STEP FOUR
The fourth step is following up on the fall admissions. It’s one thing to look into the cameras and say I was wrong. It’s another to really follow up and do something of substance about it. Weis’ imminent visit to his old coaching tree in New England can’t be the end-all solution. As dominant as the Patriots are, the blueprint doesn’t work in South Bend -- only limited elements of it will.

STEP FIVE
The fifth step is reconnecting with the Ara Parseghian Era. Weis did a great job in his first year or so inviting ex-players who had been long ignored by previous regimes back into the Notre Dame family. But there seems to be a developing gap between Weis and some of the players, assistants and administrators from the Parseghian Era. You can’t make everyone happy, but showing respect and reverence to that era is a great place to start mending fences.

STEP SIX
The sixth step is keeping some of the edge. Weis burst upon the college scene, he didn’t amble into it. He didn’t test the water with a toe, then an ankle. He dove into the deep end with a triple somersault and a half twist. He thinks and lives out of the box. And some of that is what gives him a chance to turn his dream job into a dream for everyone else. But there’s a balance with that. There are fine points and details. And the players, first and foremost, will be watching to see how he handles it.

So far, they like what they see -- including the recruits.

“The players are what sold me on the program,” Newman said. “And that comes from the head coach. They just wanted to go out and practice and improve the way they were doing things. They wanted to get out there and get better. And it was good to see that those guys didn't kind of dwell on it and let the last game bleed into the next game.

“That's the type of people we're going to be joining. That's the type of people who are already there. That's the type of players that we are, we want to get there and do the exact same thing. So it's kind of good to see we're all in the same boat.”

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