I love this quote regarding Willingham:

"He seems to have eliminated the awful slackness that surrounded the Irish program under Bob Davie, which means that Notre Dame will probably stop losing games to schools it shouldn't lose to, like Air Force and Purdue"
kmf | Email | Homepage | 03.19.07 - 1:26 pm | #

Barra goofed on the sanguine predictions about Willingham, but he was right on the larger points:

In their arrogance, the powers that rule Notre Dame seem to feel that they can win in football without emphasizing the game. Every few years they sit back, revel in their success, and assume they can win without concerning themselves about the sordid details of what it actually takes to win in big-time college football. And every 20 years or so they find, again, that they are wrong, that they can't stay on top simply by presenting themselves as a beacon of all that is good and noble about college football, that they can't afford to entrust a multimillion-dollar business to a holy fool like Gerry Faust...

Yet, in the '80s, when a school came along to revolutionize college football by stressing the total dominance of the passing game, it wasn't Notre Dame but the University of Miami, a team the Irish had been humiliating for decades. When national title after national title was won by a school with a rifle-armed quarterback and a fleet of wide receivers, Notre Dame was still trying to win with a Model T offense built around the triple option. Don't get me wrong -- I much prefer the triple option to an offense based on 50 drop-back passes a game. But college football now, for better or worse (and I would argue for worse), is mostly a game of passing and pass defense.

Notre Dame hasn't featured a first-rate drop-back passer since Jimmy Carter was president. Earlier this year at a dinner, Coach Willingham drew cheers from Notre Dame alumni by telling everyone that he was dropping the option offense in favor of "the West Coast Offense."

Pretty funny. He's right on the conclusions, wrong on which man would usher in the new era.
Jay | Email | Homepage | 03.19.07 - 1:41 pm | #

Willingham did bring the "West Coast Offense" to ND. He just couldn't coach it. Thank God Weis had Brady Quinn. Without him we'd be looking at two years like Nebraska had, instead of two BCS bowls.
Frankus | Email | Homepage | 03.19.07 - 3:45 pm | #

Faust didn't watch game film?
32 days and counting to see the next Notre Dame Pocket-Passer.
Subway Alumni | Email | Homepage | 03.19.07 - 3:52 pm | #

Am I the only BGS reader bored to tears for the last week in the run up to spring practice? [I don't mean the much deserved down time on BGS part, I'm a begger so I'm not trying to choose] ND football couldn't be quieter right now.

B
O
R
E
D
.

Maybe I need to become a member of Irish Eyes so I've got more to read in the off season.

I'm going nuts.

Thanks for listening, just needed to get that off my chest.
jaisn | Email | Homepage | 03.19.07 - 6:35 pm | #

Extremely well written piece. You know, even if I don't agree with an author, if he makes his points cogently and sharply, I appreciate it. I think everyone wanted Willingham to work out, but it was so painfully evident by the end that it just wouldn't, that I feel he was moving on anyway. Now he is joined by that idiot Jim Mora Jr. who single-handedly lost control of my second favorite team and ran them into the ground in the NFL (the Falcons). He and Ty are perfect for each other, somewhere the expectations aren't too high and they can talk in non-sensical circles with the media.
Atlantadomer | Email | Homepage | 03.19.07 - 6:48 pm | #

Jim Mora Jr is not with the Washington Huskies.
walterthump | Email | Homepage | 03.19.07 - 6:58 pm | #

But he most likely will be once Ty gets fired.

The expectations at UW are low compared to ND, but they aren't that low. There are plenty of UW fans up here that are rapidly realizing why Ty was fired from Notre Dame. As the Huskies fall further and further behind U$C, Cal, and Oregon, and keep falling below OSU, UCLA, WSU, and Stanford, there will be a push for change. The only question will be if the administration doesn't want to face the kind of fallout that ND did and allows Ty to finish his contract.
JohnWA | Email | Homepage | 03.19.07 - 7:39 pm | #

If they allow Willingham to stay their program will be beyond repair. He will destroy any program that he touches. We could hope that he has a great season, Carroll leaves and they get really stupid and hire Willingham from UW
Doug | Email | Homepage | 03.19.07 - 7:47 pm | #

