Mandel picks Sharpley? He truly is an idiot.
Subway Alumni | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 5:40 pm | #

Zach Frazier is said to be taking the most snaps in practice, but my money's on Zak Kustok. Unless Tom Krug still has a couple years of eligibility left.
kmf | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 5:46 pm | #

Another great bit by BGS. Thanks for putting some more perspective on this whole mess. You (and Fitzwater) really have a great theory going, and CW is doing a great job if it's truly his intention and not just a bi-product.
Erik '04 | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 5:48 pm | #

Great post, and you BGS guys GET what the Sportswriters don't: character, virtue, and the notion of service over/before self are important to the good life. Apart from "football strategy," Weis actually CARES about these VERY YOUNG men. He's willing to "die/take a bullet for" the team, the young men, by subjecting himself to all kinds of ridicule and criticism - to the point that his 3 quarterbacks can spend these last days in peace (relatively). As you note, not a single article of substance has made it into the press re any of these boys/young men. Their "virtue" remains intact, if you will. This is what I admire most about Charlie Weis: from "pass right" to saluting the academies, to this - he knows that there is so much more to football than football - and to proclaim that so boldly in the modern college football world is risky. ND gets it, because things like character, virtue, and the notion of sacrifice of self are part of who we are. The secular world could not play its hand more boldly in portraying that it DOESN'T get it than in these articles. Great job!
t2irish | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 5:48 pm | #

Does Mandel even watch college football? Judging by his posts, I'm not so sure....
Adam | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 6:01 pm | #

Yours is the only intelligent and perceptive post since the media started whining about getting their lollipop of information. And by the way, I actually read that Evan Sharpley will be the starter. Stewart Mandel wrote that.
Chuckie | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 6:14 pm | #

Pete - You need to check out EDSBS.com. Looks like the underground broke it.
MasterShake | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 6:14 pm | #

I take Charlie at his word. At the beginning at least, he concealed his starter's identity to complicate GTech's game-planning. Evidently he put himself in his opponent's shoes and considered it actionable intelligence.

But not only did Charlie keep the hot glare of press attention on himself and off his players, he also kept it off Corwin Brown and the new defense. Closed practices concealed the QB selection process - and also any hint of how he planned to deploy his five running backs.

Sportspundits act as if Charlie's sole purpose is pure malevolence. But he kept more than his QB's identity a mystery. The entire offense and defense remain essentially unknown, with only two days left before the season kicks off.
lyle | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 6:22 pm | #

I reserve judgment still, but have to say that since last sundayish there's been an overwhelming sentiment that the starter will be Jones.
Tommy O | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 6:37 pm | #

I agree with your article, but a nit: Cincy's coached backed down after about a day of media scrutiny regarding his quarterback decision: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pb...260018/1064/ SPT. The article you linked is out of date.
Andy | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 7:11 pm | #

I can't believe he caved.
Jay | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 7:13 pm | #

He must hate his players.
Pete | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 7:17 pm | #

I accidentally submitted my survey without populating the box for my one-word description, so here it is:
"Jaylicious"
Lo-fi | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 7:23 pm | #

Crap. That was obviously intended for the post below. Now, back to the salt mines.
Lo-fi | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 7:25 pm | #

I hope it's Jones, and we come out with the wishbone running triple option down GT's throat. (What, we have the stallions at RB to do it!)
Domer Guy | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 7:42 pm | #

Who cares what those guys say? I only read BGS.

Sometimes I hear about these things. The Sporting News? Four letters starting with E? I don't know but it really seems to bother people. I feel safe from them here. If Mandel comes here to get us though, I'll kill them all.
indy | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 8:05 pm | #

I don't think ND really needs much more press, but I find myself thinking Charlie does a lot to get people talking about the Irish. I can't imagine there are too many recruits out there who don't love the fact that every day is another story about the Irish on tv/newspapers/internet. Any press is always good press when it comes to reminding 17 year old kids that ND still matters. After the last decade of not having a team in contention, Weis has brought the Irish back to being a place where good players want to play. Can the man coach? Does he try and protect his players? Sure, but so do every other coach. Instead of regretting the coverage that ND gets from the media, why not use it to his advantage. Sounds to me like the kind of thing a coach who is trying to bring the attention back to ND wants to do.

