ESPN Article on the Future

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fuzzingwhizbee85

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ESPN - New year, new hope for 2007's struggling teams - College Football

1. Notre Dame
Things simply couldn't be any worse in South Bend, Ind., after a 3-9 season. The Irish established a new level for "rock bottom" almost weekly. ND ranked dead last in Division I-A in total offense, 116th in scoring offense and rushing offense and 110th in passing. Worse still, the Irish lost to Navy for the first time in 44 games and lost nine games by more than 21 points per game.


Charlie Weis has reason to smile -- Notre Dame is looking up in '08.

On the bright side, the Irish did play a bunch of true freshmen, 11 in all. Linebackers Kerry Neal and Brian Smith were solid, as was NT Ian Williams and WR Duval Kamara. WR-KR Golden Tate flashed some much-needed big-play potential and QB Jimmy Clausen got a ton of experience. The Irish do lose a handful of key seniors, most notably DE Trevor Laws, their best player, and TE John Carlson. Still, Clausen should be better as Charlie Weis talked about him bulking up. His outside receivers will benefit from the added experience. And if Clausen doesn't get better fast, then incoming freshman Dayne Crist may overtake him. Even though the Irish O-line loses three-year starting center John Sullivan, it should be improved from the dismal showing in 2007, when they looked bewildered every time they faced a blitz. Another big plus: The schedule is lighter. The Irish trade Georgia Tech for San Diego State; UCLA for Washington; Air Force for Syracuse and Penn State for Pitt, meaning they lose four bowl teams and get back none.
 
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goldenlid

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Mark May also backed ND a little saying they have help coming and they should win 6 games and win a bowl game.
 
phork

phork

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With an *.

The * being if all committed are signed.
 
Polish Leppy 22

Polish Leppy 22

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Whoa whoa whoa...lost 9 games by more than 21 points? Come on, Bruce! I was singing your praises about your new book! But 9 games by more than 21 points? I only count 4...
 
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rockne19

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if weis loses 6 games next year he is gone! he needs to win a least 9 anything less would be a major let down!
 
johnnd05

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Polish Leppy 22 said:
Whoa whoa whoa...lost 9 games by more than 21 points? Come on, Bruce! I was singing your praises about your new book! But 9 games by more than 21 points? I only count 4...
Click to expand...

He said 21 points PER game in the losses ...
 
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Moostache

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No way is anything less than 9 wins acceptable next year....

I am moving the Michigan game from "toss-up" to "solid ND win" now....look at everything they lose:

Henne and Mallet = no QB experience....kinda like losing say Brady Quinn and starting a freshman QB in his second career start...

Hart gone = no RB experience of significance...kinda like say losing Darius Walker and resorting to True Freshmen and Sophomores for the majority of a running game...

Jake Long gone = loss of best OL-man....kinda like losing Ryan Harris (not to mention almost everyone else)...

Manningham and Arrington gone = no WR experience returning except for MAYBE the third or fourth best WR....sort of like losing Samardijza and McKnight???

I look at UM coming into South Bend for the second game of the year with a new coach, a new offense, NO returning experience on offense, a ton of losses on defense as well and possibly starting a freshman QB in his second ever start...

I think a 38-0 drubbing would be in order there.....but I'd settle for 47-21 too...

On a serious note, with ND's schedule next season and especially with the turn-over and up-heaval due at Michigan as Dick Rod reshapes the roster to fit his type of players, there's a REAL chance of ND heading to LA next November as THE story in college football...possibly unbeaten, possibly a top-5 team in the polls heading to play a highly ranked, infrequently beaten (or unbeaten) USC team...hey, its a trite motivational speaking buzz-phrase, but if people can't conceive it, they can't achieve it...starting a season with the expectation of 6 wins being anything less than a cataclysm is just flat out wrong!!!
 
phork

phork

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Moostache, can I please have some of the stuff you are smoking/drinking? Thanks.
 
NDOM

NDOM

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phork said:
Moostache, can I please have some of the stuff you are smoking/drinking? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Yeah I will take some too. I just dont see ND thumping Michigan like they do us every other year. We may beat them from time to time but I dont see any ass woopins in the future. Michigan ALWAYS has talent on that team and they seem to fare pretty well (Especially against us.) 9 wins???? I doubt it. 7 or 8 is what I'm leaning towards and a middle tier bowl game and WIN!!!!!!!
 
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Moostache

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I don't think its a matter of smoking the herb...

Michigan is going to be in very much a transitional year next season and unless people believe that Dick Rod is the second coming of Bear Bryant, that would mean a very up and down season with some likely early season growing pains.

Don't forget that Weis upset Michigan in his first year but hindsight makes that victory seem more attributable to unleashing the experienced talent on the ND roster (guys like Shark, Stovall, Quinn) than it had to do with Weis or his system alone. Michigan does NOT have an analogous situation because Dick Rod won't be playing with a bunch of experience on either side of the ball.

Anywho....all of that is beside the main point I wanted to make - its NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL....thinking (or saying) that 6, 7 or 8 win seasons is "expecetd" and / or "ok" is horrifying! Three years ago, at the depth of the Ty era that kind of thinking was threatening to take over and run the ND program straight into oblivion. Weis showed up, won 19 games in the first 2 years, made 2 BCS appearances and I thought the attitudes and expectation had been returned to what they should be - 9 or 10 wins or better or total disgust and disappointment from the fan base. Now after the cataclysmic meltdown of THAT Season, 2007, the mood of the fanbase seems to have flipped back to 2004 like nothing.

I don't really know if ND will be any good in '08...if I did KNOW it for certain I would be heading to Vegas soon to bet everything I could leverage on it...but one thing I DO know beyond a doubt is that regardless of the disappointment when the team fails to reach the highest of aspirations and goals, it is a pain that is preferable to a soul-crushing lowering of expectations to the point that someone could say they would be "ok" with a 6-6 or 7-5 season. Good god...Gerry Faust-like records can NEVER be the standard that people would be able to accept without massive consternation!
 
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ab2cmiller

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You make some good points Moostache in regards to who Michigan loses next year, but none of that will make any difference unless we control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Yes Michigan loses Jake Long, but I'm not sure what the rest of their offensive line looks like for next year.

If nothing else, this year we all have learned the importance of the line performance. If you have a strong line on offense/defense it can cover up weaknesses in other areas. If you have a weak line ...... it makes everything else look 10 times worse. If there is not significant improvement in the offensive line next year, we will not be blowing anyone out, especially Michigan.
 
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MirageSmack

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UM doesn't scare me that much. We win every other year even when they were loaded, so why the bleak outlook with them losing so much?
 
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Dillon2010

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I'm with Moostache. Our schedule is too easy to win anything less than 8, and we have a legitimate chance at 10 or 11. We would've won 6 games if we played all season like we did the last 2 weeks, and now all of those guys have another year of experience, a great freshman class is coming in, and an exponentially easier schedule. SDSU, Stanford, UNC, Pitt, Navy, and Cuse are solid wins, there's Mark's 6. I think we have the upper hand against Michigan, Purdue, Washington, BC, and since we play in East Lansing, MSU. I won't mention USC, but the streak has to end eventually right?

Of course I take back everything I just said if we can't beat the Aztecs.
 
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wjasonp71

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I think with the schedule and the players we have coming back. ND should win 8-9 with a bowl victory. I believe the first 2 games are CRUCIAL to a good or a bad season. Anything else would be a bonus.
 
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