Weis will not be fired and should not be and this article tells you why:
November 14, 2008
Todd, I’ll Tell You Why...
by RYAN O'LEARY
Assistant Editor
...even though deep down, you already know.
For those that missed Todd Burlage’s star turn at Charlie Weis’ Nov. 11 press conference, here’s the question in question...
Obviously, I think everybody’s (email) inboxes in this room were stuffed over the weekend. And everybody wants to know, why are you the right man for this job, Charlie?
I’m not going to shoot the messenger – I’m fully aware that Todd was asking this on behalf of a disgruntled fan base. And Weis pretty much gave the diplomatic answer we could expect, since he realizes the futility of going all Mike Gundy on the press. So I’ll take it upon myself to explain to Todd, and those who felt enough need to know that he felt compelled to ask. Here, in a nutshell, is why Charlie Weis is the right man for this job...
1) Recruiting, Recruiting, Recruiting – To put it simply, Notre Dame hasn’t recruited this well since Vinny Cerrato skipped town. Clearly, much of the credit falls with a quality overall staff effort, with Rob Ianello leading the way (Brian Polian is a rising star, and most of the other assistants have contributed). But as head coaches go, you’d be hard pressed to find one that works as hard, and closes as well, as Charlie Weis. Even during last year’s on-field debacle, these guys pulled the No. 1 class in the nation. There’s no reason to think that won’t continue.
2) Getting It – As we’ve seen with some prior coaches, it’s not easy for someone that didn’t attend Notre Dame to really understand Notre Dame. Weis did – and he was here for the 1977 national-title run, so he knows what it’s like on campus when this team is winning. It’s not possible to overstate his passion for this place and his desire to return it to prominence. As I said just last week, you don’t care more than Charlie does.
3) Love Takes Time – To put it mildly, the program was in a state of disarray when Weis arrived, and he knew it. Sure, he could’ve gone for the quick fix (well, not entirely, since recruiting junior colleges really isn’t an option), but Weis came from the Belichick family. He knows the importance of building something to last, and doing that takes time. Will there be bumps on the way? Clearly. Is it progressing at the rate he’d like? Not across the board.
But this isn’t basketball, where one great class of NBA-ready freshmen can completely swing the pendulum. In football, when you’re building for the long term, the short term isn’t always going to be pretty. The tradeoff is well worth the wait, though. At least to him. And unless your name is Jenkins or Swarbrick, Weis doesn’t really care how patient you are. He’s going to keep doing it the right way, not the fast way. The quick fix is for coaches that are looking to move elsewhere. Weis is not.
4) Veterans’ Day – Those rising up against Weis now will point to the three top-10 recruiting classes he’s assembled and say that there’s enough talent to win more now. However...which of those classes is not a top-10 class? (Just say “the seniors” and nod.) According to ND Facts Machine Lou Somogyi, there has been one constant at Notre Dame – when a recruiting class falls outside of the top 10 nationally, the Irish fail to finish in the top 25 when that class becomes seniors. That has never not happened.
Since the 2005 class is the smallest and lowest-rated in school history, what were we really to expect? Good seniors beat great freshmen and sophomores – and for all the grousing about how much more talented the Irish are than Boston College, the senior classes don’t really compare. You’ll see on NFL Draft weekend next spring.
It may seem tired to bring up the recruiting sins of the previous regime in Weis’ fourth year (I’m tired of it too), but they’re still a factor, like it or not.
5) If Not Him, Who? – Notre Dame fans love to believe that this is still every coach’s dream job, but let’s face it – times have changed. Even with the athletic department now paying out competitive salaries, and even with the overhaul of the facilities, it’s a tough job to want. The academic restrictions make it tougher to recruit (which is why Weis’ success is all the more impressive). The media spotlight shines brighter here than at any other school.
And, perhaps most importantly, coaches aren’t stupid. They’ve seen how quickly the hook can come here. They know that the fan base and the alums are more impatient and demanding here than anywhere else. So if they can recruit more easily, get just as much money and take less heat somewhere else, why would they? Besides, would you trust someone like Nick Saban to “get” Notre Dame?
Finding someone who a) wants this job and b) is capable of doing it isn’t nearly as simple as you think. There’s a reason the last few coaching searches went the way they did.
I really don’t understand the quick and massive swing in public opinion. If there were one fewer turnover against UNC and the Irish are 6-3 with a win over a ranked team, the complaints would be substantially quieter, but would the team really be measurably better than it actually is? I’m not going to say that results don’t matter, because that’s the point of the game – but in a big-picture rebuilding process, which is what this is, those results need to be secondary.
The big thing is making sure the foundation is sound and the infrastructure works – and while I’m not going to pretend that The Plan is moving along perfectly, it’s reasonably close to being on schedule. Rookie mistakes (read: turnovers) essentially cost this team at least two games and maybe three. They’ve been competitive in every game so far (yes, even BC, although the line-of-scrimmage battle was certainly uneven there), something you definitely couldn’t say a year ago.
A get-rich-quick scheme seldom works. Just ask Wall Street. Charlie Weis is making the safe investments – and they’re not paying off yet, but they will.
