Meltdown 2013

[connor_in]

Looking around here from time to time today and things haven't gotten much better since Saturday night.

Thought maybe we could combine the angst.

Is ND melting down? Is the fanbase melting down? Is IE melting down? Should we?

Feel free to vent whatever...this is a safe place. (But please remember still subject to all IE rules, regulations, and moderator supervision and approval...so not uncensored safe but...whatever)

 

[IrishLion]

EVERYBODY PANIC

 

[Redbar]

IMO far from a meltdown, but I think people are starting to ask some tougher questions.

 

[philipm31]

IMO far from a meltdown, but I think people are starting to ask some tougher questions.

Exactly. Year Four of the BK Era and things have backslid badly. People are naturally asking questions relating to how things have taken such a turn. This is FAR from a meltdown, just a natural reaction to seeing ND not making improvements from game to game and season to season....and whether or not our recruiting will be hurt by it, as shown by how little depth we have along the DL, etc.

Eric Hansen has a great article about this very thing.

Notre Dame football analysis: Amid the white noise, sustained success is the real issue - South Bend Tribune: Football

 

[GBdomer]

If you think this place is melting down check out II place is a god damn chemical zone. This place is church compared to over there

 

[Irishnuke]

Looking around here from time to time today and things haven't gotten much better since Saturday night.

Thought maybe we could combine the angst.

Is ND melting down? Is the fanbase melting down? Is IE melting down? Should we?

Feel free to vent whatever...this is a safe place. (But please remember still subject to all IE rules, regulations, and moderator supervision and approval...so not uncensored safe but...whatever)

It's 2013! You think you can see the future?

 

[rocket66]

Meltdown 2014

Meltdown 2014

Man, in cfb you only go as far as your qb takes you. It's a qb-centric sport, and unfortunately ND was forced to play with the backup this season. It's out of BK's control. We all wanted to believe Rees would be able to battle through these games, but the reality is that he was going to have some rough spots, and he did unfortunately. It's hard to pin that or any injuries on BK. He has had a strangely unique qb situation since arriving at ND and when he finally groomed "his guy" for the next 3 years, it all fell apart. I'm looking forward to getting young guys some game experience the remainder of this season and a strong 2014 with a qb who can run the offense. As much as most of us hoped for great things this year - in reality, it was only going to be a bandaid season until Golson came back. It's like we're all mad for something we expected to happen anyway. There isn't a top 10 team who doesn't have a stud qb. You can't win 10+ games with an average qb. It just doesn't happen anywhere.

I'm a Packer fan and compare this to the loss of Rodgers. It completely changes the team when you're playing with the backup - defense is on the field longer and gives up points, there are more three and outs and turnovers, etc. Just so many things to overcome.

 

[BobD]

Meltdown? How many times does someone have to be reminded it ain't easy to be us? What is this, the amateur fan club?

 

[rikkitikki08]

I think we all predicted an 8-4 or 9-3 season when EG got suspended, so yes not the season you want following a National Championship appearance but it is what it is. The coaches are a hell of a lot smarter than me, this coach staff took ND to a National championship which no other coach since 1988 has done. Not happy with the outcome of the season but i still believe this staff has what it takes to get ND back

 

[PatsandBostonfan1975]

Ton of injuries , loss of a once in generation player , A system quarterback that's in the wrong system and some head scratching play calling on both sides of ball . Other than the play calling I think we performed like I expected us too .

 

[irishpat183]

Meltdown? How many times does someone have to be reminded it ain't easy to be us? What is this, the amateur fan club?

No, it ain't easy to be Bama. Or other teams consistantly at the top.

We haven't won jack and the rest of the country no longer respects us. It's getting EASIER to be us. Nobody cares anymore about classroom performance. Haven't won a decent bowl game since 1993!!

ND is the LEAST of other teams worries.


Finally, a board where I can be angry in peace.

 

[PADOMERNUT]

Im not melting down because of the quarterback play. And this is NOT meant to be a bash Rees post. Frankly, the guy has given everything he has. At times he can be very good, very accurate and make smart decisions. But at other times, he hasn't improved from the guy who threw an awful interception against Tulsa in his freshman season. That's the issue, he just has too many limitations.

Look at the teams at the top, they are all getting top QB play. Rees cost us 2 games this season. He's also played well in spots. But he is an 8-4 type QB, and will never be any better.

If they go 8-4 next year, then maybe I'll panic.

 

[woolybug25]

No, it ain't easy to be Bama. Or other teams consistantly at the top.

The same Bama that spent '97-'06 getting hammered by everyone, firing coaches, embarrassing scandals, NCAA violations and a 38-48 record over that decade? Is that the type of consistency you are talking about on top?

Some of you dudes have a warped view of how college football has actually worked over history. The "teams on top" are never there forever. We went through a major slump and now have a great trajectory. We will be a damn good team next year, but this year we were riddled with injuries, defections and bad luck. No reason to step out onto a ledge.

