Apr 29, 2008

Kicking Ass Wu Style

Time for 2 more of the 36 Chambers to be opened. Todays deadly assassins are...


Brandon Walker #14
Kicker
6'2" 190lbs.
Sophomore
Findlay, Ohio
Wu-Name: Childish Gambino

The Irish need a big year from Brandon. No. The Irish need a fucking super-sized year from Brandon. Charlie Weis is a offensive genius... right? Well that may be true but he is also flipping insane when it comes to the kicking game. Weis doesn't trust it, and he has no real reason to. This is the main reason for so many 4th down attempts and why he didn't kick the field goal against Navy. Notre Dame is still going to be very young on offense this year and there is no real way of knowing how good they are going to be. If they want to win the close games and the tough road games, Walker must be as cold as ice and willing to sacrifice his first-born child and knock that pigskin through those fucking goal posts. BTW- people from Findlay are totally psycho. My college roommate in the Fraternity house was from Findlay and had a complete arsenal in the closet... we had grenades. Walker HAS to drop bombs of his own.


Eric Maust #43
Punter
6'2" 180 lbs.
Junior
Roswell, Georgia
Wu-Name: Superintendent God-Botherer

Consistency. That is exactly what we need from Maust. We all thought that is what we were going to get from Geoff Price last season and unfortunately for us all, it just wasn't there. With a young ball club, field position means so much. When the offense can't get that first down, it is up to the punter and the coverage to squeeze the opposing team into a corner. That also gives the defense so much more room and confidence to make plays. Not just stop the opposing "O", but make those turnovers inside OUR redzone. Kick the Eric and kick it hard.

Shit

So I just finished my piece on the NFL draft and the Irish players involved. And then Blogger lost half of it when I went to post it. WTF! I don't feel like writing all of it yet again, so here is a couple of links if you haven't read anything by now.





Fucking Blogger.

Apr 24, 2008

ROTFLMAO

At his press conference today to announce his decision to play for Georgia, QB Aaron Murray cried out "I'm just so fucking happy that I'm not going to play for that douche Urban Meyer. Fuck that guy!"

Enter The 36 Chambers... Irish Style

So I was talking to my mom the other day (huge Irish and Packer fan) and I was showing her the website NDLNA.com. I was explaining to her all the site had to offer and how to maneuver around the site. She then stated that she was kind of lost this year on the players and wanted to get to know them a little better. Instead of calling Charlie Weis and straight pimp mom off to the defensive line, I thought I would give a little rundown on some of the players this year.

I love Wu-Tang, my mom loves Wu-Tang, and you should love Wu-Tang as well. With that being said, I am going to attach the Wu-Name for each player in this 36 man list. This list is by NO means a depth chart run down (I'll get to that on a later post), but more of a list of players that should have ample playing time this year.

If you would like your own Wu-Name, follow this LINK and it will provide you with one. I'll give two players a post and have a new post every few days or so until finished...

Robert Hughes #33
Running Back
5'11" 238 lbs.
Sophomore
Chicago, Illinois
Wu-Name: Arrogant Menace

Hughes is a fucking animal. Seriously. He is a cross between a rhino and a gazelle. He runs with so much power and yet has some very swift feet. He should see the bulk of the carries out of the backfield this year and honestly, he needs around 20-25 touches to be truly effective. He will, no doubt, take over the goaline back duties. You will also hear me refer to him as "The Chi-Town Colossal Ass-Kicker" as well.


Sam Young #74
Right Tackle
6'8" 330 lbs.
Junior
Coral Springs, Florida
Wu-Name: Phantom Dominator

Sam Young came to South Bend as a highly recruited 5 star prospect. He has started every game since in his career at Notre Dame. While he played very well at right tackle his freshman year, he was forced over to the left side last year due to a wrist injury. He isn't a left tackle. He is a force on the right side however and the Irish should see holes the size of Dick-Rod's mouth on his side. The Irish must have Young perform at his best this year if they intend on moving the ball on the ground efficiently.

Now a little reminder of what being the C.R.E.A.M. of the crop really is...

Apr 23, 2008

Inches... One More Time

While I was dicking around Google today, I stumbled upon this video. It was made by the Naval Academy's graduating class of 2006. It was intended to inspire the 2006 Navy football team to finally end the long streak of losing to the Irish. Fortunately, for the Irish, Quinn and company were just way too much for the Midshipmen.

You have to wonder though, if the 2007 Navy team remembered this video and used it as a tool to inspire them to a victory in South Bend.

As much as the loss to Navy hurt Irish fans and the team itself, you just can't help but sit back in wonderment at what that Navy team finally accomplished in 2007 after 43 years of heartbreak.

They fought for that inch.

The Immaculata Commitment


It was a foregone conclusion. Theo Riddick is Irish. The 5'10" 185 lbs. running back from Immaculata High School in Somersville New Jersey announced his decision to attend Notre Dame in 2009 at a press conference today.

Riddick spurned offers from the likes of Penn State, Pitt, Boston College, and Maryland after making visits to all of the schools. Riddick is an early Rivals 250 prospect and is currently rated as a 4 star prospect.

When Riddick was asked about Charlie Weis, Theo stated, "He was excited. He said, 'how am I supposed to sleep?'"

Weis doesn't seem to sleep very much at all. Once again the New Jersey native has gone into New Jersey and come away with a blue-chip recruit.

Riddick is the 4th commit for the Irish's incoming class of 2009 and the 2nd running back.

Welcome To Notre Dame Riddick!!!

