Just a few thoughts on ND football

“I got the humility from Mom and Dad. But when I was here, coach (Lou Holtz) pounded it in; made sure it didn't leave. It was never about me, it was always about the team.”

Jerome Bettis

Good article from the South Bend Tribune. However, the team and Mr. Weis should take a look into the quote above. Did you notice what Betis said, ...it was always about the team.

I have no doubt that Charlie Weis has a great knowledge of the game and he can be a great motivator. However something is lacking and I suspect that the quote from Betis has something to do with the problem.

For further discussion:
An interesting article from World Magazine describes the main goal of any team sport.
Taken from a review of the documentary, More than a game;
"Lebron James was flashy, Dru Joyce III was feisty, Sian Cotton was hefty, Willie McGee was mature,and Romeo Travis was in the game for the girls. They called themselves the "Fab Five", and they were the stars of a basketball team some called the best in high school history. ... More than a Game tells the story of how these teens packed university stadiums and catapulted the Fighting Irish from Akron, Ohio, to national fame....They call each other "brothers" and Dru Joyce II,their coach, takes it upon himself to teach them more than a game."My job wasn't about basketball," he says. "It was about helping them become men."
The review further states, "It is easy to see Joyce, with his soft-spoken pep talks and prayers,as the father figure who first has to command the boy's respect before he can check their braggadocio and hold them together as a team.

The biggest question that I have as a fan of ND football:

Is Charlie Weis challenging the team to become men?

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NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL: Can Irish regain their staggered swagger?

By AL LESAR
Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND — It was beyond schematic deficiencies. It was beyond two uncharacteristic and costly fumbles. It was beyond a pass that bounced off the back of a star receiver and into the hands of a defender. It was beyond two missed field goals. It was a dreadful lack of passion.

What happened to the Notre Dame football team in Saturday's loss to Navy was bad.

How it happened was even worse.

Uninspired. Listless. Disinterested. Lethargic. Pick your adjective.

Nobody under the Golden Dome could argue.

Coach Charlie Weis said this week that he would stress accountability. The locker room mirror's crowded with guilty faces looking back.

But do they care enough to recognize the crisis? If so, do they care enough to want to solve the crisis? That's a coach's dilemma when the tightrope has started to fray.

What makes this situation all the worse is that Weis and his staff spent the week leading up to the Navy debacle focusing on three issues.

Tackle the fullback. Actually, on every play but one (a 25-yard TD run by Vince Murray) the Navy fullback did get tackled. However, it was after more than 200 yards had been gained.

Guard against a play-action pass. Ricky Dobbs' 52-yard scoring pass to Greg Jones put the kibosh on that goal.

Play with as much passion (or more) as the Midshipmen on every play. Not even close. The beach ball dancing around the student section caused more of a stir than the way the Irish played most of the game.

The energy outage was induced by a Navy team that wasn't supposed to compete.

Passion isn't measured in yards and inches. Or, points on a scoreboard.

It's gauged by bodies flying. It's the intensity that develops into a confidence. It's a confidence that evolves into a swagger.

That swagger is the distance between a program on the cusp of greatness, with the "want to" to achieve it, and one content to wallow in mediocrity.

What Weis has to deal with is a bigger concern than scheme. Erase the greaseboard and the blueprint is changed.

Not so fast, my friend.

Passion is different. It's either there or it isn't. Passion isn't coached.

Have all the narrow escapes and disheartening last-second losses finally exacted their toll? Is the Irish tank finally empty?

When Weis talks about accountability, it can easily be construed as blame. With blame comes negativity. With negativity comes a downward spiral that can flush the rest of the season — and possibly a coaching career — down the commode in a hurry.

Will egos get in the way of survival?

The time for blame has passed. This is damage-control mode, plain and simple. This is not a drill. This, fellas, is the real thing.

If the program doesn't heal itself soon, the life-support equipment will be in place. Keeping a heart beating by artificial means rarely ends well. The guy with his hand on the plug always has the last call.

It may already be too late.

Not to worry. Fate is fate. Control is limited. With only three games promised, the only option is to play them hard; play them well; play them with passion.

And give the guy with his hand on the plug a reason to have a second thought.