NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Charlie Weis wouldn’t go there. No listing of goals. No addressing expectation specifics. Words were generalized. Action was emphasized.
“I’m tired of talking about what we’re going to do,” he said.

Year Five of Weis’ Notre Dame coaching era found him locked into show-don’t-tell mode. Yes, the Irish return 18 starters from a 7-6 team and earned a No. 23 ranking in the coaches’ preseason poll, but after a 10-15 two-year run that didn’t come close to matching the talent or expectations, it’s time to produce.
No one understands that better than the man on the hottest seat.
“I could tell you a bunch of lofty goals,” Weis said during Friday’s media day, “but it’s time for us to back them up on the field. That’s what we’re going to try to do. We’re going to get to work.”
Work begins now and prospects are surpassed only by the demands inherit in a traditional superpower program. Weis embraces them, but sees no need to list them.
“It’s best left to prove it,” he said. “I could give you a bunch of hot air, but I’d rather get it done on the field. That’s what I’ve told our players. Don’t tell me the expectations. Show me.”
There seems plenty to show, especially on offense where 10 starters return, including All-America candidate Jimmy Clausen at quarterback. The junior threw for 3,172 yards and 25 touchdowns last season. He has one of the nation’s most explosive receiving tandems with Golden Tate (58 catches, 1,080 yards, 10 touchdowns) and Michael Floyd (48 catches, 719 yards, seven TDs). He has the biggest, strongest, most experienced offensive line of the Weis era. He has solid group of running backs.
And yet ...
Take the running game. Notre Dame averaged just 3.3 yards per carry last season. Its opponents averaged 4.1 yards. BCS teams averaged 4.6 yards. In fact, the Irish’s running the last three years has been the worst in school history.
Yes, Weis has noticed. That’s the biggest reason why he hired NFL veteran Frank Verducci to be the new offensive line coach and the newly created running game coordinator.
“If you want to be a BCS team, and that’s our intent, that (4.6 yards per carry) should be your goal,” Weis said. “They go hand in hand. If you know what the numbers are, and it’s pretty standard, that’s what you should be shooting for.”
For specifics consider the coaches’ poll has Florida at No. 1 with Texas, Oklahoma, USC and Alabama just behind. Weis noticed that, too.
“Our intent is to compete at the highest level. I think Notre Dame is at a good place right now. As far as coaching staff, feel very confident with our coaches, but it’s time to show me, from head coach right on down the line.”
Weis saw little relevance in the Irish’s preseason ranking.
“After the first 10 teams, you usually get a lot of subjectivity,” he said. “There are teams not ranked that deserve to be. There are teams ranked in the teens that should be in the 20s and teams in the 20s that should be in the teens. Once you get through September, then everything starts to settle in.”
Notre Dame seemed settled in during Weis’ first two years when he took a veteran group to consecutive BCS bowls. But lopsided bowl losses ripped away some of the luster. The last two years took away most of the rest, but if you think Weis wanted to talk about the mounting win-or-else perceived pressure, think again.
“I can’t live in (the past),” he said. “I worry about the here and now. Where the team is. Where the assistant coaches are. That’s all that matters. As far as me, I could care less. It’s not about me. It’s about us. I want us to be one group that has similar expectations.”
And then, for just a second, Weis seemed to waiver on his self-imposed expectation talk ban.
“When you’re sitting here with a bunch of juniors and seniors who have gone through the growing pains as this program has developed, the natural thing is that expectations have grown with it. That’s where we are right now.”
So as Weis runs practices, one message will stand out above all others:
“Don’t tell me how good we’re going to be. Show me. That’s what you want to see. That’s what I want to see.”