And I don't really buy the reporters can't stand him argument. Whenever I read his pressers, I find him to be pretty considerate and often humorous. Maybe I miss something by reading instead of watching, but it seems he has a pretty good rapport with the reporters. I also don't find his more vague answers to be anything different than what most coaches say. Arrogant/annoying/paranoid is just another man's confident. And when you have a hand full of super bowl rings, I think you've earned the chance to be a little confident.
Michael | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 8:14 pm | #

I'm aware of another team that keeps information to the media as scarce as possible, puts the good of the group ahead of the individual at all times and wins an awful lot of games: the New England Patriots.

The administration finally backed the right coach with this guy, fellas'. We're going to win multiple national championships before his time is done.
Fighting Binny | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 8:28 pm | #

These guys with their hand-wringing. I took my son to Notre Dame football camp this summer and had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with several of the players. They believe in everything Charlie does. They see what he has done, what he is doing, and what he will do. This b.s. about them being uncomfortable is not only wrong, it is irresponsible journalism. But that's the norm, I guess.
Sean Cameron | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 9:08 pm | #

As soon as we break the huddle, will Tenuta call a sarcastic timeout?
Lou | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 9:11 pm | #

I for one was concerned about the refusal to name a quarterback until I read this article. It makes perfect sense. There are not many other schools besides ND and USC where the quarterback position gets national (and I mean national) attention. I remember when Mirer was on the cover of SI - "The Golden Boy", Powlus was going to win three Heismans and Quinn got his fair share of coverage as the QB for ND.

I have been a little concerned about Charlie's arrogance, but this makes perfect sense. Thank you for putting me back on track!!!!

I will be there Saturday and looking forward to a big W.
DDomer | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 9:58 pm | #

Per Chan Gailey's press conference the uncertainty of knowing who be playing QB IS creating a significant challenge for GT in its preparation and completely validates the rationale Weis has claimed for his non-disclosure. What more needs to be said.

Selected quotes from Irish Illustrated transcript of the Chan Gailey press conference on Tuesday:

How did the defense prepare for Notre Dame's offense?

"It looks like, from everything that we can tell, there are going to be two different types of offenses - not only different quarterbacks, but different types of offenses. When Jones is in there, you may end up with the option/quarterback run sprint-out game, whereas when the other two are in there you will end up with the traditional Charlie Weiss offense."

Is it more guesswork than normal?

"A lot more than normal. Unless you have a totally new head coach, this is about as much guesswork as you can have going into a season."
PZ | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 9:59 pm | #

The answer as to who will be the quarterback at Notre Dame this year is... both. Or all three. The only reason Charles would rep more than one QB in the 3 weeks leading up to the opener is because he intends to use more than one QB. It probably won't be an even mix, but I think Chan has nailed it and it should be a hell of a ride for Irish fans. Until someone separates himself, expect the QB to be a 'sitational' decision. Cool. Mr. Weis continues to impress me with his adaptability. I worship him.
indy | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 10:22 pm | #

Great compilation. And I agree with the notion of protecting the QB. One more angle I like: pundits say keeping the QB a secret is a waste of time -- Chan Gailey says it's tougher getting ready for 3. Romeo Crennel says he may keep his starter under wraps to make it harder for his first opponent, etc. I'd like to see those quotes juxtaposed.
Jack | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 11:16 pm | #

Maybe all the whimpering by the press is simply due to their not being a Woodward or Bernstein among them. Hell, nothing of the same species.

Poor bubies gotta do some investigating; can't get the story from their producers and writers.

If they spent an hour looking at this year's team (and knew a damn thing about football), they'd have figured out the QB last spring.

Go Irish
Bill H. | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 11:43 pm | #

I don't know what planet Stewart Mandel comes from, but even Howie Mandel knows that Jones will be the QB against Georgia Tech, and Howie's Canadian.

At least nobody said Clausen. I know everyone's in love with him, but mark my words: he will not see the field on Saturday. Between the lessened reps because of his injury and the little incident he had, he will sit AT LEAST one game. Others may not care about this; Charlie does.

All that said, I see a small probability of a Leak/Tebow-ish system, only flipped where Jones is the primary QB and Sharpley comes in on a few plays just to bring enough for GT's defense to think about.

