Notre Dame’s biggest “unrequited love” is one guy that has been making headlines recently. He appears to be “pulling a Favre”.

“I’m done. Absolutely finished. Time to concentrate on my health, and family, and get on with my life.”

“Well, then again…I still really enjoy winning. I’d like to do some more of that.”

On Sunday afternoon, Meyer will apparently announce that he is just taking some time away-leaving the door open for a return.

Most SEC coaches probably feel the kind of disappointment that the ex-boyfriends of Taylor Swift (she would call them douches) feel: “How was I supposed to know she would turn into that when I broke up with her over the phone during her awkward years?!” It is a crushing of the soul for coaches that suddenly thought their lives and careers would be easier without going against the king of the mountain. They will once again take a back seat to the Meyer vs Saban feud (the only SEC battle that really matters right now).

At the end of the day, competitors are competitors. That is all they know how to do. The old cliche about “hating to lose” rings true. Urban wants to win 2 straight national championships just to erase the stench of losing to Alabama in this year’s SEC title game. And he doesn’t know how to turn away from this urge yet, even at the expense of his physical well-being.

So, Meyer will be around for a little while longer, tormenting the SEC, and giving Notre Dame fans a figure to root against with all of their might.

(And Lane Kiffin can still continue his dream of becoming a stand up comedian, penning funny and childish taunts with great writers like Conan O’Brien, and directing them at his Florida nemesis.)

Another tough and disappointing year for the Irish on the field this year, as we saw them limp to another .500 finish. Next year is a new year, and the energy of every Irish fan is currently being directed toward the hope for a revival under Brian Kelly (He took UC to #3 people!), but for now, here are some thoughts on the season that was.

10.) Weis got thrashed a lot for not living up to his “decided schematic advantage” comments on a yearly basis, and for what its worth, the Irish offense never seemed particularly creative. But, as for this year, if you had Golden Tate and Michael Floyd on the outside, wouldn’t you be tempted to throw bombs and fades on every play too?

9.) Armando Allen, this is the first year I liked you as a running back. Way to run tough and break some tackles.

8.) If the NFL ever falls through for him, Jimmy Clausen would make one hell of a sniper on some special forces unit. CNN Headline: “Another terrorist leader goes down mysteriously with a football right between the eyes.”

7.) Before you think that all of Notre Dame’s problems come down to coaching the last 15 years, realize that the elite schools have multiple players with Manti Te’o’s skill set on their defense every year. (I think USC’s entire 2008 defense will play in the NFL.)

6.) Can’t field a championship defense when 3* and lightly recruited Brian Smith is widely considered to be your best defender. This isn’t to say that some lightly regarded recruits can’t turn into studs, but do you think that the Irish coaches could have gotten anything more out of Smith?

5.) Not sure if I enjoyed anything more than watching human wrecking-ball Taylor Mays being swatted off of Golden Tate as if he were a pesky fly.

4.) Michael Floyd, drink some milk in the offseason, I want you to be healthy for the entirety of your third and final season before you go pro.

3.) Nothing says “under performance” like losing to Navy (for the second time).

2.) Notre Dame defenders found it more difficult to tackle anybody than gay people find it is to respect celebrity blogger Perez Hilton (and he’s one of their own).

1.) Charlie, thanks for trying.

Brian Kelly wants to “fix” things at Notre Dame. He is a repairman, and not a lonely one like the Maytag Repairman with nothing to do.

His first step toward fixing the Irish is to discover and inspire mental toughness (commitment). How bad do the Notre Dame players want to win? Are they tough enough-both physically and mentally? Are they prepared enough-both physically and mentally?

He plans to do this by running “Camp Kelly“. Because waking up at 4 a.m. every day to torture worse than Count Rugen’s “Machine” is a sure way to measure who is ready to go the distance. From Rugen: “I’ve just sucked one year of your life away. I might one day go as high as five, but I really don’t know what that would do to you.” From Kelly: I’m going to run the losing out of you (until you puke numerous times)”.

South Bend Tribune’s Account:

And the first detail is toughness. Kelly’s polished exterior almost belies his. Camp Kelly will likely unmask it, though, and reveal whether his new players have it. The boot camp — Kelly wouldn’t reveal its starting date or length — has nothing to do with rhetoric and even less to do with X’s and O’s. “I can tell you this, it has absolutely no football applicability relative to skill development,” Kelly said. “So you go into it knowing you’re not going to leave here a better receiver, but you’re going to leave here a more-committed wide receiver.” “Gauge, gauge, gauge the commitment level,” Kelly said. “I need to find out how important it is for you to be a football player at Notre Dame.

Remember, “adversity reveals character”. These kids need to be put to the test to develop the mental toughness required to win.

And if they aren’t ready?

Brian Kelly could always make them do this.