Possum Jenkins

I hear ya, but as long as race is going to be part of the discussion the pot-stirrers might want to point out that at the offensive and defensive coordinator positions (positions that undeniably are a launching pad to head coaching gigs) Willingham has a history of hiring white guys while the "racist" group over at Notre Dame currently has an African-American at each position. Willingham was an average coach at Stanford who couldn't hide his mediocrity at Notre Dame. He's a lazy recruiter and a mediocre x's and o's guy. He is pathetic at in-game adjustments. He took ND to the brink with his last two recruiting classes and there was no hope that it was going to get better with his next one(the shared class between him and Weis). He has now done the exact same thing at Washington. The only difference is he got a 4th year there - a year that will undoubtedly be regretted by the alumni, administration, and everyone else associated with the program (If it is not already regretted, which it should be). Washington has been served the death penalty by Chef Willingham. Their only hope is to get rid of him after ND kicks their ass this weekend so that they can try to salvage a decent recruiting class for next year. If they don't it's going to be a long time before they are relevant again.

Willingham is gone. Period. They will be lucky if they win 4, and ND won't be one of them.

Keep counting on Willingham. Weis will either turn it around or be gone at the end of next year. There is certainly a possibility (however small you might think it to be) that Weis rights the ship in 2008 with 18 returning starters and what appears to be an easier schedule to navigate. We already know how next year is going to go for the Huskies - mediocre to bad. The only thing we don't know is how long it's going to take Washington to get fed up and fire Willingham. My guess is by the end of next year they will have had enough.

My contention is that it gets better because for the first time in three years fundamentals will actually be focused on and taught. It is without a doubt the biggest mistake CW has made in his transition from the pros. I'm in the camp that says he's figured it out and next spring, instead of trying to scheme with three different QBs behind center he will be focusing on fundamentals with one QB behind center. And hitting. And blocking. A lot.

That sounds like a wonderful idea! I'd like to welcome all those who didn't give a rats a$$ either way about ND onto the ND bandwagon! 2009 (sooner if the offensive line figures it out)

Next year will tell for sure. I'll take the #1 recruiting class vs the #30 class though when deciding who's on the better track. To easy to look at 2007 and say ND is done. It's not that simple. If ND keeps the recruiting class that has verbally committed I just don't see how they lose to UW next year. Too many returning starters that have gone through hell. They will work hard in the offseason and come back much more sound fundamentally.

OK fine - Jake's a redshirt freshman that suited up for all 12 games in 2006 (but did not play) He's got three years of eligibility left - but entered UW in 2006, making him a sophomore.

What should I do doc - this is the only way I can get her to nurse...

Jake's a sophomore. And if UW's smart, Willingham will spend 2008 playing all his favorite golf courses.

They will finish in the top 10 in 2009. How 'bout throwing some of that King Salmon my way Prof? I won't even ask for odds (although I am definitely taking the longer shot of the two choices).

I believe this will change for 2008. I agree with you, and ND paid the price in 2007 for Weis's shortcomings when it came to developing players. The list is endless - very little contact in spring and fall camp, not playing the backups in his first two years, the clusterf@#k that was the quarterback carousel leading up until the GT game and beyond. All of these things contributed to a team that sorely lacked the fundamentals. Couple this with the void at senior leadership and Charlie screwed this one up royally. He will fix it in the offseason this year. Clausen will have an offseason where he can lift and throw instead of rehab, and he will get the majority of snaps in practice instead of sharing them with three other QB's. The offensive line (which was truly offensive this year) remains intact from the last two games of the season (both wins). They will be much better (they can't get any worse). The defense returns 8 starters and plenty more that saw ample playing time, along with more than a few 4 and 5 star frosh coming in. ND has 8+ wins in 2008.

No, that's not what I'm saying, and maybe I overstated Ty's recruiting mediocrity by 5-10 points. But the fact remains that the last two classes at ND that Ty recruited were ranked 30th and 27th (by Scout.com). The majority of those classes left when Ty did, so they aren't even that good, and they are the jr and sr classes at ND right now. Ty so far has recruited classes at Washington ranked 35 (2006), 29 (2007) and 30 (projected 2008). Ty did have a #5 recruiting class at ND in 2003 after he finished 2002 at 10-3 (with Bob Davies recruits - you can't have it both ways). Then his work ethic kicked in and he hit the golf courses instead of the recruiting trail. Bottom line is that if Willingham had recruited classes like Weis - #5 (2006), #11 (2007), #1 (projected 2008) he would still be at ND. He got dumped because there was no hope with him at the helm. ND will be back in the top 25 in 2008 and a top 10 team in 2009. Washington without Locker is at the bottom of the PAC 10. Oh wait, Washington WITH Locker is at the bottom of the PAC 10... Oh, and you mention the sorry state of affairs that the Washington program was in when Ty took it over. In the three years prior to Ty Washington had a record of 14-22. In the three years since Ty took over Washington has a record (assuming a loss to Hawaii, which is inevitable) of 11-26. And ND is a 9 loss program - 9 L's my man. Don't make it worse than it already is...

OK - I'll take the bait. Locker is a stud, and ND is probably wishing they had landed him. Oh, you meant ND wishes they still had Willingham. Nope, not in a million years. In the last 3 years Charlie Weis has 6 wins against the PAC 10. I wonder how many wins Ty has? Oh that's right - 6 wins. Except Ty plays in that conference, so 6 wins in 3 years isn't all that good. Finishing last in the PAC 10 yet again isn't all that good. Professor, I agree - if Locker was surrounded by talent Washington would be a force to be reckoned with. The problem is that Ty will never get you talent, because he is a lazy recruiter with a penchant for throwing his players under the bus when the chips are down. You will have to be content with recruiting classes that are regularly ranked between #35 and #50. And let me help you understand why "Ty doesn't use him to run the option more so that he can create things in the open field". It is because Ty is a $hitty coach. Locker will stagnate on what will be at best a .500 team while he is there, and it is because Ty can't (or more accurately won't) recruit. ND hit rock bottom. They will be respectable next year, and in 2009 they will be top 10. I look forward to the ND/Washington game next year... I think that will prove whether or not ND made the right choice.

Good info here... but you should couple it with his personal desire to be on the PGA - that guy gets paid more per hour than any coach in football...

Done. Straight up then. How much you want?