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Charlies Weis - commentary
Michigan
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in Sports Talk
Moments after last Saturday's brutal loss to Syracuse, Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis stood on the field for his postgame interview with NBC's Alex Flanagan. There's a lot of nasty stuff getting thrown at Weis, some of it simply because he's the Notre Dame coach and some of it perhaps because the Fighting Irish (6-5 after going 3-8 last year) don't look or play like an elite college football team, despite the gold helmets and Touchdown Jesus and all that. Much of America loves to see the Irish struggle, and even more love a good coaching deathwatch.
And there's the deeper layer of mean. Weis is being treated like this suffering is karma for his arrogance. The man can bring some hubris, no lie. In the spring of 2005, I was assigned by Sports Illustrated to write the obligatory new-coach-at-Notre-Dame story upon Weis's arrival. On a weekday afternoon I was ushered into Weis's office and given a seat across the desk from him. The only thing on his desk was a copy of a 2000 SI story I had written, detailing Notre Dame's problems in admissions, scheduling and, well, winning under Bob Davie from 1997 to 2001. The story was not well liked in South Bend and now Weis greets me with a copy of the article sitting on his otherwise spotless desk.
It was a pretty obvious attempt at intimidation, and all I said at the time was, "You know, I've written a lot of stories about Notre Dame, and you pick this one?'' But this was the first time I had met the guy and we were just getting started, so I passed on taking off the gloves. And Weis was cordial and professional in our conversation. That, of course, was 100 years ago.
Back to last Saturday. Watching Flanagan interview Weis it's clear that Weis is hurting. You can see his mind is miles away from their chat. The man is obviously stunned because of all the losses, but he's trying to answer.
This loss was the worst. Syracuse is an awful program with a lame-duck coach and, just to make the hurt as bad as possible, the kid of former Notre Dame All-America Adrian Dantley plays quarterback for the Orange.
In the ensuing days, media and blogs (and media blogs) and talk shows conclude that Weis is not long for Notre Dame, after he takes his whipping Saturday at USC. The Irish are 9-16 since the penultimate game of the 2006 season. His signature game is a loss, the 34-31 defeat at the hands of Leinart and Bush at Notre Dame Stadium in 2005.
You look at all this and think of Tommy Lee Jones in No Country for Old Men, when he describes himself as "overmatched.'' That's what Weis looks like. Overmatched.
But think about this. Almost everybody who takes a job like Weis' -- head coach at a storied traditional power like Notre Dame or Texas or Alabama -- is overmatched by the job. Weis might get his sizeable derriere bought out sooner than later, but he's not the exception in his position. He's the norm. Coaching gods are hard to find, especially in places where gods once resided (or at Notre Dame, went to mass on Sunday mornings). And getting from one legend/genius/gubernatorial candidate to another often involves sifting through a series of misses.
Oklahoma is one of those places. After dismantling Mike Leach and Texas Tech last Saturday night, the Sooners might get a shot at playing for the national championship, which would put them in position to win a second title in Bob Stoops' 10 years as head coach. Stoops is the next Barry Switzer (OK, they're not remotely alike, except in the win column), but to get from Switzer (who won three national titles and nearly 84 percent of his games in 16 years from 1973 to '88) to Stoops, Oklahoma had to first go through Gary Gibbs, Howard Schnellenberger (a charter entry in the Hall of Fame of Bad Hires) and John Blake.
Texas is one of those places, too. Darrell Royal (not the first great Texas coach, but the last before Mack Brown was hired in 1998) won 167 games and three national titles from 1957 to '79. The Longhorns didn't win another one until 2006, Brown's eighth year, and long after Fred Akers, David McWilliams and John Mackovic had failed to live up to Royal's legacy.
And Alabama is one of those places, too. The Bear won five national titles and 82 percent of his games in a quarter-century, beginning in 1958, and rocked that houndstooth hat. The bar was set mighty high. Ray Perkins and Bill Curry worked the first seven years after Bryant was gone and won almost 70 percent of their games. But no national titles. Then Gene Stallings beat up Miami in 1992 to take down a championship (and in classic Stallings' fashion began his Sugar Bowl postgame press conference by saying, "As far as injuries...'' as if he had Vandy coming up the next week). After that 'Bama went through Mike DuBose, Dennis Franchione and Mike Shula before landing Nick Saban.
And Notre Dame is one of those places. Yeah, there's Rockne and Leahy and Parseghian and even Dan Devine, who won 76 percent of his games and a national title and still doesn't make the Legends Varsity in South Bend. Cracks started showing when the ND priests hired Gerry Faust and he went 30-26-1 in five years, but Lou Holtz dug the Irish out of that hole and won 100 games in 11 years. Since then, not so much. Bob Davie went 35-25. Ty Willingham got only three years to go 21-15. Now it's Weis, 28-21 in just under four seasons, a lower winning percentage than Davie and slightly higher than Faust and Willingham.
