By now the Super Bowl's been beaten to death, so why write about that? Instead, in keeping with the historic spirit of the day, it's time for another All-Time-Best list. This time how about the all-time best NFL QB/coach combo? Silly, as are all superlative rankings, but ultimately isn't this sort of thing what all real sports fans live for? Besides, it lets me write something about the Patriots, though not exactly what I'd had in mind. And the Super Bowl notwithstanding, it's probably a little early to consider Flacco/Harbaugh or Kaepernick/Harbaugh anyway, so it's a topic that won't go stale in a day.

The game has changed over the years. The stats for quarterbacks have gone through the roof recently. It's not because they're better. It's largely because the rules let them be better. Rules dictate strategy to a high degree. When the blocking rules and the chuck rules changed some 35 years ago, it took a while for the league to catch on, but catch on it did. Why did Dan Marino throw for so many yards? He had more time and more open receivers than his predecessors of a decade earlier (plus, he was pretty good). Why do current quarterbacks outdo Marino on a weekly basis? Because they're better? You get the drift. These things can be taken into account.

We can name some of the combos that come to mind right off the bat, starting from when the quarterback was also a safety. Despite the presence of such 1920s supermen as Paddy Driscoll in Chicago (who once, in an age of multiple roles, drop-kicked a field goal from 55 yards), none went on a title tear in the league's first full decade. Even Paddy spent half his time with the Staleys/Bears, and half with the crosstown Cardinals. It was a turbulent formative decade without enough stability (or passing) to truly produce a QB/coach combo, despite three consecutive titles by the Canton-Canton-Cleveland Bulldogs of legend. They ran the ball. Our quest begins in the 1930s.

Arnie Herber/Curly Lambeau

Coming off a title in 1929, the Packers got two more right away with the arrival of Herber. It was still a running game, but he liked to throw. When Don Hutson joined the team in the mid-30s, he turned Herber loose and the Pack became the league's first bombs-away offense. Sharing time with the younger Cecil Isbell late in the decade, Arnie finally decided it was time to call it quits after 11 seasons. But before he did, the tandem of him and Lambeau (with help of course from Hutson) had produced unheard-of passing numbers, 6 trips to the championship game, and 4 titles. Not bad.

Sid Luckman/George Halas

Whether George Halas was more of a churl, more of an owner or more of a coach is a topic for conjecture, but nobody had a bigger influence on the NFL for many decades. Sid Luckman, a Jewish kid from Brooklyn and a graduate of Columbia, hardly seems to fit today's demographic mold for a football player, but the Ivy League was among the best in the 1930s and so was Sid. In the 7 seasons spanning 1940 through 1946, Luckman and Halas took the Bears to 5 title games, winning 4 times. Sid's service in the Merchant Marine likely had something to do with the Bears' absence in 1944 and 1945. And as for Halas' coaching, a little-known fact about the Bears' 1940 73-0 title game massacre of Sammy Baugh's Redskins is that Luckman threw only 6 times, the Skin defense being confounded by Halas' clever exploitation of the new man-in-motion rule.

Otto Graham/Paul Brown

With the end of WWII came big changes in football. Coaches, fresh from wartime think tanks for battle planning, brought new ideas to the game. The platoon system (separate offensive/defensive players) became established, and the football sprouted wings like never before. It was a new time, and the Browns were a new team in a new league, the AAFC. They dominated it for all 4 years, then went to the NFL and stunningly beat Norm Van Brocklin's mighty Rams to win the title. They would attend five more NFL title games and win two more, losing once to the Rams and twice to Bobby Layne's powerful Lions. In ten seasons, the pair of Graham and Brown redefined the way football was played and coached, winning 7 titles between their two leagues and attending every title game for 10 straight seasons. Graham was derided by some in his day for being the only QB not to call his own plays, with Brown using 'shuttling guards' to bring them in. Even that was a portent of things to come.

John Unitas/Weeb Ewbank

Despite having only two titles under their combined belt, the combo of Ewbank and Unitas won the first two "television titles" and shot football into a blaze of publicity previously unknown. Unitas was considered the best at his position for most of his career despite the presence of other greats, and the Colts contended each season, having the misfortune to play in the same division as the evenly-matched but somehow unbeatable Packers. Unitas would win another title at the end of his career, and Ewbank would famously coach the Jets to a Super Bowl win over Unitas' Colts in 1969.

