My Take on Weis

I've let this process through my mind since the absolute embarrassment of Saturday's loss to Syracuse. I almost threw up after the game (literally). I was that sick to my stomach.

It's taken some time to figure out my opinion on this whole Notre Dame coaching situation. A lot of traveling (tonight is the fifth city I'll be in during a seven-night stretch) gave me the opportunity to formulate what my opinion. None of this is earth-shattering, but I wanted it to be simple and easy to explain to both people in the Notre dame family and people who just ask me.

The main on-the-field issue is the lack of the controlling the line of scrimmage. Defensively, we weren't expecting anything special this year as Weis has struggled to recruit game-changing depth there (outside of Ethan Johnson). The linebackers are young and should be there in a couple of years. But the inability to run the ball is mind-boggling. From this offseason's infamous "we're going to pound it" comment to the scrimmage posted online at UND.com that consisted of all running plays, it seemed this offense was starting to get it. That couldn't have been any further from the truth.

The inability to run the ball is a major reason this team can't close out games. A nasty, physical offensive line wears down the defense in the second half and specifically the fourth quarter. If ND could run the ball, it beats Pitt, it beats Syracuse and probably beats UNC. I'm more surprised when the Irish pick up 3rd-and-short on a run than I am to see them get stuffed in a BC-Eric Olsen style.

Without a change in this department, Weis and the ND offense will never be national-championship caliber.

The other area is off-the-field, but translates into on-the-field results. This program's lack of emotion is the other major problem. I was watching the Texas defensive coordinator shoulder bump his players after they made a big play Thursday night and thought - where has that been on the ND sideline? Other than the Weis-going-crazy sideline huddle in the 4th quarter comeback at Michigan State in 2006, we haven't seen anything emotional from this staff on the sideline. Those 05 and 06 teams had swagger. These past two teams aren't good enough to have the swagger. Think back to the Michigan game, ND showed emotion. The crowd fed off it and before Rich Rodriguez knew what happened, it was 17-0. Weis talked in the offseason about the program's need to be more emotional because that's college football. It was around in September, but where is it now?

You can directly relate losses to North Carolina, Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the lack of emotion. Golden Tate talked after the UNC game about the team losing its edge. Sam Young said the sideline was dead against Syracuse... on Senior Day! That is a leadership problem.

A team that has emotion goes for the dagger and tries to bury its opponent. A team that has emotion plays for its seniors in their last home game in Notre Dame Stadium. It almost seems like Weis feels his players should have that "switch" naturally. College kids don't have that. Coaches need to wind them up and let them go.

Weis had his chance to turn those two main areas around during the 08 season.

I want Weis to succeed. I would love to give him the benefit of the doubt that it would change with the 09 team, but he hasn't earned that chance. I gave it to him coming into the 2008 season and now ND is 6-5 and 32-point underdogs going into the Coliseum and an SC team foaming at the mouth.

He's an alum who cares about the university (unlike Davie and Willingham). Theismann is right, this game isn't about if ND. If the Irish don't play competitively Saturday night, then Weis should show how much he cares and step down.

As for who should replace him, that's another column for another day. And I have to figure out if I want to sell my soul to the coach named after a pope in Gainesville.