Charlie Weis wrapped up Notre Dame’s wild 24-21 win over Purdue with his weekly Sunday press conference. Here are some notes and some video from what Weis had to say.
- Jimmy Clausen’s foot was feeling much better on Sunday than it was a week ago. Weis said that the plan will be to get through this week with Clausen and let him rest for the entire bye week. It would have been nice to have two full weeks of practice with the first team intact for USC, but getting Clausen as close to 100% by October 17 is the most important thing right now.
- Armando Allen was very close to being able to play Saturday. Weis expects Allen to be at 100% on Tuesday. Had Notre Dame lost Saturday with Allen able to play, Weis would have had a bunch of questions to answer. Getting Allen 100% for this weekend and escaping with a win gets him off the hook though.
- Weis admitted that Clausen wasn’t 100% Saturday and he wouldn’t have had the Dayne Crist package ready if Clausen was healthy.
- Golden Tate running out of the backfield was put in place to replace Armando Allen’s speed out of the backfield last week.
- Weis was pleased with the improvement in the run defense and pointed out that Purdue gained almost all of their yards on three carries. The yards on those three runs would have been even lower if the Irish defense had done a better job wrapping up.
- Weis talked a lot about the psyche of the team at the end of games. He credited last week’s last minute win for showing this team that good things can happen at the end of games after the Irish came up on the wrong end of almost every close game last season.
- Weis also talked about the confidence Clausen has in himself and the confidence that the rest of the team has in Clausen. He said that Clausen is a much different player in terms of his confidence in game deciding situations like the last few weeks.
- The decision to blitz less and play more mixed coverages was Jon Tenuta’s. Weis reiterated that he has total faith in the defensive staff and that any improvements shown on Saturday should be credited to them.
- Golden Tate was very receptive to the idea of getting carries out of the backfield. Weis said that he plans on finding a few new ways to get the ball in his hands each week so that defenses can’t take him out of the game.
- Weis said that the staff needs to play Manti Te’o more and more in practice and in games moving forward. He said there could be growing pains with playing a young linebacker, but that his playing time has to increase. Sounds like the defensive staff noticed how many times Purdue targeted Toryan Smith in the passing game.
- Weis got several texts from his friends in the NFL complimenting the play of Jimmy Clausen and the guts he showed. Weis said that the game was Clausen’s grittiest performance in his Notre Dame career.
- Robby Parris was on the field for the critical 3rd and 14 because Weis wanted to get a veteran receiver on the field. After having youngsters on the field in similar situations the last two weeks it was a good call by Weis.
- Brandon Walker and Cierre Wood didn’t make the trip to West Lafayette, but Weis didn’t go into any details as to why.
And here’s some video courtesy of Yahoo and Rivals.com.
lols @ Russel.
First off, Alabama has 0 wins from ’05 to ’07 for a reason.
Second, ND has 5 unfilled scholarships (3 after walk ons) as it is.
All- there are a number of players that are on the team and dont make away trip’s. I know this for a fact…
Cierre is good…and he was higher star rating however he is still learning the system while we have AA, RH, and JG ahead of him– I must say I’m not a fan of JG I dont think he has the vision to be a good back…I hope he proves me wrong…and I would prefer to have Cierre instead of JG however not ant the price of a Red Shirt year. Riddick found a nitch in special teams (Fastest ND Player)…otherwise he would be Red Shirting this year as well…I hope he (CW) does not consider xfering- you can tell alot about a person when things dont go there own way…my money is that he sticks it out and is an outstading TB for the next 4 years…
Could it be that CW stayed behind because he has a big test and they already know they are going to Red Shirt him? Freshman need to focus on getting strong grades 1st term…
As far as Walker…I feel for the kid…however talking about pulling his schollie is not NDs style…the kid got beat out by the freshman …yet still has busted his tail in two-a-days, grades, practice…etc…being a student althlete is tough…I give all this kids credit…and I beleive in them!
you guys are saying we should cut a player because we would become the next BAMA, so do u see anything wrong with being 3rd in the country? I certainly do not see a problem with being 3rd in the country
I see a lot wrong with Bama.
you guys are saying we should cut a player because we would become the next BAMA, so do u see anything wrong with being 3rd in the country?
