Charlie Weis Presser Notes – 8/27/09

Charlie Weis met with the media after practice on Thursday.  Here are some notes with what the Notre Dame head coach had to say.

• Weis talked about the rotation along the defensive line – Notre Dame is playing different players at a number of different positions depending on the circumstances.
• Weis mentioned that Sean Cwynar has worked his way into the rotation along the defensive line and they won’t be afraid to play him this season.
• Weis wasn’t concerned much about Brandon Walker’s confidence after losing his starting job because the competition for the starting spot wasn’t subjective – it was based on who had better kicking stats in camp and that was clearly Nick Taush.
• There are still a few positions on the depth chart that are still a little gray, but most of the positions are locked up already. There are a couple battles that are still too close to call.  My guess here is that the third wide receiver and backup running back spots could some of the gray areas on defense.  I wouldn’t be surprised if the coaches are still trying to figure out the best way to use the linebackers as well considering versatility they bring to the table.
• When asked about health concerns, Weis knocked on the table in front of him because this is the healthiest the Irish have been coming out of camp since Weis has been here.
• Duval Kamara is cleared to go for practice on Tuesday after missing most of training camp after having his knee scoped.  Kamara is going to find himself in a tough battle for the third wide receiver position when he is back to full go on Tuesday.  The younger wide receivers took advantage of the extra reps – especially freshman Shaquelle Evans.
• James Aldridge has taken the move to fullback about as well as Weis could have expected. Weis mentioned how Aldrdige came in as a top line back, but has had to take a back seat to Armando Allen. He pointing to Aldridge’s position on the leadership committee as a sign that Aldridge has taken the move and made the most out of it.
• The team is treating Saturday’s practice as though it were a game – including practicing the pre-game routine so that everyone is definitely ready for next weekend’s season opener. Weis said that the team will do the normal stretching and pre-game routine. The team will follow that up with Nevada film study on Sunday.  Hopefully this will mean that Notre Dame will come out more focused and prepared for this year’s opener than they were last year’s.
• On the progression of Jimmy Clausen , Weis said that he was happy with how Clausen has learned to move around in the pocket even though he “isn’t a 4.5 quarterback.” He also said he was happy with Clausen’s progression as a leader and game manager, but that it is now time to show the coaches on the field.
• When asked about the idea of a pre-season game in college football, Weis said that he didn’t necessarily want a pre-season game, but would like to be able to have controlled scrimmages against other local schools.
• Weis said that Nick Tausch wasn’t too surprised that he was able to come in and win both the place kicking and kick-off jobs this year. He said Brian Polian asked Tausch if he could have ever imagined coming in and winning both jobs right away and Tausch’s answer was a simple, ”yeah”. You have to love that kind of confidence from a kicker – especially considering the kicking woes Notre Dame has had over the years.