Notre Dame limps home this weekend to take on a 3-0 Sparty team which has found itself in the perfect position to pick up its sixth consecutive win in the House that Rockne Built. Hell, it could be seven in a row, how knows, but unless our team makes a miraculous, and I mean miraculous - change of heart, desire and ability - ND will move to 0-4 right now.
The University is making some half-hearted attempts at getting the fans into the game - though you have to consider the fact that these decisions were made a long time ago - but still, the idea to have a green out - along with handing out green towels - seems a little dumb to me. We are actually playing a school with green and white colors!
Anyway, Notre Dame Stadium has transformed itself into a shadow of what it used to be. At one point, the place used to be so out of control parents would not allow their young kids into the games. Now, people are walking in with infants. So, to follow up on our 10 Commandments for Notre Dame fans - here is a code of conduct for The House that Rockne Built.
These are in random or, and most likely random importance...
1. The standing/sitting thing - obviously if you are in the student body, you stand up on every play - and take a rest at half time while the band plays some more 80s hair band music - or their every-lasting favorite "Take On Me" - lord, I am tired of hearing that song.
The rest of the stands, it is pretty simple. When there is nothing going on, you sit. When it is time to cheer, you stand. Calling out someone for standing in front of you at a football game is grounds for immediate expulsion from the Stadium. Seriously, if you don't want to stand up, stay at home and watch. This seems logical, but there are about 50,000 fans in ND Stadium that will yell for a fan to sit down in front of them when a Notre Dame opponent has 4 and 1 on the one yard line.
There is no excuse - too old, too young, to dumb - don't go to games and yell at people to sit down in front of you. Unless they are USC fans, then you can yell at them all you want. Seriously though - ND Stadium is filled up with WAY TOO MANY NON-FOOTBALL FANS.
2. If you are only going to the game 'to be seen' or to tell your co-workers you went to the Notre Dame game on Saturday, then give you tickets to someone else - or burn them. We would rather not have you in the stands.
3. Yelling. Fully encouraged, but not required. A lot of ND fans are uber-focused during games and literally are intense on every play. But, at least stand up - and cheer when something good happens.
4. Kids - leave them at home. Seriously, don't carry your five year old son in and exclaim that 'This is his first Notre Dame game!' It is not like he is going to remember it. Sons and daughters should only be taken to games when they understand what is going on, are able to sit for four hours at a time and are not there just to watch the cheerleaders and listen to the band.
5. The angry fans - just go away. Don't show up to yell at Coach Weis, or the offensive line, or anyone else for that matter. We don't want to hear you. Seriously - we really could care less about what you think. We are there to watch the game and cheer for the team, not bitch about every last thing.
To be honest, I think Notre Dame Stadium is past saving. Our student body and fan base is much becoming our team - weak and uninspired. The band is coming up with lame chants, the cheerleaders care more about building pyramids than watching the games, the NBC timeouts rob the team of momentum, the elitest members of our alumni and guests who could care less whether we win or lose, the high number of people attempting to 'give their kids the Notre Dame experience' and also don't care whether the team wins or loses - all these things contribute to the general malaise that is over our program right now. At some point, one would hope Davieham would've washed all the hangers-on out, but it has not.
But a part of me still thinks that the Stadium is special - because there are TRUE fans out there (not as many as there should be, but they exist). They live and die with every play, they thank the lord for their ability to see the games, they support their team at all time, they stay until the alma mater... those are the fans that make a difference. Those are the fans that don't need a code of conduct in the Stadium. Those are the fans that make Notre Dame what it is.
And those are the fans that, even as dark as it seems, even as hopeless as it seems, still think ND will beat MSU. Can you excuse me a quote from one of the greatest movies ever made - "Remember, Red. Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
There Is No Defense
Okay Irish fans. Unfortunately, we are forced to post a similar entry as last week.
The national media is going to take their shots at us - and at this point we deserve everything that is being directed at us. Even though you feel that burn in your gut when they attack Notre Dame - which 90% of the time is unwarranted and mean-spirited - right now, we deserve what we get.
We are a pathetic excuse for a college football team right now. There is no legitimate excuse for us to be as bad as we are. 0-3 and losing all three games by a combined 10 points? Acceptable. Not scoring a touchdown? Unacceptable. Getting sacked a few times with a young offensive line? Acceptable. Being completely inept at even getting in a defender's way? Unacceptable.
So don't fire off e-mails to the national talking heads out there - it is pointless because there is no defense that can be accepted. Just hope and pray that Coach Weis can figure out what this team needs to get on track - and cheer the guys on. At this point - this is all we can do.
The national media is going to take their shots at us - and at this point we deserve everything that is being directed at us. Even though you feel that burn in your gut when they attack Notre Dame - which 90% of the time is unwarranted and mean-spirited - right now, we deserve what we get.
We are a pathetic excuse for a college football team right now. There is no legitimate excuse for us to be as bad as we are. 0-3 and losing all three games by a combined 10 points? Acceptable. Not scoring a touchdown? Unacceptable. Getting sacked a few times with a young offensive line? Acceptable. Being completely inept at even getting in a defender's way? Unacceptable.
So don't fire off e-mails to the national talking heads out there - it is pointless because there is no defense that can be accepted. Just hope and pray that Coach Weis can figure out what this team needs to get on track - and cheer the guys on. At this point - this is all we can do.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Take Your Shots Now
One thing you will learn about sportswriters and national talking heads is that they love easy stories. Bashing Notre Dame is an incredibly easy story for them right now. Bringing up comparisons between The Ty Willingham Debacle and Coach Weis is an easy story right now. Everything is easy for them until we start to win games.
I guess they can only shoot so many bullets at Michigan right now - hell, they might be out of ammunition at this time.
So, as a well-measured and somewhat-sane Notre Dame fan, I just sit back and tell them - "Take Your Shots Now" - because we won't be such an easy target in the coming years - and even later on this season.
Of course no one expected us to be in the 100s for our national ranking on offense, but this slow start was not entirely unexpected. New QB. Three new starters on offensive line. Unproven running backs. Unproven wide receivers - you think about that for a bit and it all makes a little sense.
