Image: Victors Valiant
The pressure on Notre Dame's Charlie Weis is now at diamond creation levels in the wake of their loss to Syracuse, and the Midwest media is beginning to line up and pile on in hopes of pushing the Irish to make a coaching change.
Here's some of the best hot seat articles:
- Limping into the Future - Chicago Sun-Times
- Irish don't look up to the task - Chicago Sun-Times
- Pressure starting to snowball - South Bend Tribune
- It's Time to Change - ND Nation (I think the Pope runs this site)
- The Players aren't Responding - Chicago Tribune
- An Irish Conundrum - NY Times**
- Meyer and ND seem a perfect fit - Florida Today
- A dream marriage - Tallahassee Democrat*
They would also still owe as much as $24 million to Weis if he left this season. Next year, that total should drop by another $3.5-4 million, and he would've been given every imaginable opportunity to succeed.
Yes. Meyer would make an excellent fit at Notre Dame. In his new book "Urban's Way" he still refers to the Fighting Irish job as his dream gig. And if the Gators win the SEC this year and play for the national title, what's left to prove in Gainesville?
The biggest things working against ND if they were to pursue Meyer are:
- The Gators know Meyer is a target. They can preemptively work to keep him financially.
- It is easier to recruit at Florida than at Notre Dame. I'm talking logistics. Proximity to talent.
- Jeremy Foley is a better AD than just about anyone.
At best, we can hope for disruptive rumors.
See Also:
-- Fake Notre Dame Fan on the ND Job - EDSBS
PWD
*Yes. That's hardly a non-partisan source given the topic.
**Obviously not mid-western media. But who cares really.
19 comments:
Is the ND wallet bigger than the Tide wallet? ...
Paging St. Nick Saban
Why do you want Saban to leave? His being in the SECW is great for Georgia. We don't play them again outside of an SECC game for years, and he is greatly weakening one of our yearly opponents and biggest rivals.
off topic.... but what channel is UGA going to be on against GT?
You think Nick Saban is great for Georgia, playing his first game in the Dome each year and targeting Atlanta recruits from 2 1/2 hours away. Really?
CBS kriss
The rare Noon game that CBS does once a year
I am thinking Florida's pockets are pretty deep. I suspect across the board their coaches are quite well paid. Toss in the fact that Florida has no state income tax and that salary looks really good.
One thing I read somewhere was that one reason Meyer chose Florida was that recruiting is logistically easier. How far by private plane is it from Gainesville to Miami? He can leave in the AM, hit the Miami area for several hours and be back home for dinner or bed time with the kids. Not to mention the talent in Florida is amazing. The state supports UF, FSU, Miami, UCF, USF, FIU, Fl Atlantic and those are just the 1-A schools. UF and FSU get some kids from GA and a few other states, but I bet their rosters are 85% Florida kids.
However, I could see winning a national title and then deciding it is time for another challenge and if he were to return ND to glory his legacy would be sealed, and it would be a papal seal!
Plus, the man is named after a Pope!
Does anyone not completely believe that Meyer is probably behind these Florida articles just so he can get the raise..? If he isn't, his agent darn sure is.
Somebody help me out. For some reason I thought I remembered Urban Meyer passing over the ND job to take FL. Am I remembering wrong?
If Meyer leaves Florida within the next few years, I will eat my hat.
(And be damn happy while doing so...)
Anonymous 7:04
I remember the exact same thing, but we never know what the real story is..
The story I heard is that he went to FL over ND the first time to get more credibility (win at a major program)and therefore it would give him more time to build something at ND.
skidawg-
I heard the recruiting side of it from Collin Coherd a couple days ago. It seemed to make sense... why would you go to ND anyways? It's not the same program it used to be and it'd be hard to get recruits to go there. He was saying before ND used to have an edge in recruiting despite it's location, academic rigor, and religious overtones because it had national TV exposure every week when nobody else did. Now with ESPN and others, everybody's on TV and ND can't get the boys they want away from other schools like FL, USC, TEX, and even UGA. ND gets good athletes with good grades who usually get over valued by recruiting services simply because they commit to play for the Irish (and therefore they MUST be good).
If I was a 5 star recruit, no way in hell I'm going to South Bend... ugly girls, terrible weather, it's isolated, plus they treat you just like a regular student there. That's a very different experience than coming to a big state school like FL or UGA
Putting myself in Urban's shoes for a minute... In my opinion, I'd be taking a step backward by going to ND. The job doesn't have the luster that it used to, and there's no sign of things getting any better. I have seen the promised land at UF... I'm coaching the best team in the best conference and my school is located in a recruiting hot bed. I have a chance to win 2 national titles in my first 4 years here. I certainly won't be able to do that in South Bend. Plus, I wouldn't be able to punish UGA every year for that end zone celebration.
I abhore the thought of FL winning the NC this year, but if it is a means to an end - getting Meyer out of Gainesville - then I'll bite the bullet and tolerate the mullet nation.
Weis buyout said to be "loose change."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/chi-081125-charlie-weis-notre-dame-salary-corso,0,3989895.story
I am curous about what other UGA fans think of Kiffin to ut.Kiffin doesn't inspire fear to most , but coach O(footbaw)as DC ? btw Kiffin is a "done-deal"
"If Weis' salary was up to $650,000, the paper reported, that would put his buyout at less than $5 million. The paper, citing an unnamed prominent alumnus, called a buyout figure 'loose change.'"
One more reason to hate those smug assholes at ND. From: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3727946
As I was reading a few of the articles in this post(and maybe doing a little day-dreaming at work), a dreadful thought came to mind:
Just imagine if Tebow stays for his senior year. He wins another Heisman(doh!), and leaves for the NFL.
Finally, right?
Alright, maybe by that time the Bucs, Dolphins, or Jags need a new HC. Preferably, not the Bucs--as a Falcons fan. But, let's just say the Bucs are after him.
In swoops Urban Meyer--he drafts Tebow with his first round pick(assuming he's taking over a team with a top 10 pick)--he installs the spread in the NFL, it works, and Tebow leads the Bucs to a Super Bowl victory. The state of Florida rejoices, gives Tebow a state holiday in his honor, and Urban looks like a genius.
-Man, that would be the ultimate punch to the gut.
Back to reality: Why leave Florida to coach at Notre Dame, when you can coach in the NFL?
(I know he's from the area and helped coach there for five years)
Urban's got everything a coach wants in Gainesville. Nice weather, a sweet paycheck, coached a Heisman winner, gets hand-picked recruits, and has a MNC.
Why try to raise the dead in South Bend, when you can raise BIG trophies in Florida or in the NFL?
Just a twisted thought...
BTW, Will: Amen. I'm right behind you. I'd rather see him in South Bend on NBC than anywhere in the state of Florida.
GATA. To HELL with Tech!
Id rather him stay at florida and we just get better and beat him.
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