This story just won't die...

[The Jester]

so allow me to help spread it instead.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/notredame/cs-080424-demetrius-jones-charlie-weis-notre-dame,1,1807009.story

This is the first time I've heard Weis defend his position, and it actually seems to make a lot of sense. I'm also sort of glad Weis told his side of the story. While taking the "high road" is considered noble, allowing one side to repeatedly bash you is just foolish.

[Specnatz]

Sounds like Jones has a lot of growing to do before he becomes a man. he is still a little boy that lies even when caught red handed with the cookie crums still on his lip.

Notre Dame does not need players like that, they need straight up and honest people. We all make mistakes and it is no big deal but to lie about it is wrong. Oh and about deceiding to transfer during a game and telling no one is bush league at best. Normally I would say good luck and play good except against Notre Dame and UofH, but not this time. I hope you fall flat on your ass because it is what you deserve.

[IrishGrizz]

Not a very flattering look into DJs character. I would have expected more from him. When he not only decides to transfer during the 1st game (not taking responsibility for either his poor performance in the 1st half w 2 fumbles) because he thought there were hidden agendas, and doesn't comment on the fact that he aready was to be suspended for the next game anyway, sheesh.

ND should have known that is what he was going to do because he was "dragging" through practice all week - does he not know what team means? Looks like he left his team hanging 4 ways;
1) Missed team meeting, jepardizing the 1st game and leading to his subsequent impending suspension.
2) Didn't tell team Drs about anything other than tendonitis in his elbow
3) Decides during 1st game that he is going to leave
4) Dogs it thru the week of practice prior to just not showing up for the bus to the game.

Name will never come from me again.

[Flyin_Irish]

First of all, I'll just say it right out...I never liked Jones. I didn't think he fit Weis' system and from what I saw and heard of his performance, I thought he just flat out was not a good quarterback. And then throw in his arrogance, which is even more apparent now with the news that he put himself above the team before the first freakin' game of the season.

A bit off the main point, but I found this interesting:

"The problem they had was, we practiced with this offense being the entire offense," Weis said.
So we were right to assume that the team had not practiced a pro-style offense much, if at all, leading up to the GT game. Thus, I'd say it is pretty accurate to lay almost all the blame for last season's ridiculously poor offense on Weis' shoulders. But I'm sure he knows that and hopefully it's remedied.

And as for Jones missing that mandatory meeting...there shouldn't not have been any consultation with the captains and leadership committee. That is a case where the head coach needs to lay down the law, stick to his guns, and really show just who is in charge. DJ should never have seen the field. I'm a firm believer that I don't care if you're Joe freakin' Montana, if you don't follow the rules, you do not play.

[daytonirish]

Joe freakin' Montana would never have done this to his teammates. Seriously I agree with everyones assement of the story. So as Irishgrizz said, lets just never speak his name here agian. We will leave that to all our Cincy brothers who post here to deal withit. See they will get to read about him in the Cincy papers. Lucky guys you are. :bigsmile:

[Specnatz]

First of all, I'll just say it right out...I never liked Jones. I didn't think he fit Weis' system and from what I saw and heard of his performance, I thought he just flat out was not a good quarterback. And then throw in his arrogance, which is even more apparent now with the news that he put himself above the team before the first freakin' game of the season.

A bit off the main point, but I found this interesting:

So we were right to assume that the team had not practiced a pro-style offense much, if at all, leading up to the GT game. Thus, I'd say it is pretty accurate to lay almost all the blame for last season's ridiculously poor offense on Weis' shoulders. But I'm sure he knows that and hopefully it's remedied.

And as for Jones missing that mandatory meeting...there shouldn't not have been any consultation with the captains and leadership committee. That is a case where the head coach needs to lay down the law, stick to his guns, and really show just who is in charge. DJ should never have seen the field. I'm a firm believer that I don't care if you're Joe freakin' Montana, if you don't follow the rules, you do not play.


That would have most assuredly cost the team the first game, Weis was trying not to screw all of the players because of one being an ASSHOLE. Hence why he chose to discuss the matter with the captains, that shows class on Charlies part he put the team before the one individual he chose to not do so.

[notredomer23]

That would have most assuredly cost the team the first game, Weis was trying not to screw all of the players because of one being an ASSHOLE. Hence why he chose to discuss the matter with the captains, that shows class on Charlies part he put the team before the one individual he chose to not do so.

dude either way whoever was QB it wouldnt have mattered. We got MURDERED :dead:

[Flyin_Irish]

That would have most assuredly cost the team the first game...

