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Charlie Weis, fresh off an embarrassing defeat to Syracuse, held his typical Sunday chat with the media a few hours ago and discussed, among other things, his job status and the future of the program.
Here are the highlights:
- Weis said the lack of running production -- the Irish were held to 41 yards against one of the worst run defenses in college football -- put the Irish "in a bind" when they tried to close the game out.
- Weis said USC will have Notre Dame's attention "in a hurry." Considering the opening line on the game is USC -29 and Weis spent part of Saturday using the words "humiliate" and "massacre" if Notre Dame can't refocus fast enough, that might be the most critical thing that happens this week. Unless, of course, Michael Floyd is able to play Saturday. That, however, seems highly unlikely.
- This might give enough of a disparity between USC and Notre Dame. Weis mentioned the running backs when asked whether or not Pete Carroll is the marksetter for college football: "You look at the running backs, which we'll get to later on, and you have a guy like Marc Tyler who we want really bad and he's their fourth halfback," Weis said. "So as you look at their depth chart, he's done a really good job at assembling a good amount of talent and they play that way."
- Weis was asked -- and deflected -- many of the big-picture questions asked of him Saturday after Notre Dame's loss to Syracuse. Here was his Sunday response, which talks about going from crummy to decent to good without mention of 2005 and 2006.
"I have given some thought to that and I do have my response to that. I think that it was important yesterday for me not to respond to that, because I just think that I would not have given a thoughtful answer and not exactly sure how it would have come across.
"But I've kind of reflected back off of last year to this year to next year. So last year I think we were pretty crummy football team. We were 3 9. We were playing a whole bunch of freshmen and sophomores. And first year players.
"And it really looked that way. There were multiple games last year where we just didn't lose but I felt we were basically noncompetitive as the game went on. So then we go to this year. Now, these guys have now another year under their belt.
"Now we're sitting here 6 5. So you sit there and look at the five losses. And three of the five losses you had double digit leads. In North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and yesterday, you have double digit leads.
"As a matter of fact, in none of the games were you noncompetitive. There wasn't one game where you didn't have a chance to win the game, unlike last year where there were multiple games where the games were over early and just put away.
"So what you've really done is you have taken these guys who were a bunch of pups, now have a year under their belt. Going from a crummy team to what I think is a decent team. I wouldn't say we're anywhere near good but I would say we're decent.
"And I say as you look forward into next year, as you take the next step, if you take a step from three wins to six or seven wins, not including a Bowl game, going to the next year, you should expect the progression to be at least as good if not better. And I think that's really you have to sit down and reflect. You have to look at the difference how you played in the losses last year versus the losses this year where you stepped up from where you were last year from where you are this year.
"And with a good portion of these guys now with two years under their belt coming back for next year, you'd have to say you have a chance of being pretty darned good."
- Weis' question to recruits who were in town this weekend: "You sit there and say 'Now, could you have been the difference between us winning and losing," Weis said. "That's the first question you ask them. And a one-point game, most every recruit would look at it, a game like yesterday, and say they could see themselves being the difference between winning and losing."
- Weis' take on the snowball effect of throwing snowballs toward the field at Notre Dame, which happened early and often Saturday: "I was taken back about it, to tell you the truth," Weis said. "I was caught a little off guard because they started coming early. And I think that maybe it was meant in fun at the start of the game. But it's a dangerous thing. And it's just something I wish would have been avoided."
- Weis said he won't be considering any off-season changes until his post-USC recruiting jaunt where he has a lot of time in hotel rooms.
- He also said he won't be "hammering" his players this week, but will address the team's issues "matter-of-factly."
- Weis said the Notre Dame running game has different issues each week.