Apr 21, 2008

Apr 20, 2008

Eating Hot Dogs










As I was laying down the hot dogs on the grill tonight, I thought to myself... "Wish I had a steak." And then I realized I still had to post a few tidbits about this years Blue-Gold game. But, what to write? I mean, if you haven't got it all read from the web by now... what do I have to offer? Probably not much, but as I was savoring the sweet flavor of pig ass and lips I started to put together a little memoir in the skull that maybe you will appreciate.
I tried to just enjoy the game this year and not over analyze every player and position. Because of this I am not going to start saying in this post who should start or not and what each player needs to work on (even though I'm sure I will still state a bit of it), but rather, I am just going to lay down my thoughts on the game. If you have any mushrooms, I advise you to take them now...
Field of Dreams
The new turf looks absolutely great. For now. I was almost disappointed that the rain stayed away for the game. I wanted to see how the field would hold up after only been laid for a short while. The color was bright, the field actually looked flat with a slight crown, and it was very short... I wonder how long that will last. The one thing that makes it look like the field the Fighting Irish play on was missing however. The lines in the end-zone that have become the staple of Notre Dame Stadium were eerily missing.
Recruit This
As it is with every Spring Game in the Weis regime, recruiting was at a fever pitch. The Fighting Irish played host to a slew of top High School talent and it looks as if most of the kids came away very impressed. The Irish picked up two very big targets in Cierre Wood and Tyler Stockton and were pressing hard for guys such as Jordan Barrett and Craig Roh.
Not only were the top juniors in attendance, but a major portion of the incoming class of 2008. That class (2008) is going to be one of the closest knit bunch of players we may ever see. (Does that even sound right?) Every time I looked down at the sideline at those guys, I saw them joking around and having a great time. We'll see how much they are laughing once they get to ND and start up two-a-days.
Jimmy!
Jimmy Clausen can sling the motherfucking football. Anyone else that says otherwise is a dick and deserves to rot in hell with a flaming goalpost stuck up their ass. (Are you listening ESPN?) The arm is fully healed and it looks that way. I saw a player that could make any throw and had a ton of zip on them as well.
The biggest thing Jimmy HAS to work on is his decision making under pressure and as he rolls out of the pocket.
Three things stuck out for me Saturday about Jimmy- 1) The bomb to Tate was dead on the money and that was missing from his game last year. 2) He found targets in the middle of the field and that was missing last year. 3) He got rid of the ball quicker and that was missing from last year. So all in all, three of the things that really hurt him as a passer when he actually HAD time to throw last year- it looks as if he has improved on and will become a better quarterback because of it.
Oh Captain
The three captains were chosen for the 2008 season and it comes as no surprise that Maurice Crum and David Bruton are two of those players. The wild card was going to be the offensive captain. Was the Sam Young going to get the nod or maybe Jimmy Clausen would be voted into the position? Nope. The senior WR from Detroit Michigan, David Grimes, was voted in and will be part of the Triad.
Wildcats
So, the team is either using way too many steroids, hate each other, or have really gelled into a mean bunch of S.O.B.'s. (I respectfully decline to use the word "nasty" as it will appear approximately 792,491 times about this team in one sense or another in the next 10 months).
The fight was one of the bigger highlights of the game. You all should know by now that McNeil and Ragone were the firestarters and once again, as it was during the practice fight, Eric Olsen went apeshit. I know Weis publicly denounced this scuffle, but he has to be happy that this team isn't completely comprised of lay down pussies. Now if Finch- I mean Chris Stewart, gets involved... then there might be a felony issued.
Cover Band
Either our WR's can't get separation and we are in SERIOUS trouble, or our defensive backs are just that good. The DB's were hip for hip on all of our WR's for the entire day.
Gary Gray looks like a lockdown corner. I know, Tate got him on that deep ball and Kamara caught the game winner on him as well. But, the pass to Tate was as perfect as it gets and Kamara was in actuality, out of bounds on the TD catch. McNeil played extremely well and was a disruptive force for the defense. These two are on the 2 deep. That means we are just loaded at corner right now and have more depth here than we have had in at least 15 years.
The rest of the DB's played well for the most part too. McCarthy is locking down his safety spot as his main competition, Sergio Brown, did not stand out that much. Bruton is Bruton and will make a claim for A.A. status this year, and Lambert and Walls did everything they had to do. Lambert looks bigger and is playing that way with a vicious hit on Armando Allen that knocked him silly for a while.
Harrison Smith is a freak. He will see the field a lot this year and after praising McCarthy, I have to say that Smith is looking like a HUGE threat to take that spot if Kyle starts to slip. His size and athleticism will allow Brown and Tenuta to put him all over the place including in the box as another LB. 22 is for real.
Butterfingers & Milk Duds
Clausens stats are a bit misleading. 10-27? Good game? Well, he did have at least 5 if not 6 balls just out right dropped by the WR. Not only that but the refs were killing him with a penalty on a few catches and one on a TD reception by Grimes. Add that with a couple of "sacks" and you have a very good 10-27 performance.
Kamara was a big part of the drop party, but you shouldn't be too concerned. He has missed a lot of practice due to classes and is still 6'5". He'll be aight.
Dirty South
I liked what I saw from our Ca$h Money lineman. Mo Richardson led the team in tackles and looked very quick and aggressive. He needs to keep improving as the Irish need that speed off of the edge in 2008.
Ian Williams played better in my eyes than some other experts. I had contacts on. He engaged the blockers and was disruptive in his assignments. He should be the main man next year, but he will need a breather from time to time to be truly efficient.
Sam Young and Chris Stewart are running machines. What I mean is, they create superhighways for our running backs. I have no doubt that the Irish run right for the must have yardage. Flipping HUGE. Young still needs to get quicker feet and Stewart needs to get a little more mean... and then they will be better than a Crave Case from White Castle.
I Was Running
The running back situation is the same as when Notre Dame last played. Robert Hughes is the MAIN man. Do you want a nickname for him? How about "The Freight Train", or "The Chi-Town Colossal Ass Kicker"? Start to get them ready because once 2008 gets going you might need something other than "HUGHES!!!" to yell because it may be redundant after a while. He looks great. In the words of a former co-worker "The perfect balance of speed and power". The guy was talking about a truck, but so is Hughes. He cuts well, has good vision, and has that burst to put him in the second level.
The change of pace is of course Armando Allen. Allen did very well Saturday and survived a wicked hit by Lambert. But, he still did not break a long run which Irish fans are just sitting on and waiting for. I think he needs to bounce it a little more to the outside. He has a tendency to want to cut inside and then across. This gets him into trouble with the backside pursuit. Even with that fault, he still managed to turn out 50 yards on 11 carries which was on par with Hughes and his 22 for 100.
James Aldridge needs something. I'm not sure what it is, but maybe it's more carries. He was almost absent from the game it seemed at times. When he did touch it... I don't really remember anything about it.
No carries for the fullbacks... YES!
This Is The End
Well, I'm going to wrap this thing up. I already lied from what i put in the opening paragraph about not over analyzing the game, but it's hard not to do. I know i missed out on writing about a lot of what happened at the game, but I have no doubt someone somewhere has already posted it for the 17th time.
Now the long wait starts until the opening day of summer camp and the prospect of kicking ass begins. Until then, stay tuned to Subway Domer and the rest of the Irish Blogging Community as we all will surely have a few good things in store for the off-season.

Go Irish!
Recruit Like A Champion Today

Dude, we're sophomores.

Apr 19, 2008

Behind The Ball

Things are hectic around the Subway Domer household. My wife's birthday always seems to fall on, or around the annual Blue-Gold spring game and takes up a little bit of time. Add that to a slew of home projects and WHAM... you just flew through a weekend. With that said, I haven't been on top of things these past few days. Whoops! Two commits later I am back online and ready to rumble as much as the Fighting Irish are doing with each other on the field.

Notre Dame has once again, for the third year in a row, gone into Southern California and grabbed a 5 star prospect out the Poodles clutches and newcomer Slick Rick. (Rick Neuheisal from UCLA for you unenlightened ones).
Cierre Wood

Cierre is the #1 RB and #3 overall prospect according to Rivals.com. He is a gamebreaker. Tons of speed and lateral movement. If his senior year is like his junior year, be prepared to hear the Reggie Bush comparisons. Tons of talent hear with Wood, and now the Irish have the tedious task of keeping Wood to his commitment while he is living amongst the enemy.

This recent commitment will add solid depth into what is shaping into a very deep and talented running back stable joining SO. Robert Hughes, SO. Armando Allen, JR. James Aldridge, and FR. Jonas Gray.
I personally met Cierre at the Blue-Gold game (as well as about all 30,000 plus from the looks of things) and he was a very good kid. He signed anything that came his way and posed for any photo op an adoring fan asked for from him. He handled the spotlight very well and was very well spoken and courteous to any and all. You can label him an "ND Man" right now.

Now a little foretaste of the feast to come...



Tyler Stockton

The Irish received another commitment that was just as big as Wood. Tyler Stockton is a 6'1" 295 defensive tackle from The Hun School in New Jersey.

What in the hell is going on? For what seemed like an eternity, ND has struggled to recruit defensive players, and more specifically defensive lineman. But, after a good haul last year, the Irish are looking to keep the momentum rolling with a solid commit from Mr. Stockton.

Stockton adds much needed depth to a defensive line that is very much need of top notch players. The more the merrier and definitely the fresher.

WELCOME TO NOTRE DAME WOOD & STOCKTON!!!

One more thing. I met Jake Golic at the Spring game as well. Jake is a really nice kid and seems very eager to get to ND and continue the Golic tradition. Honestly though, it took a second to recognize who he was. He looks MUCH bigger in person than he portrays on video. He also mentioned that he read Subway Domer (I was wearing my shirt and HAD to ask). Cool.

Apr 17, 2008

Last Hits Before The Game

Practice

Lambert

Weis

Apr 15, 2008

Video Bombs

Practice...

TAH-NOO-TAH

The "Legend" Corwin Brown

Harrison Smith... Linebacker?

Apr 12, 2008

Weis Is Breaking It Down

Weis

Practice

Apr 11, 2008

Bombs Away!

Clausen

Kamara

Haywood

Apr 9, 2008

Time To Make YOUR Irish Eyes Smile



There comes a time in every college football fans life where one decides where to get their info from. With so many options out there on the Internet, TV, and in print- you may not know what is the best source.

Well, I'm here to tell you what I think... and quite simply it is Irish Eyes with Mike Frank on Scout.com (link is on the right).

You can debate the differences between Scout and Rivals if you must, and I have subscriptions to both, but on a purely Irish Football basis- you can't get any better.

One of the best things about IE is its message board and the posters it contains. Some of these guys are HS coaches and help out with explaining the game itself in a series of videos known as Football 101. Along with that, they do a great job of breaking down the team.

