As recently as September, most in the Irish nation thought that Charlie Weis was the "Man." The savior. The one guy who would escort Notre Dame back to the very summit of college football.
But no longer. That perception has radically changed. Now, there are plenty of those beginning to wonder if Weis ever was the "Man?" Or, more to the point, if he ever will be?
Unqualified belief in Weis has basically evaporated. His sometimes healthy ego has been punctured. The cache he had built up by returning the Irish to respectability in '05 and '06 is all but gone. Right now, he's perceived as more boob than brain, more dunce than genius. Weis' fall from grace has been swift and dramatic. What's worse, he brought much of this misery upon himself.
Weis' most glaring transgression has been authorship of such an inept and disgraceful offense. Stagnant doesn't even begin to describe the Domers when they possess the ball. Clueless is more like it. Thought to be an offensive guru, Weis currently seems stupefied as to how to get his team to move the chains.
Shockingly, the ND offense has descended to the utter depths. It ranks lower than a snake's belly. The Domers have embarrassed themselves by generating 14 points or less in five games including two shutouts. In 2007, making a first down constitutes a major success for ND. Not losing yardage on a series is considered a moral victory. How sad is that?
Sure, there are mitigating circumstances as to why the Irish have struggled on offense. The makeup of the line was greatly altered. There have been wholesale changes at quarterback, running back and wide receiver. But that hardly explains this kind of incompetence. This kind of helplessness.
What's more, the situation doesn't seem to be improving. Eight weeks into the season, some sort of steady progression should be occurring. But not with the Domers. The offense continues to sputter and stall. And Weis, given his supposed expertise in this area, must take the heat for this abysmal showing. Shouldn't he have the "O" operating a little bit more crisply by now?
As mentioned before, Weis has helped create much of this chaos and upheaval. His reluctance to settle on a starting signal caller in the spring has been damaging. His overestimation of the offensive line's prowess has made him look like a fool.
Moreover, his play calling has been frighteningly conservative and timid. It's almost as if his mindset has been to simply keep things close and not get blown out. Far from being aggressive, his approach appears to be one of concession. That's not a formula for winning games.
Weis has misfired in other ways. He did little to prepare last year's understudies to take on prominent roles this season. As a result, when thrown into the fray, these youngsters have been overwhelmed and prone to error.
Weis' practice techniques have also been called into question. The Irish coach did his charges a real disservice by incorporating only a modicum of contact work throughout August and into September, thereby leaving them ill-equipped and unprepared.
Hence, when they met Georgia Tech, Penn State and Michigan, they weren't ready for the speed and physicality of the play. The direct result? Three blowout losses which greased the skids for one sorry season
Weis will get somewhat of a pass because nearly everyone viewed '07 as basically a rebuilding season. A time to hold the fort and set the table for '08. But, under no circumstances, can this sort of implosion be rationalized. You can't explain away futility of this magnitude. Never, no matter what the conditions, should ND even sniff having a record as pathetic as 1 and 7. The fact that it happened on Weis' watch could be telling.
Despite ND's slip into abyss, no reasoned or fair-minded person could possibly call for Weis' ouster. At least, not at this time. He's earned the right to get this train wreck turned around. He's bought some time because, on balance, he's done a more than decent job since his arrival in South Bend. Basically, his two solid seasons ( 10-3, 9-3 ) cancel out this current clinker.
And very few could find fault with his last two recruiting hauls. If the notices are accurate, Weis is amassing some heavy duty talent. Certainly enough that if coached right, should be able to restore the Irish to a place of competitiveness, if not preeminence.
But Weis doesn't have much wiggle room left. The honeymoon has long since been over. No one, from the Irish faithful to a critical media, is going to cut him much more slack. 2007 had better be nothing more than an unfortunate aberration. Things had best improve rapidly and significantly. If Weis doesn't put up next year and ,at the very minimum, win 8 to 9 regular season games, he'll be in some awfully hot water. He'll be under the gun. What's more, he should be!
Once he almost seemed invincible. That he could do little wrong. Now, with some of his shortcomings fully exposed, Charlie Weis seems vulnerable. Confidence in him has been understandably shaken. Doubts about his long-term viability have surfaced and taken root. Right now, given the current climate that exists, Weis would be no more than even money to get the Irish reestablished and headed towards something special.
No longer the "Man," Weis must do some mighty heavy lifting and produce lots of impressive results to restore much of the credibility he's lost since ND's freefall began. Is he up to it?
If not, his shelf life will expire quicker than many may think. But if he can meet that challenge head-on, then the future for both Weis and the program he leads, will be bright and promising.
And if that happens, Weis will reclaim his former exalted status. He'll return to being the "Man" once again.