Snatchy_McPants
07-20-2005, 04:14 PM
Weis Looks Ahead
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Tim Goodenow
BlueandGold.com Staff
With the Fourth of July celebrations now passed, it can mean only one thing – the excitement of Notre Dame football has arrived. A large crowd of Notre Dame faithful gathered on Tuesday to hear first-year head coach Charlie Weis at the KeyBank Gridiron Legends Luncheon hosted by the College Football Hall of Fame.
AP: Joe Raymond
Charlie Weis reacts to a comment at the Gridiron Luncheon Series.
During the 25-minute conversation on a variety of issues, Weis stuck to his game plan when discussing the upcoming season. He was careful not to step on any land mines when addressing a time frame for restoring Notre Dame football back to dominance.
There were no predictions of winning at least seven games this season, no guarantee of a New Year's Day bowl appearance, or even a sniff of a mention of victory over Southern Cal.
What he did offer were three areas that the 2005 Fighting Irish can control.
"A team that doesn't know what they are doing, it's going to be a reflection of their head coach," said Weis. "So, I expect the team to being mentally prepared to play every single play of every game. And that includes being prepared for situational football at the end of a game.
"I think a second thing you should expect is a team that shows a lot of toughness. People made a big deal about my 'nasty' comment but I'm going to live by that," stated Weis, referring to the term he used during his introduction as new coach in December. "I really think you can't play football if you don't have that tough man mentality.
"Last but not least, they're going to play hard the whole game. If not, we're going to have a problem."
Ironically, these qualities resemble a former All-American in Chris Zorich who was asked to serve as an honorary captain for the spring game. Zorich was known for his intensity and toughness and playing every down like it was his last.
"Those three things and what they do, determine success," said Weis, winner of four Super Bowl champion rings. "Everybody would like for me to come out here and say we are going 12-0. We all want the same thing and there isn't a Notre Dame fan that doesn't want that. That is an ultimate goal for everybody.
"The bottom line is you have to set what the most practical elements are for a team that needs to be prepared, for a team to be tough and for a team to play hard every game."
With four of the first five games on the road this season, Weis reverted to his cautious approach when asked about the season's end.
"I'll be disappointed if our football team isn't way better at the end of the year than they were at the beginning of the year," said Weis, whose New England Patriots collected a 15-5 record in December games over the past five seasons. "The way we ended our seasons for the last 15 years in the NFL has always been on a high at the end of the year. I'd like to think we can come out firing at the beginning, but we really got the ball rolling at the end."
It is clear that Weis does not posses the enthusiasm of Lou Holtz or give speeches that Knute Rockne would relish; it's the sincerity of his words and passion for Notre Dame football that left fans hungry for the season opener just 46 days away.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tim Goodenow
BlueandGold.com Staff
With the Fourth of July celebrations now passed, it can mean only one thing – the excitement of Notre Dame football has arrived. A large crowd of Notre Dame faithful gathered on Tuesday to hear first-year head coach Charlie Weis at the KeyBank Gridiron Legends Luncheon hosted by the College Football Hall of Fame.
AP: Joe Raymond
Charlie Weis reacts to a comment at the Gridiron Luncheon Series.
During the 25-minute conversation on a variety of issues, Weis stuck to his game plan when discussing the upcoming season. He was careful not to step on any land mines when addressing a time frame for restoring Notre Dame football back to dominance.
There were no predictions of winning at least seven games this season, no guarantee of a New Year's Day bowl appearance, or even a sniff of a mention of victory over Southern Cal.
What he did offer were three areas that the 2005 Fighting Irish can control.
"A team that doesn't know what they are doing, it's going to be a reflection of their head coach," said Weis. "So, I expect the team to being mentally prepared to play every single play of every game. And that includes being prepared for situational football at the end of a game.
"I think a second thing you should expect is a team that shows a lot of toughness. People made a big deal about my 'nasty' comment but I'm going to live by that," stated Weis, referring to the term he used during his introduction as new coach in December. "I really think you can't play football if you don't have that tough man mentality.
"Last but not least, they're going to play hard the whole game. If not, we're going to have a problem."
Ironically, these qualities resemble a former All-American in Chris Zorich who was asked to serve as an honorary captain for the spring game. Zorich was known for his intensity and toughness and playing every down like it was his last.
"Those three things and what they do, determine success," said Weis, winner of four Super Bowl champion rings. "Everybody would like for me to come out here and say we are going 12-0. We all want the same thing and there isn't a Notre Dame fan that doesn't want that. That is an ultimate goal for everybody.
"The bottom line is you have to set what the most practical elements are for a team that needs to be prepared, for a team to be tough and for a team to play hard every game."
With four of the first five games on the road this season, Weis reverted to his cautious approach when asked about the season's end.
"I'll be disappointed if our football team isn't way better at the end of the year than they were at the beginning of the year," said Weis, whose New England Patriots collected a 15-5 record in December games over the past five seasons. "The way we ended our seasons for the last 15 years in the NFL has always been on a high at the end of the year. I'd like to think we can come out firing at the beginning, but we really got the ball rolling at the end."
It is clear that Weis does not posses the enthusiasm of Lou Holtz or give speeches that Knute Rockne would relish; it's the sincerity of his words and passion for Notre Dame football that left fans hungry for the season opener just 46 days away.