding mode, this would still be a difficult game due to Michigan's existing talent and the level of intensity generated by this rivalry.
The Reality: Notre Dame's offense was able to capitalize on early Wolverine turnovers to jump out to a quick lead which the Irish never relinquished. While Notre Dame didn't put up gaudy offensive numbers (260 yards total), it did rack up four touchdowns against the Michigan defense; which turned out to be more than enough. On the other side of the ball, the defense generated six turnovers and had a score of their own to close things out.
The Aftermath: In spite of a surprising come-from-behind win over Wisconsin, this is starting to look more and more like a very bad Michigan team and, therefore, not a particularly quality win. On the season, the Wolverines are 2-5 with blowout losses to Illinois and Penn State and a home loss to Toledo.

AT MICHIGAN STATE (7-23, L):

Preconceptions: Definitely one of those games looked at as a toss-up, or potential Irish loss, coming into the season. The Wolverines returned a solid offense centered on running back Javon Ringer and guided by senior QB, Brian Hoyer. Add to that, the fact that it would be the first road game for the young Irish and this had the potential for tough sledding.
The Reality: Pretty much exactly what Irish fans expected. Javon Ringer battered ND with 39 carries for 201 yards and 2 tds to lead the Spartans to victory. In many ways, this was a transformational game for Notre Dame, however, as they finally found their offensive identity in the second half and had a chance late. Unfortunately, mistakes and a tired defense ultimately doomed Notre Dame's chances in East Lansing.
The Aftermath: Unlike past Spartan teams, this one may actually be able to finish the year as well as they started it. Yes, they were just crushed at home, 45-7, by Ohio State, but they are 6-2 overall and still have games against Michigan and Purdue on the schedule. Wisconsin's a toss-up and Penn State's probably a loss, but there's no reason MSU should finish worse than 8-4, which would be their best record since 2003. They haven't finished with more than eight wins since 1999. Given everything, this is not a loss the Irish should feel badly about.

PURDUE, (38-21, W):

Preconceptions: Another one of those toss-up games coming into the season. Purdue's defense was not expected to be dominant, but the offense returned a very talented group that included QB Curtis Painter, WRs Greg Orton and Desmond Tardy and RB Kory Sheets. Throw into the equation that it would be Joe Tiller's last game agains the Irish and this one looked like it could be anybody's game.
The Reality: After a sluggish start, the Irish offense blew the game wide open in the 3rd quarter; outscoring Purdue 21-7 in building a 35-21 lead. On the day, Jimmy Clausen threw for 275 yards and 3 TDs and Armando Allen had 134 yards on the ground (7.9 yards per carry) and one touchdown to lead the onslaught.
The Aftermath: Purdue is not a good team. The Boilermakers are 0-3 (2-5 overall) following their loss to the Irish. Granted, they played Penn State and Ohio State in close games, but they were just thumped, 48-26, by Northwestern and you have to wonder if they've given up on the season. In the next two weeks, Purdue has very winnable games at home against Minnesota and Michigan. Anything less than two wins and this season may be beyond rescue.

STANFORD (28-21, W):

Preconceptions: A game the Irish were certainly expected to win but, with a quickly improving Cardinal team, anything was possible and Notre Dame would have to earn a win.
The Reality: This one fit the bill to a 'T'. After a number of Stanford miscues allowed the Irish to jump out to a 28-7 4th quarter lead, the Cardinal stormed back with two late TDs to make it 28-21. After several tense moments late in the game, the Irish were finally able to subdue Stanford and claim victory.
The Aftermath: A bit of a mixed bag for Stanford. Since their game in South Bend, they've upended Arizona and lost to a fairly bad UCLA team. It won't be a cakewalk for the Cardinal to get to six wins from here, either. Their remaining schedule consists of Washington State, Oregon, USC and Cal. At this point, this is a good, but not great win for ND. Depending on how the rest of Stanford's season plays out, that assessment may be downgraded.

