Relax on Weis

[Mr. McGibblets]

I attended my first game ever at Notre Dame this weekend. The whole weekend was amazing except for the result. While I was quite confused with several play calls by Weis-

- Fake feild goal running sharpley basically off tackle on 4th and 15
- Not kicking the field goal at the end of the game,
- The miracle 4th and 15- which they converted- when I felt they should have punted despite them not getting a stop the entire afternoon
- The same wide reciever screen- when you always think he is just setting it up for a fake sceen and the reciever goes deep
- Not utilizing Kamara as often
- The off tackle on the 2 point conversion attempt

just to name a few, I still do not like people calling for his head. I was driving around South Bend Saturday night after the game trying to find Rocco's pizza and listening to the sports talk radio. Almost every caller was demanding Weis be fired. They were stating reasons such as play calling and player development. One caller even stooped to saying that "he cant walk so how can he teach proper technique." Thats low. The same people who say Weis is winning with Willinghams players were the same people who were saying Willingham is winning with Davie's players. Then what? They fire Weis and then the new coach goes 11-1 and then 10-2 and then 2-9 and then we have to hear "oh we he only won with Weis' players." Give it some time. They run a 3-4 pro-style defense and they dont have the right players for that system yet. Honestly, I dont know if Weis will be an amazing coach at Notre Dame, but I do have the patience to wait 4 years to se what will pan out.

This year according to CBSsportsline.com they have the 6th hardest schedule in the country. That is no joke. This year Navy leads the nation in rushing 333 yds/gm. That is no joke. I was mad as hell watching them get 3-7 yards a carry knowing that Weis had 2 weeks to prepare for that rushing attack coming off a bye week. While Navy's defense is horrible, it basically compliments ND's offense. But while we may be mad about player development, maybe Weis really is "developing" his players through this long season of tough opponents. Maybe in 3-4 years when ND is atop to the BCS rankings and we watch "do anything for ratings" ESPN and they interview Clausen and Weis about the 2007 season, we will listen to them say what that season taought them and how persistence and pateince pays off. At least this is what I hope for.

All-in-all, they shoulda beat Navy, but they didnt. So lets move on and get off the ledges. Let's stay off Weis' back and lets just wait and see.

 

[BestBIrish47]

Great Post!! Reps

 

[johnnd05]

This year according to CBSsportsline.com they have the 6th hardest schedule in the country. That is no joke. This year Navy leads the nation in rushing 333 yds/gm. That is no joke. I was mad as hell watching them get 3-7 yards a carry knowing that Weis had 2 weeks to prepare for that rushing attack coming off a bye week. While Navy's defense is horrible, it basically compliments ND's offense. But while we may be mad about player development, maybe Weis really is "developing" his players through this long season of tough opponents. Maybe in 3-4 years when ND is atop to the BCS rankings and we watch "do anything for ratings" ESPN and they interview Clausen and Weis about the 2007 season, we will listen to them say what that season taought them and how persistence and pateince pays off. At least this is what I hope for.

All-in-all, they shoulda beat Navy, but they didnt. So lets move on and get off the ledges. Let's stay off Weis' back and lets just wait and see.

I've been as hard on Weis as anyone over the last day and a half, but let me just say that I don't actually think it would be wise to fire him.

But the fact of the matter is that THESE KINDS OF EXCUSES ARE WORTH NOTHING. It's NOT about the wins and losses; it's about HOW they've come. When you're at home to face a DREADFUL Navy team and you can't even average four yards a carry, you've got big problems. When you hold Navy to their worst offensive output of the season and 21 total points on offense and you can't score more than a single touchdown in the second half, you've got problems. When you make bonehead playcalling decisions like the ones we saw Saturday, you've got problems. And guess what? ALL THOSE PROBLEMS CAN BE TRACED TO WEIS.

I want the guy to succeed; I really do. I really admire him and his family, and what they've done for the community. I'm still holding out hope that he'll fix this situation, whether this year or next. But the fact of the matter is that it DOES NOT LOOK GOOD, and until things improve I plan to be on his back with all my heart, mind, and strength.

 

[JeremyND07]

Only here would there be people saying "take it easy on Weis" when our team is 1-8 and just lost to Navy! This is taking Koolaid drinking to a whole new level!!!!!!

