The Great Dame

Let me start off by saying this, Brady Quinn of Notre Dame has not looked sharp in his first 2 games. He doesn't look like the same QB who threw for over 3,900 yards and 32 TD's last year. What he does look like is a Notre Dame quarterback (the most high profile position on one of the most high profiled programs in the country) who has heard too many people tell him he's going to win the Heisman Trophy this year. He looks like a kid trying too hard to match his previous season. He looks like he's on the verge crumbling under the enormous pressure.

At least that's how I felt in the first quarter of the Penn State game this afternoon.

Then NBC shows you a shot of Charlie Weiss on the sidelines, arms folded across his chest, his face both calm and serious, and you think, "everything is going to be all right." And sure enough, it is. If anything can stop the astounding weight of Heisman hype (which includes preseason covers of both Sports Illustrated and ESPN the magazine) from crushing Brady Quinn, it's the flabby arms of Weiss. Has there ever been a coach in the college game that has exuded more confidence than the former New England Patriots offensive coordinator? I'll say this now, if Notre Dame doesn't win 3 or 4 championships during Weiss's tenure, it will be a huge underachievement. Lou Holtz was a legend, but you always felt he was walking a fine line between genius and insanity. With Bob Davie, there was no doubt it was insanity. And Tyrone Willingham, although smart and extremely competent, just doesn't have the game day mind to bring a program to the top level. But with coach Weiss, you get a feeling of security that only your beloved mother can otherwise provide. You know he's under control at all times, you know that he's always thinking 10 plays ahead, and you're confident in the system of the mad genius. Yes, he's mad, but in a good way.

And just as we were all ready to write Brady Quinn off, the Irish QB, suddenly glowing in a confidence similar to that which constantly hovers over his coach, shows everyone why he's the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. His maturation in his senior season is to be expected, considering his intelligence, and the fact that God created his body and arm out of the perfect quarterback cast. But would he really be at the top of everyone's player of the year list if it wasn't for Weiss? Possibly, but I don't think Brady Quinn would've been able to handle the Heisman pressure under Tyrone "Best Coach Between Sunday and Friday" Willingham. So as I watched Quinn struggle through the first quarter, I began to wonder where the stud of 2005 had gone. Then he found Samardzija in the back of the endzone, and NBC flashed a shot of a smiling coach Weiss, his arms thrust skyward, and I found myself breathing a long awaited, stress aleviating, sigh of relief. The golden boy is back...and he brought his coach with him.