Let's take a look at the people who have a possiblelegitimate beef with him:

Pete Carroll: Weis said his off the cuff comments about USC's coach were taken out of context, but I'm not sure how "He's doing it in Malibu" is out of context. (It being, sleeping with a grad student.) Carroll denied it and Weis apologized (and I guess the entire country has agreed to drop the whole thing?) but true or no, Carroll can't be amused about people asking where he spends his nights. Especially if it's Reggie Bush's old house.

Notre Dame fans: Well, we know why they hate him, but even running their old coach out of town on a rail hasn't stopped Weis from dragging the Irish down further. He convinced their stud junior quarterback to leaving school because no one can coach him up like good old Chuck did, and naturally stud junior wideout Golden Tate was not far behind. So instead of watching that dynamic duo smooth over a tough transition year, expect a more Keystone Cops-style offense in South Bend next season. Yikes.

Clausen/Tate Theoretically, these young men are going to be very rich, very soon and they still believe that Weis is the reason for that. But what if Clausen had gone to USC instead? And Golden Tate had ended up at ... say, Alabama? Or if Weis had simply partnered them with more competent teammates that could have honed their talents, given them a better place to showcase those skills, or possibly given them a reason to return for one more year of seasoning that could have improved their visibility and draft status. (Eh, it doesn't matter. They're still filthy rich.)

Ron Turner: Charlie's college football grave isn't even filled in yet and he's already lobbying for another NFL job. A job that currently belongs to Turner, the Chicago Bears offensive coordinator. The Bears' offense is ... how you say? ... pathetic, so even if Weis can only recreate a fraction of his New England magic that would be a welcome sight at Soldier Field. Of course, if it turns out that sans Brady/Belichick Weis is not much of an offensive genius, well ... hasn't that city suffered enough?

Cincinnati fans: Remember that dream you had of Brian Kelly being the one man who could maybe overcome all that poll nonsense and actually lead your tiny school to an improbable, yet inspiring, national championship run? Yeah, sorry about that.

The economy: Weis was not just Notre Dame's head coach, he was also their offensive coordinator, which means his absence leaves the school without a single human being who can hold a clipboard and shout numbers. Or anyone who has ever played a Madden video game, apparently. That's the reason the Fighting Irish gave for declining all bowl invitations and that decision means either Detroit or Mobile will lose close to $500 in local business revenue. (Also, they think they're better than everyone else and can turn down honors most college athletes would be grateful to accept. Seriously, they should be banned from bowls for five years. Screw those guys.)

So I guess, the only people who aren't furious with Weis at this point are bloggers who enjoy attacking him for being a selfish loud mouth. Bless that man.

The more Charlie Weis talks, the less marketable he becomes [Chicago Tribune]

I, for one, will be sad to see him go, because Weis was a living monument to the hubris and folly of his school and its supporters. (For example, this book was actually written and is still available for sale via their ESPN.com clubhouse page.) Just seven games into his first season as head coach, Notre Dame handed Weis a nonsensical ten-year contract extension lashing themselves to his rather prodigious anchor until 2015—despite the fact that the coach he replaced had an identical record at the same point the year before (and also started 8-0 in his first season) and was fired for it. Five years later, he finished with a lower winning percentage than that previous coach and his team has become a punch line. It will now reportedly cost the school around $18 million just to run him out of town, while they naively cling to the belief that the Fighting Irish name alone will be enough to persuade A-list college coaches to ditch their actual successful programs to come run this terrible one. Good luck with that.

However, I will mostly miss him because his teams were lousy and I enjoyed watching them lose.

Source: Notre Dame fires head football coach Charlie Weis [NYDN]

It's 4:38 a.m. on Sunday and Weis greets Walters for the interview that'd been promised. From the tone of the piece, you get the sense that Walters was surprised at how forthcoming he was about his Notre Dame coaching career. (Weis, apparently, also curses like Artie Lange.) He expected the criticism and the fat jokes, but he didn't expect how much of a toll this would take on his family:

"The damage to Maura and Charlie Jr. is irreparable, It's watching me get hammered. I'll never forgive the people who character-assassinated me without even knowing me. Those people did irreparable damage to my wife and son, and I'll never forgive them."

