See ya, Chuck

There were many different emotions I was expecting to feel when the ax finally dropped on Charlie Weis.

Sadness wasn't one of them.

I'm not sad because I thought Weis should've been retained, or that he didn't get a fair shot to return Notre Dame football to prominence. I'm sad because I remember how hopeful I was during the 2005 season - a season that included an unexpected rise to national prominence.

I remember how the Irish steamrolled their way through Pittsburgh in the opener and out-toughed Michigan in Ann Arbor (a true rarity). I remember when ESPN's Ron Franklin told Holly Rowe, "It's 49-21 sweetheart" (at 2:31) during the blowout of Purdue, the near 45 seconds that I thought Notre Dame had upset then-#1 USC when the clock read 0:00, and the BCS-bowl clinching come-from-behind victory at Stanford in the regular season finale. I also recall the excitement of the summer of 2006 from the cover of Sports Illustrated to Tom Zbikowski's TKO at the Garden.

Unfortunately, it's been all downhill form there.

It sounds silly to equate it to the end of a relationship, but I can't think of an analogy that is more applicable. Even though firing Weis was the right thing to do, and Notre Dame fans should be hopeful for the future, it's tough to see something (and somebody) that you wanted to succeed ultimately fail.

If there is only one thing that Charlie Weis accomplished during his tenure, it's that he proved that blue-chip talent can still be attracted to dreary South Bend. The academic standards and cold weather excuses that were heard during the last days of the Tyrone Willingham era are dead and buried. The talent has and will continue to come to Notre Dame. The main responsibility of the next head coach is to develop that talent - something that unfortunately Weis never did.

So farewell, Charlie. Hopefully that "decided schematic advantage" aids you in your future endeavors.