Taylor: Irish have pieces in place to turn program around

By TOM COYNE, AP Sports Writer

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Taylor: Irish have pieces in place to turn program around

Former Notre Dame football player Aaron Taylor talks with Irish Head Coach Charlie Weis at the 2007 fooball banquet.

By Beth Boehne

Story Created: Dec 7, 2007 at 11:02 PM EST

Story Updated: Dec 8, 2007 at 12:03 AM EST

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Notre Dame has the pieces in place to be successful and return to dominance, former Fighting Irish player Aaron Taylor told the team Friday night.

"The answer to getting Notre Dame back on track is you. You are enough," Taylor said at the team banquet. "You have what it takes."

After back-to-back berths in Bowl Championship Series games, Notre Dame (3-9) set a school record for losses in a season that was much worse than even most critics expected even though the Irish were young and inexperienced.

The Irish finished last in the nation in total offense, averaging just 242 yards a game. They averaged just 75 yards a game rushing, 60 yards below the previous record low of 135 yards a game set in 1959. They also gave up 58 sacks, shattering the school record of 38 set in 2002.

Taylor was critical of the team during the season on his blog, Legends of South Bend. He was particularly critical of coach Charlie Weis, writing in one report: "Coach Weis' ability to develop untapped potential into on-field talent has yet to be proven."

On Friday, though, Taylor was upbeat and positive. Taylor, a tackle at Notre Dame from 1990-93 who won the Lombardi Award in 1993 as the nation's best lineman, said the lessons he learned at the university have helped him succeed in life.

Talking to the media before the banquet, Taylor said he couldn't estimate how long it would take to turn the program around, but he doesn't believe it will be long.

"I think that as that talent matures and as coach Weis and his ability and his transition to the college game matures as well, that's going to be a deadly combination," he said.

Weis told the players next season began last Monday when they started their offseason weightlifting program. He also told them that 3-9 is not acceptable.

"No one likes going 3-9. You know all those sayings about perseverance and how you can grow from being 3-9. Well, you can grow from 12-0, too," he said. "So why don't we try to work in that direction."

At least a dozen recruits, some of whom already have committed to the Irish, attended the banquet.

Defensive end Trevor Laws was named the team's most valuable player. Laws led the Irish with 112 tackles, the second most by an Irish lineman. He also won the Knute Rockne Student-Athlete Award. Tight end John Carlson was the Nick Pietrosante Award winner as the player who best exemplified the courage of the late Notre Dame fullback.

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