Meadowlands Epitaph: The Spread is Dead And The Defense Died Too
Not a Rant, just a Rage:
Coach Brian Kelly owes the Notre Dame faithful an apology for one of the worst showings by an Irish football team in this century. Hell, this wasn't a battle on the high seas with anchors away. This was New Jersey, for crissakes, and the Midshipmen flushed ND down a toilet bowl that was temporarily called the Meadowlands.
We warned the ND Nation that "The Mids Will Get ND If They Don't Watch Out."
We did, admittedly, soften that concern late in the week when Kelly let it be known far and wide that his Lads from South Bend have been working on stopping Navy's triple option for several weeks. Not to worry.
They were, he boasted, prepared for the creative, disciplined offense of the U.S. Naval Academy alright---they just weren't prepared to stop it. And, especially no back-up plan to halt the Middies back-up fullback, who ran amok all afternoon.
Let's face it: The Fighting Irish were exposed in the Meadowlands, in front of 80,000 spectators, most of whom were Notre Dames fans, the subway alumni of New Jersey and New York.
What an embarrassment! Navy with it's one goat, ND's football team with several.
We couldn't wait to get as far away from the stink left by the Notre Dame defense and the pathetic performance of Dayne Crist, who just may not be the right QB for the spread offense. And, as for the Kelly spread, make mine mustard. At least there's a bite to it.
The whole ugly experience was best summed up, but not short, by Jersey City native, Brendan M, a subway alum who has followed Notre Dame football for 60 years:
"First I want to point out that I had been looking forward to this game for a long time. I had my whole game plan mapped out months in advance. I knew I would get up early and put on my ND cap and my ND shirt. I would immediately go straight to Dunkin' Donuts and get my Pumpkin Coffee and then thereafter, along the way to my subway stop, I knew I would have one hell of a big smile on my face. Why? I am Notre Dame dammit! This was my time to show up and wake up the echoes. My time to show my allegiance. I already knew how I would walk into the new Meadowlands stadium with that slow cock walk, slight grin on my face as I make my way to my seat. I have come to conquer! I have made it this far and there is no way anything will stop me now! I would look out onto the field knowing that I am of one with all of my ND brethren and all of the ND faithful. I would stare out into the blue sky knowing that what makes a Notre Dame fan different than any other is.....PASSION. A very special kind of passion.
"I discovered yesterday, as I stood in my seat after the game was over, that ND players and coaches are supposed to be fans too, not just players and coaches. I discovered that that is exactly what is missing and what has been missing for a very long time. It's as if my Notre Dame men just show up, strap on the gear and they have done their job. Where has the passion gone?! 60 years ago this was not the case, men went to Notre Dame because they had the passion to be there. They didn't need to make a top 5 visit list. They didn't need to visit Notre Dame, they just knew it was the tiny little Catholic school where they would be, because they wanted to be there, they had the passion to be there.
"Passion, passion, passion. Where has it gone? Yesterday, the Irish had none except from all the Irish fans like me. My hat is off to Navy. They had their passion and they were fun to watch. Their passion showed not just in score but in their play after play after play. Notre Dame passion.....How can a tiny little Catholic school be the most popular college football team and have the biggest fan base (except maybe for Zenyatta) in what may be all of sports? It's called passion, it's called passion.When that tiny little Catholic school gets back to finding theirs, when the players and coaches become the fan, not just a player, not just a coach, then it will show in score and play after play after play. And it will be fun, so very fun to watch.
"At least after the game was over, I could still take my cock walk over to the Meadowlands race track. With the races set to begin soon there, it was the 7th race at Belmont Park I had been thinking about for several weeks called the Sleepy Hollow and a certain horse named Bandbox. I knew that Bandbox would win, this horse is special, he has passion. A certain kind of passion. So, via simulcast and with PASSION, I put all I had on Bandbox to win and I keyed Bandbox in exactas, trifectas, and superfectas. Passion can take you to the winners circle as it did for me and Bandbox yesterday."
