I have enjoyed reading the post on Irishenvy after stumbling across the site a couple years ago and finally decided to register in order to post my own thought.
I am not a bleeding blue and gold fan, I could not recite stats or past players but I have followed ND since my teen years. Being raised catholic, I thought I should support a good catholic school and spent many fall afternoons listening to a scratchy broadcast of the games on my transistor radio. I remember agonizing over close losses and rejoicing in the triumphs. Over the years I have followed other programs including yes even USC. I enjoyed watching Reggie Bush grow up as he is a local boy and I had seen him play in high school. The SC/ND games got me hooked again and I began following the blue and gold for the last few years. Like a bad train wreck, I find myself drawn to stare in disbelief.
You can parse the winning percentages, recruiting classes, officiating and media bias all you want but the bottom line is this is not the ND football I remember from the past. I think alot of you have allowed a like or dislike of Charlie to become the issue. Maybe he is a great recruiter, maybe they really are on the cusp of greatness and next year will bring a NC..... I don't think so. There are a couple aspects of this program that stand out in my mind that I no longer see and I think these are larger than computer rankings and SOS.
1. I have always remembered the ND football as being synonimous with O line strength. It seems as thought there has always been at least one or more All American in that line. While the current group has improved in their protection of Clausen, I rarely see them impose their will on an opponent. I was shocked three years ago watching an undersized Navy team manhandle ND's front line. Three years later I don't see much difference. There are some great individual players but collectively they have not dominated much of anything.
2. I have always admired ND's character. I have made both my boys sit through Rudyjust to show them what character is. I dare say that Jimmy's press confrence when he signed would have never occured under Holtz. A limo, entourage and high school champion rings are not what ND football is. That may work in the SEC but not in South Bend. While Jimmy has certainly grown up, that never should have happened.I have not seen Charlie set the standard of letting your actions on the field speak louder than your words.
3. One advantage of having higher academic standards is that you don't look like FSU. ND has always had players with football intelligence. Think about how many times over the last five years you have watched players make bad choices on the field that have hurt the team. That points right back to the coaching staff.
Last of all, when I think back to those days growing up, I always believed that ND would prevail. No matter what the score was begining the fourth quarter, I just knew they would be on top at the end. While that was not always the case, you never lost hope. You just knew they were Notre Dame and the other team was not. I have not seen that in Charlie's time. The players look listless at times, the coaches look bewildered, the fans look as though they hoping to ignore the inevitable. Yes they have come from behind for several wins this year, but did you ever know in your heart they would or were you just hoping. Yes I know a W is still a W but should ND be beating Purdue, Wash and BC at the last second? Charlie reminds me of Norv Turner, a great offensive mind who is lost on the sidelines and believeme, I get to see a lot of Norv.
Given the schedue ND plays next year, Charlie might be able to pick up a few more wins but will the team really be better or will it have picked up a few more wins. At the end of the end of the day it is not just the record but the strength of the program and I don't see that Charlie has made the program stronger. College football needs a strong Notre Dame, ther is too much history to become a team that once was.
I am not a bleeding blue and gold fan, I could not recite stats or past players but I have followed ND since my teen years. Being raised catholic, I thought I should support a good catholic school and spent many fall afternoons listening to a scratchy broadcast of the games on my transistor radio. I remember agonizing over close losses and rejoicing in the triumphs. Over the years I have followed other programs including yes even USC. I enjoyed watching Reggie Bush grow up as he is a local boy and I had seen him play in high school. The SC/ND games got me hooked again and I began following the blue and gold for the last few years. Like a bad train wreck, I find myself drawn to stare in disbelief.
You can parse the winning percentages, recruiting classes, officiating and media bias all you want but the bottom line is this is not the ND football I remember from the past. I think alot of you have allowed a like or dislike of Charlie to become the issue. Maybe he is a great recruiter, maybe they really are on the cusp of greatness and next year will bring a NC..... I don't think so. There are a couple aspects of this program that stand out in my mind that I no longer see and I think these are larger than computer rankings and SOS.
1. I have always remembered the ND football as being synonimous with O line strength. It seems as thought there has always been at least one or more All American in that line. While the current group has improved in their protection of Clausen, I rarely see them impose their will on an opponent. I was shocked three years ago watching an undersized Navy team manhandle ND's front line. Three years later I don't see much difference. There are some great individual players but collectively they have not dominated much of anything.
2. I have always admired ND's character. I have made both my boys sit through Rudyjust to show them what character is. I dare say that Jimmy's press confrence when he signed would have never occured under Holtz. A limo, entourage and high school champion rings are not what ND football is. That may work in the SEC but not in South Bend. While Jimmy has certainly grown up, that never should have happened.I have not seen Charlie set the standard of letting your actions on the field speak louder than your words.
3. One advantage of having higher academic standards is that you don't look like FSU. ND has always had players with football intelligence. Think about how many times over the last five years you have watched players make bad choices on the field that have hurt the team. That points right back to the coaching staff.
Last of all, when I think back to those days growing up, I always believed that ND would prevail. No matter what the score was begining the fourth quarter, I just knew they would be on top at the end. While that was not always the case, you never lost hope. You just knew they were Notre Dame and the other team was not. I have not seen that in Charlie's time. The players look listless at times, the coaches look bewildered, the fans look as though they hoping to ignore the inevitable. Yes they have come from behind for several wins this year, but did you ever know in your heart they would or were you just hoping. Yes I know a W is still a W but should ND be beating Purdue, Wash and BC at the last second? Charlie reminds me of Norv Turner, a great offensive mind who is lost on the sidelines and believeme, I get to see a lot of Norv.
Given the schedue ND plays next year, Charlie might be able to pick up a few more wins but will the team really be better or will it have picked up a few more wins. At the end of the end of the day it is not just the record but the strength of the program and I don't see that Charlie has made the program stronger. College football needs a strong Notre Dame, ther is too much history to become a team that once was.
