I have kind of stayed away so I could keep control over my mouth. If anything, this season has been an egimicational experience.
I have a son who hates ND. Not just ND football, but ND. I finally broached the subject and got an answer. He shared his impression of two types of ND fan he has seen, of which he was careful not to include me, he, he!
This fits with my general discontent with the bull shiit coming out of the program. I will include everything from the scurrilous unfounded rumors to the nonsensical statements made to avoid taking responsibilities from this years shortcomings.
But some of the statements made by fans distress me more. And they fit nicely with his two "types." One is the "wimp" and the other is the "elitist."
The wimp is the gloom and doom prognosticator that uses all kinds of conflated illogic to prove why the sky really is falling. They end up closing their mouths during a season like '12 because they don't have the constitution to buck the wave of victory. They often have something negative to say, it is just that they keep the volume down when there membership is dwindled. So on a good year they whisper or keep it to themselves so you don't even know they are around . . .
The elitist is the one that ridicules opponents or others for their shortcomings. I mean it is okay to ridicule everybody all the time (evenly) I guess, but elitist oft have the sharpest tongues, and are the first to get upset when someone turns that weapon on them. Everyone takes umbrage at being put down, the elitists are the ones that put others down, and always take the greatest offense when the tables are turned. I want to make it absolutely clear that honorable well adjusted fans will take the same umbrage, good fans just don't spend all their spare time putting their opponents down, elsewise.
Here is my point. The wimps deep down inside know how silly they look, but can't deal with it. The elitists have no idea how bad they look. They will criticize an opponents speech, or looks, or way of life even after that opponent has knocked them down, loosened their teeth and proceeded to aerate their hide with those opposing cleats. Just one question for that fan; doesn't trying to maintain superiority after being trounced get old after a while?
Here is my further point. I am tired of all the b. s. on these forums. Stanford is beatable and probably on the way down from it's Harbaugh High. Oregon is beatable. IF YOU WANT TO PAY THE PRICE, ANYONE IS BEATABLE. Conversely, you can be beaten any day BY SOMEONE WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE. (With ND, almost everyone is willing to pay the price, Alabama, Oregon and Stanford lately, not so much.)
Yes, Stanford can be beaten; and whether it happens by ND this year depends which ND team shows up, the one that beat SC, and ASU or the one that has played the last three weeks.
Oh yeah. It is not just desire and brass balls; they need some coaching. Last night's SC game plan on both sides of the ball was the biggest reason (along with the players wanting it more) for their victory over Cardinal.
Agreed, the first down call was questionable. (The official explanation was that the camera angle didn't show it properly.) But our receivers hammered those same defensive backs that threw the Stanford wide receivers off of the field! Even in the second half when Hendrix was in. And our offensive line pushed that defense around, the whole game! And they were without a top linebacker last night in their game against Stanford, thanks to the hitting by ND players in the South Bend.
And our defense rocked that same offense. You now have seen what Marquis and Nelson can do, particularly Lee. Most players would be getting helped off the field to the locker room; he was catching first down passes on the crucial game winning drive.
We wanted it more than SC, they wanted it more than Standford. Two weeks Saturday is a new day . . . Who will want it more? And who will come in with the game plan?
