Weis eager to begin season at Notre Dame

SOUTH BEND -- Just like everyone else, new Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis is eager to see how much of his coaching the Fighting Irish have absorbed.\nThe former offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots arrived in South Bend with a thick playbook that helped win three Super Bowls in four years. He knows his offense works. He's hoping the Irish, who have struggled dismally on offense the past five seasons, can make it work.\nWeis thinks they can, but concedes he won't know for sure until they take the field against No. 23 Pittsburgh on Saturday.\n"As far as the uncertainty, the bottom line is you have to see whether or not your coaching has taken hold," Weis said Tuesday. "I feel fairly confident that's the case."\nIt never happened under departed coach Tyrone Willingham. In three years using the West Coast offense, the Irish never clicked, never ranking higher than 81st in the nation in total offense. Their usually strong running game averaged a school-worst 127.4 yards a game last season.\nNotre Dame has been particularly bad offensively in opening games. They have scored just five offensive touchdowns in their past five season openers; only once, in 2000 did the touchdown come in the first half.\nSo the Irish, who finished 6-6 last season, are depending on Weis to solve their problems.\nHis offense, which some referred to as the "dink and dunk offense" when Tom Brady became the Patriots starting quarterback, is basically about keeping the defense off balance.\n"We're a game-plan oriented team that is concerned with matchups personnel-wise," he said. "It's not about West Coast or East Coast. It's all about personnel groups and multiple formations. I think the more you can get the defense thinking and less reacting, the better chance you have."\nWeis has spent a lot of time during preseason camp trying to make sure the Irish are ready to react to anything opponents, officials or circumstances throw at them. He found that was a weak spot when he arrived.\n"I think when we first started you could have said we were 'The Bad News Bears.' But I think as this has gone on our players are starting to think on their feet," he said.\nWeis said the Irish have practiced everything from the four-minute offense to the two-minute offense to what to do if it's fourth-and-10 from their own 20 with 10 seconds left and the Irish up six.\nThe Irish even practice hurrying a play after a questionable call so officials won't have time to review it.\n"You get up there and snap it. Maybe you're only going to get a yard, but it keeps them from getting a replay and taking away a big play," he said.\nWeis seems to have all the answers heading into Saturday. He knows there's a positive feeling among alumni with a graduate back in charge of the football team for the first time since 1963.\n"I think I have done a lot of things to bring a positive vibe to the program. But it still really comes down to how you play," he said. "We'll see how popular I am Sunday"