Time to find the real fans..

[GreatGolson]

Well boys, times are getting tough, weve dropped 3 in row now, things are looking a lot like last year, my disappointment is that every week this site implodes, however, if theres any good to come out of this, its that its given us a dose of reality that Kelly is not going to do anything amazing this year, however, that does not mean he wont be successful in the long run. However it seems many "diehards" are already jumping ship. As a long time fan who survived 07, i think we can come out of this thing, but were gunna loose some friends along the way, we just need to wake up and smell the coffee, look at the big picture (recrutinng, changing mentalities) and say "WE ARE GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION" Very few coaches are able to completely turn a team around in year 1, even Nick Saban (who can get anyone he wants for his team) went 7-5 in his first season, and 3 years later won a championship, so now I just ask that if your not in this thing for the long haul, get out now, but if you are a true Notre Dame Football fanatic, you will stay with us and when we finally lift the crystal ball, we can remember how hard it was, how much we had to persevere, and it will make it that much better. Go Irish

 

[GoingGreen]

As a long time fan who survived 07, i think we can come out of this thing, but were gunna loose some friends along the way, we just need to wake up and smell the coffee, look at the big picture (recrutinng, changing mentalities) and say "WE ARE GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION" Very few coaches are able to completely turn a team around in year 1, even Nick Saban (who can get anyone he wants for his team) went 7-5 in his first season, and 3 years later won a championship, so now I just ask that if your not in this thing for the long haul, get out now, but if you are a true Notre Dame Football fanatic, you will stay with us and when we finally lift the crystal ball, we can remember how hard it was, how much we had to persevere, and it will make it that much better.

Intense run-on sentence.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Well boys, times are getting tough, weve dropped 3 in row now, things are looking a lot like last year, my disappointment is that every week this site implodes, however, if theres any good to come out of this, its that its given us a dose of reality that Kelly is not going to do anything amazing this year, however, that does not mean he wont be successful in the long run. However it seems many "diehards" are already jumping ship. As a long time fan who survived 07, i think we can come out of this thing, but were gunna loose some friends along the way, we just need to wake up and smell the coffee, look at the big picture (recrutinng, changing mentalities) and say "WE ARE GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION" Very few coaches are able to completely turn a team around in year 1, even Nick Saban (who can get anyone he wants for his team) went 7-5 in his first season, and 3 years later won a championship, so now I just ask that if your not in this thing for the long haul, get out now, but if you are a true Notre Dame Football fanatic, you will stay with us and when we finally lift the crystal ball, we can remember how hard it was, how much we had to persevere, and it will make it that much better. Go Irish

Haha I read in the other poster that you were going to start this thread. Dude I agree with you man Honestly this loss was a lot less painful than the previous two weeks. It can only get better I think.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Intense run-on sentence.

Lol that's the truth!

 

[GreatGolson]

Intense run-on sentence.

Its been proven that run ons are the best way to make points.

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

Well boys, times are getting tough, weve dropped 3 in row now, things are looking a lot like last year, my disappointment is that every week this site implodes, however, if theres any good to come out of this, its that its given us a dose of reality that Kelly is not going to do anything amazing this year, however, that does not mean he wont be successful in the long run. However it seems many "diehards" are already jumping ship. As a long time fan who survived 07, i think we can come out of this thing, but were gunna loose some friends along the way, we just need to wake up and smell the coffee, look at the big picture (recrutinng, changing mentalities) and say "WE ARE GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION" Very few coaches are able to completely turn a team around in year 1, even Nick Saban (who can get anyone he wants for his team) went 7-5 in his first season, and 3 years later won a championship, so now I just ask that if your not in this thing for the long haul, get out now, but if you are a true Notre Dame Football fanatic, you will stay with us and when we finally lift the crystal ball, we can remember how hard it was, how much we had to persevere, and it will make it that much better. Go Irish

I only got through your first severly run-on sentence of your post....so forgive me....

What implosion of the site? Do tell... It's been my estimation that things have been pretty tame. What have you seen that I haven't?

 

[Shamrocks and Shenanigans]

Well said, but, I think everyone on this site is a true fan. It is natural to get frustrated and rant and rave when your team gets beat down the way we did today. My father is 75 years old and flips out to this day when ND plays poorly, but I don't know anyone that is a bigger fan. We will be here for the long haul and the rewards will be that much sweeter. Could be worse, we could be the Cubs fans. Go Irish!

 

[GreatGolson]

Well not as bad this week, but just so many people who started the season saying the best things, and then the night of the loss they go absolutly nuts. then the next morning theyre explaining why were gunna beat down the team we play that week, and the cycle continues.

