Gipper, When I look at Charlie I see confusion. I see a guy who is getting OJT on the fly. He never was a HC before and excelled in a niche coaching postion under two of the greatest Pro HCs of all time. I don't think he can handle a job of this magnitude. I hope I am wrong. At the very least, after this season, he needs to replace Latina ( OL coach ), Mendoza ( Strength coach ), Polian ( Special teams coach but try to keep him as recruiting coordinator like Vinny Cerrato was ) and get a bona fide offensive coordinator. He also need to establish a chain of command between Corwin Brown and John Tenuta; he probably doesn't need both. This team has a ton of highly sought after talent with ample game experience but it is not being developed.
George, a 'niche' position? Offensive coordinator in the NFL!?!?!?! Holy cow. I do agree with you about changes on the staff. I don't agree about letting either Brown or Tenuta go...for that matter, Haywood. The drum beats of the BCA are becoming louder and louder here and there figures to be lots of openings coming up soon. I can't see Corwin Brown, who has proven to be a recruiting machine, or MH being passed over this time around. We might lose both of them.
Boy that is the way the Gator board was when Zook was there. Some people I had never seen there before had the boards lit up by the time I got home from our loss to Miami. That pattern just kept up as long as Zook was there. When Meyer came some of those people just quit posting. It was amazing. Now in the early season this year you would have thought the roof had fallen in even before we lost to Ole Miss and particularly the couple of games after. Winning just wasn't good enough until we started blowing people out. The difference though is that those posters were pretty much regulars who were negative people and don't seem to be able to find the silver lining even in a good win. This outsiders view of Weis is that he is amassing talent with one good recruiting class after another and will start winning more consistently. But that's just an outsider view. Good luck.
Ok. Let me show you guys a positive post. This will show you that I am not as hard hearted and judgemental as you think. I will critique yeterday's game... Irish Win Hard Fought Contest against top flight Navy and Mother Nature Notre Dame ventured into hostile Baltimaore to win over Navy 27-21 in weather conditions that were virtually apopalyptic. A game Jimmy Clausen stayed within himself, completeing 15 passes for 100 yards and only three turnovers which showed a marked improvement over the four he issued last week at BC. The running attack featured four tailbacks who easily ground up a staunch Navy defense. ND's passing attack lit up the sky like the like the setting for a Francis Scott Key song in spite of hurricane like conditions. Kicker Brandon Walker conrinued to show remarkable improvement with another 2-2 FG performance. The defense was smothering in limiting Navy to only 178 yards rushing and completely shutting down the Naval passing attack until the very end of the game. Coach Charlie Weis called a flawless play sequence throughout, and after amassing an insurmountable lead of 24-6 substituted liberally in what he called his "personal salute to our fighting men and women overseas". Weis added that "the weather, coupled with the incedible youth factor on our team, could have formed a perfect storm but we navigated through it". The Irish are now bowl eligible and a prohibitive favorite over Syracuse next week on their way to the highly anticipated dog fight with USC and possible New Years day bowl appearance. I feel better now.
George, One of my Tider buddies here broke this down in a way that I thought was spot on.. On a 10 point scale, ND was a 9.5 under Holtz. In the last few years under Holtz, they became a 7...but fans thought they were a 9. Under Davie they became a 6.5, but fans still thought they were an 8. Under Ty they became a 5, but fans still think they are a 7.5 Under Charlie, they are back to being a 7 and well on their way to 9....but the fans place level 10 expectations on them still.
George Like you I question Latina's ability to coach our O line. I also think that our receiver coach Ianello who doesn't do a particularly good job especially in terms of downfield blocking. I'm not sure about Mendoza. I think that Charlie has a really smart combo on the D side. Tenuta is a good aggressive defensive coach that apparently doesn't recruit. Brown on the other hand has the title of D coordinator and that probably helps him to be an effective recruiter. I think he does need both. They compliment each other. We need to make plays. Gray has to hold onto the football. Every RB knows that. Hughes has to catch the onside kick. He didn't. Ironically the player yesterday that made the biggest play was walkon Anello who blocked a punt. The coaches can put players in position to make big plays but the players have to do it.
Corey, That scale-of-10 analysis is excellent. It's interesting and speaks to your comments about ND fans' issues that someone from outside the "family" can be so objective and can hit the bullseye with their analysis. I also appreciate Bill's comments about how fair minded people outside the ND family see our program.