 

[loomis41973]

While i dont think Charlie should be fired this year, i see nothing wrong with being critical of some of his play calls and lack of player development.....but PLEASE give to TY-WEIS comparisons a freaking rest already.

 

[GoIrish41]

Comparing CW and Ty just makes ND fans look pathetic, IMO. Take the lumps and stop making excuses.

 

[goldandblue]

In one more year, we will see who Weis really is. After next year, everyone knows he'll be gone if he performs like he did this year. He knows he'll be gone if he has another year like this one.

 

[loomis41973]

I like the fact at the Sunday presser he said he's not going anywhere.....gonna be here for a long time.

 

[JeremyND07]

I like the fact at the Sunday presser he said he's not going anywhere.....gonna be here for a long time.

What he says and does are (2) different things....when he was introduced as coach and you told him he was going to be 1-8 I would bet he would say that was unacceptable and he would resign!

Still waiting on that "nasty" football team!!!!

 

[goldandblue]

Well, Maybe history repeats itself. Notre Dame won 4 N.C.'s after their last lost to Navy.

 

[GoIrish41]

Well, Maybe history repeats itself. Notre Dame won 4 N.C.'s after their last lost to Navy.

A lot can happen in 43 years. LOL

 

[onenybrother]

Please tell me he got it wrong!!!

Please tell me he got it wrong!!!

TARNISHED DOME: When the Notre Dame pep band broke into its traditional rendition of the "1812 Overture" at the start of the fourth quarter during the Irish's home game with Navy, the student body, which normally honors its coach at that time, began to boo Charlie Weis.

Guess the honeymoon really is over in South Bend after Navy, which last week gave up 59 points in a loss to Delaware, broke its 43-year losing streak against the Irish with a 46-44 triple-overtime victory.

Notre Dame is now an unfathomable 1-8 and has lost five straight at home this season, with improved Air Force (7-3) on the horizon. Weis is bound to be second-guessed for his decision, with the score tied at 28, to pass on a 41-yard field goal attempt in the final 45 seconds of regulation and go for a first down on a fourth-and-8 from the Navy 24. Quarterback Evan Sharpley was nailed by an airborne Chris Kuhar-Pitters for a seven-yard loss. It was the fourth sack of the game for an academy team that entered the game with just five.

"It was going against the wind and in practice, (freshman Brandon Walker) couldn't make it from there," Weis explained. "That's why we didn't kick from there. That was a pretty simple one."

It had been a difficult week for Irish freshman tailback Robert Hughes, whose brother Earl was gunned down two blocks from his home in Chicago on Tuesday morning. Weis drove Hughes back to Chicago on Thursday and 50 of his teammates attended the funeral Friday.

"I wanted No.33 (Hughes) to be standing on that stool in the locker room singing the fight song so all his teammates could be sitting there, hugging him," Weis said. "That was really the most important thing to me and that wasn't able to happen."

If this story is true. I feel sad for us fans.

 

[johnnd05]

If this story is true. I feel sad for us fans.

Which part are you talking about? The part about the coach doing yet another awful job of gameplanning and playcalling, or the part about the well-deserved scorn of the fans? I would've booed as well if I had been there: not at the players, but at Weis (which is exactly what the students were doing).

 

[SoCalDomer]

I attended my first game ever at Notre Dame this weekend.

Congratulations. My thoughts after my first game were 1) why didn't I do this sooner, and 2) when can I come back for another. Stay thirsty for another pilgrimage my friend/

They run a 3-4 pro-style defense and they dont have the right players for that system yet. Honestly, I dont know if Weis will be an amazing coach at Notre Dame, but I do have the patience to wait 4 years to se what will pan out.

I generally agree with you that we don't have the perfect personnel for this, but we have been in the 4-3 formation on a number of occassions this year and still gave up yardage or didn't get much pressure on the QB. If Weis didn't have the right personnel, he might have wanted to wait to implement it until next year. But the defense hasn't a major gripe on my part this season or last game, since it is hard to tell whether the defense improved against a smaller, less talented team than we've been playing because of Navy's unorthodox offensive scheme.

While Navy's defense is horrible, it basically compliments ND's offense.

I think this is why this game was so frsutrating. If teams like Delaware could put up 59 points and a whole lota yards on Navy's D, how did we only manage 28 points in regulation?

