Because his days are getting short…or not?

Notre Dame is now 1-9. Laughable is the only word I can think of at this time. Either the man is one of the worst coaches in the country or he is one of the best who, next year, will show the world what a genius he is. I’ve 95% written him off. But then I think of Jimmy Johnson’s first year with the Dallas Cowboys when they ended the season with a dismal 1-15 record before going on to win two Super Bowls.

I’m not sticking up for Weis at all. But I won’t call him a complete failure, not just yet. If he can end next season with a winning record, I may, may see a glimmer of hope in his future. Otherwise, I will see him as nothing more than a colossal bust.

And for all you people who like to blame this horrid, record-breakingly bad season on Tyrone Willingham and his subpar recruiting, I refer you to the blurb below, taken from a Neil Hayes editorial in the Chicago Sun-Times last month.

A lack of talent, thanks largely to Tyrone Willingham’s inferior recruiting classes, usually is fingered as the culprit for Notre Dame’s ghastly season, but a talent void is not an ironclad alibi for the crimes against football Weis and his team have committed this season.

If a college football season littered with upsets has reminded us of anything, however, it’s that the team with the most talent doesn’t always win. Does Stanford, which has won two conference games this season, including a historic upset of then-No. 2 USC, have more talent than Notre Dame?

Notre Dame’s 2004 recruiting class was ranked 32nd in the country by Rivals.com. Teams currently in the Top 25 that had classes ranked lower than Notre Dame’s that year include South Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Kentucky, Kansas, Rutgers and South Florida.

Georgia Tech defeated Notre Dame 33-3 in both teams’ season opener. The Yellow Jackets’ class was ranked 56th that year.

Willingham’s 2005 recruiting class was ranked 40th — below Notre Dame standards, to be sure, but well ahead of Kansas, Boston College, South Florida, Kentucky and Rutgers, all of whom have been ranked in the Top 25 this season.

Ranking recruiting classes is an imperfect science, as we all know, but the point is this: Notre Dame’s shocking inability to compete can’t be blamed entirely on lack of talent. It can’t be blamed entirely on youth, either — not when so many freshmen are making significant contributions across the country.

At some point you have to look at the man leading the team. Maybe he’s one season away from greatness, or maybe he’s one season from being tossed out on his ass with a huge, multi-million dollar paycheck jutting from his back pocket.

One last thing: Jimmy Johnson went 1-15 in his first season, not his third. So, I give Weis some latitude…but “a very little latitude”.