Speaking of Charlie Jr., he's a 15-year-old coaching prodigy. One thing Weis knows for sure, though, is that his son will never be part of the Fightin' Irish family: "I know where he won't be going to college."

Charlie Weis Opens Up About His Notre Dame Experience [AOL Fanhouse]

It was famously said of Layne that "he never lost a game, he just ran out of time." Well, Matthew Stafford did run out of time yesterday and still managed to pull off a legendary come-from behind victory on the last play against the Browns. With only one arm. Urban legend has it that Layne once got in a car accident while driving drunk on a Saturday night, then showed up on Sunday morning and led the Lions to a win. Stafford—who attended the same high school as Layne, don'tcha know—picked himself up off the sideline with a busted shoulder to throw a game-winning touchdown. (He sort of had no choice. Daunte Culpepper sure didn't want to do it and putting on a helmet would have ruined the whole LPGA golfer look that Drew Stanton had going on.)

Urban legend also has it that Layne cursed his former franchise to 50 years of losing after they traded him away in 1958. Well, we're at 51 and counting, but perhaps the statute of limitations has finally been lifted. The team is still a long way from being good, but could they finally havefound the leader with that mythical toughness that inspires nations and make women weep? No one knows what "it" is, but he's got it! If you're going to build yourself a legend, Sunday's "gritty" 5-TD performance would be a good way to start.

Years from now, every Lions fan will talk about how they saw this man in this game and knew that things had finally turned around for this hapless franchise ... and you will know that they are lying because the stadium was half-full and the game was blacked out. (More on that later.) Stafford probably won't play during their nationally televised Thanksgiving game in four days when his team will undoubtedly be spanked, so the legend is going to need a little more time to simmer. But what a glorious four days they will be for Lions fans. Naturally, the greatest post-game glow of good feelings that they've seen in years had to come during the short week.

[Photo: Julian H. Gonzalez/Detroit Free Press]

Matthew Stafford, Matt Cassel lead way in NFL Week 11 [Peter King]
Stafford winning teammates over [The Morning Sun]
There's no doubt now: Stafford is strong enough to lead [Detroit Free Press]
In battle of the bottom, Lions and Browns play a thriller [MJD]

* * * * *

Here are some other big winners, who did not win quite as big:

Brady Quinn: Looks like someone else benefited from facing a porous secondary and a non-existent pass rush. When you can double your career touchdown total in one quarter, you know the only way to go is up. [Tribune Chronicle - Warren, OH]

San Diego Chargers: Remember when some idiot wrote that Denver had pretty much sewn up the AFC West and Josh McDaniels was the new George Halas? The term you're looking for is "short-sighted." [BroncoTalk]

Real Salt Lake: Why does a team from Utah have a Spanish name? And how does a team with a losing regular-season record win your league championship? (Oh, right. Penalty kicks.) [Salt Lake Tribune]

And who is the Weekend Loser? Anyone who enjoys picking on Charlie Weis. Remember ... if he gets fired, then you can't make fun of Charlie Weis anymore. (And Notre Dame might actually get better.) It's quite a catch, that Catch-22. [Sporting News]

University officials have pointedly declined to offer any endorsements of Weis, and he himself hasn't acted particularly confident he'll be back: Weis canceled his press conference Sunday, after yet another loss. So it's no wonder Irish fans are eagerly jumping into that other South Bend tradition of speculating on who the next coach is going to be.

But the school has taken away one of their favorite tools. Long have fans used flightaware.com to track the progress of a certain Cessna Citation with the tail number N42ND. But try to look up the school's jet now, and here's what you get.