Overall, though, what you're going to see is Jones as quarterback and a playbook that's not necessarily dumbed down, but trimmed down. The team has enough to think about without memorizing a phone book. While the offense lacks experience with that phone book, they more than make up for it with depth. This is important. You may see the same play, say a simple off-tackle rush, run 10 different times, but with 10 different looks just to try and catch the Wreck D off-guard.
marchand chronicles | Email | Homepage | 08.29.07 - 11:48 pm | #

If it works, everyone will be doing it.
To have three possible starting QBs is really a rare occurence for any college FB team. The tactic may upset writers who feel they need to know - or just to have something to write about.
Not a lot said about why a starting RB has not been named at USC, though I may have missed the announcement.
Brian | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 12:51 am | #

Wouldn't it be great if Charlie sent out Bragg....
yago | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 7:01 am | #

I love the comment in the Gailey presser above - "the traditional Charlie Weis offense". He hasn't seen anything yet. This year's O will be so different. They have no idea how versatile Charlie's offense is. That's how he made his name in the pros. Most of the opponent defenses didn't know what was coming next.
DaveG | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 7:29 am | #

Much respect to Weis. He's arrogant, but you have to be arrogant to be in his position. There's nothing wrong with arrogance.

That said, I think the comment about Gailey validating Weis' decision and stance on the issue is bunk. Gailey's not about to criticize a fellow coach. Knowing Tech's defense a little bit, I don't think that they've done much hand-wringing over this.

They knew Jones might get the job, and if that's how it ends up, Tenuta just has to be a little more careful with his blitzing, because he'll be facing a quarterback who can get away from pressure.

For Notre Dame, it's the right choice, frankly. From what I've read, Jones isn't as good a passer as the other two, but his athleticism is valuable.
Bruce Ciskie | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 7:56 am | #

I think this is the operative phrase in all of this "weird and uncomfortable for everyone not on the inside of the Irish program."

Inside the program, I suspect they're all haing a good laugh about his tempest in a teapot.
Tracer Bullet | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 8:20 am | #

I'm a Buckeye fan, and I just laugh at this. Somehow, Coach Tressel hasn't made a big deal about who is starting, revealed the information, and it hasn't caused the team to implode.

I understand, though. Tressel just doesn't care about the players like Weis does. True compassion and concern is only seen by a leader that does all the talking, brags about his credentials, and is rude to outsiders.

Face up to it. Weis is a jerk, but he is your jerk, so you love him. There is something refreshing about the unquestioning loyalty that OSU and Michigan fans lack. (OSU fans worship JT now, but not until proved himself with consistent results.)
Eric Wilson | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 9:12 am | #

Reporters don't write about OSU QBs like they do ND. OSU already named their guy about a week ago and no one cared. They didn't care before, they don't care now. They have about 3 preseason games before they play a real team, and multiple QBs expect to play. If you think the situations are anything alike (you can google to see which qb decision has received more press) you are naive.

/sorry for feeding the troll
Matt | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 9:21 am | #

Not trying to say he isn't abrasive btw, I just don't think this is a good example of it, and that it is a silly thing for a 'reporter' to write about
Matt | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 9:29 am | #

I don't see what's so hard to understand about Weis not wanting to spoon-feed GT about who he's starting - especially since they are two distinctly styled quarterbacks. Chan would have thought Charlie a dumbass (and so would I)if he had announced his quarterback in time for GT to better prepare for that particular style.

And this issue is about arrogance: arrogance in the press. Have you noticed how many journalists (sports and news) expect to have all the information they want hand-delivered to them. If not, they get all pissy like they are being punished or denied one of their rights. God forbid they get off their asses and actually do a little journalistic digging.
Hoss | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 9:40 am | #

Eric,

At the risk of also climbing under the bridge the feed the troll, can you point to any point in this offseason where Weis has handled the quarterback situation in a less than fair manner? He made it clear from the get-go that he wasn't going to announce a QB, which is his right as a coach. And if you watch the press conferences, he's been worked over every which way as reporters attempt to gain any insight onto the competition for the starting spot.

"How many guys are involved?" "Are they all getting equal shots?" "Do you know who it is?" "Do they know who it is?" "If not, when will they know?"

And every single time he's been asked from this endless line of questioning, he's answered it as much as he can without outright announcing a starter, which, as a reminder, he said he wasn't going to do from the get-go. He's flat out said to reporters, "I know who it is, I've made it abundantly clear in practice who it is, but I haven't officially told the starter yet so when he's asked if he's the starter by you guys, he doesn't have to lie to you." What else is the guy supposed to do?

And furthermore, it's not like Weis is beginning every press conference by rubbing his hands together and cackling maniacally about having this deep dark secret. The press keeps asking about it, and he keeps answering it to the best of his abilities. I'm failing to see where 'jerk' plays into all of this.
Pete | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 9:44 am | #

the best insight and analysis i have read to date on the QB situation. nice job guys!
KYirishman | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 9:47 am | #

Sure, Matt, the QB situations are different, but is it really a coincidence that every unbiased outsider can't stand Charlie?

