This is rather long so please bare with me.
Before yesterdays game, we were thinking 7 - 5 and I thought really it was not a bad record. We were supposed to lose to MSU and really they out played us. UNC and Pitt were one play away from a victory. BC was, I have no idea,we just did not show up. I think a majority of people had those games as either a lose or a tough win for us when the season started. USC was always considered a lose. All of those teams have winning records and were in the hunt for the conference titles. Now comes the Syracuse game and after the game some deeper reflection. First let me say that whether it is on a fan board, talk radio, or throwing a snow ball no players or coaches deserve personal attacks. I thought it was terrible last year when people singled out Sullivan and I think it is terrible to personally attack JC, CW, BW or any player or coach. Say they played bad, but do not resort to name calling. The reports of snow balls being thrown at the game yesterday was sickening. What to the recruits that were there think of us after that. As Sam Wyche said long ago your not in Cleveland!!! Sorry BQ. Now for my list of problems with out team
1) Quicksand. You're playing and you think everything is going fine. Then one thing goes wrong. And then another. And another. You try to fight back, but the harder you fight, the deeper you sink. Until you can't move... you can't breathe... because you're in over your head. Like quicksand. Yes the Falco quote from the Replacements describes this team to a tee. UNC - second half INT, Pitt Personal Foul call, SU - bad snap on very make able FG. I think from the coaches to the players they are looking to make that one big play that gets everything back. It just does not happen.
2) No emotion. CW knows ND and the culture and everything that goes with it. He needs to learn that college football is played with emotion. He is used to those Pats teams he coached. They had no emotion. It was all business for them. Name me one emotional guy on those teams. The Giants teams he coached on had LT, Carson, Banks and a few others who had skill but increased that skill with emotion. We need Zorich and Aaron Taylor to join this staff just to get these guys emotionally into the game. Not since the USC game in 05, have I seen anything the looked like emotion from any one associated with this team.
3) Ara and Lou aren't coming back. Nope, they aren't. There is not a clone of them out there. I loved them both, still think they are the best, better than Bear, JoePa, McKay, any of their other peers. They could not win an NC with this team and probably would be 8 -3 maybe 9 - 2 with this team. CW should talk to them every day in-season and off-season. No disrespect to either of those gentlemen, but they were not given the program in such a state. Ty handed CW a wrecked car that needs lots of work. At the very least Faust gave Lou Tim Brown. We are still playing short handed. Texas, OU, TexTech, USC, and UF do not relay on the underclassmen we do. They play them and get great results, but from their linemen to the skill positions there is an upperclassmen to lead the way. Ara and Lou were at an advantage back in the day. If you were offered by ND, your parents thought great my kid will get a free education at a top notch university. They took the offer and did not worry about your playing time. They thought if you played well you might be a pro, but more than likely you will get a degree and have a better life. Today, every parent and every kid is think the Pros first, education later. Kids want to start as freshman and hopefully be gone after their sophomore year if not junior year. A kid would rather start at Boise, Kentucky, or Miami of Ohio than sit a year or too an ND.
4) No Coach is perfect. Many on other boards are wanting Leach, Stoops, Saban, Miles, or Meyer to be offered the job. First I do not think they would take it($$$$) and secondly not sure they could win here. Lastly they all have had bad games and or seasons. Miles almost lost to Troy and did lose to Ole Miss. Leach got taken to the wood shed last night ( maybe he can't win the big game, because that was the biggest he coached in, a lot was on the line). Stoops had some down years, Meyers want admissions concessions and Sabans looking for the next big contract. The only coach I know out there that supposedly has an ND clause is Hawkins at Colorado and after winning a Boise, he is not doing so while at Colorado. We can wish all we want but again I do not see us landing a big name like we did when we got Lou. Plus Lou had coached at a football school when he lead Arkansas to the Orange Bowl. They had a proud program back in the 60's and 70's. Luring a coach away from a big time program or even mid level might be more difficult today.
5) Don't say the team quit. I do not believe the team quit on CW. Nor did I believe they did that to Gerry. Unless you talked to a player and he said we just said hell with it do not say that. Because really you are saying that the players do not care about each other or Notre Dame.
None of this is meant to be a 100% endorsement of CW. He has issues. Being stubborn may work in the pros, it does not in college. He has two big things to learn in less than a year really. How to be a head coach and how to put emotion back in the football program. Look at the 1988 and 1993 teams, they won playing smart, tough, emotional, nasty football. Yesterday hurt, it hurt bad. More than any pounded we have taken recently from UM or USC. We need to rise above this as a program. Staff adjustment might be necessary. Philosophy might have to change. From a players stand point it appears as if the pieces to the puzzle are there, CW needs to put them together. I will be in his corner until the day the administration say he is no longer the man to lead us.
