DDN
12/31
Asked if his four NFL titles trump OSU coach Jim Tressel's five national crowns, Weis flashed the hood-ornament-sized Super Bowl ring adorning his hand and said,
"I think my ONE trumps his five."
His NFL background — and that bling-bling — give him instant credibility.
"If I go into a kid's house," he quipped, "and I can get him to look at my hand instead of my face, I think I've got a good chance."
To Weis, recruiting in college offers a quick-fix that could never be found in the parity-driven pro league.
"Unlike the draft in the NFL, you can go out and get 10 first-round draft choices every year — just go out and out-work everybody," he said. "That's what the good programs do."
And OSU fans beware: Weis is targeting the Buckeye state.
"We're bringing some (players) out this year," he said of the three seniors who have given the Irish verbal commitments, "and we're going to be bringing more out every year."
Weis' cocksure style may have been what the Irish needed, but it's not likely to win him many supporters outside the program.
While Notre Dame has its legions of followers, it will always be the school most fans love to hate.
"It's like the Yankees," Weis said. "I grew up in Jersey a Yankees fan and never understood that, either. But I think Notre Dame is an independent and has its own TV deal ... and there's a lot of people that maybe get jealous.
"But when I decided to go to school here, I knew it was something special. And anyone who has gone to Notre Dame and walked that campus for four years — because we all graduate in four years, there's no one going on a five-year plan — you just know it's someplace different."