The problem is, we still expected us to be better. And we should be. I always find it difficult to pin problems on the players (I mean, they are 18-22 years old, they don't know shit about life) but at some point here, someone has to step up and make a play. Darrin Walls did. Tom Zbikowski has. Trevor Laws is playing like an All-American on the defensive line. Mo Crum is his usual stead self. Hell, even Joe Brockington had 10 tackles last week.
Um, offensive line - hell, the entire offense - time to step up. The breakdowns have been so random (one time it is the OL, next time the FB misses the block, next time there is a dropped pass, next time the QB doesn't throw the ball, next time false start, next time holding) that you can't really pin it on one group. The entire offense needs to step it up - and quickly.
I can't really pin down right now why I am not more upset. I think because I see right now that we just don't have it in us on offense. You can literally just sit there and watch it. Whether it is play calling, execution or the damn tides - you can just sit there and not have much in the way of confidence that the offense is going to do anything. AND THAT IS THE PROBLEM. Confidence.
The OL has no confidence that it can block anyone. The RBs have no confidence that there will be holes to run through. The QB has no confidence he can step back in the pocket and take a look down field. The WRs have no confidence that the QB will see them when they are open. The TEs have no confidence that the OL can protect without them. It is a vicious circle - and you know what - somone needs to step up and give the team confidence. Someone needs to say - screw it - I am making a play when there is no play to be made.
I think JC has a little of that in him, but he can't be expected to do that in his second game (though bring it on if you can Jimmy!). It nees to be a WR that won't be covered, a RB who will make multiple people miss (or just run them over). Someone makes a big play, I think this team will step up.
We are going to improve each week. This is the one year when we get better every weekend. This is the year when we might play our best in the bowl game. ND fans out there need to turn a deaf ear to the national writers and talking heads - let them take their shots right now. As much as they would like to disprove this statement - we are relevant. They are still talking about us even though we are 0-2. We mean more at 0-2 than a 2-0 Cal team or a 1-0 USC team. Think about that for a minute.
So take your shots now while you can. Enjoy your time to smear the one school that runs its program the right way. Enjoy the time when you can bash a team that laid the foundation that modern college football operates under. Enjoy your time - it ain't gonna last long. In fact, it might just end this weekend in the Whore That Is Ann Arbor.
Then what will you have? Oh yeah, Michigan. I forgot. You ranked them #5 to start the year and they are on the brink of losing their first three games AT HOME. Better go get some more ammunition.
I guess they can only shoot so many bullets at Michigan right now - hell, they might be out of ammunition at this time.
So, as a well-measured and somewhat-sane Notre Dame fan, I just sit back and tell them - "Take Your Shots Now" - because we won't be such an easy target in the coming years - and even later on this season.
Of course no one expected us to be in the 100s for our national ranking on offense, but this slow start was not entirely unexpected. New QB. Three new starters on offensive line. Unproven running backs. Unproven wide receivers - you think about that for a bit and it all makes a little sense.
The problem is, we still expected us to be better. And we should be. I always find it difficult to pin problems on the players (I mean, they are 18-22 years old, they don't know shit about life) but at some point here, someone has to step up and make a play. Darrin Walls did. Tom Zbikowski has. Trevor Laws is playing like an All-American on the defensive line. Mo Crum is his usual stead self. Hell, even Joe Brockington had 10 tackles last week.
Um, offensive line - hell, the entire offense - time to step up. The breakdowns have been so random (one time it is the OL, next time the FB misses the block, next time there is a dropped pass, next time the QB doesn't throw the ball, next time false start, next time holding) that you can't really pin it on one group. The entire offense needs to step it up - and quickly.
I can't really pin down right now why I am not more upset. I think because I see right now that we just don't have it in us on offense. You can literally just sit there and watch it. Whether it is play calling, execution or the damn tides - you can just sit there and not have much in the way of confidence that the offense is going to do anything. AND THAT IS THE PROBLEM. Confidence.
The OL has no confidence that it can block anyone. The RBs have no confidence that there will be holes to run through. The QB has no confidence he can step back in the pocket and take a look down field. The WRs have no confidence that the QB will see them when they are open. The TEs have no confidence that the OL can protect without them. It is a vicious circle - and you know what - somone needs to step up and give the team confidence. Someone needs to say - screw it - I am making a play when there is no play to be made.
I think JC has a little of that in him, but he can't be expected to do that in his second game (though bring it on if you can Jimmy!). It nees to be a WR that won't be covered, a RB who will make multiple people miss (or just run them over). Someone makes a big play, I think this team will step up.
We are going to improve each week. This is the one year when we get better every weekend. This is the year when we might play our best in the bowl game. ND fans out there need to turn a deaf ear to the national writers and talking heads - let them take their shots right now. As much as they would like to disprove this statement - we are relevant. They are still talking about us even though we are 0-2. We mean more at 0-2 than a 2-0 Cal team or a 1-0 USC team. Think about that for a minute.
So take your shots now while you can. Enjoy your time to smear the one school that runs its program the right way. Enjoy the time when you can bash a team that laid the foundation that modern college football operates under. Enjoy your time - it ain't gonna last long. In fact, it might just end this weekend in the Whore That Is Ann Arbor.
Then what will you have? Oh yeah, Michigan. I forgot. You ranked them #5 to start the year and they are on the brink of losing their first three games AT HOME. Better go get some more ammunition.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Step back from the edge...
Ok Notre Dame fans, time to take a deep breath, take a step back from the edge. The world has not ended, in fact it has just begun.
The dawning of the Jimmy Clausen era is good for everyone. The #1 QB from last year's recruiting class should be starting (compared to who we have on the roster) and would have been starting if not for his elbow surgery over the summer.
There is no way to completely erase Saturday's game, but the more and more I watch the replay and think about things, the more Saturday begins to make sense. We set a record for the number of freshmen and sophomores playing in a season opener (the number was a staggering 31). There were 16 players making their first appearance every in an Irish uniform (kudos to the ND SID office for the stats) including NINE from the incoming freshman class. Heck, Ty had a 13-person recruiting class while he was here - we almost eclipsed that mark in freshmen playing.
Coach Weis will get this turned around. He and his staff work way too hard for improvement not to show up. The players work too hard every day not to get better. Saturday was a rude awakening to everyone that this team is a long way away from greatness, but not that far away from respectability.
Also - Michigan losing was the greatest thing I have every seen happen. I relish it, I dance a jig about it, it is great, great, great news. The scUM deserve everything they get.
The dawning of the Jimmy Clausen era is good for everyone. The #1 QB from last year's recruiting class should be starting (compared to who we have on the roster) and would have been starting if not for his elbow surgery over the summer.
There is no way to completely erase Saturday's game, but the more and more I watch the replay and think about things, the more Saturday begins to make sense. We set a record for the number of freshmen and sophomores playing in a season opener (the number was a staggering 31). There were 16 players making their first appearance every in an Irish uniform (kudos to the ND SID office for the stats) including NINE from the incoming freshman class. Heck, Ty had a 13-person recruiting class while he was here - we almost eclipsed that mark in freshmen playing.
Coach Weis will get this turned around. He and his staff work way too hard for improvement not to show up. The players work too hard every day not to get better. Saturday was a rude awakening to everyone that this team is a long way away from greatness, but not that far away from respectability.
Also - Michigan losing was the greatest thing I have every seen happen. I relish it, I dance a jig about it, it is great, great, great news. The scUM deserve everything they get.
Monday, September 3, 2007
"Never thought I would see this..."
"Never thought I would see this from a Charlie Weis team..." that is the single refrain you will hear from Notre Dame fans over the next few days. It WAS ugly, but not as horrible as we will all make it out to be. There are silver linings to be found in everything - and at least now we can say that the Demetrius Jones era is over - and it took less than a half to figure that out.
DJ looked like a deer in the headlights, which is disappointing to the nth-degree. He was supposed to be a gamer. He was supposed to be ready to step up. He has been on the team for a year - and looked like he just showed up on Aug. 2.
Sharpley looked about as good as he could in the situation he was put in. The offensive line hung him out to dry all day, he still stood in there and completed some passes.
Clausen is the present now. Not just the future. With our OL problems, we might have to run the shot gun every snap and throw quick passes - and Jimmy is the only guy on the team seemingly capable of doing that. Good luck son, your first career start is in Happy Valley.
More to come...
DJ looked like a deer in the headlights, which is disappointing to the nth-degree. He was supposed to be a gamer. He was supposed to be ready to step up. He has been on the team for a year - and looked like he just showed up on Aug. 2.
Sharpley looked about as good as he could in the situation he was put in. The offensive line hung him out to dry all day, he still stood in there and completed some passes.
Clausen is the present now. Not just the future. With our OL problems, we might have to run the shot gun every snap and throw quick passes - and Jimmy is the only guy on the team seemingly capable of doing that. Good luck son, your first career start is in Happy Valley.
More to come...
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
"I can't wait to see..."
Time for a recurring theme that we will try to post every week before the game.
I can't wait to see....
... whoever becomes the starting quarterback prove how great a coach the Robot Football Genius is
... the first blind side hit on the GT QB from a blitzing linebacker coming out of our new 3-4
... the emergence of Armando Allen and Golden Tate as big play threats
... saying "Who the hell was that?" after one of our underclassmen makes a big play
... That Idiot From ESPN start sweating already about his preseason prediction
... the Irish come out of the tunnel for another season
... Corwin Brown jumping up and down on the sidelines with his players after a big defensive play
... Tommy Zbikowski let everyone know that he is bringing the hammer with him all year
... my friends, the most dedicated alumni group in the nation, back in town again for ND football
Bring it Tech... just fricking bring it....
I can't wait to see....
... whoever becomes the starting quarterback prove how great a coach the Robot Football Genius is
... the first blind side hit on the GT QB from a blitzing linebacker coming out of our new 3-4
... the emergence of Armando Allen and Golden Tate as big play threats
... saying "Who the hell was that?" after one of our underclassmen makes a big play
... That Idiot From ESPN start sweating already about his preseason prediction
... the Irish come out of the tunnel for another season
... Corwin Brown jumping up and down on the sidelines with his players after a big defensive play
... Tommy Zbikowski let everyone know that he is bringing the hammer with him all year
... my friends, the most dedicated alumni group in the nation, back in town again for ND football
Bring it Tech... just fricking bring it....
Cautious Optimism
Cautious optimism. Sure, you can say that any college football fan feels that way. But has there ever been a better way to decribe Notre Dame fans and the way they feel right now?
Saturday, when the Irish take the field for the first time in 2007, several serious questions will be answered about the Charlie Weis era.
1. How is recruiting going? If we go through the entire game without seeing a significant performance from a freshman or sophomore - how can we really say that recruiting is coming around? But, if these kids step up, the future is bright.
2. How is the evolution of Coach Weis the head coach going? He has followed two mantras thus far with the Irish. 2005 was beat them down, build them back up. 2006 was embrace the high demands that come with success and step up to the challenge. 2007 is demand results, but don't carry such a big stick. So far, Weis has been 'pleased' with his team and 'encouraged' - many of the same trait that we saw in 2005. If we can post a similar performance like the 2005 opener (Pitt is was viewed in '05, in much the same light as GT in in '07) than we can take a big sigh of relief.
3. What is the future of the qb situation? If JC trots out, we might have a three year starter. If DJ trots out, everyone will be saying - when will JC play? If Evan is the guy, everyone will wonder why JC and DJ couldn't step up (I can see the headlines now - 'Injury Holds Back JC' and 'Is DJ A Bad Fit For A Weis Offense?'
But all these questions are the madness of being a Notre Dame fan - at least over the last 10 years. Gone are the days when we could puff out our chests and say that things really are turned around. The Davieham Era taught us that absolutely nothing will be taken for granted - or assumed to be on the right track. In fact, during the Davieham Era, I think we jumped five tracks and eventually ended up on that railroad portion from Back to the Future III - right into Eastwood Gulch.
