Here's a curious thing: If it can be argued (and I assure you, it can, because it is all the time) that Charlie Weis doesn't really understand the game of college football because he's really only had success and great experience in the NFL, then when Joe Montana, one of the all time great NFL QBs and former ND players goes and says stuff like this, maybe it can be argued that he doesn't really know what he's talking about either. After all, Joe threw 27 interceptions against 25 TDs in his time at ND and played during an era when there wasn't a lot of worry about things like an 85-man scholarship limit, or programs in the state of Florida playing football competently. Plus, Joe hasn't really been involved in college football in 31 years. Maybe he's just a guy talking at this point. I dunno if that's right. I just wonder.
And here's another curious thing: If you read that article linked above and you read this bit:
These days, Montana remains a Weis ally. And he said instead of titans such as Florida and Oklahoma, Weis' program should aspire to look more like Stanford.
"With (coach Jim) Harbaugh and Stanford, if he fields a good and competitive team, they're happy," he said. "And once in awhile, they'll have a real good team. Here, you expect to be a little better than that. But that's the way it will be. A lot of peaks and valleys."
Do you come away thinking to yourself, "Joe Montana said ND should aspire to be like Stanford," or are you not a total moron with a complete inability to recognize text within and without quotation marks?
Joe Montana is a legend of the pro game and part of Notre Dame lore, and from what little I know of the guy, I like what I see. But at this point, I'm not even completely sure what he actually said versus how he was paraphrased, and I'm not entirely sure about his credentials as an authority on the college football game of today. So I can't help but just find it all a little curious as to how what some guy -who may or may not know much more than you and I know - may or may not have actually said could cause the world to light on fire.
By BDM August 13, 2009 - 3:52 pm
I think Joe was laying the ground work for a sub-par year and backing his friend at the same time. I also he is taking the tack (hear this admin) that some give in academics would help. You have to believe that when Montana says something, people in high places take notice. Kind of a backhanded complement. With everyone saying 10+ wins this year, I think Joe is lowering expectation.
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By domer.mq August 13, 2009 - 4:28 pm
Eh, BDM, I do think there’s something to the idea that he’s softening expectations for his friend. Trying to release some of the pressure, if you will. But I think he’s just dead wrong about the recruiting issues, aside, possibly, from the DT recruiting. A vast majority of DTs in HS are idiots. Huge, smart kid on your team, HS coach? He’s your OG. Huge idiot? He’s your DT. Tough to find kids with the academics who can play at DT. Still, how often do DT in cfb match the weight of OL? Most don’t match the weights our our OL.
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By tjak August 13, 2009 - 5:26 pm
Shouldn’t Notre Dame attempt to be the best at everything. What I mean by that is, shouldn’t Notre Dame attempt to be the best academic institution in the nation, while attempting to win national championships in football and everything else. The moment Notre Dame eases academic standards is the moment Notre Dame loses crediblity. As I have said at this blog before, as a teacher, I have gotten Canadian kids in a small west coast town to get excited about Notre Dame not just because of its football team, but because it is a school that strives for excellence in all that it does. Coach Holtz won a National Championship and had his kids excelling in the classroom.
Go Irish!
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By trey August 13, 2009 - 5:39 pm
Please tell me there is some form of context that quote was taken out of. If you removed the part where you told us “Joe Montana said,…” and said “Some idiot quipped…” I wouldn’t have batted an eye. WTF Joe? STANFORD?!?!?! “If you have a good team, be happy????” What the hell kind of mentality is THAT?
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By David August 13, 2009 - 6:42 pm
Why is it that Nate is going to PCC then???
Take Joe’s name out of the article and it’s hogwash.
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By domer.mq August 13, 2009 - 9:17 pm
David,
Not sure if you realize, but just to clear out any ambiguity, Joe’s expressly said that Nate has moved over to PCC to that he can get enough practice reps to actually improve as a football player. Nate wasn’t really even playing football 3 years ago. He’s got a long, long way to go. And being the 4th QB, at best, this season at ND wasn’t going to improve his odds one bit in getting to be the 3rd QB next year or the year after that.
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By AbbyAnn August 14, 2009 - 3:17 am
Domer, I had to laugh when i read your first comment on this entry. My fiance played hs football for Hobart, starting 3 out of 4 years on varsity playing og. After hs, he got a full ride to Rose Hulman and played football another 2 years. On the other hand the dt that graduated the same year as my fiance went on to be a drunk who still wears his lettermans jacket. After reading your comment, I had to call my fiance so that we could laugh about it!
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By Mark August 14, 2009 - 10:44 am
I think what he’s trying to say is Notre Dame fans should be more like Stanford fans. Instead of expecting a national championship we should be doing backflips about beating up Hawai’i with our f****t dance.
While that might be a nice sentiment, there’s one other issue that goes with a program like that. The fact Stanford couldn’t fill their stadium if they had a free rainbow flag and pentium processor giveaway day in Palo Alto. The reason ND still can get away with an independent status is because it has a fiercely passionate fan base and stupid high expectations. Maybe living in the sun has made Nice Guy Joe forget what fans who come to South Bend are like.
Oh, and I don’t think anyone should model anything after a school with a drunk dancing tree for a mascot and a hate mongering pep band who can’t figure out when games are over.
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By trey August 14, 2009 - 10:55 am
Three cheers for Mark! Spot on, brother, spot on!
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By One Foot Down — Blog — The week in news- Injuries, Wolverine Drama and Montana Stirs the Pot March 13, 2010 - 2:41 pm
[...] Rock posted a strong rebuttal to the idea that ND should lower their standards and Her Loyal Sons has a well thought out take on the article as a whole. I actually agree with both of their perspectives. Nice work all around. [...]
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