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Charlie Weis will reportedly return to Notre Dame next year.
AP
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The Los Angeles Times' Chris Dufresne always has great college football takes. Here's what he had to say about today's big issues:
-- Dufresne said Notre Dame "couldn't do anything that would make it look good in this situation." According to Dufresne, Weis' best game was the loss to USC last season. What does that say about him. If he stays, Notre Dame looks like it's bending over backward to save a guy who is 28-21. That looks bad because the school didn't give Tyrone Willingham five years.
-- Dufresne says Notre Dame needs nine wins next season. That's the Irish's motto now -- "nine in '09."
-- Dufresne said Weis showed promise as a game manager in that loss to USC last year, but he's gotten much worse at that this season.
-- Dan is hearing Tommy Tubberville's assistants are being let go. Dufresne isn't surprised because he says the SEC is crazy. Expectations are ridiculously big in that conference.
-- Dan asked Dufresne if Lane Kiffin is an upgrade at Tennessee. Dufresne said no, he's just a different guy. Sometimes programs just want a new voice.
-- Dufresne said some smart coaches avoid the SEC because of the competition. For example, Butch Davis has a better shot at winning a national title at North Carolina because it's in the ACC.
-- Dufresne said some schools are wary of Texas Tech coach Mike Leach because he's so unconventional. But the University of Washington rumors make sense. Dufresne said Washington has a huge upside because it has a solid booster system behind hit.
-- USC's Pete Carroll's decision to wear home colors against UCLA could be perceived as a microcosm of the rivalry. USC can impose its will on UCLA, even in the Bruins' home stadium.
-- Dufresne says we're not closer to a playoff system, no matter what Barack Obama says. The only thing that can change is ESPN's influence. |
The Chicag Sun-Times' Rick Telander doesn't think Notre Dame is in good shape with Charlie Weis.
"This is a bad team," Telander said.
Telander said this comes down to the boosters, who made a ridiculous decision to give him a big contract in the first place.
"Notre Dame just has to figure itself out," Telander said. He says Notre Dame doesn't know what it wants to be.
Telander said that unlike what you read from some young writers, Notre Dame's tradition is to hang out to coaches and let coaches stay through their contract. Telander says George O'Leary mess screwed up the program in a big way.
Telander thinks the school isn't sure what kind of program it wants. Notre Dame has very high academic standards. But it still can recruit nationally because of the connection to Catholic high schools.
Every Monday through Friday we scour the Web for the best radio interviews in the nation so you don't have to.
Heidi Klum hard to impress
Is there anything more awkward than when a normal guy tries out a line on a supermodel and it just doesn't work? You be the judge after Heidi Klum stopped by Carton and Boomer on WFAN in New York. Klum's husband Seal has very little to worry about.
Theismann: Weis deserves another year
Former Notre Dame quarterback Joe Theismann tells Mully and Hanley at Chicago's The Score that he agrees with the school’s decision to keep Charlie Weis for another season. Theismann, however, thinks 2009 will be a test season. If the Irish doesn't get its act together Weis might be in trouble.
What do you think about USC coach Pete Carroll's decision to wear the red jerseys against UCLA?
The great Dolphins coach Don Shula joined the show to talk about the state of the NFL. Here are some highlights from his interview with Dan:
-- Shula coached Dan Marino as a rookie, so he knows good young quarterbacks. He is impressed with the Falcons' Matt Ryan and Ravens' Joe Flacco for picking up their systems so quickly. He also pointed out that the teams are smart by surrounding them with good running games.
-- Shula had funny things to say about Marino. He said Marino was very confident and thought he could squeeze a ball into any situation. Shula said that Marino would glare at him if they called a running play and it didn't work. Shula said Johnny Unitas was the same exact way. Bob Griese was "more of a field general."
-- Shula said you don't want to slow down a great QB too much. He had to let Marino and Unitas do their things. For example, Brett Favre is brilliant, you can't reign him in too much.
-- Shula said that he never had a player who was so much trouble, he had to cut him. Shula said he could handle them.
-- "The media wants to get into your huddle," Shula said of the proliferation of stories about on- and off-field activities. He understands, because a lot of this intrigue is interesting to the fan.
-- Dan asked Shula if the NFL would see an undefeated and a winless team. Shula seems to think so, because the NFL almost had both last season with the Patriots and Dolphins.
