In the buildup to the ND/USC game this year, I picked up this one at Odie’s place to satiate my school spirit. I happened to be reading the chapter on the Miami game as ND prepared for this year’s contest against USC. That certainly fed my excitement about the epic clash. Maybe the comparison can be made with other coaches as well, but there seemed to be quite a few similarities between the way Holtz and Weis talk about their teams. Both are very focused on taking the season one game at a time. There is very little time to celebrate a victory, because in seven days, that victory is meaningless. Both are perfectionists; they look for flaws in the performance and seek to improve, even after blowout victories. However, the criticism is usually placed on a team as a whole and all facets of the game are evaluated with equal rigor. That said, both are quick to praise their players publicly, usually by name. In terms of strategy, they’ll beat you with what’s working. For example, Holtz had games where ND rarely threw the ball. This year, we’ve had games where we hardly ever ran. Balance is overrated if you’re winning. Anyway, it’s not the most well written book ever, but I sure got fired up for that USC game because of it.