Vince Young said:
Actually, as I recall, there were more than a few eyebrows raised here on this board a few weeks ago when one of the architecture grads dropped off of the team to focus on academics, and Weis came out with guns a-blazin'. So, I don't think this is entirely a case of it being "their guy" instead of "our guy."
Also, there's a world of difference between saying "Our defense needs to improve" (as Weis has said) versus "Our running game this year was garbage" (as Urban has said). One is an honest assesment. The other is an out-and-out insult, done in a very public manner.
It's one thing to say that behind the closed doors of the locker room; I'm sure Weis has said that and worse. (See the Syracuse and Stanford games.) But saying it in public is crossing a big, red glowing line.
Yeah, I was about to say the same thing. If Weis ever publicly called one of his players "trash," I'd be just as upset as I am w/ Meyer. In fact, more so, since Weis is the head coach of Notre Dame and I think he should be held up to a much higher standard than Meyer.
Vince Young said:
But what greatly amuses me is that many of the same voices who trash Urban now are the same ones who were calling him the Urban Legend when it looked like he was coming to Notre Dame. *shrug*
Hey, I'll be the first one to admit it, I was crowing for them to write Meyer a blank check when Willingham was fired (although, to be fair, I didn't turn around and start bashing him right away when he signed w/ Florida. It took several months, a whole lot of anti-Notre Dame garbage from his mouth to recruits' ears, and a couple of incidents like this for that to happen) and when they first hired Weis, while I was happy w/ the choice after Weis' first press conference, I never thought he'd be as good or better than Meyer even up to the beginning of the regular season.
I still don't think we've seen enough out of either of them at this level to say who will be regarded in history as the better coach, but in one season Weis has show he'll at least hold his own in the discussion. And, I feel at least, he's shown more character in that brief period of time than Meyer has. And no, not because Meyer signed w/ Florida. I can respect that decision, he's a coach and he wanted to win, and a year ago it certainly seemed winning would come a lot faster at Florida than at South Bend. I actually wished him well and hoped he succeded. I have since recanted of that position b/c he's seemed to be such an arrogant jerk ever since taking the job.
Anyway, the point is, I'll say it, I was wrong. I thought Meyer was this great savior, and if, in the end, he can't do it w/ Florida's talent I shudder to think what he'd do w/ Notre Dame's. But that's why I'm not the AD of the university and Kevin White is (even though hiring Weis over Meyer was much more a stoke of blind luck than brains).
But after all that, I'm sure Irish will say I'm just a homer who's trying to rationalize after the fact to make myself feel better about Meyer going to Florida over South Bend.