November 14, 2008
Todd, I’ll Tell You Why...
by RYAN O'LEARY
Assistant Editor
...even though deep down, you already know.
For those that missed Todd Burlage’s star turn at Charlie Weis’ Nov. 11 press conference, here’s the question in question...
Obviously, I think everybody’s (email) inboxes in this room were stuffed over the weekend. And everybody wants to know, why are you the right man for this job, Charlie?
I’m not going to shoot the messenger – I’m fully aware that Todd was asking this on behalf of a disgruntled fan base. And Weis pretty much gave the diplomatic answer we could expect, since he realizes the futility of going all Mike Gundy on the press. So I’ll take it upon myself to explain to Todd, and those who felt enough need to know that he felt compelled to ask. Here, in a nutshell, is why Charlie Weis is the right man for this job...
1) Recruiting, Recruiting, Recruiting – To put it simply, Notre Dame hasn’t recruited this well since Vinny Cerrato skipped town. Clearly, much of the credit falls with a quality overall staff effort, with Rob Ianello leading the way (Brian Polian is a rising star, and most of the other assistants have contributed). But as head coaches go, you’d be hard pressed to find one that works as hard, and closes as well, as Charlie Weis. Even during last year’s on-field debacle, these guys pulled the No. 1 class in the nation. There’s no reason to think that won’t continue.
2) Getting It – As we’ve seen with some prior coaches, it’s not easy for someone that didn’t attend Notre Dame to really understand Notre Dame. Weis did – and he was here for the 1977 national-title run, so he knows what it’s like on campus when this team is winning. It’s not possible to overstate his passion for this place and his desire to return it to prominence. As I said just last week, you don’t care more than Charlie does.
3) Love Takes Time – To put it mildly, the program was in a state of disarray when Weis arrived, and he knew it. Sure, he could’ve gone for the quick fix (well, not entirely, since recruiting junior colleges really isn’t an option), but Weis came from the Belichick family. He knows the importance of building something to last, and doing that takes time. Will there be bumps on the way? Clearly. Is it progressing at the rate he’d like? Not across the board.
But this isn’t basketball, where one great class of NBA-ready freshmen can completely swing the pendulum. In football, when you’re building for the long term, the short term isn’t always going to be pretty. The tradeoff is well worth the wait, though. At least to him. And unless your name is Jenkins or Swarbrick, Weis doesn’t really care how patient you are. He’s going to keep doing it the right way, not the fast way. The quick fix is for coaches that are looking to move elsewhere. Weis is not.
4) Veterans’ Day – Those rising up against Weis now will point to the three top-10 recruiting classes he’s assembled and say that there’s enough talent to win more now. However...which of those classes is not a top-10 class? (Just say “the seniors” and nod.) According to ND Facts Machine Lou Somogyi, there has been one constant at Notre Dame – when a recruiting class falls outside of the top 10 nationally, the Irish fail to finish in the top 25 when that class becomes seniors. That has never not happened.
Since the 2005 class is the smallest and lowest-rated in school history, what were we really to expect? Good seniors beat great freshmen and sophomores – and for all the grousing about how much more talented the Irish are than Boston College, the senior classes don’t really compare. You’ll see on NFL Draft weekend next spring.
It may seem tired to bring up the recruiting sins of the previous regime in Weis’ fourth year (I’m tired of it too), but they’re still a factor, like it or not.
5) If Not Him, Who? – Notre Dame fans love to believe that this is still every coach’s dream job, but let’s face it – times have changed. Even with the athletic department now paying out competitive salaries, and even with the overhaul of the facilities, it’s a tough job to want. The academic restrictions make it tougher to recruit (which is why Weis’ success is all the more impressive). The media spotlight shines brighter here than at any other school.
And, perhaps most importantly, coaches aren’t stupid. They’ve seen how quickly the hook can come here. They know that the fan base and the alums are more impatient and demanding here than anywhere else. So if they can recruit more easily, get just as much money and take less heat somewhere else, why would they? Besides, would you trust someone like Nick Saban to “get” Notre Dame?
Finding someone who a) wants this job and b) is capable of doing it isn’t nearly as simple as you think. There’s a reason the last few coaching searches went the way they did.
I really don’t understand the quick and massive swing in public opinion. If there were one fewer turnover against UNC and the Irish are 6-3 with a win over a ranked team, the complaints would be substantially quieter, but would the team really be measurably better than it actually is? I’m not going to say that results don’t matter, because that’s the point of the game – but in a big-picture rebuilding process, which is what this is, those results need to be secondary.
The big thing is making sure the foundation is sound and the infrastructure works – and while I’m not going to pretend that The Plan is moving along perfectly, it’s reasonably close to being on schedule. Rookie mistakes (read: turnovers) essentially cost this team at least two games and maybe three. They’ve been competitive in every game so far (yes, even BC, although the line-of-scrimmage battle was certainly uneven there), something you definitely couldn’t say a year ago.
A get-rich-quick scheme seldom works. Just ask Wall Street. Charlie Weis is making the safe investments – and they’re not paying off yet, but they will.