Bart Starr/Vince Lombardi

The earliest combo most modern fans think of, Starr and Lombardi went to six title games in eight seasons, winning five of them (and the first two Super Bowls). Never considered the best at his position during his playing days, Starr was the ultimate 'system' quarterback nevertheless and never seemed to make a mistake. Lombardi, out of Jim Lee Howell's Giants system, became a near-instant success as a head coach. The Packers dominated the 1960s almost as much as the Browns dominated the decade following WWII and, significantly, did it all in the NFL. They had one more advantage --- with network tv established, everybody saw them.

Len Dawson/Hank Stram

They were in the AFL most of the time, but while there they won three titles and went 1-1 in the "true" Super Bowl era, when it was still an old-fashioned World Series between truly independent rival leagues. Stram's 'moving pocket' wasn't exactly scrambling, but a controlled relocation of the backfield that gave defenses fits. Dawson, the NFL reject, found his niche in Stram's potent offense. Despite their loss to Green Bay, history shows that all it proved was that nobody could beat Green Bay. Three years later the same team crushed the Vikings in the fourth (and last true) Super Bowl. Actually, in the 1967 preseason following the loss to Green Bay (which was taken quite seriously as it featured the only interleague games outside of the Super Bowl) they outclassed the Bears' first stringers 66-0. When it all was said and done they were the dominant team of the AFL in its decade of existence, edging out the Bills, Chargers, Raiders and Oilers, though they did it first as the Dallas Texans and then as the Kansas City Chiefs. When that decade and era ended, they were the best team in football, hands down.

Bob Griese/Don Shula

As a tandem their star burned briefly, but very brightly. The Fins were the first real AFL team to reach the Super Bowl following the merger, losing the first year to Dallas before winning two in a row, once with a perfect 17-0 mark. The irony of the perfect season is that Griese was injured for most of it, but still contributed by taking the reins from a faltering Earl Morrall in the playoffs and finishing the job Morrall had started.

Terry Bradshaw/Chuck Noll

The Steelers of the 1970s were seen as an NFL invader of the AFL (having recently morphed into the AFC), and as such were not popular with old AFL fandom. Nevertheless, their team's bloodline was almost pure AFC by the time they got untracked, and they proceeded to go to the Super Bowl four times in six seasons, winning every time. Bradshaw, never considered the best at his position, was easily the winningest of his age, and Noll, who never really superseded Lombardi as a legend either in the '70s or later, won Super Bowls at an unprecedented rate.

Joe Montana/Bill Walsh

The modern standard for excellence, Walsh and Montana were together for three Super Bowl wins, Montana's fourth coming under Walsh protege/puppet George Siefert. Still Walsh, a Paul Brown protege himself and earlier a student of Sid Gillman and Al Davis, was the first to successfully comprehend how to best exploit football's changing rules governing pass protection and pass defense, and Montana was the perfect choice to execute the game plan. His West Coast Offense was a modification of the Gillman/Davis long-bomb approach, altered under Brown to a short-passing juggernaut for the Bengals, and the new rules provided a perfect backdrop for his system, which changed the game.

Jim Kelly/Marv Levy

Despite having never won the big one, they are the only combo ever to go to four Super Bowls in a row. If genial Marv Levy seemed a throwback to a bygone age when football was fun, it's because he was, and his players loved it. They may have loved it a shade too much, as they became so confident in their ability to utterly turn around any game at will that it bit them on some big occasions. But Levy was a master at turning his guys loose, and Kelly was the perfect field general for the Bills' dreaded no-huddle offense in an age without wired helmets. Buffalo's defense could rise up and take the ball away seemingly on cue, and the up-tempo offense could score points in a flash. Their plays were often impossible to defend because it seemed (and may have been) that they improvised most of what they were doing as it unfolded. It was a truly unique system, and terrifically fun to watch.

Tom Brady/Bill Belichick

The modern threat to the throne of Walsh and Montana, the tandem of Brady and Belichick have actually won as many Super Bowls (and faster), and appeared in more to date (five). They have gone to seven AFC title games together in twelve seasons, and have won the AFC East all but twice, both losses coming on tiebreakers. It is a success record unrivaled in what has been labeled the Salary Cap Era, the NFL's attempt at parity. Notable in this era is Belichick's ability to drive highly volatile rosters to high levels of success year after year. Brady is often cited as the reason, though the team managed an 11-5 record without him in 2008, stunningly missing the playoffs. Their short-pass-based game has proven so prolific that the Patriots have taken offensive production to a level not seen since Norm Van Brocklin's first few seasons. Belichick is the only head coach to win three Super Bowls in four years, all with Brady.