What Saturday's game means to Notre Dame fans is simple - another sign that Weis has us on the right track. 2005 was an enormous step forward. 2006 was a quasi-disappointment for a team that was not ready for the big time (though let's be honest, MSU and UCLA will resonate FOREVER with this generation of ND fans). 2007 could turn out to be like 2005 again...
In the time that I have monitored Notre Dame football - it is those surprise seasons that mean more than any of the others. 1988, 1993, 2005, they were all huge surprises, somewhat coming out of nowhere. Those are just the best. Don't get me wrong, I love to beat down the opposition when you are on top (which I think is going to happen in the coming years) but those surprise seasons - when you don't expect excellence but are suddenly slapped across the face with it - those can be the sweetest.
Saturday, when the Irish take the field for the first time in 2007, several serious questions will be answered about the Charlie Weis era.
1. How is recruiting going? If we go through the entire game without seeing a significant performance from a freshman or sophomore - how can we really say that recruiting is coming around? But, if these kids step up, the future is bright.
2. How is the evolution of Coach Weis the head coach going? He has followed two mantras thus far with the Irish. 2005 was beat them down, build them back up. 2006 was embrace the high demands that come with success and step up to the challenge. 2007 is demand results, but don't carry such a big stick. So far, Weis has been 'pleased' with his team and 'encouraged' - many of the same trait that we saw in 2005. If we can post a similar performance like the 2005 opener (Pitt is was viewed in '05, in much the same light as GT in in '07) than we can take a big sigh of relief.
3. What is the future of the qb situation? If JC trots out, we might have a three year starter. If DJ trots out, everyone will be saying - when will JC play? If Evan is the guy, everyone will wonder why JC and DJ couldn't step up (I can see the headlines now - 'Injury Holds Back JC' and 'Is DJ A Bad Fit For A Weis Offense?'
But all these questions are the madness of being a Notre Dame fan - at least over the last 10 years. Gone are the days when we could puff out our chests and say that things really are turned around. The Davieham Era taught us that absolutely nothing will be taken for granted - or assumed to be on the right track. In fact, during the Davieham Era, I think we jumped five tracks and eventually ended up on that railroad portion from Back to the Future III - right into Eastwood Gulch.
What Saturday's game means to Notre Dame fans is simple - another sign that Weis has us on the right track. 2005 was an enormous step forward. 2006 was a quasi-disappointment for a team that was not ready for the big time (though let's be honest, MSU and UCLA will resonate FOREVER with this generation of ND fans). 2007 could turn out to be like 2005 again...
In the time that I have monitored Notre Dame football - it is those surprise seasons that mean more than any of the others. 1988, 1993, 2005, they were all huge surprises, somewhat coming out of nowhere. Those are just the best. Don't get me wrong, I love to beat down the opposition when you are on top (which I think is going to happen in the coming years) but those surprise seasons - when you don't expect excellence but are suddenly slapped across the face with it - those can be the sweetest.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Robot Football Genius - Just F---king With Everyone
After watching the first week of football practice on und.com - I have come to one simple conlusion.
Either Jimmy Clausen is the starting quarterback - or he is not going to play at all. Robot Football Genius is just meesing with everyone either way. JC is going to start from day one (and behind closed doors he is whipping the ball all over the place) or he is not going to start and RFG is just playing with people...
I don't see any in-between... either he is starting day one - or not playing at all.
Either Jimmy Clausen is the starting quarterback - or he is not going to play at all. Robot Football Genius is just meesing with everyone either way. JC is going to start from day one (and behind closed doors he is whipping the ball all over the place) or he is not going to start and RFG is just playing with people...
I don't see any in-between... either he is starting day one - or not playing at all.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Notre Dame Fan Commandments
There was, at one time, a 10 commandments put out for ND fans that are on the back of a t-shirt. It was also included in the book The Gipper's Ghost -
1. Thou shalt not tarnish the image of Notre Dame.
2. Thou shalt always remember the importance of alumni contributions - and score touchdowns accordingly.
3. Remember to always keep protected thy quarterback.
4. Honor thy coach.
5. Thou shalt not fumble.
6. Thou shalt not get caught in the act of committing a needless penalty.
7. Thou shalt not sell thy Notre Dame football tickets above their actual face value.
8. Thou shalt not be a hot dog.
9. Thou shalt not covet thy oppnent's cheerleaders.
10. Thou shalt not lose to USC.
All straight and to the point - and all still accurate to this day. I do think, however, that we need some more commandments to live by - so I propose my own. And let's get rid of this 'thou shalt' crap... and give it a twist. Each one of these statements will end with -
... and call yourself a true Notre Dame fan.
1. You cannot travel overseas during football season...
2. You cannot plan or attend a marriage in your family during football season (including bye weeks)...
3. You cannot give/sell your tickets to fans of the opposing team...
4. You cannot waste a game ticket on someone who doesn't care about football and only wants to be 'seen' at the games....
5. You cannot abstain from following the Irish on the road and cheering them on...
6. You cannot stomach, cheer, or accept any other college football team in the nation...
7. You cannot personally attack Notre Dame players...
8. You cannot spend and entire season away from Notre Dame Stadium on game day weekends...
9. You cannot enjoy the play-by-play or commentary of Brent Musberger, Bob Davie, Keith Jackson, Bob Griese or Mark May.
10. You cannot, under any circumstances, embrace anything positive about the University of Michigan or Southern Cal...
Some comments for each -
#1 - Don't plan an overseas trip in the fall, then complain that you can't watch the football game. Your fault for traveling.
#2 - There is ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE to get married in the fall. NONE. It robs your friends of both their money (for plane fare) and off time to get to home games each season. Don't even try to sell me on the bye week scenario either. If you are friends with true ND fans - they make every effort to get to the Bend every home game in the fall. Who the hell are you to ask them to spend their off time - on a bye week - to go to your wedding? Stop thinking about yourself....
