Coach Edsall's Press Conference 11-8-11

[UmphreakDomer]

Quotes from Tuesday's News Conference

this is so eerily similar to all of BK's talking points. seriously, it's scary.

 

[johnnykillz]

Quotes from Tuesday's News Conference

this is so eerily similar to all of BK's talking points. seriously, it's scary.

Perhaps he has a role model.

Whys that scary?

 

[greyhammer90]

One thing that strikes me here is the player quotes. It's amazing how ND has to battle teams like this on a weekly basis. Every single team on our schedule has us as one of their top 3 games of the season. ND is really a tough place to play football because you're going to get big teams wanting to embarrass us on national tv, mediocre teams looking to make their season on us, and bad teams are looking to throw their best haymaker on national tv.

 

[UmphreakDomer]

it means its all just coach speak. just politics. i feel like the surly answers from kelly, however negatively might be perceived, are probably the closest to the truth of the program.

to me, they are almost beat for beat the same answers. way to close to be coincidence. that to me is eery.

 

[Anchorman]

One thing that strikes me here is the player quotes. It's amazing how ND has to battle teams like this on a weekly basis. Every single team on our schedule has us as one of their top 3 games of the season. ND is really a tough place to play football because you're going to get big teams wanting to embarrass us on national tv, mediocre teams looking to make their season on us, and bad teams are looking to throw their best haymaker on national tv.

Just to play Devil's advocate here...

USF: You're right
Michigan- I'd say OSU, us, MSU and Nebraska are the top 4. Not sure where we land there.
MSU- Michigan, Nebraska, Wisconsin. OSU. We're probably 3, 4 or 5 depending on who's picking.
Purdue/Pitt- Same as USF.
AF- Army/Navy/Boise. We're 3 or 4.
USC- Oregon/Stanford/Us. #3?
Navy- AF/Army/S. Carolina. We're 3 or 4.
Maryland/BC/Wake: All have bigger ACC match ups.
Stanford: Same deal as USC (USC, Oregon, us are top 3, with Washington at 4).

 

[johnnykillz]

Just to play Devil's advocate here...

USF: You're right
Michigan- I'd say OSU, us, MSU and Nebraska are the top 4. Not sure where we land there.
MSU- Michigan, Nebraska, Wisconsin. OSU. We're probably 3, 4 or 5 depending on who's picking.
Purdue/Pitt- Same as USF.
AF- Army/Navy/Boise. We're 3 or 4.
USC- Oregon/Stanford/Us. #3?
Navy- AF/Army/S. Carolina. We're 3 or 4.
Maryland/BC/Wake: All have bigger ACC match ups.
Stanford: Same deal as USC (USC, Oregon, us are top 3, with Washington at 4).

To people get up for our game? Sure. But maybe one of our problems is we don't get up for our games while others get up for a lot of them.

Michigan: Top 3
MSU: Top 2
Navy: #1 gauge (measuring stick [ of course we're low priority for winning. 40 + years of wins will do that to you. But they LOVE to beat ND. When they win, we were #1])
Stanford: Top 3
USC: #1

For all other schools looking to make a point: #1, unless they lose. Then no big deal.

"They're supposed to win. They're Notre Dame. They get the nation's best recruits and have a great TV contract." - General Consensus ND Hater in his late 40's
"ND is neat. They have cool tradition. But SC has babes and Bama rolls! SEC baby!" - Average 19-year-old boy in America

 

[Dizzyphil]

One thing that strikes me here is the player quotes. It's amazing how ND has to battle teams like this on a weekly basis. Every single team on our schedule has us as one of their top 3 games of the season. ND is really a tough place to play football because you're going to get big teams wanting to embarrass us on national tv, mediocre teams looking to make their season on us, and bad teams are looking to throw their best haymaker on national tv.

Yet many people, sports-writers, other fan bases, and general Irish haters seem to say we are irrelevant until it is time to play us in our house......hmmmm


Diz

 

[IrishSteelhead]

I'm tired of the "it's everyone's Super Bowl" argument to justify close games or losses against sub-par opponents. Any D-1 program that has any yarbles plays hard on 100% of the snaps in EVERY game, not just against ND.

Sure a rivalry spices up effort at the end of the year for bottom feeders trying to salvage a crappy season, but a win over ND doesn't mean what it used to, plain and simple. Is it big for the Tulsas of the world still? Sure. Is it still big in the grand scheme of things? No. Time to nut up or shut up boys, make playing ND an honor and privilege again, not just another Saturday on the schedule.

 

[greyhammer90]

I'm not saying its an excuse to lose to bad teams but trust me a win over ND still means something. Same way that a win over USC, Alabama, Ohio State, and Texas will always mean something even if they have a down or mediocre year. There are just certain teams that you circle on your calender. College football is very much a popularity contest and a name like Notre Dame on a calender brings something out in people. I go to Tennessee and my friends always tell me that when they play ND it is only third to Alabama and Florida on their schedule.

EDIT: Once again, not saying its an excuse to lose, because we were on that list of teams you wanted to beat over fifty years ago too. Didn't stop us then, shouldn't stop us now.

 

[Riddickulous]

]I'm tired of the "it's everyone's Super Bowl" argument to justify close games or losses against sub-par opponents. Any D-1 program that has any yarbles plays hard on 100% of the snaps in EVERY game, not just against ND[/B].