So what to do with these contenders? Maybe just grouping them a few ways will make some sense. Maybe not. Let's try a few categories.

Best of the Pre-War Era

Tough one, even with only two candidates. Herber and Lambeau reinvented the game of football to a large degree, but it was regarded as much a novelty then as a turning point. They were before their time. Halas' Bears, on the other hand, were more a power team, with names like Bronco Nagurski and Bulldog Turner. The Bears won as many titles, and in fewer years. They may have won another without the intervention of World War II. But as great as Luckman and the Bears were, this is a contest of quarterbacks and coaches. Lambeau was a revolutionary coach, and Herber a perfect quarterback for that revolution. It's no coincidence that the name most people recall from those teams is Don Hutson, who caught everything that came near him. They get the nod.

Best of the Postwar Pre-Merger Era

There are only two prime contenders in this long era also, and they are Graham/Brown and Starr/Lombardi. Which was the better team is a topic for conjecture. Which was the better coach/QB tandem may not be. Yes, of the Browns' seven titles four came in the AFCC, but they were no fluke. The Packers were the ultimate example of perseverance and execution, but outside of Lombardi's pulling guards they weren't innovators. Brown was the master innovator, the man who most changed the game of pro football following his stint in military planning during the war. Almost everything he did was adopted either immediately or much later by others. And his quarterback was a superstar, on a par with contemporary greats Van Brocklin and Layne. The success contest here is pretty much a draw. But Graham and Brown's influence on the game is vastly greater.

Best of the Post-Merger Pre-Salary-Cap Era

This pretty much pits Noll and Bradshaw against Walsh and Montana. Success-wise, it clearly goes to the Steelers. But you have to dig deep to find anything that Pittsburgh contributed to football besides their own legendary title streak. Walsh and Montana, on the other hand, not only won but also redefined football with the West Coast Offense. It's probably unfair to the Steelers that the rule changes which sprung loose the Niners' offensive strategy had just come around at the end of their success story. They were well-coached and well-led on the field, and that's what this is all about, isn't it? Yes, but the Niners were also well-coached and well-led, and they also managed to lay lasting foundations for the post-rules-changes game. So they get the nod.

Best of the Salary Cap Era

Despite the presence of Shanahan and Elway, Coughlin and Manning, Cowher and Roethlisberger, Dungy and Manning, there's really only one contestant here, and that's Belichick/Brady. They're the only duo to win three Super Bowls in four years. They're the only duo to go to five Super Bowls in eleven years --- separately as well as together. Their winning record is unmatched. All in all, they've been the antidote (or poison?) for parity in the NFL in an era when it was supposed to be almost guaranteed. And they aren't done yet. Belichick has shown the league how to continually prosper in an environment meant to throttle long-term success.

Best Innovators, All-Time

That's a toughie. Everybody stands on the shoulders of who came before. Even Einstein always had huge portraits of Euclid, Newton and Faraday on his walls because he knew that without them, he and his contemporaries wouldn't have existed. That's a big promo for Herber and Lambeau, who introduced the long pass as a consistent game-changer in the 1930s. But Walsh and Montana changed things again in the 1980s for a fresh set of rules. Belichick and Brady have done it again with yet more rules changes, these primarily of the roster-affecting sort. Levy and Kelly foreshadowed the no-huddle. But the duo who introduced the most influential and lasting innovations has to be Paul Brown and Otto Graham, who transformed the game most stunningly from its pre-war form to its postwar balance of rushing and passing, revamping player positions, exploiting the platoon system, and winning consistently in the process. I give them the nod.

Most Unbeatable, All-Time

It's tough to say that Brady and Belichick are 'beatable' in any reasonable sense. It's hard also to say that about Walsh and Montana. Tougher still to say it about Brown and Graham. Noll and Bradshaw were hard to deny. Likewise Halas and Luckman. In fact, all of our combos were hard to beat in their stretch. But this one goes to Starr and Lombardi, who dominated nearly a decade with championships, winning five in six tries spanning eight years. Does that trump Brown and Graham's seven in ten tries spanning ten years? Only if you believe that the AAFC dilutes their record. This is about the NFL, so the Pack-men get the nod, even if it seems to be on a technicality.

Looking Ahead

As we read this, the latest rule changes have begun to modify the sport again --- maybe. Rules intended to protect the quarterback have sprung open the door for experimentation with college-style running quarterbacks. Is this the next big thing, or is the 'athletic' quarterback doomed to extinction, either through constant injury or perhaps through being back-burnered in favor of a new era of hypersmart no-huddle field generals, running ability being consigned to the status of a nice value-added extra? Only time will tell, just as it has separated fads from formative trends throughout the history of football.