I predicted a nail biter in West Lafayette but did not expect it to come down to that. Definitely a positive gain for JC and the offensive line seems to be gelling a bit more. We however continue to see awful play calling at times from the genius. 3rd and 10 you throw the ball! I dont care who is in there you throw. Of course Charlie again gave nothing for Crist to throw – he should have mixed in more short high percentage passes as Purdue realized quickly Crist was simply going to hand off. When it counts on 3rd and 10 Charlie does exactly what Purdue thinks he is going to do and we end up with another 3rd quarter and no points. Crist does have a tremendous presence in the pocket – this kid is going to be great providing Weis challanges his players instead of coddling them! Loved seeing Crist throwing the ball out of bounds when caught from behind. Jimmy still has a tendency of not getting rid of the ball at these moments. If Crist would have been able to throw more – he would have set the field on fire! Then Charlie pulls him due to his own predictable conservative play calling! Amazing.
Of course we see the same issues game after game too namely Sam Young self destructing on holding calls again – mis used time outs and the tendancy to rest in the 3rd period. Defense improved a bit against the run – beautiful play calling by Purdue on the slants that kept the Irish off guard most of the evening. Regardless of the injuries – I really felt the Irish could have and should have dominated more even on offense. This kind of play will likely continue throughout the season and we will see more close games. I am convinced if we had a good coach this team would be unbeatable. Hopefully ND continues to make strides but repeat errors – penalties and quesionable play calling will keep the Irish off the national radar compared to the Alabamas – FLoridas – Texas etc until we get a coach who truly knows the game at the college level. This program is taking way too much time to develop.
I agree Chris. So many people on this sight are drinking the CW cool aid. This team continues to make mental errors (penalties), along with time management issue. I believe we burned up all our time outs again this week. CW will never be the answer. Oh by the way the only reason Purdue only had 74 yards rushing, was because the other half were called back on penalties. Proving we watched two bad coaches, CW needs to call and thank him for calling TO at the end of the game.
There’s no reason to burn a year of Wood’s eligibility when it’s not needed, though. ND is deep at RB, so they can afford to have Wood sit and keep him for an extra year at a point where they might need him more. That’s the sensible thing to do.
This is exactly what I was trying to say.
Wood would at BEST be our #3/4 right now behind Allen, Gray and most probably Hughes. Why burn a year of eligibility so he can get carries in mop up time.
Riddick has that #4 spot right now because he’s already contributing in the return game (and doing very well at that I might add).
I gotta say though, I’m still excited about the potential of this team. And that pertains to THIS YEAR.
And finally:
RAWRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
(seems like I’ve been arguing/debating a lot today)
and theres a reason why scouts ranked him well ahead of THeo. i love theo and think hes doing a fantastic job, but i believe that cierre has a lot of talent that we could use
but the thing is Bill, hes the double backup, if tausch gets hurt, theres a freshmen ben turk behind him. and to say a half decent kicker is a stretch, last season was horrendous at the kicker spot.
Turk is a punter. And there’s NO WAY we burn a year of eligibility so he can try his luck at kicking.
And no, last season Walker was not horrendous. He started poorly, but after game 3 he made pretty much every field goal. The two games where he missed big FG’s were Pitt and Syracuse. The Pitt game should NEVER have gotten to OT. And he made several other important ones in that game. The syracuse one was definitely pushing his limits as a kicker had it been perfect conditions.
For examples of Horrendous kicking, please see 2007. Look closely at the purdue game.
Also: (@Shazamrock) I’m not saying we should abandon him. I am saying his spot with the team might not be traveling with the team for away games anymore. You seriously come off as a relative or parent, because that’s what I would expect his family to say. And I can respect that. But that doesn’t entitle him to take a spot from someone else who might be in a position to contribute more readily. I recognize that these are kids and I hate it when people come down on them. And I really thought he was developing well. But Tausch is obviously a pretty talented kid who can help our team win and I cannot imagine Brandon not wanting that.
