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.