on the SIDELINES

Sources: Weis to become next Notre Dame coach\nSOUTH BEND -- New England Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis has told friends he has accepted the Notre Dame coaching job, returning to the school he graduated from in 1978 but never played.\nMark Bavaro, a former Notre Dame player who was with the New York Giants while Weis was on the staff, said Weis told him Saturday that he was taking the job at Notre Dame.\n"He was excited, but he was much more concerned about the Cincinnati game today," Bavaro said Sunday. "That's the way he is, very focused."\nDr. Jim Benenati, who roomed with Weis for four years at Notre Dame, said Weis had told him he has agreed to take the job and he was excited about becoming a head coach.\n"It's the greatest thing that could ever happen to the school, and probably the best thing that could ever happen for Charlie," said Benenati, a radiologist in Miami.\nWeis will attempt to restore the school to the powerhouse program it was when he attended the university as an undergraduate while Ara Parseghian and Dan Devine coached the Fighting Irish.\nAssociate athletic director John Heisler said Sunday afternoon that the school "was not in a position to make an announcement yet."\n"We're not prepared to say it's official yet," he said.\nWeis was not available after the game.\nESPN reported that Weis has agreed to a six-year contract worth about $2 million a year.