I agree with road games.The travelling team must be very smart on who makes the trip. Especially when there are injuries or depth issues at a certian possisitons.
I’m willing to give this kid (Walker) a break though. He stepped up and accepted the fieldgoal duties. He was it. We had no one else. He did the best he could. He was an underclassmen kicking for ND. I would say that there is a fair amout of pressure for a kid in that circumstance.
He lost his job fair and square, but he did make contubutions to his team and having him dressed and on the sidelines for home games is one way to acknowledge that.
And no I’m not a parent or relative of any of the players. But I’ve been watching and supporting them for a lifetime. I’ve attended
many, many, games, stood behind them in good times and bad. All the players who attend ND are held to a higher standard. I respect that.
Simple enough. Respect for every player.
So… Here’s the thing about recruitment ratings: THEY DON’T GUARANTEE $#!+.
Just because a player has a 4 or 5 star rating does not entitle them to anything.
And just because a player only has 2 or 3 stars does NOT mean they can’t be a good player.
Riddick is above Wood because he’s better. Might not always be the case, but that’s where it is right now. Riddick has leveraged his speed to be an asset on special teams, and if we’ve already burned the redshirt, we might as well play him at RB.
Why waste a year of eligibility for Wood when he’s at best #4 behind Allen, Gray and Hughes? Especially when Riddick has already earned his spot on the bus, as a returner, and is showing some ability at that #3/4 spot.
on an unrelated note:
@Russell: seriously, I hate it when people call for a kid to get cut from a college team. I also hate it when its a really really bad idea.
If only there were something we could do with him where he was still on the team (because he’s a half decent kicker) just in case Tausch gets hurt. Oh how I wish we were capable of coming up with some strategy where he’s still a part of the team, but he doesn’t need to be there on game day. It would be a system where he can practice with the team but then just not go to the game with them. What a wonderful world that would be.
Practice but not go to the game (Dress)???
Be Part of the team but doesn’t need to be there on game day???
What a wounderful world that would be??? (Obviously not for him.)
If he was YOUR son would you feel the same about the practicing and not dressing?
I seriously doubt it!
Why don’t we just dress him up like the opposing teams’ mascot, then Tar and feather him at the pep-rally?
These are our kids for Christ sake. A young man who did the best he could. You don’t just kick him to the curb.
You can keep your world.
I’ll stick with the kids on this team. Each and everyone regurdless of wins, losses, or performance.
I’m sorry,
there were supposed to be brackets before and after that paragraph that said “begin sarcasm” and “end sarcasm”. Unfortunately html ruined everything.
But, more to my point, I was stating that there’s absolutely no reason to cut him from the team or revoke his scholarship. I can totally understand not having a backup kicker travel with the team (because a punter can usually stand in should there be an injury). I totally agree with the idea of standing by these kids, and that’s why I get upset when people want to just toss them aside or cut them because they’re not all-american caliber.
That said, I’m sorry but I just don’t see how horrible a fate it is for a kid to practice for ND football and just not get to dress. Especially if you’re still under scholarship. That would be like a dream come true for me.
Bill,
I understand that you have the best intensions.
There are kids who try out for the team as a walk on. Those guys pretty much understand what they are in for and what the deal is.
But Walker recieved a scholarship and played. Yes he struggled. But he stood in there when some fans and the media wanted his head, and took it with dignaty and class. He also got better as the year went on. He has stayed out of trouble, he hasn’t embarressed his school or team, and he meets his classroom requirements. For that he has earned my respect and earned his place.
College football can be a tricky place. There was a time, not so long ago that I felt that ND had the 3 or 4 best tight ends in the game.
Then there was a transfer, followed by an injury, followed by a suspension, and all of a sudden we had an undersized freshmen in there.(abet a darn good one)
I’m sure these are tough times for Walker. Good team and fan support might just make a difference for him and his team someday.
Not an overwhelming win, but with it being a rivalry game on the road and three of the key offense elements either out, questionable, or hobbled the back-ups and other stars (Tate) really stepped up and made the necessary plays (huge thumbs up to Theo for that HUGE block on Tate’s rushing TD – maybe that’s why he’s playing and not Wood). Tate did seem to give up on a few plays though (over thrown balls by both Clausen and Cryst looked to be designed bombs to Tate). Defense looked better up front, but Purdue knew the defense was susceptible to the pass in the middle and on the screen, hence the linebackers need to step it up on pass defense – Brian Smith especially, he’s been mostly all talk this year. Corners looked better, and McCarthy was a milisecond from another big play at the goal line. CHARLIE WEIS please stop starting Sergio Brown – he cannot tackle. Clausen looks to be the real deal. He only played a handful of series but that final one was clincher in my book. I was high on him before, but if he can do all that at 50% I’m excited to see what happens with a bigger game on the line. Sad to not see Floyd on the field. Clausen’s INT would have been a TD with Floyd in the endzone.
Cierre though was a much higher ranked running back than Theo, and i wonder whats keeping him off the field. Theo has played well, but with injuries to J.Alderge and A.allen, it seems like he would have at least made the trip. Regarding brandon walker, cut him, theres no need for him.
CW is known for protecting his players from the media. Cierre Wood is part of the team but is also a freshman who hasn’t played. So maybe he feels no explaination is needed at this time. But I agree, he should have at least made the trip. It’s what, 2-3 hours by bus?
As far as Brandon Walker. When ND offers a scholarship to a player they keep their “WORD” This isn’t Alabama and Nick Saban. We don’t offer to everybody out there, then pick and choose what we want to keep.
We are trying to teach these young men that there is a right way of doing things, and your word and a hand shake should mean something.
YOur right about B Walker, but i see a scholarship that could be used on a player that could help the team more than a double backup kicker. i know we try to teach them morales about doing things the right way, but i would rather win.
There are still a few of us out there that believe that ND can compete and win without lowering our standards or compromising our principals.
We want our players to leave with a championship, but more importanly, we want them to leave with a Degree.
Winning on the field is a very, very, important thing, but at ND, it’s not THE most important thing.
That’s what sets us apart from most other schools.
Schools like Stanford, Northwestern, and ND, will alway face an uphill struggle because of it.
No player should ever cut for losing their starting position at Notre Dame. That’s not the way things are done at Notre Dame and when they are, then Notre Dame becomes just another football factory.
Thats not good news about cierre wood. I wonder if he is considering transferring…
I know that he was very impressive in the summer/fall training camp. As a freshman, his class room work and studies workload is probably pretty extensive. He certainly wouldn’t be the first ND freshman to miss playing time so he can focus on his studies.
CW can also be very tight lipped about injuries or wanting to redshirt a player.
Cierre Wood never waviered about his commitment to ND.I doubt a transfer is in his plans at this time.
Great team effort! Robert Hughes stepped up with 15 carries for 68 yards and a TD. Parris only had 1 catch but it was 15 yards for a clutch first down. Freashman Evans had a catch and even Bobby Burger had a catch.
Even with Armando Allan out, the Irish rushed 43 times for 167 yards, or about 4 yrds per carry. Dayne Crist spelled Claussen and made some positive plays.
The defence was better allowing only 74 yards rushing. And the penilities were more respectiable at 6 for 41 yards.
With Washington up next it is worth noting that the Stanford running back/fullback (Toby Gerhart)ran for 200 yards. (Mostly up the middle on off tackle play’s). With Robert Hughes running well, Armando Allen exspected back, and Jimmy’s Turf-Toe healing up, rushing and play action passing coud provide a big day.
Washington played on the road at Stanford and looked especially vunerable on rush defence and special teams. They will travel to the Midwest for their first and only visit west of Arizona. Let’s have an old fashioned ND/South Bend welcome awaiting them.
I personally would like to see Cierre Wood more on the field. Coming out of high school he was more recruited than Theo, so therefore, some people thought he was better than theo. I agree with the Manti Teo statement. he brings speed and hit power that no other linebacker can bring. i think he should start at Brian Smiths spot, and brian should move over to Toryian spot.These are good wins in the clutch, but i would like to see ND blow out teams they are much better than.