Charlie Weis Press Conference

[NDinL.A.]

Got the day off today, so I've been paying attention to the press conference coverage of Charlie Weis this morning. Here's some things he's talked about so far:

** He is undecided about whether or not he'll be up in the booth or not calling plays. I personally think it's a joke for a HC to be up in the booth and not with the players, but whatever. I know a lot of people want it to happen, but I don't, just because it's friggin' embarrassing for a HC not to be with his team.

** Corwin Brown is now the #2 coach, like an assistant head coach. Since he's more of the cheerleader type, it makes sense that he's on the field.

** Tenuta is now the co-defensive coordinator, officially this time. He'll be up in the booth calling defensive plays. Again, freeing up Brown to be more a head coach type.

 

[ACamp1900]

Got the day off today, so I've been paying attention to the press conference coverage of Charlie Weis this morning. Here's some things he's talked about so far:

** He is undecided about whether or not he'll be up in the booth or not calling plays. I personally think it's a joke for a HC to be up in the booth and not with the players, but whatever. I know a lot of people want it to happen, but I don't, just because it's friggin' embarrassing for a HC not to be with his team.

** Corwin Brown is now the #2 coach, like an assistant head coach. Since he's more of the cheerleader type, it makes sense that he's on the field.

** Tenuta is now the co-defensive coordinator, officially this time. He'll be up in the booth calling defensive plays. Again, freeing up Brown to be more a head coach type.

Gotta leave soon, but I'll pass on more info as it comes...

Awesome!! on the first one... Not so much on Tenuta... just my two cents

 

[tankjeep]

i'm indifferent

 

[mooneytostle]

Im not very pleased that Weis has still not named a defensive line coach. He essentially wasted three weeks waiting for Crennel to decide before apparently mutually agreeing it wasnt the right move. No way we get a marquee coach at this point.

 

[NDinL.A.]

Im not very pleased that Weis has still not named a defensive line coach. He essentially wasted three weeks waiting for Crennel to decide before apparently mutually agreeing it wasnt the right move. No way we get a marquee coach at this point.

I agree, that's not a good situation. It needs to be resolved, but then again ND shouldn't settle for someone just to get it done quickly. Hopefully we can get someone with a great resume, but yeah, we're really late in the game.

But did you see Verducci's presser? He's fantastic. I love everything about the guy. He says the talent is there, and all the problems that he saw on tape are correctable. He also talked about getting these guys to play with much better fundamentals and also to play harder. I'm looking forward to seeing what he'll be able to do.

I'm also looking forward to seeing which guys will be out for the spring because they're getting their tonsils out. Hopefully not too many 1st or 2nd stringers...

 

[TDHeysus]

althought Weis called a great game against Hawaii, I would still like to see him delegate the play calling to someone else. On the other hand, if he calls plays from the booth, as he did with NE, he will be operating from his comfort zone. That may pay big dividends. But I agree, that its a little unorthodox to have the HC in the booth. Considering the pressure that Weis is under, I think that says alot about the confidence that Weis has in Corwin Brown.

 

[Subway Alum - MA]

Coach Weis never called plays from the press box when he was with the Patriots. If you read his answer to the question, he actually mentioned that he and Jeff Davidson (now with the Panthers) were on the same page and worked together on play calling. Davidson was in the press box. While there were other members of the coaching staff in the press box with Davidson providing him with information it was he and Coach Weis who communicated. I believe he said that he didn't know yet if there was anyone of the current staff with whom he had that type of rapport now that Mike Haywood is gone.

Subway Alum - MA
Notre Dame Fan Since 1950

 

[Bubba]

Looking at it strictly from a management standpoint, it doesn't matter to me if its unorthodox. "Thinking outside the box," right? If it produces results, I'm OK with it. First off, there is position power and then there's personal power. Charlie has authority because he's the head coach, but I think Corwin may be earning his power through relationships with the players. So, if Charlie moving to the pressbox is beneficial, I'm all for it. A good manager can hire great people and get out of their way. It's just difficult to let go of all that power and responsibility for some. Who knows, Corwin may be our head coach someday.

Being a Dolphins fan, I believed in Don Shula's philosophy of developing the gameplan and schemes around the talent he had; not making the players fit what he liked to do. There's no reason that philosophy can't apply to the staff as well.

As far as unorthodox goes, look at Miami running the wildcat. No one thought it would work after the Patriots game. But, with the Ravens game being the exception, it did. With more work, it may work for some again this year. You can bet that other teams will be trying it. Remember, it's a copycat league...same thing in college. If Charlie does move to the box, and it works....how long till we see someone else doing it?

