Did you thank Willingham for today's beating?

[scooper]

As he gets healthy, I think you'll see more of Hand this year.

 

[IRISHMAN]

thank you TW for only bringing in four OL recruites in three years (the other two from the 2004 class transfered).

 

[SillyIrish]

Thanks Ty for the memories.

 

[irishfan81]

yep me too you idiot for your lame recruiting classes except for the Brady class. I think next year we will be starting freshmen and sophomores.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

I disagree. I think there was enough talent on the field so that we could have been a lot more competitive. We just played a terrible game. I don't think Michigan is 27 points better than us and tbh, I don't think they are better than us at all in the first place. That's hard to say after such a big loss, but we got off to a horrible start in a series that is supposed to consist of incredibly close games. That knocked everything out of synch.

Did Ty's recruiting hurt us? Yeah, definitely, and we'll especially notice it next year.

You are right on. Ty definitely hurt us. We are without depth.

HOWEVER, we had the tools to win. We just self-combusted.

 

[irishnd31]

Thanks Ty.

My only comfort comes from knowing that you landed in a shittier situation than what you left our recruiting classes. See ya at the Pro Ams.

 

[jiggafini19]

You know, lost in the Michigan blowout was the fact that UW beat Fresno State Saturday.

Didn't see haters or apologists clamoring on that one.

Perhaps we have finally moved on?

 

[tgolden]

just my opinion, Willingham had nothing to do with the loss. Besides Walker and Crum, Talley and Lambert are both out there contributing. I realize that Lambert had a bad game Sat., but he was still a pretty sought after player. And at least at this point in time, he's as good as or better than the McNeil and Walls or he wouldn't be in there at all. Also, Ferrine would be contributing, but he's injured, and Vernaglia plays even if not so well at times.

I don't know of many ND fans who said that Weis won with Ty's players, so why should ND fans say that Weis lost with Ty's players? Brady, Zibby, Jeff, Rhema, Wooden, Thomas, Ndukwe are all Willingham players too. But they've been in Weis' system for over a year, they're all Weis' players now. IN Willingham's second year, no one said they were losing b/c he still had Davie's players left over.

Seriously, Willingham had nothing to do with it.

I think some ND fans will try to blame every bad thing that happens to an ND team on Davie and Willingham forever. But I guess we could blame it on Faust too.

I'm not trying to insult anyone, but I'm really sick and tired of people bashing Willingham and everything he did to ND 2 years after he left. He's gone. We have Weis now. We've got to live and die with what Weis brings to the table.

 

[ralphwaldoemerson]

I think all those senior players you named (the hyped ones) are overrated, and are still essentially the same 3-4 star guys with minimal coaching their first couple years that Ty made them. Brady has looked flat out bad against good defenses, even under Weis. It's time to consider the possibility that he is not an elite quarterback, but rather a good one in a good system who racks up numbers against bad teams but can't do jack against real ones. So far his accomplishments against good D's are limited to gutsy QB keepers. NFL scouts are backpeddling and with good reason. This guy is a mirage.

Zbikowski similarly seems to be a lot of hype for relatively little production. Couple of undoubtedly big plays in his career, and at big times, but talentwise where is he really?

Lambert is just awful.

And on, and on, and on.

These guys are myths. They're "make the best of it" players. Clausen, Gray, Walls, McNeil, Trattou and Co. are NOT myths. And when enough such players are here playing for a coach is who is also not a myth (as Weis indeed isn't), we won't see our team beat up on cupcakes, narrowly escape inspired cupcakes, and get beat up by legitimate power teams and embarrassed on a big stage.

 

[jiggafini19]

After reading Tim Prister's new book, I have reached complete and utter peace with the whole situation.

Read that book and if you don't think the right decisions were made you're completely nuts. I won't give any spoilers.

 

[ralphwaldoemerson]

I don't think Prister's book could possibly make people feel better about THIS season. Or even next season. The Michigan game and last year's Ohio State game tell us all we need to know about the current abilities of the current roster, regardless of where the program is headed.

 

[proudndfan]

We might have a depth problem now but that's not gonna last long with Weis

 

[stan5545]

Ralph, how can you say that all those seniors in HIGH SCHOOL are not myths. They haven't proved anything yet on the big stage. The kids have to develop or they will just be what you call mirages.

And how can you say Tommy Z is not playing good. He's all over the field, just because he hasn't returned any punts for a touchdown does not make him bad, we've only had three games. Let me know if you believe differently.

GO IRISH!!!

 

[ralphwaldoemerson]

They're not myths in that they're top ranked recruits who will have nothing but the best coaching. Brady was not a top recruit, and he had Willingham coaching him for two years. And it's shown. Walker likewise. And the defense likewise. Even the wideouts likewise. These were not top players. They were all perhaps above average players who benefitted from a great scheme and a lot of games against cupcakes. Except for perhaps Samardzija, I'd say none of them have pulled their weight in the big games.

 

[Óglaigh_na_hÉireann]

Well, an O$U friend referred to Samardzija as "the big game choke"....on Friday of last week. I sort of agreed with him at the time.

So if you're going to label some guys as 'above average players'..well, I think the Shark has more to prove than Rhema does...he does go up against some double coverage, though, so I'll give him that.

 

[ralphwaldoemerson]

Fine, NONE of them are legit. Feel better?

The only legit guys on the team are freshmen. Guys like Young, Walls, McNeil. And some guys we haven't seen yet. And guys coming in like Clausen, Gray, Kumara, Ragone, Trattou, maybe Benn and a few others if we get them. Those are legit guys. Top flight recruits who'll come into a system with top flight coaching.

 

[ralphwaldoemerson]

Also, Samardzija had TD receptions last season against Michigan and USC, and had THE game against Tennessee. He also had a TD catch this year against Michigan. He had a bad Fiesta Bowl, by his standards, but he's gotten his licks in against top flight teams in big spots in a way that no other player on the team really has.

 

[TonyTiger]

While lesser-talent is the reason Notre Dame lost, dosent every coach have to go through this when they take over a team?

 

[irish4life99]

While lesser-talent is the reason Notre Dame lost, dosent every coach have to go through this when they take over a team?

Not all the time. Ty had one decent class, his last two were horrible. He left the cup boards empyt at ND. He only recruited like 4 OL in 3 years. We have NO depth on the OL and thin across the board.. Those are the facts, and are not in dispute. Anyone saying anything else is just a Ty homer and we only have one Ty homer here.

 

[ralphwaldoemerson]

While lesser-talent is the reason Notre Dame lost, dosent every coach have to go through this when they take over a team?

Yes, in most cases, but I'm not really sure what the point is. How many coaches have taken over a team and won the national title in one or two years? It ain't easy. Weis has done about as well as could be done to this point. He was taking over a team that'd been .500 the past two years, or maybe a little worse than .500. He's taken them to the Fiesta Bowl so far. This year I think he'll take them to another BCS bowl, but that'll be based on how they play against USC, and today.

 

[onenybrother]

That fawking Willingham was such a fawing waste. It's a damn shame what Notre Dame have become since the early ninties. It's sad when you think of all the great player we had over the years. Now it's come to this. Cheering for a team that we no is flawed, wtih the slow ass players Ty left us with. To get toast the way we did last week was disgrace. I expect us to come out today in front of the home crowd and kick some ass today. No more fawking excuses. Time to step the fawk up.!!!

 

[ralphwaldoemerson]

Game is in East Lansing.

 

[onenybrother]

I meant to say in front of the fans. But the message means the same. Get a fawking win.