I was going to post a rundown of how the team is progressing this week, but I thought I was going to the coaches clinic so I could get a better grip on the team itself. Unfortunately, I was unable to make it and felt stupid if I tried to do it after only seeing small clips and regurgitate what has been posted by others that did attend. Instead, I asked for, and received permission from Mike Frank to post what the board coaches thoughts were on the team. This is straight from the message boards at Irish Eyes. This is just the tip of the iceberg! Sign up today and see the difference.

Busco's Thoughts
Jimmy has some serious zip. Big time arm. Hughes and Aldridge are in a spirited battle. Both are impressive, I tend to lean toward Hughes. Allen will help a lot as a change up. He's incredibly quick, it's almost becoming mystifying why he hasn't ripped off a long run. Either he has bad luck, poor vision, or knows my ex wife. I can't figure out why he's been cursed so far, his quickness is visible to everyone. Very good fights so far. Turk and JBrown won't be best men in the other's wedding plans. The Irish Eyes (Oklahoma, Hamburger, whatever you call it in your neck of the wape) drill finished with a faux fight between two other guys, which was fun because we thought it was yet another real fight, until you noticed the haymakers weren't landing and everyone had big smiles on their faces. I almost got the feeling the guys had staged it for the fans, media and coaching clinic in attendance. From what I saw, the Wenger-Stewart-Young combo COULD become what we're all hoping. Those guys can drive block. IMO, everyone struggled at times with pass blocking, but no one stood out and looked horrible, just the normal "he got beat that time" kind of thing. Hell, they're going against the Irish, so who knows which side of the ball is any good? IMO, the entire season rests on the OL. We're good enough at QB, RB, TE, WR. If the OL plays well, we'll be fine. If they don't, settle in for 7-5 next fall. Surprises: Nwanko will help us, didn't expect that. I liked a walk on FB (don't know who he was, but as you can guess, 44 didn't impress. I feel bad for the guy, there's no question a kid with that body obviously cares, works hard, etc.) If Harrison Smith isn't a starter, we're in REALLY good shape. The kid is a stallion. If he's only playing in nickel situations, it means KMac NEVER makes mistakes, because HSmith is the real deal. TRob is going to be very good, but as a frosh OL, he's still learning. Ian Williams wasn't in great condition. Not really worried about it, but it was noticeable. As much as OL cohesiveness is very important, I will definitely predict some rotation situations. It's almost as though we have depth there now. Notes: Brian Smith was limping thru both practices, but never once asked out. Good sign in my book. KNeal is a force. Toryan never stood out, Crum looked pretty damn good. Of course, Crum is protected in this scheme, so he should stand out a bit. He had the hit of the day today. Great depth in the secondary, but everyone already knew that. I predict Floyd plays early, very early. Grimes impressed me, and he never has before, but only he and Duval are top DI level receivers, Grimes as a 2 or 3, Duval as a 1. MoRich is my darkhorse candidate to benefit the most from this defensive, Tenuta driven scheme. I'm not saying he's great, or even very good, but I bet he'll benefit the most. If our OLB's pressure the passer well, one of the DL is going to get some sacks from a QB stepping up into the mess. MoRich is athletic, so I think he'll grab several garbage sacks as well as a few well-earned ones. GGray is pretty damn good as a sub, as is McNeal. I saw Walls pull off on run support once, doing IMO one of those "I'll go hard, just miss the back, it will look like good effort but I don't want to get trucked" moves on a long run by Hughes. Probably doesn't mean a thing, but I've seen a ton of kids do that over the years so I think I saw what I think I saw. I have insane man-love for JTenuta, the same way I love Crash Davis and Dirty Harry. Actually, that's a pretty good description of Tenuta. He's college football's version of a cross between Crash and Harry. As we asked him questions and talked back and forth at his chalk talk, it was like being at a roast with Don Rickles. You knew you were going to get made fun of, but you looked forward to it. Here at Busco, we can use his blitz schemes, and he's simply my kind of guy. I get the feeling he'd rather drink a beer and talk football than do anything else. This staff is at critical mass. It's also a great combo of personalities. If you have a kid who likes to be buddies with his coach, you've got Corwin. Corwin is a master motivator, but it's done in an upbeat way. If you have a kid who needs his *** kicked, on offense you have CW, on D you have Tenuta. I don't know dick about OL, but I did watch Latina, and his players like and respect him. Parmalee and Haywood definitely relate to their players, and from what I've heard, Jappy knows his stuff. I might be reading too much into this, but I got the impression Tenuta is at ND for a purpose. I got the feeling he might possibly believe the only way he can be recognized and respected for what he knows and can do is to do those things at ND, on the biggest stage. Just my stupid take on the whole deal, but I'm of the opinion he might possibly not really buy into the whole ND "glow" we all bow down to, but he 100% most definitely feels it's the best, biggest, most important job in the nation, and he thinks he's the bad-*** to make it work. I'll add more later, but my favorite moment of the clinic was the chalk talk, and Tenuta's replies to the guys in the crowd who kept asking "what if?" He presented 45 minutes of blitz schemes after Jay's 8 second first question of the night. When coaches kept asking "what if the do this, what if this guy goes in motion, what if they do that...?" Tenuta kept getting just a bit more irritated every time he replied "I still f-ing send 'em. I called a blitz, didn't I???"

