British Invasion
Did anybody happen to catch The Simpsons tonight? I know for most of you, the answer is no. While The Simpsons has been on a steady decline lately, I continue to watch out of sheer habit of watching The Simpsons every Sunday night for the past God knows how many years... at least 8 or 9 (but probably more). If you did, though, man, it certainly paid off. Tonight's episode was entirely written by British star and person I'm currently stalking, Ricky Gervais, and also guest starred his voice. Which means that Ricky Gervais wrote this particularly relevant joke:
British Lady: My husband hasn't satisfied me for years.
Homer: I feel the same way about Notre Dame football.
By which I can only deduce that Ricky Gervais is an Irish fan, and is waiting for Charlie Weiss and our boys to blow everyone out of the water next season. That's exactly what that means. I'm in law school. My logic powers are unstoppable.
Secondly, I would like to send a message to all my lady friends out there, and that is, go get fitted for a bra. I went and did that this weekend, and boy, it has changed my world. I'm not going to disclose details, but my bra size is drastically different than I thought it was. I promise you, it will change your life.
Lastly, Tuesday is our last regular season softball game (that's within law school, so you know it's competitive). I love softball because in our last game, my participation consisted of this:
- Run out to center field
- Run back
- Bat once, then let another girl bat the next time I'm up so everyone gets to bat.
6 comments:
HA! Notre Dame? Blowing people out of the water? That's a laugh.
I'll spot you guys the victory over the U of Spoiled Children. Y'all clearly won that, but try doing that in their backyard.
I hate to say it, but Notre Dame doesn't have the raw talent that Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio State, 'SC, or just about anyone in the SEC has. They just don't. The only people who want to play at Notre Dame are brady quinn types. Good fundamentals, but not terribly athletic. Weiss got WAY overpaid and the DA will be regretting that contract for years.
Kudos for the tough scheduling, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to see flag-planting become more common at Notre Dame Stadium. Next year I think there will be a resurgence of teams like LSU, Auburn, and Oklahoma with Georgia, Texas, and Ohio State not too far behind. Texas has a pretty good shot at beating Oklahoma, too. We'll just have to see.
I feel like I should stand up and say something... defend my alma mater and it's team, as it were... but I value my neck (and genitilia) too highly. Why must your comment environment be so hostile?? Crazy law vids and awesome sporting analysis... quality!
A few things:
1) Lizett (and Serge), it's 'Weis', not 'Weiss'. Sorry, minor pet peeve.
2) In the spirit of keeping Lizett's comment area hostile, I'm going to comment on ND football.
Serge, you're entirely wrong about the talent at ND. The problem was coaching. Bob Davie and Ty Willingham couldn't coach a team of NFL All-Stars to victory. There has always been a wealth of talent on ND teams but our coach's were unable to tap into it. Prime example: David Givens. This kid was barely utilized in the Davie offense, but as soon as he got to the NFL under a real coach he became a star receiver for the Patriots. Sure, having Tom Brady for a QB helps, but the receiver's still got to run his routes and break free of his defender. Two other examples: Brady Quinn and Jeff Smardzija. Quinn was a mediocre quarterback in Ty's system, and Smardzija was a baseball player killing time in the off-season by playing football. In one year, Charlie Weis made Quinn a Heisman candidate and Smardzija an All-American receiver. Plus, Weis landed a top 5 recruiting class in his first year.
Will we be blowing out teams next year? I'm not sure. I know we toasted a few last year (Purdue, Washington, Pitt). But I can tell you this, you're going to hear Notre Dame's name a lot more in the next few years, and it's not going to be because we're on a losing streak.
Best of luck to your team this fall, Serge, whomever it might be.
Maybe Goat should get a law degree... since his argument employed logic and actual evidence to support his case.
That's what I get for reading NDNation. Half the posters on the board are lawyers, I think, and will tear you apart if you don't support your opinions.
I don't post on there out of fear. That's right, I'm a sissy.
Serge, you're entirely wrong about the talent at ND.
Nope. I can say with complete confidence that Oklahoma, Texas, Auburn, LSU, and USC have superior athletes.
The problem was coaching. Bob Davie and Ty Willingham couldn't coach a team of NFL All-Stars to victory.
Bob Davie, perhaps. Ty Willingham? He's got an obliterated U-Dub program and a recruiting base that's routinely robbed by non-regional juggernauts (Seattle's best prospect, Bellevue's Steve Schilling, ended up going somewhere like USC or Michigan) so it's really hard to make the claim that he's a terrible coach, especially when it was his recruiting that allocated the majority of the talent Weis enjoys.
We'll see how good of a recruiter he is, but getting outclassed by Ohio State and beaten at home by Michigan State is hardly anything to be excited about. Why would any player want to play in a place that's every bit as opressively humid as Florida State during the summer and every bit as morbidly freezing as Minnesota during the winter?
Notre Dame is not a fun team to watch. If you're no fun to watch, recruits believe that you're equally no fun to play for. They won't be getting top-tier talent until that changes. We'll just have to see if Weis can make his offense more attractive to recruits.
There has always been a wealth of talent on ND teams but our coach's were unable to tap into it.
Yeah, ND's talent base isn't chopped liver or anything, but they're no Miami.
Prime example: David Givens. This kid was barely utilized in the Davie offense, but as soon as he got to the NFL under a real coach he became a star receiver for the Patriots. Sure, having Tom Brady for a QB helps, but the receiver's still got to run his routes and break free of his defender.
You fallaciously equate NFL productivity with collegiate potential. No Head Coach, unless he doubles as a Receivers' Coach, will improve the receiver's individual ability to read defenses and run routes. I believe that, if you ask Givens himself, he'll tell you that his development is more than anything a testament to the opportunities that playing in New England afforded him. Who's to say that a receiver with equivalent upside would not fare just as well or even better than he did if afforded the same opportunity?
Of course, this is all operating under the premise that Givens acts as an accurate embodiment of the previously unrealized potential of ND players pre-Weis. I'm not entirely qualified to address that potential falsehood as thoroughly as I'd like. But it is an intriguing peculiarity....
Two other examples: Brady Quinn and Jeff Smardzija. Quinn was a mediocre quarterback in Ty's system, and Smardzija was a baseball player killing time in the off-season by playing football.
He's still a mediocre quarterback. Wake me up when he can win a big game instead of buckling under pressure. Until then, you could make a more compelling "Great QB" argument stats-wise for [insert current Texas Tech QB].
Samardzija has good numbers, but talent-wise he's still not exactly a men among boys.
In one year, Charlie Weis made Quinn a Heisman candidate
He wasn't invited to the ceremony. At best, he was 5th in consideration behind UCLA's Oslon. More realistically he was in the running somewhere with LenDale White and DeAngelo Williams.
and Smardzija an All-American receiver. Plus, Weis landed a top 5 recruiting class in his first year.
He was on the second string of that "All-American" team, which isn't saying much in a year as dry of receiving talent as 2005. He should stick to boxing or baseball. He'll get eaten alive in the pros.
Will we be blowing out teams next year? I'm not sure. I know we toasted a few last year (Purdue, Washington, Pitt).
Who *didn't* blowout U-Dub? Not that 21 points isn't technically a blowout, but it's kind of tame in comparison to what USC and Texas and LSU did to better teams (UCLA, just about everyone not Ohio State or USC, and Miami, respectively).
But I can tell you this, you're going to hear Notre Dame's name a lot more in the next few years, and it's not going to be because we're on a losing streak.
Yeah, it will probably have more to do with how much their HC/ex-HC was overpaid :)
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