Well, we still don’t know the fate of Charlie Weis-but most assume this is the End Of The Road (Oh, how many Jr. High guys got their first feelsies at a Sock Hop due to that Boyz II Men classic?). Notre Dame is a hard job, and I wonder if he knew exactly what he was getting into when he got hired after the 2004 season. (Hint: He couldn’t walk away a winner, even if he won-nothing is ever good enough at ND.)
Or did his ambition to be a head coach cause him to walk into a situation that at least one other pertinent Charlie walked into (many, many times)? Thinking he could get a job done when all of the odds (expectations, outside forces, putting trust in others that didn’t work out) were stacked against him.
In other words, I think Charlie’s ambition got him Lucy’d.
Short and simple today, but here are two things that people need to know as Notre Dame makes a decision that will greatly impact its future,
1.) Winning at ND IS harder than ever.
I know that people have said “ND will never be back” before. I know that they said it even before Ara arrived-and Ara proved that they didn’t know what they were talking about. I know that millions of Irish faithful believe that the situation is still exactly the same-ND is only failing because the coach isn’t good enough.
But, the truth is that Notre Dame’s advantages aren’t what they once were. A championship isn’t guaranteed, even if a good coach is in place. The coach needs to be great. Such a leader of men that a recruit would follow him to the moon if he was asked-even though the oxygen tank was bordering on empty. Athletes don’t need ND to gain notoriety anymore-you can be seen on t.v. in Starkville if you’re good enough, so the NBC contract doesn’t mean what it did on 1993. Also, the best recruits live in the south and out west. They live next door to places like Southern Cal. When those programs have good coaches-it is damn hard to lure a recruit away. (They could stay close to home, and still get the exposure that Notre Dame can offer. That hasn’t always been the case. Tim Tebow wouldn’t be Tim Tebow at Florida in 1940, he would have had to play at Notre Dame to be Tim Tebow.)
That being said, Notre Dame is still college football’s biggest name. If the program could start winning again-they would still attract more eyeballs than anyone else. The winning plus the people watching=a legend being born. This is the one fact that could entice a big name (and big-egoed) coach to try and return Notre Dame to prominence. Having a big time coach would be the first step toward what Notre Dame needs.
(Oh, getting a proven big name will be nearly impossible-ND’s next coach will have questions that need to be answered.)
2.) Building Notre Dame will take time.
There might be a nice season or two on that roster, but the Irish have a lot ground to make up with the elite programs. If you ever hear someone say Notre Dame has talent, that person inevitably supports their argument by throwing out these names: Jimmy Clausen, Golden Tate, and Michael Floyd. Three players. That’s about it. And that’s supposed to mean Notre Dame is oh, so close? Please. Take away Clausen and Tate-Notre Dame is laying a goose egg this year. What happens if those two leave for the draft this year? The Irish need (much) more kids that are difference-makers (defense, I’m looking at you especially).
What Notre Dame’s overall talent looks like compared to the elite.
(Hint: ND is the fat one.)
