Now ain't the time for your tears.
                             --Bob Dylan

This is going to be a short column, since I don't think there's a ton to say. Only a few items are on the table:

• Quarterbacks
• Blocking
• Play calling
• Defense

Plus the ever popular:

• Hopes and fears

And that's the lot.

I'm also keeping it short because I want the few things I say to stand out. Sometimes less is more.
 

The Mighty Quinn

It's theme week here at Rock's Place. Dylan sang, "When Quinn the Eskimo gets here, everybody's gonna jump for joy," and indeed he could be singing to us. No question Brady Quinn is the future at Notre Dame stadium. But is he the present?

Why stay with Carlyle? Several reasons. He's not a ninny, he's not incompetent, and he's not stupid. He obviously shows things in practice he hasn't shown (this year) on game day. He won eight games last year (seven if you give MSU to the firm of Dillingham & Battle). He has experience. And folks, it ain't the quarterback, it's the whole offense, that's so very, well, offensive.

Why move to Quinn? He stands in the pocket like a mensch. He sees and thinks like a WCO (West Coast offense) QB. He needs game experience, so how about now.

Why not Carlyle? He ain't getting it done. Period. Why not Quinn? According to the coaches (lots of them), you can kill a good QB starting him too early.
 

What should Willingham do? It doesn't matter what he should do. We're passengers on this train. I said in last week's article, The Frosted Pumpkin, The Blooming Rose, "I don't think, frankly, there's much we can do about it but watch and wait."

This is us, watching and waiting.

Watching.

Waiting.

Go Irish.
 

You Can't Knock 'Em Out If You Don't Knock 'Em Down

How to say this simply . . . no one on offense is blocking well. And no QB can overcome that. This team won't put points up until the whole offense gets it together.

So don't expect to win the next two games if that doesn't change, no matter who takes snaps from center. Those are two good teams coming up. Ty could get God to play quarterback -- and He'd get sacked like the rest.

(Can you imagine the play? Tony Roberts: "It's God rolling out. He looks left. He looks right. Wow does the Father of All Creation see the field! McKnight's open in the endzone. God cocks his arm and-- Holy cow, did He take a hit. The strong-side linebacker just leveled the Maker of the Universe. Took His head right off. God's slow getting up -- just kidding folks; God's all right. Allen, is that Quinn warming up on the sideline?")
 

So if you're hoping for wins, hope for blocking. Without it, this will be a long year, and I'll have to pull out that other Dylan quote, the dark one, the one I only use when writing about politics.
 

Making the Call

Here's the crux of the problem, and it comes in two forms:

Has Diedrick & Co. been stubbornly calling WCO plays for non-(as yet) WCO offense personnel?

Should Diedrick & Co. be stubbornly calling WCO plays for non-(as yet) WCO offense personnel?

If you're asking the first question, you're questioning the offensive coaches' capability as coaches. You're saying, Hey, it's obvious -- call the plays these guys can execute.

If you're asking the second, you're questioning the coaches' strategy -- is it better to prepare the team for the offense, or prepare the offense for the team.

And frankly, only time will tell which is the right question, and which the right answer. The coaches are in a mush of possibility. There's about eight ways for them to go, and who knows which will produce the results we and they want. Having gotten here, the permutations are almost endless.

The good news? The coaches are clearly freaked. Good. Not much for us fans to do now but watch and wait.

This is us watching. This is us waiting.

Go Irish.
 

What Happened to Those Killer D's?

Again, very little to say. Something's missing on defense. They're getting it together, slowly, and the play last week wasn't terrible. The D even kept us in the Michigan game until after the half.

But clearly this isn't last year's attacking, scoring defense, and it isn't going to be -- new cards, new players, new hand.

The good news? They're good and getting better. The bad news -- is it last year yet?

Look for slow but steady improvement through the season; but not enough to bail out an offense, that unlike last year, has a propensity for giving the game away.

This is us ...

Did I say Go Irish?
 

The Bottom Line(s)

This is the mother of all rebuilding years. Stuff will happen however it wants to, and like I said, we're just passengers on this train (or bozos on this bus).

The coaches have a problem with no easy solution. Should they stay full WCO, or calls plays tailored to the skills of the current QB? Too late now -- the season's started. The plays are the plays, not just what's in the book, but what's been rehearsed, refined. That's what spring and fall practice are for -- focusing on the base. Well, here we are. No rebuilding the base now. You play what's in your hand.

Holiday or Quinn? It almost doesn't matter; you could lose either way. And frankly, with Quinn as the starter and Holiday as the backup (do you see Holiday at any other position but QB this year?), you still have the same problem. If Holiday goes in as backup, what plays do you call, WCO or those tailored to his skills? See -- it never goes away.
 

The bottom line -- how will the Irish do this year? Hey, we could do great. Any team can win any game. The slide could stop right here. Or not.

The other bottom line -- what's the long-term future of the team? A much easier question -- it's great, no question. Willingham, Diedrick & Co. have succeeded everywhere they've been. They'll succeed here too. As Dylan sang, "Now ain't the time for your tears." Don't cry; just watch.

This is us watching. This is us waiting.

Go Irish.
 

Yours in no tears,

The Rock

(c) Rock Kanutski
All rights reserved.
 

Rock on the 2003 season:

The Frosted Pumpkin, the Blooming Rose
September 19, 2003

Waiting for Carlyle
September 12, 2003

Rock Meets The Real Deal
September 5, 2003