Nov/093
Anchors Away!!
Jimmy Clausen Dropping Back... out of the Top 25. Again.
Notre Dame did it again...
The Fighting Irish went 10 games before the smoke and mirror show was exposed like Peter Bretter in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall". Everybody in blue jerseys on Saturday evening were looking to cover their collective dongs when the final score showed Navy 23 - Notre Dame 21.
Can we all move on now? The Notre Dame Mystique thins every season; and now it's just about translucent. They just aren't a good football team. The coaching staff is lacking. The players don't get the job done. And the attention the program still garners is stomach-turning bad. 100% Serious: I'd rather watch a Kate Plus 8 Minus Jon marathon for a week straight than endure another proclamation that Notre Dame is "back".
Here's what makes Notre Dame even worse: Navy isn't good either. With this win--Navy's second consecutive win at Notre Dame Stadium--Navy qualifies for the Texas Bowl. Anybody care to fathom a guess as to whom Navy's going to see in the Texas Bowl? The Big 12's eigth place team, which currently looks to be Texas A&M. Notre Dame lost to the team who's not even a shoe-in to win the Texas Bowl.
With all the unjustified clout Notre Dame's golden domes carry these days, it's time to take the Irish down a few notches. Remember when Charlie Weis non-chalantly stated that his boys were as good as any of the top 5 teams? Let this serve as notice that Notre Dame certainly is not in the same league as Florida, Texas, USC, Boise State, TCU, or approximately 25 other teams.
Saturday's fourth quarter goes to show how terribly overblown Notre Dame is. The two touchdown scoring drives proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the Irish should have been running circles around Navy's defense all day long. Even with the 23 points the Navy offense registered, Notre Dame should have put up 50. Those final touchdown drives for ND went for a combined 12 plays, 156 yards, 14 points in 2:24 of game clock. Really? What happened to the other 3 quarters of the game? What were they waiting for? Was this a rope-a-dope gone awry? No. This was a heartless, gutless showing.
Programs like Navy have nothing to rely on but heart while Notre Dame has a talent pool deeper than the Pacific Ocean. Navy won't ever play for the national title or have a nationally ranked recruiting class, but they aren't above seizing the opportunity. Saturday's game served as a case in point for the "On any given Saturday..." adage. Notre Dame looked to win simply by showing up. After an opening drive fumble turned into a Navy 7-0 lead, the Irish took a gut check they couldn't come back from. Navy outplayed ND all day long. By halftime, Navy was up 14-0. And in the end, Navy stood 2 points higher on the scoreboard and, on the road, beat Notre Dame.
The biggest blemish in Notre Dame's golden dome, though, was in Navy's reaction when the game ended. There weren't any reactions lending themselves to a "Nobody Believed in Us" week of preparation, no midshipmen rushing the field to celebrate with the team, no Gatorade baths for the coach; just a series of hand shakes and hugs for the Irish team they had just beaten. A series of events as such leads everybody looking on in the stadium and everybody watching on Notre Dame's national broadcast to infer that Navy expected to win the whole way--as there was never even a doubt to the outcome. That's what Notre Dame football has come to: Even Navy expects to win. "Play Like a Champion"? Please revise to read, "Play Like You're Relevant Today," because ND football is not. Not anymore.
We learned a lot about Notre Dame football on Saturday. We learned that they're not "back". We learned that they aren't as good as advertised. Most deflating of all, we learned that Notre Dame has no heart. All that "Play like a Champion Today" sign pounding and candle lit praying at the grotto amount to exactly nothing. Even with an unnervingly undeserved BCS bid on the line, Notre Dame couldn't beat one of the military academies.
Anchors away, boys, because there go the Irish all the way to the Meineke Car Care Bowl.
November 9th, 2009
No offense, but you know nothing about Navy Football. Navy can hover around in the top 20-40 category and a win over over a 19 is good, but not out of the question.
Your premise that the bowl game that they will go to as indicative of their talent level is misleading. Navy is an independant. They don’t have agreements. They take what they can get and it is is mostly decided several years before.
How often does Navy have to beat ranked teams, or nearly beat the likes of Ohio State before every pundit out there doesn’t dismiss them as “Just Navy?”
November 9th, 2009
I agree that Notre Dame is possibly the most overrated sports team in the nation. They were once upon a time a great college football factory in the land. Players flocked to there. Kids would sell their souls to just play in the ‘fabled’ stadium. But, then entrance requirements went up (they are a supposed elite academic institution). Players have a much easier time getting into public schools (lower standards, possibly less expensive, easier for scholarships). Notre Dame claims to be with the USC, Texas, and Florida class, but they are more like Northwestern. High academics, private schools just don’t have the high draw of other main schools.
I also agree with Rob. Navy is a fine program, Blake. Not saying they’re the top in the country, but I root for them whenever they are on TV. How can you root against seamen? (Yes I am that juvenile).
November 12th, 2009
I just wanted to point out the irony of the Notre Dame ad (by google) at the bottom of an article that totally picked apart their beloved football program. “Notre Dame football sucks now….. but we still offer degrees….if anyone even cares *sniff* *sniff*”