Editor's Note: The following article was written by guest writer Tyler Greever, and can be found on his blog: http://greevespot.blogspot.com. Written after week 2, this article may seem outdated since the Irish picked up a win over (in my opinion, extremely overrated) Michigan State, but the points in this article are still extremely relevant. All the preseason hype still looks a little silly when the Irish are 1-2, with or without a win over the Spartans. Here's the article:
Touchdown Jesus. The Golden Domes. Rudy. Play Like a Champion Today. Knute Rockne. All of these college football icons are associated with the pride and tradition that defines Notre Dame football, the program that is tied for most national championships with eleven. They've produced more Hesiman trophy winners and All-Americans than any other school as well. The Fighting Irish have been one of the most prestigious programs in college football history; but not today.
The Notre Dame that was is no more. Gone are the days when teams feared entering South Bend. Coaches like Lou Holtz and Ara Parseghian no longer grace the sidelines to strike pride and motivation in their players. Instead, there have been four different head coaches since Holtz and teams that are simply overrated and overmatched. This Irish fall has now taken a ten year period, and it really has no signs of stopping.
Since 1997, the year Bob Davie took over the program, Notre Dame's overall record is 99-75. They have been to nine bowl games during this tenure, only winning two of them, both not being BCS games. In fact, the last BCS bowl win for Notre Dame was in 1992 against Florida. The average margin of loss in the bowl games that Notre Dame failed in? 23 points. Needless to say, they have been irrelevant in terms of postseason success during this time.
Somehow, through all of this, Notre Dame has continued to bring in top recruiting classes. They are continuously in the top 25 in this, including a number one ranking by Rivals and Scout in 2008. With such top talent, one would think these players turn into top players in the country. Some have, but many simply have not. From 1992 to 2004, the Irish had no players finish in the top ten of Heisman voting. Their last Heisman winner in general was in 1987 with Tim Brown. The last Irish player to be an All-American at the end of the season was Jeff Samardzija in 2005, and there has only been one other All-American with Samardzija since 1997, that being Shane Walton in 2002.
This trend has carried on to the NFL as well, with only seven players during this tenure making multiple Pro Bowl appearances. Only one of those players was selected as an All Pro multiple times, that being Jerome Bettis. They have produced no MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, or Defensive Player of the Year award winners in this period. In reality, the Irish only have one current NFL player that a majority of fans and average football fans may know: Justin Tuck of the New York Giants. Since Joe Montana, there has not even been a Notre Dame quarterback who has had a great deal of success; hell, not even a little bit. Players like Brady Quinn and Jimmy Clausen have failed to live up to lofty expectations, as they have now become backups on their respective teams.
Another one of Notre Dame's classic stalwarts are their major rivalries against USC, Michigan, Michigan State, and Navy. Recently, these have not been going in the Irish's favor, some being a bit lopsided. Since 2000, they have only beaten their most bitter rival, the USC Trojans, once in 2010. They have lost to Navy three times in the past five years (2007, 2009, 2010) and Michigan State seven times in the past ten years. Which brings me to the Michigan rivalry...
Since 1997, the two teams have played thirteen times, with Notre Dame only winning five times. It could have been six if they had not blown a four point lead in the last 30 seconds of the game. They were even leading the Wolverines by two touchdowns at one point, really controlling the game. But momentum swung to Michigan, which in my opinion, was the worst thing that could've happened to the Fighting Irish. This was a game that they needed to win, one that would've actually been quite impressive. To come and play Michigan in the first night game at the Big House, with the largest college football crowd in history, and win would've been a energetic shot of life for the program. To blow the game, like they have too frequently lately, proved that nothing has changed. Many think that Notre Dame is a perennial disappointment.
