Notre Dame fans.....what's up with your squad? As a USC fan I really hate Notre Dame, however for the sake of college football it's not good for them to be this bad.

I personally think Charlie "jabba the hut" Weis is a good recruiter, ok preparation coach, but a TERRIBLE game day coach. He's had some of the finest recruits in the nation since he's been there and some very good players from the Willingham era. So what's the problem?

If Notre Dame is smart they will figure out a way to fire him. It's only fair since they canned Willingham after 3 years, who never did this bad.

 

I don't know what to say. I am stumped. We were really not expecting a good year this year. Heck, I was thinking something like 5 and 6 or 6 and 5 season. Actually, had they beaten Navy, they could have still gotten to 5 wins, but now......****.

You really have to place the blame squarely on the coaching staff. I think Weis thinks he is playing a football video game or something the way he takes crazy chances. You have to play to win, but not create a great play.

In summary, I think what has happened is that the team has only a handful of returning starters. Coach Weis went back to basics and sort of forget about playing football. No one expected this mess, and now they are trying to force plays.

They have forgotten how to win and can't get it done.

I used to play baseful. When I was on a teener league one season, we lost every single game in the first half. Back in those days you played for half the season and then the season would start over. The winner of the first-half, would play the winner of the second half. As a last place team, we could not win for ****.

Then, at the beginning of the second half, we won our first game and went undefeated the rest of the seaon and won the championship. We had the worst record in history of a championship team at only 50% wins. We had the same players, the same coaches, and just reached a point where we had nothing to loose and started winning games.

 

No, from what I'm seeing, Weiss is not a good recruiter, and this year has proven that. Now that Ty Willingham's recruits have all but left ND via graduation, or transfers, Weiss's recruits have amounted to a thing.

Take that kid who started at QB at the beginning of the season, he threw 3 passes out of 24 plays in the opener versus Georgia Tech in the season opener, so he ran the ball 21 times, and of those runs, 3 were fumbled for turnovers.

That kid was not quality ND recruiting material, and I'm glad someone over there realized it, and terminated his scholarship because he was not a good player. Not really what, happened, because he transferred to somewhere like N. Illinois or something like that.

Not sure about this Clausen kid, he was supposed to be the best to ever play, but like both of his brothers, he appears a washout living on a family reputation. For being 42-0 in high school, he sure doesnt appear to know how to manage a football game, and has instead let the game manage him.

Both of those guys were Weiss recruits and not very good to boot. Mike Thomas the RB who moved to LB last year should have stayed at LB, he was better there...as a RB he really sucks.

Zibikowski and John Carlson are the decent players left on the team, and they're just enduring till the end of the season, to go to the NFL.

As a big big ND Fan, I'm not disappointed, I'm infuriated. This is the most disgusting half of half of half of half a$$ed effort I've ever seen out the Irish. Weiss better get it together, or they'll run him out like they did Ty Willingham.
The first 2 years this looked like the right decision, now I'm not so sure.

Weiss didn't make things any better, with that ridiculous August pre-season conference, where he said the Irish were gonna come out and surprise everybody and compete for the National Title.....are you freakin' kidding me? not with that ragtag bunch of kids you recruits. Weiss needs some damn football players, not these little cabbage patch kids he's recruiting.

ND is in seriously trouble, and if Weiss doesn't make and win a bowl game next year, I bet he gets ran out.

Hell right now, the Kansas Jayhawks would beat the Irish....and I don't think that's either ever been done, or they've even played each other.

 

I think you make some decent points. I went back and looked at Rivals.com to see where Notre Dame was ranked as far as recruiting classes starting in 2004.

In 2004 and 2005 they were not in the top 25 in recruiting, however in 2006 they had the 8th best recuiting class, and in 2007 they also had the 8th best recruiting class in the nation. So far in 2008 Notre Dame has the number 1 recruiting class in the nation, but they will significantly drop because most teams like USC, LSU and Florida don't offer to recruits until late.

I guess what I'm saying is the past two years for Notre Dame have been pretty decent recruiting years, however just because a kid is a 5 star recruit it doesn't mean he will be good in college. USC has a ton of 5 star guys, and some work out and some never amount to ****.

As far as Clausen goes.....USC fans were pissed off at him for leaving Southern California, however when he looked at all the other 5 start QB's USC has he decided to go somewhere else. He also pissed USC fans off by saying that he will start as a freshman at Notre Dame and beat USC 4 years in a row. On top of all that he showed up to his signing day in a suit and limo talking all kinds of smack like he was the best thing since sliced bread. Hell the players at USC don't even do crap like that.

For your sake I hope Clausen gets better, but as a USC fan I'm extremely happy not to have that little bitch.

 

he looks like a rabid gerbil in my opinion. yeah I dont care for him too much either, i hope he doesn't get better, and then he gets benched and eventually cut, but he like the rest of his brothers will never amount to **** anyhow.

i can't believe I actually agree w/ a USC fan about all this...will wonders never cease. but anyhow, yeah he's arrogant, and so is Weiss (see August preseason conference) "We're gonna surprise a lot of teams this year" when asked how he thought the Irish would do this year, despite losing Brady Quinn and several other key players.

surprise my ***...more like disgusting and revolting shock at what you've done to our team, our program, and our image.

im not sure what all that limo and suit crap was about, it's an announcement to sign a letter of intent, not a freakin music contract for $100 million record deal.

i watched the Georgia Tech game, and that was the only game I've watched to completion this year, it was all i needed to see. caught bits and pieces of the other games, but haven't paid too much attention. I had a bad feeling in July it was gonna be ugly, but not this ugly.....that's not the word...more like atrocious, hideous. 11 baby monkeys in boxing gloves could play better football than Notre Dame right now.

but as a consolation, my Sooners, and my Jayhawks are kickin' ***, taking names, and blowing past the competition.

