We have all heard it many times before that Charlie Weis is the genius that made Tom Brady the great quarterback that he is, or that he turned Brady Quinn from an average quarterback to an elite one. But with Weis’ track record at Notre Dame, it seems that he may have been in the right places at the right time and may not be the offensive guru he is often portrayed as in the sporting world.

On Saturday, the Irish were dominated by Georgia Tech 33-3 in their home-opener. Weis' Irish were dominated in every facet of the game. Even though the Irish were not expected to do much this year after losing a lot of players and contending with a very difficult schedule, they went from playing in the Sugar Bowl last year to playing like a lower-end team their first week out in 2007.

Weis has often been named a mastermind when it comes to orchestrating offenses, but the Irish failed to even reach the end zone on Saturday. Being a pass-happy coach, it was quite shocking to see the Irish run 19 times on the first 20 plays of the game. When the offensive line was getting dominated, and the game started to get out of control, he reverted back to his normal game plan: throwing the ball. By then, when Evan Sharpley and Jimmy Clausen got into the game, they just became target practice for the Georgia Tech defense, which racked up nine sacks in the game. In the end, the Irish tallied just 130 yards on offense and minus-9 yards rushing. The three points by the Irish was the lowest total since Weis took over.

The huge story in South Bend all last week was that Weis refused to name his starting quarterback to the media. It seems apparent that Weis did not name a starting quarterback because he was unsure of which one could actually play. This was evident Saturday when he played all three quarterbacks. This was quite shocking considering the fact that this "genius" should be able to determine what these guys can do. Instead he sent a message to the world that he isn't confident in any of these players.

The head coach of the team should be the team's biggest fan. The coach is the man who stands next to his players even when they struggle. Instead, Weis refuses to publicly name his guy for good or bad. New players need confidence and the support of his coach would be a great start for one of those young men. Instead these three quarterbacks will continue to look over their shoulders and not know their role on the team.

Weis came to Notre Dame with a lot of promise; he would implement a pro-style offense and was supposed to make the Irish "nasty" again. He came to South Bend after achieving success in the Super Bowl. He was the offensive coordinator for the Patriots, and they won three Super Bowls while he was there. He is also often given credit for helping to mold Tom Brady into the quarterback that he is today.
In 2005, the Irish surpassed everyone's expectations when they reached the Fiesta Bowl. His new quarterback, Brady Quinn, became another "success" story for Weis and his offensive mystique continued to grow.
Once 2006 hit, everyone seemed to be drinking the Irish kool-aid and the Irish were expected to be in the national title hunt. Everyone assumed that Quinn would win the Heisman trophy and the Irish offense would be terrifying after another year under Weis. Yet Year 2 would also end with disappointment after two blowout losses at the hands of Michigan and USC, followed by another bowl loss to LSU.
After three years though, this team could be Weis’ worst. It has looked very average and it seems that Weis is becoming less effective as the years go by. Granted they have had two appearances in BCS bowl games but they were embarrassed in both games.

His recent track record has many wondering if Weis was really responsible for the success of players such as Quinn or Brady? It is starting to seem that Weis may have just been surrounded by players who already possessed the tools, and he was able to look great when they played well.

When Weis adopted Quinn, he had already been a two-year starter and was already starting to show signs of becoming a solid quarterback. Many quarterbacks come into their own when they hit their junior year. So it is difficult to determine how Quinn would have done without Weis helping him. It is safe to say even if Tyrone Willingham had coached during that 2005 season, Quinn would have continued to improve.

Brady was selected in the sixth round of the NFL draft. Brady quickly became the Patriots’ starter when Drew Bledsoe was injured early in the season. He would win a Super Bowl during his first season as the starter and has won two more since. Brady is one of those rare players who has achieved huge success in the NFL after being drafted so low. If we are to assume that Weis was responsible for Brady’s success, then we must assume that Brady would have had little success with any other team or maybe not have become the quarterback he is today. That seems very unlikely. 

But for every downfall there is always a chance for redemption. If Weis can get his team to put together a good season where they are competitive in the rest of their games and actually win, then the dogs will be called off. For now.