Tag: Charlie Weis (Page 3 of 7)

      Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen to turn pro

      December 7, 2009 /

      ESPN.com reports that Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen has decided to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft.

      “After the season, in talking to my parents and obviously Coach Weis, I just feel it’s the right time,” Clausen told ESPN.com on Monday before a scheduled 2 p.m. ET news conference in South Bend. “Coach Weis told me whether he was going to be here or not be here, it was time for me to go. He thought I’ve improved so much since I came to Notre Dame. So, I’m taking his advice, and I’m going to head out.”

      “It’ll probably be just like going from high school to college, but a lot faster than college is. Obviously, being under Coach Weis, being in a pro-style offense, knowing the terminologies, will help me. But the biggest thing will probably be just getting in the playbook and mentally preparing myself to do everything I can to get on the field as quick as I can and help whichever team I go to win.”

      Mel Kiper has Clausen rated as the top quarterback on his big board and the fourth best prospect overall.

      He’ll unfairly be compared to Brady Quinn because they played in the same offense at Notre Dame, but at least in my opinion, Clausen is a more polished prospect now than Quinn was when he entered the draft. In terms of raw talent and upside, Clausen beats Quinn but that obviously doesn’t mean that he’ll be a better pro.

      With Sam Bradford, Jake Locker, Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow set to join Clausen in April, the 2010 NFL Draft will have plenty of intrigue surrounding the quarterback class.

      College Football, NFL, NFL Draft

      Weis says Carroll living with grad student in Malibu

      December 6, 2009 /

      Check out this nugget of information from SPORTSbyBROOKS.com:

      In an interview yesterday with Tim Prister of IRISH ILLUSTRATED, Charlie Weis made the following statement:

      Let me ask you this question: You guys know about things that go on in different places. Was I living with a grad student in Malibu, or was I living with my wife in my house? You could bet that if I were living with a grad student here in South Bend, it would be national news. He’s doing it in Malibu and it’s not national news. What’s the difference? I don’t understand. Why is it okay for one guy to do things like that, but for me, I’m scrutinized when I swear. I’m sorry for swearing; absolve my sins.

      Carroll also told the Times he talked to Weis and, “He apologized profusely for being represented wrongly. I’m not commenting anymore.”

      Weis apologized with, “In no way do I have any idea what’s going on in anyone’s life other than the fact that rumors on the Internet can affect coaches’ lives in a very, very negative fashion“.

      As part of his initial statement that the married Carroll was living with a grad student Weis said, “He’s doing it in Malibu.”

      I’m confused. Weis’ original statement made it sound like Carroll was definitely living with a grad student in Malibu, yet then he claims that he was misrepresented. So either he was lying when he made the claim about Carroll or lying about being misrepresented. And one would think that if he were just using Carroll as an example, that he would have said, “But that’s just an example” or “Of course I’m just using the Malibu situation as a hypothetical.”

      Weis should just keep his mouth shut before it costs him an opportunity at another job.

      College Football

      Did Notre Dame bail on bowl game for fear of getting embarrassed?

      December 5, 2009 /

      Hey, I get it – it’s been a rough year in South Bend. The team was yet again a disappointment, expectations weren’t met and the head coach was fired after months/years of speculation that he would eventually be kicked to the curb.

      But if you’re Notre Dame, why not accept a bid to go to a bowl game this year?

      On Friday, ND athletic director Jack Swarbrick said that the school has decided against going to a bowl game with a 6-6 record, citing that without a head coach and offensive coordinator, the school wouldn’t have an experienced play caller for the game. Swarbrick also pointed out that the school would likely have lost money because their only option would have been a minor bowl.

      The offensive coordinator excuse is logical, but the bit about losing money holds little water given how much loot Notre Dame just threw at Charlie Weis to get the hell out of town.

      That said, one would think that the Irish seniors would want to strap it up for one last game together and try to go out as winners. If it were up to the players, I would have to assume that they would want to play – especially players like Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate, both of whom might be heading for the NFL draft in April.

