Bleacher Report - Chicago

Week 13 Power Rankings, Bears Edition

Jake Perper — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:23:53 -0500

Here are the Week 13 Bears power rankings from various sites around the web:

ESPN: No. 23 (Last week: 23)

Analysis: “Jay Cutler’s 20 interceptions are bad enough; the league’s worst rushing offense isn’t helping matters, either.”

Yahoo Sports: No. 23 (Last week: 21)

Analysis: “Whatever happens to Lovie Smith after this season, there’s no way Ron Turner returns as offensive coordinator, is there?”

Pro Football Weekly: No. 22 (Last week: 22)

Analysis: “So many needs, so few draft picks left to use.”

CBS Sports: No. 25 (Last week: 22)

Analysis: “Paging Bill Cowher. Paging Bill Cowher. Is there any doubt they will make a coaching change now?”

Fox Sports: No. 23 (Last week: 23)

Analysis: “How tough is this season to watch for Brian Urlacher? It must be maddening to watch the Bears get annihilated by the Vikings and not be able to do one bleeping thing about it. It’s probably tougher to watch for coach Lovie Smith, however, especially as online bidding wars are likely underway for www.FireLovie.com naming rights.”

Jake Perper is the creator of www.BearsBacker.com and also covers the Bears for www.NFLTouchdown.com and www.MVN.com.

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Good Old Country Hardball: Chip Caray and TBS Part Ways

TAB BAMFORD — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:51:50 -0500

TBS announced on Monday that they had parted ways with baseball play-by-play announcer Chip Caray.

Sorry Kleenex, but my single tear won't help your stock price.

Caray, who was better known for the full families of birds living in his eyebrows and his last name than his ability to call a baseball game has never distinguished himself as the legend in the booth that his grandfather, Harry, or father, Skip, would make you think.

To the contrary, Caray's "highlight" reel from this year's postseason has made every sports talk radio station's blooper feed this year. From calling a ground ball a line drive out to crediting teams with runs before the runner was tagged out by a mile, Caray was mediocrity with a mic.

I'm a Cubs fan. When the Cubs went south in 2009 or when Jay Cutler tosses another interception (I think he threw two on Monday afternoon), I find consolation in knowing that it could be worse. I just think back a couple years to when Caray was joined by Joe Carter in the worst broadcast booth pairing in the history of professional sports.

Now Caray can move on to making money off another family legacy: steak. Maybe one of his late grandfather's restaurants in Chicago needs a bartender. He might not know the difference between a line drive and a grounder, but he should know the difference between shaken and stirred.

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Chicago Blackhawks December Preview

TAB BAMFORD — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:18:08 -0500

December begins with the Chicago Blackhawks in first place in the Central Division .

Life is good.

After a spectacular November that saw the team handle most, if not all, of the Western Conference powers both at home and on the road, the Hawks come on in December for a month highlighted by games against some of the top talent from the Eastern Conference.

Thankfully for the fans, though, most of December is played in Chicago.

The fun begins Dec. 5, when the Hawks make their lone trip to the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins. This game could not only be a showcase of some of the best young players in the NHL, but might be a trendy pick to serve as a 2010 Stanley Cup Finals preview.

After the Pittsburgh trip, the Hawks return home for New York Rangers before heading to Buffalo to take on the red-hot Sabres Dec. 11. Brian Campbell will face one of his former teams in Buffalo, a reality many Hawks will deal with in December.

This stretch of three games could serve as a good gauge of how the Blackhawks stack up against the stronger teams in the East.

But the schedule doesn’t get easy after just that one week.

After the Sabres game, the Hawks have a five-game homestand during which Original Six foes Boston and Detroit come to the United Center.

It will be the only trip for the Bruins to Chicago this year, and the first time the Hawks will face the Red Wings since their third game of the season; that loss also happened to be the Wings home opener and the first game either team had played on American soil this season.

Marian Hossa will play against the last two teams with whom he advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals in Pittsburgh and Detroit. The Red Wings should be getting some of their injured players back during December, but the losses on their roster have kept them from playing consistent hockey this year.

Following the Red Wings could be a dangerous game for the Blackhawks. The final game of the homestand is against the San Jose Sharks…the same Sharks that have lost both games against the Hawks this year and who got their doors blown out in their building during the Circus Trip.

If there’s one team on the December schedule that has a score to settle, it’s the Sharks.

The Hawks will leave town for a couple tough games after facing the Sharks, travelling to Detroit and Nashville, before returning home for Nashville again.

The Predators started the season in a funk, but have come on strong lately, and fall in a couple spots on the December schedule that could present an opportunity for a good team to take advantage of a team playing a lot of games against premier Eastern Conference teams.

The back-to-back home and home series on the two days immediately following Christmas could be a great test for both teams.

The final day of 2009 will also present a potential Finals preview when the New Jersey Devils come to Chicago. It will be the first time John Madden faces his former team, and will absolutely serve as a test of the potent Hawks offense against Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur.

Both teams are elite defensively, so that could be a bell ringer to end a special calendar year in the history of the Blackhawks.

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Are The Irish Overlooking The D In Dantonio?

Joe Schmoe — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:48:47 -0500

It was defense – or lack thereof – that did in Charlie Weis. It will take someone well versed in that less-appreciated aspect of college football to return Notre Dame to its winning tradition.

We’ve heard no end of potential suitors to replace Weis: Stoops, Meyer, Kelly and whoever else is winning big at the moment. Great offensive coaches all.

But the Irish already had a great offense, ranked statistically tenth in the nation. There was nothing wrong with their offensive coaching or recruiting.

Had Weis’s defensive backfield stopped Tate Forcier in the last few seconds, had the defensive line dug in to halt Navy’s predictable rushing game, and had the same squad put the onus on Dion Lewis’s running game, the Irish would have finished 9-3 and Charlie would still have a job.

Come to think of it, had the Notre Dame defense stopped just half of the Connecticut rushing duo of Jordan Todman and Andre Dixon, the Irish would be 10-2 and still in line for a BCS bowl.

To paraphrase Bill Clinton’s campaign slogan: “It’s the defense, stupid!”

Which brings me to suggest Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio as the South Bend Solution.

First off, Dantonio’s legacy is a balanced attack and a strong defense. No, he’s not a Jim Tressel conservative. His Spartans’ passing offense ranks first in the Big Ten this season, which may not be saying much.

But those who savor a Charlie Weis look-alike need to remember that the passing game only gets you so far. After all, the 6-6 Irish rank fifth nationally in passing yardage. Only one of the top BCS teams – Cincinnati - falls into the top ten passing ranks with Notre Dame.

Passing is not necessarily the forte of national championship teams.

Dantonio’s defensive squads at MSU haven’t quite lived up to his feats at Ohio State in 2002 and 2003, when he was Jim Tressel’s defensive coordinator. His squads were one of the reasons the Bucks won the national championship in 2002, and ended up ranked fourth in 2003.

He has been criticized for the Spartans’ mediocre record this season. But his bright spots have included seeing junior linebacker Greg Jones, second in the FBS with 141 tackles, named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

And given the recruiting advantage of being head coach at ND, he would have the potential to develop a splendid defense to take a load off those storied Irish offensive squads.

There is a more compelling reason for the Irish to consider Dantonio. Somewhere gathering dust in the back of the athletic director’s safe is a paradigm, a yardstick that this superb program misplaced many years ago.

It should be used to measure candidates against the coach who best exemplifies Notre Dame’s success in the modern era – Ara Parseghian.

The comparisons between the two men are easy to find. Ara is Ohio-born. So is Mark. Both coached Ohio teams, Ara at Miami University and Mark at Cincinnati. Both are versed in Big Ten coaching, but not necessarily big winners there.

Parseghian came to Notre Dame with a 36-35-1 record after 8 years at Northwestern. While there he beat the Irish four times. Dantonio is 22-16 at Michigan State in three years. He handily beat the Irish two times and lost this year’s match up in a squeaker that could have gone either way.

Dantonio has beaten Michigan two out of three. He has vanquished Purdue three straight times. And why is that important to Notre Dame? Because those two Big Ten teams and MSU are 25 percent of the Irish ongoing football schedule.

Both Parseghian and Dantonio picked up pointers from men who understood the importance of balanced offenses and strong defenses- Ara under Woody Hayes and Dantonio under Earl Bruce and Jim Tressel.

Neither man graduated from Notre Dame, although Parseghian, a Miami University grad, was named an honorary ND alumnus at the end of his career there. Dantonio graduated from the University of South Carolina, and returned to Ohio to coach.

You say Mark is too old at age 53 to start with another team? A fine ND coach named Lou Holtz, who won a national championship there, was 49 in 1986 when he arrived in South Bend.

You say he’s too expensive? Considering what Notre Dame will pay to buy out Weis, any compensation required by Michigan State for Dantonio’s piddling annual $1.8 million in overall compensation and paltry $2 million longevity bonus would be a drop in the bucket.

Religion? Ara was a Presbyterian when he began his career at Notre Dame. Dantonio is an unabashed Catholic who sees his career as a ministry. He’s a religious man whose focus is on the welfare of his players and assistant coaches.

Are there other coaches out there who can provide the missing D in Notre Dame’s game plan? Could be. But how do they measure up against the Ara Paradigm?

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Chicago Blackhawks November Recap

TAB BAMFORD — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:16:46 -0500

At the end of October, we looked ahead to a November schedule that looked like it would provide a rough test for the Chicago Blackhawks . With most of the top teams in the Western Conference on the schedule, and the annual Circus Trip taking the Hawks on the road for two weeks, it was clear that November would provide an opportunity for the Hawks to gauge their play against the best in the West.

November is now over, and the Hawks got a pretty good idea of where they stand in the West. They are one of the elite.

The Blackhawks ended November 8-2-2 (18 pts), and finished the Circus Trip an impressive 4-1-1. On the Circus Trip, the Hawks put seven goals on both the Calgary Flames and the San Jose Sharks in the midst of an eight-game winning streak that raised the Hawks to national prominance.

Cristobal Huet had a solid month, allowing only 2.00 goals per game and earning a 7-2-1 record for the month. His play raised him to the Top Five in the NHL in goals against average and put the Hawks near the top of the conference standings.

For the month, the Hawks outscored their opponents 39-25, or 3.25-2.08 per game.

Huet was aided by superb defense from nearly every position. The Hawks continued their dominance on the power play kill, only allowing seven goals on 39 power plays (an 82.05 percent kill rate). When you factor in that the Hawks scored four short handed goals in November, including the spectacular three-goal effort in San Jose last week, the Blackhawks have established arguably the best PK unit in the game.

Many players had good offensive months, but perhaps the most surprising player in November was Troy Brouwer. Usually a third or fourth line wing, Brouwer led the team with three power play goals among his nine points (four goals, five assists) for the month of November. Duncan Keith led the team with 13 points in 12 games, recording one goal and 12 assists in the month. Patrick Kane led all goal scorers for the Hawks with five; Kane also had seven assists in the month.

Jonathan Toews missed the first two games of November because of his concussion, but rebounded to score four goals and record six assists for 10 points in just 10 games. Toews had two power plays goals as he and Brouwer led a resurgent unit for the Hawks that improved by scoring 10 goals on 38 power plays in the month (26.32 percent conversion).

Oh, and we haven't even started talking about the arrival of Marian Hossa in the lineup. The great two-way forward has already contributed two goals in just three games and is playing physical defense on both sides of the ice. Despite the Hawks losing Dave Bolland to back surgery early this November, they have continued scoring and moving the puck well, even with players like Kris Versteeg occasionally picking up ice time in the circle.

As the Hawks come home for most of the month of December, the Eastern Conference teams come calling. The Blackhawks got a good idea of where they rank among the heavyweights in the Western Conference in November and should feel fairly confident heading towards Christmas.

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Charlie Weis and Notre Dame: The “What If” Era

Jim Miesle — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:13:55 -0500

When a coaching change comes, it’s hard not to look back (in this case, over five years) and wonder what might have been. In the case of Charlie Weis, I think it is especially apropos.

While I am sure the list I compiled is by no means all-encompassing, it’s a start:

2004 – The Coaching Staff

It would be difficult to start in any other place. Weis took the job after a lengthy search by then AD Kevin White, and by all accounts wasn’t at or near the top of anyone’s wish list. Guiding the New England Patriot offense to a third Super Bowl title in four seasons, Weis was forced to assemble his staff hastily on top of his prior job commitments. Proclaimed as an “exceptional, talented and experienced group of assistant coaches ” one has to wonder about if Weis had more time to assemble his initial staff, where the team (and program) would be today.

A few notables:

David Cutcliffe, Assistant Head Coach (offense) and quarterbacks coach. Known as the guy who coached the Manning brothers, he resigned due to health issues in June 2005. He was replaced by Peter Vaas.

Rick Minter, defensive coordinator. Not much that needs to be said here other than the defense was the weak link during the 2005 Irish season, which would become a recurring theme during the Weis era.

Of the original nine assistant coaches hired by Weis in January 2005, only three would survive his five year tenure (Rob Ianello, Bernie Parmalee, and Brian Polian).

2005 Recruiting Class

In the wake of the Willingham dismissal, Weis was left to pick up the pieces of a nonexistent recruiting class. Signing only 15 players, the lack of depth would become evident during the 2007 season, as the team was missing key upper class leadership. What if Ty had put in a bit more effort in recruiting and left Weis with a bit more than six verbal commits at his departure?

2005 Regular Season

One has to wonder about the 2005 season, one that was probably the best overall during the Weis era. With only two regular season losses by a total of six points (one coming in overtime to Michigan State and the other on the “Bush Push” against USC), Weis looked to have the Irish headed for the pinnacle of the college football world.

What if the Irish pulled out the victory over the Spartans after rallying from 14 back in the fourth quarter? What if Matt Leinart didn’t complete the 4th-and-9 pass? How would that team have matched-up with Texas?

2006 Regular Season

After transforming an average offense to record setting, the 2006 season started with sky-high expectations. After an early season blowout loss at home to Michigan, expectations were tempered somewhat. With holes appearing in the defense, along with a lack in overall team speed, Irish fans were forced to sit through more close wins (Georgia Tech, Michigan State, and UCLA) then was comfortable. What if this team had a few more difference makers? What if the proverbial cupboard wasn’t so bare?

2007 Regular Season

I would prefer to believe that the 2007 season never happened. Fielding a roster with only 24 scholarship seniors and juniors (the aforementioned 2005 recruiting class), too many underclassmen were forced into service before they were ready.

Preseason predictions placed the Irish somewhere around .500, with anything less beyond the worst nightmares of Irish fans everywhere. The offense couldn’t move the ball (starting three different QBs), and the defense was struggling with a change in identity (the new 3-4 defense brought in by Corwin Brown).

What if this team had additional junior/senior support (especially on the OL)? What if Weis brought in a different DC? What if Darius Walker hadn’t left a year early for the NFL draft (and consequently went undrafted)? What if Demetrius Jones didn’t fumble on the first possession in the opener vs. Georgia Tech?

2008 Regular Season

The 2008 season is where a lot of the big questions about the Weis era began to emerge. For the most part, following back-to-back BCS berths fans were willing to concede the 2007 season as a rebuilding year.

After an all-too-close opening win over San Diego State, the Irish seemed to be heading in the right direction with a 4-2 start (including a come-from-ahead loss at North Carolina). Finishing the regular season at 6-6, rumors started to circulate about Weis being fired.

You have to wonder about what would have happened had the Irish held on to double digit leads over NC, Pitt and Syracuse? What if CW brought in new line coaches a year earlier and had an actual running game? What if Jimmy Clausen took better care of the football, especially against Boston College and USC, instead of throwing 17 INTs?

2009 Regular Season

Simply put, there are a lot of scenarios that could have played out during this season. In each of the six losses (and four wins), you can go back to a few plays and wonder about them going a different way.

What if the kickoff team hadn’t allowed two kickoff returns for TDs (vs. Michigan and Connecticut)? What if a kicker who had made 15 straight field goals doesn't miss two straight vs. Navy? What if the defense stepped up and made a play or two (vs. Navy and Stanford)? What if the offense made one more play or avoided key penalties (vs. Michigan, USC, and Pitt)? In the wins, they were one play away from losing to Washington, BC, Michigan State, and Purdue. What if one of those plays went the other way?

Overall

The biggest question one has to ask themselves about the Weis era is pretty simple—what if he had a defense to go with the record setting offenses? Ultimately, we will never know how that would have played out.

It’s never a good thing when someone loses their job. There should be no joy taken in that, regardless of how you feel the program was run over the past five seasons. The guys at BlueGraySky said it better than I possibly could in their Thank You to Coach Weis . I echo their comments and know that he will have no shortage in job offers in the coming weeks (including possibly being reunited with Brady Quinn in Cleveland, or elsewhere).

Thank you Coach Weis for your tireless work and leaving the program in a better place than you found it. Your true contribution may never fully be realized, but this Irish fan will try not to forget that you brought the program from life support to a place with a brighter future than five years ago. It’s just hard not to wonder what if…

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The C.U.T.L.E.R. System

Saagar Patel — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:41:51 -0500

For those of you who don't watch the show "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" on FX, the "D.E.N.N.I.S System" is a patented method of how to get a girl to love you and then completely break her heart. The C.U.T.L.E.R System is very similar to this, except it involves a city instead of a girl. Let us begin.

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Injured Chicago Bear Brian Urlacher Should Focus on Rehab, Not Analysis

Gene Chamberlain — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:22:51 -0500

It’s been quite a while since linebacker Brian Urlacher played in an NFL game, and he’s acting like he’s been away forever.

Urlacher’s comments in a story written by Yahoo Sports writer Michael Silver on Monday sounded like something a fan watching a game from the outside would say, rather than an actual team member.

Through the course of watching the Bears get blown out by the Minnesota Vikings with a bunch of Urlacher's friends, Silver detailed Urlacher's comments that sounded like something you’d expect from someone on the outside looking in. And while he isn’t playing, Urlacher is still at Halas Hall and around teammates while doing his rehab from a dislocated wrist.

So he should know better.

The most ridiculous comment Urlacher made focused on quarterback Jay Cutler and former quarterback Kyle Orton.

“Look, I love Jay, and I understand he’s a great player who can take us a long way, and I still have faith in him,” Urlacher told Silver. “But I hate the way our identity has changed.

“We used to establish the run and wear teams down and try not to make mistakes, and we’d rely on our defense to keep us in the game and make big plays to put us in position to win. Kyle Orton might not be the flashiest quarterback, but the guy is a winner, and that formula worked for us. I hate to say it, but that’s the truth.”

Hel-lo, earth to Brian…The Bears have not changed their offensive focus to become a passing team from a running team. The entire “get off the bus running” reputation coach Lovie Smith tried selling to the media over the past five years has been nothing but a myth anyway.

No NFL team gets off the bus running or run anywhere for that matter. Maybe the 1985 Bears did, but that was a long time ago.

The Bears have always wanted the running game to be a major part of their attack, though, and still do.

And the focus this year has been to establish a running game just like they did when Kyle Orton played here. However, they can’t run. Their offensive line and running back Matt Forte haven’t been able to establish dominance on the ground over any team except Detroit.

The Bears are very close to being on pace for the fewest rushing yards in a 16-game schedule in their franchise history (1,330) and are almost certain to set a franchise record for fewest rushing attempts, but it’s happening because they can’t run. Not because they have changed philosophies.

There are two factors at work here which Urlacher should have a better grasp of than what he showed in his comments to Yahoo. One is the running game. The other is his own defense.

The Bears come out trying to run like always, but Matt Forte has 23, 24, 90, 33, 41, 34 and 27 yards in the last seven games as the team slid from 3-1 to 4-7. The 90 yards came against Cleveland, which is an NFL franchise only by technicality.

If Forte could actually gain yardage, they’d run more. He can’t. The line doesn’t block well enough. Forte has appeared a step too slow all year, possibly due to being out of shape because he missed all of June OTA workouts and almost all of preseason.

Forced to pass, Cutler has been easy pickings for a lot of defenses.

Meanwhile, when the Bears can’t run and execute a simple game plan, they fall behind because their defense is nothing like it was in the Super Bowl XLI season, and without Urlacher, it has faded even more.

Urlacher has missed 17 full games since Smith became the Bears' coach. The Bears defense gives up 24.8 points, 354.6 yards and forces 1.5 turnovers per every game Urlacher has missed. In the 75 games Urlacher has played for the Bears under Smith, however, they allow only 19.1 points and 311.3 yards per game while forcing 2.2 turnovers a contest.

So his impact—or in this case absence—is obvious.

The other missing part of the Bears defense is a pass rush from their defensive line. It’s just not consistent enough for a cover-2 team to be effective without blitzing. And when they have to blitz or even focus on something else besides pass rush, such as Adrian Peterson’s running Sunday, the cover-2 can’t be played.

They wind up in zone blitzes and variations of such, and it's not something they're suited to playing. Vikings coach Brad Childress even commented Sunday after the game that the Bears were in "fire zones" and it was leaving some wide receivers wide open as a result. Brett Favre had plenty of time to find those open receivers.

So the Bears can’t run, they fall behind because they don’t play defense well, and then they have to pass because they’re playing from behind. Cutler throws interceptions because he’s under excessive pressure and the end result is six losses in seven weeks.

Now explain how that shows they've willingly gone away from being a running team because they no longer have Kyle Orton.

“I’m not taking a shot at Jay. I’m not one bit taking a shot at Jay, he throws it better, right? And we haven’t tried to run the ball as much. That’s true,” Urlacher said. “But Kyle has won games. His formula works. So I’m not taking a shot at Jay or Kyle.”

Orton won games in Chicago when there was offensive line play good enough to run the ball effectively. With Orton behind this offensive line, with this running attack, the Bears would be 2-9 instead of 4-7.

They only won seven games in 2007 and the object then wasn’t to come out throwing. They wanted to run with Cedric Benson. They couldn’t run until late in the season and had to pass and then came up with the fewest rushing yards in team history to go with a 7-9 record.

