It seems like ten years ago, but really it was only September 5th. My phone was blowing up with texts telling me that “they’re back” and “everybody better take a look”. Notre Dame was in the midst of beating up Nevada 35-0 in their first game of the ’09 season. You would have thought they had just beaten Tim Teblows and Florida in the BCS National Championship game. Was this the year that Notre Dame would recapture their past glory and return to elite status? If you listen to resident blowhard Lou Holtz , he may have convinced you. Not me. I was not about to be fooled once again by Charlie Weis and the team that thinks their stuff doesn’t stink. I made that mistake once when Weis took over in 2004. I believed, strongly, that hiring Weis would be a good move. My thinking was that you bring in a pro coach with a pro system, to a school that always recruits well, why wouldn’t they win? I bought into what Weis saying that Notre Dame would have a “decided schematic advantage” over its opponents. What a line of crap. I should have known that Weis was another in a long line of Bill Belichick assistants who cannot get the job done once they leave the Belichick nest. As it turns out, the Golden Domers aren’t a good team, and heads are about to roll.
This kid needs to run to the NFL and leave ND behind.
Romeo Crennel and Eric Mangini are now joined by Charlie Weis in the “people think we can coach because we came from the New England Patriots” tree. These three guys have one thing in common, they were lucky to have been associated with Belichick and Tom Brady. When Weis gets fired sometime after this weekend’s game with Stanford, and is paid a good portion of the $18 million left on his contract, he better cut a fat check out to Tommy Brady for helping land the ND job in the first place.
I hate going the easy route and saying yes, this guy should be fired, but when Weis was hired in 2004 he said it himself that 6-5 wouldn’t be good enough. The question now is who’s next? Urban Meyer? Forget it, he isn’t leaving Florida no matter how many times he says that Notre Dame is his dream job. Would you rather live in Florida or Indiana? Hurry up and answer you have 1.8 seconds to make a choice. Jon Gruden? No. He is a pro coach who has a plush gig at ESPN and probably would want no part of recruiting, and the nonsense of dealing with smug alumni. The best choice for athletic director Jack Swarbrick would be to hop on his private jet and go get Cincinnati’s Brian Kelly. Kelly has won at Central Michigan, Grand Valley State, and Cincinnati. If he can win at those schools, he can win at Notre Dame. He may not be Ara Parseghian or Lou Holtz, but Notre Dame isn’t the Notre Dame of old.
For Notre Dame to return to past glory, they need to start doing what other top schools do in order to win, cheat. It happens everywhere, and it always has. Do you think Florida, USC, Alabama, and LSU among others, aren’t bending rules to get certain kids into their programs? Please. I have learned that college sports are no better than the pros. When turds like Dick Vitale go on television and talk about the beauty of college sports and student athletes I want to scream. It’s all about how you want to go about running your program. Do you want to win big or not? Those are the options. Do you want to bend the rules to get certain players into your program, or do you want to go the Northwestern route? Its unfortunate, but it’s the way of the world in big time college recruiting.
Notre Dame fans are getting in line to pack Charlie's bags.
Sulls’ was a huge Bob Davie guy when they hired him. Notre Dame never hires an established big program collegiate coach.
I was actually expecting a total ND hatefest, but I thought you were pretty fair. I’ve definetely come to the realization that it’s time for Weis to go, but the bottom line is, ND is better off for having hired Charlie Weis in the first place. I don’t think anyone outside of ND nation wants to admit just how bad the football program was when Weis took over. It was in shambles. You thought 3-9 in ’07 was bad?? If Willingham was still coaching they would have gone 0-12. If Willingham had gotten one more year, let alone two, he would have completely destroyed the program and I don’t know if they would have ever recovered. Anyways, enter Charlie Weis. When he arrived, ND was MAYBE on par talent-wise with the likes of Purdue. He did have just enough to work with having Quinn at QB, Smardzija adn Stovall at reciever. Those 3 were nobodies and Weis turned Quinn into a first round pick, Smardzija would have been and Stovall is now in the NFL. He had just enough offense to work with and they put up big numbers, specifically in the passing game which was unheard of at ND, who were always a running team first.
