Why Do We Suck This Year?

Many Irish fans around the world, including some from this family, are giving up on Notre Dame football. Now, I agree that this season is over - and has been since we lost to Michigan. However, I wouldn't say the program is dead, and I wouldn't say next year is a loss too! This is a rough topic, but I'll take a stab at it. I would like to take a realistic look at Weis and the future of ND football. My main point is that this is a complex issue, that does not have a single cause. Many in the media are putting all the blame on Weis, but it's not so simple.

First, let me just say that Weis is not going anywhere this season or next. It has been well documented that he loves ND and he is not a quitter. Therefore, he will not resign. Also, despite what some may say on this board, no way would ND shell out $21 million or so to buy out his contract! Do you know how many students that money would put through school? ND gave Weis that buyout to ensure that they would not fire him, and make sure everyone knew they would not. They wanted to make it perfectly clear that the musical coaching chairs played during Davie, O'Leary and Willingham were over. Anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional.

Next, lets place blame where it is due. Weis has done a poor job of preparing his team to play throughout the season. I think everyone would agree that we should be better than 1-9 with the talent on this team. Is this because Weis is "the worst coach in the universe?" Of course not. I would place the blame clearly upon his lack of college experience - not upon his lack of head coaching experience. Weis is a great X's and O's guy. He is a straight shooter who says what he means. He is an exceptional team manager as a head coach should be. This is evidenced by his assistant coach hirings, recruiting, work as a spokesperson for the team and University, and other non-game related endeavors. Where his problem has been is being able to communicate and enact his plans with young college kids. His repeated press conference admissions show this. From not using full contact in drills, to not effectively communicating in-game adjustments to the team, to describing the disparity between practice prep and game performance. He skated by his first two years because he had an upperclassman heavy roster that had game experience at the college level. This year not so lucky.

That gets us to the talent issue. Yes, NBC pointed out all the high school All-Americans on our roster, but that means nothing! I'm not going to rehash all the stats about the class of 2003 recruits remaining or the playing time of our O-line before the season started. Those are in other articles all over. What I will say is this... A majority of our players are young kids 18 and 19, playing for their first meaningful minutes this year. Is some of of this Ty's fault? Yes, he left us with this experience gap. Is some of this Charlie's fault? Yes, he acknowledged coaching mistakes at each juncture of the season. Is some of this Kevin White's fault? Yes, what the heck is up with the front half of our schedule? It was brutal, and did not help this young team grow and mature. As a result, the season began to snowball, which is understandable given their youth. Could Holtz or Ara have gotten more out of this team? Sure, maybe another win or two, but this is not a Bowl team, not with our level of experience and that killer schedule. We need to accept that. By the way, the only teams we lost to in the 2 years prior: Mich State, USC, OSU, Michigan, LSU. Give me a break! No way Lou could have gotten more out of those teams!

Charlie Weis is not the next Knute Rockne. He is a good coach with tons of potential, but a lack of experience at the college level. Every year, he is learning and his mistakes will decrease. He'll get it soon enough, and then look out! He has proven to be a master at some of the intangibles that come with being head coach of Notre Dame. After three years, he has molded the team in his image, and meets the pressure cooker of his job head-on with excitement. The pressure that got to Davie and Willingham doesn't phase Weis at all. He will turn this team around, and it will begin next season. We will have talent AND experience EVERYWHERE, and I know Weis will take a more traditional college coaching approach, born by 3 years of experience. Yes, he is learning on the job, but he has the tools at heart to be a great coach.

2008 Prediction: 7-5 with a trip to the Gator Bowl.