“We were losing a bunch of one-goal games, and now we’re able to pull these games out,” Hunwick said. “It’s huge in the second half to know you can play in games like that.”
Unverified Voracity Says Seeya
Malcolm Gladwell is smarter than you. Just take that for granted. Herein is a condemnation of Charlie Weis and a plea for understanding for Rich Rodriguez wrapped into a couple of paragraphs:
THE MAG: Based on this book, if I'm an owner, I should be the most patient one in sports, right? After all, the Beatles, as you write, played a ridiculous 1,200 gigs—a lifetime—before they became any good.
GLADWELL: It's interesting. Andy Reid has said that with the offense he runs in Philadelphia, it takes a receiver three years to be comfortable in it. A receiver! I don't think we take this into account. We create offenses of such stunning complexity in the NFL, that it's impossible to truly judge anyone in their rookie season. It's ludicrous. How can you, if you're Detroit, draft all these wide receivers and then give up on anything after a couple years, or call 'em busts, when it's far more about executing a system that takes years to master? You have to give them their work.Or if the Lions offensive players were calc majors…
Yeah, you can't go into a math class and pronounce who the great students are after two weeks. No one can master calculus in two weeks. So we need to be consistent. If you hire a coach that has offensive schemes as complicated as calculus, then you better have the patience you'd have with those students. Let's stop and acknowledge that football is not a sport for dumb jocks. It's a highly complex cognitive activity.
The plea for understanding: everyone's a rookie in this offense this year, and the most important player on the field will likely be a rookie next year. The condemnation: Weis attempted to port an NFL system like this to a college team and it blew up as soon as he had guys he actually had to coach.
ND rewind. Touching on two things you may have already seen:
- They might be able to fire Charlie Weis after all. After 4-5 articles all claiming that Notre Dame had given Weis the world's dumbest contract (example) comes this from the Chicago Tribune:
The common perception of Weis' buyout is not accurate. Multiple sources have told the Tribune the buyout, far smaller than believed, will not affect whether Notre Dame decides to fire Weis after Saturday's game at USC. One prominent alumnus called the amount "loose change."
That is far more in line with what I assume the reality is. Prediction: ND loses dismally to ND, gets shut out of a bowl game due to rules about 7-5 teams getting placed ahead of 6-6 ones, and Weis gets canned.
- Oh, the hilarity. Your faithful corresponded has derived much pleasure from Notre Dame's latest bout of misery and meltdown, but nothing has been quite as enjoyable as the commenters on EDSBS's latest Tommy Kilborn guest post, who, to a man, believe that Kilborn is a real person. Which: ha.
Graham things. There has been further behind the scenes confirmation that Brandon Graham intends to stay for his senior year, but he is leaving the door open:
"I'm not really worried about (making a decision soon)," Graham said. "I'm worried about my team and this loss right now and trying to get better."
Later in that article, Mike Martin guesses:
"When I talked to him personally, I got a good feeling that he'll be back," Martin said. "It would be real big. As much strength as we can have for next year on the D-line would help, and he's a big strength, as everybody knows."
Still feeling good here, but also wishing January 15th would get here ASAP.
Reinforcements. The hockey team is struggling badly of late, but there's some good news on the horizon. It looks like Steve Kampfer may return earlier than anyone had hoped:
“They say I’ll be at full strength in a month or so,” Kampfer said. “They want to make sure the bone has healed, and I’m trying to move my neck around to get the muscles loosened up.”
Michigan takes on Wisconsin and Minnesota in the College Hockey Showcase this weekend; things might be rough. A split would be nice.
I'm out for the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving, all. See you Monday.
November 26th, 2008 at 4:28 PM | 
"Prediction: ND loses dismally to ND"
"Prediction: ND loses dismally to ND"
November 26th, 2008 at 4:51 PM |
Re: the Graham quotes
Re: the Graham quotes
The BG quote where he "left the door open" occurred immediately after the game. Martin and RR's comments are more recent than that. It may not matter in this case, but it's an annoying example of the media reusing quotes and possibly loosing details in the process.
November 26th, 2008 at 5:13 PM |
To be fair
To be fair
The majority of commenters on EDSBS were well aware that Tommy Kilborn is a character, and were laughing at the unfortunate morons who didn't get it. One commenter even asked whether the morons thought Subcommandante Wayne was real too. (This is generally representative of the commenters on EDSBS - there are some very funny people and some truly genetically deficient ones, like Mich Placed Gator Fan. Much more variance exists there than here at MGoBlog.)
November 26th, 2008 at 5:59 PM |
Do we really want Weis to go?
Do we really want Weis to go?
