My thoughts on Notre Dame Football

Before we start to roll out the red carpet for Charlie’s departure and praise him for the wonderful job he has done with this football program, I’d like to put some of my thoughts out there. As I am likely to black out during this rant, I would like to warn all that this may become long (that’s what she said…just for you JD) and may jump around from topic to topic. The reason being is that when I begin to talk about Charlie Weis and Notre Dame football, I tend to get a little heated and will probably go on all sorts of tangents about what I think is wrong with Notre Dame. So bear with me.

First things first, I do not hate Charlie as a person and I never have. I hate him as a head coach. So please don’t think I’m attacking him on a personal level. Do I hate his arrogance as a head coach, yes. But he has done great things with his foundation and has represented the University as any alum should and you can never take that away from him. He is a family man and doesn’t deserve any of the criticism that is directed towards his family. Yes, he has succeeded at doing a lot of good charity work, but we didn’t hire him to be the CEO of a charity. We hired him to be the head football coach.

And as a football coach, he is not very good (Yes, I’m stating the obvious) and did many things make me dislike him as a head football coach. For instance, after the Navy game, telling the media that he will never change. Well, Charlie, it is your stubbornness not to change that cost you your job. And then to call out Ian Williams after he spoke the truth stating Navy did out scheme Notre Dame and say that’s the reason he is not a captain is terrible. That’s something you keep behind doors and not something you discuss in the media. And then after the Pitt game to mention Dan Wenger’s chop block about 5 times as a reason the game was lost. No the game was lost because you were conservative:

"It was how we called the game," Weis said. "We were playing the game relatively conservatively. When you're playing the game on the road, with a raucous crowd, I think it's important to understand how you call a game. You don't call a game the same way at home as you do on the road. We're sitting there 3-3 with five minutes to go in the second quarter. To be honest, at the time, we were in a pretty good spot."

You just lost to Navy for the second time in three years. Your seat has never been hotter. Yet, you want to come out a play conservative. Yes, I am not a head football coach and have no idea how to develop a game plan. But if I was and I’m in Charlie’s position, I am pulling out all the stops to save my job. He is the only one to blame for that loss. Not an offensive lineman who made an honest mistake (As an offensive lineman, things happen fast and at the time, Olsen wasn’t engaged with the guy Wenger cut. But also, maybe that says something about coaching. Instead, of teaching your lineman to man up and block a guy, your teaching them to cut. I make this assumption because I see our lineman cut blocking a lot on pass protection.)

There has never been a nastiness with the ND Football teams under Charlie. This is the worst tackling team in America! The O-Line is terrible. There is no physical toughness with this team. We can’t run the ball when we need to. And that’s why we can’t beat the teams we’re supposed to beat.

As pretty as a passing attack is with Clausen, Floyd, Tate and Rudolph we’re never going to win a championship through the air unless we have a running game. We will continue to lose games we should win because we can’t run the ball (Syracuse, Pitt, and NC last year….Michigan, Navy and UConn this year.) I think I’m in the minority when I preach to run the ball even though we have Tate and Floyd, but we will never win if we can’t run the ball. Passing offenses don’t win championships in college football (see Texas Tech). Good, physical defenses and running games win championships. Just look at the Navy game this year, we threw for over 400 yards yet lost because we had 70 yards rushing. Besides, what good are Floyd and Tate when you can’t get them ball (at least in space or on the run lately) because they are doubled covered. Here are a few stats. ND is 20-0 under Charlie when we have rushed more than the opposing team. We are also haven’t won this year when Jimmy threw more than 40 times. It’s easy to defend Notre Dame right now. The O-Line sucks and can’t block a 4 person pass rush. Therefore, teams can leave two safeties over the top while their defensive line does work on our O-Line. With a running game, we can run out the clock when you’re up. For instance, if we had a running game against Michigan this year, which we did until Armando got hurt and we put in Jonas Gray over Robert Hughes for some crazy reason. Instead of throwing an incomplete fade (which even if completed I still would have been upset…and I’m being honest) and another incompletion, we could have run the ball for a first down. But this is all in the past and there is no point to cry over sour grapes because the future is now.