But they did begin to run better near the end of the season and Orton came on to quarterback them the last three games when the running attack had actually improved.

“I think right now at this stage, everyone is frustrated with where we are and everybody will speak their mind,” Smith said today at Halas Hall. “Brian Urlacher is a team guy, like all of our players are, and they will voice their opinion. I would like all comments to be positive toward what we’re doing but guys have a chance to voice their opinion.

“I can’t do a whole lot about that, I just know that Brian is a team player. He’s behind everything that we’re doing.”

Translation: Shut up Brian.

It’s bad enough playing with no running game. Having to face criticism about why you’re not running more from a guy who is getting paid to do rehab, watch football on television at home and run his mouth is probably more than anyone should have to bear.

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Would Jimmy Clausen Stay Another Year with Bob Stoops As Coach?

Bryan Kelly — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:21:19 -0500

As other B/R writers have argued , Jimmy Clausen and Charlie Weis's fates have been inextricably intertwined since the beginning, and it ought to follow that Clausen will depart to the NFL a year early now that Weis is fired.

At first, I thought Clausen would maybe consider staying, considering Stoops' reputation for turning out prolific, stud quarterbacks year after year, season after season, with little alteration of his system.

In fact, it's easy to say Bob Stoops is a quarterback's best friend. Though he's a defensive-minded coach by trade—serving as the defensive coordinator at Kansas State and Florida before taking over the head job in Norman—he's produced two Heisman winners at the QB position (Jason White and Sam Bradford) and one runner-up (Josh Heupel), plus record-breaking touchdown passes, quarterback ratings, completion percentages, All-American freshman seasons...

There is a Stoops system for quarterbacks. And whatever it is, Irish fans might hold out a slim hope that it will keep Jimmy Clausen in South Bend for one more year.

The breaks are certainly stacked against such a return. As though Clausen needed any more incentive to jet early for the NFL, the scary, season-ending injury to Sam Bradford's AC joint likely cost the Oklahoma quarterback millions of dollars and a spot as the first quarterback taken overall. (Tellingly, that position now belongs to Clausen, according to many draft scouts.)

Clausen took 58 sacks as a true freshman in the Irish's miserable 3-9 season in 2007. Unlike Bradford, he has nothing to prove to NFL scouts that he didn't already prove as a freshman from a toughness standpoint. Physically speaking, he's already a far cry from the skinny, slender kid who threw six touchdowns and seven interceptions in his first year. He's added muscle and put on weight to match his size and determination.

Bob Stoops would essentially have to poach Clausen from Weis to get him to stay, because Clausen has been Weis's darling since the beginning. In 2007, Clausen was hailed as the prototypical pocket passer necessary for the success of Weis's pro-style attack post-Brady Quinn.

That prophecy finally started to come true this year. Clausen's numbers have been outstanding: 3,722 yards, 28 touchdowns to only four interceptions, and the most attempts and completions by a Notre Dame quarterback in history.

Learning the Stoops system might be a great challenge if all of Clausen's weapons were going to return. But Clausen would still have to cope with the departure of Golden Tate, who will likely enter the NFL draft a year early. Tate's 93 receptions for 1,320 yards leads the team and is good for fifth overall in the country

Those receptions are a lot of rapport Stoops and his coaches would have to make up in practice.

The only way I could see Clausen returning is if his passion and determination were rooted more in Notre Dame than in Weis; that he wanted to beat USC, Navy, Michigan, and Stanford badly enough to return; that the losses were nagging on him more than we could understand, and he needed to make things right in South Bend again.

To say that, you'd have to argue that Clausen is more loyal to Notre Dame than many of us think he is; that he is a college football player, and not a "pre-professional" football player.

I'm not arguing that Clausen is disloyal. I only think that this kind of faith goes against what Weis preached as a head coach and mentor to Clausen. Because of his background, Weis cultivated a mentality that prepared his players for bigger things at the professional level.

Unlike your Eric Crouchs or your Mike Harts of college football history, the biggest and best things Clausen will ever do are ahead of him, not behind him. He is Joe Montana, not Brady Quinn.

That's really not a terrible legacy for Weis to leave his players, although it sometimes came at the expense of responsible coaching in the moment . It called for Notre Dame's athletes to play beyond their years, to understand ideas even the pros struggle with from time to time.

That's something I don't think you'd see in the Stoops playbook.

No, numbers do not drive Clausen. Though the Stoops system can promise attempts, completions, touchdowns galore—even success, for what it's worth—it's almost definitely too late.

Clausen was a draft prospect before he was a true freshman, enrolling in the Combine before he'd enrolled in Psych 101. No promise of a prolific system will woo him to remain. He's heard those guarantees already, and will hear no more of them as a college player.

He is certainly gone at year's end, Stoops or no Stoops, and with him, and those wide receivers no one could cover, goes the Weis legacy of outstanding talent never fully realized, waiting for a break that never came.

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The Charlie Weis Legacy: The Good, The Bad, and the Oh-So Ugly

Marc Halsted — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:09:34 -0500

Charlie Weis has been fired from Notre Dame, Urban Meyer has re-dedicated himself to the University of Florida, and Bob Stoops has denied that he has any interest in becoming the next Notre Dame head coach.

While we wait for Brian Kelly's stunning announcement that he'll leave an undefeated, and BCS-bound Cincinatti program to become the next Irish head coach, it would do us all well to take a final look at the Charlie Weis legacy.

The Weis legacy must be remembered for the roses and the thorns. There have been exceptional highs and unfathomable lows. There have been wins, losses, outrageous disasters, and unquestioned radiance.

It most assuredly has been captivating—just ask Mark May, Chris Fowler, Tony Bernhart, and the rest of the national media that has tried to tell all of us that Notre Dame has become irrelevant.

Here's to Charlie! Thanks for the memories, no matter how vivid and painful they've been.

Back-to-Back BCS

Most Notre Dame fans would triple their alumni payments to get back to the days of 9-2 and 10-2 and a pair of appearances in BCS bowl games against high profile opponents like Ohio State and LSU.

Of course, a 75-34 total score in two losses against said BSC bowl game opponents in Charlie's first two years, is not something many Irish fans want to remember. But, at least he helped get them into the bright spotlights of a New Year’s Day Bowl and made us all think for a moment, that 1988 wasn't really that long ago.

Stunning Losses

There is no way around shocking home losses to Syracuse, Air Force, Connecticut, and Navy, twice.

There was no way to ignore a period of nearly three years without a win over a team that finished the season with a winning record not named Navy (yes, they actually beat the Midshipmen once or twice during the Weis era).

There is no way around blowout losses to Georgia Tech (33-3), Michigan (38-0), and USC (38-0) in 2007.

There is no way around blowout losses to Boston College (17-0) and USC (38-3) in 2008.

Finally, there is no way around the fact that six-plus losses for three straight years is both unforgettable and unacceptable for the throngs of Notre Dame supporters.

Charlie, Hannah, And Their Friends

Speaking personally, I’m sick of the character assassinations. Yes, Coach Weis has been arrogant and yes, he’s proved to be unsuccessful as a head coach.

But Charlie Weis is a good man with a great heart.

Charlie Weis was loved by many of his players. Walking onto the field for his final home game, locking arm in arm with his captains, was a stirring and powerful display. The tears reminded us that this is an emotional game and that the intensity of relationships between coaches and players is so much a part of college football.

Beyond the field, Coach Weis poured millions of his own money and hours of his not-so-free time to build an extraordinary living center for young people with special needs. His unselfishness and complete dedication to "Hannah and Friends" will always be more important to the greater community of South Bend than anything he did on a football field.

Unfulfilled potential

Charlie Weis arrived at ND with Super Bowl rings, an offensive resume of great repute, and an ego that ran the length of the Jersey Turnpike. What we soon found out was that he also came with a tremendous work ethic and both the passion and ability to recruit the nations finest players eligible to meet the lofty Notre Dame academic standards;then it all went wrong.

The Irish Nation and the rest of the college football world, discovered that NFL success does not always parlay itself into on-campus brilliance. The reduced practice hours allowed and absolute need for the daily motivation of 19 and 20-year-old young men, haunted Weis from day one.

With the semi-professionalism of Brady Quinn and Jeff Samardjiza, he excelled but with the immaturity and confused emotionalism of Jimmy Clausen and Brian Smith, he struggled.

Unfulfilled potential haunted Coach Weis. His preordained offensive brilliance became entrapped in youthful inexperience (2007), abject predictability (2008), and the pressure of increased need and volume (2009).

Finally, it came down to something as simple as player development. He brought in three top-ten recruiting classes full of four and five star athletes, yet failed to put two CFB standards on the field over the past three years: a dependable running game and a serviceable defense.

The Hand-Off

The final component of the Weis Legacy rests in what he left behind.

When Brian Kelly (or whoever the Irish hire) arrives in town, he'll find a depth chart full of talent and athleticism, at least two gifted linebackers, a surprisingly deep and maturing defensive line group, two dynamic wide receiver talents, a day-one NFL draft tight end, and a full stable of highly touted running backs.

Sure, Jimmy and Golden may be off to NFL riches, but Weis left more talent in the cupboard than either of his predecessors. ND will be able to win in 2010 and their schedule will certainly help the cause.

Charlie Weis did not win like he should have and he did not succeed like he needed to. He did not make Notre Dame into what he said he would.

But Charlie Weis leaves with character, integrity, an exceptional 96 percent graduation rate, and a full depth chart for his successor.

Charlie, thank you. Best of luck in the future and enjoy turning the Browns offense into, well, an offense.

Now look Brian, we need at least 10 wins next year, okay?

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Thank you, Charlie Weis

Alex Ferguson — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:07:00 -0500

Charlie Weis is gone and now Notre Dame can look forward to the future.

Before we start to look for the future coach of America's biggest college football team (Kirk Herbstreit's pronouncement on College Gameday that Notre Dame was an 'irrelevant' program was absolute rubbish—do you hear us talking this much about Al Groh, Steve Kragthorpe, or Bobby Bowden?), we'll look at the past.

Penn State faced Notre Dame during Charlie Weis' reign. Brady Quinn took them apart in South Bend in 2006, and Penn State returned the favour in front of the legendary 'White Out' crowd on a beautiful fall evening in 2007.

Notre Dame's record against USC was an 0-5 disaster, but the first game and final games of that series were incredibly close.

He ended the Irish's woeful bowl record with a hammering of Hawaii earlier this year, and he's made Jimmy Clausen potentially a top five pick (hell, Cleveland, St Louis and Buffalo all need a Hawaii), and Golden Tate and Michael Floyd will also be choice first rounders in the future, too.

The problem with Weis is that Notre Dame fans have this unbelievable expectation that they should be challenging for a National Title every year. Considering they play USC every year—plus Michigan (if they are doing well it's a nightmare), that's not easy. They manage to avoid playing SEC teams—or do SEC teams avoid playing the Irish?

And if we're honest, this season we could well have been talking about a national title. Every game the Irish lost was a heartbreaker or made you giggle—depending on your sympathies.

The coach with the biggest future is, sadly, the coach who can persuade Notre Dame's academic staff to loosen up the rules a little for their athletes. Why? Because players would rather go on a four-year SEC, Texas or USC vacation where they can concentrate on playing "ball" rather than actually go to difficult classes.

I'll say this: Notre Dame fans need to be good. But College Football needs Notre Dame to be good, too.

Anyway, here's a memory of the greatest game of Charlie Weis' career—in 2005 against USC. It's no surprise that Notre Dame lost the "close one" was it?

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Charlie Weis Finally Fired by Notre Dame: No Fight in This Irishman

Nick Mordowanec — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:07:56 -0500

It was supposed to be a match made in heaven.

Charlie Weis was a big contributor to Super Bowl runs for the NFL’s New England Patriots, instructing quarterback Tom Brady on the intricacies of the professional game after Drew Bledsoe was knocked out of commission. He was one of Bill Belichick’s right-hand men.

But after savoring Super Bowl championships, Weis wanted to be a head coach. He got his wish. Although it wasn’t in the NFL—it was for his alma-meter, Notre Dame.

The Fighting Irish had been a program struggling to find consistency and championship seasons. Ever since Lou Holtz left the program, neither Bob Davie nor Ty Willingham could bring Touchdown Jesus back to prominence. That was where Weis fit—at least that was what most people thought five years ago.

Weis inherited players like Brady Quinn and Jimmy Clausen, but the results were less than favorable. For a storied program which had not seen national championships, expectations were high and losing was never an option.

Yet, a lack of victories was part of Weis’ legacy at Notre Dame. He never defeated rival USC and never reached a BCS bowl after his first two seasons at the helm. He endured a 35-27 record over his career and a .565 winning percentage, which was worse than both his predecessors in Davie and Willingham.

Once Quinn left the program, the ground in South Bend began to grow a little shaky. Weis only went 16-21 after Quinn’s departure.

Clausen was highly-touted out of high school and expected to be one of the greatest quarterbacks in Notre Dame history, but his performance has been inconsistent and not quite at the potential others expected of him. A lackluster defense and some bad losses, such as losing to Navy two out of three years, put a nail in Weis’ green and gold coffin.

Weis’ last game as the Irish head coach was a crushing loss to Stanford, viewed intently by Notre Dame’s athletic director Jack Swarbrick. The loss completed a four game skid and ultimately proving to be the demise of the man Notre Dame fans expected to save the program.

All hope is not lost for Weis, though.

He still possesses a strong football mentality and can run offenses as well as the best coordinators in the business. Many expect Weis to return to the NFL, to his roots, and become a coordinator or even possibly a head coach for a struggling franchise.

As for Notre Dame, names like Cincinnati’s Brian Kelly and Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops have had their names thrown around for weeks. It is unclear what direction Notre Dame will take, but they will assuredly go for a big name in the college football world.

The five-year experiment has concluded and the Fighting Irish are in a similar position they were in before Weis was ever hired—struggling to find an identity and not being able to win a big game.

One thing is for sure: these are not your father’s Fighting Irish.

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Speak Up: Urlacher on the Bears' Identity

Jake Perper — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:19:42 -0500

The Bears defensive leader, Brian Urlacher, who was injured in week one against Green Bay had lots to say about this year's team.

Here is what he said:

“I just wish I could be out there battling, when I go to the facility and see the guys, I feel like I’m in the way.”

“Look, I love Jay, and I understand he’s a great player who can take us a long way, and I still have faith in him. But I hate the way our identity has changed. We used to establish the run and wear teams down and try not to make mistakes, and we’d rely on our defense to keep us in the game and make big plays to put us in position to win. Kyle Orton might not be the flashiest quarterback, but the guy is a winner, and that formula worked for us. I hate to say it, but that’s the truth.”

“I’m not taking a shot at Jay. I’m not one bit taking a shot at Jay, he throws it better, right? And we haven’t tried to run the ball as much. That’s true.

“But Kyle has won games. His formula works. So I’m not taking a shot at Jay or Kyle.”

“I do like Jay, he’s a cool dude. But the way things are going right now, anything you say that appears to be derogatory, they’re going to run with it. That’s for damn sure.

“People are going to think I’m taking shots at my teammates, but I’m not. The guys that have been around here and have played with me would know my tone of voice when I’m saying that (stuff). I don’t feel like I said anything bad about Jay.”

“You know why that doesn’t work? We don’t make anyone [expletive] miss. I guess I just don’t realize what great tacklers these [opposing defenders] are. They’re amazing.”

“Minnesota’s a good-tackling team, and they were up on our receivers pressing all game along, they never backed off. That’s all I was saying.”

“I believe in Lovie, and I hope I get to play for him for a long time, I really think we’ll come back stronger than ever next year, and then everything will take care of itself. I know we have what it takes. I believe in this team, and trust me, I will do everything I possibly can to help us get better next season.”

all quotes from chicagosuntimes.com

Jake Perper is the creator of www.BearsBacker.com and also covers the Bears for www.NFLTouchdown.com and www.MVN.com.

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Charlie Weis Fired from Notre Dame, Jack Swarbrick Begins Coach Search

Dan Scofield — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:19:07 -0500

The past five years in South Bend have been bumpy, to say the least.

The first two years of the roller coaster ride led Charlie Weis and his team to two BCS bowls on the arm of Brady Quinn.

The past three years have been filled with disappointment, flashes of promise, and squashed optimism.

Today, Nov. 30, the end of that same entertainment ride ran off the tracks and will not be fixed. Weis was fired from his position at the University of Notre Dame.

According to a member of the current coaching staff, Weis informed his coaches that he was let go after a meeting with athletic director Jack Swarbrick on Tuesday.

An interim coach has not be named yet due to the fact that the players have yet to vote on whether they desire to play in a bowl game or not. The most likely destination for the Irish would seem to be the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, formerly known as the Motor City Bowl.

Recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach Rob Ianello will take over the recruiting until a new coach is brought in. Luckily for Irish fans, Ianello has a track record of being an excellent recruiter, and things don't look too gloomy regarding their current class. All of the current commitments that have been contacted have said they would stick with the Irish no matter what Weis' future would be.

With rumors of Bob Stoops being contacted by Notre Dame in the past couple of days, expect rumors to be flying even more so than ever. Stoops still seems like the perfect match for the Irish as of right now, and the most logical.

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Charlie Weis Fired From Notre Dame!

Will Ayers Jr. — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:24:17 -0500

According to the New York Daily News, Notre Dame has fired Charlie Weis. Notre Dame finished the season at a disappointing 6-6, far from the preseason hype of a possible BCS bid. The Fighting Irish finished the season with four straight losses, including a 45-38 loss to Stanford last Saturday.

Weis' 35-27 record in South Bend is worst than Bob Davie and Ty Willingham, both of whom were previously fired. Cincinnati's Brian Kelly and Oklahoma's Bob Stoops seem to be at the top of Notre Dame's wish list to replace Weis.

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In Effort To Finally Get Lovie Smith Fired, Sun Decides Not To Come Out

Daylon Morrison — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:52:26 -0500

The Sun joined Jay Cutler and the rest of the Chicago Bears and their fans in an effort to get Lovie Smith fired Monday morning by deciding not to come out.

"When I heard Lovie say in his after-game press conference Sunday that I would be coming out tomorrow, implying that everything was okay," said the Sun, "I decided not to come out. So great is Lovie Smith's incompetence and inability to lead that even I, the Sun, have decided that he must be fired."

Bears fans had reportedly given up on praying that God damn Lovie Smith and GM Jerry Angelo to the deepest bowels of unemployment and had begun praying to the Sun roughly ten minutes into the third quarter of Sunday's embarrassing, soul-crushing loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

"I decided that if God wouldn't step in, it was my turn," the Sun added, "people haven't prayed to me in a long time, and I knew things were bad if they were willing to once again turn to primitive Sun-worship."

"Its pretty cold," remarked one Bears fan from the comfort of his home, deciding to take the day off from work to start a fire in his backyard, cover himself in Aztec war paint, and engage in elaborate Sun-devotion ceremonies.

Lovie Smith could not be reached for comment, as he was asleep in his office as of press time.

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Analyst Says Bob Stoops Will Coach Notre Dame

Bryan Kelly — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:13:00 -0500

A writer from the Notre Dame Scout page is reporting that Bob Stoops and the Notre Dame athletic department have agreed verbally to the principles of a contract , and that if Notre Dame can meet his financial requirements, Stoops will take over as head coach of the Fighting Irish as early as this week.

The writer, whose original article is behind a Scout paywall , cited confirmation from five different sources, both neutral and affiliated with Notre Dame and/or Stoops, all of which have confirmed the existence of a verbal contract.

The only matter delaying the decision is financial, the source said.

Notre Dame must pay the remaining five years of salary to outgoing coach Charlie Weis, who was fired earlier today according to the New York Daily News.

Stoops is the highest paid coach in the Big 12, making over $4 million in salary, bonuses, and incentives. Oklahoma extended his contract through 2015 earlier this year.

Stoops denied interviewing for the position in a text message to Tulsa World columnist Dave Stitler, but the source claimed that Stoops and the ND administration have met and negotiated a contract through a third party, therefore precluding the need for an interview.

This would seem to coincide with Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick's assertion that there are no current or ongoing interviews for the position; Stoops' record, for all intents and purposes, speaks for itself.

There was indication that Stoops would take over for Notre Dame in time for bowl preparation. The decision to play in the postseason was left up to the players, who will meet and vote on the fate of the team today, according to Swarbrick.

Notre Dame went 6-6 on the year, including consecutive losses to Pitt, UConn, and Stanford to close the season.

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Sadly For Bear Fans, "This Is Our Season"

Clay Cunningham — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:03:26 -0500

There's no other way to put it, the Chicago Bears are a joke. A joke so pathetic that we as fans can't even help but laugh; even though we know what we're cackling at isn't funny.

While there is plenty of blame to go around for the struggles of the franchise, much of the problem has come from the embarrassing work of Lovie Smith and the cavalcade of incompetence flowing from the assistants he has surrounded himself with.

However, this Sunday, when the Bears endured a 36-10 pounding at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings, it was Smith's soft-spoken mouth that may have actually produced more comedic fodder than his horrifically designed gameplan.

I don't recall the entire conversation, but according to Fox sideline reporter Pam Oliver, Smith told her "this is our season," as if we should expect some sort of exemplary second half effort from his team, who after committing two turnovers deep in Minnesota territory and once again showing nothing that even resembled resilience on defense, were facing a 24-7 halftime deficit.

As if this team, which has been beyond listless since coming off a bye with an impressive 3-1 record, was just going to flip a switch and overcome a 17-point deficit against a team they were clearly over matched against.

I understand the point of coach speak is to put a positive spin on everything, but when a team is as lost as this one, there's no reason to add the stink of delusion to the already overpowering stench of weekly humiliation. Especially when you are currently the least qualified coach to lead them in such a comeback.

"This is our season."

