Teddy Greenstein skewers Weis

The lack of quicks in the secondary has killed them, for years.

 

Charlie does not understand his own recruiting base. What makes the Pats winners? Long story short, it's Belichick's ability to find and employ players with football IQs that are off the charts. See Vrabel, Mike and a bunch of others.
That's what Weis has to sell at ND, too. But he hasn't.

 

I think this was the problem. I don't think it is any more.

Right now they've got the two most dynamic wide receivers they've had since Lord knows when and a quarterback, except for last week, who can get the ball to them. They basically run a spread offense more often than not, and when they've been successful this year it's been when they stretch the field. The problem comes when they tee up with two tight ends and a fullback and try to pound it.
Same thing on defense. They finally have decent corners and overall they're much better against the pass than the run, and they would be better if they ever got any pressure on quarterbacks. The teams that beat them ran all over them. They're losing in the trenches.
Weis may be an asshole, a bad motivator and a lousy big-game coach. But he has been recruiting speed.

 

It's not team speed any more. I know that's the default criticism of Notre Dame - of any Midwest program, really. And a lot of it has been well-earned through the years.

But a lot of the guys out there now can run.

As STLIrish said, it's the trenches.

 

Sick of hearing about the speed. Everyone is fast nowadays.

 

I also don't agree about the academic standards portion of the equation either. There are a lot of smart football players that could get into ND. Florida State has a genius in Myron Rolle but he went to FSU. Craig Krenzel was something like a biochem major, he didn't choose ND. I think it's just a tiresome excuse that ND fans will use.

 

The comment thread on the end of the column makes you wonder about the human race.

 

Why freeze to death in Northern Indiana, while playing for a load like Charlie Weis?

I'll hang up and listen.

 

College football fans are second only to political true believers in the lunacy rankings.

 

Top-flight education? Graduation rate through the roof? Nationally televised games every single week? Tradition?

Not trying to be a Notre Dame apologist or anything, but the place has plenty of things going for it.

 

I'm pretty sure Weis is safe for now, but the last four recruiting classes for the Irish better start producing, including the 2009 commits: it's ranking is 8, 8, 2, 8.
The four years before starting in 2002 were 23, 12, 32, 40 (Weis' first class).

 

Exactly. They use the academic portion as a an excuse. Yet, they have loads of tradition a lucrative contract that no other independent team has. A special BCS deal that no other independent has. A great school, yet that isn't enough. I guarantee, a better coach could recruit there. Pete Caroll could do it. Maybe that is a bad example. He could win anywhere. The fact remains, fat tuna is not a good coach. He will finish 7-5 this year. And maybe that's enough.

The sad thing is ND will probably be 10-2 next year. Take a look at the upcoming schedule.



Sept. 5 NEVADA - 5-4 in a mid-major conference
Sept. 12 at Michigan - coming off their worst season in school history. will have a freshman qb
Sept. 19 MICHIGAN STATE - losing starting rb, and starting qb, won't be as good as they are now
Sept. 26 at Purdue - terrible team right now, will have a new coach
Oct. 3 WASHINGTON - possibly the worst team in america. the detroit lions of the west coast.
Oct. 10 Open Date - better than half the teams on this schedule.
Oct. 17 USC - one loss for sure.
Oct. 24 BOSTON COLLEGE - having a mediocre year in a bad conference this season. who knows about 09
Oct. 31 vs. Washington State (at San Antonio, Texas) - almost as bad as washington
Nov. 7 NAVY - Probably one of the better teams on the list but now powerhouse.
Nov. 14 at Pittsburgh - Dave Wandstadt. End of sentence.
Nov. 21 CONNECTICUT -mediocre team in a terrible conference. lost to rutgers this year - which is bad again
Nov. 28 at Stanford - Getting better. Not there yet. (by the way why doesn't ND just join the pac 10)