BCS Frenzy - College Football News and Opinions

Changes Afoot at Notre Dame

by Allison on February 9th, 2008

With a record of 3 and 9 in 2007, who didn’t expect some changes at Notre Dame?

And no, I’m not talking about staff changes (although there are a few new hires that will certain strengthen the team). I’m talking about changes in the way Charlie Weis runs his program.

As head coach, Coach Weis has been calling offensive plays. I mean, he’s famous for his play-calling abilities, which helped to lead the New England Patriots to three Super Bowl wins. *Resists the urge to make fun of their loss this year* Traditionally, it is the offensive coaching staff that calls the plays during the game in most cases…but Weis was the man. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it, right?

Only…well…it’s broke.

This season showed us exactly how strong the Notre Dame offensive is right now. About as strong as Meet the Spartans is funny. And, while many fans blamed it on the inexperience of Jimmy Clausen at quarterback, that wasn’t the real problem. Go ahead and check out footage from any of their games. The offensive line was all over the place all season long. Add that to a quarterback getting his first taste of college and you’ve got a losing offense. So, Weis is stepping down as play-caller and handing the control back to offensive coordinator Mike Haywood.

With his offensive coordinator calling the plays, Coach Weis hopes he’ll be more available to the team in general. Like make college football teams, Notre Dame is seeing that shift from a traditional arrangement where seniority rules to a depth chart based on who is best at each position, regardless of seniority. Weis feels like some of his younger players may be intimidated a bit on the field, not quite understanding yet that he only yells at them to make them better. He hopes to connect more with his players this year so that they’re not afraid when he gets a bit heated.

Is this a good decision? I mean, Weis is a good play caller…but then again, he does need to focus more on head coach duties to bring Notre Dame back to a winning record. Weigh in by leaving a comment below!

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POSTED IN: Coaching, Notre Dame