OK, Maybe It's The Players to An Extent, Too

Who Was David, and Who Was Goliath?

I haven't seen burnt toast like that since...well...since ND's last loss.

I found myself reaching for the ND roster to try to figure out who to yell at for many of the collapses in the secondary. Criminy, even a soccer player knows it's easier to defend someone against the pass by turning around occasionally to look for the damned ball.

But what these scenarios boiled down to are simple math: the "players" in ND's secondary are 5'10", 5'11", 6'0" and 5'9". None of the guys in ND's secondary are even taller than ME! Meanwhile, Pitt's primary targets were the TE Gill (6'5") and WR Greg Lee (6'2").

ND has midgets in the secondary. Pitt had monsters in the receiving corps.

Expect a Coliseum bloodbath on 11/27.

Shaq Sez It's Time To Go

Big Daddy Calls For Willingham's Ouster

It's almost useless to go through the littany of ways ND threw away today's game vs. Pitt. Dropped passes, sure-fire interceptions (also dropped), pitifully poor coverage, 100+ yds in penalties, missed tackles, etc, etc. In my mind, this all boils down to poor coaching. My first reaction was to comb through the record books to cite the ridiculous precedents being set during the Tyrone Willingham Era: first opposing QB throwing 5tds, most home losses in first three years, most plays surrendered over 20+ yards, most losses by more than 3tds, shutouts by Michigan/FSU/USC/other, etc., but I'm sure many hardcore data-freaks are already all over this.

Earlier in the day during happier times I was cleaning the garage and listening to the John Thompson Show on WTEM 980AM, which featured an interview with Shaq. It was fairly humorous, and many times I found myself saying, "What did Shaq just say?" When asked what his role was with his new team (Miami), Shaq responded, "My job is to do my job." Uh....can you expand on that concept, daddy? (note: he also stated that he thinks his current role as an NBA center suits him well post-NBA for a job as a Chief of Police).

But later tonight I thought about that seemingly innocuous statement by Shaq, and he's right. It is as simple as that. Unfortunately for us, Tyrone Willingham is not "doing his job". He needs to be fired. Maybe a pasting by USC and another bowl loss will expedite matters...

It's the Coaching, Stupid (Redux)

Tyme to Go.

It's really getting ridiculous. It's barely worth complaining about anymore because ND's admin is just stupid. I honestly don't mind losing games where the team is overmatched, faces superior players, or outplayed. But I hate losing half the schedule each year to teams loaded with players ND didn't recruit. If they weren't good enough to play at ND, how are they suddenly beating up ND on the field?

Coaching.

How does a team lose twice by 3pts while rushing for 26yds or getting penalized 120yds?

Coaching.

And why will ND suck for two more years after losing to USC and a bowl opponent?

Coaching.

Yeah, that's right. Popular opinion on the inside is that several things presently would keep ND from firing Willingham before his contract expires at the end of the 2007 season:
1) Precendent. Bob Davie and Gerry Faust were shit coaches and they got 5 years to prove it.
2) Concern for backlash from those accusing ND of being unfair to a minority coach (with regard to #1).

I will probably still send in an annual contribution because each year I have my donation directed to the fencing endowment, and I don't think it's fair to punish that program simply because the rest of the administration is a bunch of idiots. But I completely support Steve and others who choose not to...and encourage others to do as much.

ND Football: The Meteoric Descent to Mediocrity

"It's the Coaching, Stupid!"
A letter to the Editors of Blue & Gold Illustrated:
I agree with many of the points in Tim Prister's Time Out column (Nov. 15, 2004) regarding the firing of Florida coach Ron Zook. It is classless for fans to attack a coach personally, and disappointing that the administration was not sensitive to those most directly involved, the players. While the timing was motivated by a desire to signal a new direction and help recruiting, it still was done in poor taste.

Mr. Prister alludes to the fact that Notre Dame will face a similar decision one day. Judging by the letters in Fan Forum and across many ND message boards, many fans hope this decision comes very soon, perhaps as soon as the end of this season. While the administration owes it to all involved to handle such decisions fairly, it is as well a disservice to the players and fans alike to not do anything by allowing an obvious problem to persist. Numerous examples from the past three years bear this out: poor coaching has led to inconsistent results.

Television executives love to cite the attraction of hosting Notre Dame in their post-season bowl games because the fans are so dedicated. What will it take for the administration to finally listen to these eternally loyal fans?