 

[allnd1962]

Coach Weis never called plays from the press box when he was with the Patriots. If you read his answer to the question, he actually mentioned that he and Jeff Davidson (now with the Panthers) were on the same page and worked together on play calling. Davidson was in the press box. While there were other members of the coaching staff in the press box with Davidson providing him with information it was he and Coach Weis who communicated. I believe he said that he didn't know yet if there was anyone of the current staff with whom he had that type of rapport now that Mike Haywood is gone.

Subway Alum - MA
Notre Dame Fan Since 1950

You could be right but I thought he said he was in the booth until (forgot name) the QB got hurt and then he went down on the field with Tom Brady because of his inexperience. I could be wrong though.

 

[Echo Insanity]

You could be right but I thought he said he was in the booth until (forgot name) the QB got hurt and then he went down on the field with Tom Brady because of his inexperience. I could be wrong though.

you are right, he was in the booth until bledsoe got hurt.

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

I agree, that's not a good situation. It needs to be resolved, but then again ND shouldn't settle for someone just to get it done quickly. Hopefully we can get someone with a great resume, but yeah, we're really late in the game.

Just throwing it out there - coaching experience aside, or lack thereof, would there be any reason Bryant Young couldn't get some OJT in the Spring and Summer with the plan of being named defensive line coach before the start of the season. Give him some time as a GA and then move him in to the full time spot prior to next season? I am asking because I don't know. A guy of his caliber and intelligence I would think could make the transition pretty smoothly. Give him a semester to get in to the groove and learn some of the ropes. I am sure he can coach the hell out of the boys in practice, but maybe he just needs some time to learn the gameplan and things like that. I am just asking.

 

[IrishAddiction]

I dont think it is a wise decision to just throw a guy into the mix with no positional coaching experience there before..... i know he was a great player and all, but it just doesnt mean he will be a great coach. Whatever happened to Stripling from Michigan or the Blake guy from Carolina? Put the money at the door and see how they react. JMHO.

 

[NeuteredDoomer]

I dont think it is a wise decision to just throw a guy into the mix with no positional coaching experience there before..... i know he was a great player and all, but it just doesnt mean he will be a great coach. Whatever happened to Stripling from Michigan or the Blake guy from Carolina? Put the money at the door and see how they react. JMHO.

I can't believe I just had a "disagreeing thought" with one of my favorite posters.
Excuse me while a seek a priest for an exorcism. It must be me. ("Do as I say or I'll wear you as part of a coat! It rubs the lotion on it's skin then it places it in the basket... or else it gets the hose again!" )

I would take Zorich or Young in a heartbeat. They been there. They done that. They ARE that. They the REAL THING.

 

[gairish]

press conference

press conference

Calling plays tells me next year he is going for it. Hats off again as he is putting it on the line, all of it. If he fails to produce results "he will be gone" so once again the guy is a stud and he knows who the best OC is on staff--its him. I think its the right thing to do and maybe even from the booth as the energy that the other coaches brought to the sideline was obvious in Hawaii. Charlie is smart enough to know how or where he should coach from during a game and I for one think the booth may be the best way to go. There are no rules as to how this job should be done. Can you imagine the results if the O line comes thru with him up there having fun seeing the whole field and pulling plays off one step ahead of the other sides defense. I'm all for this and he is not the type of guy to need the limelight of sideline showtime. Plus we wont have to watch people bother his $@# as he tries to get into the locker room. "If at first the idea is not aburd, then there is no hope for it". That was said by Albert Einstein. Who cares what the media thinks.

 

[IrishAddiction]

I can't believe I just had a "disagreeing thought" with one of my favorite posters.
Excuse me while a seek a priest for an exorcism. It must be me. ("Do as I say or I'll wear you as part of a coat! It rubs the lotion on it's skin then it places it in the basket... or else it gets the hose again!" )

I would take Zorich or Young in a heartbeat. They been there. They done that. They ARE that. They the REAL THING.

Lol its cool. Disagreement is what makes IE interesting. Im just going off of what i have seen in the past. Im actually a lakers fan, and some amazing player named Magic Johnson tried to coach them for a little while and well, lets just say the results were very sub par. Lou Holtz wasnt a great player, hell he never played D1, but he knew how to coach thats for sure. Not saying young doesnt have the ability to be great, but i just think that he should coach under a mentor at the position before he is given the reigns.

