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Understand Wilner is a bay area guy so he probably knows Willingham from Stanford.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/16462842.htm
Why does Weis get a golden pass?
By Jon Wilner
Mercury News Staff Columnist
It has been more than a week since Notre Dame got hammered by Louisiana State in the Sugar Bowl, more than a month since it got whipped by USC, almost four months since it got waxed by Michigan and just over a year since it got thumped by Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.
So why hasn't Irish Coach Charlie Weis been fired?
Why, at the very least, isn't his job in jeopardy?
After all, Tyrone Willingham's poor performance in big games got him fired after three seasons in South Bend. Weis is 0-4 in big games in the past 54 weeks. Shouldn't he be held to the same standard?
The Irish couldn't possibly be treating the white coach differently . . .
Before we go there, let's review the facts:
• Willingham became the first black coach in Notre Dame history in any sport when he left Stanford for South Bend after the 2001 season.
• Willingham was the first Notre Dame football coach to be fired before his first contract expired -- in his case, after three years.
• Willingham was not fired because of the team's off-field performance. The players stayed out of trouble and did well in the classroom.
• Willingham was not fired because of his record (21-15), which was better than the three-year marks of two predecessors, Gerry Faust and Bob Davie. Both of them were brought back for a fourth season -- and a fifth.
No, the Irish needed a reason they could justify, and it was this: Willingham's teams were not competitive in big games.
Notre Dame's president and athletic director opposed the dismissal, but members of the board of trustees made it happen -- perhaps because they didn't like the performances in big games but more likely because Willingham wasn't a Notre Dame guy and because Urban Meyer was available. (Yes, the same Urban Meyer who just won the national title with Florida.)
Now here we are, two years into Weis' tenure. No question, he's a terrific offensive coach, and he has a better record through two seasons (19-6) than Willingham (15-10). But again: Willingham, who's now at Washington, wasn't fired by Notre Dame because of his record. He was fired because of bad losses in big games.
In the past 54 weeks, Weis has four of them:
• Ohio State 34, Notre Dame 20.
• Michigan 47, Notre Dame 21.
• USC 44, Notre Dame 24.
• LSU 41, Notre Dame 14.
Applying the same standard to Weis that was applied to Willingham, Weis' job should be in jeopardy. Instead, he's the golden boy under the Golden Dome, owner of a huge contract, beloved by fans and trustees alike.
But not, apparently, by a former Irish coach.
``When you lose to Michigan, you lose to USC and you lose to LSU in a bowl game by a significant score, there will be ramifications from that for Charlie Weis,'' Davie told ESPN radio, according to the Chicago Tribune.
``I think the shine is off, to be quite honest. I know going around the country talking to football coaches, particularly head coaches, I think a little bit of the mystique is definitely off.''
Pretty strong stuff. But Davie wasn't finished.
``It's hard to say Notre Dame improved this year with probably the No. 1 player in the NFL draft, (quarterback) Brady Quinn, with (receiver) Jeff Samardzija, with potentially five first-round NFL draft picks,'' Davie said. ``I don't think they're as good a team as they were last year. On defense they continued to go backwards.
``Notre Dame has had two successful seasons, two BCS bowl games in a row, but I think it's hard to say that the program is really going in a positive direction right now.''
So, why isn't Weis at least on the warm seat? Because, Notre Dame supporters say, he doesn't have the players to compete with the USCs and LSUs -- he still has Willingham's recruits.
But that argument reeks of hypocrisy.
The Irish didn't cut Willingham any slack because he had Davie's recruits. And the players Davie left for Willingham were not as good as the players Willingham left for Weis, starting with Quinn. We'll see how the next few drafts turn out, but I'd bet the '06 Irish have more upperclass talent than the '04-05 Irish.
Why the apparent double-standard? I don't think Willingham was treated differently by Notre Dame because he is black. I think he was treated differently by Notre Dame because he was different, and being black was not an insignificant part of that difference.
Willingham wasn't a Notre Dame guy. He didn't go to school there, had no ties to South Bend and, with his reserved personality, wasn't the type to make boosters and trustees feel comfortable and important -- to make them feel like the head coach was one of them.
Weis is one of them. He's a white guy who went to Notre Dame.
Look, I'm not saying Weis should be fired this winter; he deserves another year. But if the Irish get pounded by Michigan and USC again next season and all is still swell with Weis, then Notre Dame could have an enormous public relations problem on its hands.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Check out Jon Wilner's College Hotline blog at www.mercextra.com/blogs/collegesports. Contact him at [email protected] or (408) 920-5716.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/16462842.htm
Why does Weis get a golden pass?
