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Sorry Charlie, 'Weis Watch' has begun at Notre Dame
Loss to BC puts Irish coach at 'schematic disadvantage' to fend off growing criticism
BY NEIL HAYES nhayes@suntimes.com
<!-- Article's First Paragraph --> <!-- BlogBurst ContentStart --> The anticipation and intrigue centered on the postgame scene, where everyone wondered what Charlie Weis would say after the latest and perhaps greatest setback of his Notre Dame tenure. Would he attempt to spin Saturday night's 17-0 loss to Boston College? How would he explain why his team was emotionally dead on arrival for such a crucial game?<!--dropend-->
Weis lauded his defense. He talked about poor field position and how offensive players were pressing, trying too hard to make plays and as a result making virtually none against a defense that, while ranked 10th in the nation, had allowed 31.5 points per game in its last four games.
In the end, Weis sounded like a man who had run out of answers. Weis left Boston, where he built his reputation as one of the game's foremost offensive minds while an offensive coordinator for the Patriots, with his career at a crossroads and his future as Notre Dame's coach very much in doubt. The Weis Watch is officially on, and based on the fact that his team is regressing during his all-important fourth season, justifiably so.
Notre Dame's third loss in four games could not be explained away as another awkward but necessary step in the maturation process. No, this Boston massacre only fueled the fire of critics who believe Weis is more problem than solution.
Why was a coach who boldly pronounced that his team would have a ''decided schematic advantage'' over opponents when he came to Notre Dame unable to make the adjustments necessary to awaken his comatose offense? Weis claimed quarterback Jimmy Clausen was suffering from flu-like symptoms Saturday night. Still, if tutoring quarterbacks is his specialty, illness alone doesn't explain Clausen's recent downward spiral, capped by his career-high four-interceptions against the Eagles.
''As you evolve into the world of college football there are many learning experiences you go through,'' Weis said when asked if he regretted his ''schematic advantage'' proclamation. ''That being said, as the pieces of the puzzle keep coming together, there comes a time when those pieces of the puzzle fit and mesh just right and when that happens, I'll let you know.''
'Tough guy' act didn't work
Most worrisome is that Weis was proactive after last week's quadruple-overtime collapse against Pittsburgh. He gave his players an early-morning tongue lashing. He told them losing close games was not acceptable. He played ''bad cop'' with Clausen. His fired-up defensive coordinator Corwin Brown, in a welcome burst of emotion in an otherwise sanitized media environment, talked about his desire to kick Boston College's ''teeth in'' while defending his team's development.
The result left Weis and his staff gumming crow while wondering whether players have tuned their head coach out.
Does Weis still know what buttons he needs to push for his players to respond? If so, will pushing those buttons produce the desired results?
Weis announced Sunday that he will return to a more active role in the offense after relinquishing play-calling and other duties during the offseason. Although he has yet to announce what his new role will be, he hopes the move will pump some life into a once-potent offense that has scored three points in its last six quarters.
''We've gone the last game-and-a-half without production on offense,'' he said. ''I feel very confident with where we are on defense right now. I'm trying to do this head-coaching stuff where you delegate, but when there's a problem and it's in an area where you think you can be part of the answer, you better go help fix it.''
A big hill to climb
Whether Weis has lost the confidence of his team is one question. Whether he is losing the confidence of his superiors is another.
If the Irish lose to Navy on Saturday, which hardly seems out of the realm of possibility now, Weis might be fired before he is able to limp off the field. Bob Davie, after all, had one more win during his first 46 games than Weis has now. Tyrone Willingham's winning percentage was .583; Weis' is .587. Perhaps most damning of all, Notre Dame is now 1-15 in its last 16 games against winning teams.
If Notre Dame defeats Navy and Syracuse before being destroyed by a USC team that may be looking to score style points to move up in the BCS standings, will Weis have done enough to return for a fifth year? Does he need to win a bowl game to prove the arrow is still pointing up for his program?
It's not as if Notre Dame was playing a team with superior talent, which was a point not lost on Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski.
''At our first team meeting this week, I asked our guys to raise their hands if they were recruited or offered [a scholarship] by Notre Dame,'' Jagodzinski said. ''None raised their hands. I told them they may not be good enough to be recruited by Notre Dame, but they were good enough to play for Boston College.''
It's not as if Weis' fate is sealed. There is still a way out of the mire Notre Dame finds itself in, but it's a steep, uphill climb, especially for a guy with a gimpy knee who may have lost his team and appears to be running out of answers -- and time.
