Recently, ESPN’s highly acclaimed “30 for 30” series ran a documentary on Muhammad Ali’s 1980 heavyweight preparation and fight against champion Larry Holmes.
Ali was making a comeback after two years away, and it became alarmingly evident during his training that the one-time boxing legend was way past his prime and actually seemed frail, with the onset of Parkinson’s beginning to loom even then.
Yet, legions of supporters, be it adoring fans or handlers around him, believed he was going to win because of the simple fact that he was Ali. There was magic in his name and fame, and the boxing gods would be in his corner.
The night of the fight, the inevitable happened. Ali was living off the perfume of a vanished flower, and only the mercy of Holmes allowed him to walk out of that ring still alive.
Weis and the Irish looked beaten beyond the scoreboard's final tally Saturday evening.
I am ashamed to acknowledge that I viewed Notre Dame football at the beginning of 2009 the same way the gullible ones perceived Ali in 1980. Historical trends or patterns that even I wrote about demonstrated that the Charlie Weis era was destined to fail, but I believed the power of Notre Dame would get them to at least 10-2 in 2009. A 9-3 mark would “not be good enough,” and 8-4 bordered on malpractice.
I believed it was time against USC — not only to defeat the Trojans but blow them out. I was halfway accurate. Other programs are crushing them (Oregon 47-20, Stanford 55-21), but not the Irish. Notre Dame is always too young, a year away or “just not getting the five-star athletes that USC does.”
I genuinely believed the stars were aligned to beat a good but not great Pitt team just because sooner or later, Weis and Co. have to be able to vanquish just one program that is favored over them. The law of averages dictated it. If it happened with the Terry Brennans, Joe Kuharichs, Gerry Fausts, Bob Davies and Tyrone Willinghams, why not Weis just once over four years?
Ali was way past his prime in 1980. Unfortunately, Notre Dame’s prime under Weis occurred in 2005.
It’s Not Just Recruiting
“Recruitniks” never, ever get this, but it’s not always about the star ratings. All they ever think about is, “Wow, we’re getting recruits!”
Yes, and so do the other 119 schools. Now, what do you do with them?
Last winter the Irish signed highly touted Cierre Wood and Theo Riddick at running back. Wood is getting redshirted and Riddick’s two carries at Pitt netted minus four yards.
Conversely, Pitt freshman Dion Lewis was hardly recruited by anybody. My understanding is Miami (Ohio) and Tulane were among his other main offers. Yet his 154 yards against the Irish averaged 7.2 yards per carry and he is one of the nation’s elite backs. Backup and fellow freshman Ray Graham added a marvelous 53-yard scamper prior to his two-yard touchdown run. Together, they ripped through the Irish defense for 209 yards and 8.8 yards per carry.
Put Lewis and Graham on the current Notre Dame squad, and they wouldn’t see the field. Put Riddick and Wood in Pitt uniforms, and they would be the marquee figures.
It’s not all about the two stars, three stars or four stars, etc. Just as relevant, if not more so, is what is your system, point of emphasis, culture and coaching management style at your school?
Pitt’s identity under Dave Wannstedt is be physical and all-day tough, with a heavy emphasis on line play, strength and technique. Notre Dame’s identity is finesse and trying to out-smart people schematically. Weis’ system is very favorable to quarterbacks, receivers and tight ends.
It’s the ultimate coaching cliché, but you achieve what you emphasize. If you haven’t had a running game after three years, it’s not going to happen in years four, five, six, etc. because the culture by then already has been ingrained into the program.
You can talk all you want about who to hire as coordinators or line coaches, but everything emanates from the head coach on what the long-range plan is.
I suspect if Stanford’s Toby Gerhart were at Notre Dame, the perception would be he’s “got heart” but also is a big, slow, white kid who is out of position at tailback. In Jim Harbaugh’s physical, ground-oriented scheme in which that culture has been imbued into the players’ head’s daily each of the last three years during his regime, Gerhart is an All-American.
You can’t win without talented players — but in the system or culture that don’t fit your skills, you certainly can lose with them.
Stanford’s reputation always has been that of a finesse, passing team. In his first season (2007), Harbaugh had his players dress in blue-collar attire to cultivate an attitude that the culture is changing. By Year 3, it’s quite evident it has. In college football, you impose your will on people, not so much worry about what other are always doing and trying to out-fox them.
That’s not to say Stanford will be a consistent nine- or 10-win program ever. But it’s a manifestation of the biblical teaching about taking one talent and sowing five more from it.
Final Thoughts
• Why is it that every time Notre Dame goes on the road to face a strong or “name” opponent, there seems to be a pre-game altercation, verbally or physically, emphasized (at BC and USC in 2008, at Michigan and Pitt this year) — and the Irish end up losing each time?
It just really looks bad. Whatever happened to “show me, don’t tell me”?
• If you’re looking at future coaching candidates, one friendly word of advice: Look beyond won-lost records. I’m always amazed on message boards how someone will say, “Well, his winning percentage is only about .500, etc?”
Look and evaluate where he is coaching. Ara Parseghian was 36-35-1 at Northwestern. Five or six wins per year at Northwestern were like a national title back then. Lou Holtz was fired at Arkansas after going 6-5 in 1983, and then he was 10-12 at Minnesota in 1984-85. That’s 18-17 in the three years prior to coming to Notre Dame.
In five years at Oklahoma State from 1979-83, Jimmy Johnson was 29-25-3. In five years at Notre Dame from 1981-85, Gerry Faust was 30-26-1. The records are almost identical — but its apples and oranges as far as where they are and what type of talent they are able to recruit.
Some cook up a feast with minimal ingredients. Others can make prime rib not get its full flavor. Look beyond records.
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