Now officials can fly in and wine and dine the head coach candidates at their leisure, secure in the knowledge that it won't be all over the message boards the next day. And Weis can sleep a little easier, not having his failure tracked in real time. Make no mistake, though; he's still gonna get shitcanned.

But maybe it's not his fault! From a letter to the editors of the Cincinnati Enquirer:

Notre Damers, quit picking on coach Charlie Weis. There is nothing he can do because it's out of his hands. God has intervened and is repaying Notre Dame for bestowing an honorary degree on pro-abortion President Obama.

Notre Dame Football: Questions, Answers That Will Frame Weis' World [South Bend Tribune]
God Punishing Notre Dame [Cincinnati Enquirer]

The billboard—which reads "Best wishes to Charlie Weis in the fifth year of his college coaching internship"—sits directly above the Linebacker Inn, a charming little watering hole just spitting distance from Notre Dame Stadium. Since the message was signed, "Linebacker Alumni," most assumed that the bar was the one responsible. According to BlueandGold.com, however, there's only one linebacker responsible—Tom Reynolds, a "seldom-used" backup from the Ara Parseghian days who has no apparent affiliation with the bar. Money well spent ... butt-head!

Weis, for his part, was philosophical about the whole thing.

"I'm the head coach at Notre Dame - I mean, welcome to my world," he told WSBT News at his pre-game press conference Tuesday. "Tell ‘em thanks a lot for wishing me best wishes. I heard about it, I haven't seen it and we'll just leave it at that."

Ahh, the "jerk is a tug, a tug is a boat" defense. Well played.

Controversial billboard blasts Weis [South Bend Tribune]
Ready To Roll [Blue and Gold, fourth item]
BEST WISHES TO TOM REYNOLDS IN THE 65TH YEAR OF HIS HUMAN INTERNSHIP [Her Loyal Sons]
Charlie Weis billboard suggests Notre Dame coach has room for improvement [Chicago Sun Times]

A team of Notre Dame legends trekked over to the next potential-maybe-or-maybe-not hotbed of football to play the country's national team, and — get this — the Golden Domers managed to escape from Tokyo with a 19-3 win, giving Notre Dame a 1-0 record against Japan. I'm sure it's an accomplishment worthy of the media guide, but it won't show up on Charlie Weis' page. No, because this win belongs to Holtz, who slobbered out plenty of what he thought were lauding words for the losing side.

Mr. Holtz, known for his effusive praise of opposing teams, lauded the spirit of the Japan side, saying Japanese football had improved greatly and that the national squad had played at the level of a mid-major Division I-A college football program.

"Getting a compliment in defeat is somewhat meaningless," said Kiyoyuki Mori, Japan's national team coach after the loss. "It's not about moral victories."

Sounds like a Notre Dame kind of guy.

The Fighting Irish Take On Japan [Wall Street Journal]
Vickers leads legends by Japan [South Bend Tribune]
EARLIER: Notre Dame Desperately Wants To Beat Someone At Football

Charlie Weis was in the YES booth last night, prompting The Sports Hernia to observe, "What is this, the Make-A-Wish Foundation for assholes?" Why so nasty, SH? But Weis was in the booth, presumably, because Notre Dame will play Army at the Bronx Bellagio on Nov. 20 2010. Weis realizes he won't be around by that time to enjoy it, so this is the closest he'll get to the royalty treatment.

****

Good morning. It's Tuesday. Start your hot rod.

Sunderland's tale is still the same old story, a fight for love and glory. Not only have the media checked in with intermittent profiles of the boy wonder in the last year, but some French author prophesied Sunderland's circumnavigation back in 1873, we're told. And almost 250 people have sailed the globe's oceans by themselves before! So come on, this isn't impressive or anything. Not at all.

