No Worries, Notre Dame Should Excell In 2010

Notre Dame fans need to relax. We have an excellent shot at winning 10 or more games this year. We have tremendous speed at the skill positions. We have a quarterback who was supposed to have BETTER skills than Jimmy Clausen. We have a new coach, who reportedly has better system for our players. We have a better training system for the players. In short, the issues from last year have been addressed.

The coaching staff from last year was a mystery. Jon Tenuata should have produced a better defensive team. Coach Charlie Weis should have not focused simply on generating a lot of statistics. The team should not have run out of energy at the end of the season. The only coach who did not get a shot was the offensive line coach. He was given only one year to correct a truly horrid section of the team.

Last year, I believed the problems were solved. We were coming off a bowl win. The coach responsible for the issues was gone, so I thought and we were going to mold the team to fit their talents.

What went wrong would take up too much space, and I would need access to data fans who do not truly have access. What I can see is that the offensive line, again, failed to perform in critical times. The defense did what it could. The pressure did not help the backfield as I thought it would. Defensive line pressure generally allows the defensive backfield to shine. Now, the defense did win at least two games for the Irish—Boston College and Washington. Again, it was the offense who did not really perform up to their potential in either of those games.

I have heard rumors that Coach Weis did not run a disciplined practice and players were allowed to get out of shape. I find that difficult to believe, but I think we are talking about thin margins of error. Again, this issue has been addressed. I hope that is true. Coach Brian Kelly seems to have an offense that attacks quickly with a rapid pace. Notre Dame certainly has the players to do that. We just need to see the results. I cannot see another 6-6 season. I can only see a 10+ win or loss season. Either we will have huge success or huge failure.