#3 - The only caveat here is if you have a very close relative that might be an alumnus of the opposing team. You can go to the game with them at ND Stadium - but they better sit there with reverential respect.
#4 - This is for females who don't know what the hell is going on (not all females, you all know who I am talking about), women who are dressed like they are at church, young kids who don't understand what is going on (basically, anyone under the age of six) and old people that bitch and moan when you get up and cheer. Stay home and watch it on tv if you don't like me cheering.
#5 - Any true fan goes into the lions den and cheer for their team. Plus, it gives you perspective in just how great ND Stadium is - literally, 80% of the other places out there are complete dumps.
#6 - There is only one great college football program in the nation - Notre Dame. End of discussion.
#7 - You can cuss their names when they make a bad play, but you cannot PERSONALLY attack ND football players - they are 18-22 year olds - deal with the mistakes they make and move on. It is not like they are out there not trying...
#8 - True ND fans attend a home game every season - with seven of them each season - no excuses not to get to one.
#9 - Bunch of bums - the lot of them.
#10 - no description needed.
1. Thou shalt not tarnish the image of Notre Dame.
2. Thou shalt always remember the importance of alumni contributions - and score touchdowns accordingly.
3. Remember to always keep protected thy quarterback.
4. Honor thy coach.
5. Thou shalt not fumble.
6. Thou shalt not get caught in the act of committing a needless penalty.
7. Thou shalt not sell thy Notre Dame football tickets above their actual face value.
8. Thou shalt not be a hot dog.
9. Thou shalt not covet thy oppnent's cheerleaders.
10. Thou shalt not lose to USC.
All straight and to the point - and all still accurate to this day. I do think, however, that we need some more commandments to live by - so I propose my own. And let's get rid of this 'thou shalt' crap... and give it a twist. Each one of these statements will end with -
... and call yourself a true Notre Dame fan.
1. You cannot travel overseas during football season...
2. You cannot plan or attend a marriage in your family during football season (including bye weeks)...
3. You cannot give/sell your tickets to fans of the opposing team...
4. You cannot waste a game ticket on someone who doesn't care about football and only wants to be 'seen' at the games....
5. You cannot abstain from following the Irish on the road and cheering them on...
6. You cannot stomach, cheer, or accept any other college football team in the nation...
7. You cannot personally attack Notre Dame players...
8. You cannot spend and entire season away from Notre Dame Stadium on game day weekends...
9. You cannot enjoy the play-by-play or commentary of Brent Musberger, Bob Davie, Keith Jackson, Bob Griese or Mark May.
10. You cannot, under any circumstances, embrace anything positive about the University of Michigan or Southern Cal...
Some comments for each -
#1 - Don't plan an overseas trip in the fall, then complain that you can't watch the football game. Your fault for traveling.
#2 - There is ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE to get married in the fall. NONE. It robs your friends of both their money (for plane fare) and off time to get to home games each season. Don't even try to sell me on the bye week scenario either. If you are friends with true ND fans - they make every effort to get to the Bend every home game in the fall. Who the hell are you to ask them to spend their off time - on a bye week - to go to your wedding? Stop thinking about yourself....
#3 - The only caveat here is if you have a very close relative that might be an alumnus of the opposing team. You can go to the game with them at ND Stadium - but they better sit there with reverential respect.
#4 - This is for females who don't know what the hell is going on (not all females, you all know who I am talking about), women who are dressed like they are at church, young kids who don't understand what is going on (basically, anyone under the age of six) and old people that bitch and moan when you get up and cheer. Stay home and watch it on tv if you don't like me cheering.
#5 - Any true fan goes into the lions den and cheer for their team. Plus, it gives you perspective in just how great ND Stadium is - literally, 80% of the other places out there are complete dumps.
#6 - There is only one great college football program in the nation - Notre Dame. End of discussion.
#7 - You can cuss their names when they make a bad play, but you cannot PERSONALLY attack ND football players - they are 18-22 year olds - deal with the mistakes they make and move on. It is not like they are out there not trying...
#8 - True ND fans attend a home game every season - with seven of them each season - no excuses not to get to one.
#9 - Bunch of bums - the lot of them.
#10 - no description needed.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Camp Begins, Excitement Builds
You cannot help but get excited when fall camp begins. Love everything about it. The unknowns, the press conferences, the players you have never heard of finally showing up.
With that in mind, off the top of my head here are the top 'Holy Cow This Guy Will Be Good This Year But I Have Never Heard Of Him' -
Corey Mays (2005) - Hardly ever played before 2005, went out and finished second on the team in tackles and will forever be remembered, at least by this blog, of the hit on Michael Hart from scUM that knocked his butt out of the game.
Kevin McDougal (1993) - At one point, was going to be a senior who lost his job to a freshman - Ronnie Potts. Potts got hurt late in fall practice, McDougal looked at Lou and said 'I can do this' and went out and led his team to one dropped INT and one long FG from a national championship. Arguably, the top one-year starting QB in ND history - right there with John Huarte, though, after a thought, have to give that title to Huarte. Went from 50 attempts in his first two seasons (and no monograms) to winning the Heisman Trophy as a senior first-year starting QB. Hard to beat that.
Matt Shelton (2003) - Came out of no where making spectacular plays in fall practice. Went on to break the ND record for yards per reception in a season.
Shane Walton (2000) - Dude was a soccer player who suddenly showed up in the lineup - and never left. Worked his way into a unanimous All-America selection later in his career.
There are many more, but these are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Feel free to leave a comment for more.
Also, here is our best guess of who will be that guy this year:
- John Ryan
- Toryan Smith
- James Aldridge
- Armando Allen
- Duval Kamara
- Pat Kuntz
With that in mind, off the top of my head here are the top 'Holy Cow This Guy Will Be Good This Year But I Have Never Heard Of Him' -
Corey Mays (2005) - Hardly ever played before 2005, went out and finished second on the team in tackles and will forever be remembered, at least by this blog, of the hit on Michael Hart from scUM that knocked his butt out of the game.
