The Unspoken Word

I gotta keep these coming as the season rapidly approaches. Two more chambers are opened for the 36 players of impact. This is the toughest position on the defensive side of the ball.

Darrin Walls #2

Cornerback
6'0" 183 lbs.
Junior
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Wu-Name: Action-Packed Mentalist

Darrin Walls is quickly becoming a fan favorite. Why? We haven't seen a corner with these type of skills in South Bend for quite some time. He came to Notre Dame as a very highly touted prospect and he has done nothing to change my mind to the contrary. He supplanted a 5th year senior at the starting spot last year and played very well for the Irish as they improved their pass defense by leaps and bounds.

Darrin plays the ball very well and had 9 pass break ups last year and one very big interception against Penn State as he returned it 73 yards for a touchdown and gave Irish fans some glimmer of hope in that game, until the bottom fell out. Look for even more improvement this year from Darrin and a spike in his interception numbers with the type of pressure defense Tenuta/Brown are installing. It would not be a surprise to see Darrin's name hovering around a lot of All-American lists as the season unwinds.


Terrail Lambert #20

Cornerback
5'11" 195 lbs.
5th Year Senior
Oxnard, California
Wu-Name: Inscrutable Drama-Queen

Irish fans have seen a lot of Lambert over the years. Some moments have been great, and others were down right awful. Who can forget the interception returned for a touchdown capping the amazing comeback in a monsoon versus Michigan State in 2006 and then the miraculous interception moments later in that same game to seal the deal. Of course you can also look back to the game prior against Michigan and the Manningham debacle as well. Through it all, Lambert has maintained his starting role on the Irish defense as a true cover corner.

Lambert has a chance this year to really become a great player and put himself in good draft position as this is his 5th and final year after starting the last two years. Along with his partner Walls, Terrail should greatly benefit from the pressure packages that the Irish defense will show this year. His run stopping ability makes him even more dangerous, as his physical play makes him a better player overall. He will be in on a lot of big plays... let's just hope they are on the right side of the spectrum. Potentially dominating? Maybe. I'll go for consistently good.

Bring The Pain

In honor of TAH-NOO-TAH's latest remarks, I give you the next two chambers to open in this ongoing series...

Kerry Neal #56

Defensive End/Outside Linebacker

6'2" 240 lbs.

Sophomore

Bunn, North Carolina

Wu-Name: Foolish Magician

Kerry Neal started it all. Coming from a recruiting class in 2007 that saw the commitment of Jimmy Clausen in up-scale fashion, Kerry Neal crept up on Irish fans like a Pantera song. He was the first player to commit that year and it took the recruiting services a while to catch up to the talent.

Right away in summer camp, Irish insiders started to notice a certain player from North Carolina playing his way into the depth chart. He not only did that, but he earned a starting job and by all accounts, he will be there for the next 3 years. He should thrive in the hybrid Tenuta/Brown system as he is very much a hybrid himself. Look for Neal to be an everydown player and absofuckinlutly menacing coming off of the edge. Devastating is what he could be along with his partner...

Brian Smith #58

Linebacker

6'3" 239 lbs.

Sophomore

Overland Park, Kansas

Wu-Name: 100-Watt Warlock

Brian came to Notre Dame as a consolation prize. The Irish lost out on a couple of higher profile recruits and had a couple of decommitments, so there was room on the roster for Brian late in the game. Brian's father is a former fullback that played for the Irish in the 80's and is a legacy that was almost lost as he was committed to Iowa. Consolation prize my ass. Brian did what Neal did and played himself right into the mix at linebacker and then became a starter.

Brian is another type of hybrid. Although he was used primarily on the outside last year, the coaches have moved him around a bit and it will not be a shock when we see Brian playing the Mike position. He plays with a tremendous amount of emotion, that if kept in check, should be a big lightning rod for the "D" this year. 100-Watt Warlock indeed. Brian is looking to fuck you up and bring some pain.

Bagpipe Monday... Warpath

With 2 months to go until college football kicks off, it's time to get on the warpath.

Ultimate Randomness

More random thoughts and stuff from the Emperor...

The 2008 season is slowly descending upon us. With that in mind I would like to extend an early invite to all of you out there. What is this exquisite invitation? It is Subway Domer's: There Can Be Only One College Football Pick-em Contest. ( A long title, I know). Last year was a lot of fun and for those of you who finished the contest last year, I will be e-mailing you very shortly.

