Pressure Leaves Weis, Rests Squarely on the Administration Now
Tags football, notre dame, weis
The powers-that-be have to make a splash this time. While the ND brand doesn't command the respect in football like it did years ago, it's still one of the best jobs out there...even if it's often times thankless because it has really only been thankless courtesy of the last 3 guys who failed to produce... If you have confidence in yourself -- confidence that you can take ND back to the top -- you will enjoy praise and fanfare on a whole other magnitude than Urban has enjoyed at Florida. You want to win on the biggest stage in college football? Come to Notre Dame.
That's the first part of the sales job for Jenkins and Co.: Sell the ND lore. That's how you set the stage for the closer: Pay the guy a fortune. I don't care what it takes. Don't talk to me about the economy. Don't talk to me about the endowment. Don't talk to me about any of that mess when Notre Dame football tickets are going for double, triple, and quadruple their face value...tickets that aren't even in preferred seating. When endzone tickets are selling for well over $100 a pop, you OWE your fans a good coach. You OWE them something in return for paying through the nose for a mediocre hotel room. You OWE them something for dumping mounds of cash at your bookstore to buy overpriced crap simply because it bears the ND name in one of its many iterations. It's time for you to pay us back for our loyal devotion. It's time to fix the program.
As much as I am now decided that Charlie Weis needs to go, I still respect the man and thank him for the work he has done here. Despite their similar records, Weis has done a better job than Davie and Ty ever did. The end result is the same, but the way Weis has cultivated the program leaves the Irish in a markedly better position than that of December 2004. Despite the anger, frustration, and disappointment, it must be acknowledged that Weis completely reversed the image of recruiting at Notre Dame.
Just 5 years ago, there was talk that ND would never be great again because athletes had no interest in ND anymore. It was said that ND's ship had sailed. No longer did the lure of playing under the watch of Touchdown Jesus or the Golden Dome attract the elite athlete. Playing on national TV was now commonplace. Oh yeah? Without breaking any NCAA regulations, Charlie Weis has gone on to sign four consecutive Top 25 classes, the lowest ranked class being last year's #21 class. The three previous were ranked #8, #8, and #2, respectively. From those four classes (2006 - 2009), we inked seven (7) 5 star athletes. Simply put, Weis has shown his successor that you can most definitely recruit elite talent to Notre Dame.
And that is the double-edged sword for Notre Dame fans: We now know it is possible to recruit kids to ND, and we want a coach who can then take them to the next level where they actually produce on the field, but will we hire a coach who can recruit as well as Weis? That question has been the driving force behind my continued support of Charlie Weis. I argued years ago that coaching was more important than talent, and maybe it is, but I have said that a coach who can recruit well should have it easy. Unfortunately, it has been anything but easy for Weis; however, we seem to assume that the next guy we hire will just pick up right where Weis left off...except that he will win more games.
I am not so sure.
There's no question that Jimmy Clausen came to Notre Dame because of Charlie Weis. Had Norm Chow still been at USC, Clausen might very well have been a kid we hated with a passion. I also don't think it's any stretch to say that Dayne Crist, Michael Floyd, Golden Tate, et al were attracted to Weis's NFL credibility as well as that "je ne sais quoi" that seems to be lost on the media but eaten up by recruits. Will our next coach be able to attract that same level of talent, or will we be here 5 years later complaining that if only he could have recruited as well as Charlie Weis...
All eyes are on Fr. Jenkins, the Board of Trustees, and, ostensibly, Swarbrick.
That's the first part of the sales job for Jenkins and Co.: Sell the ND lore. That's how you set the stage for the closer: Pay the guy a fortune. I don't care what it takes. Don't talk to me about the economy. Don't talk to me about the endowment. Don't talk to me about any of that mess when Notre Dame football tickets are going for double, triple, and quadruple their face value...tickets that aren't even in preferred seating. When endzone tickets are selling for well over $100 a pop, you OWE your fans a good coach. You OWE them something in return for paying through the nose for a mediocre hotel room. You OWE them something for dumping mounds of cash at your bookstore to buy overpriced crap simply because it bears the ND name in one of its many iterations. It's time for you to pay us back for our loyal devotion. It's time to fix the program.
As much as I am now decided that Charlie Weis needs to go, I still respect the man and thank him for the work he has done here. Despite their similar records, Weis has done a better job than Davie and Ty ever did. The end result is the same, but the way Weis has cultivated the program leaves the Irish in a markedly better position than that of December 2004. Despite the anger, frustration, and disappointment, it must be acknowledged that Weis completely reversed the image of recruiting at Notre Dame.
Just 5 years ago, there was talk that ND would never be great again because athletes had no interest in ND anymore. It was said that ND's ship had sailed. No longer did the lure of playing under the watch of Touchdown Jesus or the Golden Dome attract the elite athlete. Playing on national TV was now commonplace. Oh yeah? Without breaking any NCAA regulations, Charlie Weis has gone on to sign four consecutive Top 25 classes, the lowest ranked class being last year's #21 class. The three previous were ranked #8, #8, and #2, respectively. From those four classes (2006 - 2009), we inked seven (7) 5 star athletes. Simply put, Weis has shown his successor that you can most definitely recruit elite talent to Notre Dame.
And that is the double-edged sword for Notre Dame fans: We now know it is possible to recruit kids to ND, and we want a coach who can then take them to the next level where they actually produce on the field, but will we hire a coach who can recruit as well as Weis? That question has been the driving force behind my continued support of Charlie Weis. I argued years ago that coaching was more important than talent, and maybe it is, but I have said that a coach who can recruit well should have it easy. Unfortunately, it has been anything but easy for Weis; however, we seem to assume that the next guy we hire will just pick up right where Weis left off...except that he will win more games.
I am not so sure.
There's no question that Jimmy Clausen came to Notre Dame because of Charlie Weis. Had Norm Chow still been at USC, Clausen might very well have been a kid we hated with a passion. I also don't think it's any stretch to say that Dayne Crist, Michael Floyd, Golden Tate, et al were attracted to Weis's NFL credibility as well as that "je ne sais quoi" that seems to be lost on the media but eaten up by recruits. Will our next coach be able to attract that same level of talent, or will we be here 5 years later complaining that if only he could have recruited as well as Charlie Weis...
All eyes are on Fr. Jenkins, the Board of Trustees, and, ostensibly, Swarbrick.
Total Comments 5
Comments
-
Given the Syracuse loss last year (and Charlies general health) I suspect Swarbrick has a short list and negotiations are underway. Patience gang....any coach with a winning team can't switch gears until the season is over (and maybe the bowl game). Also consider fanning this fire will likely trash 2010 recruiting. Break out the beads, say a few to St Anthony!Posted 11-15-2009 at 10:52 PM by Unregistered
-
The fact that the administration is taking sooo long to find a real coach is
starting to "PISS" me off.
Charlie's team is: Inept, Disfunctional, Soft, and just plain Bad.
PITT should have blow ND out, if not for Tate who made the score more respectable in the end.
Watching the game in the first game, this team is just clueless.
I strongly believe Sam Young and his buddy left tackle should NOT be drafted.
They are both horrible and weak, often getting dominated, especially Young, it's just pathetic.
We need to go out there and find a real coach, one that can motivate & make adjustments.
Look what Alabama did, just one great hire, and they are championship contender now.
I don't care Meyer and Saban are snakes, if we want to be back on top,
then we need to go out there to complete for the best coach & be willing to pay the best.
Until then, we are "F---ed" with Charlie the longer we keep him.
Does anyone realize PITT & ND are going in opposite direction right now.
Mr. Swarbick:
convice the old folks in the administration that Action is needed immediate, so the new coach would have more time trying t
keep the current recruits and add more recruits.
No matter how much talent we have, they turn out nothing without a proper coach.
dream choice: Meyer (but the Snake is not coming)
1st choice: Kelly
2nd choice: Chris PetersonPosted 11-15-2009 at 11:45 PM by Unregistered
-
Great analysis, Illest. Spot on!Posted 11-16-2009 at 04:46 AM by jem5b
-
I agree with commenter #1. Patience is a virtue.Posted 11-16-2009 at 09:19 AM by Amish Irish
-
I really think the players are just lazy. When you're lazy, you can have a burst of greatness and then look clueless, and that's what our team looks like. As soon as they feel they're back to neutral, they slack off, and then they get in a hole. Once they're in dire straits, they can battle back, but it seems to be falling short just lately. Against MSU, Purdue, UW, and BC, it was enough. Against UM, USC, Navy, and Pitt, it wasn't enough.
That's the story of this team.Posted 11-17-2009 at 04:01 PM by illestdomer2005
Post a Comment
|
