The talk of South Bend all week hasn’t been much about Notre Dame’s season opener this weekend. Or, as much as it would normally be.
Instead, a good chunk of the watercooler conversation has centered on a billboard that takes a shot at head coach Charlie Weis and his less-than-stellar Irish career:
Until today, the person(s) responsible for the signage was not known.
However, former Notre Dame linebacker Tom Reynolds stepped forward today and explained his decision -- made with the support of 50 other former Irish players -- to the South Bend Tribune via email. And, in the process, lobbed more verbal potshots at the coach.
“By definition, a good football coach does not lose games when he has superior talent on the field, and at least splits the games where the talent is approximately equal,” Reynolds wrote according to the Tribune.
“Considering the W-L record of Coach Weis at Notre Dame, one would have to conclude he is serving an internship as a head coach of a college football team, which is defined as “any formal program to provide practical experience for beginners in an occupation or profession. (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
“Thus, the supportive internship-development sign of his efforts accurately summarizes his easily documentable learning situation.”
Reynolds went on to say that he still cares about “my university”, but also takes another shot at Weis when he writes that "[w]e support his learning curve.”
Reynolds lettered for the Irish in 1967, and the former players who joined in the billboard effort all came from around the same era. None of the others involved were named.
While all of the heat has been on Rich Rodriguez and his Michigan “situation” of late, this is yet another reminder that Weis might just sitting atop the hottest seat in all of college football.