On a crisp October night in 2005 I believed. That this was the man to lead the nation back to the lore of yesteryear.  As the moon rose over the southwest corner of the stadium and the gentle haze rolled over the field I believed.

It was for me the greatest sporting event I have ever attended.  How, you can ask, can you make a statement like that about a day when we lost to the University of Spoiled Children Trojans?  Because he coached them up - HE COACHED THEM UP that day.  No one knew at that point that whether he could recruit.  But he knew we couldn't stop them and he put a plan in place to control the clock and make it a game. He sold it to his players and they over achieved, at least on offensive and special teams. There was a future, a solid future.

But here is what we found.  Coaches - well, they coach.... and players....well, they play..... and hopefully the twain will meet.  They did that day in 05 and I believed.

But somewhere along the line they began passing like trains going opposite directions on adjacent tracks in the middle of the night.  And yet I didn't waiver in my support despite the anguish and frustration and yes, even the enjoyment of grabbing victory from the jaws of defeat.

A rainy night in East Lansing in 06 should have been my first clue.  Because it was the players that day that stepped up to make the difference that caused me to run thru my house screaming that they won.

The permanent shell shocked look on Karl Durell's face should have been been my second. Not being able to out coach Karl is a big problem.

I watched the last 1:05 of the 2006 UCLA victory in section 23 thru the widespread fingers of my right hand covering my eyes. Some would like you to believe that is was a Brady Quinn pump fake (and would even suggest that it was caused by great coaching) that allowed Sarmardzija to clear the defense.  Watch it again - don't be fooled. It was no pump fake - just an instinctive move when the subconscious mind of a great player took over to prevent a pic.  Like I said - players.... well they play.  But still I believed.

Last year was abysmal. But I saw promise.  In a quarterback who looked like he could play as he got coached by the guy who seem to turn Brady into a player.  In a safety with the kind of athleticsm not seen on defense at ND in recent years. In a runner name Hughes who could work both inside and out. I wanted to believe in the future.

In retrospect, even in 07 the victories were mainly by players making plays - Mo Crum in the Rose Bowl - rather than any decided coaching advantages. Bruton and McCarthy bailed him out in game one of '08, but when push has come to shove this year the players haven't been able to make enough plays to cover the head coaches' mistakes...........mainly because they have come to often and too severely.

The final straw should have been Pittsburg, but I refused to join Rob in his refrain of  "I am over with Charlie Weis" as we met in the parking lot.  To get beat by Dave Wannstedt and watch Pitt on the rise is bad enough but to look at Mark May gloat at Lou on Saturday's on the tube is unbearable. Why I wonder now, didn't I see this coming?  Why did I think that 7-5 and a bowl game victory was possible?

Because like Fox Mulder on The X Files - I still want to believe...

I just don't know if I can.  Or if I should. As I trudged thru the snow past the white lot up to Cleveland after the game I thought about my recent post that we all need to calm down and things will improve.

My support for ND is solid and my guess is that things will in time improve, but I am now at a point where time might be up for Charlie Weis.  Suffice it say if smarmy Pete and the Spoiled Children put up the 40 I expect them to then the gig is up.

RB17

PS - whoever the coach is in 09.....recruit more QUALITY linemen and fewer running backs.

Split backs and Aasaph Schwapp runs the draw play.  I was stunned - not just at the 261 lbs darting forward, not that he had the ball and didn't fumble, not that we didn't throw a screen pass ( take a look at this formation over Weis era - chances are pretty good this is the play you will see).  But rather a glimpse of hope - a running play other than the stretch, inside zone or my personal favorite - the lead toss out of the I formation - not.

Could we use the split back formation to our advantage going forward? Think about it - visualize it - but take out #44 and substitute #33. Yes it is kinda of old school, but it gives you some options - the draw, yes the screen and perhaps even an inside trap. Robert Hughes looks a little slow these days from the single back set, but get him just a little closer to the line of scrimmage and maybe he gets you a solid 3-4 yards on 1st down. Even the old Packer sweep is still a possibility - if for no other reason to set up a bootleg to try to get the ball down the field to Mike Floyd

In the passing game we probably are still going to see cover 2 until we can run a little. So what have we seen from Jimmy a lot? The check down to Allen. Does having two options to lay the ball off to open things up in the middle a bit - possibly.  Wheel route - throwback off the sweep fake to the fullback, the options are endless

While we are looking for options here is my second thought - get Mike Floyd in the slot at least half the time. Does anyone besides me wonder exactly what Duval Kumara does when they go 4 or 5 wide? Besides disappear? Kumara doesn't seem to be able to beat the nickel back or safety but put him out against the smaller corner and he has an advantage. Yes, you give away a little of Floyd's physical nature on the outside, but let's say you motion him across the formation where he basically runs past the short defender down the hash right at the safety. Let me ask you this - would you want to be back-pedaling waiting to see if he was going to break to the corner or the post?

Why all these thoughts? Basically because I am tired of seeing the same 10-12 plays from 3-4 formations.  I don't know if we have gone this simple because the thought is we don't have the experience - on the field or at the OC spot? Given Charlie's revelation that he has been calling the formation - my bet is on the coaches.

The easy things to do right now is lament the state of the program, call for Charlie's head on a platter and salivate over Brian Kelly from Cincinnati.  For me those are all things that can wait.  It is important that we make corrections on offensive and I am curious to see what they are. Perhaps my suggestions are a bit crazy, but I wouldn't be surprised to see big changes - can you say unbalanced line?

It sure is more fun to speculate about offensive possibilities than lament last weeks' game............

oh yea - let's recruit fewer running backs and more linemen