Somehow, in the last two years when OSU was getting tons of press, JT never made himself the story.

My parallel was this: Two coaches at top 10 (all time) programs. One is considered arrogant by almost all outsiders. One is not.

Support your man, but be honest. This "No one on the outside can understand his brilliant faux arrogance." line is a bit silly.

Pete, I don't have any specific examples. But I reject the notion that the national media is picking on the ND coach. I never read articles about BD or TW being difficult.

I don't think I'm a troll. I like this site, and the level of interaction here. I (perhaps naively) thought that the JT comparison could be food for thought for Domers.
Eric Wilson | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 9:53 am | #

The only people upset, besides Gailey, are the reporters........
captain jack | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 10:17 am | #

Eric,

Thanks for coming back and continuing the debate. You're obviously not a drive-by troll.

We're both on the same page that most people outside of Notre Dame fandom don't like Charlie Weis, and aside from a few quotes that aren't as bad as people think ("eating cheeseburgers" "X's and O's", etc.), he really hasn't done a lot to earn the widespread disdain.

Charlie isn't going out and making the reporters write about how he's not telling who the starting QB is, they're the ones that keep forcing the issue by asking questions. Sure, he engages the reporters and answers their questions when he could simply spout out a "no comment" every time a question about the QB's comes up, but I don't think that would stem the tide of criticism and speculation either.

I don't think Charlie Weis is 'faux arrogant,' I think he is arrogant. And I think he knows he is, likes it that way, and doesn't care what other people so long as he does a good job. And we're quite fine with that. Willingham was the exact opposite: a media darling and one of the worst coaches in college football, and we saw how well that worked out for us.

CW and JT have very different styles, and it's obvious that CW's style rankles reporters and provides them with fodder. But again, he knows who he is and so do we. He's not rude, he's not a liar, and he's not a jerk.

I don't think CW wants to make himself the center of the story, I think he understands that somebody has to be the center of the Notre Dame media machine, and better for it to be him than some young QB with enough on his mind.
Pete | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 10:29 am | #

How is it possible for Boise State to have 2 preseason All Americans on SI? Where do these guys come from and why do they go to Boise State? Does anyone graduate from Boise State?

I like the idea of 3 QBs lining up together for the first play.
captain jack | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 10:57 am | #

eric,

the media IS picking on cw, and for exactly the reason pete points out - he doesn't care what they think is important about nd football, and it pisses them off. what's important to them is that they get to "report" in the manner they choose, with the information they decide is relevant. and i'm not sure that sports reporters are any different than reporters covering anything else. to a certain extent, THEY are the story, not the actual story itself.

perhaps that is arrogant, perhaps that is just looking after the best interests of a young team, a team whose possible (hoped-for?)failure many of the aforementioned journalists are just waiting to pounce on as evidence that the last couple of years have just been a fluke, and that nd football is indeed irrelevant.

i'm not a head coach, but i'd bet there is far more involved than merely recruiting kids (and coaches), calling plays, and dealing with the media.

cw's style is cw's style, and as long as the team responds positively to it (as measured in the usual way, w's), i don't think the nd fans are going to fault him for it. and that's not drinking the kool-aid or being disingenuous. it's just the way it is. if reporters don't like....well, so what?
yz | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 11:08 am | #

What Pete said.
Fitzwater | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 11:17 am | #

After Fitz' comment, I posted the following on Heisman Pundit (http://heismanpundit.com/item/1392/) but before this BGS article came out:

HP, really like reading your stuff, but I have to disagree with you here. Check out this Atlanta JC link: www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/gatech/stories/ 2007/08/26/techfoot_0827.html

By not divulging the starter, Weis had G Tech using precious practice time preparing for three different looks instead of one. This leaves them less prepared for whichever QB ends up starting. As an added benefit, how many stories do you see about how (X Player) will fare in his pressure-packed first start for Notre Dame? None because the media is focused on calling Weis arrogant instead of adding to the pressure already on a first-time starter's shoulders. Kind of like when a basketball coach gets a technical foul to take the pressure off his team, I think Weis is making the story about him so that he relieves his QB of a little bit of pressure. So the advantages from this are at least twofold: 1) interfere with G Tech's preparation; and 2) take pressure away from first time starting QB by distracting the media. Just the opinion of an admitted ND fan following the stories and backstories a little more closely.
JJ | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 11:18 am | #

Eric,

Thanks for the comments. Its nice to see an tOSU fan interested in having a real discussion.

Also, its nice to see one who recognized that sweater-vest doesn't really care about his players in the same way other coaches might.

