Charlie Weis Is Looking for a New Kicker

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There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic in South Bend right now. After all, at this time last year the Fighting Irish were 0-5 and well on there way to the worst season in school history. This season they've already surpassed 2007's win total, and are 4-1 while seeming to get better every week. Jimmy Clausen improves with each game, having two consecutive career games, and wide receivers Michael Floyd and Golden Tate give the Golden Domers the ability to score from anywhere on the field.

If there has been a weakness for this Irish team, though, it's been the kicker. Through five games Irish kicker Brandon Walker has made only one of his seven field goal attempts, and he's seven for twenty dating back to last season. After two more misses on Saturday in Notre Dame's 28-21 win over Stanford, Charlie Weis has seen just about enough of Mr. Walker.

"We definitely have to explore Ryan [Burkhart] kicking field goals,'' Weis said Sunday. ''Because in Brandon's case, it's not obviously a case of being able to kick it high enough or far enough. When you're 1 out of 7 kicking field goals, it just doesn't cut it.

''I've heard worse suggestions than that,'' Weis said when asked if sitting Walker for a game or two was an option. ''I don't know the answer to that at this point. We're going to get after this Monday and Tuesday, and we're going to make a decision on what we're going to do.

''We're not going to go right until game time to see what we're doing on this. A team needs to be ready. They need to know what we're doing. They will know what we're doing. When they know what they're doing, then you guys will know what we're doing. I'm not going to play hide-and-seek on this one.''

Burkhart currently handles kick offs for the Irish, but I have to wonder if he'll be any better of an option than Walker. After all, the two of them competed for the job during the spring, and Walker won the job. Well, actually he didn't win the job as much as he did less to lose it than Burkhart did.

Whatever happens, it's only a matter of time before the kicking situation in South Bend costs the team a game or two.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

10-07-2008 @ 8:59AM

dmt said...

Notre Dame should be ranked in the Top 25 ahead of North Carolina. Notre Dame will slaughter Carolina come Saturday. Also USC is ranked too high, and Michigan State is ranked too high. Both Carolina and Michigan State will almost certainly fall out of the Top 25 after Saturday. That's my predictions.

10-07-2008 @ 5:56PM

steve said...

dmt i agree with most of what you saying. ND should be in the top 25. Ball St.??? who are you guys and what are you doing in the rankings? and if ND needs a kicker let me try out, i'm money from 40 yards out hahah

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10-07-2008 @ 7:28PM

tom lewis said...

Go over to the soccer program. You are bound to find one kid that will fit into a uniform and be able to kick a fieldgoal.

10-07-2008 @ 11:12PM

chris said...

Notre Dumb has played NO ONE!! they will have there tails handed to them this week at N.C. and be brought back to real life Stanford sux, SDST? please?, Purdue is awfull, i cant WAIT for Clausen to get nailed this weekend in N.C. say liberty bowl,,, maybe

10-08-2008 @ 10:04AM

Bobby Dodd said...

Notre Dame has yet to beat an opponent with a winning record. So that makes you...what? king of the losers?

Top 25. You flaccid Irish fans are on crack. Can't wait to see what bowl you lose this year.

I bet that Washington game will be a barn burner. What are they?? 0-5. Really tough schedule for the fat retard and the rest of the leprechauns.

10-09-2008 @ 1:01PM

tiffany said...

good to see you are back bobby dodd. i was kind of wondering if we were going to be lucky enough to hear your idiotic mutterings this year. to correct you, notre dame has played one team with a losing record (at the time of playing) which was san diego state. they played michigan that was .500 and the rest (mich st, purdue, stan) all had winning records. you laughed last year, you might giggle a few times this year, but we probably won't hear much from you in the next few years as notre dame will be back among the top contenders.

10-10-2008 @ 1:57PM

All your opponents combined have a losing record. Back among what contenders??? Show me that last time Notre Dame actually won a game against a team with a winning record, much less a RANKED team. You have to go back to who.......coach WILLINGHAM???

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Notre Dame is, was, and always will be a joke.

Can't wait for that Poulan/Weedeater ass whipping you will get around Dec. 18th.

10-12-2008 @ 12:13PM

Oh, poor, poor tiffany! :-(

In a few years, ND will probably be Division II, unless NBC gets them some kind of bogus exemption.

I bet it really hurt to watch North Carolina kill you in the second half. All those dreams......down the drain.

Turnovers......Poor Coaching!

10-09-2008 @ 6:16PM

the combined record of NOTRE DUMBS opponents this YTD(year to date for all you ND grads) is..........8-13, Hey Tennessee beat a team that did not have a loosing record this year too,, UAB the 2nd game of the year, Keep spinnin it tiff, ND will NEVER be back among top contenders, tiff, keep livin in the rear view mirror, the view is gonna be way better from there.