PITTSBURGH -- It's over. There is nothing left. Charlie Weis is done at Notre Dame.
He goes down as the biggest, most colossal failure ever. Worse than Tyrone Willingham by far. Never has anyone been blown up to such proportions, at Notre Dame of all places, and then done so little. The whole thing was just hot air.
Notre Dame lost to Pitt 27-22 Saturday, and no, Weis' firing is not official yet. Sources aren't saying he's done.
But he is. The players don't believe in him anymore. He doesn't motivate them. They don't buy his schemes. They don't care about his Super Bowl rings.
He has nothing left. It's over.
It's funny how the feel of things changed Saturday night. We've watched Weis these past few years, starting with him telling his players they would have a decided `"schematic advantage'' over everyone in the country. Inexplicably, Notre Dame's power brokers, replaced his contract with a big, a 10-year deal before he had done anything.
And Jimmy Clausen came in as the spiky-haired quarterback, a high school kid arriving at the College Football Hall of Fame in a Hummer with a police escort to announce that he would play for the Irish.
Oh, the national titles that were on the way.
What a scam.
These five years under Weis should go down as a study of something seriously wrong in our sports culture. This was more than people wanting to have hope. It was a cult following, and it was so flawed from the start.
Two years ago, I wrote that Weis was the world's highest-paid intern and started calling him that. The point was that Weis was making every single mistake a first-year head coach could make, learning by error in front of Touchdown Jesus.
Also, with a background in the pros, he didn't realize that college coaching isn't about schemes but about player development. Weis' players, with few exceptions, don't develop. And in college, you can't just kick them out and buy better ones.
In September, a former Notre Dame player placed a billboard in South Bend wishing Weis luck in the fifth year of his internship. So the tension was building from the start, racial tension at first, after Willingham, who seemed to be on the path to failure, was dumped without being given a fair chance.
Notre Dame had one black head coach in any sport in its history. And guess which football coach was the first one in recent times to be fired without having a chance to complete his first contract.
Willingham seemed headed for failure. Still, that never looked good at an athletic department with such a shaky history in minority hiring. And then Weis came in and wowed everyone somehow.
Weis and Willingham, by the way, have the same winning percentages at Notre Dame.
And Weis is playing a watered-down schedule.
That's going to be the first part of this ugly chapter in Notre Dame football history. But from there, Weis' brashness led to more and more tension, more anger and arguments.
On Saturday, it seemed so quiet. There is nothing to yell about anymore. It's over. The team was flat Saturday. Weis' job security was in question, and the players could have fought for him.
"It was how we called the game,'' Weis said, trying to explain. "You don't call the game the same way at home as you do on the road.''
Weis said he wanted to call the game conservatively.
See how different that sounds? He doesn't come across as a technical genius anymore. He's not believable.
And let's talk about Clausen and receiver Golden Tate. They are juniors, and NFL owners are demanding a new agreement that would limit big rookie bonuses starting in 2011. So this is Clausen's and Tate's last chance. They need to turn pro.
If you're holding hope that Clausen will stay for his senior year, then you haven't been paying attention. His whole life has been directed toward being in the NFL. He was held back a grade as a kid just so he could get bigger and have an edge in youth football.
And there's nothing left for him with the Irish. It's over.
Weis' internship was painful for five years. One year, he spent the fall drills putting in a gimmick offense for the
opener against Georgia Tech. At halftime, he scrapped it.
In 2007, he stopped things midseason and said he was starting fall drills all over. This time, his players would be hitting, developing toughness. Why hadn't they been hitting in practice?
Whatever. It didn't work.
One year, he talked about the importance of being a leader and letting his assistants do their jobs without being "stymied or stifled'' by a "domineering'' head coach. So he let his assistants take the offensive play-calling.
It didn't work.
Less than a season into doing it that way, he took play-calling duties back.
It didn't work.