Personally, I think the decision has already been made and Charlie has been told. I would like to see Charlie resign and not have ND fire him. I am actually calling for Charlie to do this and if he does he will gain some respect in my book. He should do it because he should recognize he is not the guy and will never be the guy. He should do it because he is a graduate of this University and should realize that his supposed buyout of 18 million is ridiculous and can be spent more wisely within the school. I don’t want to hear anyone say that he deserves all of that money. He didn’t succeed here, and that is by his own standards. He even said he can’t argue against a change if they made it. So if you can’t argue against it, be the good person that you are and resign and negotiate with the University to come to a reasonable agreement on his buyout. Yes, that buyout is part of his contract, but that contract was made by a terrible Athletic Director and Charlie’s agent couldn’t get him to sign it fast enough. But knowing Charlie, he still thinks he can win a championship here and will not resign.

Yes, Charlie will leave ND in a better position than it was when he got here. I appreciate his effort and work he has done on the recruiting trail. But as much as I like to think this is going to be a Ron Zook leaving Florida type of situation, it’s not. Because of our flip flopping of defenses in the past three years, our defensive line is not good and depth is not good. Ethan Johnson is a stud, but he is not a defensive tackle. He is a defensive end. Flemming is not a defensive end. He is an outside linebacker. If he is a defensive end, then make him add weight. Yes, he has made many tackles for a loss. But if you watch him every play, he is easily pushed around. John Ryan….enough said. All of our committed defensive lineman recruits this year are around 240. If we don’t have two legitimate defensive tackles, teams will continue to run all over us. Yes, have we just missed on some solid defensive tackles? But instead of picking up a body we cried about coaches poaching our players. In my opinion, defensive line is one of the easiest positions to teach and if I had to guess there are many 2 and 3 star recruits doing well on good teams at defensive tackle.

As for the other line, they’re not good. Put a speed rush and Paul Duncan and it’s a sack. The depth we have there is not that great either. Yes, we have players lined up. But if there isn’t a backup tackle that can start over Sam Young or Paul Duncan now, then what is there to look forward too. We will for sure have three new starting lineman next year and possibly 4 if Stewart leave, which is possible because he graduated last year. So it will be another starting over process with the O-Line next year. Great, just great.

This brings me to who I want and hope we get as Head Coach. BOB STOOPS. I personally think we have a good shot at getting him. Bradford is leaving and Oklahoma has been irrelevant this year. I want him because of his defense. I want him because he has won a national championship. Has he lost the big game, absolutely? But at least he has played in the big game. I would take a national championship win along with 3 championship losses in a heartbeat. I would hope that everyone else would too. The only thing more you can ask for is the current Florida situation, but Urban isn’t coming here. Defense will be the quickest way to turn this program around. I think Bobs Stoops can take what we have right now and make it tremendously better. Another reason why I want Stoops, 3 losses at home since 1998. THREE! We’ve been averaging three losses a year it seems like.

This brings me to another problem with ND Football Stadium. And that is the pussification of Notre Dame Stadium. South Bend has to be one of the easiest places to play these days. We’re not intimidating at all. We are quiet fans. The atmosphere isn’t exciting. People tell you to sit down when it’s a key play in the game (My season tally was 4 times. And that would have been higher had I been able to make it to Washington and Navy and not sat in the last row as I did for other two games.) The ushers say welcome to Notre Dame when you walk in like its Disney World. Thanks pal but this isn’t my first rodeo. Either shut up or say Go Irish! Oh and don’t even get me started on this Irish Green crap that they have for the kids before the game. Instead of looking forward to a football game, we have kids looking forward to getting their face painted by a clown. What they need to do is start showing highlights of the past so these kids realize what true Notre Dame football is. Not the crap they see on the field now of losing to Navy, Syracuse, UConn, and on and on and on.

