Nothing Else To Say - Gameday Preview...Georgia Tech

With kickoff just a few hours away, there really is nothing new left, to put out there. So here we go...

Georgia Tech

Offense- Many around the college football world have equated "new math" when it comes to the GT offense. They figure addition because of subtraction to help this team. This means that many have deducted GT to be better off without Reggie Ball, who regressed every year since his freshman year, and improved with new starter Tyler Bennett. While this may be true, please keep in mind that Bennett had great numbers in the bowl game in place of the suspended Ball because of SUPERFREAK Calvin Johnson. No more Calvin, means no premier option to throw to at WR... that we know of. They also have an extremely talented running back in Tashard Choice. Although the Irish held Choice to only 54 yards last year, he did improve and became the ACC's leading rusher. The O-Line may have some question marks and may be out a few starters with injuries.

Defense- The Tenuta led defense is a good one. Last year they kept Irish legend, and the incarnation of the Thunder god-Thor, Brady Quinn to a fairly average game. This year they should blitz even more with an inexperienced signal caller for the Irish. Phillip Wheeler leads the way for the Yellow Jackets and runs their defense as well as any LB in the country. The biggest weakness is at the corner positions with big play written all over them... provided we keep Wheeler off the QBs ass. The D-line is small, but quick. If ND wants to over power GT, they should be able with their size advantage.

Special Teams- GT has an All-American at punter in Durant Brooks. He could be critical in the field position game.

Fighting Irish

Offense- ND will probably be using a power running game to exploit GT's weaknesses in size up front and to protect their young QB (If the rumors are true on the net... it will be Demetrius Jones). ND has a stable of backs in Thomas, Aldridge, Jabbie, Allen, and Hughes and don't forget about the 2 fullbacks Schwaap and Schmidt. We should see a vast majority of the 7 see quality playing time. ND will need a big game from John Carlson receiving the ball. He's cool. Wide receiver has been a question mark all preseason, but Weis like the guys he has. Grimes and West are small but quick, while Parris and probably Kamara will see quality time when we need a jump ball. Watch for a stronger, more physical, nastier offensive line from the Irish this year. Have paramedics standing by.

Defense- With the new 3-4 scheme put in place by new DC Corwin Brown, look for the Irish to play more aggressive on this side of the ball. No more calculus before the snap. I'm really excited about Darrin Walls beating out Wooden for the corner spot opposite Lambert. This give the Irish their first REAL CB tandem since Walton and Duff... and this may turn out even better. The real key will be Pat Kuntz and his NT position. Kuntz must hold down the fort and give Crum, T. Smith and company some space to make the necessary plays. ND should get a better pass rush out of this years team despite losing Abiamiri. The new D allows for a more creative blitz package and can be disguised better than a conventional 4-3. Zibby should be back to 2005 form, hence making big plays. The question mark will be Bruton and his pass coverage skills. He is athletic and fats, but how's his head?

Special Teams- ND will counter Brooks with their own big-booter, Geoff Price. Who will emerge as a consistent place kicker? I don't know, but I'm sure Weis will keep a short leash on them. Also keep keen ryes on our return game. Zibby will be deadly again this year and we now have some fresh fast legs returning kicks in freshman Armando Allen and Golden Tate...SHAZAM!

Overall

Tech lost Johnson and only scored 10 points on our horrible defense in Atlanta last year. Welcome to South Bend and welcome to the Corwin Brown era on defense. He should do to our defense what Weis has done to our offense. If ND plays power ball and the QB makes as few mistakes as possible, chalk it up as a "W" baby.

Subway Domer Says: 31-13 Irish

Mitch Says: 24-0 Irish (Mitch is a contributor to SD and is now related by marriage. He boldly predicted blowout wins versus USC the past 2 years... so bow down)

GO IRISH

Charlie Weis Reads Subway Domer

At least I would like to think so. A few weeks back in my "Freshman Are Special People" piece, I stated that Allen and Tate would probably be returning the kicks for the Irish. So imagine my lack of surprise when Weis stated they were 1&2 on the depth chart. This is of course... AWESOME. We haven't seen a duo with that much speed retuning kicks in a long time. Weis stated that this could be an "Outhouse or castle" type situation. Meaning, feast or famine. Being freshman they could choke like a Florida St. kicker or simply kick ass. I'm betting on the latter.

