Just in case you needed a little motivation..........

[Guest Snatchy_McPants]

I hope this fires everyone up!

 

The A-List

Are the Fighting Irish really that good?

Posted: Monday September 12, 2005 3:10PM; Updated: Thursday September 15, 2005 2:14PM

 

By Maggie Haskins

 

Notre Dame is not a top 10 team.

 

Don't get me wrong, there is no one happier than this little Irish Catholic girl that Notre Dame beat No. 3 Michigan. Wake up the echoes indeed. The last time I had so much fun watching a Notre Dame game was when No. 1 Florida State visited No. 2 Notre Dame in 1993. Since then, inconsistency has plagued the Irish, especially on offense. Watching Jarius Jackson in the late '90s at quarterback was like watching a Courtney Love rehab stint. Even if the offense put together a sustained drive, you knew it would fall off the wagon soon enough. Most successes were eventually tempered by failure. The team has not won a bowl game since the 1994 Cotton Bowl, and there was the especially disastrous 41-9 trouncing by Oregon State in the 2001 Fiesta Bowl. Last year the team couldn't even win its final bowl game for fallen Coach Tyrone Willingham (a 38-21 loss to Oregon State).

 

Enter Charlie Weis. In the first two contests this year, Weis, the offensive mastermind during the New England Patriots recent Super Bowl run, showed that Notre Dame can still party with the big boys. But following the team's wins over Pitt and Michigan, the nation seems to have gone a little overboard when evaluating the Irish.

 

I could understand a No. 10 ranking if Notre Dame's offense had put together two solid halves versus the Wolverines but it didn't. Against a suspect Michigan defense, the Irish looked brilliant in the first half and inept in the second. Yes, the offense is far superior than its predecessors but it's nowhere near perfect. After Brady Quinn sliced through the first 15 scripted plays against Michigan without missing a beat, the offense started to sputter.

 

Also, it appears that Michigan and Pitt were overrated. Tyler Palko has not looked at all like the same QB who shouted expletives after beating ND in South Bend last season. Michigan, meanwhile, rolled into this season touted as an offensive juggernaut and looked easily overwhelmed by the Irish defense. Wolverines wideout Steve Breaston received a ton of attention following Braylon Edward's departure but the redshirt junior failed to make any big plays last Saturday.

 

I'm not trying to be overly critical of the team or Weis, and I hope they continue to improve and rise in the rankings, but just because it's "Notre Dame" doesn't mean the Red Sea needs to part and they have a direct path to the top 10.

 

Are they a top 15 team? Definitely. Will two stellar halves against Michigan State change my mind? Certainly. But for right now I want to be a little bit more cautious with my approach to the Irish. The college football media and fans, so badly want Notre Dame to rejoin the elite that the arrival of Weis and two big wins has everyone is ready to overlook the past 12 years of inconsistency. It appears Weis is certainly getting more out of ND than Willingham did last year, but it's early.

 

So, I advise everyone to drink up the Irish in moderation because while it might be fun to binge on Notre Dame's success now, the hangover will be a killer when they eventually lose.

 

-Can't wait to prove this chick wrong! GO IRISH!

[Guest domehead]

Fired up!!!!! I love it...these idiots..let 'em talk...we'll let our boys do the walk...I love it that they hate to admit it..but from here on out there is just no way to get around it...thanks Snatchy..I needed alittle pep me up....GO IRISH

[Guest Irish4life]

eh i hate to kill the moment guys but i didnt feel anything. maybe its because im tired. i think i should go take a nap.

[Guest domehead]

ok ...but be prepared to wake up angry

[Guest Irish4life]

i dont know...i dont care what people say about nd because i know that this is good not great (yet) but this is a good solid football team and im just waiting till they win a national championship so when i die i can say one of my life goals has been accomplished atleast. but uhmm as far as what people say or what the polls say i dont care i just wanna see some nd football and i wanna see them win and play hard and be healthy.

[Guest domehead]

well said...I'm with ya