Notre Dame's future

CharlieWeis was finally fired today. Even though every Irish fan saw it coming, it is still sad to see a man who was so passionate about Notre Dame football be let go as Head Coach. Notre Dame had no choice to remove Weis. A 6 and 6 record this year with all the home games and relatively weak schedule was not acceptable by anyone including Weis's standards. This season and Weis's tenure at Notre Dame reminded me of some thoroughbred horses I use to bet on at the track. They would start out fast, at the midway point look like they were making a push for the lead and at the final turn fade out into the back of the pack.
As for the future, Weis will have no problem becoming an offensive coordinator in the NFL but the future for Notre Dame football is less certain. It will be crucial for A.D. Jack Swarbrick to hire the Head Coach who is a good fit with Notre Dame. It is not enough just to hire a coach with a good offensive or defensive mindset. Notre Dame's new Head Coach must be ready to have his team play top caliber football every week and be able to sell the idea of playing at Notre Dame to high school recruits.
Cincinnati's Brian Kelley and Oklahoma's Bob Stoops are reported to be the top candidates now and both would be solid choices but Irish fans need to be patient with the new Head Coach whoever he may be. In all likelihood Quarterback Jimmy Claussen and Wide Receiver Golden Tate will decide to enter the NFL draft and that along with the graduation of most of Notre Dame's offensive linemean will make next year's team very young and inexperienced in key positions. It will be difficult for the Irish to have a winning season next year but that may not be a bad thing in the long run. Charile Weis looked to be the savior his first two seasons with 9 win and 2 loss records and Tyrone Willingham had Irish fans excited after his first year which was 9 and 2 as well. We all know what ended up happening to both Coaches so here's hoping if Notre Dame's new Head Coach does not have a winning record his first season, Irish fans will be patient and excited for better things to come. Just remember, Lou Holtz was 5 and 6 his first season before turning Notre Dame around. Let's hope Notre Dame selects wisely who their next Head Coach will be and if they do Irish fans must give their new Head Coach the support they need and with patience there will be better days on the horizon for Notre Dame football.