In other news...

• Vernaglia looks to be the starter at ROLB. Good for him. The bigger question is if he can hold off freshman Brian Smith and Kerry Neal. Both frosh are impressing the staff and will see solid game action.


• Darrin Walls is a starter now at cornerback. He beat out Ambrose Wooden during camp and will play opposite Terrail Lambert. Darrin may start to live up to the hype for himself , as he was highly ranked as an incoming freshman last year. He saw live action right away in 2006 facing off against super stud Calvin Johnson. Ambrose Wooden will be the nickel back.


• Derrell Hand will serve a 3 game suspension for his indiscretions.


• Will Yeatman (Lacrosse god) will be the #2 TE, beating out Ivan Drago's lost son Konrad Reuland.


• The kicker battle is still waging at the cost of 1000's of lives and $2,346,785.74 per day.


• Weis knows his QB, do you? Do they?

No Title Needed

After what seemed like an eternity, but was really only a week, Subway Domer is back. At first I was really sweating that I might miss something or would log back onto the net and find out Clausen was arrested. Then I read the newspaper and saw Clausen WAS arrested, and I thought to myself, 'Maybe I do need a week off?' The more I thought about it the more I came up with the same conclusion... this might be alright-for 1 week out of the year. I mean what did I really miss?

• Jimmy Clausen was arrested for some retard law. Weis doesn't care, so neither should you. I'm sure the message boards were going ape shit. Another 2 days of unreadable word vomit.
• We don't know the starter at QB for the season opener. Did you really think we would know anything Weis doesn't want leaked out? I'm actually a "I really don't give a fuck" guy right know. Weis knows what he's doing and will probably make the right decision. Everyone fighting over Clausen and Jones is starting to look a little too gay for my taste.
• Everyone thinks that USC is the greatest team ever assembled and there is no way they lose the NC. Someone tell that to Mack Brown.
• Fuck Michigan.
• I missed watching the same drills run over and over for the media's 20 allotted minutes.

If I missed something huge please let me know, but I think I was safe. So what did I do? Preparation. Like the players, we fans must prepare ourselves with the upcoming season.

• Schedule off days from work.
• Get all tailgating gear in order. (Big props to my B-I-L John for the new handmade corn-toss set).
• Tickets.... check.
• Flag flying.
• Watched The Rites of Autumn. This set never gets old and really gets the blood pumping.
• Watched Rudy.
• Visualized and waiting to attack.

Starting Monday... Game week.

Like The Pheonix...

I'm back bitches. Let me catch up on a few things, and I will have some info for you. I've been held hostage by a swarm of angry Yellow Jackets and was forced to .... I'll tell ya later.

Crash

Sorry everyone! My hard drive crashed and I am going to be down for a few days. I will post part 2 of "What Do We Know" as soon as I get rolling again. Don't worry the Tight Ends will be on there. Thanks for your patience as I have none for Dell and their Phillipino Army.

Thanks,
Subway Domer

What Do We Know? Part 1

After the first week of practice (and a few days), they are still many questions surrounding this team. I'm not sure when the answers will come, other than to say ' We'll see on September 1st. Here is a rundown of things we do know, along with a few maybes. What's a blog good for if we can't speculate?

OFFENSE

Quarterbacks

This is the easiest, we don't know. We may think we know, or we think we might know because someones brother's nephew's cousin's neighbor's kid lives next door to someone who says they know a kid on campus and he thinks that so-and-so is the starter because this student overheard a confession of Darrin Bragg's and said he walked out smiling. Internet rumors are stupid as they are rampant. The media certainly doesn't help matters by throwing ANYTHING against the wall until something sticks. (Someone will tell you they told you so sometime after kickoff against Georgia Tech. Weis has said that he won't release the name until then, so I think we should just take his word and chill. With that said however, whoever the starter turns out to be, Demetrius Jones should, and will, see significant time under center. He has displayed too much talent, savvy, and leadership skills not to. Whether he is the starter or a redzone guy or whatever...#3 will play.

Running Backs

There is now a stable of horses in the backfield for the first time since the mid to late nineties. 5 of them to be exact, and ALL have something to bring to the table. The starter will be Travis Thomas and should see most of the carries. He is a captain and has a good mix of power and speed along with a toughness that cannot be coached. (Justin King just wet himself). If it wasn't for our need at linebacker last year, Thomas would have seen a large amount of carries. Weis had to run what was basically a 3rd down offense for most of the game because of Walkers limitations as a finesse runner. That will be a huge advantage for the Irish this year as opposed to last year. Behind Thomas is James Aldridge. JA has a load of talent and is the same type of runner as Thomas. This will be very important to the Irish as fresh legs are most explosive. ND doesn't have to change its playcalling with JA in when Thomas takes a breather. He (Aldridge) will see a lot of carries... just less than Thomas. Junior Jabbie is a personal favorite of mine since he committed to the Irish. I love the name and the H.S.- Junnior Jabbie from The Hun School. That's badass. Jabbie impressed Weis in spring practice, BEFORE, the Blue-Gold game. Charlie kept saying it, and then we all saw it. Whether or not this translates into this season at all is still a question mark, but he is involved with the competition for playing time which translates into a better unit overall. That leaves the 2 frosh. Armando Allen and Robert Hughes. I have no doubt that Allen will see significant P.T. on special teams and running the ball because of his speed and quickness. Weis loves him and we NEED that homerun threat in the backfield. Hughes will really have to surge on the depth chart, I believe, to see much playing time if any. He may be a "redshirt" before it is all said and done barring any injuries to the other 4. He did make it a point during recruiting that he wanted to play right away and Weis may have promised this, and Weis is a man of his word. We are stacked with talent and should see a lot of production from this unit. Leading the way for these guys will be Asaph Schwaap. Schwaap is a beast who should be laying out any and all who stand in front of him and his runner. Luke Schmidt will see some action as well at FB after a good spring showing and is probably the best runner of the two.

Offensive Line

Already this camp, we are starting to see what should be the starters emerge. As of right now the starters consist of: LT-Paul Duncan, LG-Mike Turkovich, C-John Sullivan, RG-Dan Wenger, RT-Sam Young. This will be a very physical line and as the line goes, so will our running and passing game. We will probably see some action from others such as Matt Carufel, Eric Olsen and Matt Romine. Should something happen to Sullivan (God forbid) Wenger will slide over to Center and either Olsen or Carufel will take over the guard spot. John Latina wants a unit that is versatile and interchangeable, and finally with depth we may have that. Chris Stewart returns to OL after a spring stint at NT, but he has some catching up to do despite having, by all accounts, all the physical tools to make an impact. This unit may surprise a lot of "national" media outlets. On paper they have a small amount of total playing time, but will make up for it with a nastiness that was lacking from last years unit.

Wide Receivers

Yet another huge question mark for the Irish is "Who's catching them?" Only David Grimes has really cemented himself in at WR. I think we will see a large rotation of players. The freshman, Duval Kamara, is a physical presence. He will see the field a lot this season. No one else on the depth chart has his size and abilities all wrapped into one sweet package. George West has made huge strides this offseason and should be the number 2 guy... as of right now. D.J. Hord has really been impressing the staff and media with his practice play. If he can translate that onto the field for gameday, we may have finally found our speedy deep threat. Robby Parris is also in the mix. This could be a blessing in disguise, since defenses will be unable to lock down on who the #1 target might be. That's 5 guys listed, and don't forget about Golden Tate and Barry Gallup who both have great speed and could really mix things up. This unit is severely lacking experience and that may hurt us right away. However, they will improve and could become very deadly with the variety that they offer. Seriously, watch out for Kamara. He could be our answer to USC's Mike Williams from a few years ago.