I mean, the year in solitude was like a walk in the park for this so-called "figure of sailing lore." Yeah, he saw pirates and was forced to interrupt his family's Sunday night dinner via satellite phone. And sure, his father told him to "shoot to kill" with his loaded pistol. He went sleepless for 60 hours tinkering with the boat's rigging, he only ate canned food and drank desalinated water, a 30-foot wave cave engulfed his 36-foot boat.

La-dee-da. Kid had nothing to do but play Grand Theft Auto and Guitar Hero, and when he docked for a few days, he could order six scoops of ice cream, no questions asked. Booty.

Now, as time goes by, he returns to a hum-drum, landlocked life of jealousy and hate as a younger sailor figures to usurp Sunderland's title in a few months, and a 15-year-old Australian plans to steal the spotlight from both next summer. What's a young buck to do as an encore? I'm sure there are a few girls looking for a prom date. Maybe he can star in an MTV reality show. Or he can suit up for Charlie Weis. He may be a legend, but after all, he's still got four years of eligibility.

Zac Sunderland completes solo sail around the world [LA Times]
Do Hard Things [ESPN The Mag]

It should be noted that Weis now has a lower career winning percentage then both Tyrone Willingham and Bob Davie.

Reports say Weis staying at Notre Dame [Chicago Tribune]

"He has built zero relationships at the school," one source said. "It has been all about him and his ego."

Oh. Right. That whole thing. They're just realizing this now? Do these ND deep throats also know that Charlie Weis has a weight problem? Either way, it appears more and more that ND's game against USC could very well be a battle for Charlie Weis' job. That means Jimmy Clausen could very well take a knee after every snap.

Sources: Weis' Notre Dame buyout is smaller than believed [Chicago Tribune]

1. Charlie Weis and Tom Brady go down in consecutive weeks with knee injuries. Remember that horrible movie Final Destination where death stalked all those kids? I think they even did a sequel. Is anyone else starting to think that's what Spygate is like? Weis getting wrecked on the sideline was just like that kid stepping in front of the bus and getting killed as he tried to cross the street. If I was Bill Belichick, I'd have my head on a swivel next week.

2. Does anyone else have one single friend who's approaching 30 and keeps going out to the same bar you've been going out to for the past 8 years and still runs the same pick-up a girl offense, only now it's not working at all? My friend Kelly is a Michigan grad and spent Saturday watching Michigan attempt to run the spread offense. He's argued with me that it was time for a change of offensive philosophies. Then, he pointed to our friend, standing alone and woefully adrift in front of a live band, and said, "See, the old offense just isn't working anymore." This would have been more effective if Michigan had looked the least bit competent, but, even still, the analogy is almost perfect. At least none of my friends are the only guy at the bar with a gray goatee. It's been my experience that gray goatee is always there. If you haven't noticed this then you might be the guy at the bar with the gray goatee. Condolences.

3. Post-game interview where Jimmy Clausen stares down the camera directly and made your blood run cold. I'm trying to figure out why this is making me so uncomfortable and then it hits me: Jimmy Clausen is Draco Malfoy. If you have no idea who Draco Malfoy is, email me and you can have my balls. You deserve them.

4. Friday night, while you were out drinking and forgot about the game like I told you would happen on Thursday, USF's freshman kicker nailed a 43 yard field goal to beat Kansas. This was the game of the weekend and you forgot about it even though you spent all day Thursday trying to remind yourself not to forget. You suck. See, alcohol does kill brain cells.

5. South Carolina and Georgia. I listened to this game driving back from UAB-Tennessee on Saturday. It was impossible to find for at least an hour. Why are football game so impossible to find on the radio? Anyway, biggest question of the day, why is Spurrier shuttling in Stephen Garcia at all? I don't get this. Smelley is on his way to throwing for 300 yards and you bring in a redshirt freshman who has already been charged with 19 felonies since he arrived on campus. Including keying a professor's car? He proceeds to take two sacks. Mind-boggling.