As others have observed, that when large message boards go negative it's not pretty. I'm sorry that Larry feels so strongly that he's leaving us because there is not enough criticism of Weis here on this board. On another board a poster who has been very active for years posted today that he's not posting anymore because, like Larry, he doesn't feel like ND fans are critical enough of Weis. He feels like by not demanding he be fired right now, that we are accepting of his incompetence and that we are as much a part of the problem as Weis. I've also seen a number of posters criticise Swarbrick for not comming out and saying that Weis is on thin ice and that he's not doing a good job. It's just flat out ugly. I'm not happy with the season for sure, and Weis needs to do better. But he needs to come back next year and show us that he's the man to do the job. I do hope he makes some staff moves in the off season. I'm not sure what to think of the whole situation with Haywood, I think the whole he can't call the plays because of the funeral is a ruse. I'll bet if some one close to Charlie passed away during his years at the Pats he would have still called the plays on Sunday. Maybe Haywood is on his way out. Because of our OL play Latina, who previously was a well respected OL coach, is certainly on the hot seat with ND fans. Syracuse is another bad team, hopefully on Sr day at ND stadium we will have a great game and play good on offense and defense. They fired their coach today, but that was expected. Terry
Terry. 1. I hope Larry continues to post here, even if he just skips ND football. 2. Do we have any seniors to have a senior day? 3. The article that was linked earlier to me really said it all. We have a great number of things that are going the right way for us at this time. We also have a guy who 'gets' ND. That factor alone cannot be said enough. I don't know if Chuckles is the guy to take us back to the promised land, but I am goshdang sure he is a guy who could lay the road to it. George, We should just schedule a time, once a day, that you show up at my door...kick me in the balls and walk away That is not good news.. I kid... about the ball kicking
ha! there's a few folks who'd pay you handsomely for that service! any word on how serious those 2 knee injuries are?
Corey.....that scale analysis of how ND fans percceive the Irish is so spot on it's scary. The phenomenon is actually the source of most of our disagreements in the past but lately I have avoided making too many comments about ND to avoid conflict.
I also do not want to see Larry leave here, but I'm dead serious that the tone of his posts the past few weeks indicate to me a guy who is heading for the boiling point. There have been times in my life in recent years when I have been where he seems to be, perhaps during an ND football game, perhaps involving some other issue. I can feel the veins swelling in my forehead and in the back of my neck. I start thinking about how these sensations can precede a burst blood vessel, hence a stroke. I know that I cannot afford to indulge my already vulnerable emotions and I must back off and calm down. I've had to learn to be calmer. It's not easy, but I feel it's necessary if I'm going to have a chance for a decent quality of life in my senior years. Huh? You've got to be kidding.
ND/cw <r>Personally I just don't see the point of going all negative right now and demanding Weis be fired as so forth. First of all let's get real, IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN...at least not this year. As has been mentioned there are just too many reasons right now to keep him. He isn't a Davie or God forbid Tyrone that is setting the program back 5 or more years like they did. <br/> <br/> Yeah there is plenty to bitch about but for right now I'm willing to give the guy the benefit of the doubt until the end of next season. If we still have the same problems then.....well let's just hope that CW figures how to get this done right and we'll be having a more more positive tone to our conversations next year at this time. <br/> <br/> If everyone thinks it will be easy to find a big time sure-thing coach to come to ND now you better think twice. Look at what we went through the last couple of times then ask the other high profile programs who have gone on the hunt for new HCs the past few years.....it ain't easy. <br/> <br/> The situation at ND is very fragile at this point as far as I see it. Let's hope everyone thinks long and hard before making any major changes at the HC position right now. <br/> <br/> <br/> Weis has a lot of work to do. We can only hope that between now and next November he will have shown us he is up to the task. If not I guess I'll be on the other side of this with those asking for his head. As far as I'm concerned though, if he does go then the new HC will at least have a good head start with the team/talent Weis will be leaving him. <E></E></r>
Dave, Funny enough... One of the single biggest reasons my Tider buddies at work open up to me is because my perception of ND's team seems more reality based than others they run into. Now, it should be noted that their interactions with other ND fans are on the internet only, but still... they quite often to me come to me about SEC football. We have a good group dynamic at work... I learn from them, and they from me. One thing I can tell is that they have a healthy respect for pac10 teams now. You see, the key is...a willingness to listen. that's where you and I part.. you are not willing to listen one iota about anything Gator related. that's cool. it's you and i'm glad you're here.
Injuries have been called "strains". Both players to miss four weeks which includes the final two games. Would be able to play in a bowl game if we make one.
WHY is everyone so UPTIGHT :?: The schedule for the next few years has been considerably downgraded...everything will be fine :!: