Davis will be tempted to hire Weis and draft Clausen

Now that Charlie Weis has been let go by Notre Dame, the next question is where will the former Patriots offensive guru end up?

Weis has reportedly told folks in South Bend that six NFL teams are interested in his services.

Teams like Kansas City, Cleveland and New England are all supposedly waiting in the wings. I’ll throw in the Oakland Raiders, because Sports Illustrated's Peter King said Al Davis would be intrigued by Weis.

Weis talked a big game when he first arrived at Notre Dame. The three-time Super Bowl winning coordinator delivered right from Jump Street too.

He took the Irish to back-to-back BCS bowl games and then fizzled.

Over his last three seasons at Notre Dame, his Irish went deep into college football obscurity. And Weis compiled a record of 16-21. It was the worst win-loss record by any Notre Dame coach in that time frame.

The idea that former assistant coaches’ under Bill Belichick would be a chip off the old block is ridiculous.  

The list of Belichick disciples failing as head coaches is long. Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, and Weis have all fallen flat on there faces.  

But Weis could be a great coordinator in the league, and that’s where I believe he’ll end up.

Still, he could give it one more shot as a head coach, if Al Davis wants to give him the heavy task of rebuilding the Raiders offense.

Assuming Tom Cable is not retained after this season, which isn’t a big leap, Davis would consider Weis for the job. First, Davis must believe that Weis will help JaMarcus Russell reach his untapped potential.

Weis’ ability to develop quarterbacks in the NFL would be the main factor in the decision. Consider this: Tom Brady would not be a Hall of Fame quarterback if not for the years of tutelage and guidance under Weis.

At the same time, one could argue that Weis did little for Brady Quinn. The former Notre Dame product has been a complete washout as an NFL quarterback.

But I would say that Quinn is a product of a bad organization--Johnny Unitas couldn’t succeed in Cleveland.

And that brings us to current Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen.

If Russell fails to work out in Oakland or is cut, Clausen would be a good transition.

Bring in a coach like Weis, who is familiar with his abilities, and the Raiders offense might come to life. It would be similar to Jon Gruden bringing in Rich Gannon.

But is Clausen that good or is he the second coming of Jay Schroeder?

The junior has a great arm and he understands pro-style offenses. Not to mention being the former No. 1 high school prospect in the country--He's far from being the interception machine that Schroeder was.

And some draft experts have already linked the Raiders to Clausen, who put up good numbers this season, throwing for over 3,700 yards and 28 touchdowns.

The 6-foot-3 signal caller is projected to be a top-10 pick and the top quarterback taken in the draft. Clausen is in line with what Davis likes as a quarterback, big and strong.

On the other hand, Davis may just go after a veteran QB or pick sombody off the scrap heap. Still, if you have a chance to erase a mistake like Russell, you've got to think about it.

For the Raiders and Davis, it’s all about the next man up.