Weis Looks Ahead

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

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.

Awesome article. Lol, I liked that little shot at Ty. He sounds like he's prepared himself and the team to come out of the gate winning, and keep winning. Winning, winning, winning, I love that word, didn't get much of it with Ty.

Here's some pictures of it from the lep.

 

http://www.chestertonlep.com/PEP.html

Here's what intrigues me the most. Weis basically has not said a word about personnel aside from the fact that BQ is the Quarterback. There has been no confirmation at any position, no outlook on the current talent level, nothing. It totally leaves the door open for some suprises. I envision whomever he has as a returner on special teams busting a huge return on the first kick of '05, leaving the announcers and everyone else in Irish nation wondering, "Who the heck is that guy???" As I've stated too many times to count now, I believe the talent is definitely there, it just wasn't being used right. With each passing day, it feels more and more like this Irish team is going to surprise a LOT of people.

We are going to suprise the heck out of people at Pitt. I can't wait for Weis to completely out coach Wanny. Man even talking about it makes me hyped for the season.

The only thing I am worried about would be the defense. I have faith in Coach Minter and Coach Lewis, but I will be worried until they prove something. I also would love to see Terrail Lambert actually playing. I hope Weis puts the best players on the field regardless of class. Ty was way to loyal to seniorority. I definitely sense a change (and a good one I might add).

I think defense is where I feel we are actually underrated. It's impossible to judge the defense by last year's results because A.) the coaching/defensive scheme change, and B.) major personnel overhaul. Looking at the strength of last year, it was obviously the run defense. I know we lost important players from the line and linebackers, but you have to believe that the backups will have seen enough to fill in and keep in stride. Guys like Mays who has had to sit behind studs his entire career and haven't had a chance to show how good they really are. I can't imagine any drastic fall-off in run defense. Against the pass, this is where I think we will surprise people. First off, the seniors that played in the secondary (whether it was based on skill or loyalty) are gone. Many guys who could have started (and probably should have) are now going to get a chance. Lambert, Hedgemon, Parrish (and don't count the USC game against him..........talk about getting thrown to the WOLVES.), not to mention incoming freshmen. What I'm getting at is that trying to compare last years results with this years expectations would be like comparing apples to oranges. It's a clean slate, and we won't truly know what we have until Sept. 3rd. I, for one, shall remain eternally optimistic. WE ARE ND!

I can actually feel it now fellas..can you? ..that goose bump..stomach turning feeling that only true IRISH fans can comprehend. Coach Weis has definetly got some tactics noone is aware of. I love the thought of this team being " nasty " to the highest degree. To be sucessful at this level you do have to have the hunger and the drive and the nastiness to win and win consistantly. Get ready..cause this Weis-coaster is gonna be a fun ride. GO IRISH

The good thing is that if there is a weakness somewhere, CW will recognize it and adjust for it. If the defense is weaker than the offense, then he will run a type of offense that keeps the defense on the bench as long as possible. I've watched New England football too many times to not realize this is how they were so successful. Also, I agree with Snatchy. I think the defense is going to surprise all of us this year. Go Irish!!

I've watched the Patriots in the playoffs, and I'm impressed. I mentioned in my latest article that I liked his quarterback scheme, but frankly, I love all parts of his offense, especially what IrishHog mentioned.

Isnt jenkins the guy who can just hurdle people?

You're probably thinking of Justin Hoskins, arguably the most UNDERUSED player from last year's team.

Yeah, you're thinking of Hoskins, that guy is crazy awesome. But Ty wasted his first year, one of many.

Terrail Lambert was pretty underused, as was Junior Jabbie and Anthony Vernaglia. The list goes on. What does that tell you.

I know the popular choice for kick/punt returns is Justin Hoskins, but I would really like to see Lambert back there as well. He returned fumbles, punts, and kickoffs for touchdowns in high school. Imagine what kind of 1-2 punch we would have with those guys back there. With the proper blocking, that kind of speed would get incredible results.

That would be awesome. We haven't scored a return TD since 2002. With those two back there 4 or 5 would be a lock. Finally, players that can outrun SC.