6. Biggest upset of the week: Maryland over Cal. Cal was a 16 point favorite. Maryland lost to Middle Tennessee state last weekend. Yet, get a 12:00 kickoff rolling, get Cal's players out of bed at roughly 4 in their morning their time, and things can fall apart in a hurry. Why don't Pac-10 teams insist on later kickoffs when they travel all the way across the country? This is the only thing I'd be concerned about the contract. Write it in there and then sign. Or set the return game for 1 in the morning east coast time. But even that isn't really effective because college kids would prefer this anyway. So, basically, if you're from the west coast you have to refuse to play in this game.

7. Speaking of MTSU, you probably haven't seen how Kentucky's game against MTSU ended because it was on something called the Big Blue Network and Tim Couch was taking a break from having sex fourteen times on Saturday to call the game. In fact, when you watch the footage below you'll note that the Big Blue Network managed to miss the actual tipped-ball catch. Setting the scene, less than thirty seconds remain and UK is leading 20-14. They've lined up to attempt a field goal that will ice the game. Enjoy.

Kentucky fans still haven't recovered from this. Almost LSU redux. I still have no idea how the Kentucky db reacted so quickly to make this tackle inside the one. Thankfully the camera man wasn't responsible for deep coverage.

8. One note on the UT-UAB game, for the first time in my life the UT crowd booed players. Up until five years ago you didn't hear booing of any sort at the game. No matter what the result was. And there were some bad results. Both Jonathan Cromption and tight end Luke Stocker (whose hands appeared to be made of granite and lack finger extensions were loudly booed during the third quarter). I don't get this at all. Anytime you boo college athletes, I think it's incredibly stupid. But the booing of college athletes in the second game of the season during a game they're winning? That's Florida Gator fan-level cluelessness there. Is it spreading?

9. The Mississippi State-Auburn game finished with a 3-2 score. That's only happened six times in college football hstory and only once in the past 50 years. It was televised on ESPN-2 and redefined the term "slugfest." If you've ever wondered what football in 1932 looked like, you should have watched this game. But here's the deal, Sly Croom made the dumbest decision of the week. Why in the world did he choose to go for a 4th and 15 late? When his offense hadn't even converted a single third down of any distance all game? Especially when he had the opportunity to try and pin Auburn deep and allow his defense to go for either another safety or at least force Auburn to punt from their end zone? This decision was baffling to me. It's fairly rare you see a coach make a decision this dumb. Ever.

10. UCLA gave up 59 points to BYU. Two weeks ago my team lost to UCLA. This week we play Florida. I can't explain how unsettling this is. I know the transitive property doesn't work in sports, but, still, uh oh. By the way, if you're doubting whether or not USC is going to run the table in the Pac-10 this year, Arizona, Arizona State, Washington State, Washington, Stanford, Cal and UCLA all lost non-conference games this weekend. And Oregon needed overtime to beat the 6th or 7th best Big Ten school, Purdue.

11. Vandy is now 3-0. They beat Rice behind the fleet feet of their white running back, Jared Hawkins. The white running back is the story of this year's college football season. Michigan has one, UCLA started one, and I'm sure there are others. Of course two of these three teams looked inept on offense, but I'm sure that's just a coincidence. Yep, 2008 is the year of the white running back. But, lest we all forget, injury to fat men on your football team, are just a play away. And if this happens, college kids will reenact the injury.

One of Weis' own players was pushed into him on a punt and contorts Charlie's leg/knee in a way it simply should not go.

Fat guys will do anything to be just like Tommy Brady.

The Notre Dame haters out there can't be happy to see the Irish come away with a win over their rivals Michigan but to see Weis hobble back out to the field in a knee brace and crutches it pretty much the apex of schadenfreude.

Like his friend Brady, Weis' knee gets torn up [Chicago Tribune]

And Charlie Weis knows all about professionalism. Professionalism is calling Michigan players thugs, refusing to answer questions from the media, blaming your predecessor for your own personal failings, and reacting to any question that doesn't deify you as a personal insult. Man, aren't we all just incredibly lucky that the man holding down civility in America today is Charlie Weis? Seriously, though, not accepting apologies? What is this, the third grade?

