A Bit of Delicious ND Schadenfreude
There is all kinds of good stuff going on over at NDNation.com - the very best source of schadenfreud after an ND loss. Here is my favorite so far - it is an evaluation of Coach Kelly by an ND faithful:
What we have here, is a slim-fast, kindler, gentler Weis.
Ahh... miss you, big guy. xoxo. Thanks for sending us your slim-fast, kinder and most importantly, gentler version.
You can follow the evolution of the above thought at this link:
http://www.ndnation.com/boards/showpost.php?b=football;pid=123883;d=all
September 25th, 2010 at 11:28 PM ^
YES!!!!! This is a beautiful thing.
September 25th, 2010 at 11:28 PM ^
And "kindler", too!!
lolz
September 25th, 2010 at 11:29 PM ^
how long it would take the Domers to turn on Kelly. Guess I have my answer. While BK can't match Charlie's girth, the arrogance level is about even.
September 25th, 2010 at 11:29 PM ^
Boy, it didn't take the leprechauns long to start searching for a new pot of gold.
September 25th, 2010 at 11:30 PM ^
Kelly knows his stuff. If I had to bet on it, I'd say he gets things clicking around there in the next year or two. Looks like we'll find out if the ND fanbase is more or less patient than ours.
Love to watch them lose though. So much fun.
September 25th, 2010 at 11:34 PM ^
Yep. Lots of similarities between RR at M and Kelly at ND. It's a pretty big change, and the first couple years will probly be rough, but, given time I think he'll have them improving.
September 26th, 2010 at 1:00 AM ^
Is this really a big change for them? They've gone from being a pass-first pro-style offense with lots of spread elements to a pass-first spread offense. They have a QB suited to run this system, and plenty of other good players. They aren't lacking for talent, like we clearly were two years ago. Their problems are harder to pinpoint.
Personally, if I didn't know any better, I'd think Weis was still coaching them. I see a lot of the same weird game management.
September 26th, 2010 at 1:08 AM ^
They have no identity and seem to pull plays/formations out of their ass at the oddest times. The clock management sucks and they appear completely disorganized.
If Weis had gotten that defensive performance today, that would have been a competitive game.
September 26th, 2010 at 7:52 AM ^
Big, fat and not very good. So, yes I think BK has to turn some stuff over.
September 25th, 2010 at 11:32 PM ^
Let's ask DameFan1. Oh, he doesn't post after their first loss.
September 26th, 2010 at 9:02 AM ^
Or let's ask Lou Holtz. Oh wait, he still believes they'll go undefeated this year. And thought the same about last year, the year before that, the year before that...
September 26th, 2010 at 9:02 AM ^
Or let's ask Lou Holtz. Oh wait, he still believes they'll go undefeated this year. And thought the same about last year, the year before that, the year before that...
September 25th, 2010 at 11:32 PM ^
What confuses me is that they actually do have some great players.
September 25th, 2010 at 11:50 PM ^
They've got what should be great players to an outside observer that just aren't making great plays a lot of the time. We see this with Ezeh every week. The new schemes just add to that difficulty.
September 26th, 2010 at 12:10 AM ^
Who expects Ezeh, middling 3-star recruit who has been average at best despite years and years of playing experience, to be good? Te'o is not Ezeh. Floyd and Rudolph are elite talents and Allen is solid. Crist is a 5-star recruit in his third year on campus who obviously has the physical tools to succeed (and has thrown for a bunch of yards this year).
Watching that game today, ND had chance after chance and Kelly continued to squander those opportunities because he had no answer for Stanford's blitzing defense, he was horrible at clock management (gave Stanford 3 points right before the half to make it a ten point game), and dialed up some ridiculous play calls in critical third/fourth down scenarios.
That defense held Stanford to field goals and forced turnovers. Kelly just couldn't generate any offense out of the considerable talent at his disposal.
September 26th, 2010 at 1:29 AM ^
You're right. That's what happens when I come up with theories with no evidence and talk out of my ass. Didn't really think that one through first.
September 25th, 2010 at 11:32 PM ^
There were a number of Michigan fans who felt the exact same way about Rodriguez after his first 3 games. Kelly is taking his lumps, but I believe he will ultimately turn ND into a contender.
September 25th, 2010 at 11:49 PM ^
September 26th, 2010 at 12:23 AM ^
I don't fully understand it but I have to agree. I heard young, educated wolverine fans criticizing rr before his first game. They still don't like him and I don't think they ever will. I believe some of it has to do with his southern background.
September 26th, 2010 at 2:22 AM ^
therefore he is terrible. Our fanbase has as many close minded idiots as any other.
September 26th, 2010 at 2:36 AM ^
He actually is from the Bo tree, although most people aren't aware of it. He is a protégé of Don Nehlen, one of Bo's assistants.
But yeah, he talks funny. And his name is Rodriguez, so he must be an illegal immigrant or something.
September 26th, 2010 at 9:34 AM ^
"Damn it, they really should build that wall on the border with Mexico. Oh, Mimsie! Bring me another martini, Love. Two olives this time. And add a splash of the juice. I simply love that they call it a 'dirty' martini. Makes me feel like a libertine, or something. I say, I seem to have dribbled on my cravat."