Anyways, what I’m getting at here is his offense generated a lot of hype and he was able to recruit at an elite level. Your buddy Stulls is right, Weis was bringin in absolute studs to ND. Clausen, Floyd, Tate, Rudolph-all likely first rounders. That is one hell of an offense. Defensively he didn’t recruit quite as well as he did on offense, but Manti Te’o, Darius Fleming, Ethan Johnson (to name a few)-these were all guys that teams like USC and Florida were going after hard.
At the end of the day, he just wasn’t able to get it all figured out. But Weis worked his fucking ass off. no one wanted to win more than he did. He wanted it bad. He gave it his best shot which is more than I can say for Davie and Willingham. So I will not hold a grudge or badmouth him on the way out, instead I will applaud his hard work. He left the program in much better shape than it was when he came in, so he can walk out with his head held high for the work he has done, and whoever the next coach is, they’re gonna have a lot of talent to work with. I just hope they will work as hard as Weis did.
How about it Shu? Why is that? They talk the big game, but when it comes down to it they go for Willingham and Weis.
Herm love the feedback. Much love my man keep it coming.
Great article Lou, it really hits home. Once again a porous defensive group under Weis just can’t stop anybody. It is so important to recruit defensive talent along with your offensive skill positions. There are no short-cuts in sports or in business, you need key people on the defensive front, speedy linebackers,and good cover guys. They are having similar issues to the Chicago Bears who can’t stop anyone consistently either. Defense still wins championships, offense wins games. Nothing has changed, keep up the good work.
LKR,
Well written piece. I wish your talent had not been wasted about talking Notre Dame football. My disgust for ND football began like most. My father, born raise in a south side Irish imigrant family, had a good feeling about the 89′ Orange bowl. I was woken up, after falling asleep near the end of regulation, to be informed that “The Rocket” had just returned a punt for the go-ahead TD. After running downstairs from my room, nearly falling flat on my face in my footy PJ’s, just in time to see it called back. Like hooking up with a burner, I learned my lesson. Never Again…
Every year I also recieve the, “did you see who we signed today”, calls. Much like you, I laugh under my breath & refrain from reminding them that they haven’t beaten USC since the 1990′s. It get’s tougher as well to not remind them that Army, Navy and the Air Force are still lingering on their schedules, but we dare not mention this to our simplton friend who still listens to “Win one for the Gipper” before every game.
Unfortunately for those golden domers, with their major network contracts, strict “academic standards”, no profit stingy catholic policies & no conference status, they live in an alternate universe similary to the 1950′s. What can they do to compete in today’s CFB climate? Pray.
Would cheating help? No. Why? Because, much like any sport, the best players want to play against the best talent. SEC & BIG 12 teams dominate the recruiting scene, not only b/c they pay players, but that’s where the best players go. Did those stupid domers really think that kids are going to line up to play for Fat Chuck b/c he was a pro coach? Just another reason I hate them.
So who’s taking the gig at ND? Robert Parrish & Kevin McHale aren’t walking through that door… Same goes for Rockne, the 4 horsemen, Ara, Holtz & the rest of the eternally over-rated bunch of busters. It’s one of the toughest jobs in ALL of sports b/c of the unfair expectaions put on the program by the who’s who of midwestern meatheads.
Loved your bit on Lou Holtz. He needs to change his depends adult diaper and shut up. In fact here’s a list of catch phrases he’s not allowed to say anymore b/c of that horrible spit lisp: Feel free to say them in your best lisp voice
Special teams
physical nature
line if scrimage
speed
safeties
intestinal fortitude
Phew, feel alot better getting that hate session off my chest. Great site & article Lou.
Notre Dame Sucks!!!!!!
Your friend Sulls is probably a great looking guy who knows a ton about sport.