Notre Dame Football 2010: What We Now Know About the Irish

So what is worse than losses to Navy in two consecutive years?

How about losses to Navy and Tulsa in consecutive weeks? How about the prospect of finishing 0-5 in back-to-back seasons?

Is that vomit-inducing enough?

How about 3-9, 7-6, 6-6, and 5-7 in four years? That's 21-28 and ONE BOWL GAME for this senior class.

That is, of course, assuming that the Irish can manage to stun Army, a feat that is surely in doubt at the moment.

At the three-quarter post of the 2010 season, Notre Dame has answered one lingering question resoundingly:

No, these guys are not very good.

There is a lack of speed and strength at interior positions on both offense and defense, a dreadful lack of anything resembling talent in the secondary, and no visible sign of a sheer determination to win.

Apart from a handful of very talented players, there isn't a lot redeemable about this team right now.

Most glaring is a lack of talent depth that has crippled the team as injuries have added up.

There are serious problems here. Problems that definitely need more than a five-minute fix.

Following Saturday's horrific loss to Conference USA also-ran Tulsa, the Golden Hurricane's first over a BCS school, there is a growing outcry aimed at first-year Head Coach Brian Kelly and his over-aggressive play calling. But is the scorn justified?

For the most part, Kelly's plan has worked offensively. The scheme is not to blame, but rather the players acting out that scheme have been inconsistent.

Poor throws, drops, penalties, and missed receivers have killed as many Irish drives as have tackles.

But Kelly's decision to have true Freshman Tommy Rees throw a late fourth quarter pass into the end zone from inside the Tulsa 20 trailing by two with only :36 remaining seems to have aggravated the already exposed nerve of the Irish fan-base.

True, when your kicker is on an 18-of-18 streak and is hitting kicks of 50 yards with ease, a 35-yard game winner seemed all but inevitable.

Hand the ball off, kill the clock and get out with a win.

Instead, Kelly went for an exclamation point. The initial defensive read was a single-covered Michael Floyd. The call was to throw to Floyd, and only Floyd, or throw it away.

On second and 8, not a terrible call. Should be safe.

But Rees made a very freshman mistake.

From the snap he stared down Floyd, didn't throw the ball immediately allowing Floyd (who had gotten past his corner) to run under a fade, rather rolling slowly to his left allowing the safety to come over and make a play on the ball.

An experienced quarterback chucks it into the stands.

A freshman throws a game-ending interception.

Brian Kelly be damned.

But taking a step back for a moment... say Notre Dame did run the clock and kick a game winning field goal.

They would have beaten Tulsa 30-28.

Is that where we are? Isn't barely beating Tulsa pretty much as bad as losing to Tulsa? A week after losing to Navy? In a week when a student trainer is killed in a freak scissor-lift wind accident?

Notre Dame is struggling with mid-majors.

That is truly where the focus needs to be.

Not that Tommy Rees threw an interception costing Notre Dame a come-from-behind chance, but that Notre Dame is consistently trailing the Tulsas and the Navies and the Syracuses in the final minutes.

Teams sneeze 400 yards against our defense.

The offense is, in a word, inconsistent.

The only one I see taking responsibility, or having any intensity, is Kelly.

The players on the field look very much like they have for the last four years. Bewildered. Overwhelmed. Lost.

They just aren't that good.

The players aren't deep enough to sustain injuries to starters at RB, TE, WR, C, QB, DE, LB, CB, and safety and plug in an equally game-ready back up.

Even the truly talented kids seem to have no idea how to win. With so many self-inflicted wounds contributing to their losses, it is at times hard to tell where the team really is.

After this week's much-needed bye, the Irish host Utah in what will most certainly be a somber senior day, before heading to meet Army at Yankee Stadium and finishing with USC at the Coliseum.

It is also almost certain that Notre Dame will be home for the holidays this year, as without a miracle against the Utes or Trojans, bowl eligibility will be impossible.

The questions that all Irish fans need to immerse themselves with now is "what will the future hold?"

That question is much harder to answer.

Recruiting efforts have taken a hit with a couple of solid prospects de-committing, but the incoming class is still shaping up well.

We have heard that line before, as Charlie Weis always scored well with those who rank star totals, but the talent has never panned out on the field.

Brian Kelly has stated that he needs to get his kind of player, the "RKG" to make his system work. He had better find them fast.

Patience among the Notre Dame Community is at an all time low, and statements like his post game "get used to it" in regards to play-calling need to be quickly reinforced with wins.

That is the only thing that Irish fans are willing to once again "get used to."