Sorry, got sidetracked. Back to my point, we will never win a National Championship if we can’t win at home. The only way that’s going to change is by getting a coach in here that knows how to win and lead his players and motivate them. A jumbotron and some loud music would help too. I’m being serious. I’m tired of this tradition crap and letting the band entertain me during TV timeouts. And it’s embarrassing, absolutely embarrassing the scoreboard they have up now. Whoever approved that should be fired. During UConn it was flashing D and then a picture of a fence. In red and blue. Are you kidding me? Are we watching Pop Warner games now? Either make the full switch or go back to the old one. People get bored at Notre Dame Games. And bored people do not cheer loud enough and do not make a difference in the game. Yes, fans have an impact on an opponent. When I was younger and Lou was the coach, ND was playing a big ten team. Notre Dame was called for a timeout because the crowd was too loud. And this wasn’t the first time; I have seen a few more instances on ESPN classic. Does this have a lot to do with the product on the field, absolutely? But I can guarantee you it would be a much livelier and more entertaining game. I mean why do you think people rather go watch the game in legends. Alcohol, yes. Don’t have to pay for such an expensive face price ticket, Yes. But I also think that says something about the stadium atmosphere. It isn’t exciting enough or enticing enough to pay the price. I mean the loudest and most into the game the student section got against UConn was when the band played Taylor Swift. Enough said.

For me, there have been more bad memories than good memories and these good memories stem from the people I was with more so than the product on the field (Did I just get anyone to shed a couple of tears?) Yes, USC in ’05 was great…but we lost. That was a great stadium atmosphere, but that was for only one game. If ND wants to win the NC, the stadium needs to be like that for all games. As said earlier, a jumbotron would help. All I’m asking for a Jumbotron during timeouts and for replays. Turn the thing of for all I care during play. Many schools have managed to use both a band and a jumbrotron.

JD, you yelling at a girl, classic. But that’s another problem with this program. Most of the student body cares more about the band rather than the team winning or losing. Instead we clap for our players when we lose a tough one to Syracuse or Navy. F*ck that. These players need to understand their performance isn’t acceptable and should take it personal. Maybe then they would start winning at home.

Another thing that grinds my gears, the 1812 Overture. That should be banned until a national championship is won. All that does these days is trigger a unified booing attack.

Alright, I’ve gone on long enough. I think it is obvious at this point that Charlie isn’t the guy. I want Bob Stoops. I don’t want to take a chance on Brian Kelly. I picture him as another Charlie Weis with his passing offense. John Gruden would love college football and I think players would love to play for him. What scares me is he is coming from the NFL. So we will see. But Notre Dame returning to what it once was and being in contention year in and year out can, and will, no doubt happen in the future. I will never lower my expectations as Joe Montana once suggested. Never.

Go Irish! Beat the Trees and their coach.

Wow, that was long. Sorry but had to get it off my chest. Also, a lot of the problems I mentioned that I have can be forgotten with a better product on the field. A new coach will hopefully do that.

Jimmy Clausen's Black Eye

Jimmy Clausen’s Black Eye

So yesterday, I wake up to a text message from Hack Attack telling me “If Clausen can’t even show his face in South Bend without getting beat up, how can we expect him to stick around.” I thought great, just what this program needs right now. Their star quarterback gets mugged in the beautiful city of South Bend. So I immediately jump out of bed, get to my computer and read the article. This is where I find out that it was an irate fan that punched him and it was outside of my favorite bar. Even worse, he was with his family. What a great picture this paints for my beloved University. So once I got to work, I immediately start fielding questions from co-workers about “Clausen’s Black Eye”. And the more I talked and thought about it, I got the feeling we’re not getting the full story about what happened outside of CJ’s that Sunday morning.

