Rockne's Roundtable

I just don't feel this team is going to let this happen. Kelly and Manti will not allow it. I think this team is going to come out with a fire that we have not yet seen and demolish teams in the first half.
I have always made comments and posted that Kelly seemed to be playing a bit of a chess match this year. He never seemed worried about some of the close games we played. It was like he knew that if things got to bad he could turn things up a notch. He just never did because things worked out for us. I believe this whole season was building up to the OU game when he was going to open everything up, and he did. I think we see a much different offense from here on out.

sigh.

Remember, this is before air travel was common. So that trip was actually a 40-plus hour round trip stint on a train from S. Bend. Might have played into it a little bit.

i've been on bk's ass since he was hired, but i'm coming around. he's staying the course he said he had to follow, and clearly now so are the players. the way he ran the spread his first two years made me an alcoholic. now, with the (especially the OL 3 point and the power running game) changes he made i'm free to overindulge......

These games seem to be bigger pitfalls than games the Irish are underdogs in, and are very hard to focus on. BYU and Purdue are examples,the Irish struggled with,and were maybe looking ahead to other games. I do think this team is different,they where not over excited at OU, they just played a very focused game. This team is good enough to just go out and play and win, they just can't look beyond Pitt, for now. We all know Pitt, no matter how good or bad, will bring its best game at the Irish. I hope the Irish can make Mark May cry this weekend.

So we do not have to listen to Mark May run his mouth should be reason enough for the Irish to win this game.I know the players are probably not aware of his comments maybe BK. should have a grad assistant put together a tape with all of his comments.Seriously if the Irish are not focused they could be upset by by Pitt but I just do not see this group falling into that trap.

TXIrish

I'm not sure if not having distractions is a good thing. Sometimes that can keep you sharp, especially in times like these. Maybe after a while, though, like a few years it takes its toll.

Lou Holtz often said that to keep his teams sharp, "if there's not a crisis, I'm going to create one." His teams usually were always at their best when there was some distraction, whether it was the "Under the Tarnished Dome" book or sending home Watters or Brooks before the showdown with No. 2 USC ... etc.