First of all if you don't recognize the handle, I've recently been hired away from a competing blog -  www.creedthoughts.gov.www\creedthoughts - to shake things up a bit here at Rakes.  Out of respect for CW, I promise my posts will never infringe on his style.  There will be no obscure pop culture references, and I could not hope to approach the depth or frequency of his analysis.  For this I apologize.  I will however avoid using any <EXPLETIVES!>.

On to the Navy game.  What was once an annual feel-good game for everyone involved and an automatic plus-one in the Irish win column has taken a terrible turn for the worse of late.  Apparently everyone was put on notice not to take Navy lightly after lass year's embarrassing loss at Notre Dame Stadium - everyone except Charlie Weis, that is.  

After a stellar performance in all facets of the game in the third quarter, Rob and I were more than a bit concerned that the Irish coaching staff were willing to send in the reserves with more than nine minutes remaining and only a 20-point lead.  Apparently our concerns were justified.  The white-knuckle ending of the game will undoubtedly be the highlight of media analysis, more than nullifying any positives in the PR department for either Weis or the team in what was until then a rather mundane and solid performance for the Irish.  Fans are frustrated and rightfully so.

First of all some positives from the game:

1. The team was able to recover from two tough losses in a row, and in the end, ugliness aside, the Irish were victorious.  At the end of the season, when it comes to bowl selection, this game goes in the win column, and the mismanagement in the fourth quarter will be nothing more than a footnote (and of course fodder for smug remarks from lovable old Mark May).  
   
2. Schadenfreude is absolutely permitted in sports fandom.  Michigan's loss to Northwestern this afternoon solidified their worst season in modern football history.  For those of us who unfortunately live in areas with an abundance of Michigan fans, the Wolverines performance this year will most certainly put a stop to any painful reminders of Notre Dame's terrible season last year.  When Notre Dame slumps, it's only worse when Michigan is successful.  
   
3. The defense performed reliably for the majority of the game (let's save the fourth quarter for the negatives column).  The defensive line is developing well and making plays.  Fortunately, it only took the coaching staff three or four games to realize that John Ryan is nearly incapable of making a tackle.  The young-uns had to be allowed to get some reps and make some plays, even if that meant an increase in mistakes. The D-line was my biggest concern coming into the season, and I'm pleased with the development.  Not to sell John Ryan short, his best hit of the season was definitely brutal.
4. Notre Dame rushed for 230 yards, and all of the backs looked pretty solid.  Take this with a grain of salt of course.  To say that Navy's defensive front is smallish is a gross understatement, but it's still nice to get back to some good old blood 'n guts football, possess the ball, and keep it on the ground.  

On to the negatives:

1. The decision to pull the starters with nine minutes remaining was an indictment of Weis' ability to make solid decisions.  There's nothing wrong with winning a game emphatically, and whether the players on the other side of the line are CREMINOLES or future United States naval officers, Weis' first responsibility during a game is to ensure a win.  MHB mentions this in his rather emotional stream-of-consciousness post below.  IF, and this is a big if, Weis' decision was influenced by the fact Notre Dame was playing a service academy, he needs a big reality check. 
2. Our offensive line looked suspect, even against Navy's grossly undersized defensive front.  On more than one occasion, our linemen were throttled into the backfield by players who should in no way be capable of manhandling them.  I won't mention names.  Cough, Dan Wenger.  Ok, so I will mention his name, but I'm not convinced he has the strength yet to matchup with top flight defensive tackles or middle linebackers.  This bodes very poorly for our prospects with Team Hollywood on Nov. 29.  Coach Latina needs to be held accountable for the fact that our offensive linemen, highly touted recruits all of them, are not showing significant progress.
3. Mental mistakes are a recurring theme this season and that trend continued in the Navy game.  The Irish committed six penalties for 72 yards and gave up FIVE (how nauseating is that) turnovers.  The coaching staff needs to create a culture within the team in which mistakes are absolutely not acceptable.  Why Robert Hughes was square in the middle of our onside kick receiving unit after bobbling his first chance to receive the kick is inexplicable.  There's nothing wrong with sitting a player because he makes mistakes.  A highly successful coach will get his message across to the team.  
4. Mike Floyd, oh poor Mike Floyd.  Let's all hope the injury was minor.  

In the end, a win is a win, and we're now bowl eligible ("Out in the West Texas town of El Paso...").  Here's to hoping the team can learn from some of these mistakes.  More importantly, lets hope Weis and his staff can do a little bit of soul searching this week, or we might be getting ahead of ourselves by assuming the Syracuse game is a gimme.  Like most of you, my patience is running thin with Weis' on-the-job training. Notre Dame's prospects in the next couple seasons are still bright, but our future success is still highly contingent on the ability of the coaches to lead and make good decisions.

Also, apologies for the rather demonstrative post below.  I think we were all a bit taken aback by the late-game Navy rally.