George's Potpourri 10-24 -- Quarterbacks and Coach Weis

Quarterback controversy

Without repeating long discussions that have already been made by several others, let me make this short by providing my conclusions in outline form:

1. Both John David Booty and Mark Sanchez are excellent quarterbacks.
2. Both are good enough to beat Oregon this Saturday when they play up to or even close to their potential.
3. JDB has seen a lot more than Mark in terms of defensive tricks in pressure games, so he has an edge in that regard.
4. Maybe the offensive line will be back to the high standards of the Nebraska game and maybe it won't. If it is not, Mark's ability to avoid the sack gives him an advantage in that part of the competition.
5. Coach Bellotti at Oregon is a resourceful, scheming SOB and will throw every trick he can think of at our team and our QB this Saturday. So, the QB must be ready mentally and physically to play his best game.
6. So far, it looks like Mark has that "special it" that makes his teammates play better when he is in the game.
7. Even if totally recovered, I fear that the broken finger will leave JDB with a little rust in his execution, so I would start Mark Sanchez at QB and keep JDB in reserve.

Coach Weis

I've decided to comment because there is so much interest on our message boards about the Notre Dame coach, his continuing offending remarks and his future. At the luncheon discussion around the table at MMQB this week, it was pointed out that the continued success of the New England Patriot's Offense shows that Charlie Weis was not the only, or even the primary reason for that success while he was there.

In a long professional career, I've had a chance to know many people who have gained success and power. Some of them succeeded just because they were in the right place at the right time. It was not unusual for those people to believe that their success was the result of what they personally did and not their good luck. My opinion is that Charlie Weis is in that category.

I think Coach Weis really believed that he was a great football tactician, smarter than Pete Carroll by a huge margin, and most profoundly, that what worked for him at the Patriots would dominate College football as well. My guess is that he is beginning to realize that this is a different environment and his NFL system and attitude toward players is not working - but self-denial is a powerful force and I can't be sure.

I love beating Notre Dame 38 - 0. I love beating Notre Dame 6 games in a row. But, I don't want them to be the laughing stock of college football. Our programs are intertwined and if the rivalry becomes irrelevant then that will diminish us as well. I actually like the tension in my gut when on Notre Dame game day; I know we could easily lose. The elation of winning under those circumstances has been very satisfying for me and I can remember so many games where I've left the stadium as emotionally worn out as if I had played myself.

My judgment is that the lack of contact with reality by Coach Weis cannot ever be adequately corrected. Therefore, I hope ND makes a change. Some apparently want ND to lose every game but not me. I look forward to again beating the Irish when we are the only loss on their schedule.

Oregon game

On paper, this game looks like an even match. If any important game element tilts greatly in favor of one team, it will probably be the difference.

Our defense is statistically tough, but in reality, it is still untested against a high-powered offense. Oregon has a high-powered offense with an average of over 46 points scored per game. They are a good bet to score more than the 16.6 points average that we have given up so far.

The Cal defense held the Ducks to 31 points, the best showing against them this season. I think we can do better than Cal, but we still have to prove it. Our offense has averaged over 34 points per game for the season, but we had a slow period that the ND game broke. Oregon gave up 34 points to Washington last week but that was on the road and this game is in their house. From all this conflicting data I think that you can draw any conclusion you want.

When all is considered, it is the same old story, "you have to play the game". I think we are going to win and win big. Just a gut feeling on my part.

Below are some comparative statistics that relate to both teams: