Notre Dame reportedly interested in Patriots assistant

[ducks]

Notre Dame reportedly interested in Patriots assistant

December 9, 2004

BOSTON (AP) -- Count Charlie Weis among the coaching candidates at Notre Dame.

The New England Patriots offensive coordinator could be interviewed by the Irish as early as Friday, The Boston Globe reported on its Web site Thursday night.

The report is ``nothing that we would comment on,'' Patriots spokesman Stacey James said.

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Notre Dame is looking for a replacement for fired coach Tyrone Willingham. School officials also are scheduled to meet with former Irish assistant coach Tom Clements on Friday, a football source told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Clements, in his first season as offensive coordinator with the Buffalo Bills, played quarterback for the Irish under coach Ara Parseghian, leading the school to an undefeated season and a national championship in 1973.

The Globe attributed its report on Weis to an unidentified source involved in the hiring process at Notre Dame and a source in the NFL with ties to Weis.

Weis' agent, Bob LaMonte, told the AP early Thursday that he had not heard from Notre Dame, saying he thought the school was focusing on Clements. LaMontre did not immediately return another call seeking comment.

Weis did not immediately return a phone message.

John Heisler, Notre Dame's associate athletic director, said Thursday the university would not comment.

Weis attended Notre Dame, but never played college football. He was hired an assistant at South Carolina from 1985-88 and joined the New York Giants as a defensive assistant and assistant special teams coach in 1990. He has also been an assistant with Patriots and Jets before becoming offensive coordinator in New England in 2000.

[exstatic]

Notre Dame apparently hired Weis. They were talking about it on the NFL telecast today, how it could be a distraction during the playoffs if he has to pull double duty. Personally? I would have stayed with a winner in NE, or taken an NFL job. A lot of the luster has come off the ND job in the last ten years or so, and they haven't really been a force for probably 15 years.