southern BEND.

southern BEND, Ind. -- Charlie Weis talked politely for 45 minutes about his football team Sunday. however Notre Dame's second-year coach assured listeners that his vocabulary expands in the locker sweep and on the practice field.

"I use my modern Jersey rhetoric," the Trenton native said Sunday.

He believes he extremitys to be "much more demanding" this season -- of players, coaches, on the same level his star quarterback, Brady Quinn -- because of all the hype surrounding the Irish.

The USA Today preseason coaches' catalogue of heads released last week, has Notre Dame tied with Southern Cal at No. 3 in the nation. Quinn is the early Heisman favorite. For Sunday's media day, reporters were in from Denver and Boston, of recent origin York and Kansas City. Yahoo.com's national sports columnist showed up ESPN was taping.

For his players, Weis wants all the focus to be forward opening opponent Georgia Tech onward Sept. 2. ...