Amidst the darkness of another sleepless night, missed field goals and unblocked sackers light up my mind. A distant memory of yet another season fried into my eyelids. Scared is how we played, minus the one retaliation during another USC stomping. So how does one sleep knowing that the headmaster is still the one wielding the yardstick? New assistants hired to bridge the gap between the gruff and the young, but will they have enough time to save an ND nation from another season-long nightmare?
I’ve read several articles referring to ND’s run game being emphasized during the spring game. And I’ve also read how the offensive line was actually in the defensive backfield pursuing linebackers–so the natural thing to do is to draw a line between the two, and suggest to everyone the changes made. The players playing a game of duck-duck-goose in the end-zone perhaps showing a new, light-hearted style of play, not previously allowed by Mr. Rooney.
So we have all of these new perceived changes, and we have a team lock-stocked full of talent; but does this necessarily equate to the problems we all witness on game day? Or is this simply a fan base that quickly buries forgettable seasons replacing them with optimistic, golden-bleached day dreams? I think probably a bit of both. What I saw last year was a team who didn’t respond to its coach. Has that problem been resolved? Lee Corso would say “not so fast”.
New hires and new-found player-related emotions may not mask the ugly truth of not having relational skills. Having fear on a football field will not allow a player to play loose and can consequently poison a talent-laden team. How is it possible that a UConn team will have three first round draft picks, while a US Army All-American-filled Notre Dame squad, probably won’t have one? It all points to coaching. There’s one solution I see, and you may not agree with it but that’s okay with me; viva la booth. Accept the fact that you can’t relate to the players and give the sidelines to your new, right hand man. The knees will agree and so will the players. Use your expertise in that glassed-in room, and dissect the opponents’ defenses.
This man needs some sleep, some nice uninterrupted sleep. Z’s and sheep have been tackled for a loss the last couple of years. My paper bag disguise is old and worn and no longer hides me from all of my fork-tongued friends. Please Charlie, wake me when this is realized. Wake me so I can see a well-prepared team playing against Nevada. Don’t let the nightmare continue, for any of us. It’s time to go to work with our heads up gentlemen. It’s time for us to wear our green ties and clover-shaped clips. It’s time for me to wake up.