Kevin McDougal (1993) - At one point, was going to be a senior who lost his job to a freshman - Ronnie Potts. Potts got hurt late in fall practice, McDougal looked at Lou and said 'I can do this' and went out and led his team to one dropped INT and one long FG from a national championship. Arguably, the top one-year starting QB in ND history - right there with John Huarte, though, after a thought, have to give that title to Huarte. Went from 50 attempts in his first two seasons (and no monograms) to winning the Heisman Trophy as a senior first-year starting QB. Hard to beat that.
Matt Shelton (2003) - Came out of no where making spectacular plays in fall practice. Went on to break the ND record for yards per reception in a season.
Shane Walton (2000) - Dude was a soccer player who suddenly showed up in the lineup - and never left. Worked his way into a unanimous All-America selection later in his career.
There are many more, but these are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Feel free to leave a comment for more.
Also, here is our best guess of who will be that guy this year:
- John Ryan
- Toryan Smith
- James Aldridge
- Armando Allen
- Duval Kamara
- Pat Kuntz
Monday, July 30, 2007
ND - Michigan, 25 more years
In a devastating blow to those wishing ill-will on those making the football schedules at Notre Dame, the Irish signed a 25-year extension of the Michigan series today - games all the way until 2031 with the Wolverines.
It makes sense on several levels. The two winningest programs in college football should play each other. It is always good to have a rival you hate on your schedule - so Michigan on there every year is fine. Also, don't let the scUM fans out there fool you - they are kicking themselves over this one. Their plan was to eventually get to a schedule that they only had to play one game every year (OSU) and play it at Michigan every year. Too bad kids, you get to be on our sked every year for the peak time of the Robot Football Genius era and get to provide us with a signature win early every year.
Little history for you crazy kids out there. Michigan did come to South Bend in 1887 and teach ND students how to play football, taking away a 8-0 victory. They eventually met seven more times from 1887 - 1908 while we got our legs under us in college football. Finally, in 1909 we went up to Ann Arbor (that fricking whore) and won 11-3. Suddenly, the Wolverine didn't want to play us anymore. How much did we scare them off? Try 33 years. They wouldn't schedule us again (despite repeated attempts by us) and launched a campaign to keep us out of the Big Ten (thanks guys, I mean seriously, thank you so much, the Big Ten sucks).
Since the we really started to play Michigan regularly (after splitting meetings in 42-43, we didn't play Michigan again until 1978) ND is 12-9-1 against scUM. So, that flippant 14-18-1 record against them really ain't the truth, eight of those wins came before 1909.
Unanswered in this whole thing is the report that KW indicated that Oklahoma was going to end up on the ND schedule to replace Michigan (who wanted to ND to play at The Whore two consecutive years). That seems like it will not happen now, but with OU still end up on the sked... we shall see...
Oh, and I love it when I am proven right. Don't judge future schedules until they actually come out. Anything that is being bandied about now is pure speculation!
It makes sense on several levels. The two winningest programs in college football should play each other. It is always good to have a rival you hate on your schedule - so Michigan on there every year is fine. Also, don't let the scUM fans out there fool you - they are kicking themselves over this one. Their plan was to eventually get to a schedule that they only had to play one game every year (OSU) and play it at Michigan every year. Too bad kids, you get to be on our sked every year for the peak time of the Robot Football Genius era and get to provide us with a signature win early every year.
Little history for you crazy kids out there. Michigan did come to South Bend in 1887 and teach ND students how to play football, taking away a 8-0 victory. They eventually met seven more times from 1887 - 1908 while we got our legs under us in college football. Finally, in 1909 we went up to Ann Arbor (that fricking whore) and won 11-3. Suddenly, the Wolverine didn't want to play us anymore. How much did we scare them off? Try 33 years. They wouldn't schedule us again (despite repeated attempts by us) and launched a campaign to keep us out of the Big Ten (thanks guys, I mean seriously, thank you so much, the Big Ten sucks).
Since the we really started to play Michigan regularly (after splitting meetings in 42-43, we didn't play Michigan again until 1978) ND is 12-9-1 against scUM. So, that flippant 14-18-1 record against them really ain't the truth, eight of those wins came before 1909.
Unanswered in this whole thing is the report that KW indicated that Oklahoma was going to end up on the ND schedule to replace Michigan (who wanted to ND to play at The Whore two consecutive years). That seems like it will not happen now, but with OU still end up on the sked... we shall see...
Oh, and I love it when I am proven right. Don't judge future schedules until they actually come out. Anything that is being bandied about now is pure speculation!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Hatred Scale
For those ND fans who might be new to the scene - here is the ranking of hatred of Notre Dame's rivals -
1. USC - Has always been #1 and always will be #1. Anything associated with USC is deplorable. If you are a Notre Dame fan - you cannot marry a USC fan. USC is the easiest answer I can give as to why people have religion - because it is clear that Satan is powerful because USC is successful.
2. Miami (Fla.) - We don't play them anymore - because both schools agreed that it was a good idea. Fights in the tunnels, blow outs issued by both sides - and the greatest college football game played of all-time (ND - Miami, Oct. 15, 1988) keep these guys #2.
3. Michigan - This hatred runs deep and will never diminish. First off, their so-called stadium is an abomination to college football. It is out-dated and a horrible place to watch a game. Plus, Michigan's anti-Catholic stance while part of the old school Big Ten will never be completely forgiven. That is why the Big Ten's pursuit of us is completely out of line - and ND was right to say no to them. We tried to join the fledgling conference at least 10 times during the 20s and 30s, only to be turned away - mostly because Fielding Yost hated Catholics. Oh, he was also pissed because we became better at the sport than the Wolverines.
4. Ohio State - Has moved up to the top five with a bullet. First off, OSU fans are off their rockers nuts - and not in a good way. Burning down the city whether you win or lose doesn't mean you are rabid fans - just means that you are nuts. And it must be said that OSU has dealt us some serious losses in the last few years - and that always adds to the hatred factor.
Oh, and for new ND fans - don't get caught up in the Boston College (Fredo) hype. They don't really factor into the hatred scale - because they are really meaningless. Not only did they sacrifice their Northeast tradition and the roots of their pedestrian college football success for the pursuit of money in the ACC. Fredo is just jealous and like a little brother you can't stand, not really worth your hatred, more just your pitty.