But while we may be mad about player development, maybe Weis really is "developing" his players through this long season of tough opponents.

I am willing to give Weis more time; I haven't called for his head and won't this year. But another frustrating part about this game plays off of your point above. If Weis were developing the players, but because of our tough competition it was hard to get results, this game more than any other with an extra week to prepare should have shown that we can dominate lesser opponents IF the problem was the strength of our opponents. I didn't see domination of Navy's smaller, weaker defense.

 

[onenybrother]

Which part are you talking about? The part about the coach doing yet another awful job of gameplanning and playcalling, or the part about the well-deserved scorn of the fans? I would've booed as well if I had been there: not at the players, but at Weis (which is exactly what the students were doing).

Explain to what booing Charlie gonna prove. I will tell you nothing. But it nice to know that your off the wagon.

 

[johnnd05]

Explain to what booing Charlie gonna prove. I will tell you nothing. But it nice to know that your off the wagon.

It communicates to him that the fans are sick of sloppy, mediocre play, and that we think he's largely responsible for it.

But what do you mean, "off the wagon"? I love this team as much as I ever have. And as I've said, I really feel for Weis, and I really admire him as a person. I just think he's done a crappy job coaching this football team, and I've run out of ways to excuse him. I hope and pray that he works it out; having my doubts as to whether he can do that doesn't make me less of a fan.

 

[onenybrother]

It communicates to him that the fans are sick of sloppy, mediocre play, and that we think he's largely responsible for it.

But what do you mean, "off the wagon"? I love this team as much as I ever have. And as I've said, I really feel for Weis, and I really admire him as a person. I just think he's done a crappy job coaching this football team, and I've run out of ways to excuse him. I hope and pray that he works it out; having my doubts as to whether he can do that doesn't make me less of a fan.

The man is coaching a 1-8 team. I believe he know's that the fans are unhappy. Tell the Boobirds thanks for letting know the obvious. But I agree with you booing doesn't make you less of a fan.

 

[ryno 24]

Give him one more year he is annoying me with his stupid decisions but does nobody remember what happened the past two years! 2 BCS games! yes he did not win but he had success in the season Sure if he screws up one more year he should be gone as soon as the season ends but just give him one more year

 

[JeremyND07]

Give him one more year he is annoying me with his stupid decisions but does nobody remember what happened the past two years! 2 BCS games! yes he did not win but he had success in the season Sure if he screws up one more year he should be gone as soon as the season ends but just give him one more year

We got killed in those (2) BCS games that everyone loves to use as how good a coach Weis is.....I want him to win a game against a top 5 team or win a bowl game before I drink the Weis Koolaid!!!! I agree he is a great recruiter but I really do not understand the good coach talk!!!!!

 

[Mr. McGibblets]

I dont want anyone thinking I am this huge Weis "homer" although my user name may suggest otherwise. To most of you who sit here in disbelief about how bad of a job he is supposedly doing, you are probably the majority who sat here (including me) who ripped Mark May for picking them to win 1 game in their first 7 or 8. i know, i know this was game 9 and it was Navy. Forget that. Mark May "kept it real" and let the irish fans know that this was a young, inexperienced team. Most of you probably had your emails already drafted to write to May if and when the Irish won 7 games (of which he stated Weis would get his vote for coach of the year if they accomplished this.) I know many are frustrated, me included. I am frustrated when I check the recruiting list for kickers and see zero because he doesnt want to waste a scholarship on a kicker- oh and keep in mind the punter, Price, is a senior. I am frustrated that ND outweighed Navy on the O line by alot (I dont feel like looking up the number) and still gave up four sacks to a team that had 4 all year. I am frustrated they don't take shots down field etc... talking Weis kool-aid, stop drinking the Lou Holtz kool-aid. He would pick the Irish over the Patriots. Listen, I don't like the play calling this year but they lost a ton of talent, NFL talent. Most teams reload, ND didnt, but I am HOPING they will. And hoping will require patience. Hop back on the wagon, ride it out. For God's sake you sound like a bunch of Philadelphia Eagles fans and I hear enough of those fans who want to fire this coach and fire that coach. Also, just to let you know, Next season will not be this miraculous season either. I dont care what Weis says, its rebuilding. Rebuilding=patience. I fear that the Athletic department and fans are losing this. Hell, we even gave Bob Davie more than 3-4 years. I just want them to commit to something so we dont have to start all over again. Rip him all you want, just dont get rid of him.

