Irish need to speed it up if they want to replace Weis

It's called the First Plane in the Air strategy. I just made it up, but it fits the current situation in South Bend.

Notre Dame didn't have it -- the plane in air or the strategy -- back in 2004 when Urban Meyer was the top coaching hottie. Instead, Florida AD Jeremy Foley packed up his spread sheets, charm and checkbook on a charter Dec. 2 of that year headed to Salt Lake City.

Will Cincinnati's Brian Kelly be the next Notre Dame coach? (Getty Images)

Foley beat Notre Dame to the doorstep of Utah's Meyer by a few hours. Yes, Florida had gotten a head start firing Ron Zook in late October. ND waited until later to dispose of Tyrone Willingham. But the shouts of joy (and perhaps anguish) from that whirlwind courtship still echo almost five years later.

Florida got to Meyer making the first, and best, pitch, eventually coming away with its man. You might have heard what has happened in Gainesville the past few years. The hire kind of worked out.

Notre Dame? Well, it got its man. He just wasn't Meyer. ND had its own private aircraft and own lavish presentation headed for SLC that same day, but it lost in the sense that two national championships (Meyer) trumps two games below .500 the past three seasons (Charlie Weis).

So here we are again, Notre Dame perhaps at another coaching crossroads with some hard decisions to make sooner rather than later. Saturday's 23-21 loss to Navy officially ended the school's pursuit of a BCS bowl. The way the Irish played with everything on the line, it now looks like 8-4 or even 7-5 might be possible.

That might make The Decision easier. The point is, Notre Dame cannot wait. You do not lose to a Navy team that had been beaten by Temple the previous week. You do not lose to a Navy team that had become a guaranteed W over the years. Now the Middies have won two of the past three in the series after losing the previous 43. For the first time since 1936, an unranked Navy beat a ranked Notre Dame.

"There never has been a Notre Dame team to lose to Navy twice in the past 50 years," Irish linebacker Brian Smith told the Chicago Tribune. "I mean, we beat them 43 straight times and I've lost to them twice already. It's frustrating."

Notre Dame can't be the second plane in the air again. That is a figurative reference but altogether relevant with the school having to decide, now, what to do with Weis. That doesn't mean it should necessarily get rid of the coach who has brought his heart, soul and ravaged knees to the job. The man's commitment to, and love of, Notre Dame cannot be denied.

But AD Jack Swarbrick, the trustees and Father John Jenkins have to decide now, today preferably, if a) they want to make a change and b) if it's possible, quickly followed by c) where to go from here. There are too many balls in the air to miss out on the first choice for the second time in five years.

This year's top model, Cincinnati's Brian Kelly, is out there, a Roman Catholic with a magic touch about to lock down his second consecutive Big East title. All indications are that Kelly would be available if, and only if at this point, Notre Dame came calling.

Kelly is the 2009 version of Meyer in 2004, a coach who would leave his current job better than he found it and significantly enhance his new program. Kelly's team is undefeated, having won the last three games with a backup quarterback. Zach Collaros replaced injured Tony Pike, who began 2008 something like fifth on the depth chart.

Notre Dame, though, has to reach out. It has to contact Kelly and judge his interest. If he stays committed to Cincinnati, then fine, move on. ND can keep Weis or perhaps go to the next name on its list.

Judging by what Paul Johnson has done at Navy and to Notre Dame, how do you scratch him off? Meyer has denied that he is going to ND several times, but he cannot deny calling it his "dream job." After winning a possible third national championship in four years at Florida, there would be nowhere to go but down in Gainesville.

Besides, there's no commissioner to answer to at Notre Dame when some zebra blows a call.

If you haven't noticed, the silly season is beginning. This is the time of year when the coaching carousel starts spinning. Colorado has to decide if it wants to spend $3.2 million to buy out Dan Hawkins. This is out of left field, but Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald sounds like an ideal candidate.

Virginia looks like it's going to be open, with Temple's Al Golden and Richmond's Mike London most prominently mentioned as replacements for Al Groh.

Proven winners Tommy Tuberville and Phil Fulmer are eager to get back in the game.

This isn't to say the silly season should claim Weis. Who knows? Charlie might get a vote of confidence for 2010 this week. Swarbrick told me before the USC game that he would consider 10-2 "progress." The Irish can finish, at best, 9-3. A Gator Bowl is an upgrade on the Hawaii Bowl but by how much?

ND can't dally. It has to have a plan. Let the school say whatever it wants publicly, but if Kelly, through channels, shows interest, you bring the house. Now.

This is pure speculation, but Kelly might have rejected interest from Washington and Tennessee last year because he sensed that Notre Dame might be opening.

ND would owe Weis a reported $18 million in buyout money. That's the part of b) above that would have to be worked out. Something tells me the debate over whether ND could afford it would end quickly if Kelly, secretly and from a distance, blinked twice for yes.

Direct contact with Kelly (or whoever) would be unethical at this point. We know that. We also know that Notre Dame doesn't hesitate to help Notre Dame. Ask the College Football Association about the Irish leaving for NBC almost 20 years ago. That's part of the reason we have the BCS today. Look it up.

There are ways that these schools get these things done. It is similar to junior high where Johnny passes a note to Janie in class and asks her to check one:

Do you like me? Yes ___ No ___

It's called third-party contact and the tactic is used all the time. It's how things get done in coaching searches, especially at this time of year. That's why coaches employ agents and lawyers. In the middle of a season, they might not want to take a call from a suitor. At least a representative can be the filter. Everyone has plausible deniability.

Check out this 2004 passage from the Gainesville Sun chronicling Foley's coaching search that ended with Meyer.

Foley did not contact the coaches directly because of the pledge he and UF President Bernie Machen made Oct. 25 not to talk to coaches until their regular seasons were over. Instead, Foley talked to agents, lawyers and close friends of the coaches on his list.

Notre Dame was slightly late on Meyer and maybe went in with a little bit of hubris. It cannot delay again. Publicly, Swarbrick can say he will evaluate at the end of season. Privately, he has to find out as soon as possible if Kelly would be willing to come.

Whoever runs the Irish in 2010 is probably going to be without Jimmy Clausen, who looks like he is headed to the NFL. The defense has to be marginally better but has been the weak point of the team.

That's bad for Weis, a fresh start for Kelly. Weis is a quarterback coach. Kelly is a hotter quarterback coach. Are you kidding me with Zach Freakin' Collaros? The schedule remains, shall we say, manageable. The BCS remains in love with the Irish to the point that in any given year, nine victories could land them in a major bowl.

Weis doesn't have to go. His bosses, though, have to figure out a quick, smooth and efficient way to make the transition if they decide he does. The friendly skies are wide open. Ladies and gentlemen of the Notre Dame administration, start your (jet) engines.