Friday, November 20, 2009

Not so Golden Dome

Charlie Weis thinks he is bigger then the Golden Dome. Even though from the right angle he may LOOK this way, he is in no way, shape or form bigger then the Golden Dome. Charlie Weis is not bigger then the University of Notre Dame. He may finally realize this when he is packing his things in the not so distant future.

Count me among the many Domers who applauded the hiring of Charlie Weis and the great pedigree he brought with him. When the news broke, we opened up the Rudy DVD and brought out the ties that play the Victory March when you press the button. When Charlie appeared on Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith and looked into the camera and said "we don't care about Urban Meyer at the University of Notre Dame", we put on the Irish gear and I think we actually felt a little taller, even as Meyer and the Gators were winning National Titles.

Looks like we fell for the Great Weis Hype. Sure, the Irish got to the BCS in his first two seasons but did they actually show up for the games? I thought an extra month of preperation was supposed to be the huge advantage for Charlie. There is still a great debate of whether it was Brady Quinn who made Charlie Weis a success early or the other way around. That debate is on hold as Quinn is hardly helping his case in the NFL but neither side has shown much without the other.

When your best "win" is a close loss to USC, that is not Notre Dame. When Service Academies have left South Bend victorious on their last THREE trips into town, that is not Notre Dame. And when the coach makes decisions based on his own arrogance and fails to gain first downs and victories, that is not Notre Dame.

The Kool-Aid has run dry. The landscape of college football has shifted. Gone are the days when you needed to play at Notre Dame to be seen on TV. Gone are the days when the Victory March and the Golden Dome are enough to get the kids to sign on the dotted line. None of this is Charlie's fault but he has done nothing to help the situation. Notre Dame should suck it up and join a conference. No longer can you handle a schedule such as theirs and expect to compete for BCS berths and National Championships. Join a league, win it from time to time and play in some BCS games. Another idea would be to actually win one of those, too.

Charlie Weis was not the savior we all thought he would be. He is no different from Bob Davies and Tyrone Willingham. Perhaps history will be a little kinder to Bob and Ty seeing as the great Charlie Weis and his fist-full of Super Bowl Rings couldn't get the job done either.

I have nothing against Charlie Weis. I wish him the best of luck as he goes back to the NFL as an Offensive Coordinator where he belongs.

For a long time now, Jesus is no longer signaling for the touchdown on the side of the library. Lately he is telling the campus that he has "had it up to here with Charlie Weis."

I think it's time to listen.

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