So I reached out to my sources back on campus to find out the true story behind “Clausen’s Black Eye”. (By the way, by putting Clausen and black eye together, I’m hoping to get some Google traffic to this site). Anyways, my source informed me that Clausen did not get punched by an irate fan rather it was a friend of Jimmy’s teammate. So Clausen, who was at CJ’s with his brothers, was leaving at 2:30 with his female acquaintance. While Jimmy was outside, 19s girlfriend spilled a drink on the brothers. The brothers then exchanged some words with 19 and his girlfriend. My boy 90 sees this happening and runs out to tell Jimmy that his brothers are chatting with 19. But guess what, a friend of 19 hears this and starts for the door because he’s got his buddy’s back (as any good friend would). Jimmy sees this and tries to stop him and let him know that they’re his brothers talking to 19. Well the conversation isn’t going well and Jimmy gives this guy a shot to the face. Well Mr. 19s friend responds with what may now be known as “the punch”. It is this one punch that gives Jimmy a black eye and knocks him to the ground. From what it sounds like, it was a pretty solid hit and Jimmy’s eye is pretty swollen.

You may ask, where was the O-Line or the other football players that were there with him? Well the O-Line tried throwing a couple of blocks to help Jimmy out, but whiffed (what a surprise). Okay so this part was made up but it was too easy for me not to say it.

Anyways, why do I believe this story?

1. This event happened Sunday, why did it take until Tuesday to be reported?
2. There was no police report filed. You would think that as Jimmy and his family were enjoying some delicious burgers, cold beers and sharing some laughs, you know, just being Americans, where all of a sudden he gets sucker punched (That’s the picture I painted). Pretty sure most of our family members would have called the cops if that happened
3. It occurred at 2:30 in the morning. Yes, possible that a fan would do this because he was drunk, but I have a hard timing thinking that a Notre Dame fan would throw a punch unprovoked. I mean this is the same fan base that was congratulating Navy fans, yes not players, after the game on their win.
4. This is a pretty detailed story.
5. The players will not be speaking this week. Yes, we can think it’s to avoid Charlie questions, which they would be asked no doubt. But I think it also might have to do with not showing Jimmy’s face.

So why do I care about Jimmy’s Black Eye so much?

A. He is our quarterback (in a Lovie Smith voice)
B. The way the media is reporting this makes Notre Dame look terrible and can’t paint a good picture for possible recruits.

C. I bought his jersey this year.

Hopefully the true story starts to circulate instead of the current story out there. If it doesn’t, I think Notre Dame needs to come out and say it was not an “irate” fan that punched Jimmy, rather it was a simple misunderstanding between young men and these young men were doing what most college students do on a Saturday night. (I’m sure they can think of something better, but that’s not my job.)

Anyways stayed tuned for my next post: The State of Notre Dame football.

PS – Just read ESPN they’re still reporting it was a fan that did it. At least we can look forward to Jimmy wearing his helmet the whole game with the visor. It will kind of be like LT when he didn’t play against the colts.

Also, as this is word of mouth, not sure if all, ior if any, of the details of this story are true. Just thought I would say that in the rare chance someone outside of our group does read this.

What a Strange Trip It's Been

Anyone with a pulse knows there's little chance that Charlie Weis will make it past December 1, and with his impending doom I think it's time to reflect on his five years (and much of our own time) at Notre Dame. Yesterday's pre-game walk out of the tunnel is exactly why I feel so conflicted about Charlie's exit from South Bend. Even the biggest Charlie Weis haters (OC, anyone?) had to feel something for the man at that point. There's no doubt he truly cares for his players and the university and that's part of the reason why it's so difficult to see him go for me. I really wish he had succeeded here, because I truly think he's the perfect man for the job in so many aspects except the most important: Saturday afternoons.

Despite his rough exterior and arrogance, he is a truly great man. The charity work he has done for his daughter and others is far too often lost in the sea of the media's agenda to label him as an arrogant ass. (NBC's footage of his opening press conference as UCONN is lining up for the game winning field goal is just one example.) I guarantee you that Charlie has regretted making that famous "schematic advantage" statement, at least since 2007; but his I still think golden domers need to realize just how what a great representative for the university the man has been and could continue to be, that is if he had succeeded.