 

[TC_57]

I am married to ND, but Illinois is my mistress. This season seems to parallel the Illini's 2006 season where they were a miserable 2-10. Everyone questioned whether Ron Zook is a legit college coach. People said the same things, "he is a great recruiter, but a terrible coach." Illinois had same issue last year that ND has this year, young talent with no experience. They worked their butts off in the off season to become a respectable team this season with the prospects of becoming a great team in the near future. We will have to do the same. As many mistakes that Charlie has made this year, I really doubt that there are a whole lot of coaches out there who would have even gotten to .500 with this roster. Charlie started this season with no QB's with any game experience, no experience at RB, 3 Off Linemen with no experience and one with 1 year of experience, Grimes and Jackson as your top WR's( they are 3rd and 4th receivers at best). You almost are forced to play a 3-4 because the talent on the d-line is very thin at best. ND has only one d-lineman that is capable of starting on a Big 10 team right now. Urban Meyer took one look at this roster and headed south for greener pastures. My point is that Charlie has made a lot of mistakes this year, but he is rebuilding this program the right way. He is smart enough to learn from his mistakes. You don't last very long in the NFL by not being able to adjust and you certainly do not win 4 Super Bowl rings. He took an experienced team with above average talent (at best) and took them to 2 BCS appearances. This team will be just fine.

 

[johnnd05]

Very nice first post, TC57. I hate Zook and Illinois and it pains me to use them as a model, but I hope you're right.

Here's a question, though: did the Illini look as woefully incompetent and downright uncompetitive in 2006 as the Irish have this year?

 

[TC_57]

Illinois looked just as bad last year.

 

[johnnd05]

Illinois looked just as bad last year.

Okay. Well that makes me feel a little better ...

(Only a little, though. I can't believe I'm able to find comfort in the suggestion that our head coach might - MIGHT! - turn out to be as good as Ron Zook. :banghead2)

 

[loomis41973]

The students booing makes baby Jesus cry.

 

[johnnd05]

The students booing makes baby Jesus cry.

... I think he was already crying over what happened on the field itself.

 

[GoIrish41]

... I think he was already crying over what happened on the field itself.

 

[Mr. McGibblets]

Thank you TC 57. Well said. You can only coach as far as your "experienced talent" will take you.

 

[kmoose]

We got killed in those (2) BCS games that everyone loves to use as how good a coach Weis is.....I want him to win a game against a top 5 team or win a bowl game before I drink the Weis Koolaid!!!! I agree he is a great recruiter but I really do not understand the good coach talk!!!!!

Jeremy,

I can sympathize with your frustration, but think about this for a moment:

Don't be surprised, when you step up to "drink the Weis Koolaid", if no one passes it to you. Weis has made a lot of mistakes, and he is ultimately responsible for the product on the field. But there are too many factors at work, to lay all of the blame on Weis. I thought he was crazy for faking the field goal in the first quarter. But, if you listened to his presser, it seems it wasn't as dumb a decision as it looked at the time. According to Weis, the coaches picked up on something in their film study of Navy. EVERY TIME this season that someone had attempted a field goal from the left hash mark, Navy had used the exact same rush scheme. So the staff decided ahead of time that, if they had a FG attempt from the left hash, they would run a fake designed to beat the rush scheme of Navy. Weis said that what blew the play up, is that the key defender that HAD to rush for the play to work stayed home. I still think he should have put points on the board, but I understand that he was thinking that they needed touchdowns, not FGs, to beat Navy. I think it was a bad decision, but not bad coaching. The FG at the end of the game, I think was bad coaching. Make it and you almost definitely win the game. Miss it and you turn the ball over to a team that can barely throw the ball, in their own territory, with less than a minute left. I can't, nor will I try, to defend that decision. But still, what would have happened if Armando Allen hadn't whiffed at blocking a blitzer? You don't account for your tailback completely fanning at a block.

 

[johnnd05]

... there are too many factors at work, to lay all of the blame on Weis.

I don't think anyone's laying ALL the blame on Weis. Just a hell of a lot of it.