But take a look back at the odds. Let's say a coach is judged a failure if he is dismissed -- or leaves -- without winning a national title. At Oklahoma (since Switzer), Texas (since Royal), Alabama (since Bryant) and Notre Dame (since Holtz), the totals are two successes (Stoops and Brown), one that sure seems headed toward success (Saban) and 11 failures. Let's add USC to the mix. There, John Robinson followed John McKay and won a national title, but after that the Trojans went through Ted Tollner, Larry Smith, Robinson II and Paul Hackett before almost accidentally hiring Pete Carroll. This runs the total to: three successes, one pending and 15 failures.
It's a unique job. Keeper of the Legacy. Those who do it well possess some combination of football wizardry (Stoops); recruiting touch (Switzer, to the max); and that indefinable ability to make believers (Carroll) out of 85 athletes (many of whom are livid at lack of playing time), a vast and diverse campus and scores of alumni (some of whom will define your fate with their wallets). The guy who pulls it off is not just a coach, but also a politician and a manager and he must be able to embrace a slimy booster and cleanse the scum afterward without questioning himself.
(Timing is critical, as well. Gary Gibbs might have been a terrific football coach. Probably is. He won 65 percent of his games. But he was following Switzer, so a) the standard was insanely high and b) they weren't admitting felons.)
There is a distinct possibility that Charlie Weis is not one of these titans. Maybe ND plays USC tough and Weis gets another season and next year's schedule is soft. Maybe, maybe, maybe. Ask Willingham about patience (although given what has transpired in his career, it's hard to question Notre Dame's decision now). I have no doubt that Weis knows his X's and O's. I'm guessing he's a fair judge of talent. Bringing it all together to win games? Another matter.
There will be much applause in the mainstream media and the blogosphere when if Weis is canned, because of his condescension. You can count on that. I'm not sure Weis's attitude has anything to do with his failure to win big at Notre Dame, but it makes him an easy target. (If he were 12-0 right now, he could conduct press conferences holding stone tablets and a staff and nobody would care.)
When If Weis is gone, Notre Dame will begin another search for a savior. Considering the history, I say good luck with that.
And there's the deeper layer of mean. Weis is being treated like this suffering is karma for his arrogance. The man can bring some hubris, no lie. In the spring of 2005, I was assigned by Sports Illustrated to write the obligatory new-coach-at-Notre-Dame story upon Weis's arrival. On a weekday afternoon I was ushered into Weis's office and given a seat across the desk from him. The only thing on his desk was a copy of a 2000 SI story I had written, detailing Notre Dame's problems in admissions, scheduling and, well, winning under Bob Davie from 1997 to 2001. The story was not well liked in South Bend and now Weis greets me with a copy of the article sitting on his otherwise spotless desk.
It was a pretty obvious attempt at intimidation, and all I said at the time was, "You know, I've written a lot of stories about Notre Dame, and you pick this one?'' But this was the first time I had met the guy and we were just getting started, so I passed on taking off the gloves. And Weis was cordial and professional in our conversation. That, of course, was 100 years ago.
Back to last Saturday. Watching Flanagan interview Weis it's clear that Weis is hurting. You can see his mind is miles away from their chat. The man is obviously stunned because of all the losses, but he's trying to answer.
This loss was the worst. Syracuse is an awful program with a lame-duck coach and, just to make the hurt as bad as possible, the kid of former Notre Dame All-America Adrian Dantley plays quarterback for the Orange.
In the ensuing days, media and blogs (and media blogs) and talk shows conclude that Weis is not long for Notre Dame, after he takes his whipping Saturday at USC. The Irish are 9-16 since the penultimate game of the 2006 season. His signature game is a loss, the 34-31 defeat at the hands of Leinart and Bush at Notre Dame Stadium in 2005.
You look at all this and think of Tommy Lee Jones in No Country for Old Men, when he describes himself as "overmatched.'' That's what Weis looks like. Overmatched.
But think about this. Almost everybody who takes a job like Weis' -- head coach at a storied traditional power like Notre Dame or Texas or Alabama -- is overmatched by the job. Weis might get his sizeable derriere bought out sooner than later, but he's not the exception in his position. He's the norm. Coaching gods are hard to find, especially in places where gods once resided (or at Notre Dame, went to mass on Sunday mornings). And getting from one legend/genius/gubernatorial candidate to another often involves sifting through a series of misses.
Oklahoma is one of those places. After dismantling Mike Leach and Texas Tech last Saturday night, the Sooners might get a shot at playing for the national championship, which would put them in position to win a second title in Bob Stoops' 10 years as head coach. Stoops is the next Barry Switzer (OK, they're not remotely alike, except in the win column), but to get from Switzer (who won three national titles and nearly 84 percent of his games in 16 years from 1973 to '88) to Stoops, Oklahoma had to first go through Gary Gibbs, Howard Schnellenberger (a charter entry in the Hall of Fame of Bad Hires) and John Blake.