Weis' recruiting success has been well-documented but it's something I want to emphasize now. Charlie has made this job attractive again; he might be the first coach in 20 or possibly even 30 years to leave the program in better shape than he found it. The same certainly can't be said of Davie, Ty, or even beloved Lou Holtz. Most coaching changes ultimately result in a huge rebuilding process that may take years to play out (see: DickRod), but Charlie has set up his successor to have the opportunity to succeed right away. He brought a pro-style passing offense to ND, something greatly needed in order to succeed in the college football landscape that more and more relies on the quarterback. I think we can all admit now that Charlie Weis is nothing more than our version of Ron Zook. And you know what, I'm okay with that now. If Swarbrick and Co. can make the homerun hire we all hope they can (another post to come on this), that man can have us in BCS contention immediately. Because the cupboard is not bare, and when we're hoisting a Sears glass football in 2012 a big part of me will be thanking Charlie Weis for making this job palatable again.

The irony of yesterday's UCONN loss is that one of Charlie's first big recruits, Zach Frazer, helped put the final nail in the big man's coffin. But despite all the lows the Charlie Weis era has provided, as it comes to a close I can't help but remember some of the great moments that his teams provided us, especially in the first two years. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Zibby's punt return against USC: possibly the loudest moment I've ever heard at Notre Dame stadium. Earlier that afternoon I was arguing with Spicy that I didn't think that Zibby had the breakaway speed to be our return man. When #9 walked into the endzone, he called me out from five rows up, and I loved every minute of it.

2. Brady's TD run on the draw in the final three minutes against USC: thought we were heading for the promised land

3. The ass kicking he gave Wann-stache in his debut.

4. Booing the shit out of the 2007 team as a group: may not have many great memories from this season, but I always got some gratification out of letting them have it right before the alma mater. I know, I'm a sick man.

5. The 2005 game against Stanford: with this lousy opponent the only between us and the BCS, I always loved that Charlie had the intelligence to call timeout on goal line defense to give our offense enough time to come back. Many coaches would have the arrogance to rely on their defense getting a stop in those moments.

6. The 2005 Fiesta Bowl: the outcome may not have been great, but everyone who was at Dom's and elsewhere in Phoenix that week has some great memories.

7. Making a band girl cry in the famed 2007 season: not directly related to Charlie, but his struggles on the field led to my ever-growing annoyance with the band. A classic JD moment.

8. Giving us two of the greatest quarterbacks ever to lace it up for the Irish.

And my favorite Weis-era moment of all time as called by Don Criqui: "It's caught by Samardzja... Notre Dame has SCOOOOOORED."

Charlie, I wish you well in your next coaching stop, hopefully as offensive coordinator of the Browns. Many of my fondest memories of ND are football-related (shocker, I know). Thanks, Charlie, for helping make many of those memories.

-JD

And the Winner Is...

The chart above is a compilation of stats from the top coaches in college football. Most of these teams are ranked in the Top 25 in the BCS standings. Now if you are an idiot, you can listen to the media who will say Urban Meyer, Brian Kelly and Jim Harbaugh (really?) are the most likely candidates to replace Charlie Weis as the head coach of Notre Dame. (see post below) However, I am not pleased with any of those candidates so I put together some research on my ideal candidate and some interested trends appeared:

CONTRACT LENGTH

It seems as if the culmination for a decision on a head coach is around the 5 year mark. At the end of 5 years, if a program is not happy with where the program is at, a move has to be made. If a program rests on a solid foundation, then the coach has job security. Furthermore, once a coach passes the 12 year mark like Frank Beamer, Bobby Bowden, and Joe Paterno then they receive a lifetime contract and schools are forced to wait until they retire, for better or worse. With Charlie at the end of year five and Notre Dame still struggling, its time to make the move.

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS

It is no coincidence that the top four teams competing for a National Championship have the best defenses in college football. At the same time, they have capable, but not great offenses. Teams with stellar offenses, like Notre Dame, can't succeed without stout defenses, yet teams without an offense, like Ohio State and LSU, are annually in the picture.