Irish Shu is sitting back relaxing, wandering through the long college football off season while taking the "honey badger" approach on the baseball season which is only just underway.

...and I am NOT liking the goings-on right now.

The one blessing I can count is that my beloved Lady Fighting Irish basketball team did manage to make the NCAA women's basketball championship game for the second year in a row, which is certainly impressive!...the bad news is they lost the game for the second year in a row to a one-player team, again. Granted, losing to a 40-0 Baylor team which features, perhaps, the best player who ever lived in Brittney Griner is nothing to be ashamed of, but still - LOSING SUCKS! All in all, a great season for the Lady Irish, though, and I am proud.

Other than that, though, not many blessings to count.

Looking at the Irish Football team - the program has been in what feels like a downward spiral ever since that lousy performance vs. Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl.

As if failing to show up in that game wasn't enough, the recruiting class that followed was somewhat disappointing. A favorite running back recruit the Irish were hoping to get in David Perkins ditched them for Ohio State, leaving the team without much for incoming RB's to bolster the stable which does not have much in it. The Irish also lost their favorite receiver prospect in Deontay Greenberry, who bailed on them on signing day and went to Houston, instead...then Greenberry's cousin Tee Shepard, a highly-rated cornerback who had enrolled at ND early, left the program, as well.

The biggest bomb, though, was when the best D-lineman the Irish have seen in years in Aaron Lynch left the program last week after a very impressive freshman year - one that saw him shred the ND O-line in last years' Spring game, then go onto the regular season and record 5.5 sacks (team-leading), 14 quarterback hurries, 33 tackles including 7 for a loss, and a forced fumble on his way to being named a freshman All American. His departure, apparently, is due to homesickness...he wants to be back in Florida where he's from. Lynch is a phenomenal young athlete, and it's an understatement to call this loss a "blow"...I could certainly use one of those right now, but I digress.

The bright side is that The Irish DID manage to land a coveted quarterback recruit in Gunner Kiel. They managed to pluck him from LSU at the last minute, in fact. Right now, though, Kiel is practicing with a heavy heart...he lost his uncle, former ND quarterback Blair Kiel (who played in the NFL for 7 years) just last week. The death was reported as being from "natural causes", though results of an autopsy are still pending. Regarding the death, Gunner said "It’s really tough to lose an uncle who is so young. He died at the age of 50. It was so sudden. God has a plan for all of us, and that was his plan. Now I’m going to have a guardian angel who’s going to be here for me all the time."

I will add this about Kiel: I will be watching him...it would be one hell of an inspiring story if Gunner, fueled by the ghost of his Uncle Blair, managed to overtake an experienced, but average starting QB in Tommy Rees, as well as the high-potential backups of Andrew Hendrix and Everett Golson and end-up having one hell of a career...one never knows, but we'll see.

With all of this happening within ND football, I'm having serious doubts about their coach in Brian Kelly. I certainly hope he proves me wrong and has a great third year to his career, but since he has arrived at ND some stuff has happened that has me questioning his ability to control and lead this program. In Kelly's first year, there was the Declan Sullivan tragedy, then a student allegedly raped by an ND football player ended-up committing suicide over it. Last year Kelly made the comment about his recruits vs. the players he did not recruit on the team which caused a stir among his players, and then, of course, you have all these defects going-on before AND after recruiting and Kelly does not seem to be making much effort at preventing them from happening...his upcoming third year will certainly tell all of us how legitimate that concern is.

Then there's the ND Hockey team - a program which has been pretty successful in recent years and made the Frozen 4 last year - did not even make the NCAA tournament this year...Beeze knows more about that than I do.

Notre Dame is not the only team that has me in angst, though. My beloved alma mater in the FCS, the Montana Grizzlies, are dealing with some turmoil of their own.

Recently, some of their football players got into trouble with the law, specifically with alleged sexual assault and rape charges. As a result of this, Griz Head Coach Robin Pflugrad and Athletic Director Jim O'Day were both fired. Among the accused are last years' starting QB in Jordan Johnson. Johnson is back with the team after a brief suspension when the woman who accused him got a restraining order on him, but he returned to practice when that order was converted to a "civil agreement"...it's not over for him yet, though. The police investigation is still continuing in the matter, so he could face charges depending on the outcome. If Johnson is then charged with the crime, he'll be off the team and then, guess who comes in? Yep, Mighty Joe's son Nate Montana who sucks! The Griz will definitely be up shit creek if that happens, if they are not already. The good news? Pflugrad was quickly replaced by longtime Griz assistant Mick Delaney who will see the team through the 2012 season. He's as good a replacement as there can be considering that he is very experienced, knows the system and the players, and does not plan on changing the system much at all. We'll see how it all plays out.

