Time For Notre Dame Players To Take Their Season Back

I just have to vent here.

Over the past two weeks, all that is talked about in regards to Notre Dame is the future of Charlie Weis and who will replace him. I can see something is broken and a change of some kind needs to be made.

Whether that change involves bringing in a new head coach or bringing in new defensive coaches, that is Jack Swarbrick's decision and I know he will make the decision that is best for Notre Dame.

My point is that the players should be held accountable for their part too. Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate have had a magical year. If Michael Floyd had stayed healthy, he would have been part of it too. These three have been outstanding but have also had their share of mistakes.

The interception against Navy where Floyd and Clausen clearly were not on the same page was big. Tate had some key drops against Michigan that made a difference.

The line has been improved this year but has still let Clausen down in critical situations.

The running game has been disappoiniting lately. I expected a big year out of Armando Allen. To be fair, he has been solid when he has been healthy. Unfortunately, that has been a big problem.

Robert Hughes has filled in alright, but I was hoping to see more from Jonas Gray. He has been a disappointment in my opinion. I do like what I have seen from Theo Riddick, but he is still raw at this point.

Then there is the defense—what do I really need to say? Other than Manti Te'o and Kyle McCarthy, this unit has just been disappointing. I expected Brian Smith to really be a leader out there and serve as a bit of a mentor to Te'o. Instead Te'o has outperformed him.

Toryan Smith was doing horrible in the area of pursuit and overrunning the play. Missed tackles were the result. That is why Te'o replaced him. Toryan Smith isn't the only defender guilty of this.

The guy I am most disappointed in on that defense is Robert Blanton. After showing so much promise late in his freshman year and following it with a great spring game, I really expected Blanton to be the man in the secondary. Instead it seems the only time we hear his name called is when he gets beat.

On special teams, where is Mike Anello? Last season he was simply the man on the kicking teams. This year I think I have heard his name called twice.

The punting has been a disaster lately. Kicking has been better but Navy would never know.

With two games left, these players need to look at themselves in the mirror and ask if this is what they want their legacy to be. It is not about what coach will be there next year. It is about how they want to be remembered at Notre Dame.

Weis will likely be out. John Tenuta will probably be gone too. Certainly they deserve their share of the blame. However, every player in that locker room should consider it a failure on their part to get these guys fired.

With Connecticut on the slate for Saturday, it is time for the players to take this back. Just two weeks ago we were talking about BCS. While that is out of the picture, a Gator Bowl would definitely be an upgrade from the Hawaii Bowl. An 8-4 record may not be what we hoped for but it is still a lot better than 6-6. 

Connecticut is a good team. However, if Notre Dame finally shows that fire that makes winners,they will win. I want to see that "Play Like a Champion Today" sign really something on Saturday.

The bottom line is that the players need to realize that it is not about the coach's legacy, it is about their legacy.

This article is also posted on http://fightingirishgameday.com/