(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Have you noticed the difference between Charlie Weis as just the play caller versus Charlie Weis the Offensive Coordinator? If you have yet to notice, you will Saturday night when the Fighting Irish take on the Boilermakers of Purdue.

Weis's role as Offensive Coordinator will be vital as the Irish must continue to score points without star receiver Michael Floyd.

By taking on the role of Offensive Coordinator this season, Charlie Weis is the man in charge of gameplan, installation, personnel, and of course play calling for the offense. Looking back to Weis's role as Offensive Coordinator with the New England Patriots should give the Irish faithful confidence for the continued success of the offense, even without Michael Floyd.

When Weis won his Super Bowl rings with the Patriots, their offense performed on a high level without the presence of any top tier wide receiver. With a quarterback who can make good decisions and a respectable running game, Weis can gameplan a passing attack by playing to each of his receivers' strengths.

The first key against Purdue will be taking the running game a step further. The Purdue defense currently ranks 101st in the FBS for rushing defense, by giving up an average of 181 yards per game. If healthy, expect a heavy dose of Armando Allen. Allen currently ranks 15th in the nation for rushing. Allen is only averaging 108 yards per game, but it is coming on a healthy 5.53 yards per carry.

What about the Wildcat? Expect the Wildcat to factor into the effort to maximize the run game, especially in the red zone. Notre Dame runs their version of the Wildcat with an unbalanced line to optimize their best blockers and also tempt a defense to overload to open the counter. Much like against Michigan State, don't be surprised to see a new wrinkle added to the package. Options are endless such as shovel pass to Rudolph, reverse with playside receiver, or counter with Golden Tate or Allen.

Don't be surprised to see John Goodman in the Wildcat package taking the snap or out wide where Jimmy Clausen has been. In addition to having good speed, Goodman is rumored to have the best throwing arm on the team.

In addition to the Wildcat, expect Weis to feature two tight end and three tight end packages that are traditional staples to a Charlie Weis offense. Kyle Rudolph has made great strides in pass blocking since the Nevada game, and both Mike Ragone and Bobby Burger have been stellar at the point of attack.

The final key to the run game against Purdue is the expected increase of playing time for receiver Duval Kamara. When asked how much he would change what he looks for out of the receiver position without Michael Floyd, Weis responded "Oh not much. As a matter of fact, there's some elements of it you actually gain. Like Duval, he's the best blocking receiver we have."

Due to a turf-toe in the plant foot of quarterback Jimmy Clausen, the post-Floyd passing attack may not by utilized much against Purdue. The passing attack is where Weis can rely on his Patriot days of creating personnel mismatches based on the strengths of each of his receivers. The loss of Floyd does not create an exact Patriots scenario, because the current offense still has two top tier passing threats in Golden Tate and Kyle Rudolph.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?