Okay...done venting now. Thank you for reading.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!!..Albeit a bit late.  I’ve been busy.  Shut up.

Notre Dame's football season came to a close a week or so ago, so once again it's time for Irish Shu to look back at their season.  In the last edition I recapped the first 6 games, so now I'll review the last 7 including the bowl game…get ready for a bit of stone-casting, because I am NOT pleased…

SOUTHERN CAL:  Christ, Irish, you had just trounced a decent Air Force team, and then had a bye week to prepare for a Trojan team you proved last year you could beat, and what did you do?  You shat the bed!  That’s what you did.  It was the first night game played at Notre Dame stadium in 21 years and the spotlight proved too bright for them as it ended in a 31-17 loss to the Condoms.  They spotted said Prophylactics a 17-0 lead early before George Atkinson III scored for the second time this year on a kickoff return to put a spark into the Irish and start a comeback.  The momentum carried into the second half when QB Tommy Rees got hurt, giving way for Dayne Crist to go in and have his chance to prove to his coach that he should have been the starter all-along…and he almost did.  Crist completed 4 of 5 passes and drove the Irish to the USC 1 yard line and then…lightening struck.  Instead of punching-in for the score that would have tied the game, Crist fumbled and Rubber safety Jawanza Starling scooped-up the loose ball and ran it back for a French Tickler touchdown that stole the game from ND a-la South Florida.  USC dominated with nearly twice the yardage and possession time, as well as 0 turnovers to Notre Dame’s 3.  In his post-game interview, Pecker Tarp quarterback Matt Barkley might have provided the Irish with some good bulletin board material for next year when he said that the Irish quit on them and let them win after that fumble return…the only problem with that statement being used as motivation is this: he was right. 

Now, as a few of you know, I have always claimed to be as loyal an Irish fan as there is…but even I found myself saying “fuck it” after this one.  The rest of the season just wasn’t all that enjoyable for me after this loss…but, the season went on so I will, too.

NAVY: The Irish needed to bounce back after the loss to the Sheep Skins and they certainly did in a 56-14 trouncing of the Midshipmen.  Notre Dame scored on 5 of its first 6 offensive possessions and cruised against a Navy team that has given them problems in recent years with their option attack…and this in spite of the fact that the Irish turned the ball over twice.  Tommy Rees had a pretty good day going 16 of 22 for 227 yards, but it was the running backs that had a career day here as Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray scored 5 rushing TD’s between them.  Receiver Michael Floyd chipped-in with one rushing and one receiving TD of his own.

WAKE FOREST:  Notre Dame continued to roll in a hard-fought 24-17 win over a pretty good Demon Deacon team that had just beaten a ranked Florida State team a couple weeks prior.  The Irish were somewhat depleted with injuries, but the defense nutted-up as Wake Forest had the ball at or inside the Notre Dame 10 twice in the second half while down by a touchdown -- and came away with no points.  The Irish O was pretty balanced with 341 total years almost 50/50 between the run and pass…but they still turned the ball over twice in the win.

MARYLAND:  The GOOD Irish team showed-up for this one in a “home” game that took place only 20 miles from Maryland’s campus and trounced the lowly Terrapins 45-21…but, then, it’s easy for a team to show it’s best when they’re facing an opponent that finished with only 2 wins on the year.  Regardless, the workout was good as the Irish O hung over 500 yards and 6 touchdowns on Maryland.  This included a pick 6 from sophomore cornerback Lo Wood.   This also was a rare turnover-free game for the Irish.

BOSTON COLLEGE:  Continuing their pattern of great play one week and poor play the next, the Irish struggled with poor field position all afternoon, but came up with the big plays when they needed to…and ONLY when they needed to…and survived the Eagles 16-14…over a team that would finish with only 4 wins.  To his credit, all-ACC linebacker Luke Kuechly did make things difficult for the Irish and finished with 14 tackles and I, for one, was glad to hear he won’t be back next season as he chose to enter the NFL Draft.  The bummer, though, was that the win came at a price.  The solid Irish power halfback, Jonas Gray, injured his right knee in the game and was lost for the season.

STANFORD:  Well, I really didn’t expect the Irish to win this one, anyway.  They spotted the Cardinal an early 21-0 lead as golden boy Andrew Luck had a statement game and tore though the Irish Defense for 233 yards and 4 touchdowns on his way to a 28-14 win.  The Irish QB tandem of Rees and Andrew Hendrix actually combined to outdo Luck with 252 passing yards of their own (Hendrix came-on after Rees was injured) but they also threw 1 interception each and Hendrix had only 1 TD pass.  Luck could very-well be the best quarterback to come out of Stanford – a program which produced some good ones such as John Elway – and he is another player whom I won’t miss next year.  He is, in fact, expected to go to the Indy Colts with the first pick of the upcoming NFL draft.

FLORIDA STATE:  This game was a pisser.  Notre Dame went to the Champs Sports Bowl and ended what I thought would be a better season the same way they started the season out – by shooting themselves in the foot, repeatedly, and losing 18-14 to a team they had no business losing to.  With all due respect to the Seminoles, you were starting 4 freshmen on your injury-depleted O-line and your offense did not even start playing until the 3^rd quarter was almost over.  Be sure to thank Brian Kelly for allowing himself to be outcoached, and shuffling 2 quarterbacks in and out instead of having the balls to stick with one of them like he should have.  While you’re at it, Seminoles, be sure to also thank Andrew Hendrix for throwing an interception straight at Nigel Bradham (no Irish receivers were even close on that play) and giving you a short field to take the lead with…and finally, don’t forget to thank Michael Floyd for dropping what would have been a touchdown pass in the first half that bounced right off his hands at the 20 yard line like so many other passes have throughout his career…considering that, it was impressive he caught the one score he did catch in the 3^rd quarter after he juggled it.  I really can’t stand losing to Florida teams, either.  As awesome as it felt for the Irish to kick the Hurricane’s asses in last years’ Sun Bowl, that’s how shitty it felt to lose to the Semen-Holes this time.

So to wrap it up the Irish football season was, overall, disappointing.  This Irish team came into 2011 loaded from top to bottom with one of the best receivers in the country,  a solid and experienced O-line, a good stable of high-potential quarterbacks and running backs and a good defense with just enough star players to make at least 10 wins and a BCS appearance happen…AT LEAST!  The problem is, they didn’t.  They were not consistent on offense at quarterback, in-particular, and special teams were not solid save for 2 kickoff returns for touchdowns by George Atkinson III.  What’s worse, they will lose a good group of senior players which include some good O-linemen, a good running back in Jonas Gray, a handful of good defensive players including most of their secondary and of course, one of their best receivers ever in Michael Floyd.  I will credit Floyd for this much; he did redeem himself after making some poor choices and getting arrested 3 times for alcohol-related offenses throughout his career, but he held it together for his last season and finished without such incident.  He also finished his impressive career in the ND record books with: 271 receptions, 3,686 receiving yards, 17 games with at least 100 yards receiving and 37 touchdown receptions – all #1 in those categories and a few others, as well…but I’m sorry to say I will remember him for being less than sure-handed despite all that.  He had many instances of the dropsies throughout his career – he’d better fix that problem if he wants to succeed in the NFL.  I wish him well with that.  I also wish Dayne Crist well.  After Coach Kelly pushed him down the bench after one poor half of play in one game, Crist has transferred to the Kansas Jayhawks to play one more year…and he will be reunited with their new head coach in Charlie Weis, who recruited Crist to Notre Dame…I wish you well, Dayne, and you certainly deserved better.  It is encouraging, though, that both linebacker Manti Te’o and Tight End Tyler Eifert have both announced that they will come back for their senior year...you will both be needed.

One other comment for Coach Kelly – you don’t do yourself or your team any favors by making rude comments about the players you recruited vs. the players you didn’t.  Try using your head before you use your mouth next time.  Good teams need unity.  Good luck with your recruiting – sounds like the incoming class could be another good one if you can hold them to their commitments.

As for my other teams and how they did:

MONTANA GRIZZLIES: After an uncharacteristically off-year, the Griz bounced back and are among the FCS elite once again.  They finished 11-3 and made it to the semifinal round of the FCS playoffs before they lost to then-undefeated and top-ranked Sam Houston State by a field goal…Sam Houston went on to lose to the new FCS champion in North Dakota State just yesterday…by the way, does anyone remember Nate Montana?  He was a Notre Dame backup who transferred to my Griz for a chance to play more…too bad he didn’t get that chance.  He didn’t get above 3^rd string there, either.  Oh, well.

NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS: Their first year in the Big Ten wasn’t entirely disappointing, but I’d have liked to see them at least compete with both Michigan and Wisconsin and not get beaten by Northwestern.  They missed their chance at a 10-win season when they lost the Capital One Bowl to South Carolina, but there’s no shame in losing to a good SEC school when 2 teams from that conference are playing for the national championship…I have mixed feelings about that, too, though.   The Huskers STILL need a better passing game.

COLORADO STATE RAMS:  POOH!  Yet another 3 win season for my once-good-but-now-lowly Rams and Coach Steve Fairchild was fired for it.  The reins have now been turned over to Jim McElwain who was the Offensive Coordinator for Alabama.  We’ll see if he can do any better.  Good luck, coach…and good luck to my brother who recently moved to Fort Collins to start a new life with his lady friend in Irish Shu’s former stomping grounds.  Go get ‘em baby bro!

CUSTER COUNTY COWBOYS: my hometown high school team came into the season as the defending state champions in their class.  I thought it might be a rebuilding year as they turned to a sophomore quarterback with no experience, but he did pretty well, considering, and so did the team as they made it all the way to the state semifinals before losing to Billings Central – a team they run into about every year in the playoffs, it seems.  Good year for the Cowboys, nonetheless.

WHEW!  Long blog and overdue, as well.  Fellow You Gabbers: You all have an awesome 2012!  I’ll keep reading your works…Take care, all.

Once again, Greetings fellow You Gabbers!...and just like that, the 2011 college football season is now half-over. 

It is now time for Irish Shu to look back and assess how things have gone thus far for my beloved Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.

The short version?...they’re a step down from where I predicted they would be at this point as far as results are concerned, but they’re right about where I expected them to be as far as progress, execution and gelling-together.  I had predicted they’d be at 1 loss right now and they’re at 2.  They could just as easily be an undefeated team right now if only they’d had their shit together when they came-out of the gate….I know, I know, “and if the queen had balls she could just as easily be the king.”  Whatever.  The breaks happen as they do and it is what it is…okay, that’s enough clichés for now.

Looking at it game by game:

SOUTH FLORIDA:  I was, indeed,  nervous about this game…and for good reason, as it turned out.  The Irish had a tough first test against Coach Skip Holtz (aka Lou Jr.) and a Bulls team that was a favorite to win the Big East crown.  The game was twice interrupted by the stadium being evacuated due to lightening storms which was a bad omen in itself.  On top of that the Irish struck their own thunder by committing 5 turnovers to South Florida’s 0 – the most costly of which came on ND’s opening drive when running back Jonas Gray fumbled while driving to the end zone and USF’s Kayvon Webster scooped up the loose ball and ran 96 yards for a score that would set the tone for the rest of the game which ended in a stunning 23-20 Irish loss.  Ironically, Notre Dame finished the game with double the total yardage of South Florida…an advantage nullified by those costly turnovers as well as an inability to finish drives on offense.  A quarterback switch from starter Dayne Crist to Tommy Rees did not help the outcome and it is still baffling, to me, that Crist lost the starting role after playing only one half and never got it back.

MICHIGAN:  ACK!!!  Notre Dame beat Michigan’s asses up and down the field nearly all game long and dominated in both time of possession and total yardage only to lose 35-31 to the honey badgers...er, I mean Wolverines because they just didn’t give a shit! (kidding – that reference is for the Beeze – he’ll get it!).  No, it was because of the damn turnovers, again.  The Irish had 5 in this game to Michigan’s 3…and they almost won, anyway, but the defense forgot to finish the damn game and let quarterback Denard Robinson drive for 80 yards in just 3 plays and 28 seconds to score the winning TD with just 2 seconds left in the game.  Dipshits!  FINISH THE DAMN GAME NEXT TIME!  ASSHOLES!!!  I hate losing to Meat Chicken, can you tell?

MICHIGAN STATE:  The only thing that would have pissed me off more than losing to Meat Chicken would be losing to Sparty in the same season…fortunately, that didn’t happen.  Notre Dame FINALLY got it together and beat the Spartans 31-13.  NOT an easy team to have to bounce-back against but despite 3 turnovers and a pretty good day by State senior QB Kirk Cousins, they got it done.  This time, it was Sparty who got snake bit as they had a better game than the Irish, statistically (except in the running game – they only had 29 yards which is well-short of what is typical for them), but were also done-in by penalties and 2 turnovers; the more costly of which was an interception by cornerback Robert Blanton who returned it 82 yards to the Michigan State 12 with under 4 minutes left to seal the win.  Another helpful big play was an 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from freshman running back George Atkinson III.  Again, this was a much-needed win against a team which, at this writing, is ranked #15, is fresh-off a win over the same honey badgers that beat the Irish in Ann Arbor (and just didn't give a shit), and has not lost a game yet to anyone other than the Irish.