Had he meant it in some sort of self-deprecating fashion, as opposed to some variation of a cliched rally cry, it would have been the most poignant statement Smith has made in years. But as it stands, it just made the ear-splitting laughter that football nation is directing at our beloved Bears just a little more deafening.

This is our season: Returning the opening kickoff of the second half to the Viking eight-yard-line, only to be pushed back 12 yards and settling for a field goal.

This is our season: Having the second recovery of an Adrian Peterson fumble overturned because the fingertip of Hunter Hillenmeyer grazed the ball while he was out of bounds, thus allowing for the drive to continue and end in a Minnesota field goal.

This is our season: Four second half possessions, resulting in 12 plays, two net yards, and zero first downs.

This is our season: Allowing five Viking players to catch five or more passes, all the while generating no significant pressure to speak of, and coming within 11 yards of allowing the most aerial yardage ever produced by the most prolific passer in the history of the NFL.

This is our season: Jamar Williams making a big open field hit on Chester Taylor early in the fourth quarter to stop him two yards short of a first down and forcing Minnesota to settle for a field goal, then celebrating as if he were Mike Jones tackling Kevin Dyson at the one-inch-line in Super Bowl XXXIV.

Throw yourself a party Jamar, it was great to see you force the Vikings into a field goal that made what could have been an insurmountable 34-10 deficit a more manageable 30-10.

One could easily argue Williams' celebration would have been fitting had he been able to make a similar play on Taylor's go-ahead 10-yard TD reception in the second quarter. Then again, "timely" and "meaningful" plays aren't really what the 2009 Chicago Bears are all about.

If they were, Smith's little pre-halftime shpeal to Oliver may have created something bigger than just another eye-rolling moment in what has become the most gruesomely disappointing season I have ever endured in my 18 years as a Bears fan.

The worst part of the course is knowing this type of display is likely to become the norm in Chicago. With no first day 2010 draft picks for a team that really needs to improve just about every position on the field, the playoffs truly seem to be light years away.

When talking about Sunday's game on NFL Network, Chicago Media personality and former Bear receiver Tom Waddle quipped "This ball hasn't even been kicked off yet, and I'm impassioned to say 'mommy make it stop!'" These are sentiments one can easily foresee many of in Bear nation making over the next few years.

Even if the necessary coaching and front office changes are made, for the next few years the damage that has been done to this franchise, just three years removed from a Super Bowl appearance, is a long way from being repaired.

Strap in everyone, because a great deal of the near future is gonna look a lot like the last six games, where winning is an afterthought and mere competence is a welcome surprise.

This is our season indeed.

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Bob Stoops Won't Say No to Replacing Charlie Weis at Notre Dame

Trey Bradley — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:13:14 -0500

None of the comments matter until someone is actually fired.

There's a code of conduct among college football coaches. You don't express an interest, or a lack of interest, in a job that someone else still holds.

Until just moments ago, Charlie Weis was the head coach at Notre Dame.

Meanwhile, published reports—which only amount to published rumors—swirl, as Irish faithful forward them to family, friends, and anyone who will listen. Where there's smoke, there's fire. So why not try to spark a coaching change with billows of soot?

Oklahoma's Bob Stoops is the man of the moment.

He maintained the coaches code. But with Stoops, reading between the lines is even easier than breaking through his depleted offensive line.

It started when the Chicago Sun-Times cited a source close to the 11th-year head coach, who made it clear that Stoops would be interested in talking to Notre Dame about its looming vacancy.

Stoops' response was swift; it was emphatic.

"That's ridiculous. I have no idea what you're talking about," Stoops told reporters two weeks ago. "Some confidant, huh?"

Notice what he said...and what he didn't:

The story is ridiculous. I don't know what confidant you're talking about, and clearly he's not much of a confidant since he tipped a newspaper writer.

However, denying the validity of a report is much different from denying the validity of what is being reported. If you are unable to grasp that distinction, please stop reading now. I assure you the rest of this article will only frustrate you further.

Saturday, a pre-game broadcast speculated that Stoops would be on his way to South Bend as soon as Sunday to pursue the Irish position.

During the Notre Dame-Stanford contest, ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit said he spoke to Stoops by phone before and after his Bedlam shutout of Oklahoma State. Stoops made it clear that neither he nor his agent had been contacted by Notre Dame.

Irish athletic director Jack Swarbrick patently denied that he, or anyone authorized to speak on his behalf, had contacted any coaching candidate.

I believe both men are being truthful. I also know that nothing they've said to date precludes them from having a very important conversation later this week.

Why would Stoops insist that Notre Dame hasn't come to him instead of insisting that he isn't going to Notre Dame?

He may or may not have a sincere inclination to leave Norman for South Bend, but Stoops is absolutely playing the game.

The Ohio Catholic could have squelched speculation about his interest at any point during the past 14 days.

Instead, he narrowly focused his denial on whether or not he's already communicated with the Irish, permitting observers to parse his words.

He's after something.

More money? Stoops is already the head of the highest-paid staff in college football.

More security? His president and athletic director already cherish his services.

A change of scenery? He has been in Norman for 11 seasons.

Maybe he's just leveraging Notre Dame against a segment of an Oklahoma fan base that forgets how bad it was before he arrived at OU. That would be an awfully high-stakes game to play with message board goons.

Or perhaps he really does see himself under the Golden Dome.

Whatever his motivation, Stoops isn't naive. He didn't close the door on the Irish because he knew Notre Dame's coaching search hadn't officially begun.

Now it has.

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Northwestern Football 2009: What Could Have Been

Jonathan Hodges — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:58:26 -0500

During preseason camp prior to the 2009 campaign, I wrote a piece on the next step for Northwestern football, which I argued was winning the games that NU should win.

Looking back on the 2008 regular season, one example of such a game that the Wildcats ended up losing comes to mind; the 37-34 loss at Syracuse.

Add that to the list of games that NU has let slip away this decade, including Iowa (2000), Bowling Green (2001), Hawaii (2004), New Hampshire (2006), Duke (2007), and Indiana (2008).

At the time of the game, it was obvious that injuries were taking a toll on Northwestern, particularly on defense, and at the time it also looked like Syracuse was coming out of the funk that its been in for most of the decade. Those seemed like good reasons to write off the game as a tough road loss.

Over the past month, NU racked up two wins over ranked opponents and brought its record up to 8-4 and has found itself tied for fourth place in the conference standings (and beat the team it's tied with).

Meanwhile, Syracuse ended up at 4-8 and only had one other legitimate win down the stretch; a home upset of Rutgers. Otherwise, Syracuse has looked as bad as most people thought it would be coming into the year, closing out the season with a 56-31 loss at Connecticut.

The fact is that Northwestern had a very good chance to win that game, even after blowing a seven-point fourth quarter lead, having driven into Syracuse territory with under a minute to play and a chance to take the lead. The ensuing Mike Kafka interception and Syracuse drive that ended in the game-winning field goal definitely left a bitter taste in NU fans' mouths, and that was before the 'Cats went 4-1 down the stretch at the end of the regular season.

If NU had won and ended 9-3 on the year, the bowl position may not be that much different and an additional non-conference win would not have propelled the 'Cats to a conference title, but that additional win may very well have led NU to be ranked following the regular season and given the Wildcats some more respect around the conference and the nation.

Instead, Northwestern still has not overcome that hurdle; win the games it should win. This decade, it's kept NU from bowling (2004 and 2007) and kept NU from an outright conference crown and Rose Bowl trip (2000). And, it's kept Northwestern from earning the respect of fans and teams around the country.

The good teams regularly beat the teams that they should, particularly non-conference foes who are essentially penciled-in wins prior to the season. Those wins allow teams to build double-digit bowl attendance streaks (NU's longest is two, which it will match this year) and to call six or seven win seasons a "down year."

Looking at the numbers, the Wildcats have won 75 percent of the games in which it has been favored (between 2000 and 2008). That may seem like a good number, except for the fact that NU falls in the middle of the pack nationally with such a number.

For reference, here are some teams that have topped an 80 percent win rate in games that they were favored: Boise State (94.5), Oklahoma (89.3), Ohio State (86.3), TCU (86.1), USC (86.0), Texas (85.7), LSU (84.9), Nebraska (81.0), and Florida (80.9).

All of those schools have arguably had a great decade of football (even Nebraska who went through a cool spell in the middle of the decade).

Finally, those losses are the ones that the team and the fans look back upon and think about what could have been: A should-win game that NU let slip away and usually came back to bite NU at the end of the year (particularly during bowl selections).

Hopefully the Wildcats will find a way to get that monkey off of their collective back in 2010 after they have had a shot to get rid of another monkey—the bowl game win drought—which Northwestern fans will get to hear more about over the coming weeks.

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An Ode To Notre Dame Fans

Jonathan Slotter — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:11:04 -0500

I wrote an article earlier this year about why Notre Dame Wouldn't Win More than Eight Games . Some called me crazy. Here are some thoughts from those noble fans and how intelligent they really are:

"I won't debate you on ND's 2009 W-L record, but I'll bet you. You've got them at 7 wins. I'll take 8 or higher. Say, $5,000. Can you afford that much?"

If only I wasn't a college student.

"If Jake Locker keeps the Huskies within a touchdown I'll anoint him the Messiah."

It should now be Touchdown Locker instead of Touchdown Jesus.

"but bottom line is this--ND has talent that most other programs would want (and did in the recruiting process) and if the team takes care of the football, they will be a lot better than 7-5 or 8-4"

Solid Point, but no coaching.

"Being a college student is a fair excuse for not taking a big money bet. It's also a fair excuse for you not to have developed any better judgment on ND's chances this year. "

So, I wonder if my judgment is off, what is this guys judgment?

"His view is that of a hater, that is ok. The better we get, the more hate. He is actually proof that we are an improving team. Nothing based on fact, just things based on the worse possible case for Notre Dame.

Go Irish, and go teach Texas Tech how to play D. Snead wanted me to say hello."

Texas Tech's total defense is 49th, Notre Dame's is 80th. Notre Dame has played three people in the top 40, Tech has five. Notre Dame has played one in the top 10, Tech has two.

"The worry for ND this year may be defensive line, which may keep them from winning the USC game and will make the Pitt and MSU game toss ups...but on paper they are better than 11 of the 12 teams they face."

I don't think Notre Dame's defense is better than any team they played. Well, maybe Nevada

"Notre Dame at Purdue- This will be a record setting day for Notre Dame. ND 49 Purdue 10"

Perhaps my favorite prediction.

And then after this prediction he follows up (Ill have it noted that he says Notre Dame will go 11-1 with a tough loss to USC).

"So there's my prediction on the 2009 Irish. I see it rather more reasonable than the one up at the top of the page."

"spend about 20 more years watching and learning football before you make a fool of yourself. Remember this, it is better to be be silent and thought a fool rather than open your mouth and remove all doubt. In other words, keep quiet."

Ill remember not to express my (correct) opinion.

"I agree Brian. I stopped reading when I saw the Washington score."

I had Notre Dame winning by 7 (which they did)...I wonder if he watched another Notre Dame game after that close win.