AT NORTH CAROLINA (24-29, L):

Preconceptions: The most-often stated description of this game is that it was two teams who were "mirror images" of one another. Both struggled in 2007 (UNC: 4-8, ND: 3-9), but were stocked with young talent of whom much was expected in 2008. The game was considered a toss-up; however the fact that it was at UNC, certainly gave the Heels an edge.
The Reality: A brutal way to lose for the Irish. A game that Notre Dame had in the palm of its hand, but lost due to far too many turnovers (five). The Irish were in prime position to put the Tar Heels away too as the ND offense was clicking and UNC lost star receiver Brandon Tate in the first quarter.
The Aftermath: I suppose it was predictable that, after winning in such dramatic fashion, UNC would have a letdown game this week against Virginia. Predictable or not, the Tar Heels did lose to the Cavaliers to bring their record to 5-2. Tough games still remain against BC, Georgia Tech, an up-and-down Maryland, rival NC State and (slightly) resurgent Duke but, for the moment, this is not a bad loss for Notre Dame. While it was a game they should have won, the opponent is good enough that losing to them is not terrible.

That covers the games that Notre Dame has played thus far. Now we'll take a look at how the remaining schedule was viewed entering the year and how they've held up to those expectations.

AT WASHINGTON:

Preconceptions: Virtually no one expected Washington to be a great team this year. They entered 2008 with little true talent, a coach who could run the '85 Bears into the ground and a brutal schedule that kicked off with games against Oregon, BYU and Oklahoma. The one ray of light was QB Jake Locker or, as some hyperbole had it, "The Tim Tebow of the West Coast."
The Reality: While no may have thought Washington would be a great team, I'm also sure no one expected them to be 0-6 right now. The Huskies have been AWFUL. Yes, they lost Jake Locker to injury against Stanford but, even with him, they were winless. Simply put, this is a bad team that Notre Dame has no reason to lose to.

PITTSBURGH:

Preconceptions: 2008 was widely predicted to be the year that Dave Wannestedt got it right with the Panthers. After ending 2007 with an impressive win against West Virginia, Pitt returned a very talented team led by RB LeSean McCoy and LB Scott McKillop. Pitt began the 2008 season ranked in the Top-25 (#25).
The Reality: The Panthers started the season in familiar Wannastache territory; dropping their home opener to Bowling Green, 27-17. After sneaking past Buffalo, Iowa and Syracuse the next three weeks, Pitt finally broke through with a huge win on the road against South Florida. This past week, they blasted Navy 42-21 to run their record to 5-1. Still, in spite of their record and ranking (#17), the Panthers are a bit of a curiousity. They have one solid win (South Florida), one decent win (Navy), one bad loss (Bowling Green) and a bunch of close calls. A lousy schedule (which continues this week with Rutgers) is probably a bigger factor in their success than coaching or talent. Still, a tough game for the Irish and a good win if they can get it.

AT BOSTON COLLEGE:

Preconceptions: BC entered 2008 having lost a bunch of talent from the 2007 team that finished 11-3. Beyond QB Matt Ryan, the Eagles also lost RB Andre Callender, WR Kevin Challenger and S Jamie Silva, among others. As a result, the Eagles were expected to go through a bit of a transition year. While their defense looked strong, most felt the offense was still at least a year away.
The Reality: As much as it pains me, BC is a very tough team. At 5-1, they have certainly put the concerns about their offseason losses behind them. The Eagles just dumped Va Tech 28-23 and will play at UNC in a huge ACC game this week. If they can win there (where Notre Dame didn't), that will certainly bode badly for the Irish. As of this writing, BC is the second best team on the Irish schedule. Beating them in Chestnut Hill will be a monster task.

