More specifically, you'd come to think that the Irish offense had imploded into bits and that the ND playbook had been reduced to nothing but a tangled mess of indecipherable X's and O's.

If you bought into the drivel that much of the media was dispensing, you would have concluded that Charlie Weis had grown stupid overnight and that Brady Quinn had morphed into a panic-stricken kid who all but ruined his Heisman hopes on a sultry Dixie night.

The drive-by pundits fired both barrels at the Irish offense and then quickly motored away. Looking only on the surface, they came to some hasty and rather moronic conclusions.

But that's the way it is with many of today's journalists. Don't stick around and delve into the real story. Just make a snapshot judgment and then set your sights on some other target. Digging deep for the truth just takes too much time.

Besides, given the current climate, making a splash with a story is all that matters. Accuracy and facts have become secondary considerations.

So what really did happen to the Domer offense last Saturday and what does it portend for the future?

To begin with, no one would claim that the Irish put on a dazzling offensive show at Bobby Dodd Stadium. 

The "O's" performance was admittedly spotty and uneven. The maestro Weis could never get his team into any sort of consistent rhythm when they possessed the ball.  The symphony was a bit flat.

But give the passionate and aggressive Georgia Tech defense much of the credit for ND's checkered effort. The Yellowjackets seemed to come in swarms and at times, they confused and frustrated the Irish.

Blitzing with abandon, the 'Jackets made it difficult for Quinn and his mates to settle into a comfort zone. Notre Dame felt the sting of Tech's ferocity.

Other factors may have added to the somewhat pedestrian Irish display. The humid conditions, a raucous and hostile environment, costly penalties and first-game kinks were probably all contributing causes that helped take the edge off the normally potent Irish offense.

These reasons aren't offered as excuses but merely as possible explanations as to why ND struggled more than usual. 

But when you cut through all the incidental stuff  and get down to the nitty gritty, you'll come to realize that the ND offense wasn't anywhere near the disaster that some in the press would have you believe.

Was it a sparkling show? Hardly. But it was far from being a bust either.

On balance, the "O" was adequate and decent. Most importantly, it was certainly good enough to win and that's the bottom line.

What's more, what took place down South will probably prove to be a blessing in disguise. In many ways, it might have the best thing that could have happened to the Irish.

For if the Domer offense had taken flight in Atlanta, given their magnificence of last year, it's possible a certain element of satisfaction or complacency might have set in. They could have become a bit overconfident and hence, would have been ripe for the picking by Penn State.

As it is, you can bet that Weis will ride them hard this week and extract from them a vastly superior performance to the one he witnessed over the weekend.

Under Weis' prodding, the offense won't sputter in consecutive weeks. So, in the long run, the Yellowjackets might have done the Irish a great favor by making them aware of their shortcomings. Tech taught ND there's still plenty of work to do. 

But as mentioned above, it wasn't all doom and gloom coming out of Saturday night. The truth be told, there was a hell of a lot upon which to build.

Since he's the face of the team, let's start with Quinn.

While there's no arguing that on occasion Brady seemed antsy and rushed, he nonetheless made some huge plays at critical times.

Sure, he overthrew a few receivers and wasn't his usual accurate self but the star qb still displayed enough marksmanship to hit on 23 of 38 which netted 246 yards. 

Moreover, that total would have jumped up significantly if not for some damaging penalties that negated substantial gains.

If Quinn wasn't exactly mighty, he nonetheless did a lot of things right.

He didn't turn the ball over, he orchestrated two superb drives of 80 and 64 yards and he proved that he can win games with his feet and not only his arm.

Always underrated as a runner, Quinn scored on a clutch 5-yard keeper that got the Irish on the board just before the half. He also helped salt the game away with a decisive 2-yard burst that resulted in a first down with just 1.07 left on the clock.

We already know about Quinn's gun but his legs are a fairly formidable weapon as well. The 6-4, 233-pound specimen can be a load and bringing him down is no easy task. Quinn has the power to break tackles and carry defenders.

So it's comforting for Weis to know that when needed, Quinn can get it done on the ground as well. Brady is no shrinking violet when he's on the run as evidenced in Atlanta.

The encouraging thing is that Quinn wasn't anywhere near his best and yet he found a way to win. It's quite possible that this may have been his least notable game of the year. If that's the case, the sky isn't falling. It's the limit.

And don't believe the nonsense that Brady irreparably damaged his Heisman hopes. Quinn has plenty of time to add to his legend. If anything, this was merely a minor bump in the road on his way to New York. He's still a frontrunner.

Although Quinn wasn't quite up to snuff, his tailback didn't suffer a similar fate. As always, the marvelously reliable Darius Walker was money in the bank. It's almost a certainty that every Saturday Walker will get you 100 yards and deliver some kind of nifty touchdown scamper.

Dealing with the additional pressure of playing before those from his home state, Walker was his usual dependable and productive self. Rarely flashy, Walker's gift is in his consistency to churn out yardage in steady doses.

Then, he'll pop one when you need it most and find himself in the end zone. Such was the case versus the 'Jackets when his 13-yard jaunt midway thru the third-period gave ND a 14-10 lead it never relinquished.

Walker also took some heat off Quinn by catching four balls that ran his overall yardage total to 117.

Just another solid effort from a rock solid guy. Somehow, that escaped the mention of the writers who sought to trash the Irish.

For whatever reason, two other offensive standouts flew under the media radar and their importance to the ND offense is monumental.

Questions concerning both wideout Rhema McKnight and tight end John Carlson were uppermost in the minds of the Irish faithful when the Domers raced onto the field last weekend.

Could McKnight rebound from a serious knee injury and pick up the slack for the departed Maurice Stovall?

Could the promising but still unproven Carlson step into the sizable shoes left by Anthony Fasano and provide Quinn with that big and inviting target so instrumental in Weis' gameplan?

Based on the early returns, the answer to both those questions is in the affirmative.

McKnight, looking every bit like the player he was in '03 and '04, gathered in eight passes for 108 yards. He moved fluidly and showed he can still separate himself from defensive backs.

Yes, he did drop a throw that blunted a drive but that was about his only glitch on the night.

There can be no doubts that McKnight is back in a big way. And his successful return virtually assures that the offense will not skip a beat in spite of Stovall's loss.

It's was imperative that Carlson get off to a good start and demonstrate once and for all that he can be a go-to type of receiver.

He did exactly that when he snagged three of his four catches during ND's vital 14-play march to paydirt right before intermission. Each and every one of his grabs on that sortie was key and timely.

It looks as if Carlson has finally arrived and is poised to make his mark as a significant contributor.

So, despite the reports to the contrary, a lot of positives took place when ND held the ball.

Quinn made some big plays, Walker rushed effectively, McKnight regained his form and Carlson took a quantum leap in his development.

And we haven't even mentioned the fact that Jeff Samardzija snared six throws or that massive freshman Sam Young did a creditable job while manning the crucial right tackle spot.

Sure, it wasn't a artistic performance and there were more than a few breakdowns but the Tech game wasn't without its redeeming qualities.

Though the "O" wasn't great it was hardly the zero that the dopes behind the mikes and pens would have you believe.

A lot of encouraging signs came to light on that steamy night in Georgia.

Unfortunately, the mass media missed all of them.

But those who took the time to take more than a superficial look, saw the real truth.