Texas is one of those places, too. Darrell Royal (not the first great Texas coach, but the last before Mack Brown was hired in 1998) won 167 games and three national titles from 1957 to '79. The Longhorns didn't win another one until 2006, Brown's eighth year, and long after Fred Akers, David McWilliams and John Mackovic had failed to live up to Royal's legacy.
And Alabama is one of those places, too. The Bear won five national titles and 82 percent of his games in a quarter-century, beginning in 1958, and rocked that houndstooth hat. The bar was set mighty high. Ray Perkins and Bill Curry worked the first seven years after Bryant was gone and won almost 70 percent of their games. But no national titles. Then Gene Stallings beat up Miami in 1992 to take down a championship (and in classic Stallings' fashion began his Sugar Bowl postgame press conference by saying, "As far as injuries...'' as if he had Vandy coming up the next week). After that 'Bama went through Mike DuBose, Dennis Franchione and Mike Shula before landing Nick Saban.
And Notre Dame is one of those places. Yeah, there's Rockne and Leahy and Parseghian and even Dan Devine, who won 76 percent of his games and a national title and still doesn't make the Legends Varsity in South Bend. Cracks started showing when the ND priests hired Gerry Faust and he went 30-26-1 in five years, but Lou Holtz dug the Irish out of that hole and won 100 games in 11 years. Since then, not so much. Bob Davie went 35-25. Ty Willingham got only three years to go 21-15. Now it's Weis, 28-21 in just under four seasons, a lower winning percentage than Davie and slightly higher than Faust and Willingham.
But take a look back at the odds. Let's say a coach is judged a failure if he is dismissed -- or leaves -- without winning a national title. At Oklahoma (since Switzer), Texas (since Royal), Alabama (since Bryant) and Notre Dame (since Holtz), the totals are two successes (Stoops and Brown), one that sure seems headed toward success (Saban) and 11 failures. Let's add USC to the mix. There, John Robinson followed John McKay and won a national title, but after that the Trojans went through Ted Tollner, Larry Smith, Robinson II and Paul Hackett before almost accidentally hiring Pete Carroll. This runs the total to: three successes, one pending and 15 failures.
It's a unique job. Keeper of the Legacy. Those who do it well possess some combination of football wizardry (Stoops); recruiting touch (Switzer, to the max); and that indefinable ability to make believers (Carroll) out of 85 athletes (many of whom are livid at lack of playing time), a vast and diverse campus and scores of alumni (some of whom will define your fate with their wallets). The guy who pulls it off is not just a coach, but also a politician and a manager and he must be able to embrace a slimy booster and cleanse the scum afterward without questioning himself.
(Timing is critical, as well. Gary Gibbs might have been a terrific football coach. Probably is. He won 65 percent of his games. But he was following Switzer, so a) the standard was insanely high and b) they weren't admitting felons.)
There is a distinct possibility that Charlie Weis is not one of these titans. Maybe ND plays USC tough and Weis gets another season and next year's schedule is soft. Maybe, maybe, maybe. Ask Willingham about patience (although given what has transpired in his career, it's hard to question Notre Dame's decision now). I have no doubt that Weis knows his X's and O's. I'm guessing he's a fair judge of talent. Bringing it all together to win games? Another matter.
There will be much applause in the mainstream media and the blogosphere when if Weis is canned, because of his condescension. You can count on that. I'm not sure Weis's attitude has anything to do with his failure to win big at Notre Dame, but it makes him an easy target. (If he were 12-0 right now, he could conduct press conferences holding stone tablets and a staff and nobody would care.)
When If Weis is gone, Notre Dame will begin another search for a savior. Considering the history, I say good luck with that.
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<< <i>So your SI gig fell through and you are spending your Friday nights writing stories on internet message boards? One thing I would suggest to you is don't start sentences with And and But. That's not proper grammer! >>
lol
I am really surprised that the SI writer did not mention the greatest Oklahoma coach of them all- the man that made Oklahoma football what it is. I not surprised about anything written about Weis, but I am shocked that someone can mention Oklahoma football without mentioning Bud Wilkinson... no excuses.
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
<< <i>That spelling was on purpose, but I guess some people aren't quick to pick up on humor like that. >>
Yeah, sure.
Mike
Go Irish!!
Mike
Your commentary about football coaches applies to college basketball as well. When John Wooden retured at UCLA in 1975, Gene Bartow, Gary Cunningham and many other coaches were brought in to coach the Bruins. Even though many of these coaches were and are very, very good, they simply could not fill the shoes of the Wizard Of Westwood.
Legendary coaches are not available in quantity and that makes it very difficult for programs like Notre Dame, who like to perform, year after year, at a level which is unrealistic.