This lynch mob mentality thread has some of the most embarrassing statements I’ve read in 10 years of ND internet boards. The inane statements about the departed players are not only embarrassing having been written by supposed ND fans, they show a complete lack of familiarity with ND football events this past Spring and Summer.
"Looks like they're all leaving because Ty Willingham ran soft practices and they're a little sore now, and they don't like that.” Rip Rap
“… thank goodness they are leaving.” diorgioiii
“I agree these are not the type of players we want to keep just to fill the sidelines, Ty's one supposed strength was that he was supposed to bring in great recruits and the "athletes" and from the looks at this program now; where are all these athletes and players, they were a bunch of softies that didnt belong on a championship caliber squad at this level.” KMac151993
“And no offense to any of the guys who are leaving, but it is good to get rid of the guys who have the losing attitude. That is a positive side I look to regarding such a young defense - they are probably itching to get in. .” diorgioiii
Do you guys have any substance for your smears?
“…they're all leaving because Ty Willingham ran soft practices and they're a little sore …”
Really Rip Rap then please explain why most of them got “a little sore” in Spring Ball, puked their way through conditioning drills, and then hung around to get sore and nauseous again in summer camp? Don’t softies quit early? Shouldn’t they have left months ago when they got a taste of the Weis way?
“… thank goodness they are leaving.”
Yeah, diorgioiii, who needs backups? ND can replace 20 year old upperclassmen with a new crop of inexperienced, under strength 18 year old freshmen next year. And let’s not consideration the graduation factor that we ND fans like to cite as distinguishing ND from the likes of Tennessee.
“… they were a bunch of softies that didnt belong on a championship caliber squad at this level.”
So now ND will fill their slots with walk-ons. Those are championship caliber walk-ons, right KMac? That’s probably why they all had so many scholarship offers at the Division 1 level, right KMac?
“…it is good to get rid of the guys who have the losing attitude.”
Which ones were “the guys who have the losing attitude”? “No offense” diorgioiii, but put some substance behind your BS statements and have the nads to name those you smear.
“That is a positive side I look to regarding such a young defense - they are probably itching to get in.”
Yes, unlike Leitko and Parish who competed on the field defensively and along with Vaughn were mainstay
veterans of Special Teams. You know Special Teams, diorgioiii, that’s the area Weis has stressed as the quickest to improve. Of the entire ND team in ’04 only Richardson with 242 Special Team appearances, Collins (gone) with 208 appearances, and Carlson with 192 were on the field for Special Teams more
than Parish. Leitko had 92 and Vaughn had 20.
Let’s review the student athletes, based on media reports available to all that took the time to read them, to separate some facts from your glittering generalities.
Duerson had questionable talent and did not play in ’04. But playing time was not the issue. His father’ s public statements about the Administration, the Board of Trustees, and the football coaches termination and hiring, coupled with his father’s domestic (legal) problem would have made it untoward for any of you, were it your father, to remain at any school be it at ND, Yale, or your local community college.
Kadous had a problem maintaining weight, not 5 or 10 lbs, but serious weight problems. Emotional? Probably. Weis related? Possibly. But I’ve know students who left school due to weight loss from academic stress, social strife, etc. He was expected to be a starter or even a key backup. But he was body and those are needed, even if only for the scout team.
Vaughn was a big (tall) backup WR that would have been a starter next year. In ’04 he played in 4 games as a WR for 9:11 minutes and made 20 Special Teams appearances as a gunner on the punt team. He proved tougher then Stovall and others that had been tried there before him. Vaughn got in trouble with Student Affairs and was suspended from UND. He chose not to sit out a year with no guarantee of readmission and transferred. Vaughn took personal responsibility for his problems and publicly thanked Weis for supporting him.
Parish had the 3rd most minutes of playing time,26:27 (played 12, started 1, 186 sp.) of the returning DBs. He was the nickel back and was a contender for a starting role. Weis acknowledged Parish had academic issues in Spring camp which hindered his practice time. Others made progress while Parish was off the field tending to those academic issues. When Parish announced his transfer he noted that he and Notre Dame weren’t the best fit. He publicly complimented Weis and stated that he would root for Notre Dame in the future. Doesn’t sound like a “soft”, “losing attitude” guy, does it?,
Leitko apparently had academic problems and was suspended from UND for a year ala Julius Jones. Leitko has stated that he is taking classes elsewhere and hopes to return to UND if readmitted. He only had 4:47 of playing time in 11 games. He had significant PT on Special Teams with 92 appearances. He was expected to be a major player in the Dline rotation in ’05.
Incarnato said he was tired of football and quit the team. A few days later he announced he was transferring to play elsewhere. He apparently got over his tiredness in a hurry. Incarnato wasn’t expected to be a principal backup but he was wide body on a very thin OLine.
Nicholas was expected to be DL backup this year. He was considered a swing player that could have been used at offensive guard on a decimated OL. He made it through Spring Ball, conditioning and most of summer camp. He may have had a disagreement with his position coach over PT but a “softie”? They quit early, not later.
