Notre Dame football is one the traditional powers of the NCAA, with the decades of victories, championships, all americans, and legendary coaches to prove it.  In fact, the Irish have, at times, transcended college football to become something bigger in the world of sports.  Sports Illustrated declared that, compared to Notre Dame “many have been portrayed as America’s team.  yet only the Yankees come close, and even they come up short.”  This reputation was built upon 11 national championships, 7 heisman winners, successful NFL players, hall of fame coaches, and numerous big wins.  It’s those big wins that really made the difference.  ND beat #1 teams more than anyone else.  The Irish rallied to win when they shouldn’t have and always seemed to come out on top (or at least more often than not).

However, for a certain generation of fan, ND has been more about disappointment and unrealized expectations.  I am 27 years old and began watching ND games in 1990, more or less.  My earliest memory of ND football is the phantom clip.  Since then, I’ve witnessed the tie with Michigan, the loss to BC in 1993, an overtime loss to Nebraska, the Bush Push, a 2002 season that ended so poorly, and blowouts in 3 BCS games.  For my generation, Notre Dame has always lost that must-win game.  It has always come up just short, leaving us all to think about what might have been.

Now, I’m not trying to prove my bona fides about being a true fan.  Rather, I’m pointing out that, for an entire generation, ND has yet to make it to the top.  We have loads of stories from our elders about what ND was, but few about what ND is.  The Weis years have had their ups and downs, but the jury is still out on what the team will become.

This fan, for one, is hoping that someday he has his own ND legends to tell.

(Part 1)

Oh, man!  Maybe the two scariest words in the English language to a young man.  Nothing can make your stomach churn with anxiety like preparing to have a kid.  Just ask Seth Rogen (and that was with the hotter-than-should-be-legal Katie Heigl), or Homer Simpson (pregnancies caused that poor chump to rip all his hair out-seriously).  But no, I’m not talking about that , and Knocked-Up also refers to what happened last year to the Notre Dame’s offensive line.  Knocked Up, Knocked Around, Knocked Down, Ran Through and Run Around.  That pretty much sums it up doesn’t it?

I had mentioned before that I would give my thoughts about the o-line, as there are many questions that the unit has to answer.  The first question up is:

Will more physical practices make the difference?

Charlie came aboard in 2005 and promised a “tough, intelligent and “nasty” football team.  As his fourth season is ready to begin, the Irish teams have not been able to live up to that vow.  There have been some offensive fire works to be sure, but there has always been something missing-especially against the elite defenses.  Need some stats to back that up? (Don’t worry, just a few main ones, I’m not going to get Tony Reali on ya)  Here we go:

Charlie’s running game has never averaged 4 yards a carry.

In 2005, the Irish averaged 36.7ppg, 477.3ypg, and only gave up 21 sacks.

In 2006, the Irish averaged 31.0ppg, 389.8ypg, and gave up and gave up 31 sacks.

2007?  Nothing needs to be said.

Each year has gotten progressively worse, and Coach Weis has recognized that a change in philosophy may be needed.  His approach was more akin to the pro style practices where a heavy burden was placed on the mental aspect (more meetings, more scheming) of the game.  He approached this way for for 2 main reasons:

1.)  At the pro level level, athletic ability is more evenly matched, and the differences in the game rely more on how quick you can think and react mentally. Can you confuse and outwit your opponent?

2.)  Obviously more physical practices lead to a greater risk of injury.

That being said, the mental approach was taking away from the physical reps in practice.  The team was young, and probably needed more time to adjust to how fast the college game is.  Weis is making those changes this year, and them boys are hitting more than blocking sleds this year - people like Chris Stewart are giving their teammates a chance to do some cloud watching (Tried to think of a fancy way to say they’re putting people on their backs)!  The team is no longer just talking about picking up the blitz, they are picking up the blitz!

The lesson: Sometimes life is about making a stand and leaning strongly one way or the other.  Other times, it is about finding a balance.  Charlie found that he was leaning too far towards the mental side, and decided to balance it out with the physical. ) As the team matures, there may come a day when he must lean back the other way once again.)

Sept 6th is approaching, time to see if Sam Young and Co. are gonna whiff, or if they are gonna do some hittin!

Next: (Part II) Is Bigger Better?

Yesterday, I wrote a post giving my thoughts on some comments made by ESPN personality Colin Cowherd on his national radio show.  As a follow up I wanted to say what I thought about this guy, and I want to find out what y’all think as well.

Man, I love Colin Cowherd!  (Seriously.)  That guy talks more college football than any other national host, and he can fire you up with his commentary like no other (I have a good friend that compares him to shock jock Howard Stern).  If you listen to his show, you probably either love him or hate him (though I think the shock jock comparison is a little much), but he never says anything that is totally ridiculous, and I think most arguments he makes are logical.  What he does best is strike a nerve, and put certain fan bases on the defensive by what he says.  Well, the truth is, fear causes the defensiveness, and the fear is that deep down, you think he might just be telling the truth.

Make no mistake, his comments intend to rile up some folks, but that is what entertainment is about.  Hitting that emotional button is a great way to earn a loyal fan base (thought it will mean plenty of haters as well), and it employs the same principles that sometimes causes a fist fight between friends!  Pit two sides against each other and add emotion into the equation, then stand back ‘cuz there’s gonna be an explosion!

Yes, Colin will bang on ND, but he will also promote them when they’re playing well.  The same goes for Ohio State, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma , USC (well maybe he won’t bang on them!), and everyone else out there.  His job is to talk about an interesting topic, and stir up some emotion.  That is why he has a national radio show.  Well done Colin, Well done (though sometimes I’d like to be waiting for you in the parking lot)!

So, are you guys  “In the Herd”, or out?