This contest is open to ANYBODY, and it is free to join and the winner will receive a T-Shirt. I will have more details soon, but if you are new to Subway Domer here are the links to the RULES and CONTEST PAGE from last year. I will most likely make a few changes this year, but this will help you understand how this all works.

If you are interested please e-mail me at subwaydomer26@gmail.com and use the word CONTEST as your subject header.

Enough. I have asked Mark Allen to quit coming to Subway Domer and commenting on anything about links and whatever attacks are made about him or any other person. I am asking you as readers to please do the same. Trolls.

Say what? The wife and I are pregnant with our first child. This is awesome news and very surprising. Apparently, we weren't supposed to get pregnant without a lot of help from doctors and other brilliant minds. These aren't the same brilliant doctors that thought that my wife had leukemia when it was tonsillitis, but they were proved wrong once again. Time to break out the baby clothes...

Needless to say, I will have to eliminate the swearing and overall nastiness of this site at some point. But, I'm sure I will have at least 3 more years of being the foulest Irish site on the net. So don't go calling me a sell out just yet, but I won't be an asshole like this fool (via EDSBS.com)...

The 2008 preview? It's coming. But until then, marvel at the not so accurate predictions from last year. This year could get a little interesting.

Peace Out,
The Emperor of the Subway Alumni
THE Subway Domer

Did You Miss This Too?

Because of my disdain for mainstream media, I sometimes overlook a few things. These videos are an example of that. So, tada...

Triumph

The next two chambers are opened...

Golden Tate #23
Wide Receiver
5'11" 188 lbs.
Sophomore
Hendersonville, Tennessee
Wu-Name: Crazy-Haired Slacker

It just doesn't look right to me. It's about as opposite as the Wu-Name given to Golden. He doesn't look like a dangerous wide receiver. He's short, wears a number that was previously held by another wide receiver (Chase Anastasio) that was known for, well, nothing really, and was more heralded coming out of high school as a running back and a defensive back. Yet he managed to make Irish eyes smile wide as he torched Purdue for his coming out party.

Look for Tate to try and improve his biggest weakness this year. He HAS to run better routes. He can't just run fly patterns every down. Can he? Irish fans have salivated at the potential that Tate has as a Domer since his recruitment. Golden Tate, from Pope John Paul II High School? How would he NOT be a Domer? I expect big things from Tate this year, especially on the returns. We should see him taking kickoffs, but I would really like to see him back as a punt returner as well.

Armando Allen #5
Running Back
5'10" 190 lbs.
Sophomore
Opa Locka, Florida
Wu-Name: Violent Toilet Thing

Armando Allen was supposed to be The Rocket reborn. That's a lot of pressure for a player coming off of a season ending leg injury from his senior year in high school. Never the less, Armando set Notre Dame season records for kickoff returns (33) and yards (704). Although that sounds pretty impressive considering the return men the Irish have had in the past such as Ismail, Tim Brown, and Allen Rossum, but those totals are in large part due to the new kickoff spot (5 yards back), and the fact that ND let opposing teams into the endzone like they were Ed McMahon with a large cardboard check.

Armando will be in a heated battle for playing time with James Aldridge, and Robert Hughes for carries this year and he should see competition from incoming freshman Jonas Gray as a receiving back as Armando was the teams go to receiving threat out of the backfield. Couple him with Golden Tate returning kicks, and the Irish should be in better field position with good returns. Allen is finally 100% healed from his high school injury and will look to cement himself as a true threat whenever he touches the ball.

Everybody's All-American

It's starting to get to be that time of year. Preseason polls, All-American lists- the whole enchilada. In that spirit, Subway Domer is proud and boastful to bring you this years, Subway Domer All-American Team. It is the same concept as last year, only I have added the only known preseason Freshman All-American team. I'll explain later. So, without further eye-gouging...

