Football: Irish look at start of spring practice as new beginning
By ANDREW SOUKUP
Associate Sports Editor
Bob Davie blew his whistle, clapped his hands and made several things disappear.
Gone were the heartbreaking, last-second losses to Nebraska and Michigan State.
Gone, too, were the exhilarating wins over Purdue and Air Force.
Gone was the euphoria of earning a first ever BCS bid, and with it, the humilating 41-9 defeat to Oregon State in the Fiesta Bowl.
When Davie blew that whistle to start spring practice, last year's team slipped into the history books and media guides as the 2001 version of Notre Dame football stepped on the field. No one would deny that they gained experience from last year, but every single player inside the Loftus Sports Complex Tuesday knew that this was a whole new year.
"It's a totally different team than last year," said fifth-year senior-to-be Grant Irons.
Davie agreed. "Everyone is 0-0 and nobody is really a starter yet. It's all about taking the first step."
Nobody brought up last year's team and nobody asked about the Fiesta Bowl, even though the loss was still lingering. Said Irons: "That will never happen again."
Everyone's eyes were on Matt LoVecchio, Jared Clark and Carlyle Holliday, wondering who would emerge as the starter on Sept. 8.
Arnaz Battle made some quality catches in his first practice as a wide receiver — Davie said, "He'll be an exciting player to watch," — but he also bobbled and dropped a few easy passes. Nobody knows if he can make the big play when Notre Dame faces a 3rd-and-10.
The Irish need two more players to step up and fill the spots vacated by Jim Jones and Mike Gandy. Davie listed Jordan Black, Brennan Curren, Kurt Vollers, John Teasdale and Sean Mahan, to name a few, as players having the potential to start. Now he must winnow a list of eight players down to two starters.
The defensive line, the kicking unit, the tailback situation, the punting duties — the list goes on and on. What it all boils down to is that the team that stepped on the practice field Tuesday evening is completely different than the team that trudged out of Sun Devil Stadium on New Year's Day.
They've certainly learned a lot from what happened last year, but games aren't won on experience alone. As Davie himself said, "It's all about technique now."
Davie and the rest of the Irish coaching staff changed some small fundamentals during the off-season, and he appeared happy after the first day of practice. But as he is well aware, things can change pretty fast, and you can never be prepared for what happens — just look at what happened at quarterback last year.
Nevertheless, Davie is very optimistic heading into the spring practice season.
"It's just good to get out here and start," he said. "It's encouraging that we're at a high level to begin with, but we have to coach better fundamentals and play better fundamentals."
And the head coach of the Irish feels much more comfortable coming into this season fresh off a BCS berth and a brand new five-year contract, as opposed to last year when many wondered if he would even survive the summer.
"I'm more comfortable right now than at any time since I've been head coach," Davie said, quickly adding, "That doesn't mean we're necessarily going to have a better record."
It's a long spring, and there's plenty that the Irish need to improve. They'll do passing drills, blocking drills, kick field goals, and the rest of the annual routine. But the bottom line remains — Davie's 2001 squad is something completely different.
By September 8, when Notre Dame steps onto the field against Nebraska, the only things that are certain to stay the same are the gold helmets and Irish tailbacks running up the middle. We'll see different leaders, different stars, and different team dynamics.
"Right now, we're just in the early stages of where we want to be, and we're focusing on taking one day at a time and just playing as a team," Irons said.
All Sports Stories for Wednesday, March 28, 2001