What's the confidence poll on Weis these days? has he lost his aura, or is he still untarnished?
clickers | Email | Homepage | 03.19.07 - 8:02 pm | #

Jay –
Go through your archives again. Anything else of interest on football?
NDNation web site is dead and stale.
The Notre Dame Official Athletic Website cannot even come up with anything other than selling football tickets and stuff.
I’d even take an invasion from that tOSU slug just to have some garbage to read.
Man am I bored too.
Somebody start a rumor or something.
I may have to go and pull out the Sugar Bowl tape if nothing else materializes.
Unfortunately still 32 days and counting.
Subway Alumni | Email | Homepage | 03.19.07 - 8:15 pm | #

Weis is 95% substance and 5% New Jersey bravado. In otherwords, there is a HUGE amount of substance to this man.

I think the term you intend might be "mystique"-- the mystery that surrounds someone believed to be very special but little known. Charlie likes to talk football so if a reporter asks him a simple little question Charlie might lecture him on the fine points of the game. The effect of this week after week is to make Charlie see familiar and everyday and accessible. In that sense he has lost his "aura."

But he is built to do three things better than most coaches:
1. Recruit by appealing to a young man's dream to be a complete human being--great athlete, high character and good education;
2. Develop the young man's talent to the fullest so that when he plays he plays smart and and hard; and
3. Help the young man prepare for a football career in the pros, if he has talent, and do everythng possible to get him ready, get him noticed, and get him hired.

So if the mystique is gone, the aura ain't going anywhere. He's a winner.
Molesniffer | Email | Homepage | 03.19.07 - 8:26 pm | #

For the record, I think Willingham is the real thing: He seems to have eliminated the awful slackness that surrounded the Irish program under Bob Davie, which means that Notre Dame will probably stop losing games to schools it shouldn't lose to, like Air Force and Purdue, and probably stop losing any games on fumbles at the goal line or bad snaps on field goal tries.
anon | Email | Homepage | 03.19.07 - 8:37 pm | #

If you're bored between now and spring practice, start following ND hockey! They're the #2 seed in the NCAA tournament, and really a blast to watch. Jackson shows what great coaching and recruiting can do at the college level.
PM | Email | Homepage | 03.19.07 - 9:06 pm | #

TyWillie was 2-2 vs AFA and Purdue. 'Nuff said.
c-stone | Email | Homepage | 03.19.07 - 10:38 pm | #

We could talk NFL Draft and where we think Quinn will end up as well as which situation might end up being the best.
Chuck | Email | Homepage | 03.20.07 - 6:30 am | #

jaisn and Subway Alumni...step back from the ledge. Nice and easy. That's good. Everything's going to be okay.

I feel your pain. My wife hid the knives a couple of weeks ago.
Voice in the Wilderness | Email | Homepage | 03.20.07 - 8:55 am | #

Right now the consensus seems to be Quinn to Detroit at #2. Ugh. The only good news out of that is that we can continue to make fun of Al Davis for screwing up the Raiders franchise for the next few years. Well, that and the fact that at least BQQB will be in Detroit rather than Oakland.
JohnWA | Email | Homepage | 03.20.07 - 9:52 am | #

Local radio here in GR stated this morning that the Lions will pick Thomas with their first pick and then take Stanton with their next. They see him as the 3rd best QB in the draft, almost equal to Quinn.

I guess that fits. Might as well continue the line of QB's who can throw those late game interceptions to kill whatever life is left in the franchise.

Go ND Hockey!

Anyone else going?
GRNDFan | Email | Homepage | 03.20.07 - 10:27 am | #

Allen Barra's book on Bear Bryant is worthy sports biography to read.

Like most ND fans...I don't agree with all his conclusions .

Barra manages to be both a Bryant fan, yet portrays his weaknesses as well.

Not being an Alabama fan myself, it passes the test of a good sports biography of STILL being interesting to the general sports public.

A pearless biography is David Maraniss's biography of Vince Lombardi....even to this Bear's fan.

