Irish Fans Have High Hopes for 2008 Season

Yes, we had a rough time last year. Yes, we were ridiculed. Yes, we needed pep talks every Saturday to remind ourselves why we were Irish fans. But we’re back. And it appears we are looking better than ever. Man, I hope so.

Notre Dame football has always been a focus in the hype building to each college football season for as long as I can remember. People either love ‘em or hate ‘em. It’s not question where I stand. But after a year like last year, is there anywhere to go but up?

The 2007 Irish team had its biggest issues in lack of physical play. It almost appeared as though they were afraid to hit a guy and get a ball. The team did not have the synchronicity that the Irish have been known to display through its illustrious history. Nor did they have the experience. Many of the Irish’s key starters last year were freshman and sophomores with little college playing experience. The much talked about Jimmy Clausen led the way. After having never lost a game in high school, Clausen got a huge dose of reality after losing most of his games with Notre Dame last year. But like I’ve said before, it builds character. And whether Charlie liked it or not last year, it was a rebuilding year.

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It appears that rebuilding is exactly what has been happening on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. From all the news I’ve heard from their camp, it makes me quite – dare I say it – hopeful. I believe that Jimmy Clausen can get the job done provided he has the offensive line to back him up. It’s easy to be a great quarterback when your team is phenomenal. It’s another thing altogether to rack up the wins when your team is subpar. Brady Quinn did the latter. And I see a lot of Brady Quinn in the young Clausen. He just needed some development as a quarterback.

I have faith that Charlie Weis can not only get the Irish over their trepidations from last year, but that he can also get them to focus on things that they need to work on. Namely, their power, speed, and unity as a team. The team needs to get to the point when they practically read each other’s minds as well as the opponent. They need to be quicker off the line, quicker to read the opponent’s offense, and quicker to pick themselves up and go at it again. And they need to lay on the power that I’m positive they’re capable of.

I just heard Kirk Herbstreit say that on paper, the Irish can win every game this year. He’s making a prediction that they will win 9 or 10 games. That’s a huge compliment coming from Herbstreit considering he’s been a downer on the Irish in recent years and a major skeptic at that. Hello, Kirk. Welcome to a land we call Irish fans optimism. It’s also the home of hope.

by Angela Moore
CollegeSports-fans.com Notre Dame Correspondent

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