Dec. 28, 2005
The University of Notre Dame football team continued its preparations for the 2006 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2005, in Scottsdale, Ariz. The Irish attended the Fellowship of Christian Athletes annual breakfast at 7 a.m., then returned to the Scottsdale Plaza Resort for a series of team meetings before practice at 2:15 p.m.
The Irish have experienced two beautiful days of weather in Scottsdale. Sunny skies and temperatures in the 70's have provided the Irish with ideal practice conditions. Tuesday's workout was made up entirely of running and lifting weights to get the team back into work mode. For Wednesday's practice, the Irish were back in full pads and focused on refining their previous game preparation for January 2nd.
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Junior Brady Quinn was one of four players (along with offensive coordinator Mike Haywood) who attended a press conference at the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl media hotel (Marriott Camelback Inn) on Wednesday morning. Four Irish defensive players will follow on Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m.
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The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Trophy. Both Notre Dame and Ohio State hope to add their name to the trophy with a victory on Jan. 2, 2006.
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Brady Quinn drew quite a crowd of media members during Wednesday's press conference. Some of Quinn's comments on Joe Montana - "The lessons never end with a guy like that. He has worlds of knowledge of how to play quarterback and what to do in every situation. One of the first things he said to me was to be patient and take what the defense gives you. In my freshman season that was probably the hardest thing for me to do. I needed to be patient in big games."
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Junior All-American Jeff Samardzija answers a series of questions from the media. Here are some of Samardzija's comments on his expectations for the Fiesta Bowl - "We are going to come in and play how we are capable of playing. We are not going to settle for anything less than what we do out there every day. We go into every game thinking we can win it and trying to win it. If you take the mindset that you are not sure what is going to happen, bad things will happen. Every game we are coming in thinking we are going to win."
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Senior Anthony Fasano was the third player to meet with the media on Wednesday. Here are some of Fasano's comments on his expectations for the Fiesta Bowl - "Right now I am just concentrating on getting prepared and focused for the game. As long as we have one more point than them, I don't mind how the game goes."
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Sophomore Darius Walker answered his fair share of questions at the press conference as well. Walker mentioned that he spent Christmas not in his native state of Georgia, but visited family members in Las Vegas.
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A view of the grounds at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort - the Notre Dame team headquarters for the 2006 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
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Another view of the Scottsdale Plaza Resort from the front of the facility.
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The media coverage did not end at the press conference on Wednesday morning. A bevy of photographers and writers attended the first 20 minutes of the Irish practice at Scottsdale Community College.
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Irish head coach Charlie Weis gets his team ready for practice on Wednesday. Anxious to get started, Weis shifted the practice schedule at the final minute and began the two-hour workout with a spirited 10-minute session of special teams.
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The Irish offense (wearing blue jerseys during this week's practice) give each other a helping hand as the team goes through its traditional stretching exercises.
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Irish assistant head coach (offense) and offensive line coach John Latina goes over some last minute practice preparation with his troops while they stretch.
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As always, stretching was overseen by strength and conditioning coordinator Ruben Mendoza. Coach Mendoza deserves a lot of credit for Notre Dame's outstanding physical fitness this season.
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The Irish practice fields are located behind Scottsdale Community College and are closed to all fans. The media is allowed in for only the first 20 minutes.
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Always keeping an eye on every detail, Coach Weis goes over a new field pattern that the Irish will need to adjust to at their practice fields. The numbers were not painted on the field at the same depth they usually are for a college field. Weis pointed out the change to his players before practice and the team easily adjusted during its workout.
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photos by Alan Wasielewski