PITTSBURGH:  This was another game I was nervous about because it was on the road against a pretty good Pitt team that I thought would go in very motivated to make a good showing for Tony Dorsett and John Majors – 2 Pitt icons who walked out of the tunnel with the team at the start of the game.  Pitt did put-up a pretty solid fight, but lost 15-12 to an Irish team that really didn’t put it together until they needed to.  A 4^th quarter drive by Tommy Rees that saw him go 8 for 8 and finish with TD and 2-point throws, both to tight end Tyler Eifert was nearly the only successful drive he could put together against a Pitt defense that came-in with the nation’s 119^th-ranked pass defense.  Other than that, a second-quarter, 79-yard scoring run by Jonas Gray were the only big plays the Irish offense could muster…but as it turned-out, it was all they needed.  The Irish defense did the rest as they kept Pitt running back Ray Graham in-check and held Pitt to just 12 points.  Credit Rees for this much though; Pitt’s D keyed on the great Irish receiver Michael Floyd and double-teamed him throughout thus limiting him to 4 catches for the game, but Rees grew-up and managed to find his other receivers when he couldn’t find Floyd.  The Irish win also came in spite of 2 turnovers to Pitt’s 0…it also peaked my interest that, 5 nights after this game, this same Pittsburgh team bounced-back and THROTTLED by a 44-17 score the same South Florida team that beat the Irish in their opener.  College football is, indeed, strange sometimes.

PURDUE:  Despite this game being at Ross-Aide, I didn’t think the Irish would have much trouble with Purdue and, indeed, they did not.  Simply put, Notre Dame’s offense really started to peak in this game, the defense played as-usual, and they simply had too much talent for the Boilermakers as they dominated in a 38-10 rout that easily could have been even more lopsided than it turned out.  The biggest improvement was that they FINALLY managed to finish a game without turning the ball over.  Rees finished one of his better games 24 of 39 for 254 yards and 3 touchdowns as he picked-apart a Purdue D unit that couldn’t contain the Irish receivers.

AIR FORCE:  The backs of the odd-numbered Air Force players’ jerseys say “service” above the numbers instead of the player’s last name.  The backs of the even-numbered players say “freedom”.  We certainly thank ALL of our military personnel for both their service and our freedom…but after this game, the backs of the Falcon’s asses had a huge footprint on them.  59 to 33 – the most combined points ever scored in a game at Notre Dame Stadium in a game that showed just what the Irish offense can do at full potential.  7 Irish players scored touchdowns in this game and, for the second game in a row, the Irish did not turn the ball over.  There was some bad news despite the rout – the Irish defense let the Air Force option attack torch them for 363 rushing yards, most of those coming around the ends…something that future opponents will take note of.  The Irish did throw-in a new wrinkle; that of sophomore quarterback Andrew Hendrix and his ability to run…and he did that for 111 yards and almost a touchdown in change-of-pace duty.  The reason I originally predicted this game as a loss is because I thought the Irish D would not be up to the task of shutting down the option…well, they weren’t, but luckily the Irish O was clicking on all cylinders to more than pick up the slack.

So, now that the first 6 games are in the books we look ahead to the remaining games that come after the bye week.  The 2 upcoming games against the Pac 12 opponents in USC and Stanford appear to be the toughest…not that there aren’t some other teams there that couldn’t bite them, too. 

My big concern is with special teams.  George Atkinson III has been a pleasant surprise on some kickoffs, but there has been little to celebrate other than him.  Punt returns have been poorly handled if handled at all.  Michael Floyd has stepped into the job, but hasn’t taken off with it yet.  And what’s up with David Ruffer???  The guy came into the season as a Lou Groza Award semifinalist after going 18 for 19 on field goals last year and now he’s only made half of his attempts this year.  We’ll see if he can right the ship.

Team health, however, has been a bright spot as injuries have been minimal – a sprain here, a bruise there and not much else.  Let’s hope that keeps up.

We’ll see how the rest of the season plays-out.  GO IRISH!!!

PS I gotta hand it to B.O.B. – on my last blog when I predicted how my Montana Grizzlies would do, he said “look out for Sacramento State!” He was right.  The Hornets have handed the Griz their only Big Sky Conference loss so far and they may make more noise in that league yet.  We shall see.