I get quite worried when Charlie starts talking about "getting back to fundamentals" in the middle of the season. Fundamentals are taught and drilled into teams in the off-season and pre-season camp. If your team is not fundamentally sound by this point in the season, it may be too late. As we near the halfway point of the season, coaching should become more of a chess match, we shouldn't still be fashioning our pieces.

I fear that although our coach is a great offensive coordinator, he simply does not have "it" figured out. "It" is pure coaching ability, ultimately culminating in wins.

The best measure of pure coaching ability (besides wins) is measured in "The 2nd 1/2." Great coaches make their teams better in the 2nd 1/2 of of games, and more importantly, of seasons. Charlie has NEVER demonstrated that, even in the two years that we made BCS bowls. His first team had to miraculously beat Stanford to make that Fiesta Bowl game, which we lost to Ohio State. His second BCS team got soundly beaten by USC before earning the privilege of getting beat by LSU in the Sugar Bowl. These were not well-coached teams. They were teams who fought hard and had great natural talent and leadership (Quinn, Walker, Shark, Zibby), that were not recruited by Charlie. They also had to pull miraculous comebacks against Michigan State and UCLA in which coaching had little to do with the wins, but desire and ability of some great players did.

Of course, last season was the best example of getting outcoached in the second half of games and of seasons. For evidence, check out the BC, Pitt, and especially Syracuse games (please take Prozac first). These are teams with comparable or inferior talent in which coaching should be the primary factor to wins or losses.

Painfully, I point to USC as a model of "2nd 1/2" when it comes to coaching. Although they routinely blow one early season road game (ie Washington), they generally improve at halftime and at the end of the season. Many times you see a USC team go into halftime down and having played poorly, but they almost always tighten things up and come out attacking in the second half. They are never mentally out of games, and they never get blown out. Even that Oregon State game from last year ended up a lot closer, with USC still having a chance to win at the end. As much as I hate to say it, Carrol has "it" figured out.

The idea is, the 2nd 1/2 of games and of seasons is when coaching truly happens. The ability to adjust and outsmart other coaches is one aspect of it, which Charlie has not demonstrated. But equally as important is the ability to adjust to your own team and your own coaching staff.

The 2nd 1/2 is where Charlie continues to fail, and I don't want to wait for the 2nd 1/2 of his contract for somebody to figure this out and do something about it.

I love our players for their desire and determination. In these last two wins, our young men "played like champions." I always hope for the best.

God Bless Notre Dame!

Get in line behind the coach! Belive in him and root for him! Let's be the Notre Dame of old, lets have undying faith in our coach and give him ample time to show us what he can do.

THIS YEAR…they are 3 and 1…and the future looks bright…Lets give CW a break…I hate sounding like a broken record…but the guy literally had 3 years of NO RECRUITS…and please guys LAY OFF THE FAT JOKES…thats no class…what does his appearance have to do with anything? this isn't a beauty contest…yeah..Urban looks like a gq model, but he used us to get out of his contract and he's a jerk…at least cw cares…give him a break…

go irish

IRISH MIKE

As always God Bless and Go Irish

And, yes, OSU won it in 2002 season, but the championship game was played in 2003, and is considered the 2003 championship, not the 2002 championship.

Mission critical to a running
attack is absolutely no penalties
and this seemed to hurt us.

We have to begin trusting our defense to do their job — the pooch punt is a brilliant play on a 4th and 10.

Word to the Weis — the CRAZY is
totally good unless it becomes
one dimensional.

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