 

WTF are you talking about? Weis can recruit like a mother-F'er. ND has had top-ranked recruiting classes ever since Weis has been there so to say that he can not receuit is just plain not accurate. Also, keep in mind that his first year, he started WAY late and had zero time to recruit and still pulled it off. This also just signed the #1 recruited receiver in the country. ****, ND will end up with another top recruiting year this year.

As far as Clausen looking like ****, his stats were better in the games he started then were Quinn his first few games and he broke every passing record in ND history. Don't be too hard on Clausen. He just needs a line to protect him and some wins and the kid will be fine.

ND has three things that not other college team can say:

1 - They get on TV every weekend despite their shitty record.

2 - They have a football heritage and acedemic history second to none.

3 - AND a highly ranked recruit will most likely get a chance to start as a Freshman.

USC dumps plays off every year because they won't get a chance to play and they end up at Boise State or someplace like that and churn-up the field. Good players, want to play.

The shitty seasons will end soon enough at ND.

As far as ND cancelling a QB scholarship, they did no such thing. The kid walked-off the team.

 

dude I'm like a big time ND Fan, i live die, eat, ****, breathe, and **** ND, and his recruiting sucks. if Weis is such a great recruiter, then why are we having such a bad season? What about the sophomores and juniors he recruited 2 years...that haven't amounted to crap.

As for that QB "walking off", if I were Weis, I'd have called security to "ESCORT" him off the campus, and canned his scholarship, that was truly pathetic what that kid did in less than 2 quarters in that Ga. Tech game.

Weis only did what he did last year and the year before, because he had Ty Willingham's players. Firing Ty looked like the right move 3 years ago, but now I'm starting to think ND made a huge mistake. If ND is smart, they might make Tommy Tuberville an offer, because Auburn's love affair with him is about over. Weis isn't gonna cut it.

Recruiting Classes are like Pre-Season Basketball rankings...it don't mean crap till you take the field. I'd rather have a bad recruiting class ranking, and have a good winning team.

 

Unfortunately the two don't usually go hand in hand. If you don't recruit the best players you will not compete with big time programs like USC, Florida, and LSU. I understand your point that it doens't matter if the kid was the best player in the country in high school....it's what he does in college, but you have a better chance of getting a good college player if you recruit the kids who dominate in high school. To be honest, recruiting is a crap shoot, you just have to try an increase the odds that's all.

I mentioned this before, but USC has several 4 and 5 star high school recruits that have never touched the field, and the players who beat them out might not have been as highly recruited...so nothings is ever for sure. I really just think that Weis is a terrible game day coach and maybe he's recruiting kids that don't fit within his system, I don't know. What I do know is whatever he is doing isn't working.

 

Bingo!!!!! You nailed it right on the head. The reason he has to do this, is because most athletes that would fit with his system, are too afraid of going there, only to end up losing. ND isn't ready to compete for a NC, they were last year and year before, but they blew it when it counted.

now that the guys who did fit the system have all graduated or left for the pros, Weis is up the creek without a paddle.

 

He recruits fine, it is the winning that does not happen. Take a look at Michigans first loss of the season. They lost to a 1AA team despite the fact that half their team are blue chippers.

Watch the movie Miracle. A team is not about putting the best players you can find, but getting them to play as a team. SURE, winning is all that matters so let's not try to state the obvious too much.

As far as Ty, my brother played for him. Nice guy, but he is not a great Coach. It is not as if he has done great things since leaving ND.

Don't be too hard on Weis just yet. If they suck this bad next year, fine. But, if they should end up 8 and 3, then what are you gonna say? He got lucky?

I respect the fact that you are a fan. I went to school there along with half my family. But, I get a bit aggrevated with everyone who has nothing vested in the place and yet think they know eveything. This season probably pains me more then you. I went there when thye won the last championship and shortly thereafter, ND drastically changed the acedemic requirements of the players. Remember Tony Rice? Michael Stongbreaker? Jerome Bettis? Tim Brown? I went to school with all those guys and most of them would have been able to play for ND with the requirements they have now.

This shitty season could actually be the best thing for ther program in the long run. But trust me, changing the coach won't change much unless the school is willing to change.

 

Sure you don't want a Pac 10, Big 11, ACC, and SEC school to root for in case Kansas and Oklahoma lose?

 

no. Jayhawks are primed for a Championship run...they are doing awesome!

 

sorry it took so long to find the evidence, but Weiss did not have a top recruiting class in his first year. they were ranked a mediocre 40th of 119, and now they are 2-9.

read about 5 or 6 paragraphs from the top.

http://www.sportsline.com/collegefoo...story/10483756

 

Yeah BUT if you look further you will see that he missed the entire recruiting season that year due to having to work for the Patriots first. He got started late. You can't use that as evidence that he can't recruit. The guy can recruit with the best DESPITE having a shitty season record.

Also, ND started 23 Freshmen this year! 11 were considered true starters ans started in most games. This is more then any other team. Their strength of schedule was also 4th in the BCS.