Tenuta's three main points: 1) stop the run. 2) Cover the pass 3) pressure the offense. How does he do this? These are the two main beliefs in the JTenuta world: CONFUSE THE FRONT FIVE, AND NEVER LET THE QB SET HIS FEET! Tenuta's blitzes are very run sound. I don't worry too much about getting bladed on the run. It's harped on quite a bit. He stressed one thing that I found not only interesting, but vitally important at the college level: know who is blocking you. I know what I looked for in film study as a DB and WR, but this makes sense to me if I would have been a LB. Sure you need to know your gap responsibility, the opposition's favorite plays out of certain formations, their tendencies due to down and distance, etc. But if they take that study to the next level, not only knowing those basics, but also who is going to block you on each of those particular plays, that makes sense to me.

the second session was Parmalee or Powlus. I'm a big fan of Powlus, I had a great, long talk with him last year at the Indiana HS coaches' clinic, but we're a wing-T team, and Parmalee would have more info for me, so that was my choice. Nothing earth shattering, but good stuff. As I've stated often, I'm a passing game guy. Don't get me wrong, if we can run the ball all game and win, I flat out love that stuff. Bettis in the cheerios bowl was about the best thing I've ever seen. But I call our team's passing plays, so I was hoping for a tip or two to help Busco Football. I was lucky enough to learn quite a bit about inside zone football. We don't do any of that here, so it was interesting. Coach Parmalee talked about one back and two back running plays, and the uses of multiple TE's or H backs in these strategies. It became clear that the more TE's and H backs, the bigger the threat of the pass. A FB can only threaten the defense in the flat (most of the time), while an extra TE or a H back, until he motions in front of the TB, keeps the defense worried about a vertical route, or at least a 10 yard route. Anyway, very good stuff from Coach Parmalee. He still has two sets of shoulders (his neck is a stair step, from his neck, to his traps to his delts), and he's a very motivated, spirited guy. Not that anyone cares, but I got a great play action pass combo we can use here in Smalltown USA. The next session was Coach Haywood or GA Pat Graham on DL (remember, Jappy was with Wade during his unfortunate situation). I chose Haywood, as Parmalee had me interested in the ND running game. Coach Haywood made it clear fairly early that the days of the fullback leading the tailback up the middle on an ISO were long gone. The size, speed and athleticism of most defenses have made this a thing of the past. Of course, that makes sense as we look at so many teams who have switched to spread offenses to make the running game more of a 6 on 6 than a 11 on 11 situation. Coach Haywood went over several different one back and two back running plays. In the two back plays, the FB sealed off the backside DE about 75% of the time, which makes sense, in case the opposition's ILB's are keying the FB (they normally key the guards nowadays anyway). In the one back runs, there was often a H back in motion, responsible for the block of the FB. In our clinic book, the last few plays are in fact ISO's, with the FB leading on the MLB, which I think is a great idea. If we're playing an inferior opponent, it's always a good idea to show our strength and flatten the defense. The shortest distance is a straight line, after all.