Loss to BC puts Irish coach at 'schematic disadvantage' to fend off growing criticism
BY NEIL HAYES nhayes@suntimes.com
<!-- Article's First Paragraph --> <!-- BlogBurst ContentStart --> The anticipation and intrigue centered on the postgame scene, where everyone wondered what Charlie Weis would say after the latest and perhaps greatest setback of his Notre Dame tenure. Would he attempt to spin Saturday night's 17-0 loss to Boston College? How would he explain why his team was emotionally dead on arrival for such a crucial game?<!--dropend-->
Weis lauded his defense. He talked about poor field position and how offensive players were pressing, trying too hard to make plays and as a result making virtually none against a defense that, while ranked 10th in the nation, had allowed 31.5 points per game in its last four games.
In the end, Weis sounded like a man who had run out of answers. Weis left Boston, where he built his reputation as one of the game's foremost offensive minds while an offensive coordinator for the Patriots, with his career at a crossroads and his future as Notre Dame's coach very much in doubt. The Weis Watch is officially on, and based on the fact that his team is regressing during his all-important fourth season, justifiably so.
Notre Dame's third loss in four games could not be explained away as another awkward but necessary step in the maturation process. No, this Boston massacre only fueled the fire of critics who believe Weis is more problem than solution.
Why was a coach who boldly pronounced that his team would have a ''decided schematic advantage'' over opponents when he came to Notre Dame unable to make the adjustments necessary to awaken his comatose offense? Weis claimed quarterback Jimmy Clausen was suffering from flu-like symptoms Saturday night. Still, if tutoring quarterbacks is his specialty, illness alone doesn't explain Clausen's recent downward spiral, capped by his career-high four-interceptions against the Eagles.
''As you evolve into the world of college football there are many learning experiences you go through,'' Weis said when asked if he regretted his ''schematic advantage'' proclamation. ''That being said, as the pieces of the puzzle keep coming together, there comes a time when those pieces of the puzzle fit and mesh just right and when that happens, I'll let you know.''
'Tough guy' act didn't work
Most worrisome is that Weis was proactive after last week's quadruple-overtime collapse against Pittsburgh. He gave his players an early-morning tongue lashing. He told them losing close games was not acceptable. He played ''bad cop'' with Clausen. His fired-up defensive coordinator Corwin Brown, in a welcome burst of emotion in an otherwise sanitized media environment, talked about his desire to kick Boston College's ''teeth in'' while defending his team's development.
The result left Weis and his staff gumming crow while wondering whether players have tuned their head coach out.
Does Weis still know what buttons he needs to push for his players to respond? If so, will pushing those buttons produce the desired results?
Weis announced Sunday that he will return to a more active role in the offense after relinquishing play-calling and other duties during the offseason. Although he has yet to announce what his new role will be, he hopes the move will pump some life into a once-potent offense that has scored three points in its last six quarters.
''We've gone the last game-and-a-half without production on offense,'' he said. ''I feel very confident with where we are on defense right now. I'm trying to do this head-coaching stuff where you delegate, but when there's a problem and it's in an area where you think you can be part of the answer, you better go help fix it.''
A big hill to climb
Whether Weis has lost the confidence of his team is one question. Whether he is losing the confidence of his superiors is another.
If the Irish lose to Navy on Saturday, which hardly seems out of the realm of possibility now, Weis might be fired before he is able to limp off the field. Bob Davie, after all, had one more win during his first 46 games than Weis has now. Tyrone Willingham's winning percentage was .583; Weis' is .587. Perhaps most damning of all, Notre Dame is now 1-15 in its last 16 games against winning teams.
If Notre Dame defeats Navy and Syracuse before being destroyed by a USC team that may be looking to score style points to move up in the BCS standings, will Weis have done enough to return for a fifth year? Does he need to win a bowl game to prove the arrow is still pointing up for his program?
It's not as if Notre Dame was playing a team with superior talent, which was a point not lost on Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski.
''At our first team meeting this week, I asked our guys to raise their hands if they were recruited or offered [a scholarship] by Notre Dame,'' Jagodzinski said. ''None raised their hands. I told them they may not be good enough to be recruited by Notre Dame, but they were good enough to play for Boston College.''
It's not as if Weis' fate is sealed. There is still a way out of the mire Notre Dame finds itself in, but it's a steep, uphill climb, especially for a guy with a gimpy knee who may have lost his team and appears to be running out of answers -- and time.
