Weis Is Going for the Big Sell

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. —  Super Bowl commercials cost millions of dollars a minute.

Imagine if Charlie Weis had to pay for his, which essentially will last three hours Sunday when his New England Patriots play Philadelphia. Weis, the Patriots’ offensive coordinator, will have his product on display on the biggest of international stages. Not a bad endorsement for a guy who soon will devote all his time to coaching Notre Dame’s football team.

“Recruiting is selling,” Weis said Thursday. “You have a product, you have yourself and you try to go sell it. That’s what recruiting is. The only thing I have is a shorter time frame.”

There’s no doubt some recruits will be impressed by Weis’ dazzling credentials -- three Super Bowls in four years -- but he won’t necessarily have the edge when it comes to wooing prospects.

“The bottom line still comes to this: If [another coach] is recruiting a kid for two years and I’m recruiting a kid for the last two months, I can get us in the game, but when it comes right down to it, these kids like to feel comfortable with the relationships of the people who are going to be coaching them. Just like any other relationship, it’s built on trust.”

Weis, a Notre Dame alumnus, said the school hasn’t been as easy to sell in recent years.

“One of the problems at Notre Dame is, they have taken a hammering from the press over the last few years,” he said.

“A lot of times people from Notre Dame are perceived as arrogant and obnoxious. By the way, coincidentally, that’s what they say about people from New Jersey as well.”

Weis, it’s worth noting, is from Trenton, N.J.

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No need to wonder whether defensive tackle Richard Seymour will play Sunday: He will. That’s what he said Thursday, at least, a day after his first practice in nearly six weeks.

“I’m the official word,” said Seymour, nursing a knee injury. “I will play on Sunday, period. It’s definitely been a long time coming. Any time you’re not out there on the football field with your teammates, it’s always tough.... Sunday, I’ll be ready to go.”

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Among the thousands of people attending the Super Bowl will be Dodger right-hander Jeff Weaver, whose cousin, Jed Weaver, is a reserve tight end for the Patriots. Jed, who began his career with the Eagles in 1999, caught eight passes for 93 yards this season, four of those receptions coming against San Francisco last month. He has yet to be activated for the playoffs.