He is undoubtedly a great coach, but a bit of a mercenary.

I will fully admit that Charlie is arrogant (I bet you even he would admit that much). But I like that even in his arrogance (which is backed up by a great CV) he still puts his players first.
domer03inbmore | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 12:08 pm | #

Why so much press coverage? Weren't we just irrelevant, unable to recruit top prospects, with too high academic standards and needing to join a conference?

I'll take arrogant (proud, confident, successful, tactical, high expectations).

I'll take professional coaching, too.
How many professionals announce their choices in QB battles?

These sportswriters need to write about football.
Brian | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 12:27 pm | #

The writers must be thrilled now that the cat is out of the bag. They've got 2 whole days to write about Jones' big start on Saturday.
Gabe | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 2:20 pm | #

domer03,

"Also, its nice to see one who recognized that sweater-vest doesn't really care about his players in the same way other coaches might.

He is undoubtedly a great coach, but a bit of a mercenary."

Now you are being silly. Surely you recognized my irony, here.

Do you really think that JT needed 15 years and 4 1-AA championships at YSU before he could get a higher profile job and more $$? He stayed at Youngstown for a decade and a half because he cared about the people there.

And he cares about those connected to the OSU program, even to the point of being courteous to reporters asking lame questions.

Other things call, this is it for the day.
Eric Wilson | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 2:52 pm | #

Domers,

Eric ain't a troll. He provides valuable insight into how non-Domers and non-Homer-Domers view the program, CW, ND blogspotters, etc. Let's NOT act like GT in 1977 when someone posts a non-Homer-Domer point of view. Hardcore trolls disable the CRM-114's as usual.

CW is much more stubborn than arrogant re: QB thing. This is standard practice in the NFL when a QB race is ongoing. CW told the news folks a long time ago, he wasn't coughing up the QB choice. He stuck to his guns all this time. I respect that he doesn't cave on anything, incl. recruiting (soft commits, esp.). He booted Minter and Talley and he will boot whoever else that 'don't play' "Charlie ball" or deliver to his standards. I respect all that, too. IMO, CW needs more "house cleaning" on his staff.

As far as arrogance in concerned, he knows he is very good at what he does. CW didn't win the SB by himself. He had great D personnel, coaching, etc. However, if you can take a 6th round guy from Michigan (Brady) and a mediocre WR from ND (Givens) and smoke a more talented Colts team multiple times, you know what you're doin'. In fact, one might argue that the D and Vinatieri had more to do with the SB runs. But I digress into lower (non-college) forms of f-ball . .

Charlie-ball has exceeded our expectations based on the offensive excellence with the same personnel as TW. The lack of "signature" win is less of a CW issue (porous D, anyone?) than outsiders might think. CW gets a much higher performance level than before. 38-0, 37-0 v. Michigan, FSU under Willingham in 2003? In 2005, we squeaked one v. Michigan, rather than an imminent monster blow out under TW = major upgrade. Porous DB's coupled with a mediocre (if not poor) DC hiring decision (CW fault) has played a large, if not dominant part of the lack of "signature" win. Defense wins championships, which is why CW didn't get one in 2005. Minter is gone and the new DC is recruiting like a machine.

Eric,

As far as signature win, didn't JT lose his first Bowl game to S. Carolina? Also, he had a huge pool of Cooper (nod-wink) talent to win a year later. Remember, ND was a correct fumble call away from being down 1 score down to a more talented (esp. D) tOSU team in the 2006 (2005 season Fiesta) after giving up 600+ yards? JT got tOSU to man-up to Michigan and not wilt in the big games (MNC v. Gators excepted). That is Tressel-ball.

ND ain't losing 30+ to nothing, anymore. That's Charlie-ball. We know good things are coming with CW. It's just a matter of time.

This year will be tough, no question (idiot ND scheduling). 2008 and 2009 we should be "in the hunt" as it were.
ThE LoSt BoY | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 3:32 pm | #

All the "experts" picking either Jones or Sharpley, along with an overwhelming amount of posters on ND boards, makes me think that Clausen will start. I can't wait to find out.
FindlayDomer | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 6:21 pm | #

It never ceases to amaze me how "amateurs" such as this blog can routinely provide better analysis, greater insight, more data, and better writing than the "professionals" like Mandel and his ilk. Nice work.
so | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 9:20 pm | #

Weis alluded to this idea in his presser today. He basically answered this question with the exact same point of view this article takes. It takes the pressure off the QB's and puts the focus on him instead. Great stuff.
ND101 | Email | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 11:06 pm | #