Quote from: Pakuni on December 07, 2025, 10:29:22 PMI think it's exceptionally lame and shortsighted. I get that their feels are hurt, but they're giving up an opportunity for extra practice, additional reps for young players, a chance for early enrollees to pratice with the team, etc. Even discounting the player development aspect, it's a chance to reward the players with a free trip in late December somewhere better (and warmer) than South Bend, Indiana. And lastly, there are a bunch of kids on that team who will never play football for Notre Dame or anyone again, and this would have given them another chance to put on the uniform and be on the field one last time.
I'm all for players sitting out bowls to protect themselves and their draft stock, but the majority of that or any roster will never play in the NFL, except maybe preseason. ND has deprived those kids of that out of petulance.

Is it an exhibition? Sure. So are most college games. Did Purdue-Minnesota mean anything? Or Wake Forest-Virginia Tech? Any Oregon State game?

I believe the players themselves voted to skip the exhibition.

Quote from: Galway Eagle on December 07, 2025, 09:19:44 PMWhich part of his final year were we "not completely out of the running for an at-large bid"

Started the season 5-2, with wins over #4 Wisconsin and #9 Creighton.

Quote from: Pakuni on December 07, 2025, 10:14:08 PMAndy Reid, what are you doing?

Brutal decision to go for it from your own 30 when your defense is totally dominating the game.

Quote from: CreightonWarrior on December 07, 2025, 10:25:16 PMThe worst part of it is I have a feeling Travis is going to be even more annoying in retirement.

Yeah, time to settle down with Tay-Tay. He's a HoFer, but he's toast.

Quote from: MU82 on December 07, 2025, 07:01:49 PMAs for not playing in an exhibition game, I don't blame them or any other team that turns down the XBox Bowl, Gasparilla Bowl, Pop-Tarts Bowl or, really, any of 'em.

I think it's exceptionally lame and shortsighted. I get that their feels are hurt, but they're giving up an opportunity for extra practice, additional reps for young players, a chance for early enrollees to pratice with the team, etc. Even discounting the player development aspect, it's a chance to reward the players with a free trip in late December somewhere better (and warmer) than South Bend, Indiana. And lastly, there are a bunch of kids on that team who will never play football for Notre Dame or anyone again, and this would have given them another chance to put on the uniform and be on the field one last time.
I'm all for players sitting out bowls to protect themselves and their draft stock, but the majority of that or any roster will never play in the NFL, except maybe preseason. ND has deprived those kids of that out of petulance.

Is it an exhibition? Sure. So are most college games. Did Purdue-Minnesota mean anything? Or Wake Forest-Virginia Tech? Any Oregon State game?

The worst part of it is I have a feeling Travis is going to be even more annoying in retirement.

I can't fire him, but Andy Reid has had a hell of a night (as have the Chiefs playmakers).

Andy Reid, what are you doing?

Quote from: JWags85 on December 07, 2025, 08:11:47 PMThe last minute of the game was so odd and such a let down for both Johnson and Williams.  Ben Johnson coached a HELL of a second half.  Bears looked DOA at halftime...offense anemic, defense playing tough but lacking any sort of extended hold and the secondary looking spotty.  But they came out a different team to start the 3rd and were answering every challenge the Packers were throwing.  And Johnson was calling a really solid game offensively.  But I have no clue what he was doing with the clock.  I loved how he managed it to the 2 min warning and shortly thereafter, then it just got weird.

As for Caleb.  Much will be made of that last throw, whether waiting to long to hit Kmet, not throwing to Moore (debatable if he had a true window/body alignment to hit him), or just the underthrow in general...and that is all totally fair.  But for as shaky and spotty he was in the first half, he was really great in the second.  Good decisions when to run or when to pass out of the pocket, managing the game well, and a couple of absurd throws.  The TD pass to Zaccheaus was filthy, but that toss on the run down the sideline to Kmet was unreal.

All in all, ugly game that turned into a super fun battle.  Fun to have both teams "good" at the same for the first time in a LONG time.

Clock management wasn't too bad. I think they should have sped up a bit, maybe 10 seconds, but the problem wasn't clock management. It was being stuffed on 3rd and 1.

Then came the chess. Johnson figured everyone expected a run, and he could catch them off guard with a roll out (chance to run for it, or hit an open receiver). MLF pretty much thought, they are going to try to catch us off guard with a roll out. Let's defend that.

MLF won the chess match at the end. If I'm Johnson, I go with the power run game. Don't try to catch anyone off guard, just win the game with your strength...power run.

Quote from: Spaniel with a Short Tail on December 07, 2025, 09:47:53 PMMeh. I'll attend a few games, watch the others, and most likely be in NYC for the BET.

Hey, see you in NMD, probably a 90 degree swing. Will sacrifice...

Quote from: Jockey on December 07, 2025, 07:52:29 PMIt's kinda cute that they pretend Kent wasn't a juicer.

To say nothing of the fact that he was protected in the lineup by Bonds for much of his career.