The Day After....Georgia Tech

So we slept on it a little -- on a futon in Chicago, actually -- and woke up with the same conclusion.

This is going to be a long season for Notre Dame. The Irish, for the first time in the Charlie Weis era, were unprepared. It wasn't a nervousness thing. It wasn't a gimmick thing (see Michigan State 2005, Ohio State Fiesta Bowl, Michigan 2006). It was purely schematic and preparation, which should be worrisome since Notre Dame spent, oh, nine months preparing for the 2007 opener.

The offensive line has to be the biggest concern. Clearly, Notre Dame's supposed depth in this area is a facade. We wouldn't be surprised to see at least one new starter pop up (Matt Carufel on the left side, maybe) entering Penn State. The defense needs to figure out how to defend stretching the field better, because Tashard Choice burnt them consistently on it Saturday.

But most of these issues, for the first time, came with the offense. Sure, Notre Dame's offense struggled before, but never had the offense cost the Irish so much in a loss. Because of the offensive line, Notre Dame couldn't do much of anything. Travis Thomas was stalled. The quarterbacks were pummeled.

How bad was the offense? In his Sunday news conference, Weis said the only offensive positive was that no receivers dropped passes. Then again, they didn't have many opportunities to, either.

"With all the people involved in protection, we didn't do a very good job," Weis said.

Weis also briefly considered pulling out of the Jones experiment earlier -- after Jones lost his second fumble. But he stuck with the redshirt freshman until the latter stages of the first half, when he was replaced by Evan Sharpley.

"What you don't want to do is create a scapegoat mentality," Weis said.

He also said that on the sweeps Jones ran, none of them were run/pass options. If Jones took it and took off -- that was completely by design. But as it proved, that didn't work. So Weis will likely move back to something he is more familiar with -- a traditional offensive gameplan -- for this week.

"That's a very valid statement," Weis said. "The answer to that is partially yes. The reason I can't say 100 percent yes (is) you still have to do what the guy who is quarterbacking can do. Whether going back to more conventional is the way to go, you still have to utilize the skills of the guy who is the quarterback and then settle it around what the guy can do."

-By Michael Rothstein of The Journal Gazette

Comments

[lee tristan]

if weiss is such a gr8t coach why were they so unprepared???? this is his third year.

[lee tristan]

shoudn't the coach set an example for the student athletes. if he is so overweight and out of shape what kind of tone does that create?????

[Paul]

Shut up, Lee. Go troll someplace else.

As for this, obviously the o-line is a problem and Weis had the worst possible gameplan, but a big part of the problems with the QBs and with Travis Thomas is that Jones, Sharpley and Thomas are not particularly good. If this is going to be a "best guy plays" football team, as it should be and as Weis has said it is, then Clausen should start immediately, and the carries should all go to Armando Allen and James Aldridge. Or did no one notice how the o-line suddenly wasn't so bad when Allen was given the ball? Weis cost the team a TD when he ran Thomas on third and short deep in the red zone down 19-0. It was idiotic. The bright side is that he cannot possibly have a worse game than this as a coach. But if he keeps playing Sharpley, Jones, and Thomas, he deserves all the heat he'll get. Play the best players, Charlie, so that when the great recruits on D show up, there's an offense waiting for them.

[bob drake]

Michael,

Thanks for telling it as it is!

Poster Paul is right:

"Play the best players, Charlie, so that when the great recruits on D show up, there's an offense waiting for them."

[robert t. gilleran]

michael,
1. if we ever want to cave in to despair, we only need to look at your prose.

you make samuel beckett sound like an optimist, without the excellent prose.

2. the nd d played extremely well until they got worn out by being on the field too long.

3. have you forgotten those 4 courageous goal line stands, including the blocked field goal, that kept the score at 9, instead of 28?

4.the one thing that charlie could not prepare the team for was the speed of the 1st college game for so many of them.

5. having seen that speed now, they will adjust quickly, while you do your best to tank them.

6. we strongly object to your use of the words irish insights since, if your doom and gloom philosophy had ever taken hold in ireland, the brits would have succeeded in their genocide and there would be no irish spirit in the world today.

7. nd came back after the michigan debacle last season, with no thanks to attitudes like yours and , even though it took 700 years, we got the brits out of ireland, with no thanks to attitudes like yours.

8. by the way, there will be a big east ref crew at happy valley next saturday and the same at the big house the week after, not the all acc crew of anti catholic bigots that called that bogus penalty against justin brown while letting the gtech players get away with one egregious non called penalty after another.

that bogus penalty called against justin brown and the numerous non called penalties against gtech determined the outcome of the nd/gtech game, not poor play, poor coaching or lack of talent on the nd side.

open your eyes, read the ncaa rule book, and break down the game film, unless you relish being known as mr doom and gloom.

if you check, you will find a former big 10 ref by the name of a crook, dennis lipski, on the ref crews at both the michigan and usc games last season.

that is why charlie terminated nd's long term arrangement with the big 10 to have big 10 crews officiate nd's away games as they have for years and replaced them with big east crews.

we will never know what the outcome of the nd/gtech game would have been with honest refs.

there is no excuse for not having real time review of all penalties called and not called in college football, just like they do in the nfl.

in the meantime, we have the pac 10 refs in a state of terror. that is why they did not dare step.

unfortunately, we did not get to the acc in time for the gtech game, but we sure will now and they will pay a very large economic penalty for what those crooked refs did at the nd/ gtech game.

we will be praying for you,

bob gilleran

[not delusional]

Just so you know, Michael, as an ND fan, I want no part of bob gilleran's crusade. Thanks for your blog.

[Eric]

We all expected a better game plan than this. Run right, run left, run up the middle with almost no passing is not a Charlie Weis team. He needs to get back to his roots. Get back to his pro-style offense with Jimmie Clausen at QB. If you don't establish the pass to set up the run, then defenses load the box and shutdown the run. Weis needs to stick with what he knows best. By the way, the defense saved an early blow-out and they will be just fine if the offense gets on track.

[Eric]

We all expected a better game plan than this. Run right, run left, run up the middle with almost no passing is not a Charlie Weis team. He needs to get back to his roots. Get back to his pro-style offense with Jimmie Clausen at QB. If you don't establish the pass to set up the run, then defenses load the box and shutdown the run. Weis needs to stick with what he knows best. By the way, the defense saved an early blow-out and they will be just fine if the offense gets on track.

[Eric]

We all expected a better game plan than this. Run right, run left, run up the middle with almost no passing is not a Charlie Weis team. He needs to get back to his roots. Get back to his pro-style offense with Jimmie Clausen at QB. If you don't establish the pass to set up the run, then defenses load the box and shutdown the run. Weis needs to stick with what he knows best. By the way, the defense saved an early blow-out and they will be just fine if the offense gets on track.

[Gregg]

I'm going to keep this short and sweet because the rest of you have made good points. Doesn't Travis Thomas remind you of Ryan Grant? Great leader, but not the best RB...and where was this RB committee everyone got a hard on about?

[Sam ND Texas]

A. The August Kool-Aid has soured.
B. Clausen period for better or for worse.
C. Ditto AA vs TT.
D. CW runs the risk of now being lumped in with GF-TW-BD.
D. Shuttle linemen in till one of them gets it.
E. September and October are going to be long-long months.

A small view: There were numerous intentional "tripping" situations by GT that were not called by the officials including the very first kickoff. The officials were busy reviewing the fumble when right in front of their eyes was the "tripping" that preceded the fumble.

Sam ND Texas

[Tom]

I agree with eric. TT should be third on the depth chart, at least. REMEMBER, definite recruiting hangover from TY! Simply not enough depth and most of these players, save freshman/soph class, were 3 star recruits. Most of TY's only good recruiting class is gone. These guys wouldn't start at appalachian st.

[jim harrigan]

Guess who was the happiest guy with ND ties following Saturday’s debacle? Answer: Dayne Crist. As soon as Clausen took a snap...Crist could have two full years at QB (one year red-shirt) if Clausen is to play a full four-years.

