T1B

Now that the regular season is finally over, Weis deserves everything he has coming his way. He took over a team with little depth, no confidence, and a losers mentality, and has them on the brink of a BCS birth. He has called an offense that has shattered most every major passing and receiving records at Notre Dame. Congratulations to the players and this team.

In his first year, with no talent (ask ESPN), Weis managed to have a QB throw for over 3,500 yards (with a realistic shot at 4,000 with the bowl game), two 1,000 yard receivers (one of which had 17 catches in the previous 2 years, the other was a drastic under-achiever) and a 1,000 yard running back.

And much respect to Maurice Stovall. I dogged that kid for two years, even calling him the biggest 6'5" pussy in the history of college football. Well, this crow tastes damn good. He played that game on one leg and finally lived up to his enormous potential. It will be a pleasure watching him drafted in the first-early second round.

Props to Weis. He maximized all the talent he had and showed that ND probably had more talent than most people gave them credit for. He has turned Stovall from a 6-7 rounder to a Day One draft choice and groomed Quinn into a Top 5 pick. I wish we had him at tFSU. I cant even imagine what he could do w/ our talent and speed.

If Weis was able to do this someone else's players, I can't imagine how lethal his system would be when recruits his own guys. I don't know what is so exotic about his scheme but it's worked in New England and now Notre Dame. It doesn't seem like much on the surface but it gets the job done.

A great season, all things considered. Hopefully we're in the BCS, and regardless of where we go, we need to win our bowl game. That's the last monkey to get off our backs.

I remember the first time I ever saw Stovall on a football field, I thought the guy had NFL potential and he was only a freshman. Unfortunately, he was a huge disappointment in his first three years, but he's turned things around dramatically this year. I said earlier that Quinn, Stovall, and Samardzija, along with Vince Young, were the four most improved players in Division 1-A BIG TIME POWER COLLEGE FOOTBALL this season.

In retrospect, McKnight's injury was a blessing in disguise, in that it allowed Samardzija time to develop, also I think it allows McKnight to apply for a fifth year. Losing Stovall and Shelton next year, I would expect Samardzija to see double coverage in every game if he doesn't have an established talent on the other side. McKnight fills that bill.

Still worried about that bowl game, though. Regardless of how things shake out, we're all but assured of drawing a Top Ten opponent (Oregon, tOSU, Penn State, Va Tech or Miami), and as Killian said, Fitzpatrick's injury was more serious, apparently, than first believed, and the kicking game nearly cost us the loss against Stanford as a result. Our kicking game will have to get better between now and then.

Shoalzie wrote: I don't know what is so exotic about his scheme but it's worked in New England and now Notre Dame. It doesn't seem like much on the surface but it gets the job done.

That was a perfect analysis. I don't know what he does but each and every week he makes teh opposition look like a bunch of lost children. The same probably goes for Billichek but he seems to be suffering more from the separation.

sumardjia (?) is fun player to watch.