Those of us approaching geezerdom may find that the world is going to hell ...but the genre of sports biography is much superior to 20 or 30 years ago.
Dana Payne | Email | Homepage | 03.20.07 - 12:29 pm | #

Here's what I'm thinking about Quinn and the draft.

1. Oakland

They're picking up JaMarcus Russell. Does he send ND part of his signing bonus for making him the #1 pick. If Russell doesn't play against ND's weak pass defense and has just a decent bowl game against a better team, we're talking about Quinn to the Raiders.

2. Detroit

Unfortunately, it's looking like the Lions might be gearing up to take Quinn. They've already traded to get a lineman from the Broncos and are looking to sign another. I'm a Lions fan and think Joe Thomas would be a better pick for the Lions. Unless they draft Quinn, sit him for another year to gain experience, and upgrade their line during the process, I think they should go with Big Joe Thomas. You never know with Millen though, what they might do. Maybe another WR.

3. Cleveland

A good chance he goes to Cleveland. They're not sold on Frye and he would have some weapons with Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow in the trenches. I think it's a decent situation if he ends up there, although they need help at OL as well.

4. Tampa Bay

A good situation with Gruden, but everyone else says that they're taking Calvin Johnson. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing Brady throwing some jump balls to Stovall.

5. Arizona

Leinart = No Quinn

6. Washington

J. Campbell = No Quinn

7. Minnesota

A good chance Quinn goes to Minn. if he's still available. Not may options at WR. RB is lean. Still Childress was bred in the Andy Reid/West Coast Offense/Mike Holmgren coaching tree. So, he might be good in Minn. I can't stand the ViQueens.

8. Houston

Bad OL (just ask David Carr). He's gotten worked more than Joey Harrington. They have Andre Johnson at WR and not much of a running game. I really don't want Quinn here. I'd rather see him with the Lions.

9. Miami

I like this one. I think Quinn is the most pro-ready QB in the draft and at this point better than Russell. Russell has a higher ceiling, but Quinn is ready now. If this scenario plays out, I look for Quinn to have a nice rookie season throwing to Randy McMichael and Chris Chambers, but also having a decent OL and Ronnie Brown at RB. They also have a beast of a DEF to boot adding Porter to an already good DEF.

10 Atlanta - Michael Vick = No Quinn

I apologize for taking up so much space. I hope this spurs a little bit of conversation to quell the boredom leading up to the Spring Game. I'm definitely interested in any comments anyone might have in regards to this post.

Go Irish!! Where's Subway Alumni, I need to know how many days until the Spring Game!! :)
Chuck | Email | Homepage | 03.20.07 - 5:41 pm | #

What about Green Bay?? Now that I'm in WI I need a reason to actually want to watch the Packers games since I'm from Detroit and can't get a Lions game on TV. Maybe he'll go to Dallas... they were seriously on National TV (Sundaynight football or a CBS afternoon game) I think 10 times it seemed.
Erik '04 | Email | Homepage | 03.20.07 - 6:11 pm | #

Erik '04

I personally don't think he'll last up to GB. Unless they make a trade, he should be gone. If not, I wouldn't mind him taking over the Packer even though I can't stand the Packers. The Packers have a much better front office than the Lions do. Same for Dallas, they need to trade up. But they still have Romo.
Chuck | Email | Homepage | 03.20.07 - 6:54 pm | #

I am finally ready to talk about the fake punt in the Sugar Bowl. Was it as predictable in the stands as it was on TV? Is Weis becoming a predictable play caller?
rem | Email | Homepage | 03.21.07 - 9:28 am | #

walterhump - my bad on that one, Jimmy boy got hired in Seattle, but as a DB coach with the Seahawks. Here in the south we could care less because we know that only football in the midwest or deep south matters anyway.
Atlantadomer | Email | Homepage | 03.21.07 - 12:51 pm | #

what was Barra's reference to ND was "where many thought" Bill walsh should have been? anyone with historical context there? i beleive he was a cincy asst. under paul brown at the time.
bfoley | Email | Homepage | 03.21.07 - 1:30 pm | #