The Los Angeles Times' Chris Dufresne always has great college football takes. Here's what he had to say about today's big issues:
-- Dufresne said Notre Dame "couldn't do anything that would make it look good in this situation." According to Dufresne, Weis' best game was the loss to USC last season. What does that say about him. If he stays, Notre Dame looks like it's bending over backward to save a guy who is 28-21. That looks bad because the school didn't give Tyrone Willingham five years.
-- Dufresne says Notre Dame needs nine wins next season. That's the Irish's motto now -- "nine in '09."
-- Dufresne said Weis showed promise as a game manager in that loss to USC last year, but he's gotten much worse at that this season.
-- Dan is hearing Tommy Tubberville's assistants are being let go. Dufresne isn't surprised because he says the SEC is crazy. Expectations are ridiculously big in that conference.
-- Dan asked Dufresne if Lane Kiffin is an upgrade at Tennessee. Dufresne said no, he's just a different guy. Sometimes programs just want a new voice.
-- Dufresne said some smart coaches avoid the SEC because of the competition. For example, Butch Davis has a better shot at winning a national title at North Carolina because it's in the ACC.
-- Dufresne said some schools are wary of Texas Tech coach Mike Leach because he's so unconventional. But the University of Washington rumors make sense. Dufresne said Washington has a huge upside because it has a solid booster system behind hit.
-- USC's Pete Carroll's decision to wear home colors against UCLA could be perceived as a microcosm of the rivalry. USC can impose its will on UCLA, even in the Bruins' home stadium.
-- Dufresne says we're not closer to a playoff system, no matter what Barack Obama says. The only thing that can change is ESPN's influence.
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The New York Daily News' Ralph Vacchiano knows as much about the New York Giants as anyone. He has the latest on the Giants and Plaxico Burress:
-- Vacchiano says Burress might have been able to play in the playoffs, but the Giants have just had enough. They put him on the non-football injury list and don't have to pay him as much.
-- The Giants were already upset about Burress before all this happened. And they realized they were playing very well without him. Vacchiano said Burress was "very irresponsible and didn't recognize authority."
-- New York had huge expectations when it signed Burress to a new contract in the offseason. Burress was outstanding last year, basically on one leg.
-- Vacchiano and Dan agree that the Giants were enablers in this situation. For two years, Burress didn't show up to meetings and accumulated numerous fines. After that, they re-signed him. The team shouldn't bee to surprised.
-- The big difference with Burress this year has been how public his problems have been. The Giants are upset that everyone knows about his discipline problems. When Burress missed practice earlier in the season, everyone knew about it.
Good morning everyone. Wow, lots of big issues to tackle today. Reports claim Notre Dame is sticking with Charlie Weis for another year. The NFL suspended six players and the Giants suspended Plaxico Burress. And the Lakers fell to the Pacers.
Here's a rundown of the guest who help us break down those stories and more:
Don Shula: The former Dolphins coach will offer his opinions on the big stories in the NFL. How different is today's league in terms of discipline. Shula should also share his thoughts on the Dolphins' resurgence this season.
Rick Telander: The Chicago Sun-Times columnist always has interesting takes. I can't wait to hear what he thinks of the Notre Dame coaching situation.
Chris Dufresne: The Los Angeles Times college football writer will weigh in on the home jersey controversy in the UCLA-USC matchup. Also, Dufresne will likely share his thoughts on Notre Dame and the BCS.
Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Michael Phelps joined Dan in the studio. Here are some of the highlights from the interview:
-- Phelps said he's going to continue competitive racing and will probably try to compete in four to six events in the 2012 Olympics.
-- Phelps said he wants to get back into the pool full time at the end of this month.
-- Phelps said all the newspaper reports about his dating life aren't true. He says those stories are "hysterical." Things are either blown out of proportion or totally false.
-- Phelps said he's put on seven pounds since the Olympics. Those pounds don't show.
-- Phelps said he doesn't talk trash. "I let my swimming do the talking," Phelps said. Phelps said guys say things that are directed at him, but they don't bother him. He just focuses on the water.
-- Phelps talked some nice trash about the Ravens going to the Super Bowl, but he wouldn't give up a gold for a Super Bowl win this year.
-- Phelps said it takes an hour to an hour and a half to shave to get ready for a race. But he's never been invited to a shaving party, like Dara Torres mentioned to Dan.
-- Dan asked Phelps about retirement. Phelps said he could retire whenever he wanted, but he just doesn't want to. He wants to keep on racing. The money doesn't seem to have put out Phelps' competitive fire.