NAVY (AT BALTIMORE):

Preconceptions: The biggest story coming out of Annapolis this offseason was coach Paul Johnson taking his talents south to man the helm at Georgia Tech. Without Johnson and his offensive genius, it was expected that the Middies would slip a bit from their recent run of success.
The Reality: This one has pretty much gone as expected. Navy is still a good (4-3 record) and dangerous (wins over Wake Forest and Air Force) team, but they are not quite where they were in previous seasons. That said, they will be extremely well-prepared and ready to see if they can win two straight against the Irish. If Notre Dame's run defense does not tighten up by November 15th, this could turn into a very long game for the Irish faithful.

SYRACUSE:

Preconceptions: Syracuse was expected to be one of the worst teams in college football this season. 2008 was to be coach Greg Robinson's long overdue swan song as a totally overmatched team of Orangemen were led to weekly slaughter.
The Reality: Hard to argue that the pundits were wrong on this one. Syracuse is currently 1-6, with its lone win coming over IAA Northeastern (by nine whole points!). Syracuse is absolutely terrible. With the exception of that win, their two best games were keeping it within ten against Pitt and playing close (17-6) with a mediocre West Virginia squad. Anytime you play a team like this, there is danger as they have nothing to lose, but this is a game Notre Dame should win comfortably.

AT USC:

Preconceptions: If you listen to ESPN, this year's Trojans were to be THE BEST TEAM EVAH!!!!!! If you listened to the rest of the punditry, they were merely supposed to be the best team this year. Wave after wave of talent on both sides of the ball and they play in a conference that makes the ACC look stout by comparison.
The Reality: In spite of having their annual brain-fart/"how the hell did they lose to that team?" game against Oregon State, the Trojans are just an embarrasment of riches and dominance. How good are they? They are currently outscoring opponents by an average of 42-8 and have shut-out their last two. Now, allow me to say the following - I would love nothing more than to see ND go into the Coliseum and just trounce the Trojans. My visceral hatred towards all things USC knows virtually no bounds. John Wayne? SC grad - commie. George Lucas? SC grad - derivative hack. Will Ferrell? SC grad - unfunny douche. There is simply no one on the planet who hates that "school" more than I. Now having established my bonafides, there is not a chance in hell Notre Dame wins this game. I know, I know, "but what about Stanford and Oregon State?" Neither are rivals, Notre Dame had one chance to "sneak up" on USC, and it was in 2005 AND someone has already caught the Trojans napping this year. Our time will come, Irish fans, but it ain't in 2008.

Conclusion: To review, Notre Dame has managed no "quality" wins thus far and two losses to solid teams. As bad as that sounds, consider that, a year ago, the Irish were 1-5 and reeling. This team has clearly made strides and will likely only get better as the season wears on.
The remainder of the schedule is treacherous. Each game is fraught with its own peril, but Pitt and BC will be of particular difficulty (I am not including USC for reasons mentioned above). Given the pitfalls that lay ahead, 7-5 would be a perfectly reasonable outcome. Anything better than that, is overachieving, anything less, disappointing.

Irish Blogger Gathering: Brawling Hibernian Steps Up

2008-10-16T19:08:00.000-04:00

With the doldrums of the bye week upon us, I take a look at this week's Irish Blogger Gathering courtesy of Frank V. at UHND.

1. With our beloved Irish on the bye this weekend, how much college football will you be watching Saturday and what games are you most looking forward to watching?

I'm really pretty torn on this one. On the one hand, the Hibernawife has been dropping subtle hints that she would like me to clean up the yard ("rake, monkey, RAAAAAAKE"), on the other hand, there are several games that have piqued my curiosity. Assuming I can escape my domestic servitude, I will be taking in the following:

Kansas at Oklahoma: Because there's just something about watching a fat man cry.
North Carolina at Virginia: The Tarheels have their inevitable letdown against the Sybil of the ACC.
Pittsburgh at Navy: Five straight for the Wannastache?
Virginia Tech at BC: Any opportunity to watch Fredo lose is must-see-TV.

Pictured here, the author attending to his appointed rounds.

2. Not to look too far ahead...but in looking at the 2009 schedule, do you think the Irish will be set up for a title run if they continue to improve each week as they are doing now?