 

[McInator]

Well boys, times are getting tough, weve dropped 3 in row now, things are looking a lot like last year, my disappointment is that every week this site implodes, however, if theres any good to come out of this, its that its given us a dose of reality that Kelly is not going to do anything amazing this year, however, that does not mean he wont be successful in the long run. However it seems many "diehards" are already jumping ship. As a long time fan who survived 07, i think we can come out of this thing, but were gunna loose some friends along the way, we just need to wake up and smell the coffee, look at the big picture (recrutinng, changing mentalities) and say "WE ARE GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION" Very few coaches are able to completely turn a team around in year 1, even Nick Saban (who can get anyone he wants for his team) went 7-5 in his first season, and 3 years later won a championship, so now I just ask that if your not in this thing for the long haul, get out now, but if you are a true Notre Dame Football fanatic, you will stay with us and when we finally lift the crystal ball, we can remember how hard it was, how much we had to persevere, and it will make it that much better. Go Irish

No offense, but you don't define who is a real fan and who is not.

I am definitely willing to give Kelly the benefit of the doubt and a couple of years, but I have dialed down my expectations permenantly. I don't ever expect us to be able to compete with the Bamas of the world consistently. We aren't going to get the kind of kids you need to win NCs. Sure, we can become a Stanford like team and compete for a top tier bowl game, but I haven't seen anything in the last 15 years that makes me think we can win BCS games.

 

[GreatGolson]

I never called anyone out nor did i say "you are not allowed to be a fan if you have doubts" all i am saying is that if you are just going to talk highly of our team one day, and then trash them the next, this is not the place for you.

 

[Junkhead]

It's disappointing and we pretty much know Kelly will get it turned around, but most of us are probably pretty numb to losing. I hate to say it, but it didn't even phase me this time.

 

[NDMontana]

Well boys, times are getting tough, weve dropped 3 in row now, things are looking a lot like last year, my disappointment is that every week this site implodes, however, if theres any good to come out of this, its that its given us a dose of reality that Kelly is not going to do anything amazing this year, however, that does not mean he wont be successful in the long run. However it seems many "diehards" are already jumping ship. As a long time fan who survived 07, i think we can come out of this thing, but were gunna loose some friends along the way, we just need to wake up and smell the coffee, look at the big picture (recrutinng, changing mentalities) and say "WE ARE GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION" Very few coaches are able to completely turn a team around in year 1, even Nick Saban (who can get anyone he wants for his team) went 7-5 in his first season, and 3 years later won a championship, so now I just ask that if your not in this thing for the long haul, get out now, but if you are a true Notre Dame Football fanatic, you will stay with us and when we finally lift the crystal ball, we can remember how hard it was, how much we had to persevere, and it will make it that much better. Go Irish

I hope that Kelly is given a chance to fail or succeed by the fans.

I was for the Kelly acquisition because he's a proven head coach, a proven winner.

The problem I see is this, and it's nothing new, he can't recruit Marty Gilyard type players to ND because ND is one of those crappy universities that actually expects student-athletes to fulfill both the student and athlete sides of the equation.I know, right, who do they think they are?

ND has been getting a lot of good recruits lately but are any of them Percy Harvin or Reggie Bush-esque? Not really. And a lot of those good recruits are going to dry up as players come to South Bend and watch ND get steamrolled by Stanford.

I bitched A LOT last season about academic standards but really thought about it over the offseason and came to the conclusion that ND should keep the standards and I'll lower my expectations. So I decided that seven wins will be good and anymore than that will be an astounding success. I've been following Boise State closely ever since they moved up, (whole family lives in Boise) so Boise State is a close second in my heart and they're my "this team can actually compete and win and be in the BCS team".

And that's the reality of ND football: close losses to Michigan and Michigan State are acceptable and, actually, it's incredible that ND even hangs with those teams; Losses to USC by double digits are a fact of life.

ND has standards and that is worthy of praise in the times we live in. I like the standards, support the standards and have accepted that the football program has slipped into the middle tier with nowhere to go but down, but hopefully will just maintain where they're at and that's reality.

If you can't accept that as fact then you'd best find a new team or prepare to spend every Saturday in the fall, from now until you meet your Maker, being very frustrated. Of course NBC probably won't renew ND when this contract is up and we'll be relegated to watching ESPN News for scores but that's life.

 

[Riddickulous]

GreatDayne strikes again with another great post.

