Eric Hansen

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The groupies haven’t materialized yet, even with video of Charlie Weis’ short stint of providing background vocals for rocker Jon Bon Jovi at a recent charity event having found its way onto YouTube.

Then again, the boos didn’t materialize either. Which is exactly the opposite of what happened the last time the Notre Dame head football coach sang — in public anyway.

Last July at Wrigley Field, Weis was asked to belt out “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” at a Chicago Cubs game. Before he could so much as go sharp when he should have gone flat for the first time, Weis’ public perception was thrown in his face.

His introduction drew the kind of hostile reaction normally reserved for the White Sox. And the boos didn’t stop raining down until Weis was no longer in view of the crowd.

The perceptual battles haven’t ended for Weis, but the trifecta of a bowl blowout win in December, a seismic national signing day in February, and a staff shakeup with some wow factor have given Weis some much-needed positive mojo heading into spring practice, which kicks off Friday.

There’s a comfortability in Weis that has not been present before this spring, a belief on his part that maybe the most painful lessons are behind him, a confidence that the team’s trajectory isn’t so fragile that all the planets have to be so perfectly aligned.

And with that comes the ability to be fully focused on strategy and personnel, which is what Weis’ fifth spring practice swing is all about.

If Weis is going to continue to hit the right notes with what was becoming a largely skeptical fan base, this spring practice is going to have to be transformational. And that means at least starting to answer this six-pack of dangling dilemmas:

Can Weis finally straighten a crooked offensive line?
Even in the feel-good Brady Quinn years (2005, 2006), ND’s offensive line production never matched either the talent on hand or offensive line coach John Latina’s reputation. If confidence is any indication, Weis feels this enigma finally will be remedied by his greater understanding of the nuances of college offense, by adding Frank Verducci as line coach and running game coordinator, and by having experience at every offensive line position.

But feeling it and proving it are two different things. If you want to see if the line is making progress this spring, keep an eye on senior-to-be tackle Sam Young.

He was Weis’ first top 10 national recruit, a guy among offensive tackles rated behind only Alabama’s 2008 Outland Trophy winner Andre Smith, a guy whose name pops up in some 2010 mock drafts at the end of the first round, a guy with a great attitude and work ethic, and a body pro scouts feel hasn’t yet fully matured.

If he doesn’t start showing signs of becoming a dominant player this spring, it’s not the 6-foot-8, 320-pounder who will be underachieving. It comes down to player development. And this is an area in which Weis still has something to prove.

Is Weis flirting with disaster at quarterback?
For the first time in Weis’ mind, incumbent starter Jimmy Clausen has real competition in the spring. Now, that was supposed to be at least the pretext of a four-man QB derby two springs ago, but it turns out Clausen was the front-runner all along.

None of the three who competed with Clausen remain on the roster. Evan Sharpley has opted to focus full-time on baseball. Zach Frazer is vying to be UConn’s starting quarterback — including when the Huskies visit Notre Dame Stadium in November. Demetrius Jones, the man who started the 2007 season opener when Clausen’s surgically repaired elbow wouldn’t allow him to make an early splash, is now a linebacker experiment at Cincinnati.

Sophomore-to-be Dayne Crist is on the roster and will push Clausen, something the junior needs. The scary part is what if something were to happen to both of them in the fall. Who’s Plan C?

Walk-on Nate Montana? Former high school quarterbacks E.J. Banks (a freshman cornerback) or John Goodman (a sophomore wide receiver)?

Whatever direction Weis ends up going there, they can’t be shorted on the reps this spring, nor can Crist for that matter. Clausen is mentally miles ahead of where he was as a sophomore, and physically much more capable of shedding would-be tacklers. But he’s not invincible, especially when it comes to injury.

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