Seeking a certain mentality
When Weis was hired as Irish coach, "nasty" was one of the terms he used to describe the type of football team he was intent on developing at Notre Dame.

I know exactly what Weis is talking about it in terms of nastiness. Off the field the coach expects his players to be model student athletes, and on the field there is business to attend to and it should be done in a clean fashion and with a lot of passion.

So when an Irish player delivers a hit, it's expected it will be done with enough impact that the opponent recognizes what he's up against. And that can become mentally demoralizing for foes of Notre Dame.

That temperament, which I don't believe was there with the Irish last season, pretty much rears itself through the play of the defense. But it can also show up on offense, for instance with a lineman.

When a block is thrown it should be felt, and by the Irish offense going about things in this manner, an opposing defense can eventually wear down from all the physical punishment coming its way -- and that helps open the door for big plays by the Notre Dame offense.

The way Weis believes that Notre Dame can best get in the heads of its opponents is to have these opponents realize that when they step on the field with the Irish, they are in for a very physical battle.

The right outlook on the season
For Notre Dame to have the kind of season I think it is capable of having, the Irish have to be able to win with a defense, which again does not have to be dominating, but does have to do its part to produce wins.

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Another key is to show improvement on special teams, and also critical will be how the Irish deal with the high expectations that surround them this season.

As a former Notre Dame player who knows first hand the expectations that attach to every Irish football season, my best advice to this year's team is to understand that the season is a marathon, but every week is a sprint.

If the focus, execution, and confidence are there for these sprints, there should be a good result to the season, maybe even an undefeated one.

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