No team should rely on a sophomore/never-seen-the-field QB so much that they'd have to scrap their entire gameplan if he sits. That falls on the coach to be prepared.

I stand by what I said about sitting him. Were it me, and I knew the game would be a waste without my starting QB, I'd sit him anyway. A head coach can't make idle threats. If you say "miss this meeting and you don't play," then you have to stick to that.

And no, dayton, Joe Montana would not have missed a mandatory meeting, but I hope that was not the point you took.

[daytonirish]

No that is not what I took from what you said. I even agree that Charlie should have made him sit.

[drewsko]

Whats the name of that Justin Timberlake song again?..................oh yeah...... Cry Me a River.

[IrishGrizz]

That was deep- Justin Timberlake. Wow.

For my clarification- who were the tears for? ND or the transfer to Cincinnati?

[NDisNCin2010]

how would you ever miss a meeting, that you knew would cost you, at that point in time, your lifelong dream of being the starting QB at ND.
unbelievable.
wonder what he was doing that he missed the mandatory meeting that was more important????

[rontdtarchala]

eventually everything is brought out into the light huh

[stonebreakerwasgod]

I think Jones shoulda gone to Air Force or Navy. He could have started, and they would have made a man out of him. He won't even start for Cincy this year, aside from injury to Grutza.

[The Jester]

No team should rely on a sophomore/never-seen-the-field QB so much that they'd have to scrap their entire gameplan if he sits. That falls on the coach to be prepared.

I stand by what I said about sitting him. Were it me, and I knew the game would be a waste without my starting QB, I'd sit him anyway. A head coach can't make idle threats. If you say "miss this meeting and you don't play," then you have to stick to that.

I understand how you feel, but I have to disagree with you here. With inexperienced receivers, inexperienced running backs (except for a certain linebacker), an offensive line that couldn't pass block at all, and virtually no experience at the quarterback position, I think relying on Jones' athleticism gave us our best chance to win (maybe our only chance). Also, when your alternatives are an injured freshman, and a guy who holds the ball too long (though he does have a lot of talent), Jones was easily our best shot at beating Georgia Tech.

I understand that a coach needs to hold players accountable for their actions, but sitting Jones for the Georgia Tech game would have punished all the guys who did things the right way as well. All of our chips were in with Jones, and sitting him before the game even started would have basically been conceading defeat. Now, we can argue about whether or not it was right for Weis to bank so much on Jones, but can we at least agree that holding him out of that first game would have been detrimental to the team?

[Sir John]

Jester I have to disagree IMHO. I felt JONES WAS A BAD PICK EARLY ON. tHIS MOUTH HE HAD AND HIS BEING "general" AND ONLY THAT POSITION, told me early on he would never fit into the ND community. Chicago lips like louisville lips are a dime a dozen nowadays. Just turn on ESPN or Fox.:alcoholic:

[NDgrandson]

I am on the Jester side of the coin. If DJ wins that game vs GT, his lips are just the confidence of a leader. CW messed up by not having a better offense as plan B to the spread and plan A was pretty bad as it was. Good luck DJ, you missed a great chance at ND. Although, no matter what, Clausen would be starting this year.

[Easton Pa ND Fan]

You are right. In fairness to the hard work the team put
in, the only chance at a win was Jones. Using the captains
for recommendations did two things:

1. Weis kept his reputation and coaching authority intact by
letting the team make the exception instead.

2. The team thought it was a good call because they made it.
He would still receive the punishment...Tom

[The Jester]

You are right. In fairness to the hard work the team put
in, the only chance at a win was Jones. Using the captains
for recommendations did two things:

1. Weis kept his reputation and coaching authority intact by
letting the team make the exception instead.

2. The team thought it was a good call because they made it.
He would still receive the punishment...Tom

we are definitely in agreement here. I would have liked for Coach Weis to have had an alternative to the spread for that game, but with our personnel I don't know what that plan could have been. I think Weis handled the situation in an exemplary manner given the circumstances.


Jester I have to disagree IMHO. I felt JONES WAS A BAD PICK EARLY ON. tHIS MOUTH HE HAD AND HIS BEING "general" AND ONLY THAT POSITION, told me early on he would never fit into the ND community. Chicago lips like louisville lips are a dime a dozen nowadays. Just turn on ESPN or Fox.

