Three Coaches and their Future

It's time to take a break from all the Plaxico Burress talk. To sum it up, the guy just doesn't get it, and the Giants sent a clear message to him by suspending him yesterday. Go home. Stay home. Don't come back.

So, I am moving on from Plax. I would like to focus on college football, and the coaching carousel that always starts this time of year.

In South Bend, reports say that Notre Dame will announce that they will retain head coach Charlie Weis. So much for the 'Fire Charlie' campaigns.

In Cincinnati, Brian Kelly led the Bearcats to a 10-2 record, a Big East title, and a BCS berth. And now Kelly says he has no interest in leaving for the BBD (Bigger, Better Deal).

At Penn State, Joe Paterno was back at his office working less than a week after having hip replacement surgery. If there ever was a guy to admire in the college football world, it's Joe Pa.

Paterno never looked for another job in college. Sure, NFL teams called him, but he always said no. He's the kind of person that, as a kid, you grew up wanting to be.

But, I can't help but feel sad for Paterno these days. He is 81 years old, trying to survive in a young man's game. I was at the Wisconsin-Penn State game a couple of months ago, and saw him going to his suite in the press box. It was sad.

Maybe Paterno really will recover and be 100% in time for next season. I'm sure we all would like to see that. But if it were me, I'd consider stepping back and retiring.

Not that he can't coach anymore. He obviously can. The question I have is whether or not it's worth it for him anymore, considering the physical problems he has gone through this season.

Paterno says he stays on because he is afraid that what happened to Bear Bryant (the legendary former Alabama coach who passed shortly after retiring in the early 1980's). It's actually sad to hear a man of his stature say that. Coach, you have a wife, kids, grandkids. There is more to life than football. This is the time in your life to enjoy your family. Besides, what else do you have to accomplish? You've done it all, and have nothing to prove to anyone.

I just hope, for Paterno's sake, that the 2009 season will find him more on the sidelines (if he can) than in the press box. Because if he's going to coach, it should not be from high atop a stadium looking down on the game. That's not coaching. That's spectating.

Then there's Kelly in Cincinnati. Does anyone really believe him? Not me. Sure he's saying the right things now. But, what happens when some school with more tradition, a better recruiting base, and a lot more money than Cincinnati has comes along and offers Kelly the world, moon and stars? I'll tell you what will happen. He will leave quicker than you can finish reading this blog.

Kelly's saying what he's saying because there just won't be that kind of job coming along this offseason, unless something really unforseen happens. Tennessee filled their vacancy with Lane Kiffin. The big jobs that are open are.. wait for it.. Syracuse.. Washington.. and Mississippi State.

Kelly doesn't want any of those jobs. Syracuse football is a total rebuild, and besides, he's in the catbird's seat in the same conference already. Washington is a Pac 10 school, but is in the same position as Syracuse is. Bottom of the barrel.

Then there's Mississippi State. Sure, Sylvester Croom got this bottom tier SEC school into a bowl game a year ago, but as we saw this year you cannot win there on a consistent basis. Kids don't necessarily want to go to Starkville when they can go to Gainesville, Tuscaloosa, and Baton Rouge.

So of course Kelly is going to say he has no interest in leaving Cincinnati. I wonder what he would say if Notre Dame came calling.

That looks like it won't happen until next year, at the earliest. The Irish are set to announce that Charlie Weis is going to return for 2009. They are also likely to say something to the effect of "the results have to be better."

Notre Dame would look bad if they fired Weis now. Last year was the first year that his highly ranked recruits took the field, and it was predictable that the youngsters struggled in their first year.

It was also predictable that those kids would improve from last year to this year. And they did, winning four more games this year than they did last year. Sure, losing to Syracuse is embarrassing, but that will happen with a young team.

Weis does have another highly thought of recruiting class coming in next year. If he gets fired now, those kids could very well decide to go somewhere else. If that happens, then ND could be looking at another long season.

Of course, Weis could struggle for a third straight year. The Irish could let him go, and then approach Brian Kelly, who at that point WILL have interest in leaving Cincinnati.

Now, back to the moaning and groaning about Plaxico Burress.