 

[Emcee77]

Im not melting down because of the quarterback play. And this is NOT meant to be a bash Rees post. Frankly, the guy has given everything he has. At times he can be very good, very accurate and make smart decisions. But at other times, he hasn't improved from the guy who threw an awful interception against Tulsa in his freshman season. That's the issue, he just has too many limitations.

Look at the teams at the top, they are all getting top QB play. Rees cost us 2 games this season. He's also played well in spots. But he is an 8-4 type QB, and will never be any better.

If they go 8-4 next year, then maybe I'll panic.

I HATE to say it because I really like Rees, but I agree. Some games, like ASU or MSU or Purdue, Tommy will be the guy who does what it takes to win, even against a good team. Other games, like in all of our 3 losses, especially OU and Pitt (scUM was partially on Tommy but more on the defense), he will beat himself with turnovers. That's just Tommy. I really hoped he would be better than that this year, but he is what he is.

 

[PANDFAN]

The same Bama that spent '97-'06 getting hammered by everyone, firing coaches, embarrassing scandals, NCAA violations and a 38-48 record over that decade? Is that the type of consistency you are talking about on top?

Some of you dudes have a warped view of how college football has actually worked over history. The "teams on top" are never there forever. We went through a major slump and now have a great trajectory. We will be a damn good team next year, but this year we were riddled with injuries, defections and bad luck. No reason to step out onto a ledge.

EXACTLY we were put behind the 8 ball several times because of what BK inherited(terrible qb choices) and also losing a dynamic qb this year
usc, texas, florida come to mind

 

[Cackalacky]

No, it ain't easy to be Bama. Or other teams consistantly at the top.

We haven't won jack and the rest of the country no longer respects us. It's getting EASIER to be us. Nobody cares anymore about classroom performance. Haven't won a decent bowl game since 1993!!

ND is the LEAST of other teams worries.


Finally, a board where I can be angry in peace.

You clearly have a different idea of what it means to be "easy."
I know what you are saying, though.

 

[PADOMERNUT]

I HATE to say it because I really like Rees, but I agree. Some games, like ASU or MSU or Purdue, Tommy will be the guy who does what it takes to win, even against a good team. Other games, like in all of our 3 losses, especially OU and Pitt (scUM was partially on Tommy but more on the defense), he will beat himself with turnovers. That's just Tommy. I really hoped he would be better than that this year, but he is what he is.

I like him too. Its not like he doesn't care or isn't trying. But he just has limitations. He picked the wrong time to have the worst quarter of his career against Pitt, and that's why we are even having this conversation.

I truly believe if Golson were here, we'd be at least 9-1, and everyone would be happy. I don't blame BK either, this is the hand he was dealt. When Golson got kicked out of school, our fate for this season was sealed. Everyone needs to relax.

 

[ulukinatme]

 

[Cackalacky]

IMO, most people's pre-season expectations were not met. Including my own.

 

[wizards8507]

Eric Hansen has a great article about this very thing.

Notre Dame football analysis: Amid the white noise, sustained success is the real issue - South Bend Tribune: Football

I wish Hansen and others would actually ASK the "unanswered questions" he puts in the article. Those guys (the journalists) lose their cajones when they're actually in the ROOM with BK, which is why a lot of the questions will stay unanswered.

I think we all predicted an 8-4 or 9-3 season when EG got suspended.

I think that's part of the problem. I don't want a Notre Dame team where we have to accept a maybe-barely top-25 finish just because our QB1 got suspended. "Next man in," right? Tommy is our best option right now, and that's a big problem. Also, Tommy Rees didn't give up 41 to Michigan, 24 to Purdue, 34 to ASU, 34 to Navy (!), and 28 to Pitt (!), our defense did.

With Everett Golson, we only managed to score more than 30 points three times last season, so this notion (not necessarily from you, but others) that he would have been able to run up the score like the 2007 Patriots baffles me.

The coaches are a hell of a lot smarter than me.

Using that theory, we all might as well quit talking about sports all together. LeBron James is a hell of a lot better at basketball than me, but I'm still going to say "LeBron sucked last night" if he shoots 2-of-15 for 5 points. Most baseball fans could never in a million years get a base hit in the Major Leagues, but Pete Kozma stinks and they'll continue to say so. Just because the coaches are generally smarter or better at coaching than the average fan, doesn't mean the fan can't discuss and disagree with what they're doing. That's the whole point of sites like IE.

 

[ulukinatme]

I like him too. Its not like he doesn't care or isn't trying. But he just has limitations. He picked the wrong time to have the worst quarter of his career against Pitt, and that's why we are even having this conversation.

I truly believe if Golson were here, we'd be at least 9-1, and everyone would be happy. I don't blame BK either, this is the hand he was dealt. When Golson got kicked out of school, our fate for this season was sealed. Everyone needs to relax.

