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Notre Dame's problems are bigger than Weis

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Mark Kriegel

Mark Kriegel is the national columnist for FOXSports.com. He is the author of two New York Times best sellers, Namath: A Biography and Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich, which Sports Illustrated called "the best sports biography of the year."

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Updated Nov 20, 2009 12:11 PM ET
     
 
Not long after he arrived at Notre Dame, Joe Theismann was informed that his surname, which he had pronounced thees-man for the better part of 19 years, would herein rhyme with "Heisman." This was 1968, and the Heisman was a trophy for which Notre Dame's starting quarterback could be reasonably expected to compete. As it happened, Theismann never won college football's most coveted individual award, a fact he partly attributes to a backlash against a heavy-handed media campaign (he still has "Theismann for the Heisman" bumper stickers). But he was, for a time, the face of Notre Dame football, and remains sufficiently iconic for aficionados of Fighting Irish football to mark the years between Terry Hanratty and Joe Montana. Which brings me to my question: Who's the face of the program today? Theismann, an analyst for the NFL Network, isn't stumped by many football questions. But this one gives him pause. "Right now?" he asks. "I'd probably say Jimmy Clausen. He's a legitimate Heisman candidate." At this writing, Clausen has thrown for 21 touchdowns and more than 3,000 yards on the year. But with Notre Dame needing a win over Connecticut to preserve a merely failed season — as opposed to an eternally shameful one — he does not evoke great glories. Theismann understands this as well as anyone, and qualifies his answer. "Clausen is the face. But Charlie Weis is the conversation." Of course. Weis has been the conversation since 2005, when he accepted the job and promised that the Irish would have a "decided schematic advantage" against every opponent. While the idea of "needing" a win over Connecticut is anathema to Notre Dame's vaunted traditions, the reality is that Weis' team is 6-4. Over five seasons, he is 35-25, with what Theismann calls "two key losses in the last two years." He's referring to last year's 24-23 defeat to a 20-point underdog, a 2-9 Syracuse team in South Bend. The more recent offense came earlier this month when the Irish lost to Navy, 23-21, also at home.
"Six trips to the red zone and they wind up with nothing," says Theismann. So much for schematic advantages. "It's got to be the head coach's responsibility," he says. "Those losses will probably, ultimately, be Charlie's demise." Theismann's analysis might've been sobering, but he wasn't trying to bury the guy, not at all. The issue, at least for me, isn't even the coach. Go ahead and fire Charlie Weis. I'm sure he's got it coming. Just realize that he's the third consecutive Notre Dame coach to be given ample time and resources — and still fail. And that's the real question here: Can Notre Dame be what its fans still expect it to be, which is to say, a perennial contender for the national championship? Is that still reasonable? "I don't think you're wrong in posing the question," says Theismann. "But the answer has yet to be found." Sure, Notre Dame can hire Urban Meyer away from Florida. A proven, championship coach could turn around the program. But don't pretend the world hasn't changed, and with it, some of the institutions that sustained Irish football for generations. Some of those mill towns that funneled so much talent to South Bend don't, for practical purposes, even exist anymore. Then there's the notion that playing for Notre Dame is like playing for God. Maybe it is. But in an ever more secular society, does the parish priest still hold as much sway as a recruiter? Don't forget television, either. "Florida will be on national television some of the time," says Theismann. "Texas will be on national television some of the time. But Notre Dame is on all of the time. You have the Notre Dame Network." Otherwise known as NBC. And while the Irish are the only school with that kind of deal, the peacock no longer confers the advantage it did in 1991 when NBC entered into its first contract with the university. Back then, there were games on three channels on Saturdays. Now, as Theismann points out, everybody's on television every night. "Tuesday night, Wednesday, Thursday and two games on Friday," he says. "It's like the NBA playoffs. You can't get away from it."
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Then again, there are Notre Dame fans who'd very much like a respite. It goes back to question of identity, the face of Irish football. Is it ESPN's Lou Holtz, who's perfected the role of the doddering uncle? Or is it Brady Quinn, recently seen imploding on Monday Night Football? A lot has been said about Notre Dame's problems recruiting. Why would a star high school athlete spend a harsh winter going to class and church in South Bend when schools in the SEC and the Pac-10 offer distinct advantages in terms of climate and co-eds? The answer: Kids want to be pros. They go to the school that figures to give them the best chance. Maybe that's why Weis — an NFL assistant for so long — has done well in attracting top talent. "I don't see where Notre Dame is behind the curve in recruiting," says Theismann. Weis hasn't had much problem signing blue-chip kids like Clausen and Manti Te'o, a highly sought-after linebacker from Hawaii. But to what end? Where are the alumni — the Montanas, the Theismanns, the Tim Browns — who went on to have iconic pro careers? "There aren't any," says Theismann. And there haven't been for a while. In fact, of 50 former Notre Dame players on NFL rosters, only five ever played in a Pro Bowl. One was a punter. One was a kicker. One was a kick returner. Two were defensive ends. Bertrand Berry went in 2004, Justin Tuck in 2008. Still, no one's going to Notre Dame to be the next Justin Tuck. More instructive, and cautionary, is the example of Brady Quinn, a four-year starter and erstwhile Heisman hopeful. He was supposed to be the guy, a symbol of the Notre Dame renaissance under Charlie Weis. What the hell happened? That, to borrow Theismann's phrase, is part of the conversation.
Tagged: Syracuse, Connecticut, Notre Dame, West Virginia

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