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Mon Jan 19, 2009 7:14 pm EST

How likely is Jon Gruden to coach Notre Dame in 2009?

By Matt Hinton

Jon Gruden's office in Tampa was still warm when the abruptly fired Bucs coach was floated as a candidate this weekend to take over at Notre Dame:

... one of my Bucs peeps tells me that the word around the Bucs is that Gruden could be going to Notre Dame to replace Charlie Weis. Sounds a little farfetched, but as the theory goes: The school will buy out Weis as soon as he signs his recruiting class, in two or three weeks, and hire Gruden. Heard from someone close to the Notre Dame program that there's a weird vibe around the football offices.

Gruden went to high school in South Bend, where his dad was an assistant coach for ND under Dan Devine, but an NFL lifer returning to campus so soon after Notre Dame's vote of confidence in Weis seems unlikely, to say the least -- although not necessarily impossible, if you consider the odds ...

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  1. zibby
    1. Posted by zibby Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:48 pm EDT

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    Notre Dame can't win the Big East's automatic BCS bid.
    Shouldn't a college football columnist know that?
  2. Matt H
    2. Posted by Matt H Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:48 pm EDT

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    Wow, zibby. You really whiffed on that one.
  3. glen
    3. Posted by glen Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:09 pm EDT

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    notre dame has one of the easiest schedules next year, im assuming they're waiting on early season results for next year
  4. MikeLew
    4. Posted by MikeLew Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:43 pm EDT

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    Attaboy zibby, reading comprehension must be huge at ND.....
  5. Art
    5. Posted by Art Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:58 pm EDT

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    Granted, jon is a young, enthusiastic coach but, in my humble opinion, without too impressive accolades in the professional arena, besides his only sb with tampa. as a head coach, he was able to have winning seasons with oakland and tampa but his overall success is a mere .528; certanily not better than cw .580. cw replacement has to be someone with more college experience than jg has. replacing cw with another ex-nfl coach with zero experience in the college realm will be a gross mistake as this replacement has to go through the same learning curve that cw has already walked. in spite of the ugly last two seasons. 2009 will be key for cw future; the season is not as "easy" as claimed as it includes 7 teams with bowl appareance in 2008.
  6. PN
    6. Posted by PN Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:19 pm EDT

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    Uh oh Doc. I'm not saying you're wrong to be a doubter. We definitely all know it doesn't SEEM to make any sense. But remember, this is the Irish we're talking about. They've done some wacky things the past decade or so. Also, check out Florio's item on this today at PFT. Sometimes, Florio is full of it but given the sources he has cultivated, if the internal NFL world is buzzing about this...
  7. Steven Man
    7. Posted by Steven Man Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:43 pm EDT

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    I just ate some beans !!!!! : )
  8. Steven Man
    8. Posted by Steven Man Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:43 pm EDT

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    Beans !!!!! : )
  9. J-$ Pimpson
    9. Posted by J-$ Pimpson Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:32 pm EDT

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    hook em!
    weis isn't going anywhere.
  10. rer
    10. Posted by rer Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:52 pm EDT

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    zibby swing and a miss
  11. Michael S
    11. Posted by Michael S Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:23 pm EDT

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    Isn't it a little early to be eating beans??? Unless your still going from last night.
  12. Nishan A
    12. Posted by Nishan A Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:39 pm EDT

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    notre dame does suck
  13. Brian W
    13. Posted by Brian W Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:10 pm EDT

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    can someone explain the punchline in the Big East's auto-BCS for Zibby and I please? I can't figure that one out either...
  14. jeff
    14. Posted by jeff Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:06 pm EDT

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    They would join the Big East conference which the basketball program is already a member of.
  15. SaturDay
    15. Posted by SaturDay Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:56 pm EDT

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    ND doesn't deserve him
  16. Michal S
    16. Posted by Michal S Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:23 pm EDT

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    It would be a classic college football story...Weis has a losing season gets fired and Gruden comes in and turns the program around and...wait...wasn't that just what Weis was suppose to do. Keep trying Notre Dame. Greatness in college football has passed you by. After Gruden can't deal with his hands tied because of recruiting restrictions everyone will start screaming to bring in Lou Holtz and his son Skip.
  17. Eric G
    17. Posted by Eric G Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:55 pm EDT

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    Actually there going to do a secret shull and bones ritual and import Grudens coaching mind into an avtual Chuckie doll, then the Chuckie doll is going to be surgically attatched to Weis's belly!
    QUAaaaaDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  18. ima_p0ser
    18. Posted by ima_p0ser Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:23 pm EDT

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    Brian and Zibby, ND is in the Big East for Basketball, but they refuse to join for Football, they're listed as independent. But its a bad move on their part, considering they have nothing going for them anyways. But the joke is that they'd join the Big East before they sign Gruden.
  19. ima_p0ser
    19. Posted by ima_p0ser Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:23 pm EDT

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    Eric. that was uh, quite influential.
  20. Eric G
    20. Posted by Eric G Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:55 pm EDT

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    Grudens superbowl win should come with an asterik
    Took Dungies team*
    Against his former team**
    Ok make it two asterik's the Benidict Arnold tratorous team Phony!
    That being said Come back to the Raiders !!!
    And win us a SuperBowl and all will be forgiven,..
    STFU future raiders hating posts GFY
  21. Shiznit
    21. Posted by Shiznit Thu Sep 03, 2009 11:00 pm EDT

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    forgot one,
    as likely as C Weis losing a pound. Above 500 in the NFL is good Art, especially with 2 teams.
  22. Phil M
    22. Posted by Phil M Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:48 pm EDT

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    Eric, Super Bowls don't come with asterisks...he is a very good coach.
    I just don't see this happening...too much to go through just to make it work on paper.
  23. fergadelic..
    23. Posted by fergadelic.. Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:08 pm EDT

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    Zibby,
    The columnist knows that Notre Dame is not in the Big East......Saying it is more likely for ND to join the Big E than JG coach....wow is this your first go round....
  24. Nutsy Bogart
    24. Posted by Nutsy Bogart Thu Sep 03, 2009 11:00 pm EDT

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    Gotta give propers for the "Ineligible Man Downfield" Jesus joke. I mean, we've heard a million versions, but that one's a winner.
    As for Notre Dame Football, I'm a lifelong fan and alum, class of 2000, and it all comes down to one word: FUBAR. Well, that's five words, but you get the picture. Notre Dame Football, and truly, the University itself, is supposed to be about turning good students into Notre Dame Men and Notre Dame Women. That's a goal that Mike Brey, Muffet McGraw and our fine soccer coaches understand and accomplish.
    Weis has no idea what that means, never did, and never will. I hated Bob Davie (as a coach) from the minute he was hired as DC in 1994. I never thought I would ever have to say anything like this, but, here goes: I wish we could have the fundamentals and team spirit we used to have under Coach Davie. For the first time in the history of Notre Dame Football, the outlook is hopeless. Thanks, Charlie.
  25. evasko
    25. Posted by evasko Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:23 pm EDT

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    The word from here is Gruden is a signature away from returning to the Raiders, as Davis is willing to let bygones be bygones, and wants his team to return to glory, before he kicks the bucket. Gruden wants more control, so we'll see, but Davis wants a coach in place by Super Bowl Sunday. Money is not the problem, control is.

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