Tomorrow, I will have the defensive units for you.

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May You Be Silent

Not to go on a rant or anything, but...This has got to stop. I making this post as a plea to Irish fans, and SERIOUS college football fans in general. It is simple... No More Mark May. Quit posting about what he said in message boards. Quit talking about him to your friends. Quit e-mailing ESPN about how wrong he is (the websites in his namesake can stay) and why he is the ultimate Douche Bag. This is the ultimate waste of time. Take an economics class or research why "Shock Jocks" are so popular. It's called- supply and demand. The more you moan and bitch about what some idiot talking head is saying about your team in front of the camera, the more it is going to continue. ESPN has made sure that every program that they have, follows the same formulas as Pardon the Interruption and Around the Horn. It's debate class, and Mark May has hit the jackpot. He has found the largest national fan base and has spit venom in its direction for no REAL reason other than money. He is not going to be fired for making outlandish statements, because everyone is tuning in to watch. We may not be tuning in for his opinion, but we are watching none-the-less. ESPN catches a lot of slack for their programming and their biases, but... what would you do with out them? How many college games would you see each week? I would love to burn them, but I love my MAC games on Wednesday, and my Big East games on Thursday. I do. I love ESPNEWS and ESPNU. I do and I am not going to apologize for loving the greatest gift (College Football) God has given to men since Eve (minus the banishment from Eden thing). So for the love of Christ man, ignore that piece of shit Mark May and let him talk about his lust for all things Pete Carroll. It really doesn't matter when we start winning championships.... and then he has no purpose. Peace.

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Rabbit Season

Even Lllloyd's own players think he's a joke. Fuck Michigan! That's right... I can swear.

Rebuilding? "May God Strike Me Dead."

The first press conference of the season got underway today. There was the usual questions asked of Weis, and he really gave them no answer. " Who's the starter coach?" Like he was going to tell if he did know. But that's why they pay reporters... to be idiots.

The video archive is up and running of the PC on UND.com and the transcript will be up shortly as well.

These are a FEW of the highlights of the PC.

• When asked about this being a rebuilding year. Weis said that he doesn't use that word. The press does. He also gave this quote, "May God strike me dead if I ever use that word." One line to instill the confidence of the entire ND Nation.
• He is not happy with the new no texting ban for recruiting. He said that was a valuable tool for him and on the last day for it, July 31, he sent out a "million". He also said he was going through "text withdraw" the next day.
• When he was asked, by some idiot, about if ND has changed him as it did with Holtz, Ara, etc. -meaning if he was feeling the pressure and felt he could go elsewhere, Weis listed off the inventory of his "sweet" home and the amenities. Said he feels great and feels better than when he arrived in 2005.
• Cut Joe Schadd (ESPN) off and gave a look as he answered another question about Clausen and his elbow. He will name each ND QB as the starter until GT...and then say he knew it.

There is more to come today on UND.com with players and assistants. Stay tuned to Subway Domer for more updates.

Hand Out

Derrell Hand, a Junior defensive tackle, was suspended indefinitely yesterday for a violation of team rules. (Apparently, the team rules has something in it about prostitutes or... just being arrested in general).
This is a bit of a blow to ND, which is already thin at DL, if he does not come back this year. Reports are, that he was making significant progress during the Spring and was looking at quality minutes as one in the rotation for NT.
Good luck Darrell.

Link to South Bend Tribune Story

Freshman Are Special People

With the first practice of the season coming in just a few days, the mention of the new season is causing an overabundance of excitement all across ND Nation. One of the primary topics every year is "What freshmen will play right away?". This year is already no different in that aspect. Every message board on the net has more than enough threads debating this very subject matter. The one difference this year however, is that there are very few returning starters on both sides of the ball. This makes for an interesting preseason camp. The starting lineups we saw in the spring may differ before it is all said and done.

