Website of the Month: November 2004

[QueensNY]

We still have some talent left especially from Ty's first class, but last years class was not up to ND standards, with this loss to Pitt and another one to USC we'll be lucky to crack the top 25 in recruiting this year. Our class is currently ranked 26th with about only 7 to 10 commits to go. Last years class one of ND's worst ranked 32nd in the country according to rivals, no one really had it in the top 25. Please fire TY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Vince Young]

Website of the month? Please... the guy who runs it is a poseur and a coward, judging from his response to my e-mail last week. I just sent him another one too, which I'll post here. Go ahead and compare what I actually wrote with what he'll probably claim I wrote...

=====

Subject: Here I go, doing your job for you...

There's a story floating around out there about Ty Willingham being interviewed after the Pittsburgh loss and basically responding to one question by nonchalantly stating that we're still guaranteed a winning record and that's that. It's out-of-context, so there could be more to it than on the surface, but on the surface it looks pretty bad. In fact, it's mentioned in one of the very stories you linked to from your site, and I figured you'd pounce on it and run with it. (And rightfully so, I might add. Nobody should be content with 6-5.)

Apparently, you don't even read the stories you link to.

See, that's why your website sucks. You seem utterly incapable of stringing together any sort of argument on your own for why Ty should be fired. All you do is read columns by people who agree with you and parrot their words for your list of reasons. And sometimes you can't even do THAT right.

You're also afraid of any ideas that disagree with yours. Hence your response to me last week, putting words in my mouth, ignoring my actual point, and replacing logic with insults... and being so brave too, splashing my name in boldface up at the top while your own name remains a bigger secret than the President's nuclear launch codes. Am I supposed to be impressed?

Unlike you, I have no fear of ideas I disagree with. That's why I discovered your site in the first place. That's why I read the articles you link to, the ones written by people who are actually capable of logical thought. And that's why even my patience for Ty is starting to wear thin... unlike you, I'm actually capable of admitting when I might be wrong. If Notre Dame went 12-0 next year (hey, I can dream...) I'd be cheering my lungs out. You? You'd still be quoting Ty's winning percentage as "only" .6875, 17th place all-time, and calling for his head. I'm certain of it.

Oh, and since you asked... next year's coach... Urban Meyer? I sure hope not. Gollee, his wide receiver corps sure was red-hot under Lou Holtz and Bob Davie during the golden Irish years of 1996-2000. And wow, what an impressive amount of head coaching experience, 4 whole years combined at Bowling Green and Utah. His 37-8 record against the mighty MAC and MWC conferences sure speaks for itself. And there's no shame in losing to Western Michigan, Miami of Ohio and Northern Illinois, or getting blown-out by powerhouses like South Florida (22-point loss) and Toledo (18-point loss). We can overlook all that, sure! He's the hottest thing since Enron!

As hostile as you were about Ty Willingham's pedigree, it floors me to see you salivating for Urban Meyer. Let him coach in a real conference for a couple of years, and then we'll see if he's really as good as the hype. Maybe he is the real thing, but he needs to prove it before we hand him the Irish coaching job. Otherwise, you're stuck with another Bob Davie or Ron Zook... both of whom also had questionable records as assistant coaches and lackluster head coach experience. Gee, sounds a lot like Urban Meyer. (To be fair, it sounds a lot like Ty as well.)

Alrighty, your turn again. Have fun twisting my words around on your website! Here, I'll even make it easy for you. "Ty Willingham is a f---ing genius." See, you can take it out of context and splash it up on your site, and you don't even have to do any real work!

Sincerely,
Vince Young

[irishbukkake]

< good post Mr. Young

Ty is a class act. If you give a high school coach 5 years then you should give Ty 5 years as well as he IS an established COLLEGE coach. We don't have a program like Colorado and Ohio State which are tainted with misconduct.

Any University can bring in talented criminals ( ie. - Miami) and promise them grades cars and girls.......but we have more than that. Coach Willingham raised the bar for what student athletes should be - why is that not something to be proud of.

Wins come and go - HONOR LASTS FOREVER

[Vince Young]

Actually, I have to disagree with you on the 5-year thing. People over on ESPN keep saying that if Bob Davie got 5 years, then Ty should've gotten 5 years. Well, why should we have given Bob Davie 5 years to begin with? Heck, if a coach goes 0-11 in their first year and loses every game by at least 20, I'd say you need to fire them after 1 year.

Nobody is entitled to X number of years to coach. You have to earn it. I felt that the victories over Michigan and Tennessee and the improved offense earned Ty a 4th year, albeit with the expectation of a much better record. Obviously, the trustees at Notre Dame felt differently. And while I like Ty, I can't say that I'm all that broken up over his departure. Heck, even TY doesn't seem that upset. In his press conference today, he pointed out that his main job as coach was to win, and he wasn't winning.

Honor is fine. Heck, honor is wonderful. But honor doesn't have to come at the expense of winning. See Knute, Ara and Lou. The ideal coach is one who upholds the honor of Notre Dame AND wins football games. And we can find a coach like that again if we look hard enough.

Good luck, Ty. Make good use of the lessons you learned in South Bend, and hopefully you'll get it right next time. And to the nameless coward behind FTW.com, I hope you don't sprain your shoulder from patting yourself on the back.

[NDLyght37]

I think Ty deserved 4 years. No more no less, but you can't evaluate his performance when he hasn't had a full recruiting class to work with. As good as Quinn & Walker have been this year, they would be that much better next year.

Ty will land on his feet, I just hope that ND doesn't make a mistake in hiring Meyer. Meyer is a great coach...but if he's 21-15 after 3 years, will we treat him the same as we have treated Willingham?

The House Of LaPhonso...est. 1990

[Vince Young]

In Ty's case, I agree: he deserved a 4th year and a chance to finish what he started.

But does EVERY coach deserve 4 years? No. If the guy goes 0-11 his first season and loses every game by 30, then that 1 year is more than enough to "evaluate his performance." I'm not going give him "a full recruiting class to work with." I'm gonna fire his ass.

[EnviedOne]

Originally Posted by NDLyght37

I think Ty deserved 4 years. No more no less, but you can't evaluate his performance when he hasn't had a full recruiting class to work with. As good as Quinn & Walker have been this year, they would be that much better next year.

Ty will land on his feet, I just hope that ND doesn't make a mistake in hiring Meyer. Meyer is a great coach...but if he's 21-15 after 3 years, will we treat him the same as we have treated Willingham?

The House Of LaPhonso...est. 1990

Excellent points.