Before yesterdays game, we were thinking 7 - 5 and I thought really it was not a bad record. We were supposed to lose to MSU and really they out played us. UNC and Pitt were one play away from a victory. BC was, I have no idea,we just did not show up. I think a majority of people had those games as either a lose or a tough win for us when the season started. USC was always considered a lose. All of those teams have winning records and were in the hunt for the conference titles. Now comes the Syracuse game and after the game some deeper reflection. First let me say that whether it is on a fan board, talk radio, or throwing a snow ball no players or coaches deserve personal attacks. I thought it was terrible last year when people singled out Sullivan and I think it is terrible to personally attack JC, CW, BW or any player or coach. Say they played bad, but do not resort to name calling. The reports of snow balls being thrown at the game yesterday was sickening. What to the recruits that were there think of us after that. As Sam Wyche said long ago your not in Cleveland!!! Sorry BQ. Now for my list of problems with out team
1) Quicksand. You're playing and you think everything is going fine. Then one thing goes wrong. And then another. And another. You try to fight back, but the harder you fight, the deeper you sink. Until you can't move... you can't breathe... because you're in over your head. Like quicksand. Yes the Falco quote from the Replacements describes this team to a tee. UNC - second half INT, Pitt Personal Foul call, SU - bad snap on very make able FG. I think from the coaches to the players they are looking to make that one big play that gets everything back. It just does not happen.
2) No emotion. CW knows ND and the culture and everything that goes with it. He needs to learn that college football is played with emotion. He is used to those Pats teams he coached. They had no emotion. It was all business for them. Name me one emotional guy on those teams. The Giants teams he coached on had LT, Carson, Banks and a few others who had skill but increased that skill with emotion. We need Zorich and Aaron Taylor to join this staff just to get these guys emotionally into the game. Not since the USC game in 05, have I seen anything the looked like emotion from any one associated with this team.
3) Ara and Lou aren't coming back. Nope, they aren't. There is not a clone of them out there. I loved them both, still think they are the best, better than Bear, JoePa, McKay, any of their other peers. They could not win an NC with this team and probably would be 8 -3 maybe 9 - 2 with this team. CW should talk to them every day in-season and off-season. No disrespect to either of those gentlemen, but they were not given the program in such a state. Ty handed CW a wrecked car that needs lots of work. At the very least Faust gave Lou Tim Brown. We are still playing short handed. Texas, OU, TexTech, USC, and UF do not relay on the underclassmen we do. They play them and get great results, but from their linemen to the skill positions there is an upperclassmen to lead the way. Ara and Lou were at an advantage back in the day. If you were offered by ND, your parents thought great my kid will get a free education at a top notch university. They took the offer and did not worry about your playing time. They thought if you played well you might be a pro, but more than likely you will get a degree and have a better life. Today, every parent and every kid is think the Pros first, education later. Kids want to start as freshman and hopefully be gone after their sophomore year if not junior year. A kid would rather start at Boise, Kentucky, or Miami of Ohio than sit a year or too an ND.
4) No Coach is perfect. Many on other boards are wanting Leach, Stoops, Saban, Miles, or Meyer to be offered the job. First I do not think they would take it($$$$) and secondly not sure they could win here. Lastly they all have had bad games and or seasons. Miles almost lost to Troy and did lose to Ole Miss. Leach got taken to the wood shed last night ( maybe he can't win the big game, because that was the biggest he coached in, a lot was on the line). Stoops had some down years, Meyers want admissions concessions and Sabans looking for the next big contract. The only coach I know out there that supposedly has an ND clause is Hawkins at Colorado and after winning a Boise, he is not doing so while at Colorado. We can wish all we want but again I do not see us landing a big name like we did when we got Lou. Plus Lou had coached at a football school when he lead Arkansas to the Orange Bowl. They had a proud program back in the 60's and 70's. Luring a coach away from a big time program or even mid level might be more difficult today.
5) Don't say the team quit. I do not believe the team quit on CW. Nor did I believe they did that to Gerry. Unless you talked to a player and he said we just said hell with it do not say that. Because really you are saying that the players do not care about each other or Notre Dame.
None of this is meant to be a 100% endorsement of CW. He has issues. Being stubborn may work in the pros, it does not in college. He has two big things to learn in less than a year really. How to be a head coach and how to put emotion back in the football program. Look at the 1988 and 1993 teams, they won playing smart, tough, emotional, nasty football. Yesterday hurt, it hurt bad. More than any pounded we have taken recently from UM or USC. We need to rise above this as a program. Staff adjustment might be necessary. Philosophy might have to change. From a players stand point it appears as if the pieces to the puzzle are there, CW needs to put them together. I will be in his corner until the day the administration say he is no longer the man to lead us.
