Key notes from Charlie Weis interview
- Marcus Freeman walked into a pretty good situation, talent-wise. From the time I left, through Brian Kelly and now Freeman, a lot of the little things that need to happen... It is so important to have in order to be a winning organization. With the support both on and off the field, he walked into a good situation. With that being said, Freeman has shown he can be a big-time coach. Notre Dame is a tough place to coach. It is like the Yankees. You are hated or loved, but he has done himself proud.
- Notre Dame Stadium is not as loud as Kyle Field. That is one of the more raucous places to go to. Notre Dame has made some renovations to help the sound. I’ve played in a lot of stadiums, like Michigan was quiet, even with 100,000 people, it was the way the stadium the set up. To have the fans and seats like on top of you makes it much louder. With that being said, it is always much easier to play at home than on the road.
- CJ Carr has persevered and hung in there. At least a third of his passes against Miami were off target, and he needs to improve in this area to win and to beat the good teams. However, he demonstrated considerable perseverance. There was inclement weather, and Miami is a really good football team. They could’ve thrown in the towel after being down two scores in the second half. He got them back to even. He used both his arms and legs, and his arm improved throughout the game. Now, Texas A&M will have to worry about not only his arm, but his legs, too. Carr has a running ability.
- Mike Denbrock is a very good offensive coordinator. Through inclement weather, a first-time starting quarterback and with two stud running backs, I thought they would run the ball, for sure. If you check statistically for Notre Dame over the last three years, when they don’t run the ball more than 28 times, they lose. I can bet you that they will be running the ball more than 28 times this week.
- A&M could’ve won the game last year. I think last year's Notre Dame is better than this year's team. The one thing about Mike Elko is that he knows Notre Dame. He used to coach here. He knows how to get his guys ready to go. Marcel Reed is not a rookie anymore. They have had two tune-up games, unlike last year. I am expecting strengths to be attacking weaknesses this weekend.
- I used to think Notre Dame should’ve been in a conference, but that is not their mentality. They want to be independent. College football is a big business, and they are making a lot more money on their own than in a conference. This weekend’s game should be very interesting. You will see both teams running the ball.
Never miss the latest news from TexAgs!
Join our free email list