"When you have a schedule this easy you're [Texas Tech] basically going to go to a bowl game. Wonder what team gets to have an easy schedule like this? .... Houston (lmao)"

Good call, Houston was pretty terrible this year. I mean Texas Tech hasn’t played a road game against an unranked opponent in quite some time.

"My point is, you sound like you are a three year old when you wrote this article"

A damn smart three-year-old.

"Sorry I read this article, but when you write it about the greatest University out there you do it because you know it will get hits"

And this is why people hate Notre Dame fans.

"This is exactly the problem with 20 year olds like Jonny....the world began about 5 years ago, and all that has been in that period is all there ever will be. USC is greatness, ND never happened. That's why the Jonny's can never see change coming, and they get shocked by it"

I'm so very shocked by Notre Dame's losses.

"Um maybe that why Texas Tech schedule cupcakes OOC games?"

Probably because Texas Tech hasn't played a road game that hasn't been against a top 25 team since TAMU last year.

"What a joke of an article. You claim winless Washington will keep it within a touchdown"

I claim, it happened. Sad Story.

“BTW, Conn's pass defense (against Ohio) now ranks it 56th in the nation and Purdue's total offense is 14th in the nation (vs. Toledo)”

And yet you lost these games. I told him to come get back at me and the end of the season. Not a word.

“Michigan will not score more than 31 points against ND. If Michigan wants to win this Saturday they're gonna have to score more than 31 points”

Did he even see the defense Notre Dame was putting out there?

“Nd's defense really blew it at the end. You know who also blew it? The refs.”

Another reason people hate Notre Dame fans, although this is a little more popular among other teams fans as well.

“Uh oh - all ND has to do to prove you wrong is beat WSU, Navy, UCONN and Stanford. Pitt should be a tough game.”

How did those games work out? Oh, you lost three of four.

This is an ode to Notre Dame Fans, who just talk without looking at the games from a realistic perspective. This I normally wouldn’t do, but attacking me and attacking something I didn’t even write about is absurd and there needs to be some accountability behind these people’s words. I hope you enjoyed.

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Notre Dame's Coaching Search: Avoiding the Availability Bias

Anthony Pilcher — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:30:03 -0500

Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis' failure was evident long ago. His lack of experience with the college game and as a head coach made him unable to anticipate future problems and incapable of implementing changes to correct them.

His list of shortcomings is long and condemning, but painfully reiterating what the on-field product clearly shows adds no value other than venting frustration at the most readily identifiable target.

He deserves better.

In 2005, Weis took a job no one wanted. Notre Dame had a reputation as a program that couldn't recruit. The Irish offense was a trainwreck. And the secondary was among the worst in the country.

During his tenure, Weis developed two Heisman Trophy candidate quarterbacks in Brady Quinn and Jimmy Clausen, and morphed the Irish offense into a modern, pro-style unit. While the production of his offense has been overstated both last year and this season, these accomplishments are far from trivial.

Perhaps more important was his work on the recruiting trail. Weis and his assistants were tireless in their efforts, scouring the country from coast to coast to find talented players like Clausen, Ethan Johnson, Michael Floyd, Golden Tate, Kyle Rudolph and Manti Te'o. The last of these Weis recruited on crutches with two knees that desperately needed surgery.

His teams have performed well in academics, there have been very few disciplinary issues off the field, and he was an excellent steward of the players. Stories like "Pass Right" will forever be inscribed in Irish football lore.

There is no questioning his effort, devotion or love for his alma mater, and that is ultimately what separates him from his previous two predecessors. Weis did everything he could, and for that his legacy deserves to be remembered better than that of Bob Davie or Tyrone Willingham.

But with a 6-6 record in year five of his tenure, his best simply isn’t good enough.

It's Time To Move On, But To Whom?

So who should athletic director Jack Swarbrick hire as the next coach at Notre Dame? First, let's examine the situation surrounding Weis' hiring.

It is human nature to focus on recent and negative data. Negatives are viewed as the cause of failure and the latest evidence and experiences often seem to be the most pertinent, especially when emotion is involved. This is known as the availability bias and the natural consequence is seeking a corrective action that compensates for these deficiencies.

In many ways, Weis’ hiring reflected this philosophy.

Much of Notre Dame Nation, myself included, didn't see this at the time. While I wasn't sold on Weis, I was impressed by his success in the NFL and partially won over by the “hard-working, intelligent, nasty” team promised at his introductory press conference. I was more impressed when he turned the once-dormant Irish offense into a scoring machine. And I was even more impressed when I read his book "No Excuses," and heard the things he said to the team upon his arrival at Notre Dame. Eventually, I moved from skeptic to believer.

I did this mostly because many of Weis' strengths were the weaknesses of Notre Dame’s previous two coaches.

Weis is brash, confident (almost to a fault), and direct. Willingham was timid, guarded, and lacked transparency (also almost to a fault). Davie seemed to always have a canned response. Davie and Willingham fielded offenses that lacked explosion and production. Weis' offenses set record after record. Neither Davie nor Willingham "got" Notre Dame and what it stood for. Weis not only “gets it,” he is an alumnus who embraces it. Willingham was lazy, Weis never stops working. Willingham couldn't recruit, Weis has hauled in several highly-ranked recruiting classes.

But does that mean that Willingham and Davie didn't do good things during their tenure in South Bend? Furthermore, does it mean that Weis is infallible? It was nearly impossible to foresee his failure at the time of his hiring, but the past three seasons have certainly proven it.

The lesson of Weis’ failure (and Davie’s and Willingham’s) is that Notre Dame needs a coach who does many things well, not one that excels in a few areas that have been lacking over the recent coaching regimes.

So this begs the question: who should be hired as the next head football coach at Notre Dame? There is no simple answer. Notre Dame is a unique place that has unique coaching challenges. What works for other programs doesn’t necessarily apply.

The Criteria For Success

The list below doesn’t answer this question with a specific name, but rather with a specific set of criteria. To ensure success, the following criteria (in no particular order) must be satisfied:

He must have head coaching experience. Notre Dame is not a place where you learn on the job. The margin for error is small, and even small mistakes are unforgiving. Prior head coaching experience is necessary to develop requisite leadership, organizational and time management skills.
He must have experience in a college football program with consistent success. Too often coaching hires are based on the performance of one or a few seasons. A coach must be proven through consistent success. Hot coaching names come and go (see Turner Gill), but consistent success in the past is the best indicator of succeeding in the future. It is preferable that this come as a head coach, but many assistant coaches have learned what it takes to succeed from their superiors.
He must have offensive or defensive coordinator experience. Part of being a head coach is allocating time and effort of the assistant coaches and players. A head coach must have a first-hand understanding of the effort level and time needed to prepare and implement a game plan in order to properly and effectively allocate resources.
He must be able to relate to younger players and adapt to their changing needs. One of the primary jobs of a head coach is having his team emotionally prepared for each game. To effectively motivate and lead, a head coach must connect with young adults and understand the challenges college students face. Additionally, a freshman is not the same as a senior. The head coach must adapt his approach as each player matures.
He must be able to recruit well. There is a litany of things that go into this-proven success, being able to relate to high school players, forming relationships with high school coaches, working tirelessly, and hiring a staff who can also recruit. At Notre Dame this also means casting a nationwide net. Academic standards make the number of potential recruits much smaller than at other schools. The only way to combat this problem is to delve into every available talent pool.
He must be able to recognize and hire assistant coaches who can develop and utilize the talent he recruits. Talent is synonymous with athleticism and proportional to potential. Players who excel at the high school level frequently do so by being more athletic than their peers. This is not sufficient at the college level when teaching fundamentals that maximize potential becomes far more important to success. Assistant coaches must be able to teach and instill fundamentals, as well as put players in positions that maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses.
He must be disciplined, well-organized, and consistent, and he must maintain a team with those same qualities. With few exceptions, players take on the attitude and persona of their coach. Discipline minimizes turnovers and penalties. Organization minimizes poor game and clock management. Consistency ensures continued success and sustains player development. The lack of consistency over the past few years has severely hampered the progress of many Irish players.
He must have goals that are aligned with Notre Dame’s athletic department and administration. This is more important at Notre Dame than perhaps any other program. The head coach at Notre Dame must “get it,” and embrace what the Notre Dame family represents. He must work well with the administration and maintain a vision for the program that is consistent with the aspirations of the University.
He needs to have a well-defined and complementary offensive and defensive philosophy. This doesn’t mean he has to be a play-caller on either side of the ball, but it does mean he needs to hire offensive and defensive coordinators/coaches who are capable of implementing schemes congruent with the philosophies of the head coach. Moreover, these schemes need to complement each other such that the strengths of the scheme on one side of the ball accentuate those on the other.

In Closing...

The next few weeks will be filled with speculation as hot names like Bob Stoops, Urban Meyer and Brian Kelly dot the headlines covering the Irish coaching search.

Some candidates may be disinclined to take the job. Many of the coaches that exhibit the criteria listed above are in established programs where success is more easily achieved. Taking a more difficult job like Notre Dame isn't necessarily appealing, even with the unparalleled praise that comes with leading the Irish back to the top. But these candidates are not the only ones that can succeed.

There are other coaches that possess most of the items above. To maximize the chance of success Swarbrick must find a candidate with as many as possible, and a well-defined plan to minimize risk in the others. Additionally, more emphasis must be applied to some of the criteria-e.g. head coaching experience and recruiting prowess-than to others.

Weis will leave the program in a better state than his predecessor. While they may not rival USC or Florida, the Irish boast plenty of talent on both sides of the ball. With better fundamentals and improved coaching, Notre Dame can certainly succeed at an elite level.

It is Swarbrick's task to find this coach and bring him to South Bend. His legacy will be defined by it.

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A Flag For the Chicago Bears, Jerry Angelo, and Lovie Smith

Adam Simpson — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 04:19:45 -0500

Although I tout the “fire Lovie” ideals, I believe changing our GM and all of our coaches is the way to go for this team. If the Bears cannot get rid of Angelo or won’t, then they simply need to rid themselves of this coaching staff and hire someone who can stand up to or go against Angelo when it needs to happen.

Angelo has proven two things—he is a poor talent evaluator (draft, free agents, own talent) and can be a competent GM. The problem is how and when they spend money; they have no problem rewarding their own players that spent years playing rookie contracts for under $1 million a year when it comes time for their contracts to expire, but won’t pay the big bucks to a free agent or a draft pick (I know we gave Cutler more money and gave Cedric Benson all that money but as a whole).

I’m all for rewarding good play but when they give the big money to players like Nathan Vasher, who wouldn’t have been a starting player for a lot of the teams, it becomes a problem.

Furthermore, I can sum Lovie up in one fancy word: Nepotism. He constantly gives jobs to his Tampa buddies and to people that he likes, regardless of talent.

Look at Ron Rivera. Can anyone say he wasn’t run out of town by Lovie and his Cover 2 defense?

The Bears had a top three defense the year before the Super Bowl, top five the Super Bowl year and then they let Rivera go. why? Some say it’s because he has aspirations of being a head coach, which I won’t disagree with.