The problem happens when Rees is asked to do too much. Yeah, as a D1 QB you should be able to put your team on your shoulders a win some games, but he's been asked to do it a few too many times this season. We should have minimized the pressure we've had to put on Rees by focusing on the run game this season, play action passes, and screens/draws when the defense has been aggressive. Instead we've been going 5 wide sets when we get down a score or two, dictating what we're running from the start, and abandoning the run too early.

We haven't won jack and the rest of the country no longer respects us. It's getting EASIER to be us. Nobody cares anymore about classroom performance. Haven't won a decent bowl game since 1993!!

This is true, unfortunately. We've come up with goose eggs in the BCS era. I would argue that the '93 team was one of the last nasty teams we really had. That '93 team could go toe to toe with anyone, anytime, anywhere. We had a couple decent runs in 2012, 2005-2006, and 2002, but those teams were smoke and mirrors at times with deficiencies one place or another, not really nasty imo. The 2012 team was probably the toughest, but still pretty weak offensively against tougher competition and the defense imploded in the final game.

 

[dshans]

It's 2013! You think you can see the future?

Whew! I was worried that I'd lost an entire year rather than a few hours after knocking myself out after the USC game.

 

[UmphreakDomer]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>.<a href="https://twitter.com/CoachBrianKelly">@CoachBrianKelly</a>'s press conference has been moved to 2 pm and will not be streamed live. We will be live tweeting it <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23GoIrish&src=hash">#GoIrish</a></p>— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/NDFootball/statuses/400307961584947200">November 12, 2013</a></blockquote>
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[dre1919]

I don't know if it's a full on meltdown yet, but I can see it from here.

 

[IrishJayhawk]

The same Bama that spent '97-'06 getting hammered by everyone, firing coaches, embarrassing scandals, NCAA violations and a 38-48 record over that decade? Is that the type of consistency you are talking about on top?

Some of you dudes have a warped view of how college football has actually worked over history. The "teams on top" are never there forever. We went through a major slump and now have a great trajectory. We will be a damn good team next year, but this year we were riddled with injuries, defections and bad luck. No reason to step out onto a ledge.

How about Florida State from 2001-2009, with all of their advantages and sub-division wins?

7-6 records in 06, 07, and 09. Sustained winning is hard.

 

[irishpat183]

The problem happens when Rees is asked to do too much. Yeah, as a D1 QB you should be able to put your team on your shoulders a win some games, but he's been asked to do it a few too many times this season. We should have minimized the pressure we've had to put on Rees by focusing on the run game this season, play action passes, and screens/draws when the defense has been aggressive. Instead we've been going 5 wide sets when we get down a score or two, dictating what we're running from the start, and abandoning the run too early.



This is true, unfortunately. We've come up with goose eggs in the BCS era. I would argue that the '93 team was one of the last nasty teams we really had. That '93 team could go toe to toe with anyone, anytime, anywhere. We had a couple decent runs in 2012, 2005-2006, and 2002, but those teams were smoke and mirrors at times with deficiencies one place or another, not really nasty imo. The 2012 team was probably the toughest, but still pretty weak offensively against tougher competition and the defense imploded in the final game.

LOVED that team.


And I'm not saying we haven't had some good years here and there...but we're way behind the curve. Everyone uses that dumbass quote "we get everyone's best shot"...in trying to explain our losses. No. Not anymore. Why the hell would any team give a team that hasn't won **** since 88' or a decent bowl game since 93', that kinda respect??

 

[irishpat183]

How about Florida State from 2001-2009, with all of their advantages and sub-division wins?

7-6 records in 06, 07, and 09. Sustained winning is hard.

But...they climb out of it. We seem to be stuck in a lull.

If this is the premier university and program...why the hell can't we climb out of mediocrity?

Bama is a perfect example...a few bad years, now won 3 out of the last 4 and probably gonna win their 4th (un-fvcking-believable, BTW)

 

[DillonHall]

The same Bama that spent '97-'06 getting hammered by everyone, firing coaches, embarrassing scandals, NCAA violations and a 38-48 record over that decade? Is that the type of consistency you are talking about on top?

Some of you dudes have a warped view of how college football has actually worked over history. The "teams on top" are never there forever. We went through a major slump and now have a great trajectory. We will be a damn good team next year, but this year we were riddled with injuries, defections and bad luck. No reason to step out onto a ledge.

This is the debatable part

 

[DillonHall]

But...they climb out of it. We seem to be stuck in a lull.

If this is the premier university and program...why the hell can't we climb out of mediocrity?

Bama is a perfect example...a few bad years, now won 3 out of the last 4 and probably gonna win their 4th (un-fvcking-believable, BTW)

Uhh... we went to the NC game last year

 

[phork]

Uhh... we went to the NC game last year

And got stomped. So the question is, was that team from last year the outlier and ND is just average or was that NDs future and this season is the outlier? I would tend to think that last year was outlier.