We can debate and speculate all we want about the depth chart for the offense and defense. There is certainly a wealth of talent coming in this year for us to do so. Will Clausen start? What about Kamara? But generally speaking over the years, the biggest overall impact a freshman class can make is on special teams. This is where I believe the frosh are going to see significant playing time, and hopefully contribute to some great plays and victories. Who? Where?

• Brandon Walker K-- With the lack of success the kicking game had last year, Walker has an excellent chance to take over the duty if he performs well during practice. This probably isn't too much of a surprise to anyone that saw last years debacle. His main competition will be Ryan Burkhart, who could never usurp Carl Gioia in 2006. The shortcomings of last years field goal unit, were instrumental in the decisions that Weis made regarding play calling (especially on 4th down) once The Irish got within the opponents 30 yard line. Weis may be a risk taker, but he was a risk taker on steroids last year with no confidence in the kickers. Look for Walker to take the job and pull double duty next year after Price is gone Ala Fitzpatrick.
• Armando Allen KR-- The Irish lacked explosion last year on this unit. Allen can bring a million tons of TNT to this position. With David Grimes starting at WR, this could probably open up the spot for the speedy Allen. Look for Allen to become a staple on this unit as the Irish have a very inexperienced offense that will need quality field position to loosen up.
• Golden Tate KR-- Speaking of returning kicks... Look for Tate to see some time back there as well. George West is a probable starter at WR and that may also affect his PT retuning kicks. Tate is very quick and athletic and the possible duo of him and Allen sounds very enticing.
• Steve Paskorz, Harrison Smith, and Aaron Nagel KICKOFF-- Steve Paskorz might get arrested this year for assault. He looks like an animal after hitting the weight room harder than Latimer on "The Program". He is also pretty fleet footed and could prove to be a very good hitter/gunner for this unit. Fumbles are what we are looking for from Steve. Fumbles and body bags. Aaron Nagel can be seen in the same light. Though not as big a specimen as Paskorz, he is quicker and is a very good tackler who impressed all the coaches at the Army All-American game. I love me some safeties. Safeties are excellent players for the kickoff team as they are fast and tackle very well with some authority. Harrison Smith fits this mold. He may have a lot of competition though with guys like Jashaad Gaines, Sergio Brown, and Leonard Gordon looking for playing time as well. But, I think he could do very well , given the chance.

That's it? Well it is only the first week of August. Time will tell what freshman will do what soon enough. I will already concur that I feel Clausen will start at some point this season (or at least some very significant PT), Kamara should see a lot of action at WR, Hughes and Allen could wind up in the rotation at RB, and Kerry Neal may see the field soon at OLB and on special teams. This is a list of what I believe are the probables going into preseason camp.

Please keep in mind that these are only freshman, and may have some very wide eyes. This is the case for a lot future stars around the country. One of our greatest players ever at ND, Tim Brown, even fell into this sea of wonder his freshman year during the 1984 season opener versus Purdue in Indianapolis as told by him in Eric Hansen's Stadium Stories: Notre Dame Fighting Irish -

"But when [ coach] Gerry Faust is giving his big
speech in the locker room, he ends it with, 'Tim Brown, I want you to return the
opening kickoff.' I was just shaking in my pants, man."

So shaken was Brown that he forgot his helmet in
the locker room and had to run back to get it. That was the last vivid memory of
the opening moments of his collegiate football career.

"I can honestly say I don't I don't remember what
happened," he said with a chuckle. "All I know is they squib kicked the ball to
me. I remember getting over to it and getting my hands on it. And I saw a hole
and started running. It was weird, because I'm like, 'Why isn't anybody trying
to tackle me?' At some point. I must have dropped the ball. I must have freaked
out, went into shock or something, because I have no recollection of fumbling
the ball. I know I didn't get hit. I finally turned around, and it was like,
'What happened?' What a way to start your career."

Hopefully, someone relays this story to Armando. Tell him, "If you fumble, make sure you win the Heisman your senior year."