 

[no.1IrishFan]

It's disappointing and we pretty much know Kelly will get it turned around, but most of us are probably pretty numb to losing. I hate to say it, but it didn't even phase me this time.

What he said.

 

[jason_h537]

It's disappointing and we pretty much know Kelly will get it turned around, but most of us are probably pretty numb to losing. I hate to say it, but it didn't even phase me this time.

This game was torture. It was a slow burn, even at 19-6 when realistically we could have come back they just owned us. It was like they knew everything we would do. Very demoralising for any team. It was both impressive and depressing

 

[GreatGolson]

GreatDayne strikes again with another great post.

Thankyou, im sure theres some sarcasm in that but ignorance is bliss i guess.

 

[Riddickulous]

Thankyou, im sure theres some sarcasm in that but ignorance is bliss i guess.

No sarcasm. I like your optimism.

 

[GreatGolson]

oh, well thanks Shaq after the MSU game i took a breif hiatus from posting to do some "ND Soul Searching" kinda came back with this outlook. I was going to post something similar even if we won, but after the loss, i feel this is what we needed.

 

[McInator]

I hope that Kelly is given a chance to fail or succeed by the fans.

I was for the Kelly acquisition because he's a proven head coach, a proven winner.

The problem I see is this, and it's nothing new, he can't recruit Marty Gilyard type players to ND because ND is one of those crappy universities that actually expects student-athletes to fulfill both the student and athlete sides of the equation.I know, right, who do they think they are?

ND has been getting a lot of good recruits lately but are any of them Percy Harvin or Reggie Bush-esque? Not really. And a lot of those good recruits are going to dry up as players come to South Bend and watch ND get steamrolled by Stanford.

I bitched A LOT last season about academic standards but really thought about it over the offseason and came to the conclusion that ND should keep the standards and I'll lower my expectations. So I decided that seven wins will be good and anymore than that will be an astounding success. I've been following Boise State closely ever since they moved up, (whole family lives in Boise) so Boise State is a close second in my heart and they're my "this team can actually compete and win and be in the BCS team".

And that's the reality of ND football: close losses to Michigan and Michigan State are acceptable and, actually, it's incredible that ND even hangs with those teams; Losses to USC by double digits are a fact of life.

ND has standards and that is worthy of praise in the times we live in. I like the standards, support the standards and have accepted that the football program has slipped into the middle tier with nowhere to go but down, but hopefully will just maintain where they're at and that's reality.

If you can't accept that as fact then you'd best find a new team or prepare to spend every Saturday in the fall, from now until you meet your Maker, being very frustrated. Of course NBC probably won't renew ND when this contract is up and we'll be relegated to watching ESPN News for scores but that's life.

I would have agreed with all of this until late last year. Stanford's academics are way more rigorous than ND's and they are for real.

 

[NDMontana]

Bravo on the overall theme. Support the team or jump ship...you can't sit in the crow's nest taking pot shots when times are bad and descend to the deck when times are good. I'm just hoping that people adjust their expectations to realisitc levels. ND is going to be like Texas Western winning an NCAA Championship in the 60's. Twenty years from now kids won't believe that ND ever won National Championships. Those days are gone, the echoes are but a faint whisper already.

Don't sit around waiting for ND to win big again...won't happen.

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

It's disappointing and we pretty much know Kelly will get it turned around, but most of us are probably pretty numb to losing. I hate to say it, but it didn't even phase me this time.

I know what you mean. Right after the last play, I turned off the TV, and calmly asked my wife, "What do you want to do for dinner?" She kinda looked at me weird. I think she walked on egg shells for more than a few minutes, afraid I was just going to explode at any given minute.

 

[IrishGiant]

Bravo on the overall theme. Support the team or jump ship...you can't sit in the crow's nest taking pot shots when times are bad and descend to the deck when times are good. I'm just hoping that people adjust their expectations to realisitc levels. ND is going to be like Texas Western winning an NCAA Championship in the 60's. Twenty years from now kids won't believe that ND ever won National Championships. Those days are gone, the echoes are but a faint whisper already.

Don't sit around waiting for ND to win big again...won't happen.

Funny they were saying the same things back in 1963.

 

[NDMontana]

I know what you mean. Right after the last play, I turned off the TV, and calmly asked my wife, "What do you want to do for dinner?" She kinda looked at me weird. I think she walked on egg shells for more than a few minutes, afraid I was just going to explode at any given minute.

I second that. It was beautiful here in Montana today and with few of these days left my wife asked if I wanted to watch ND or Boise State. I had to pick one or the other because we couldn't spend a day like this inside. Without hesitation I picked Boise State.


