Anyone with a pulse knows there's little chance that Charlie Weis will make it past December 1, and with his impending doom I think it's time to reflect on his five years (and much of our own time) at Notre Dame. Yesterday's pre-game walk out of the tunnel is exactly why I feel so conflicted about Charlie's exit from South Bend. Even the biggest Charlie Weis haters (OC, anyone?) had to feel something for the man at that point. There's no doubt he truly cares for his players and the university and that's part of the reason why it's so difficult to see him go for me. I really wish he had succeeded here, because I truly think he's the perfect man for the job in so many aspects except the most important: Saturday afternoons.
Despite his rough exterior and arrogance, he is a truly great man. The charity work he has done for his daughter and others is far too often lost in the sea of the media's agenda to label him as an arrogant ass. (NBC's footage of his opening press conference as UCONN is lining up for the game winning field goal is just one example.) I guarantee you that Charlie has regretted making that famous "schematic advantage" statement, at least since 2007; but his I still think golden domers need to realize just how what a great representative for the university the man has been and could continue to be, that is if he had succeeded.
Weis' recruiting success has been well-documented but it's something I want to emphasize now. Charlie has made this job attractive again; he might be the first coach in 20 or possibly even 30 years to leave the program in better shape than he found it. The same certainly can't be said of Davie, Ty, or even beloved Lou Holtz. Most coaching changes ultimately result in a huge rebuilding process that may take years to play out (see: DickRod), but Charlie has set up his successor to have the opportunity to succeed right away. He brought a pro-style passing offense to ND, something greatly needed in order to succeed in the college football landscape that more and more relies on the quarterback. I think we can all admit now that Charlie Weis is nothing more than our version of Ron Zook. And you know what, I'm okay with that now. If Swarbrick and Co. can make the homerun hire we all hope they can (another post to come on this), that man can have us in BCS contention immediately. Because the cupboard is not bare, and when we're hoisting a Sears glass football in 2012 a big part of me will be thanking Charlie Weis for making this job palatable again.
The irony of yesterday's UCONN loss is that one of Charlie's first big recruits, Zach Frazer, helped put the final nail in the big man's coffin. But despite all the lows the Charlie Weis era has provided, as it comes to a close I can't help but remember some of the great moments that his teams provided us, especially in the first two years. Here are some of my favorites:
1. Zibby's punt return against USC: possibly the loudest moment I've ever heard at Notre Dame stadium. Earlier that afternoon I was arguing with Spicy that I didn't think that Zibby had the breakaway speed to be our return man. When #9 walked into the endzone, he called me out from five rows up, and I loved every minute of it.
2. Brady's TD run on the draw in the final three minutes against USC: thought we were heading for the promised land
3. The ass kicking he gave Wann-stache in his debut.
4. Booing the shit out of the 2007 team as a group: may not have many great memories from this season, but I always got some gratification out of letting them have it right before the alma mater. I know, I'm a sick man.
5. The 2005 game against Stanford: with this lousy opponent the only between us and the BCS, I always loved that Charlie had the intelligence to call timeout on goal line defense to give our offense enough time to come back. Many coaches would have the arrogance to rely on their defense getting a stop in those moments.
6. The 2005 Fiesta Bowl: the outcome may not have been great, but everyone who was at Dom's and elsewhere in Phoenix that week has some great memories.
7. Making a band girl cry in the famed 2007 season: not directly related to Charlie, but his struggles on the field led to my ever-growing annoyance with the band. A classic JD moment.
8. Giving us two of the greatest quarterbacks ever to lace it up for the Irish.
And my favorite Weis-era moment of all time as called by Don Criqui: "It's caught by Samardzja... Notre Dame has SCOOOOOORED."
Charlie, I wish you well in your next coaching stop, hopefully as offensive coordinator of the Browns. Many of my fondest memories of ND are football-related (shocker, I know). Thanks, Charlie, for helping make many of those memories.
-JD
No comments:
Post a Comment