This letter is in response to the negativity and general ill will being directed at Charlie Weis, his staff, the play calling and personnel decisions made this season. First, let me say that I am not innocent of blaming Coach Weis, at least in part, for this debacle of a football season. In addition, the ridicule from our critics and rivals stings me just as bitterly as anyone else. With that being said, give the guy a break. It is true that questionable coaching decisions have been made this season, but they are no different than the decisions that were made while Quinn was under center and Samardzija was blowing our minds with his extraordinary catches. The only difference is that the current team is young and lacks game time experience from years past. And by the way, they're getting that experience, even at 1-8.
When he arrived in South Bend, Weis' gunslinger mentality and high-risk, high-reward style of coaching made Notre Dame football exciting to watch, and we were once again among the elite of college football. Now people are trying to run Weis out of town, no doubt the same people who only a few months ago were sporting the "Weis is my homeboy" T-shirts and trying to figure out how to canonize the man a saint while he was still alive. A winning football program takes several years to develop, and to suggest that we scrap the current coaching staff and start over is a ridiculous proposition. One bad season does not define a program. How can we expect to return to our winning tradition when every head coach we hire is fired after three years?
So to all the fair-weather fans: Take your hypocritical and defeatist attitudes elsewhere, to another school where loyalty applies only when the football team has a winning record. As for me, I'm sticking around, and I intend on being here when our team returns to the form we got a glimpse of during Weis' first season.
Dan BehrensjuniorDillon HallNov. 5