I agree about Jones' attitude, Sir John, but from a schematic standpoint he was our best chance to win that game.


If DJ wins that game vs GT, his lips are just the confidence of a leader.

Truer words have never been spoken.

[irish_bobcat]

No wonder last year was so bad.

[JDubbs]

The Plight of Demetrius Jones....from the only perspective I care about......

This just goes to show us that Charlie was and is still determining the type of Head coach that he is going to be. It is difficult enough to transition from pro ball to college ball but to also be making the adjustment from assistant to head coach.

Jones should never have been recruited to be an ND QB. He never possessed the skill set that Weis offense needs. Look at the true fits Clausen and Crist. Jones is an incredibly different kind of player (I won't even say QB). Recruiting Jones screams of a decision made by a coach still determining what he is going to do in the college game.

All this being said....I think Weis has learned much from his 3-9 experience. Listening to the player's interviews, it seems that many have taken his attitude and adopted it as their own. To a man, they all discussed 3-9 as an opportunity for motivating them to get better.

We will see come September if the "Wake Up Call" that left me cowering in the corner in the fetal position had the impact I think it will.

[MirageSmack]

I think CW was okay to get input from the captains. I did that as a manager, lay out the facts and let other people make the same decision as you would have. It makes them part of the process and take ownership as well.

DJ, who I supported, just flat turned out to be a quitter. I don't care if CW told him to take a knee every play, you don't quit on your team all week in practice, then tell the whole world you did to boot. Unfortunately, that habit will follow him in whatever he does when his football career is over in a few years.

[sonomairishfan]

this story saddens me. i wish both the kid and ND would stop talking about it to the media.

what really saddens me is that the kid was allowed to wear #3 on the day of the GT game. and to hear that while wearing that number, he decided he was leaving. i think that CW has to be a bit more careful when handing that jersey to somebody.

[Flyin_Irish]

Then, Jester, shouldn't CW have said, "if you miss the meeting I'm going to consult the captains and leadership committee to determine if you can play or not." He should not have said, "if you miss the meeting, you are not playing." Nothing shows a lack of leadership like not following through with your word. That is the single most important think a coach, especially at the college or HS level, needs to do...keep your word and maintain discipline.
How would you feel if you're Evan Sharpley? You showed up to the meeting, you're confident you can lead this team, you've waited your turn, and now this kid who obviously doesn't care about the team is starting regardless of what coach said about the meeting.

[The Jester]

Then, Jester, shouldn't CW have said, "if you miss the meeting I'm going to consult the captains and leadership committee to determine if you can play or not." He should not have said, "if you miss the meeting, you are not playing." Nothing shows a lack of leadership like not following through with your word. That is the single most important think a coach, especially at the college or HS level, needs to do...keep your word and maintain discipline.
How would you feel if you're Evan Sharpley? You showed up to the meeting, you're confident you can lead this team, you've waited your turn, and now this kid who obviously doesn't care about the team is starting regardless of what coach said about the meeting.

Jones did get punished, though. He had to sit out for the Penn State game. Just because the penalty was delayed doesn't mean it was meaningless.

If Weis had simply made this call on his own, then I would probably agree with you that he showed a lack of leadership. However, the fact that he consulted the captains showed that Weis wanted to do what was best for the team. Besides, the captains should be allowed to take ownership of their team in some way and this was an ideal situation to do so.

Sitting Jones would have equaled wasting most, if not all, of fall camp and all but conceading the first game to Georgia Tech. Such a decision should not be made by one person, especially one who wouldn't be on the field pushing himself to his physical limits. With the effect sitting Jones would have had on the team at that time, it would have been a mistake for Weis to have made a decision on his own either way.

If I were Evan Sharpley, I wouldn't have worried so much about Jones starting against Georgia Tech. I would have been too busy working my ass off trying to earn the starting spot for the Penn State game. Also, I wouldn't want to be handed the starting job just because I went to a meeting and some other guy didn't. But that's just me.

[rontdtarchala]

all points are good kind of a catch 22. I think he wanted his captains to be just that...captains. But it actually didn't work as we saw there was very little team leadership last season...just that changing will go far in creating a better atmosphere in fall camp and thru the season...jmo