LTD’s Thoughts

Clausen, bigger, stronger, much more zip on the ball. He exhibited the accuracy that will make him a record breaker at ND providing he gets the help from the OL and the receivers get open. Several throws JC had to make were right in the box where only the receiver could make the catch. Several times the DB's had great coverage, but he zipped it in there and there was nothing the DB could do but tackle the receiver. I still feel that Hughes is a better RB than Aldridge, but Aldridge ran harder than I've ever seen him run. Ah that magic word....competition. Allen's speed and the fact he's a better zone runner than the other two keeps him in the mix. Saw both Aldridge and Huges in the backfield at the same time in split backs, something I'd like to see more of. They only passed out of that set. I'd have liked to see how they run and block for each other in that set. Grimes got open most of the time. Much more impressive than Kamara today in the live go round. No TE on scholarship played. OL...hard to tell. Like I said last year this is something you sometimes have find out (for the DL too) when you play another team. I will say that the OL seemed a lot more physical that they were in last year's practice and scrimmage. They also seem to be more involved in supporting each other, encouraging each other, and getting fired up when one dumps a defensive player. TR's is certainly a T Rex. I've never seen such arms on a freshman, and that was from a foot away. For a kid that would normally still be in HS he did very well. Mike's Bemenderfer is giving Wenger a battle for the center's job from what I saw the past two days. Duncan had his moments. good and bad, I'd worry about him being consistant. The nutcracker drill, called Irish Eyes at ND, was the second best highlight of the practices. A lot of this drill is showing your manhood, plain and simple while trying to block or tackle. A few of the backs (walk ons) were taken off their feet like stunt men are wired off a horse in the movies. The hitting was fierce, both sides made a big deal of pancake type wins, lots of group enthisiasm, and for the second time Turkovich and Brown got into it today. Yesterday Turkovich got Brown down and kept him down. They had to be separated. Some one else got into it, but I can't remember. Like it or not, fights are an indication of physical play. Tenuta is just fantastic. No BS, no pretentiousness, just a gut busting, mother loving football coach who's already made the LB corps tougher and more physical than last year. A lot of the time the LBs, vastly outweighed by the OL, more than held their own against the hogs in the nutcracker. I hope Brown leans a lot towards Tenuta's blitz packages. It sure seems that he will based on the scrimmage today. More on that from Tenuta and his Xs and Os point of view has to come from Busco. I chose to go to Brown's chalk talk vs Tenuta's. Brown is one hell of a good man. It'll be a shame to lose him one day. Easy to see why he's such a good recruiter. One thing I saw Tenuta doing a lot of was bitching at and praising Scott Smith, more so than any player. Leads me to think that he see's Smith as a big part of a rotation. Crum was more physical than I've ever seen him. Secondary gave up a few deep passes because of a lack of pass rush or the O's play was ideal for the coverage. McCarthy, while no Bruton, will hit ya. Walls on an excellent read of his keys or a blitz looked really Willy Nilly on the tackle. He came back later and made a good hit. Overall... I feel a greater effort is being made by the whole team when compared to last year. The spirit is better, the physicality is better, the esprit de corps is better too. Charlie seemed to let Haywood run the show offensively without interfering. He puts a good deal of pressure on the kicker, Walker. No running if he made the FG at the end of practice, calling a TO to ice him and getting in Walker's head. Walker missed. They all ran.

Tenuta Should Have Been A QB

What an arm!

Apr 8, 2008

On The Defensive

Corwin Brown

Defensive Backs

Emeka Nwankwo

Apr 7, 2008

Catch!

Practice Video 4/07/08

Apr 5, 2008

Jake Golic Is Irish



Welcome to Notre Dame Jake Golic!!!

More on Jake and being the 1st commit for the 2009 class later, but until then, just roll around in the glory that is... The Golic Family.

VIDEO LINK

Fuck You Defense... Fuck You

Eric Olsen is fired up and ready to kick some ass. That's (post title) what he said after a little pissing match at practice. Here's the video...

Now a little bit from Coach Weis

Apr 3, 2008

B.S., Gold, Chemistry, And The Godfather

TAH-NOO-TAH

Golden Tate

Jimmy Clausen

Coach Weis

Apr 1, 2008

Crum and Corwin...

Mo Crum

Corwin Brown

Eyes Up... EXPLODE!

Spring practice on Monday 3/31