SCHEDULING

Notre Dame will always receive scrutiny over their schedule. Regardless, the Irish schedule is just fine in my opinion and almost annually turns out to be quite competitive. All teams have patsies and tough rivalries. In reality, the schedule typically lightens up in November, which is where Weis has had his most difficulties (3-9 in November the past three seasons). Bottom line, the schedule will be what it is and it shouldn't matter.

So all things considered, the next coach at the University of Notre Dame is...BOB STOOPS.

I think Stoops is a viable option for a lot of reasons. One: He has been at Oklahoma for 11 years and is struggling this year. It might be time for him to move along and find a new challenge. After all, most coaches don't last longer than 12 years at a school before they are locked in for life. Two: He is a proven winner. He was won a National Championship and is in the hunt every year. Three: He is a defensive minded coach which has proven to be the necessary piece to winning a National Championship. Four: He's passionate and can light a fire under his players and future players, which he will have no problem recruiting to Notre Dame. Five: It's not a risky pick. Some of the "hot" coaching prospects right now are too risky. After botching the last four hires, Notre Dame MUST get this one right or the program might never recover.

Mind Numbing

Alas we have closure. No doubt remains. How much longer will this image grace the walls of such fine South Bend establishments like Politos?

-JD

Sorry Charlie

I hate to lose all faith in the Irish with two more games to go, but the time has come on this blog to discuss the hopefully upcoming coaching vacancy for 2009.

I write this post prior to ND/UConn kickoff. However, regardless of what may happen I will stand by my opinion that Charlie should pack his bags. I said at the beginning of the year, BCS or Charlie's gone; and we ain't going BCS dancing this year.

Who do you guys want to be the next coach in South Bend? Who do you think it will actually be?

Here are the Vegas odds as of 11/21/09.

Urban Meyer..................3/2

Brian Kelly......................3/2

Jim Harbaugh................7/2

Chip Kelly.......................21/4

Kirk Ferentz..................12/1

Bob Stoops.....................10/1

John Gruden.................30/1

-CI

If Not Me, Then Who?

Let the finger pointing begin. Who do you blame for arguably the ugliest game I've ever seen?

I personally find it hard to pin this one on Charlie. You can blame him for the general lack of motivation (one of his biggest pitfalls) and the turnover on downs. BUT Weis wasn't the one missing the field goals, fumbling on the goalline or throwing it into the back of the receiver. And if you are going to blame the defense, which is hard considering they only gave up 21 points to an offense that averages 350 yards (290 rushing), don't blame Weis. The man has little if anything at all to do with the defensive scheming.

While the fire Weis talk will commence (the third straight season of such talk), a reasonable Notre Dame fan would be better served to let the media be the media. Save your fire Weis crap for the end of the season. Only then will I discuss it because after all, it could end up being pointless, and not to mention detrimental to the remainder of the season.


-DH

Putting out an APB

Much like the readers of this blog, ND fans have turned off the television on the ND football season. Why? I'm not sure. This guy blogged last week with predictions, of which all materialized in San Antonio. I posted a picture of Tim Brown at the 1987 Heisman Trophy presentation, and boom! none other than Tim Brown himself was the honorary member for the coin flip. I affirmed Jimmy Clausen would win the Heisman, and boom! Clausen goes 22-27 for 268 and 2 TDs in less than three quarters of play. I glorified Tate as the front runner for the Biletnikoff, and boom! Tate amasses 141 yards of total offense and two TDs. It would be disrespectful to not mention Tate's hail mary grab over three WSU defenders!

The Irish currently sit at 6-2 at #21 in the BCS. There is a lot of football left to play! The Irish only have to get to #14 in the BCS rankings to be eligible for a BCS game. And we all know the pull the Irish have for BCS bowls. It looks like it could all come down to the game at Pitt on November 14th. So wake up Irish fans, this could be the best season yet. Need I remind you we were 3-9 two years ago and 6-6 last year?

I understand you just read the ESPN article about Luke Harangody being the leading vote getter as a preseason First Team All-American and preseason Big East Player of Year. But there is plenty of time for HaranGODy after the football season! I'll let the picture below wake you all up out of your sleep.



-DH