--ScottB
Coach Brian Kelly owes the Notre Dame faithful an apology for one of the worst showings by an Irish football team in this century. Hell, this wasn't a battle on the high seas with anchors away. This was New Jersey, for crissakes, and the Midshipmen flushed ND down a toilet bowl that was temporarily called the Meadowlands.
We warned the ND Nation that "The Mids Will Get ND If They Don't Watch Out."
We did, admittedly, soften that concern late in the week when Kelly let it be known far and wide that his Lads from South Bend have been working on stopping Navy's triple option for several weeks. Not to worry.
They were, he boasted, prepared for the creative, disciplined offense of the U.S. Naval Academy alright---they just weren't prepared to stop it. And, especially no back-up plan to halt the Middies back-up fullback, who ran amok all afternoon.
Let's face it: The Fighting Irish were exposed in the Meadowlands, in front of 80,000 spectators, most of whom were Notre Dames fans, the subway alumni of New Jersey and New York.
What an embarrassment! Navy with it's one goat, ND's football team with several.
We couldn't wait to get as far away from the stink left by the Notre Dame defense and the pathetic performance of Dayne Crist, who just may not be the right QB for the spread offense. And, as for the Kelly spread, make mine mustard. At least there's a bite to it.
The whole ugly experience was best summed up, but not short, by Jersey City native, Brendan M, a subway alum who has followed Notre Dame football for 60 years:
"First I want to point out that I had been looking forward to this game for a long time. I had my whole game plan mapped out months in advance. I knew I would get up early and put on my ND cap and my ND shirt. I would immediately go straight to Dunkin' Donuts and get my Pumpkin Coffee and then thereafter, along the way to my subway stop, I knew I would have one hell of a big smile on my face. Why? I am Notre Dame dammit! This was my time to show up and wake up the echoes. My time to show my allegiance. I already knew how I would walk into the new Meadowlands stadium with that slow cock walk, slight grin on my face as I make my way to my seat. I have come to conquer! I have made it this far and there is no way anything will stop me now! I would look out onto the field knowing that I am of one with all of my ND brethren and all of the ND faithful. I would stare out into the blue sky knowing that what makes a Notre Dame fan different than any other is.....PASSION. A very special kind of passion.
"I discovered yesterday, as I stood in my seat after the game was over, that ND players and coaches are supposed to be fans too, not just players and coaches. I discovered that that is exactly what is missing and what has been missing for a very long time. It's as if my Notre Dame men just show up, strap on the gear and they have done their job. Where has the passion gone?! 60 years ago this was not the case, men went to Notre Dame because they had the passion to be there. They didn't need to make a top 5 visit list. They didn't need to visit Notre Dame, they just knew it was the tiny little Catholic school where they would be, because they wanted to be there, they had the passion to be there.
"Passion, passion, passion. Where has it gone? Yesterday, the Irish had none except from all the Irish fans like me. My hat is off to Navy. They had their passion and they were fun to watch. Their passion showed not just in score but in their play after play after play. Notre Dame passion.....How can a tiny little Catholic school be the most popular college football team and have the biggest fan base (except maybe for Zenyatta) in what may be all of sports? It's called passion, it's called passion.When that tiny little Catholic school gets back to finding theirs, when the players and coaches become the fan, not just a player, not just a coach, then it will show in score and play after play after play. And it will be fun, so very fun to watch.
"At least after the game was over, I could still take my cock walk over to the Meadowlands race track. With the races set to begin soon there, it was the 7th race at Belmont Park I had been thinking about for several weeks called the Sleepy Hollow and a certain horse named Bandbox. I knew that Bandbox would win, this horse is special, he has passion. A certain kind of passion. So, via simulcast and with PASSION, I put all I had on Bandbox to win and I keyed Bandbox in exactas, trifectas, and superfectas. Passion can take you to the winners circle as it did for me and Bandbox yesterday."
--ScottB
posted by OLD SHILLELAGH at 12:49 PM
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