By Jon Wilner
Mercury News Staff Columnist
It has been more than a week since Notre Dame got hammered by Louisiana State in the Sugar Bowl, more than a month since it got whipped by USC, almost four months since it got waxed by Michigan and just over a year since it got thumped by Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.
So why hasn't Irish Coach Charlie Weis been fired?
Why, at the very least, isn't his job in jeopardy?
After all, Tyrone Willingham's poor performance in big games got him fired after three seasons in South Bend. Weis is 0-4 in big games in the past 54 weeks. Shouldn't he be held to the same standard?
The Irish couldn't possibly be treating the white coach differently . . .
Before we go there, let's review the facts:
• Willingham became the first black coach in Notre Dame history in any sport when he left Stanford for South Bend after the 2001 season.
• Willingham was the first Notre Dame football coach to be fired before his first contract expired -- in his case, after three years.
• Willingham was not fired because of the team's off-field performance. The players stayed out of trouble and did well in the classroom.
• Willingham was not fired because of his record (21-15), which was better than the three-year marks of two predecessors, Gerry Faust and Bob Davie. Both of them were brought back for a fourth season -- and a fifth.
No, the Irish needed a reason they could justify, and it was this: Willingham's teams were not competitive in big games.
Notre Dame's president and athletic director opposed the dismissal, but members of the board of trustees made it happen -- perhaps because they didn't like the performances in big games but more likely because Willingham wasn't a Notre Dame guy and because Urban Meyer was available. (Yes, the same Urban Meyer who just won the national title with Florida.)
Now here we are, two years into Weis' tenure. No question, he's a terrific offensive coach, and he has a better record through two seasons (19-6) than Willingham (15-10). But again: Willingham, who's now at Washington, wasn't fired by Notre Dame because of his record. He was fired because of bad losses in big games.
In the past 54 weeks, Weis has four of them:
• Ohio State 34, Notre Dame 20.
• Michigan 47, Notre Dame 21.
• USC 44, Notre Dame 24.
• LSU 41, Notre Dame 14.
Applying the same standard to Weis that was applied to Willingham, Weis' job should be in jeopardy. Instead, he's the golden boy under the Golden Dome, owner of a huge contract, beloved by fans and trustees alike.
But not, apparently, by a former Irish coach.
``When you lose to Michigan, you lose to USC and you lose to LSU in a bowl game by a significant score, there will be ramifications from that for Charlie Weis,'' Davie told ESPN radio, according to the Chicago Tribune.
``I think the shine is off, to be quite honest. I know going around the country talking to football coaches, particularly head coaches, I think a little bit of the mystique is definitely off.''
Pretty strong stuff. But Davie wasn't finished.
``It's hard to say Notre Dame improved this year with probably the No. 1 player in the NFL draft, (quarterback) Brady Quinn, with (receiver) Jeff Samardzija, with potentially five first-round NFL draft picks,'' Davie said. ``I don't think they're as good a team as they were last year. On defense they continued to go backwards.
``Notre Dame has had two successful seasons, two BCS bowl games in a row, but I think it's hard to say that the program is really going in a positive direction right now.''
So, why isn't Weis at least on the warm seat? Because, Notre Dame supporters say, he doesn't have the players to compete with the USCs and LSUs -- he still has Willingham's recruits.
But that argument reeks of hypocrisy.
The Irish didn't cut Willingham any slack because he had Davie's recruits. And the players Davie left for Willingham were not as good as the players Willingham left for Weis, starting with Quinn. We'll see how the next few drafts turn out, but I'd bet the '06 Irish have more upperclass talent than the '04-05 Irish.
Why the apparent double-standard? I don't think Willingham was treated differently by Notre Dame because he is black. I think he was treated differently by Notre Dame because he was different, and being black was not an insignificant part of that difference.
Willingham wasn't a Notre Dame guy. He didn't go to school there, had no ties to South Bend and, with his reserved personality, wasn't the type to make boosters and trustees feel comfortable and important -- to make them feel like the head coach was one of them.
Weis is one of them. He's a white guy who went to Notre Dame.
Look, I'm not saying Weis should be fired this winter; he deserves another year. But if the Irish get pounded by Michigan and USC again next season and all is still swell with Weis, then Notre Dame could have an enormous public relations problem on its hands.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Check out Jon Wilner's College Hotline blog at www.mercextra.com/blogs/collegesports. Contact him at [email protected] or (408) 920-5716.