Hanging on the outside, wishing they were rivals who could require hatred but have not been successful enough against Notre Dame to rate on the hatred scale: Michigan State, LSU, Pittsburgh, Penn State, Purdue.
1. USC - Has always been #1 and always will be #1. Anything associated with USC is deplorable. If you are a Notre Dame fan - you cannot marry a USC fan. USC is the easiest answer I can give as to why people have religion - because it is clear that Satan is powerful because USC is successful.
2. Miami (Fla.) - We don't play them anymore - because both schools agreed that it was a good idea. Fights in the tunnels, blow outs issued by both sides - and the greatest college football game played of all-time (ND - Miami, Oct. 15, 1988) keep these guys #2.
3. Michigan - This hatred runs deep and will never diminish. First off, their so-called stadium is an abomination to college football. It is out-dated and a horrible place to watch a game. Plus, Michigan's anti-Catholic stance while part of the old school Big Ten will never be completely forgiven. That is why the Big Ten's pursuit of us is completely out of line - and ND was right to say no to them. We tried to join the fledgling conference at least 10 times during the 20s and 30s, only to be turned away - mostly because Fielding Yost hated Catholics. Oh, he was also pissed because we became better at the sport than the Wolverines.
4. Ohio State - Has moved up to the top five with a bullet. First off, OSU fans are off their rockers nuts - and not in a good way. Burning down the city whether you win or lose doesn't mean you are rabid fans - just means that you are nuts. And it must be said that OSU has dealt us some serious losses in the last few years - and that always adds to the hatred factor.
Oh, and for new ND fans - don't get caught up in the Boston College (Fredo) hype. They don't really factor into the hatred scale - because they are really meaningless. Not only did they sacrifice their Northeast tradition and the roots of their pedestrian college football success for the pursuit of money in the ACC. Fredo is just jealous and like a little brother you can't stand, not really worth your hatred, more just your pitty.
Hanging on the outside, wishing they were rivals who could require hatred but have not been successful enough against Notre Dame to rate on the hatred scale: Michigan State, LSU, Pittsburgh, Penn State, Purdue.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Football Schedule Madness
Notre Dame football fans have officially lost their minds - they are out of control with this Kevin White bashing. I would challenge absolutely any of them to do the job. Seems easy from the outside - it ain't on the inside. I am no Kevin White lover, mind you, but the necessity of Irish 'fans' out there bashing him just because there is nothing else to talk about is ignorant.
You CANNOT judge football schedules before they are released... you just can't. Get over yourselves and start getting fired up about the upcoming season.
You CANNOT judge football schedules before they are released... you just can't. Get over yourselves and start getting fired up about the upcoming season.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Jumbotron and schedule madness...
ND fans really need to get a grip on themselves right now. Since there is no practice and no recruiting news, The Nation is in an uproar about our scheduling policies - and what is really funny is that they don't even know what the future schedules are.
This is all coming from a story in Alabama that Nick Saban would like to play Notre Dame. Got news for you people - ANYONE would like to play Notre Dame. We fill up any piece of crap stadium (yes, I am looking at you Michigan and MSU) every time we visit - teams would absolutely fall all over themselves to get on our schedule.
The days when our schedules were laid out several years in advance are gone forever. Right now, only the 2007 and 2008 schedules are finalized. Our '07 schedule is among the best, if not THE best in the nation right now. We play Ga. Tech at home, Penn State on the road, Michigan on the road, MSU at home, Purdue on the road, UCLA on the road, BC at home and USC at home. Not one single team in the nation has a slate like that. Then, thank goodness, we have a little bit of a break toward the end of the year with Navy, Air Force, Duke and Stanford.
Breaking it down further, the Duke game was a fill-in when the NCAA shifted its rules to allow a 12th game - so it was very difficult to find a last-minute fill in to play - and who was not going to get a visit to their stadium back again.
Also - something that has NEVER been brought up and should be pointed out - while games vs. the academies are somewhat given wins - no one wants to play them because they are a pain in the ass. They don't ever give up (like a Western Michigan or Florida Atlantic would) and they play crazy offenses and defenses that actually force you to coach up your team (compared to playing Utah State or some team similar who just plain sucks). You won't see big-time programs putting Navy on their schedule because they have respect for them and know that if you don't bring it - they might just put you on your ass. Same with Air Force - not so much with Army (that program is a mess).
Back to the future schedules - the 2008 slate looks like this:
San Diego State at home
Michigan at home
at Michigan State
Purdue at home
Stanford at home
at North Carolina
at Washington
Pittsburgh at home
at Boston College
at Navy
Syracuse at home
at Southern Cal
Ummmm... okay, what gimmes are on this sked? San Diego State for one, but people don't realize that is a pay back game to the conference for making some arrangments with us in the past. North Carolina you would assume will get it turned around with Butchy Boy and won't be a pushover. We'll have to deal with the Washington-Willingham crap again (if he still has a job) and who knows, the Cuse could get it together as well. What the heck is wrong with this schedule? Not only that, we will be in the Southeast (at UNC), Northwest (at Washington), east coast (at Boston College), east coast again (Navy in Baltimore) and California (at USC). Pretty much gives alumns across the country a chance to see us play. Quit your bitching Irish fans.
Speculation on 2009 includes another good home opener-type (Nevada) and the usual suspects Michigan, MSU, Purdue, USC, Pittsburgh, Stanford and a return to campus by Ty (perhaps, don't think he will have the job by then). But I stress - SPECULATION, no one knows for sure who is on that slate.
Michigan is perennially tough, as is MSU and Purdue, USC is good, Pitt is not bad either. How many good games do you want to play?