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      College Football

      Will Kelly ditch Cincinnati for Notre Dame before bowl games?

      December 2, 2009 /

      The Chicago Sun Times is speculating that Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly could leave the Bearcats in the dust and coach Notre Dame in a bowl game if the two parties come to a contract agreement following the firing of Charlie Weis.

      Backstage speculation is brewing that Kelly might resurrect an old trick and forsake whatever venue the bowl-bound Bearcats earn and instead drop shillelagh to stay through the holidays and beyond in South Bend.

      That means Kelly could stage- manage his first game for the Fighting Irish later this month if they accept a minor bowl bid. The short list of interested committees reportedly includes those from the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in Detroit on Dec. 26, the EagleBank Bowl in Washington on Dec. 29, the Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho, on Dec. 30 and the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala., on Jan. 6.

      ‘I think it could happen again,” said Tom Beck, the longtime Midwestern coach (Notre Dame, Illinois, Marv Levy’s Chicago Blitz) who gave Kelly his first significant college football job at Grand Valley (Mich.) State in 1987. ”There is no question Brian could be facing a real conflict. If Cincinnati beats Pittsburgh this weekend, they go to a BCS game. But Notre Dame, I’m sure, wants to hire and implement as quickly as possible.

      ”The Notre Dame job would be his new long-term challenge. Then there’s the fact he’d be moving to an 80,000-seat stadium from one that seats somewhere around 38,000. And the budgets at the two schools are in no way comparable.”

      This is all just speculation but as the article points out, Kelly has already left one program (Central Michigan) right before its bowl game in order to join a bigger, better job (Cincinnati), so what’s from stopping him from doing it again this year? (Especially now that the bigger, better job is Notre Dame.)

      If Kelly ditched Cincinnati for Notre Dame, he would spawn from the Bobby Petrino and Rich Rodriguez school of thinking in that loyalty means absolutely nothing in college football. He would once again look like the deserter he is, but mid-level schools are always aware that their head coach will be sought after by bigger programs.

      Putting that aside, I would be intrigued by what Kelly could do for the Irish over the next couple years. The guy has a proven track record of turning programs around (Grand Valley State, CMU, Cincinnati) in a short period of time and he understands how to build a winner on the college level. His offensive system is perfect for college football and he could re-introduce Notre Dame to the fundamentals of the game, which have been lacking over the past couple years.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      College Football

      Is Notre Dame a death trap for coaches?

      December 1, 2009 /

      Stewart Mandel of SI.com thinks it is:

      Once you look past the storied tradition, the majestic campus, the NBC contract and seemingly endless pocketbook, you’re left with a school chasing ghosts. You’re left with a fan base whose expectations (top-10 rankings, national titles) were forged during another era when the school’s independent status still carried cachet and its stringent academic standards were a selling point, not a hindrance. With a few notable exceptions, today’s national-title-caliber talent grows up watching specific conferences (the SEC, then Big Ten, etc.), not the NBC game of the week, and they don’t necessarily boast high SAT scores, either. Some — like Clausen, Floyd and Tate — are bona fide blue-chippers. Others become Tom Lemming All-Americans simply because the Irish recruit them.

      Mandel makes several interesting points. If you’re a recruit these days, you don’t want to go to Notre Dame – you want to compete for conference championships at Florida, Ohio State or USC. And if you’re not good enough to go to those schools, then you want to go to Arkansas, Michigan State or UCLA in order to have a chance to beat those top programs.

      Mandel is right to a certain extent: Notre Dame is a death trap. Coaches can’t get top recruits to come to South Bend, yet the expectations to win have never been higher. I’m not saying Weis should have held onto his job, but head coaches seem to start behind the 8-ball as soon as they’re hired.

      That said, teams like Cincinnati, TCU and Boise State have found enough recruits to be in national title contention every year. I realize that these teams are playing top competition every week, but neither is Notre Dame. The Irish might not be able to contend for a national title year in and year out, but they could at the very least make a bowl game every season.

      College Football

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