However, does a Wal-Mart employee quit their job when they have an interview with Kmart? I don’t think so, and I don’t think Rivera "left" because he wanted something better.

In reality, he left for two reasons. First of all, Lovie didn’t want him getting the credit when Lovie is the defensive guy. He had Babbich coaching the LBs and knew that Babbich would be his perfect coordinator. Lovie’s defense is Bob’s defense and someone like Babbich isn’t going to stand up to Lovie because he knows his years as DC was the pinnacle of his coaching career.

The second reason is pretty simple; Rivera became a top DC in the league and Angelo/Philips/McCaskey didn’t want to pay top dollar for a coordinator or even a coach for that matter (Lovie was the least paid coach the year of the Super Bowl). End of story.

Being stoic in the NFL can be a good thing, especially for a head coach. However, when "your" way isn’t working or you simply don’t have the personnel to do things "your" way then adjustments need to be made, plain and simple.

Those changes, however, never happen. What happens is that Bears fans get to watch sloppy, poor play on Sunday and wait for Lovie’s press conference that will sound like this...

“We went out, we played our game plan and we came up a little short. We’re going to go back to practice and keep working on what we do and get our system back on track ... Rex is our quarterback.”

In the current staff’s mind every team the Bears play has the best day in the history of their franchise and there was nothing they could do about the loss as the other team was that good that day.

Maybe it’s time to change some things up and make the defense and offense less predictable. On defense, they could try something other than playing about 10 yards off the line of scrimmage in coverage.

On offense, maybe they could stop chucking it up to Olsen 24/7 and try running the ball a bit more, and by run I mean not up the middle every time. Forte can run for 30 yards on a screen off to the side or a toss but we keep plugging this guy up the middle and it’s just not working.

Also, Jay will be the quarterback for the next half decade, at least. However, if he feels the need to throw three or more interceptions, maybe he could spend the fourth quarter on the bench (NOT permanently but just for the game); immediate reaction might be “you can’t bench a franchise QB!” but, didn’t Philly bench McNabb last year after a poor start?

Didn’t the Eagles take A LOT of flak for this move? Didn’t McNabb start the next week, have a great game and ended up making the playoffs? Isn’t McNabb currently in one of his best stretches since that benching?

Trust me, if they benched Cutler for a quarter all that would happen is one of the biggest frowns Cutler’s ever had in his career; they would not be risking losing Cutler.

The Bears constantly appear inept because they are spineless from McCaskey on down. Phillips job is to protect the bank, Angelo’s job is to build a team and Lovie’s job is to coach that team.

Not one of those guys has any penchant for rocking the boat or doing something not “Bearsish” (outside of the Cutler deal, and I know I made up a word).

Since they haven’t won in over two decades, it might be time for someone inside of Halas Hall to realize that "business as usual" isn’t working and isn’t going to work, period.

They need change. Unfortunately, for the fans and the NFL as a whole (they would benefit if the Bears were good) the people they have in place are PERFECT Bears people; but I assure you, being a Bears person isn’t a good thing in football.

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For My Birthday, a Sports Highlight DVD

Neil Powell — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:17:52 -0500

As my 34th birthday comes to a close, I thought to myself, it sure would have been nice to have been able to ask for a DVD of my favorite and most memorable sports memories of all-time.

Through determination and my love of sports, I've had a knack for watching the vast majority of it's biggest moments.

Sure, my highlight video would include the classic, no-brainers like Jordan over Ehlo or Joe Carter's walk-off in the World Series, but there would also be a few that would be personal choices.

My video would include the following:

The top 10 shots from Tiger Woods including his eagle on a four par in the British Open, the chip at Augusta, and that sand shot at the Canadian Open.

It would have Bo Jackson running up the wall, throwing it home on a fly from deep center, and running into the tunnel for the Raiders.

Give me Barry Sanders 15 best runs, the 25 best Vince Carter dunks, the quick version of Kobe's 81 and Tyson's 10 best knockouts.

There's Tom Chamber's dunk over Mark Jackson, Jerome Bettis running over Brian Urlacher, Brandon Jacobs destroying Charles Woodson and this one play, where seven-foot-plus Trailblazer center Arvetis Sabonis was on defense and he went to the ground to get a loose ball and threw it no-look, from a knee, and styled, never looking as his teammate dunked it on the other end of the court.

Highlights from the USC-Texas Rose Bowl, the 49ers-Bengals Super Bowl and some Terrell Davis.

Give me Derrick Thomas' seven sack game vs. Seattle, Lawrence Taylor's biggest hits and Roberto Alomar gems at second.

I would want the five best deep balls from Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Kurt Warner Steve Young and Tom Brady.

How about every one of Icharo's singles the year he got like 220 of them? Okay, that would be a bit much but he'll retire as one of the greatest players in baseball history so give me the only inside-the-park home run in the All-Star game.

I need Laettner's shot vs. Kentucky, Chapman's fade-away three in the NBA play-offs and 30 minutes of M.J. highlights.

Throw in some of Nolan Ryan's best including him blowing up Ventura's face when he charged the mound.

George Brett tipping his cap at second while batting .400 deep into the 1980 season, Jack Nicklaus chasing in his famous putt at The Masters, and Payne Stewart drawing a tear to my eye after sinking his clutch U.S. Open winning putt in '99.

It would include the best catches by Rice, Moss and Owens.

A little Brett Favre, Larry Bird and John Stockton.

I'd have Ozzie Smith, Scott Rolen and Torii Hunter defensive gems.

There would be a list of the best sports names like Rock Cartwright, Uwe Blab and my all-time favorite God Shammgod.

Oh yeah, there's Bryce Drew, Boise State and I'd have a little Bonds and McGwire too.

Maddox, Greinke, Clemons and Pedro at their best.

Man there's so many, this might need to be a box-set.

No matter what, give me tons of John Elway. Including "The Drive" and his run in the Super Bowl.

Attwater, Ray Lewis and Lott laying the wood. Tyree and Holmes would need to be there somewhere.

Carmello and Durant in college. Shaq Daddy and Tim Duncan.

Michigan guard Rumeal Robinson's mega-clutch free throws against Seton Hall.

Danny Manning mocking Oklahoma's Stacey King as he completed his classic "and-one" in the '88 NCAA Championship.

At the end, there would be silence for a few seconds to build excitement then it would pick up the CBS broadcast of the '08 Championship game as Sherron Collins drives up the court and passes to Mario Chalmers who then sinks one of the most memorable shots in basketball history.

Now that was fun!

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Fighting Illini Struggle with Back-to-Back Losses

Frank Gasper — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:30:03 -0500

The Fighting Illini started off the year 4-0. I figured they were really what people expected them to be. Then came the next two games against the Utah Utes and Bradley Braves.

Against Utah they lost on a last second shot. It was a heart-breaker for the Illini, especially since they had led by 16 at half!

I was shocked when I saw this. The score was 60-58. I just couldn't believe it.

So they lost; I figured that maybe this was just an off game for the Illini, and that they would regroup for their game against Bradley. I guess not.

Against Bradley, they lost by four. This was kind of one of those weird games where both teams were up big at a point in the game.

After trailing 29-28 at halftime, the Braves opened a 47-38 lead with 12:59 left. But the Illini went on an 18-8 run and eventually took the lead on Mike Davis' three-point-play with 4:44 left 62-61.

After Illinois built a 66-61 lead, Bradley scored the next nine points, capped by Andrew Warren's three-pointer.

The Illini ended up losing 72-68, another heart-breaker.

Both of these games were part of the Las Vegas Invitational, where the Illini went 2-2.

Maybe the Illini are a fluke? Hopefully they can get it together and not lose any games for a while.

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Charlie Weis Asked To Clean Office, Stop Using Notre Dame Stationary (Satire)

Burton DeWitt — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:36:50 -0500

PALO ALTO, Calif. - Following the school's 45-38 loss to Stanford Saturday night, Notre Dame president Father John I. Jenkins has asked head coach Charlie Weis to clean up his office immediately.

“While Weis had originally planned a recruiting trip of the West Coast for this week, we have decided it is prudent that he return with the team and pack his boxes,” Jenkins told ABC sideline reporter Lisa Salters after the game.

“We are reorganizing the athletic department, and feel it would be best if we move the football coach's office from its current location by the stadium to coach Weis's family home in Trenton, N.J.”

Weis has been under pressure for the past two years from fans and alumni who are not satisfied with the team's recent performance. Since taking the Irish to BCS Bowls in each of his first two seasons in South Bend, Notre Dame is 16-21, the school's worst three-year run since 1961.

In 2007, the Irish lost a school record nine games, including their first loss since 1963 to the United States Naval Academy. In 2008, they lost on Senior Day to Syracuse, the first time Notre Dame ever lost to a team that lost nine games in a season.

The decision to fire Weis, however, has not yet been made.

“Sure, this is not where we want to be, but we're going to look at it from all angles before we decide how best to proceed,” Jenkins said. “No decision will be made until we have finished a complete review of the program.”

According to the school, Weis has been asked to refrain from appearing before the media, attending team practices, and using stationary that refers to him as the Notre Dame football coach.

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Minnesota Vikings' Dominance Hands Chicago Bears a Large Dose of Reality

Gene Chamberlain — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:28:45 -0500

MINNEAPOLIS -- The best thing you could say about the Bears after Sunday’s 36-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings was coach Lovie Smith didn’t fill the air with ridiculous ideas about winning out and going 9-7 like Arizona did last year to make the Super Bowl.

Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings all but eliminated the Bears from any type of wild card pursuit with a machine-like 537 yards of offense and 31 first downs.

The Vikings were so impressive that even two more Jay Cutler interceptions, for a personal worst 20 on the season, seemed like just a couple more logs on a bonfire.

The Bears' defense was beaten so badly that they gave up more yards than in any game since Lovie Smith became coach. They gave up more yards than any game Dick Jauron coached. They gave up more yards than in any game Dave Wannstedt coached. They hadn't given up that many yards since Mike Ditka's first year, a Dec. 26, 1982 loss to the Los Angeles Rams (583 yards).

“It’s tough. It’s tough with as good of a football team that I think we have in here, to go out and week after week not live up to our own expectations,” Cutler said in the locker room after going 18-for-23 for 147 yards, including his first touchdown to a wide receiver since Oct. 25.

Expectations Sunday from those outside the locker room were greatly diminished after the Bears had lost five of the previous six.

They didn’t disappoint in this regard.

“We weren’t effective at all,” said linebacker Lance Briggs, who suffered a knee sprain and had to leave the game.

The Bears chose the lesser of two poisons by trying to stop Adrian Peterson (85 yards, 25 carries), but quarterback Brett Favre showed he can still administer punishment at age 40 by completing 32-of-48 for a season-high 392 yards and three touchdowns.

“They didn’t run the ball very well, I don’t think,” said defensive end Alex Brown, after the Bears held Peterson to his lowest total in five games against them. “Brett Favre, it’s weird when you go into a game and you want to stop Adrian and you say, ‘We’ll take our chances and see if Brett Favre can beat us.’ He did.

“He threw for a bunch of yards today, he threw for some touchdowns. He’s good. He’s a Hall of Famer. That’s a good team out there. They have a lot of weapons. They built a very strong team. We didn’t measure up.”

Reality has set in for the Bears. They won’t cash it in and start experimenting, although they did do a bit of this to some extent by starting Frank Omiyale again at left guard instead of Josh Beekman. Omiyale is bigger and generally regarded as a stronger pass blocker.

The line did protect Cutler fairly well until the game got out of hand, but they did nothing in the run game again and for the sixth time in seven games, Matt Forte failed to rush for more than 41 yards. He had 27.

Even with better blocking for Cutler, he threw interceptions. Even if it probably didn’t impact what eventually happened, Cutler’s first interception was just one more end zone disaster.

He underthrew Knox greatly and Cedric Griffin had an easy pick to prevent the Bears from pulling within 17-14 or 17-10.

“The one he threw in the end zone that was picked, we had a run called,” offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. “It was a bad (defensive) look for us, so he audibled (to a pass).

“The corner bailed out. He’s (Cutler) just got to get (the ball) out there more.”

Turner jumped to Cutler’s defense by pointing out he had little to do with the second interception, which was tipped and wound up in Jared Allen’s hands.

The Bears had another chance to start the second half after Johnny Knox returned a kickoff 77 yards to the Vikings’ 8. They wound up going backward 13 yards and kicking a field goal.

“On second down we call a pass play and his primary receiver that he’s looking for, he ran the wrong route,” said Turner, who wouldn’t identify the primary target. “So (Cutler) is looking for a guy who is supposed to be there who would have been wide open. He’s not there so then he (Cutler) gets sacked.

“It’s a matter of us executing better and giving him an opportunity. When you give him an opportunity, he’s a hell of a player. But we’ve got to give him a chance on each and every play. we didn’t do that today.”

At this point, the excuses are getting repetitive, whether some are legitimate or not.

The Bears have the St. Louis Rams coming up and facing a dome team in December cold at Soldier Field is normally an opportunity they cherish.

“We’ve got to go back and just get one win and build on it from there,” Brown said.

They’ve been saying this six of the past seven weeks, the most losses they’ve had in any seven-game stretch since Smith became head coach and the most by any Bears team over seven games since 2002.

So even a struggling dome team playing outdoors can't be overlooked.

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College Football Thoughts and Opinions After Week 13

David Hedlind — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:09:40 -0500

Let the Carousel Begin

Ok, so, officially it started a couple weeks ago with Western Kentucky and UNLV. With the addition of Louisville and Virginia the annual coaching carousel is picking up speed.

More and more coaches are will find themselves out of a job in the coming weeks and some may move on quickly to another position others may be done with coaching altogether.

Championship Games

Oh the spectrum.

The SEC will do what it normally does and match up two highly ranked teams, the two highest in fact.

The ACC game just lost all luster and appeal with both participants losing to middle tier SEC teams in their rivalry games.

The Big XII will favor the South division Texas again. Nebraska could make the game somewhat interesting though.

Lou Holtz Needs to Wake Up

Notre Dame is not the best job in the nation. It is not the same job it was when he was there. Not every coach will sell out from their current position to take on the Notre Dame job should it become open. Jobs that once were probably never even considered to be mentioned in the same conversation as Notre Dame will see their coaches tell Notre Dame thanks but no thanks.

Look for the Pac 10 to Continue Upward

It has been argued that the recent success of USC has forced the rest of the Pac 10 to improve. In my eyes I feel as though this is true. Last season the conference went 5-0 in bowls. This season even more teams became bowl eligible and every game really did matter in the race for the Rose Bowl. There is still one more to go with the winner of the Civil War between Oregon and Oregon State going to the Rose Bowl.

My suspicion is that next year will be no different. Many key players on most of the teams will be returning. I am sure that USC will be picked at the top with Oregon right with them. Arizona and Oregon State should get some top votes as well. All in all thought the conference should for at least another year increase their value.

Well except Washington State.

BCS at large

By my count there should be two at large bids to go out. The six automatic bids and TCU by virtue of their ranking will take seven spots. The loser from the SEC title game should get to the Sugar Bowl. I would be surprised if the Big 10 doesn’t get an at large for either Iowa or Penn State.

One scenario is what if Nebraska beats Texas in the Big XII title game? Nebraska will get the automatic to the Fiesta Bowl. It seems likely that Texas would get an at large bid.

Another is what if Pitt beats Cincinnati? Split title but Pitt would win the tie breaker and get the automatic bid.

If that doesn’t happen and there is still an at large bid some would argue for Boise State to get it, many would still argue against it but I don’t know how strong of an argument you would have with the other teams likely to be eligible.

It Isn’t Over Yet

There were close games all weekend.

There were 23 games that were one possession games. One score away from going the other way or going beyond regulation. Four more games went to overtime.

Then there was DIAA Montana vs. South Dakota State

South Dakota State took a first quarter lead of 14-0.

At the half it was 34-14. South Dakota State was still in the lead.

They traded scores in the third to make it 48-27 heading into the final 15:00.

From there, Montana scored five more touchdowns. Unanswered. Montana won 61-48. From the end of the third quarter the Grizzlies scored 40 unanswered points including a kick return, a passing touchdown, a running touchdown, and an interception returned for a touchdown.

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If Josh Johnson Is Available, Should the Chicago Cubs Call Florida?

TAB BAMFORD — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:04:12 -0500

He won't turn 26 until January, but Josh Johnson might be one of the better pitchers to become available this winter.

Johnson stands to receive a substantial raise from his 2009 salary of $1.4 million after posting a 15-5 record with 191 strikeouts in 209 innings pitched. Standing 6-7 and weighing 240 pounds, Johnson is physically intimidating and backs it up with phenomenal stuff.

Because of the potential raise he'll get in arbitration this year, there have been rumors that the Marlins will look to deal their young ace either this winter or early in the 2010 season. If Johnson is on the market, either now or in the future, the Chicago Cubs should be all over him like stink on poop.

He doesn't have an enormous track record, but has been good when regularly in the majors. He has a career 34-16 record after breaking into the bigs in 2006.

The Marlins have a track record of dealing young studs when the arbitration clock kicks in. After 2005, they dealt a 25-year old ace, Josh Beckett, to Boston. At that point in his career, Beckett had a very similar resume to that of Johnson, both in statistics and hype.

In exchange for Beckett, Mike Lowell and Guillermo Mota, the Red Sox paid a heavy price: a package of four prospects including then-baby shortstop Hanley Ramirez.

But the Sox brought in a consistent third baseman, a top-of-the-rotation starter, and a headcase reliever for one uber prospect and three nice pieces. Anibel Sanchez would be the next-best player in that deal, and he hasn't developed into a superstar.

The Cubs have a length track record of dealing with the Marlins this decade.

In March of 2002, the Cubs dealt four players including Julian Tavarez and an unknown minor league lefty named Dontrelle Willis to the Marlins for Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca. While Alfonseca became as much of an urban legend as he did closer in Chicago, Clement had a few nice seasons for the Cubs.

In November of 2003, the Cubs dealt Hee Seop Choi to Florida for Derrek Lee, who had just been part of the Cubs' heartbreaking loss in the National League Championship Series. Obviously that deal was a huge win for the Cubs.

The Marlins got theirs in December of 2005, though, when the Cubs dealt Sergio Mitre, Renyel Pinto and the Marlins' 2009 Opening Day Starter, Ricky Nolasco, to the Marlins for Juan Pierre.

Jim Hendry probably regrets that deal right now, as Nolasco has blossomed into a good young starter.

Then last winter, the Cubs sent arguably their top pitching prospect, Jose Ceda, to Miami in exchange for should-be closer Kevin Gregg. Gregg was a failure in his one season in Chicago and shouldn't be back in 2010; the Cubs have until December 1 to offer him arbitration.

Should the next deal in this ongoing relationship be for Johnson?

There have been floating rumors that the Cubs won't part ways with young uber prospect Starlin Castro in a deal for an established major leaguer, including Toronto's Roy Halladay. This should make dealing with the Marlins even more enticing, because they already have Ramirez at short.

The Marlins have had pretty good luck with former-Cubs pitching prospects like Willis and Nolasco, though. Perhaps Jay Jackson and/or Jeff Samardzija could centerpiece a deal including a potential first baseman, Jake Fox, and outfield depth in Tyler Colvin.

The Marlins are also supposedly shopping their second baseman, Dan Uggla, so 2009 National League Rookie of the Year Chris Coughlin can move to his natural position. Throwing an outfielder like Colvin and a hitter like Fox into the deal might be sweet enough for the Marlins to bite.

After all, they stole a top pitching prospect, Ceda, for garbage, Gregg, last winter.

I'm not proposing the Cubs trade for Uggla, but Johnson should be at the top of the Cubs' list of trade possibilities if they can add the big right-hander. If the Marlins history is consistent, though, the Cubs sucking up Uggla as part of the deal (like the Red Sox taking Lowell's contract in the Beckett trade) wouldn't be a terrible idea.

But, again, this piece isn't centered around Uggla. I'm advocating the Cubs making a strong play to deal for Johnson to bring some youth and a big arm to their rotation for 2010 and beyond.

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Come to Think of it: NFL To Put Jay Cutler on Payroll of Every Team (Satire)

Bob Warja — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:01:27 -0500

In a move sure to spark significant controversy around the league, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced today that Bears QB Jay Cutler's salary will be equally distributed to all of its teams, effective immediately.

Said Goodell of the surprising move, "Look, Cutler does his damnest to throw the ball to each team he plays, which helps them win, right? Well, then it's only fair that the money the Bears are paying him gets shared by the entire league."

"With the length and amount of that contract he's signed to, the Bears can't pull him, so eventually Cutler will play against most of the teams in the NFL before his career is over, and I just think his expected contribution to those teams should be recognized."

The Bears were not immediately available for comment, with Lovie Smith saying only that he couldn't personally vouch for the fact that Cutler plays for the Bears.

"Jay Cutler? Yes, I've heard the name. But I'm not going to get into questions about whether he plays football, and if so, if it's for us or what have you. I just know that we still have a chance to reach our goal, and we'll go from there."

Cutler, who was acquired in a trade with the Denver Broncos prior to the season, leads the NFL in interceptions, with 20. He threw two more in a 36-10 loss to the Vikings on Sunday.

Meanwhile, as to the rumor that the Bears have contacted the Guinness World Book of Records people, a team spokesman said, "I won't confirm or deny that, but do I believe any publicity is good publicity? Yes I do. This whole interception thing has been spun in a such a negative light, and I just feel it's high time that Jay gets recognized for the truly historic event we are witnessing."

Cutler's problems have even carried over to his personal life. His attempt to pass the potatoes during Thanksgiving dinner resulted in a mess on the floor.

As for the weak offensive line, lack of running game and poor receivers, Cutler said none of that matters.

"I am The Saviour, and my mere presence should elevate these mortals into super human status."

No word on whether GM Jerry Angelo has returned from Barbados, come to think of it.

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