Here is the harsh reality: Notre Dame is no longer a disappointment. Such failure and shortcomings have become the status quo for the Golden Domers. They have gotten top recruits, apparent "offensive masterminds" (Charlie Weis, Brian Kelly), and preseason top 25 rankings; but to no avail. Irish supporters can point to the tradition and the pageantry every minute of every day and we can all be in awe for a couple of minutes. This generation has not seen the Fighting Irish that your parents watched. Rather, they have seen a program continuously tumble from the peak of the collegiate football mountain. The luck is dying, the gold is rusting, and the glory is fading. And most of all, the Fighting has transformed into Feigning.
The Notre Dame that was is no more. Gone are the days when teams feared entering South Bend. Coaches like Lou Holtz and Ara Parseghian no longer grace the sidelines to strike pride and motivation in their players. Instead, there have been four different head coaches since Holtz and teams that are simply overrated and overmatched. This Irish fall has now taken a ten year period, and it really has no signs of stopping.
Since 1997, the year Bob Davie took over the program, Notre Dame's overall record is 99-75. They have been to nine bowl games during this tenure, only winning two of them, both not being BCS games. In fact, the last BCS bowl win for Notre Dame was in 1992 against Florida. The average margin of loss in the bowl games that Notre Dame failed in? 23 points. Needless to say, they have been irrelevant in terms of postseason success during this time.
Somehow, through all of this, Notre Dame has continued to bring in top recruiting classes. They are continuously in the top 25 in this, including a number one ranking by Rivals and Scout in 2008. With such top talent, one would think these players turn into top players in the country. Some have, but many simply have not. From 1992 to 2004, the Irish had no players finish in the top ten of Heisman voting. Their last Heisman winner in general was in 1987 with Tim Brown. The last Irish player to be an All-American at the end of the season was Jeff Samardzija in 2005, and there has only been one other All-American with Samardzija since 1997, that being Shane Walton in 2002.
This trend has carried on to the NFL as well, with only seven players during this tenure making multiple Pro Bowl appearances. Only one of those players was selected as an All Pro multiple times, that being Jerome Bettis. They have produced no MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, or Defensive Player of the Year award winners in this period. In reality, the Irish only have one current NFL player that a majority of fans and average football fans may know: Justin Tuck of the New York Giants. Since Joe Montana, there has not even been a Notre Dame quarterback who has had a great deal of success; hell, not even a little bit. Players like Brady Quinn and Jimmy Clausen have failed to live up to lofty expectations, as they have now become backups on their respective teams.
Another one of Notre Dame's classic stalwarts are their major rivalries against USC, Michigan, Michigan State, and Navy. Recently, these have not been going in the Irish's favor, some being a bit lopsided. Since 2000, they have only beaten their most bitter rival, the USC Trojans, once in 2010. They have lost to Navy three times in the past five years (2007, 2009, 2010) and Michigan State seven times in the past ten years. Which brings me to the Michigan rivalry...
Since 1997, the two teams have played thirteen times, with Notre Dame only winning five times. It could have been six if they had not blown a four point lead in the last 30 seconds of the game. They were even leading the Wolverines by two touchdowns at one point, really controlling the game. But momentum swung to Michigan, which in my opinion, was the worst thing that could've happened to the Fighting Irish. This was a game that they needed to win, one that would've actually been quite impressive. To come and play Michigan in the first night game at the Big House, with the largest college football crowd in history, and win would've been a energetic shot of life for the program. To blow the game, like they have too frequently lately, proved that nothing has changed. Many think that Notre Dame is a perennial disappointment.
Here is the harsh reality: Notre Dame is no longer a disappointment. Such failure and shortcomings have become the status quo for the Golden Domers. They have gotten top recruits, apparent "offensive masterminds" (Charlie Weis, Brian Kelly), and preseason top 25 rankings; but to no avail. Irish supporters can point to the tradition and the pageantry every minute of every day and we can all be in awe for a couple of minutes. This generation has not seen the Fighting Irish that your parents watched. Rather, they have seen a program continuously tumble from the peak of the collegiate football mountain. The luck is dying, the gold is rusting, and the glory is fading. And most of all, the Fighting has transformed into Feigning.
No comments:
Post a Comment