September 26th, 2010 at 12:50 PM ^
September 26th, 2010 at 8:34 AM ^
Well stated.
September 25th, 2010 at 11:33 PM ^
Kelly looks pretty crazy on the sidelines when the O (mainly Crist) does something wrong. I've seen the f-bomb flying out during 75% of Kelly sideline shots. Nevertheless, I enjoy any displeasure from ND Nation
September 26th, 2010 at 12:01 AM ^
NBC, when are you going to figure out not to zoom in on Kelly when someone blows a play?
September 26th, 2010 at 9:13 AM ^
When it stops being awesome?
September 25th, 2010 at 11:33 PM ^
"Terrible display of football. Kelly has got his work cut out for him to win us over."
It's funny, but the same sh*t would/did end up here... my only hope (Obi-Wan) is that we can stay above the other team injury jokes and super cockiness.
September 26th, 2010 at 6:06 AM ^
I'm enjoying this as much as everyone else here, but it isn't like Michigan fans are any better. The only difference I can see is we (at least most of us here) weren't surprised with this the first year. Most ND fans I have spoken to thought they would crush everyone this year. Another year, another "Return to Glory".
September 25th, 2010 at 11:34 PM ^
as much as the next guy, but honestly with ND's recruiting classes and Brian Kelly's proven track record, he's in a different league of coaching prowess than Charlie Weis, Tyrone Willingham and Bob Davey.
That said, I agree 100%. Stanford curbed stomped them exactly how I dreamed.
September 25th, 2010 at 11:35 PM ^
...is currently remembering that once, he too, was a coaching genius.
September 25th, 2010 at 11:36 PM ^
is dayne crist. whenever they show his face i imagine him thinking "....what's going on?......"
"seriously...what are we doing right now"
September 27th, 2010 at 3:31 PM ^
...Threet when RR came in- gave it his all, but just couldn't put it together. He always looked like a deer in the headlights...
September 25th, 2010 at 11:37 PM ^
http://firebriankelly.com/ They already have a website set up. How delicious.
September 25th, 2010 at 11:40 PM ^
http://firebriankelly.com/forum/ hmm, it worked for me when I did the google search....
September 25th, 2010 at 11:45 PM ^
at the end of the link - that is messing up my FireFox at least. Try the following:
September 26th, 2010 at 9:45 AM ^
They had it up before the season began. (First post of the two posts in the forum dates to July.)
September 25th, 2010 at 11:41 PM ^
I watched Stanford-ND game - and Stanford absolutely dominated ND - it was not even close. In the end, Stanford was running every down and getting 4-6 yards every time. The prevailing opinion at NDNation is that Kelly seems to be over his head.
Stanford had one guy play both offense and defense and score two touchdowns in 15 seconds - first a rush TD and second a pick-6. It was pretty amazing.
The fact that ND offense did so poorly, at home, when Kelly is known as an offense oriented coach, has to be very troubling for ND fans.
September 25th, 2010 at 11:51 PM ^
Was that 2-way player Marecic? Great article on him in SI this week. Plays fullback and MLB for the Cardinal. Sounds like a guy that any program would be proud of having.
September 25th, 2010 at 11:44 PM ^
This ND loss coupled with Uconn's loss to Temple last week really tarnishes our early season victories. We have a big test against IU this weekend. We barely won the game last year and I expect another difficult test next Saturday. I hope my fellow bloggers aren't overlooking the Hoosiers...
September 26th, 2010 at 12:54 AM ^
Lost on the road last week to a team that just about beat PSU at home today. So I'm not sure how much that tarnishes our win.
I'll admit IU will test our D, but I sense we will be takin' them out by the woodshed next week.
September 26th, 2010 at 8:35 AM ^
Hey -- shouldn't you be out shilling for that lame "chatwolve" site? Get back to work.
September 26th, 2010 at 2:36 PM ^
I hope my fellow bloggers aren't overlooking the Hoosiers...
Because... then a team made up of MGoBloggers would lose against IU next week?
September 25th, 2010 at 11:44 PM ^
For those that watched the game: Was anyone else annoyed with the fact that Brian Kelly calls a HB direct snap (aka wildcat formation after the team that employed it successfully and often) the leprechaun formation? That just seems, well, stupid.
September 25th, 2010 at 11:50 PM ^
I'd be less annoyed if they used midgets.
September 26th, 2010 at 12:12 AM ^
Yeah Kelly's made a few strange calls this year. The kind of stuff that'd work if he had good players, ha.
I think ND will be pretty good in a year or two. Crist is still inexperienced.
September 26th, 2010 at 9:27 AM ^
Was the only thing that would have made ND look competent yesterday. Well, that and a pile of 'shrooms.
September 26th, 2010 at 10:17 AM ^
Pure PR. Although I don't think it'll help him much if the plays don't work.
September 25th, 2010 at 11:49 PM ^
The only thing missing is one of these:
Or one of these:
Or for the true connoisseur, one of these: