Irish do not lack talent
Ted Fox
Fox Sports ...
If you look hard enough, there is a cliché for just about everything in life.
Whether you want to be healthy, wealthy and wise or just eat a worm, chances are, there is some bit of "clever" advice that has been told to people in your position since time began, with each adviser acting like it was a great revelation.
Sports are no exception — in fact, they're probably the rulers of the cliché kingdom. You've heard them countless times before: "We played hard;" "This is the biggest game of the season for us;" or "Don't take anything away from what (insert opponent name here) did."
The funny thing is that — at least in sports — these cookie cutter comments are usually true.
Take, for instance, what would probably be the go-to-guy in the football cliché lineup: "It's a game of inches."
Sure, it's nothing you haven't heard before but it does go a long way in describing the current position of the Notre Dame football team.
At his press conference on Tuesday, head coach Bob Davie addressed where the team stands right now, a position where wins and losses seem to be separated by the "inches" between having a ton of talent and completely using that talent.
"We have enough talent to win each and every week. I believe in my heart that we had enough talent to win that [Tennessee] game," Davie said.
However, Davie continued, "We're not talented enough to go out there and just not play well and win."
A select group of teams, Davie noted, such as the Irish's opponent last Saturday, the Tennessee Volunteers, have enough talent to make up for some lackluster play and still come out with the win.
At this point, this isn't the case for an Irish team that features many young players.
"It comes down to us playing as well as we're capable of playing. If we can do that, we can beat anyone. We have enough [talent], but we have to play perfect," Davie said.
I can't help but feel a little vindicated, remembering arguments I had had with friends at the beginning of the year concerning the talent level of this year's team as opposed to past years.
When the Irish were 1-3, my peers cited last year's 9-3 record as evidence against my claim that this year's team is more talented than the previous edition.
"To win nine football games last year [was] probably a pretty big accomplishment," Davie said.
Even though I've disagreed with him on a lot of things this year, at least the coach and I agree on this one: When they play as well as they can, this team can line up against anyone you can throw at them.
"Sure, Fox," you're thinking. "That's like saying I would've scored a goal if the goalie hadn't been there."
It's one of the most famous hockey clichés, one that has become a rebuttal for everyone who likes to propose the "could've, would've, should've" arguments as to why he or she didn't win.
This isn't the case here. Some places don't have enough talent to win. In order to knock off a Tennessee or a Florida State, they have to play out of their minds and hope that half of the opposing team calls in sick before they even have a shot.
Notre Dame can beat anyone just by going out there and playing its best, regardless of what the other team does.
Of course, we all — and first and foremost, every guy on the team — want the Irish to play that top-notch level of football each week.
Why this level isn't always reached is because of youth or coaching or a combination of factors; I'll let you be the judge. It certainly isn't due to a lack of ability on the part of the guys wearing gold helmets.
And nobody's satisfied with mediocrity, especially Davie.
"5-4," he said of Notre Dame's record, "doesn't turn me on a whole lot."
We can all agree on that one.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Sports Stories for Wednesday, November 10, 1999