The fight to defend the cult leader kept meaning blame on Willingham for years. His recruits, the theory went, were the problem. So in 2007, Weis was left without a defense. Yet he lost to Air Force, which had never had a recruiting class as good as Willingham's worst one.
In 2008, Weis tried to give a Gipper-like speech. Notre Dame was shut out by Boston College.
Weis' recruiting classes have been ranked among the best every year. The program is filled with top players.
It's not working. Notre Dame is 6-4.
After the loss to Navy last week, Notre Dame nose tackle Ian Williams said the team had been out-schemed.
Weis has no answers. The problems don't go away.
This is the calm after the storm. The hot air has blown away. There's nothing left.
Email me at gregcouch09@aol.com
Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Amen! I've been saying it on here for years. Notre Dame football is nothing more than a marketing campaign. Selling the Notre Dame name rather than putting a quality product on the field.
Notre Dame needs to worry less about TV contracts and bogus BCS bowl money, and work to get competetive again. Earn respect, don't expect it based upon glory days that are twenty years in the rear view mirror.
A wise man one said: "There ain't no future in the past.".
Time for ND and fat Charlie to move on.
I thought the coach with the worst record at ND over the last 40 years was Gerry Faust with a record of 30-26-1. However Faust necer lost to Navy and did manage to beat USC a few times. I don't know what it is with the comparisons to Ty Willingham. He had a horrible record at Washington. It wasn't like ND fired a great coach and the racial remarks aren't necessary. Bob Davie was 35-25, Ty Willingham was 21-15. So if it was OK to fire Bob Davie then why not Ty Willingham? I do agree however that if Davie gets fired for winning 58% of his games and Ty Willingham gets fired for winning 58% of his games then certainly the ax should fall for Charlie Weiss too (which looks more of a certainty after tonight's performance).
Righttttttttttttttt. But I bet u Weis will get to honor out his contract, not get FIRED before it ends. Get it. Something to think about huh? This fat piece of you know will not get fired. His contract wiil end and he'll go. HE CAN'T COACH.
Another Belichick assistant is a FAILURE as a head coach! And it will happen to Josh McDaniels as soon as the honeymoon is over in Denver.......
I agree that lately ND football is more marketing than execution.
I hope his rainy day fund is big enough as it sure looks like they're howling for whatever hair he has left.
The players owe him an effort regardless of what they think of his "schemes".
If they want to quit, they should do so immediately and go to a place where they certainly won't be so pampered- like the United States Army.
Remember not too long ago when the NY Giants hired Jim Fassel because he was an "offensive
guru". Of course, his QB was John Elway.
Brian Billick was hired by the Ravens in 2000 because he, too, was an "offensive guru" with Chris Carter, Randy Moss and Dante Culpepper on the roster.
Both coaches were at the bottom of the NFL offensive stats for all the years they coached.
So just because Weiss coached Tom Brady, he was considered an "offensive guru" and given the head job at Notre Dame.
That was the first mistake and that remains the major mistake.
The guy was not anywhere NEAR the quality coach the ND AD thought he was.
His NFL reputation helped ND in recrutiing until his on-the-field- product became more evident.
His "experience" carried him early on in
his career until opposing coaches had enough tape on him to understand his offense.
He never had a defense, he never coached his defense and he never hired anyone who did.
So the mistake was in the hiring of Weiss- he conned everybody then just as he conned that moron AD into a huge contract extension.
Weis knew he was a fraud. He negotiated that extention because he knew it.
Pity the now-departed ND AD didn't also know it.
I hear that new AD is at Duke now.
Watch for that program to decline as well.
I agree Charlie Weis is not a very good head football coach. However, to say that Willingham is any better is a joke!! Where is Ty at now? It is obvious of your persuasion.
By the way, where did you come up with the idea that Notre Dame signs top recruits every year. The fact is they have been on a decline since the days of Holtz because top recruits no longer want to play for Notre Dame.
Give up, the fighting irish are a thing of the past!!!