Do we really want Weis to go? I'm starting to have that John L. Smith kind of fondness of having him around.
Edit: Also, I said it once and I'll say it again: Charlie's buyout is no problem no matter how much it is. ND boosters have deeeeep pockets.
November 26th, 2008 at 6:16 PM |
Happy thanksgiving to Brian
Happy thanksgiving to Brian
Happy thanksgiving to Brian and everyone else , except me (mine was last month).
November 26th, 2008 at 6:59 PM |
re: hockey
re: hockey
Michigan-Minnesota live Friday night on BTN, woo. I'm torn on Weis. I really want to see how bad it gets over in south bend ith chuck at the helm next season.
For my privacy, my new username is "non-Oriental non-Andrew"
November 26th, 2008 at 7:08 PM |
I for one
I for one
I for one really hope the Super Genius keeps his job. Not that I think he deserves it, but rather that ND deserves him. I'd hate to see all that talent accumulated there in the last couple years be put to good use!
November 26th, 2008 at 8:50 PM |
this 'smarter than you' meme
this 'smarter than you' meme
is played. And Malcolm Gladwell is a one-note Johnny; his new book is pretty much his old book, and it sucks. And my test scores place me in 'certain circles,' as a much smarter person--Grace Paley--once said. Don't make assumptions, especially tired ones.
November 26th, 2008 at 10:27 PM |
Don't look up authors on line
Don't look up authors on line
Don't look up authors online and quote them out of context.
You're a snob in "certain circles".
No question, Jim.
November 26th, 2008 at 11:16 PM |
If he can just make it....
If he can just make it....
through the end of this season, he'll be in the clear.
ND's schedule (pronounced with a Brit accent like this: SHED-yool) looks relatively soft next year.
November 27th, 2008 at 12:11 AM |
With all due respect to
With all due respect to
With all due respect to Brian, I've got to agree with the above commentator: Malcolm Gladwell is seriously overrated as an author. Still, there may be something to the "Malcolm is smart" meme, given that he's able to convince many of us to hand over our money to him when all he's doing is essentially writing the same book over and over.
November 27th, 2008 at 1:32 AM |
I didn't know who Gladwell
I didn't know who Gladwell
I didn't know who Gladwell was until I saw his picture, and then I realized I had seen him on the Rachel Maddow show about a week ago. I'm not sure why he's criticizing Detroit in that capacity because they're inversely proving his rule: by most accounts those receivers didn't want to work as hard and thus could not fit into the system. Progress is typically a prerequisite too. A player doesn't need to perform maximally in the immediate if it's a gradient. A receiver usually begins to awaken in a huge way in the second year.
For all I know the Jets are going to regress, but it does look like they're finally coming together. They had the talent to do so, I thought. The low point probably came when Favre threw that interception against KC, and they were about to lose to two straight awful teams. Since then, Favre has only thrown two interceptions, and the running game has come together. It has taken this long, and we're talking veterans in the NFL. It's been understated just how long it can take to connect together elements that are at first disconcerting, especially when it's happening to everybody at once.
November 27th, 2008 at 10:31 AM |
didn't look anyone up, not sure
didn't look anyone up, not sure
what you're on about--Grace Paley was an acquaintance, and that is a line from one of her most favorite stories. Anyone who had read it would know I am also making fun of myself, but. . . in the interests of T'giving comity I rescind my mouthy response to Brian's post.
Gladwell is more popstar than deep thinker, howeva.
November 27th, 2008 at 10:33 AM |
hope Weis stays, too--
hope Weis stays, too--
figures of such (Rabelasian) fun don't happen along all THAT often. The guy is worth both the popcorn and price of admission.
November 27th, 2008 at 9:35 PM |
Michael Wilbon of ESPN stated
Michael Wilbon of ESPN stated
Michael Wilbon of ESPN stated he was told Weis' buyout was "north of 15 million."
November 30th, 2008 at 5:54 PM |
Get em, Rabbit!
Get em, Rabbit!
I am Plaxico Burress.
Hail!
December 1st, 2008 at 10:13 AM |
I don't see how that the
I don't see how that the
I don't see how that the amount of the Weis buyout affects the decision. They have the revenue from NBC and 100% of the purse for each bowl they go to (teams in conferences must share with fellow conference schools). Basically, one BCS bowl pays off the majority of the buyout assuming a worst case scenario for ND.
The decision to fire him will not be based on finances, it will be based on what they think is best for the team.
Go Blue!! Viva La Revolucion!!
www.wolverineliberationarmy.com
Not sure if that was intentional or not, but it's pretty damn funny.
Recent recipient of the First Annual Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence