In the five years that have passed since he was hired at Notre Dame, Charlie Weis hasn't been treated too kindly in this column. Seven columns have been devoted to him: six critical, one sympathetic -- after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee -- and none complimentary.

That is about to change. Sort of.

My pet peeve with Weis has been his secretive nature regarding serious injuries. Early on in his tenure, he announced that the status of all injured players would be "day-to-day." Nature abhors a vacuum and, in this case, it was filled with rumors and unfair questions regarding the toughness of players whose status was actually far more serious than "day-to-day."

Weis eventually surrendered to an Internet age which protects no secrets but still isn't always totally forthcoming: backup quarterback Dayne Crist tore his ACL against Washington State; however, tight end Kyle Rudolph suffered an undisclosed shoulder injury against Navy.

And Rudolph brings me to my point. He's as fine a tight end as there is in college, good enough to play on Sundays. So is quarterback Jimmy Clausen. Ditto for wideout Michael Floyd. Tailback Armando Allen isn't quite in their league but close. Their choosing Notre Dame is entirely to Weis' credit. He is a better recruiter than his predecessor.

Unfortunately for Weis, though, Allen, Clausen, Floyd and Rudolph have shared something this season that trumps talent every time: the injury bug. Besides Rudolph's mystery malady, Floyd broke his clavicle and missed four games; Clausen has been hobbled most of the season with turf toe (sprain of the big toe); and Allen has been limited by a stubborn sprained ankle.

The Irish rushing game has been afflicted with the double whammy of a gimpy tailback and a quarterback who can't scramble, subtracting yards from the rushing total every time he is sacked.

Prior to the Pittsburgh game, Rudolph averaged nearly four catches and 40 yards per game. Against Pitt, neither of his replacements caught a ball. In Saturday's loss to UConn, Mike Ragone made three catches for 21 yards.

Notre Dame's schedule may seem to have been ideally set for a BCS run. But neither schedules nor "decided schematic advantages" ultimately win football games. Players do. He may have many shortcomings but assembling mediocre offensive talent isn't one of them.

That so many of his difference-makers have been missing or severely limited can hardly be blamed on Charlie Weis.

John Doherty is a certified athletic trainer and licensed physical therapist.

This column reflects solely his opinion. Reach him at ptatcsport@sbcglobal.net.