The Start Of Something Special

Charlie Weis stressed making improvements on special teams when he was hired, but while there have been bright spots – such as Tom Zbikowski on punt returns, J.J. Jansen at long snapper and the emergence of Mike Anello and David Bruton as outstanding punt-team gunners last fall – the overall picture hasn’t gotten much brighter.

This spring, he’s taken steps to correct that, putting Brian Polian back in the position of sole special teams coach along with taking a more active role himself.

Polian says that Weis’ presence alone helps the players realize how crucial this often-overlooked part of the game actually is.

“I think it starts with Coach Weis’ commitment to being present in every phase of the kicking game and every meeting,” he said, “because when the head coach is present at every phase of it and each part of the day, they understand the importance.

“We’ve just got to create that atmosphere, and I think we’re on our way to doing it.”

Polian is back in the role of Notre Dame's sole special teams coach for the 2008 season.

Weis and Polian also made a day trip to Blacksburg, Va. earlier in the week to pick up some tips from Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech. The Hokies have built a reputation as a great special teams squad over the years, particularly in terms of blocking kicks, and while Notre Dame isn’t about to scrap everything and use all of Beamer’s blueprint, there were things to be gained from the meeting.

“You take tidbits here and there, and you find a way to incorporate them into what it is you believe in and what it is you do,” said Polian.

There’s no shame in getting pointers from someone who excels in a particular area, and the young Irish assistant learned that very early in his career when he saw former Grambling icon Eddie Robinson at a coaching convention.

“The guy’s a legend, and he’s there listening to a lecture taking notes,” Polian recalled. “There’s always something to be learned.”

How much the added information will translate into on-field success this fall remains to be seen, but the early impressions are favorable, at least according to Polian.

“I’m not ready to play San Diego State today,” he said, “but it’s early April.”

Just Kickin’ It

Most of the special teams work during Saturday’s practice was devoted to punt coverage, but Weis did call on sophomore Brandon Walker to try a 37-yard field goal at morning’s end – then pulled a little psych job by calling a time out.

“Walker’s kick had plenty of distance but sailed a bit wide to the right.

Weis was quick to point out that a) Walker has only missed two kicks all spring and the media happened to see one of them; and b) he informed Walker about three minutes ahead of time that the kick was coming at the end of practice, so his normal prep routine may have been a little rushed.

“I’ll take a little bit of the blame on that one,” Weis said, “but it still comes down to players making plays.”

Walker, who is the incumbent in a placekicking competition that also includes junior Ryan Burkhart, was at least as hard on himself.

“I feel like I let the team down, like I just lost a game for the team,” he said, “because that’s the most important kick I’ve had all spring.”

(As an aside, Walker’s post-practice interview may have been the most colorful we’ve seen at “The Gug” since Demetrius Jones departed...so look for more on that a little later.)

Polian said that both Walker and Burkhart have improved since last season, and he didn’t appear to be treating Walker’s miss as a life-or-death matter.

“Nobody’s panicking,” he said. “We’re fine.”

Nate Whitaker, who vied with Walker and Burkhart for the job last fall, was not at practice Saturday. Polian said it wasn’t his place to comment on Whitaker’s status and an official word hasn’t been put out yet, but the tone seemed to imply that the walk-on may no longer be with the team.

Hold That Thought

There was a little bit of a buzz early on in the spring about sophomore cornerback Gary Gray botching his tryout as the holder on placekicking tries, but Polian said that was much ado about nothing.

“I don’t understand the hubbub about this,” he said. “This is the time of year to try these things. What do we have to lose by trying Gary Gray at holder in the spring? Nothing. We have nothing to lose. We’re not playing a game this weekend.”

Polian explained that with both experienced holders, Eric Maust and Evan Sharpley, away at times due to baseball, there was a need to try some guys out in live situations. Gray and Kyle McCarthy, both quarterbacks in high school, were natural options.

“We were just looking for guys that have ball skills,” Polian explained. “We needed to audition some guys, so we did.”

McCarthy was the holder on Walker’s lone field-goal try Saturday.

Status Quo, With One Big Surprise

The first punt-coverage unit didn’t look much different than it did last fall, other than Kevin Brooks replacing the graduated J.J. Jansen at long snapper. David Bruton and Mike Anello are still entrenched as the gunners, with Ray Herring, Steve Quinn, Kyle McCarthy and Steve Paskorz joining three Smiths – Brian, Harrison and Scott – in rounding out the unit.

George West, David Grimes, Armando Allen and Barry Gallup were the players fielding punts at the start of drills, but a couple of other players took a shot toward the end of the segment. The first, Robert Hughes, wasn’t a huge shock. The second – 330-pound offensive tackle Sam Young – was.

“He didn’t look to bad, did he?” Weis said with a smile. “You thought Zibby could run through arms.”