Saturday’s home loss to Navy should seal former NFL coordinator’s fate. Dave Miller
Upsets occur all the time in college football. They just do. As we all know, they happen often in every sport. That’s why we continue to watch the games no matter how big the Vegas line is or how bad the mismatch looks on paper. Sports provide us with the possibility—each game, every sport—of David possibly upsetting Goliath.
In fact, one of the main reasons I love college football so much is because of the realistic possibility that a team’s national championship aspirations could expire on any given Saturday. It’s particularly enjoyable when a team’s undefeated season comes to an end in the cold November air.
What’s not enjoyable, however, is watching Charlie Weis’ Notre Dame football team consistently underachieve any given Saturday afternoon.
I can honestly say that I’ve never called for Weis’ job, no matter how badly the Irish have played or how hard the media, alumni and fans have been on him during his tenure in South Bend. But Saturday’s 23-21 loss to Navy really is inexcusable, no matter how good of a football coach Ken Niumatalolo is and no matter how well quarterback Ricky Dobbs runs the Naval Academy’s option attack.
This year’s loss is different than the one two years ago when the Midshipmen ended an NCAA-record 43-game losing streak to the Irish. While there’s no excuse for giving up 46 points, the game in 2007 went to three overtimes and the ND defense was still adjusting to Corwin Brown’s scheme (pre-Jon Tenuta). Plus, career backup Evan Sharpley was under center.
But for QB Jimmy Clausen to throw for 452 yards on Saturday and lose? Unacceptable.
I don’t care if Armando Allen couldn’t play because of injury. Being outrushed 348-60? At home? To Navy? What happened to the depth at running back? The top-ten recruiting classes? Why can freshmen step up for injured upperclassmen at smaller programs and be successful, yet we can't see it enough at ND?
I understand that Ohio State also struggled against the option attack of Navy in their season opener. But to be so dominated against an opponent you’re familiar with in a game that you needed to keep alive your BCS hopes? I don’t get it.
Again, upsets will happen—to the best of coaches. But consecutive games against Navy at home?
I can live with the BCS stinkers against Ohio State and LSU in Weis’ first two years because it was clear that ND couldn’t keep up with the speed of either team (yes, Ohio State once had speed). I also thought Weis did a great job of maximizing the talents of Tyrone Willingham’s recruits.
But after seeing the offense gel in their 4-1 start last year, with so many NFL prospects on the offensive side of the ball, and to finish 2-5 before a meaningless bowl game victory, one has to wonder if Weis is the right man for the job. With a less than daunting schedule and to be sitting at 6-3, this past Saturday in South Bend had to be the final straw for Weis and his staff.
I’ve never called for anyone’s job—including Matt Millen’s when he was in charge of the Detroit Lions. Fine, not until last season did I call for Millen’s head. Oh, and Terry Bevington’s when he managed the Chicago White Sox in the mid-90’s. But seriously, no one else. And I understand that Weis has a family and this is his career—but he also is paid millions of dollars to win at a university with its own television contract.
And the fact of the matter is, I don’t see the culture changing in South Bend. In fact, it could only get worse. What expectations can we have for a team that has underachieved under its current head coach?
Here is how Weis has fared in his ND career.
Notre Dame in the Charlie Weis regime:
2005: 9-2, lost to Ohio State in Fiesta Bowl
2006: 10-2, lost to LSU in Sugar Bowl
2007: 3-9, no bowl game *lost to Navy and Air Force back-to-back weeks
2008: 6-6—including loss to Syracuse (after starting 4-1), beat Hawaii in Hawaii Bowl
*combined 15 losses in ‘07-08 were most losses for any two-year span in ND history
2009: 6-3—including another loss to Navy, a loss to a bad Michigan team and a loss at home to a good but not great USC team
A career regular season record of 34-22 isn’t bad at all—if you’re at a school such as Iowa State, Minnesota or Connecticut. But this is Notre Dame, and Charlie Weis has a ten-year deal and between 30 and 40 million reasons why 34-22 isn’t good enough. Keep in mind that Bob Davie was let go in 2001 with a record of 35-25, and that Ty Willingham compiled a winning percentage of .583 when he was dismissed in 2004. Weis is no longer any different than his mediocre predecessors.
Jon Gruden may or may not be the answer, but I'd be willing to find out.
All I know is that I can’t wait until 2015, the final year of Weis' mega contract, to see whether or not he was the right hire.
I think I already know the answer.
Dave Miller is the Web Manager of the National Football Post and an unfortunate hopeless romantic. After receiving his Masters in Writing from DePaul University in Chicago, he realized that he would never be John Updike so he returned to a sports career. He enjoys coffee at any time of the day, CW teen dramas and has an appreciation for girls in boots. You can follow him on Twitter at Miller_Dave, where he constantly chronicles every moment of his mundane life.
^ What??? ^ If you want him, you can have him at Moron U, or wherever it is that you learned to type.
The problem is with the management. AT WHAT SCHOOL WITH ANY REAL NATIONAL ASPRIRATIONS did they hire, with a 10 year contract, a completely INEXPERIENCED D1 coach?
FIre the person who wrote the contract. Fire Weis and everyone he hired.
They said he did well with Tyrone's recruits. Heck, Weis's best season was with NONE of his recruits and ONLY Tyrones! And don't say 10-2 is better than 9-2 the schedule says it all.
Ohio State didn't struggle to defend the option. They struggled to defend the pass.
