It is human nature to sin. We do very bad things, mostly to benefit our own situation. Lie. Cheat. Steal. Someone has a nice shiny Rolex that you want? Take it from them! Life recognizes 7 deadly sins. Any of these can be dangerous to your anus is you get caught, ‘cuz it will be prison time.

The sporting world also suffers from its own kind of sins. There are numerous, but most are forgivable. Only 2 aren’t.

Anyone that commits these should be subject to having Bubba stroke their hair lovingly with his soft hands.

Blindness to Reality.

Unreal Expectations.

Big #2 is blindness to reality. Perhaps no sport toys with reality like college football does.  Fan has always been short for fanatic, and all have delusions of grandeur.  Their team/conference is the best, and every other team out there is lacking.  Fans pay attention to their region only-and apply that knowledge on a national scale.  “USC would finish .500 in the SEC!”  “Ohio State lacks athletes!”  “The Big 12 doesn’t play D!”  False. False. False.  

While that is shameful, there is one that is even worse. The expectations that these fans place on their own team every year.  “Win a National Championship or fire the whole coaching staff!”

These expectations make it harder to build a program more than ever. Sometimes, patience is key. For every Pete Carroll and Jim Tressel, there are Mack Browns and Mike Leaches. Guys that are extremely successful, but would have been canned at some point if fans had their way. “Mack Brown is Mr. February, he can’t get it done in the regular season!”

The point is that “fire Charlie” talk is premature. His team was at rock bottom (yes he can be blamed for that). Let’s see what improvement another year brings before ND starts from scratch (again). The program is still moving forward, and I prefer to let a coach drive it until he gets stuck in neutral.

Notre Dame fandom screams loudly, “The fat man will never lead us to a championship, cut him loose!”

There may or may not be some Pinocchio in that statement, but here a 5 truths about ND football without argument:

5.) Notre Dame is getting better. Last year, they were roughly a high school team, and the games were over by halftime. This team is a few plays away from being an 8 or 9 win team. This is what we call growing pains.

4.) Jon Tenuta is having a positive effect on this defense. The Irish are not strong enough up front to handle a truly diverse offense, but they are playing stronger than they have at any time during the Weis era. (Navy usually gets yards against any ND defense, but got nothing this year.) With a few more defensive lineman (recruiting), the Irish should have a defense that can impact games.

3.) Weis can relate to college kids. He did his first 2 years, so did he suddenly forget? I think not. Plus, his success on the recruiting trail speaks for itself.

2.) If this years’ recruiting class stays intact (think Wood and Evans).the Fighting Irish will have more guys that can do things with the ball in their hands than any of Lou’s teams did. Write that down and highlight it. Lou could not recruit receivers like this, and Weis is not lacking in the running back department, either.

1.) Schemes/motivation are not the reasons the Irish are where they are. Confidence is. You saw it with the timidness during the onside kicks against Navy. This team could set up shop with Tony Robbins himself, but it will not matter until the players teach themselves to make that “one extra play.”

I can honestly say that I have never seen an ending like I did yesterday. I had as many heart attacks in two minutes as McDonald’s caused last year. The following statement is not evaluated by the FDA, but I believe it to be true. Notre Dame football is more hazardous to your health than any deep-fried goodness you can find at fast food restaurants…

The Good

I was impressed with the ND defense shutting down the running game. Good defenses have trouble against that offense, but Irish tacklers did their jobs to an extent that I haven’t seen from them in a long time.

The running game showed life. I like to see Allen and Co. get opportunities, but I’m afraid this has more to do with the under-sized Navy defensive front. Notre Dame lineman need to be tougher.

The Bad

Irish turnovers. Same old story.

Seriously, who is #7? It can’t be Jimmy Clausen. Insert Ron Powlus joke if you wish, but I’m going to take the high road.

The Ugly

2 minutes in hell. The Irish showed a lack of confidence and did not step up to get those onside kicks (though the second one took the most ridiculous bounce I’ve ever seen). Navy had all of the momentum, and I couldn’t believe what was happening in front of my eyes. To sum things up, I offer my quote of the day, “What is all that luck of the Irish talk about?”