 

[Bubba]

Lol its cool. Disagreement is what makes IE interesting. Im just going off of what i have seen in the past. Im actually a lakers fan, and some amazing player named Magic Johnson tried to coach them for a little while and well, lets just say the results were very sub par. Lou Holtz wasnt a great player, hell he never played D1, but he knew how to coach thats for sure. Not saying young doesnt have the ability to be great, but i just think that he should coach under a mentor at the position before he is given the reigns.

You could throw Wayne Gretzky and Larry Bird's names out there as examples, too.

 

[NeuteredDoomer]

Lol its cool. Disagreement is what makes IE interesting. Im just going off of what i have seen in the past. Im actually a lakers fan, and some amazing player named Magic Johnson tried to coach them for a little while and well, lets just say the results were very sub par. Lou Holtz wasnt a great player, hell he never played D1, but he knew how to coach thats for sure. Not saying young doesnt have the ability to be great, but i just think that he should coach under a mentor at the position before he is given the reigns.

Yeh. You all keep reminding me of the Hawaii game (Mahalo) that I slept through and spilt my "ice cold" and Cracker Jacks (gift inside) all over the floor.

Leach at Tech never played college ball. Zorich and Young did.

Who knows?

(Hey - can anyone smell my feet. They stink. No. Really. Stink bad.)

 

[Bubba]

(Hey - can anyone smell my feet. They stink. No. Really. Stink bad.)

Hoof in mouth disease?

 

[NeuteredDoomer]

Hoof in mouth disease?

Well...nah...

Syphilis.

Apparently stinky hooves are a side effect kinda thingy.

And erections lasting more than 4 hours. (Call your doctor, and friends, and brag...take pics)

Strange addiction to Cracker Jacks (gift inside) but keep falling asleep and spilling.

 

[ARALOU]

You could throw Wayne Gretzky and Larry Bird's names out there as examples, too.

Bird did coach in the NBA Finals. He had very little interest in coaching, I was told.

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

I dont think it is a wise decision to just throw a guy into the mix with no positional coaching experience there before..... i know he was a great player and all, but it just doesnt mean he will be a great coach. Whatever happened to Stripling from Michigan or the Blake guy from Carolina? Put the money at the door and see how they react. JMHO.

You make some excellent points and you are right. However, I never said he would be a great coach. I merely asked if he could learn enough in the Spring and Summer to become a competent position coach. I think it could work.

Im actually a lakers fan, and some amazing player named Magic Johnson tried to coach them for a little while and well, lets just say the results were very sub par. Lou Holtz wasnt a great player, hell he never played D1, but he knew how to coach thats for sure. Not saying young doesnt have the ability to be great, but i just think that he should coach under a mentor at the position before he is given the reigns.

Comparing Magic Johnson's stint as head coach of a world champion caliber professional franchise is much different than Bryant Young becoming a position coach of a college team. Plus, the two sports have different roles for their head coaches. Basketball coaches have 5 players and a couple of coaches. Football coaches have many more resources at their disposal. Positional coaches to coordinators to assistant head coaches to head coaches - there is more of a chain of command in football for a coach to rely on than there is in basketball.

Again, you make some good points, but the comparisons are a bit thin in my opinion. I can see the posibility of him learning the ropes in the Spring and Summer and making him DL coach in the Fall. He had such a good career in college and pros, he would have learned a lot of coaching techniques just through osmosis. Back to the comparison with Magic, do you really think he was "coached" in high school or college? He probably knew more than most coaches he had. "Here Magic, here's the ball. Do your thing." No wonder he didn't do more as a coach - he didn't have Magic on the court for him.

I can see it happening especially in light of the lack of a viable candidate being named.

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

Bird did coach in the NBA Finals. He had very little interest in coaching, I was told.

And Gretzky is still coaching. His team is struggling, but he is turning the team around. What about Byron Scott? Rudy Tomjanovich? Jeff Fischer in Tennessee? Craig McTavish in Edmonton? Phil Freakin' Jackson for crissakes?!?

For every example of a former player that did not do as well, there are many that do really well in just about every sport. Herb Brooks was a former player. So was Bill Cowher. So was Marty Schottenheimer.

I agree with the lack of coaching experience being an issue with Young. But in my first post, I said, "coaching experience aside, or lack thereof..." Other than that, is there any reason he couldn't make the situation work?

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

Okay, forget everything I just wrote in the two posts above. Looks like Randy Hart is going to be the next DL coach. Oh well. It was a fun discussion anyway. What the hell do I know?