I think it is fair to say that in evaluating any coach at a D-1 program, one has to look at how the coach does with his own players in his own system. When looking at Charlie Weis's career at ND, it must really stick in the craw of the AD, the fans, and even the players that he recruited, that he has done much, much better with Tyrone Willingham's recruits than with his own. That being realized and painfully obvious to even the most naive football fan, it is obvious that he is a mediocre coach at best. Also, it goes without saying that the contract that he signed has a huge poison pill in it in which if Weis is fired, he is paid multiple millions of dollars in compensation. That is a very big reason that he is still the coach todayand probably will be for another year or two unless they lose 8 games in one season. ND has been very lucky in at least three of their six wins this season so far or else that would have happened this year (the 8 losses). It was interesting that one of the Navy players said that they had expected the same formations and plays from the last time they had played Notre Dame and as it turned out, they were right. They didn't have to game plan much at all for ND and still won the game at South Bend. If I was a
ND fan I would be livid with this guy as my coach.
Great OFC in NFL but has had plenty of time to turn this around he needs to be fired now. Its rediculous evry one her is like give him another year people if we did half the job this man has done we would all be looking for unemloyment checks. He was great in the NFL but not college. Hire Urban and shut up about the money they have it to get it done.
Jon Gruden + Notre Dame Football = BCS Championship!!!
I am an alum., and I am EMBARRASSED by the sad state of the football program.
Charlie Weis must go.
Bring on Jon Gruden. He has already proven himself in the NFL. Weis needs to be dumped before he does anymore damage. The longer he stays the worse the recruiting class will get.
i was at the navy game watching my favorite two college teams.yes i got a consolation prize with the mids winning.however being familiar with the atmosphere and seeing charlie hobble,its time for weiss to step down.
Charlie is not right for college ball, he's much better at pro-ball. Additionally as many have found out, being a head coach is very different from being an assistant, at any level. Some of his play calling along with some technical decisions, during the game, are odd. There have been times when I've thought, "what is he thinking?" a kid in Pop Warner would know better. Personally, I like Charlie, he's a good guy, but it's time for a change. It's just not working.
we got a problem here at UGA too...good recruits + poor coaching = mediocrity. how bad is Weis? i'm pondering i'll trade you my Richt for your Weis, and i gotta say i'll keep the Richt. NOW THAT'S PRETTY BAD! Weis has gotta go, he's terrible. post above got it right -- fire the idiot that gave this guy a 10-year contract too. wow, that reeks of administrative disfunction.
we got a problem here at UGA too...good recruits + poor coaching = mediocrity. how bad is Weis? i'm pondering i'll trade you my Richt for your Weis, and i gotta say i'll keep the Richt. NOW THAT'S PRETTY BAD! Weis has gotta go, he's terrible. post above got it right -- fire the idiot that gave this guy a 10-year contract too. wow, that reeks of administrative disfunction.
Don't fire Charley!
ND is getting what they deserve.
Nortre Dame is faithful. Above all, we are faithful to our word, and in this case, our contract. It is not ethical to burden the alumni and the students of this great university with payments for which are guaranteed only to return on chance, fancy and speculation.
Do not tempt a successful man such as Urban Meyer. Pray for the success of Notre Dame and Mr. Weis, and most importantly, do that which is honorable and befitting such an institution. Accept that which cannot change, and change what you can. Work hard, persevere, and be grateful for what you have in the present, and that which good and righteous people of the past have bequeathed to you.
The will of the good servants of Notre Dame, the professors, the fathers, the athletic director, Jack Swarbrick, and its followers are guided by conscience. Do not let your will and the conscience of Notre Dame University be submitted to the evil and sadly the truly transient, illusory and immaterial of this world.
dont fire the guy youd be ignorant to just light your money on fire. wait you're the largest non profit organization in the whole country and you rack in multi millions of dollars thats not right, when does it come time for you to pay taxes??? you think because you're notre dame you're better than the rest of the world. you need to be knocked down a peg. ND is known for its law school yet they lack in the contract writing department where there should be a clause stating that if you dont perform to the university and the alumni's expectations we can fire you on the spot and there will be no buyout. ND must like making national news because of there poor choices they make. poor choice number 1 chasing lou holtz out poor choice 2 not leaving bob davi as the assistant and finding a head coach poor choice 3 hiring tyron not because of racial remarks but because of his coaching style por choice 4 hiring the errogant ass from new jersey who knows nothing about how to coach college boys not pro men. demote his ass to a recruiting office so you dont have to pay him off and hire a coach that is a college football coach currently someone who can win and someone that doesnt care if they get they get demoralized if they have a loosing season. this is from an nd fan who wanted them to have a loosing season to get rid of the embarassing glob fat.
Fire Weis IF AND ONLY IF you get Gerry Faust locked up to replace him before you do the deed.
Everything coming in and out of Notre Dame is over-rated. Notre Dame is the place where over-rated talent goes to under perform. Any recruit who wishes to go there would do well to overlook the posh conditions in which the largely affluent students live. Rather, they should look at how promising talent languishes there all while being highly praised by the media.
It is the holier than though priveleged attitudes of the Domers that has brought Notre Dame to this condition. It is also the realization by other big programs to recruit nationally. And of course perhaps the realization that regardless of how "national" you think the ND fan base is, realize that an average Big Ten School probably serves more out of state students in any given year than the entire ND student body. Notre Dame continues to enjoy their own contract simply because someone at NBC really likes Notre Dame. If they were held to the same standard of any other school, they would only be on TV for the "big games".
Having said all that, please keep Coach Weiss!!!!!
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Nov 09, 2009
12:51 AM
CHalie Wieus is a greta coach! I mean, cont fire das man for bot getting bcs, thise expcttins are to high for any coach mans.