My wife couldn't believe it. I said I figured ND would lose (though I didn't think they'd get an *** kicking like that). When ND lost--I caught part of the second half-- my wife very sheepishly asked what I'd like for dinner? I looked at her and asked what was wrong. She said she figured I was upset. I told her I expect ND to lose so I wasn't even a little upset. I'm actually really going to enjoy football again. It's amazing what coming to realizations can do for you.

 

[Junkhead]

I know what you mean. Right after the last play, I turned off the TV, and calmly asked my wife, "What do you want to do for dinner?" She kinda looked at me weird. I think she walked on egg shells for more than a few minutes, afraid I was just going to explode at any given minute.

Keeping the wife in fear is all good. Then they know when to step off. Or something.

 

[NDMontana]

Keeping the wife in fear is all good. Then they know when to step off. Or something.

That's what a back hand is for. J/K

 

[NDMontana]

Funny they were saying the same things back in 1963.

Well times have changed. Kids with an NFL future don't, for the most part, want to be bothered with classes. They want to play in temperate climates. They want to play against top 50 teams every week (aka not Navy(most years), Purdue, Army, etc.). They want to play for teams who have won in their lifetime or at least their recent memory-which ND has not since 1991 so today's high schoolers weren't even born yet!


At this point the difference between ND and Minnesota is that Minnesota has a brand new stadium and happening night life.

I'm lucky enough to remember '88 and I cherish the memory. But I'm not delusional and won't allow myself to ruin anymore Saturdays hoping ND will pull it out.ND is what they are and will be. I'm still watching and cheering but invest next to nothing emotionally. I sat back during the UM game and figured that they'd lose after Rudolph's TD. I wasn't going to get excited about a win as I expected the worst. And true to form ND delivered. Last second situations used to seem like a sure thing for ND...in the last ten years it's sure that they'll lose.

 

[IrishandColts]

Still on. Dayne just needs to develop more and not panic. I hope Rudolph and Floyd stays next year.

 

[Shamrocks and Shenanigans]

Still on. Dayne just needs to develop more and not panic. I hope Rudolph and Floyd stays next year.

They aren't going anywhere, the NFL is going to lockout. Not to mention the fact that they both need alot of work if they are going to perform well at the next level. They are great players, but they both still have a lot of work to do to step up to the NFL. Go Irish!

 

[kmoose]

I would have agreed with all of this until late last year. Stanford's academics are way more rigorous than ND's and they are for real.

Here's the problem with that, though: In order to turn a team around in a year or two (maybe even 3), you have to be able to get the Randy Mosses and Andy Katzenmoyers in. Or at least be able to raid the JUCOs. You can't do either of those, at ND. In order to build a team like Stanford, you have to have the time to get your guys in there. You also have to be an excellent evaluator of talent, and a great motivator/teacher. I think Kelly can get it done, but it is going to take time. Every time someone points that out, people complain that other coaches have done it in a year or two. But THOSE coaches were able to bring in the kind of players that Kelly can't. When that gets pointed out, then people throw Stanford out there, as an example of a school that has built a solid team, with the same kind of standards that ND has. It's really an apples and oranges comparison.

 

[edgesofsanity]

Well boys, times are getting tough, weve dropped 3 in row now, things are looking a lot like last year, my disappointment is that every week this site implodes, however, if theres any good to come out of this, its that its given us a dose of reality that Kelly is not going to do anything amazing this year, however, that does not mean he wont be successful in the long run. However it seems many "diehards" are already jumping ship. As a long time fan who survived 07, i think we can come out of this thing, but were gunna loose some friends along the way, we just need to wake up and smell the coffee, look at the big picture (recrutinng, changing mentalities) and say "WE ARE GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION" Very few coaches are able to completely turn a team around in year 1, even Nick Saban (who can get anyone he wants for his team) went 7-5 in his first season, and 3 years later won a championship, so now I just ask that if your not in this thing for the long haul, get out now, but if you are a true Notre Dame Football fanatic, you will stay with us and when we finally lift the crystal ball, we can remember how hard it was, how much we had to persevere, and it will make it that much better. Go Irish

Nicely stated. The beginning of this season I thought we'd go 7-5 - but I thought we'd take down Michigan It's a long hard road to get to NC status, and there are too many variables in our game to get there quickly. But you've hit it on the head - we're going in the right direction. Kelly has proven to be a winner at every level; the recruiting class coming in looks outstanding if they all come on board; the offense is looking better (especially considering the stiff pass def Standford came in with) - get on board this train now, b/c it'll be moving in the next few years.