 

[IrishAddiction]

It could work with young, i think your all right, but i would rather want someone to mentor him first who i know because of their experience WILL work rather than could work..... learn the ropes, then hand it over. All valid points though. I wasnt trying to say great players cant be great coaches, just saying being a great player doesnt automatically make them a great coach.

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

It could work with young, i think your all right, but i would rather want someone to mentor him first who i know because of their experience WILL work rather than could work..... learn the ropes, then hand it over. All valid points though. I wasnt trying to say great players cant be great coaches, just saying being a great player doesnt automatically make them a great coach.

So true. Good points. Looks like the guy to teach him the ropes is Randy Hart. I don't know anything about the guy other than he was at Washington for 21 years.

 

[NeuteredDoomer]

Hart seems like a good choice. I still would likes meees somes Zoriches or some Youngs.

My Precious.

I like his shoes.

 

[Aerosmith777]

I'm not sure how I feel about all this. All the shifting around and whatnot, it just gives me the impression that Weis has no direction with this team. I'm OK I guess w/ him being the offensive coordinator (although I'd prefer him to just give the title to one of his assistants, like Ianello or even Powlus, and then just continue to call the plays himself, like the first 3 years). The whole shifting around on the defense worries. From the moment I heard Tenuta was coming in, I was worried about the whole "too many cooks spoiling the broth" phenomenom, and this does nothing to lesson those fears to me, b/c despite what they say in press conferences (remember, Weis was trained by Belichek, the master at managing the media and only presenting the image he wants to be presented), I wonder what's going on behind the scenes between him, Brown, and Tenuta. And then the last thing, Weis cannot go up to the booth during the games. I just do not think that is a good idea at all. A head coach's place is on the sidelines. It was fine for the Hawaii Bowl b/c he was injured, so I get it w/ that, I'm not saying he should gut through excruciating pain to stay on the sidelines. But if his knees don't hurt from standing anymore, and he says they don't, then he should be on the sidelines imo.

 

[NDinL.A.]

1) I agree with you on the Weis in the booth comment. I think we're in the minority here, but I agree that a coach's place is on the sidelines. To me, it's embarrassing to see JoePa up in the booth, not even talking to the team at the half vs. USC. I know it's a health issue with him, but then maybe it's time for him to retire. But I digress.

Lots of coaches call plays from on the field, with help from above. Jon Gruden, Andy Reid, etc. A coach needs to be able to talk to his team, his QB, yell at the refs, lay into one of his players, etc. He has to have a feel for the game, from the sidelines IMO.

2) I disgree with you in that I like the changes, because to me it seems that CW is adjusting to the college game. It's different than the pro game, and he HAD to make changes. Remember, the first staff he put together was done in haste. There were some bad fits. The guys that he didn't mesh with are gone. Now he has guys that are teachers, that are 'his guys'. If he fails, there are no more excuses. It's completely on him now. I'm looking forward to seeing how these guys get the job done. The talent is there...

 

[Aerosmith777]

I see what you're saying. And I do like some of the changes. Lord knows I was happy to hear that John Latina was let go. But it just seems like every year now there's major changes on the coaching staff. I know some of it is of necessity. Haywood left to be a HC, so of course he needed to be replaced. And I also agree that Weis made some terrible choices with his initial coaching staff, so the departures of Latina, Minter, Oliver, & Peter Vaas don't bother me much. But all those changes, combined w/ bringing in Tenuta & then changing his title after 1 year, changing Corwin Brown's title twice in just over 2 years, giving up the playcalling duties & then taking them back, & now this talk about sitting in the booth...I dunno, the shear size of it all just worries me. This is just my opinion, but I just don't think well run programs have this much change this often to their coaching infrastructure so to speak. Individually none of the changes bother me that much (except maybe the him sitting in the booth one), and I'd actually go so far as to say individually I think the most of them are positive. But all of them together worry me I guess.

Now, hopefully, this is it for all these lateral changes, and the only other changes we'll see next year is if a coach leaves for a promotion elsewhere like Haywood did. I really hope that's the case and all these changes pay off, but I guess I'm a little skeptical.

 

[NDinL.A.]

I definitely feel you; those are a ton of changes that good programs just don't go through unless asst. coaches are getting promotions elsewhere. Like you said, let's just hope that now that he has his staff in place, there will not be any more offseasons with sweeping changes. That's why this year is make or break for CW, and for ND for that matter. Think about it: If CW fails or has a mediocre year, there will be no more excuses, no more coaches to fire...he's gone. And if he's gone, there's no doubt that next year's monster recruiting class (as it is shaping up to be) will be dramatically effected, hurting ND even deeper. Huge year for CW and the boys...