The Niles Star

Editorial: Criticism of coaches warranted

A pair of college coaches that area football fans pay close attention to are on the hot seat because their programs are struggling.

Charlie Weis at Notre Dame and Rich Rodriguez at Michigan are feeling the heat as the 2009 season is quickly winding down.

Is it fair that they have to endure such criticism from the fans and the media?
Of course it is.

The fans shell out a lot of money to come watch the Fighting Irish and the Wolverines play football, so they should be able to shout their disapproval when the team is struggling the same way they gladly display their support in the good times.

The media can also show their discontent for a program as long as they are fair about it.

But who should have a say so when it comes to removing a coach?

We believe that the fans should have a voice when it comes to calling for the ouster of a college and that school should listen very carefully.

These are the people who help fund that program with their hard-earned dollars. They buy tickets, clothing, parking and concession items, all of which help support that large athletic budget.

Fans tend to have a knee-jerk reaction to winning and losing, so their voice should be listened to with a grain of salt, but still should be listened to.

Weis has had five seasons at Notre Dame and if the school should decide to buy out his contract, we would have to say that was a fair amount of time to evaluate if he is taking the program in the direction the university see fit.

Rodriguez on the other hand, is wrapping up just his second season in Ann Arbor, so it may be a little bit premature to remove him.

The rule of thumb here is usually to give a coach a minimum of three years to get his program off the ground.

So, maybe Wolverine fans should give him one more season to see if Michigan can return to top of the college football world.

Potential back-to-back losing seasons for college’s all-time winningest football program is tough to swallow. So is perhaps missing a bowl game for the second straight year.

We know it’s hard for college football fans to show patience when they are used to winning on a regular basis and competing for conference and national championships.

But in the end, college football is supposed to be about learning how to deal with success and failure. It’s supposed to be a learning experience for these players.

And most importantly, it’s supposed to be about getting an education.

So let the players play, the coaches coach and administration decide what is best for each program.

Of course, you can always voice your opinion too.