SI.com declares that Weis is done

Fanboi blogger Stewart Mandel is at it again!

http://www.fannation.com/si_blogs/the_sweep/posts/27442-vols-taking-a-huge-gamble-on-inexperienced-kiffin?eref=fromSI

 

If you're hiring a coach from Notre Dame from the state of Illinois, you're not hiring Ron Zook. You're hiring Pat Fitzgerald.

 

. . . and after the Ara episode, if those shits go after Fitzgerald, there'll be a posse headed southeast from Evanston with more than malice in their hearts.

They went after Barnett. He told them where to go (probably because it wasn't HIS dream job, but there you are . . . ). This IS Fitzgerald's dream job, and better is to come.
ND can scuffle and suffer. They made their own bed with the incumbent
pantload.

 

Things can turn around fast in college. Clausen stinks now, but he's still way better than he was as a freshman, when he was comically incompetent. If that trend continues, he'll be at least decent as a junior.
Notre Dame's problem lies on both lines. They don't block consistently. Their pass rush is weak to worse. Those equal defeat.
Get the hosses up front, and all else follows. Look at the team that will obliterate Notre Dame tonight. Nobody would argue that Sanchez, or Booty before him, were primo quarterbacks. They were OK to slightly better QBs who had/have blockers.

 

If anyone noticed, that is.

 

Evanston is always happy to display ire towards Notre Dame. Goes 'way back.

 

The Pat Fitzgerald reference is interesting---hadn't even thought about him. Everyone obsesses over Mike Leach, Butch Davis, Brady Hoke, etc.----and I wouldn't complain about any of those going to ND---but Fitzgerald is intriguing. Plus he's got an Irish surname, and same school as Ara. Hmmmmm.

 

And he certainly knows the Chicago area, bread and butter for an Irish coach

 

Anyone who has met or covered Fitzgerald would probably laugh at this premise. The only way he leaves NU is when/if he's fired. That dude sweats purple and white. And he's smart enough to know that NU is a better bet these days than ND.

 

Fitzgerald seems like the loyal type so I doubt he'd leave, but the ceiling is a lot lower in Evanston, as is the paycheck: A Rose Bowl once every 20 years, if you're lucky, and the trip to a low-end bowl every two or three. And I thought the reason Barnett didn't go to ND the last time was because he overplayed his hand.

Darkhorse for ND, though I really don't see it happening at this moment: Barry Alvarez. He's enjoying coaching retirement too much, I reckon, and I reckon ND wants to go younger.

 

Notice how Ty's last season started off 5-2 and ended up 6-6, albeit to include a bowl loss for which he was already gone.

ND started off this year 5-2 and is now 6-6, and could very well be 6-7 IF they go to a bowl.

Ty's two-season record going into his last year was 15-10. Charlie's two-year record before this year was 13-12.

Just one more measuring stick among dozens why Charlie is in serious trouble.

 

But, but, but ... he almost beat USC that one time!

When the Trojans had those two guys who turned out to be pretty average NFL players!