Exclusive? Weis Accepted Apology Letter From Trey Wingo, Refused to Accept One From Dana Jacobson [The Big Lead]

I could get hoodlums and thugs and win tomorrow. I won't do it that way.

Of course, the quote could be a nothing, harmless quote, made by Weis to an audience full of Central Pennsylvania Notre Dame alumni sitting in a banquet hall, eating lukewarm food out of chafing dishes, in an attempt to fire up a crowd even though his program is, under his tenure, a losing one. But it also could be interpreted as one that was very marginalizing, or that other big time athletic programs are filling their teams with "hoodlums and thugs," which is why it was brought up last night on BDSS last night, PTI , andfew other places around the web.

John Heisler, Senior Associate Athletic Director, said when I called him today he was aware of the quote but said that the university wasn't planning on commenting on the remarks at this time. He went onto say that "[Weis] was just trying to make a a point about student athletics at our institution — that we only recruit quality individuals and we just don't accept anybody here. That's no big secret." Heisler did add that he understands how some people could be offended by the comment, but seemed confident that the university wouldn't have to publicly apologize for the remark.

One of the event's attendees, and a director at the GNDAC, is Rick Staub, HVAC supervisor at Shipley Energy, "Central Pennsylvania's leading total energy supplier," who said that people who think that Coach Weis' comments were insensitive or racist were probably "Notre Dame haters."

"You know, we're like the Yankees to some people, " he said. Staub then asked if he was going to be quoted for the story and I said, yes, I did identify myself as a reporter and you are talking to me.

"I don't want my quotes to be in print whatsoever. None, no way..." (Hey, journalist folk: Don't you just hate it when people do that?) Staub then suggested I speak with the club president, Brendan Cushing-Daniels for a response.

Cushing-Daniels said Weis' quote was "absolutely not" racist or meant to be offensive in any way. He went on to say that he was "white Irish Catholic" and that there back in the old days of New York City, people like him were considered hoodlums and thugs. (Somebody's seen "Gangs of New York"... )

Daniels, who speaks with a slight country twang and a 1987 graduate of Notre Dame and a professor of economics at Gettysburg College, was genuinely annoyed at the question. "I find it remarkable and disturbing that people are saying that comment is in anyway racist." He also said that if "your website" makes any implication that the quote was in anyway racist that Deadspin could expect a libel suit.

"Look at the racial make-up of the football team!" he barked.

That's fine. There are a lot of black people on Notre Dame. But how many black people were in the crowd at your event?

"None, but I think that's more a symptom of the geographic makeup of this part of Pennsylvania. The Notre Dame alums who live in this area are white."

Maybe it wasn't a racist comment, and Weis' was using "hoodlums and thugs" to make a point that Bill "The Butcher" Cutting wasn't going to get into Notre Dame even if he did lead his inner city high school in touchdowns the last two years. And context and setting is key for this quote — why should Weis apologize for a comment he made in an informal setting from the safety of a dais that may have offended some people?

Charlie Weis addresses Notre Dame club in Gettysburg [The Evening Sun]

Some folks are doing the math on the first 33 games of each coach's Irish tenure, and it's doesn't look good for Mr. Weis.

They each logged 20-13 records and were both 0-3 against USC. Then it gets really interesting. Record vs. Michigan: Willingham (2-1) and Weis (1-2). Point Differential vs. Michigan: Willingham (-28) and Weis (-57). Record vs. ranked opponents: Willingham (7-8) and Weis (4-8).

This ignores, of course, the obvious recruiting issue: Part of the reason Willingham was fired was because he recruited players like the ones who are stinking it up in South Bend right now. But then again, Willingham never made an idiot of himself at some dumb gastric bypass lawsuit trial either.

Crewcut Charlie: Take A Little Off The Top [The Wizard Of Odds]