No Heart

[irishdan123084]

A good friend of mine was in the room when 4 to 5 upperclassmen football players were hanging out, sitting around, drinking last week after the Penn State loss. Each player was confirming and joking around how much they suck and how bad this team is. They also said that the Michigan game was going to brutal and that USC is going to be even worse. Mind you that this is days before that embarrassing game yesterday. IMO I think the players are lacking confidence and it seems like they already threw in the towel. What upsets me is that these players are on full scholarship, they are receiving one heck of an education and millions of people cheer every week for these players to try their best and win---and behind closed doors they act like they don't even care. These are upperclassmen that are bad mouthing this team; and if you found out who these players were you would be in shock. Everyone has been quick to point the finger at CW and CB for these past few games, but are they really to blame?

 

[Ultimate Penn St. Hater]

suprising

 

[johnnd05]

Wow.

 

[goldenlid]

Maybe that is why CW was looking at the guys to see who has already quit. After this week of pratice we will see alot more 1st and 2nd year guys playing. CW was showing these guys loyalty and this is what he gets for it(if this is true). I guess that is why so many of these guys have not gotten any playingtime until now.BTW these guys that are bad mouthing the team are TY guys. Sorry if I'm wrong here but if you are not into playing you should man up and say I don't want to play anymore instead of making it worse for everyone else.

 

[Irishknight1023]

It's not all that suprising. I remember my team was a powerhouse in HS and then our Sr. year our legend coach got fired and everything fell apart and we sucked and we would just laugh and know that the season was a wash from the git go. We still went out there trying to win with everything we had but our lack of players at the right positions with that horrible interum coaching was too terrible to overcome. They go out there and try their best but the aren't naive to beleive that they will win unwinnable games with that offense. While you don't like or want to hear that from scholarship players doesn't matter because if it was you, you wouldn't be living in a fantasy world and expect us to kick ass this year either.

 

[fitz_bu47]

Very true IrishKnight anyone who has been on a bad football team know this type of crap happens, not saying its ok, but after a while of getting your head beat in this attitude does come out of some guys.

 

[Master Guns]

A good friend of mine was in the room when 4 to 5 upperclassmen football players were hanging out, sitting around, drinking last week after the Penn State loss. Each player was confirming and joking around how much they suck and how bad this team is. They also said that the Michigan game was going to brutal and that USC is going to be even worse. Mind you that this is days before that embarrassing game yesterday. IMO I think the players are lacking confidence and it seems like they already threw in the towel. What upsets me is that these players are on full scholarship, they are receiving one heck of an education and millions of people cheer every week for these players to try their best and win---and behind closed doors they act like they don't even care. These are upperclassmen that are bad mouthing this team; and if you found out who these players were you would be in shock. Everyone has been quick to point the finger at CW and CB for these past few games, but are they really to blame?

Something is lost on these guys that just playing football for the institution that is Notre Dame Football is not enough. That attitude could very well spread through the team to the younger guys.

In the Marines, in battle, we are never afraid of dying, or facing our enemy. The thing we fear the most is letting the Marine next to us down.

Maybe that is something the Irish should start thinking about.

 

[Ultimate Penn St. Hater]

Something is lost on these guys that just playing football for the institution that is Notre Dame Football is not enough. That attitude could very well spread through the team to the younger guys.

In the Marines, in battle, we are never afraid of dying, or facing our enemy. The thing we fear the most is letting the Marine next to us down.

Maybe that is something the Irish should start thinking about.

Good point.

 

[CLEARWALL]

Anyone remember that scene from "Miracle" where Herb Brooks punishes his team after he saw that they were more concerned with the girls in the stands than the game on the ice? This situation really screams of that.

 

[johnnd05]

It's not all that suprising. I remember my team was a powerhouse in HS and then our Sr. year our legend coach got fired and everything fell apart and we sucked and we would just laugh and know that the season was a wash from the git go. We still went out there trying to win with everything we had but our lack of players at the right positions with that horrible interum coaching was too terrible to overcome. They go out there and try their best but the aren't naive to beleive that they will win unwinnable games with that offense. While you don't like or want to hear that from scholarship players doesn't matter because if it was you, you wouldn't be living in a fantasy world and expect us to kick ass this year either.

It's one thing to have this attitude in high school, but quite another when you're on scholarship at Notre Dame. The App. State players knew full well that they "didn't have a chance" against Michigan, and they came out and busted their asses - and look what happened to them. If this is the way our upperclass "leadership" - and of course we haven't been told specifically who these guys were, so we don't know if they even play - is approaching this season, then we really are screwed.

 

[Irish52]

One can only hope that there is no truth to the above attitudes linked to our football players. Again, I'm more concerned with our commitments sticking with us.....because you know Urban, Les and Zook are all out there spreading the word that they are needed there to play for the national championship. I'd like to think that our recruits have the character, fortitude and smarts to recognize what a privlege it is to just attend ND, let alone play football for them. That ND degree is life's ticket.

 

[Maverick5]

first of all....if this really is the case, i'm greatly disappointed. Playing football at ND should be the highest point of pride there is. If things are going bad, then it's a gut-check moment to go out and will yourself to improve. It's called facing adversity, not giving in to it [see Demetrius Jones]. separate the men from the boys, set age aside, how can one play and represent the University of Notre Dame, and all that it stands for and write it off like that? I may not be very old, but just watching games this season compared to, say, the early 90s, i can see the lack of heart, the lack of fire, the lack of intensity. it seems the players have forgotten what ND really means- Persevere and Succeed.

 

[GoIrish41]

This is disturbing indeed. I knew 20 kids growing up whose dream was to grow up and play for ND, and none of them got the chance. These players (if this is true) got to live the dream and are pissing all over it.

 

[wallym]

GoIrish41 - nice post. If I read into it, what you stated is a coaching issue. I don't care what 5th year seniors, seniors, or Jr's that Tyrone recruited...coaching needs to get the most out of the players. This isn't happening, mentally or physically. We have atheletes, we have speed, we have bulk, but what are we getting out of it? Our speed (i.e. Travis Thomas) is acting like a thug, our bulk ("O" line) is pathetic, our athletes (DB's) couldn't cover my grandma. Just so many mental errors, that it's got to come down on coaching. What is our staff doing?

 

[CLEARWALL]

It's one thing to have this attitude in high school, but quite another when you're on scholarship at Notre Dame. The App. State players knew full well that they "didn't have a chance" against Michigan, and they came out and busted their asses - and look what happened to them. If this is the way our upperclass "leadership" - and of course we haven't been told specifically who these guys were, so we don't know if they even play - is approaching this season, then we really are screwed.

Well, i think you hit the nail on the head. They had this attitude in HS, and they havent matured. But what can you expect from a squad with no real leadership. Our Offensive leader takes stupid penalties and cant keep his emotions under control, Sully cant perform the basic act of his job and could care less about it. Maturation is a natural way of things, but it cant progress as well without someone to guide them and show them what a real man is supposed to be.

 

[IrishinPA]

I hope this attitude and talk is isolated only to the offensive linemen because they may be THE poorest excuse for blockers I've ever seen. I just cannot fathom how guys that big (and supposedly talented) cannot block whether running or passing. I'll never give up on the Irish and will take my lumps as a fan for life, but this part of the Irish game right now just baffles me. One question for all...does anyone else look at Claussen and see a fairly weak arm? At times when he's run for his life and thrown it out of bounds, there is no zip on the ball at all. I'm not giving up on the kid at all as he is young with a long road ahead. It just appears that his arm is not what I would have expected from the top recruit in the country. I hope the Irish can right the ship and salvage a decent year.