Comparing ND with any other game/teams that I watched on Saturday..ND is slow, slower, slowest...still.

Also, GT “picked” on Terrell Lambert on every pass play. After the last two years...why is this guy still playing?

[jim harrigan]

Y'all optimists are looking at this GT game in a vacuum. Do you realize that this was ND/Weis' third loss in a row with the opposition scoring 118 points and ND scoring 41 in those three games? Something is very wrong...and if the problem is Willingham's 5th year seniors, seniors and juniors...sit 'em all down while the sophomores and freshmen get playing experience. Write off the year if necessary. Chances are that we'll go 4-8 with or without the aforementioned upper classmen.

[Schultz]

it's too bad that i don't live in bob gilleran's world of gumdrops, rainbows and refree conspiracy theories. then i would never lose sleep after ND losses. the fact is, 33-3 is 33-3. even if lou holtz was officiating, Tech still would've won that game.

whoever said that TT reminds them of ryan grant couldn't be more right. i thought aldridge looked good when given the chance. id like to see him and allen take all of the carries. i love TT's fire but he's nothing more than special teams player.

i was impressed with parris and i thought sharpley showed some poise, even though the poor kid was on his back the whole time.

realistically, 6-6 with a bowl win would make this season a success.

[jim harrigan RB/CA]

P.S. Tradition may never graduate...but neither does common sense.

[JIMPSU]

The Nittany Lion is licking his chops. Joe Paterno felt that he was outcoached last year and he's right. However it won't happen again. PSU will be well prepared for whoever you play at QB. BTW we haven't forgotten the fake punt Charlie ran to run up the score on the old man last year. It will be a happy night in HAPPY VALLEY.

[Paul]

Not really. Clausen and Armando are better than anyone you've got on your team. If they start, you lose.

[jim harrigan RB/CA]

Jeeze, Paul...get realistic...

[jim harrigan RB/CA]

I'm watching the Clemson-FSU game. Their team speed makes ND, including Armando Allen, look like they're/he's walking.

[CA domehead]

I wish Weis would do this:

1. Build in more protection on the O-Line to compensate for the linemen's ineptitudes - more TE/FB protection if need be

2. Put Travis Thomas to the lowest possible position on the depth chart. I agree with previous poster about Clemson's obvious speed - Thomas wouldn't even be on their depth chart. Why is Weis on his jock.

3. We need the Aldridge/Allen combo at RB, with perhaps some Hughes thrown in there. No other RB's should be considered.

4. Weis should continue with a simplified "pro style" offense built around Clausen. I believe he can handle more; he's a student of the game and for pete's sake he's had two NCAA starting brothers. I can't imagine the football talk theyve all had over the years. I am sure his "football IQ" is much higher than many others at his (Freshman) level.

5. To the previous poster - I truly believe the two starting corners are the best we have. Sure, they may be not be ideal, but they're the best we have. We need Gary Gray to develop + more recruits at this position! Maybe Slaughter can be developed in this spot....

DomeHead

[CA domehead]

MICHAEL ROTHSTEIN -

After reading more Weis comments, I can't take it anymore. Please ask Weis why Travis Thomas is still in ND's plans. Please. I just don't get it.

Weis emphasizes how much "analysis" he does with tape of previous games. Isn't it obvious Thomas sucks?? Facts - Thomas negative yardage, Allen/Aldridge positive yardage. What am I missing??????

TRAVIS THOMAS DEFINITELY WOULDN'T BE A STARTER ON APPALACHIAN STATE.

[Paul]

Misplaced loyalty has gotten other ND coaches canned. Let's hope Weis is smarter than that.

And Jim, you tell me to be realistic, then say Armando Allen looks like he's walking, compared with Clemson and FSU? You are aware that he's a prize recruit from Florida, was a track star, was highly recruited by Florida, and in limited action put up 8 yards a pop against one of the fastest D's in the country this past Saturday? YOU be realistic.