Great question. I think 2010's probably a better bet. While Notre Dame will certainly be a very, very good team next year, their schedule does get a bit trickier than it is this season. For one thing, we swap out San Diego State for a solid Nevada team led by QB Colin Kaepernick who, if the stories are true, is 10-feet tall, bulletproof and capable of swatting a bi-plane straight out of the skies of Gotham. They follow that up with a trip to Toledo's bitch in Ann Arbor. Later, we get back-to-back home games against USC and BC. Given the enthusiasm surrounding both of those games, I can't imagine Notre Dame wins both (my money's on them losing to BC like they always do after a big win). The Irish then conclude the season at Pitt, home for UConn and on the road against Stanford. Those are going to be three tough teams that will be very up for ND. Given all of this, I think ND probably works its way back into the Top-10 next year, but doesn't actually make a serious run at the title until 2010.

3. If you could take 1 recruit we missed on from each of the last 4 years (1 from each year), who would they be and how differently would this team look like right now if we had gotten that 1 player each year? (Note, the players should be players the Irish either led for at one time or were at least a finalist for).

Wow, this one actually required some research. Here we go:

2005, Lawrence Wilson, DE (tOSU): I mean, not that the Irish need help rushing the passer or stuffing the run. No, no, this whole going sack-less/hemorraging rushing yards thing is going just fi...oh God, here come the waterworks again.
2006, Gerald McCoy, DT (Oklahoma): (sniffle) As I was saying, it would be nice to have some help along the d-line this season.
2007, Arrelious Benn, WR (Illinois): Tough call on this one. Given how stacked we are at WR this year, I know it's not a huge need BUT, it would have helped out Jimmy and the offense tremendously last year (and given us a big headstart developmentally going into this season). Also, let's face it, in an offense as pass-oriented as ours, it never hurts to have one more uber-talented receiver to throw to.
2008, Omar Hunter, DT (Florida): It's pretty amazing how different our defensive line could have looked this year had we landed some of the guys we had in our cross-hairs. It actually could have been a team strength, with decent depth, rather than the liability it is today. We've seen the benefits the synthesis of talent and depth along the o-line has brought; it would have been great to have that same thing happening on the other side of the ball.

If anyone needs me, I'll be staring at this picture and listening to 'Everybody Hurts'

4. If Notre Dame could only land 1 more recruit on each side the ball in this recruiting class, who would you like it to be? (Again, it should be someone we have a reasonable chance with).

Unquestionably, Shaquelle Evans on offense as it serves two purposes: 1) it enables Notre Dame to add a freakishly talented wide receiver to its current stable of Pegasi, and 2) it prevents SC from landing said ridonkulously-talented manchild. Where I come from, that's known as a win/win. On defense, I would go with Manti T'eo (as long as we're still on his list, I consider us to have a reasonable chance). For one thing, the kid's a five-star linebacker, and let's face it, those can be nice to have. For another, he's from a state (HI) from which ND has not scored many recruits over the years (Reggie Ho annnnnd, uh, Reggie Ho). Much as Charlie and company have opened a real pipeline in CA post-Jimmy, this could open us up a bit in the Aloha State.

5. If you could take one of Notre Dame's bowl losses since the 1994 Cotton Bowl win over Texas A&M and turn it into a win, which one would it be? Why? And What if any impact do you think that win would have had on the Irish.

Tough call. I'm going to go with the Sugar Bowl loss to LSU due to the following practical considerations: 1) it would undoubtedly have helped Brady's stock in the draft and he deserved better than what he got, 2) it likely would have kept a few recruits from wandering off the reservation (Little, Benn, etc.) and, 3) it would have gotten two HUGE monkey's off the program's back - a bowl victory and a "quality win" for Charlie - thus giving the team a big boost of confidence heading into a transitional year. No, I don't think losing that game doomed ND to the Rimbaudian season that 2007 became, but I have to think knocking off LSU in New Orleans would have been big for a young team's swagger.