There seems to be more optimism at the start of spring practice this year than in the past two years. 2007 QB fiasco which caused the transfer of two of the QB's involved followed by the fearful 2008 "we do not have an offensive line" marked two of the most dismal seasons of the program.

As fans, we only hope that the entanglement of coaching positions will not confuse the players as to who is the cook and keep the team focus on the important issues: perform to win

This is year 5. I was all about giving him (Weis) slack the first 2-3 years when getting adjusted and building a whole new team (to replace the Quinn line). But come on now, this is his 3rd-4th year recruits. What is he doing with them? I'm perplexed. I know there is a lot more talent out there heading to all kinds of schools across the country, but jeepers- this is ND for goodness sake. That used to mean something.

It is my opinion that ND and ND fans needed to be more patient with coach Weis as he inherited an empty cupboard without much talent to work with. Last year was disappointing as the team looked more promising and some games were simply given away. Indeed, Navy was about to pull a miracle and against Syracuse the team disappeared from the field.

This year, coach Weis has no excuse. This team should finish October with no more than a single loss if at all. If that feat is achieved, ND will be among the 10 best teams in the country once again and, with the best two recruit groups moving to upperclassmen, maybe will be in the National Championship discussion in 2010.

Let's hope