Notre Dame Football: An Optimistic Look Back on the Weekend in West Lafayette

Warning: In all aspects of life, I view things as if the glass were half full.

Now that I have made that known, here is my vent session that needed to be made public.

Many of you Irish faithful have taken a different approach to the program recently, and frankly, it's rather frightening to hear so many complain about a 3-1 football team that could be undefeated at this point in the season.

Your argument has been made, but now I present to you the other side of the story, focusing on last weekend's game.

Purdue is an average football team—not good, but certainly not terrible. The Boilermakers have an explosive running back, a nice threat under center, and some good athletes. Give them a few years and they will get back where they belong.

So my question to you all is: Why so down?

If I hadn't seen the game this past weekend, I would have thought the Irish had lost after traveling from website to website picking through the angry Weis posts. I understand you almost had a heart attack, but you were saved a trip to the hospital because the Irish (or rather Clausen) pulled through.

This team could very easily be undefeated. They could also be sitting at a miserable 1-3.

Be thankful for what you are, not what you could be.

I present to you the glass half full:

• Weis was able to overcome the many disadvantages provided by injuries by adding a completely new game plan, along with Dayne Crist, to pound the football down the field with our back-ups (thank you, Robert Hughes), and win a football game. Can you remember the last time an Irish team went an entire drive without throwing a pass and ended up crossing the goal line?
  
• Another step in the right direction this weekend for Weis was his Holtz-like use of Golden Tate in the backfield (Rocket, anyone?). If Tate wasn't so desperately needed as a receiver, he would be a legit threat in the backfield.
• Weis must have put on his skipper hat this week as Tenuta's defense seemed much more unpredictable. Charlie most likely had a word with the man about slowing down his hungry pack, which had the Boilermakers guessing all night. Another positive sign from the defense and solid performance. On another note about the other assistants: outstanding job thus far.
  
• The defensive line deserves a shout-out for its performance. The linemen make up the most critiqued unit, so when they earn it, let's give them a round of applause. A very good Purdue rushing attack was eliminated by the four up front. However, I have one suggestion: Move Ethan Johnson to SDE and Kapron Lewis-Moore to tackle. Their strengths fit these positions better.
• And last but not least: Jimmy Clausen has turned into a man. Because of that, he can now be my newest man crush (sorry, Manti). I don't want any other quarterback in college football than Clausen after what I saw on Saturday. Even with one foot, he has what it takes to will his team to a victory. Not only did he save Notre Dame's season, but he put himself into serious Heisman contention with that gutsy showing.

Don't get me wrong, there are always negatives in a football game. To list a few: linebacker play (especially you, Toryan Smith), the punting game, and even a questionable game from a few of our overly-consistent safeties.

However, a win is a win. As long as the Irish come out with one more point than their opposition, there will be optimism in the air.

At least from yours truly.

*Please Note: This is a message not directly pointed to the Notre Dame B/R community (we've got a pretty optimistic group here), but rather to the entirety of the team's followers on the Internet.