johnnd05
Johnny T. works for me
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Okay, so let me just say that I still think he's a dickhead, but Forde isn't entirely off here:
Thing is, most of people's preseason optimism - the predictions of at least seven wins and whatnot - were exactly that: optimism. That's to say, they're the sort of predictions that come from fans who want to expect the best from their program, and OF COURSE they're going to exceed realistic expectations.
That said, it's ALSO true that we fans have been saying for years that ND was going to pay for Ty's poor recruiting with a down year or two. Did we underestimate how down the down years would be? Of course - but the idea that we didn't expect that two MAC-level recruiting classes would lead to a drop in performance is just absurd. For every post you can find on a blog or message board predicting 7-10 wins for this year, you'll find several others saying that this year (and next, to some extent) was going to be a tough year because of the lack of talent, a lack which is directly attributable to Willingham's piss-poor recruiting.
THAT said, the fact that ND's performance this year has been SO bad is clearly NOT Willingham's fault. This team has looked lost, frightened, discouraged, and downright heartless in its first three games, and a huge part of the blame for that falls squarely on ND's coaching staff. Should we be 0-3 right now, given our utter dearth of upperclass talent and the quality of opponents we've played? Probably. Should we have looked like the absolute worst team in I-A? Surely not.
Being mocked for our tendency to blame this season's awfulness on Willingham may sting a bit, but it's deserved. Unless our boys step it up come Saturday afternoon, we'll deserve whatever scorn Forde and the rest of the ESPN crew throw our way next week as well.
Thing is, most of people's preseason optimism - the predictions of at least seven wins and whatnot - were exactly that: optimism. That's to say, they're the sort of predictions that come from fans who want to expect the best from their program, and OF COURSE they're going to exceed realistic expectations.
That said, it's ALSO true that we fans have been saying for years that ND was going to pay for Ty's poor recruiting with a down year or two. Did we underestimate how down the down years would be? Of course - but the idea that we didn't expect that two MAC-level recruiting classes would lead to a drop in performance is just absurd. For every post you can find on a blog or message board predicting 7-10 wins for this year, you'll find several others saying that this year (and next, to some extent) was going to be a tough year because of the lack of talent, a lack which is directly attributable to Willingham's piss-poor recruiting.
THAT said, the fact that ND's performance this year has been SO bad is clearly NOT Willingham's fault. This team has looked lost, frightened, discouraged, and downright heartless in its first three games, and a huge part of the blame for that falls squarely on ND's coaching staff. Should we be 0-3 right now, given our utter dearth of upperclass talent and the quality of opponents we've played? Probably. Should we have looked like the absolute worst team in I-A? Surely not.
Being mocked for our tendency to blame this season's awfulness on Willingham may sting a bit, but it's deserved. Unless our boys step it up come Saturday afternoon, we'll deserve whatever scorn Forde and the rest of the ESPN crew throw our way next week as well.