Here is the problem with Notre Dame fans - and they just can't help themselves. When Davieham was here and we were getting our butts kicked, everyone called for us to play a weaker schedule - the rally cry was 'No way we are going to compete for the national title with this schedule...' Now, the Robot Football Genius has us on the road back to a yearly race for the BCS and the fans want to play all of our usual rivals, along with Alabama, Miami, Texas and LSU... it just can't work out that way people... Choose a side and the side I choose is this:
Who knows who the next USC is (hires a hot shot coach and catches lightning in a bottle) and they might very well be on our schedule in the future. You CANNOT judge a schedule more than a year in advance anyway.
Oh, and as for the Jumbotron. Give it a rest. ND ain't putting in a Jumbotron and never will. Stop executing KW for something that is not even an issue.
This is all coming from a story in Alabama that Nick Saban would like to play Notre Dame. Got news for you people - ANYONE would like to play Notre Dame. We fill up any piece of crap stadium (yes, I am looking at you Michigan and MSU) every time we visit - teams would absolutely fall all over themselves to get on our schedule.
The days when our schedules were laid out several years in advance are gone forever. Right now, only the 2007 and 2008 schedules are finalized. Our '07 schedule is among the best, if not THE best in the nation right now. We play Ga. Tech at home, Penn State on the road, Michigan on the road, MSU at home, Purdue on the road, UCLA on the road, BC at home and USC at home. Not one single team in the nation has a slate like that. Then, thank goodness, we have a little bit of a break toward the end of the year with Navy, Air Force, Duke and Stanford.
Breaking it down further, the Duke game was a fill-in when the NCAA shifted its rules to allow a 12th game - so it was very difficult to find a last-minute fill in to play - and who was not going to get a visit to their stadium back again.
Also - something that has NEVER been brought up and should be pointed out - while games vs. the academies are somewhat given wins - no one wants to play them because they are a pain in the ass. They don't ever give up (like a Western Michigan or Florida Atlantic would) and they play crazy offenses and defenses that actually force you to coach up your team (compared to playing Utah State or some team similar who just plain sucks). You won't see big-time programs putting Navy on their schedule because they have respect for them and know that if you don't bring it - they might just put you on your ass. Same with Air Force - not so much with Army (that program is a mess).
Back to the future schedules - the 2008 slate looks like this:
San Diego State at home
Michigan at home
at Michigan State
Purdue at home
Stanford at home
at North Carolina
at Washington
Pittsburgh at home
at Boston College
at Navy
Syracuse at home
at Southern Cal
Ummmm... okay, what gimmes are on this sked? San Diego State for one, but people don't realize that is a pay back game to the conference for making some arrangments with us in the past. North Carolina you would assume will get it turned around with Butchy Boy and won't be a pushover. We'll have to deal with the Washington-Willingham crap again (if he still has a job) and who knows, the Cuse could get it together as well. What the heck is wrong with this schedule? Not only that, we will be in the Southeast (at UNC), Northwest (at Washington), east coast (at Boston College), east coast again (Navy in Baltimore) and California (at USC). Pretty much gives alumns across the country a chance to see us play. Quit your bitching Irish fans.
Speculation on 2009 includes another good home opener-type (Nevada) and the usual suspects Michigan, MSU, Purdue, USC, Pittsburgh, Stanford and a return to campus by Ty (perhaps, don't think he will have the job by then). But I stress - SPECULATION, no one knows for sure who is on that slate.
Michigan is perennially tough, as is MSU and Purdue, USC is good, Pitt is not bad either. How many good games do you want to play?
Here is the problem with Notre Dame fans - and they just can't help themselves. When Davieham was here and we were getting our butts kicked, everyone called for us to play a weaker schedule - the rally cry was 'No way we are going to compete for the national title with this schedule...' Now, the Robot Football Genius has us on the road back to a yearly race for the BCS and the fans want to play all of our usual rivals, along with Alabama, Miami, Texas and LSU... it just can't work out that way people... Choose a side and the side I choose is this:
Who knows who the next USC is (hires a hot shot coach and catches lightning in a bottle) and they might very well be on our schedule in the future. You CANNOT judge a schedule more than a year in advance anyway.
Oh, and as for the Jumbotron. Give it a rest. ND ain't putting in a Jumbotron and never will. Stop executing KW for something that is not even an issue.
Welcome!
Welcome to the first post on the newest blog to monitor all things Notre Dame - especially football - 'Spirits of Notre Dame.' The motivation for producing this blog is very simple. Notre Dame fans seem to be among the most misunderstood in college athletics, but most of that is their fault.
ND fans have the ability to overreact to just about anything ever uttered about their team. 'Spirits of Notre Dame' is going to monitor the overreaction and attempt to get the root of the issue - without losing our heads.
We have a passion for Notre Dame here - but we don't let the passion get in the way of logic, reason and our love for the University and its athletic teams. We are going to strive to be the one Notre Dame site that tells it the way it is.
I am sure there will be some venting (ND doesn't do everything the right way, that is a certainty), some crying after losses (who doesn't feel like crap after a loss) and some uninhibited attacking of other schools (there is not another school in the nation that is on par with Notre Dame - not one as far as we are concerned).
The 'Spirits of Notre Dame' title will also allow us some creativity - you might see some posts from Rockne, Leahy, Gipp - you name the famous former player or alum, they might just show up here and let you know what they are thinking.
We are due for a great football season this fall - so let us all just sit back and enjoy the ride.
ND fans have the ability to overreact to just about anything ever uttered about their team. 'Spirits of Notre Dame' is going to monitor the overreaction and attempt to get the root of the issue - without losing our heads.
We have a passion for Notre Dame here - but we don't let the passion get in the way of logic, reason and our love for the University and its athletic teams. We are going to strive to be the one Notre Dame site that tells it the way it is.
I am sure there will be some venting (ND doesn't do everything the right way, that is a certainty), some crying after losses (who doesn't feel like crap after a loss) and some uninhibited attacking of other schools (there is not another school in the nation that is on par with Notre Dame - not one as far as we are concerned).
The 'Spirits of Notre Dame' title will also allow us some creativity - you might see some posts from Rockne, Leahy, Gipp - you name the famous former player or alum, they might just show up here and let you know what they are thinking.
We are due for a great football season this fall - so let us all just sit back and enjoy the ride.
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