I've dropped the ball on posting over the past week and shame on me with everything that has been going on in the sports world. I'm going to use this as an opportunity to briefly play catch up.
Notre Dame Assistant Football Coaches Named
New Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly has already begun hiring his half, which as many expected contains a few holdovers from his Cincinnati days and a smorgasbord of coaches with ties to Grand Valley State and Central Michigan. After several days coordinators have been selected to compliment the other hirings and retainment of Tony Alford, the lone mainstay from Charlie Weis' regime.
My take - all are excellent hires because they all have numerous years of collegiate experience with and without Kelly's tutelage. One of the problems with Weis' staffs was that they were a hodgepodge of, albeit talented individuals, whom he had little or no experience interacting with. Don't read too far in to anything you're hearing at this point, though. We need to be patient and see how the product on the field performs.
Weis Still A Chief... Per-se
Speaking of Charlie, it appears all is well in his world as several sources have confirmed he inked a deal to become the Offensive Coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs.
My take - this is an excellent fit for Weis and I am happy to see him move on in his career. No one ever doubted that he couldn't orchestrate a well-oiled offensive machine. His downfall at ND was that he had minimal head coaching experience (one year of high school football) so he forced himself to learn on the job. I think he also struggled with the fact that college kids aren't as disciplined as NFL players. Without time restrictions for practices and player development in the pros Weis benefitted from extremely well prepared players who knew every in and out of his beefy playbook. At ND he did not have that luxury. He will go on to do great things again. I'm not sure if Matt Cassel is a Super Bowl quarterback in the mold of a Tom Brady but he is capable of leading a team into the playoffs at the least. Good luck, Charlie.
Seahawks' Late Christmas: Carroll
In the span of 24 hours word spread like wildfire that the Seattle Seahawks were interested in USC Head Coach Pete Carroll. Fast forward a few more hours and it appears as though Carroll has signed a lucrative deal to replace now former Seahawks frontman Jim Mora.
My take - With the NCAA breathing down his neck regarding several suspected improprieties (Joe McKnight and Reggie Bush) and numerous player defections to the NFL (Damian Williams, Joe McKnight, Everson Griffin, Stafon Johnson) it is no surprise that Carroll is returning to the pros. Carroll was not shy about his desire to one day return to the NFL, which is the one league he has yet to prove himself as a head coach. A ho-hum 33-31 record is on the books from one season with the New York Jets and his brief stint in New England. Word on the street is that Carroll will have control of personnel decisions, which was a stipulation he indicated could lure him the NFL. The Seahawks have not been competitive since the 2007 season when they finished 10-6 and lost in the divisional playoffs to the Packers. Turning this franchise around will not be as taxing as Detroit but there is still a small mountain to climb. My magic eight ball reveals chances not good for a Super Bowl run at any point in the near future.
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