Sure a rivalry spices up effort at the end of the year for bottom feeders trying to salvage a crappy season, but a win over ND doesn't mean what it used to, plain and simple. Is it big for the Tulsas of the world still? Sure. Is it still big in the grand scheme of things? No. Time to nut up or shut up boys, make playing ND an honor and privilege again, not just another Saturday on the schedule.

I agree.

 

[irishff1014]

Edsall's beat us before and yes i know that this is a different coaching staff. But he is over rated as a coach. I hope we put this one away before half time.

 

[tko]

i'm just sick and tired of watching ND come out uninspired. if they try to sleepwalk through the first half saturday night they will get drilled by a 2-7 Maryland team.

 

[Domina Nostra]

I'm tired of the "it's everyone's Super Bowl" argument to justify close games or losses against sub-par opponents. Any D-1 program that has any yarbles plays hard on 100% of the snaps in EVERY game, not just against ND. . . . Sure a rivalry spices up effort at the end of the year for bottom feeders trying to salvage a crappy season, but a win over ND doesn't mean what it used to, plain and simple. Is it big for the Tulsas of the world still? Sure. Is it still big in the grand scheme of things? No. Time to nut up or shut up boys, make playing ND an honor and privilege again, not just another Saturday on the schedule.

You really think that every D1 program "plays hard on 100% of the snaps in EVERY game." You think Alabama plays with the same intensity against Ole' Miss or Vanderbilt as it does against Auburn or LSU? I have never heard a single coach echo that sentiment, and it certainly doesn't seem to be what I see on TV week in an week out.

I agree that its not a "superbowl," and beating ND certainly doesn't mean as much as it used to, but that doesn't mean that playing a big-time program with lots of hype and name-recognition doesn't help focus players. I think it does. I think Kelly's Cincinnati teams and that Utah team that crushed Alabama in the BCS got the benefit of the opposite effect: no matter how good they were, people had a hard time taking them seriously.

As far as an "excuse," I think that the name recognition makes life harder for mediocre ND teams, but easier for good teams. Five years ago, Alabama was in a similar boat and everyone wanted a piece. Now people fear them.

 

[N_D_Fighting_Irish]

I'm not saying its an excuse to lose to bad teams but trust me a win over ND still means something. Same way that a win over USC, Alabama, Ohio State, and Texas will always mean something even if they have a down or mediocre year. There are just certain teams that you circle on your calender. College football is very much a popularity contest and a name like Notre Dame on a calender brings something out in people. I go to Tennessee and my friends always tell me that when they play ND it is only third to Alabama and Florida on their schedule.

EDIT: Once again, not saying its an excuse to lose, because we were on that list of teams you wanted to beat over fifty years ago too. Didn't stop us then, shouldn't stop us now.

You are absolutely correct. I would add those who claim we are third in line are kidding themselves. They would HATE...I mean HATE to lose to us.

I have to say that Kelly didn't grasp the idea that teams get up and save something special when they play us. Last year he admitted that the opposing teams showed formations and play sets that he hadn't seen on tape. For example, Navy's "veer" caught us by surprise. Kelly seems better prepared this year with the only exception the USC game.

 

[NDinL.A.]

You really think that every D1 program "plays hard on 100% of the snaps in EVERY game." You think Alabama plays with the same intensity against Ole' Miss or Vanderbilt as it does against Auburn or LSU? I have never heard a single coach echo that sentiment, and it certainly doesn't seem to be what I see on TV week in an week out.

I agree that its not a "superbowl," and beating ND certainly doesn't mean as much as it used to, but that doesn't mean that playing a big-time program with lots of hype and name-recognition doesn't help focus players. I think it does. I think Kelly's Cincinnati teams and that Utah team that crushed Alabama in the BCS got the benefit of the opposite effect: no matter how good they were, people had a hard time taking them seriously.

As far as an "excuse," I think that the name recognition makes life harder for mediocre ND teams, but easier for good teams. Five years ago, Alabama was in a similar boat and everyone wanted a piece. Now people fear them.

Well, you beat me to it. No way in hell does every team play EVERY snap at 100%. Not even close. Shoot, look at Auburn last year...they let way too many teams get close to them, and they were the national champions! Go look at every team's schedule, and you'll see games in which the team just didn't get up mentally for an opponent.

But when ND comes to town, or when they come to SB...everyone on that team is fired up. You know you're going to on national TV, you know it's going to be on Sportscenter should you win, you know the nation will be watching and talking about you, etc etc etc. Anyone arguing otherwise simply hasn't been paying attention.

USC has to deal with the same thing. Every Pac 10 team wants to knock them off...badly. That's why you've seen them lose at least one game to a vastly inferior opponent almost every year for the past decade.

This is not to excuse ND's sleepwalking through the beginning of some games, but the letdown games and the hangover games and the fact that everyone gets up for ND - those things are very, very real.

 

[connor_in]

Yet many people, sports-writers, other fan bases, and general Irish haters seem to say we are irrelevant until it is time to play us in our house......hmmmm


Diz

That's like whenever there is an article at a national site like ESPN or USA Today or someplace, one of the first comments in the comment section is along the lines of "Who cares? They have been irrelevant for a long time now" and yet they feel the need to not only go to and read the article, but take the time to comment on it as well...How freakin irrelevant are we if people constantly do this?

If a newspaper wrote an article on Podunksville, IN elected a new dogcatcher yesterday, do you go to the article, read it in full, then leave a comment about how irrelevant the town or the person or the article in general is?

As Jimmy from South Park says "I mean...come on!"