I can't tell you the last time I watched an ND game. I'm not a fan of them but I was interested. Now I'm not.
Call the Pope, get the buyout money for Weis' contract, then call John Gruden.
Oh Yeah, fix the stadium so Touchdown Jesus can be seen from the field again. Its the "Curse of Covering Touchdown Jesus" that's killing ND football.
"The fight to defend the cult leader kept meaning blame on Willingham for years. His recruits, the theory went, were the problem. So in 2007, Weis was left without a defense. Yet he lost to Air Force, which had never had a recruiting class as good as Willingham's worst one."
HE LOST TO NAVY IN 2007! NOT AIR FORCE. He lost to Navy again in 2009:)
ND lost to Air Force the week after Navy beat them in 2007.
As Craigo mentioned, ND played AF the week after losing to Navy in OT(2007). The Falcons handily beat the Irish 41-24 in South Bend.
Tinme for at least TWO writers to go Kevin Blackistone and Greg Couch.. add John Canzano to the list
I totally agree Weis is the "Biggest" of everything at ND. If John Gruden is even on the list for possible replacements it will show ND learned nothing with Weis.
Gruden won with another coach's players and team after that win he won "NOTHING" playing in the worst division in the NFL. Where is John coaching now ?????? oh thats right.............he aint
Was Gruden the coach of the Raiders when that BS "tuck rule" for Tom Brady was called? I believe they were a BS call away from the Super Bowl. I don't remember how long he was there before that. I could be wrong though Don. I hate the Raiders. Anyone who can win with the Raiders can't be that bad. I think he has ties to ND also ( his dad coach there as assistant or something?) He seems to have better "head" coaching experience than Weis and would manage the whole team better. Like with Tampa, "Dungy's" team needed an offense, he brought that, kept the defensive coaching together (I believe?) and let them do their thing. Say he gets hired and then hires the right defensive guy, say an NFL connection and "boom" instant ND revitalized program....well.. maybe not so easy but, better than the Wies internship. ANYWAYS, I think he has had some pretty good years in the NFL, Nothing spectacular but, turned the Raiders around when he was there, then beat them after they traded him to Tampa. Mind you, HIS Raider players and Offensive system got to the same Super Bowl he guided a Tampa team to that always came up short under Dungy. IF IT WEREN'T FOR THE TUCK RULE, HE WOULD HAVE COACHED IN 2 SUPERBOWLS WITH DIFFERENT TEAMS? NOT TO SHABBY COMPARED TO WEIS' "ASSISTANT" EXPERIENCE? He is out of the League now but he didn't have complete control of drafting players. In college he is the "GM/Coach." He's on that "Holgrem Branch" on that "Bill Walsh Tree." I'd say he's a worthy choice for any College program.
The difference between Weiss and Willingham is Willingham was not allowed to finish out his contract - he was fired early. Weiss then had a good year with Willingham's recruits, and parlayed that into an expensive contract extension.
The writer made some excellent points, the chief being (1) the players typically weren't learning anything and (2) there was basically no evidence of a defensive scheme. The Navy coach said as much after last week's win: he expected Notre Dame to approach Navy just like the prior year, which they did. And the halftime "adjustments" came to basically doing the same thing with the same results.
When Clausen and Tate leave, the cupboard will be incredibly bare for the next guy.
As a fan of any team playing Notre Dame, I think Charlie Weiss is a great coach. Hopefully, Notre Dame won't buy him out and he can continue in his mediocrity for years to come. It looks like that over the last several years, Notre Dame has placed its academic performance over its athletic performance (being a respected leader in academics). This is why both the Football Team and the Mens basketball program are well on their way to intramural status.
Navy has arguably much more stringent requirements and they can beat ND.
Here we go. I agree he needs fired, why is race an issue? Notre Dame is a lot of things, but prejudice is not one. Didn't they give an honorary degree to the first bi-racial president in history without achieving anything?