OFFENSE 1st Team

QB- Chase Daniel SR. Missouri

RB- Chris Wells SO. Ohio State

RB- LeSean McCoy SO. Pitt

WR- Michael Crabtree SO. Texas Tech

WR- Percy Harvin JR. Florida

WR- Greg Carr SR. Florida State

TE- Travis Beckum SR. Wisconsin

FB- Stanley Havili SO. USC

C- Max Unger SR. Oregon

OG- Duke Robinson SR. Oklahoma

OG- Anthony Parker SR. Tennessee

OT- Andre Smith JR. Alabama

OT- Michael Oher SR. Ole Miss

K- Sam Swank SR. Wake Forest

KR- C.J. Spiller JR. Clemson

DEFENSE 1st Team

DE- George Selvie JR. South Florida

DE- Greg Middleton JR. Indiana

DT- Fili Moala SR. USC

DT- Vince Oghobaase JR. Duke

ILB- James Laurinaitis SR. Ohio State

ILB- Rey Maualuga SR. USC

OLB- Brian Cushing SR. USC

OLB- Brian Toal SR. Boston College

CB- Malcolm Jenkins SR. Ohio State

CB- Vontae Davis JR. Illinois

FS- Taylor Mays JR. USC

SS- Nic Harris SR. Oklahoma

P- Kevin Huber SR. Cincinnati

PR- Derrick Williams SR. Penn State

OFFENSE 2nd Team

QB- Tim Tebow JR. Florida

RB- Knowshon Moreno SO. Georgia

RB- James Davis SR. Clemson

WR- Jeremy Maclin SO. Missouri

WR- Brandon Gibson SR. Washington State

WR- Sammie Stroughter SR. Oregon State

TE- Chase Coffman SR. Missouri

FB- Eric Kettani

C- Alex Mack SR. Cal

OG- Herman Johnson SR. LSU

OG- Steve Rehring SR. Ohio State

OT- Phil Loadholt SR. Oklahoma

OT- Alex Boone SR. Ohio State

K- Jose Martinez SR. UTEP

KR- AJ Wallace JR. Penn State

DEFENSE 2nd Team

DE- Tyson Jackson SR. LSU

DE- Michael Johnson SR. Georgia Tech

DT- DeMarcus Granger JR. Oklahoma

DT- Terrance Taylor SR. Michigan

ILB- Jasper Brinkley SR. South Carolina

ILB- Dave Philistin SR. Maryland

OLB- Aaron Curry SR. Wake Forest

OLB- Anthony Heygood SR. Purdue

CB- Victor Harris SR. Virginia Tech

CB- Mike Mickens SR. Cincinnati

FS- William Moore SR. Missouri

SS- Myron Rolle JR. Florida State

P- Louie Sakoda SR. Utah

PR- David Gilreath SO. Wisconsin

Now it's time for something new. We see freshman making big impacts every year for their teams right from the opening game and straight on to the bowls. This year, I am going to give my Subway Domer Preseason Freshman All-Americans. It will consist of one player from each position group. These may not be the #1 players coming in from High School, but they are the ones who will make the biggest impact at their position for their team, or so I think.

QB- Jacory Harris *Miami

RB- Darrell Scott *Colorado

WR- Mike Floyd *Notre Dame

TE- Blake Ayles *USC

OL- Josh Jenkins *West Virginia

DL- Da'Quan Bowers *Clemson

LB- Jonathon Major *Colorado

DB- Rahim Moore *UCLA

Bagpipe Monday... Breakin'

You wish you were this cool...

Careful...

Continuing the Wu Am I Series, or whatever else I feel like calling it. Just a reminder that this is a list of 36 players of impact. I feel that with a multiple formation and personal offense AND defense, that listing a traditional depth chart is kind of boring and inaccurate.

Time to open up 2 more chambers. But be careful, danger awaits...

Pat Kuntz #96

Defensive Tackle/Nose Tackle
6'3" 290 lbs.
Senior
Indianapolis, Indiana
Wu-Name: Loose Lipped Controller

He's back. After doing whatever it was that needed to be done, Pat Kuntz has returned to Notre Dame as a student and a football player after taking classes at Ivy Tech. (Not in the Ivy League). Pat is a returning starter at nose tackle and was a bright spot for Irish fans as his personality outshined the team and he quickly became a fan favorite. Pat figures to be a very large part of a defensive line that is very unproven. Word around campus is that ND will lean more to the 4-3 fronts as opposed to the 3-4. This will mean that Kuntz will play more at his now natural DT position, as opposed to what he may play as a DE, taking over the spot left by Trevor Laws. Here's to hoping that Pat will don the mohawk and straight body slam opposing players.

Will Yeatman #84
Tight End
6'6" 255 lbs.
Junior
San Diego, California
Wu-Name: Erratic Assassin

After suffering an embarrassing DUI arrest because Will was too drunk to know the difference between a sidewalk and a road (or should I say too drunk to care), he is back with the team and ready to compete for playing time after watching Mike Ragone take 99.9% of the snaps in the spring. What some people may not figure is that there are two TE's play different types of TE in Weis's system. Therefore, William will play quite a bit and make a major impact on the Irish . Will is very athletic as he kicks ass as a Lacrosse stud for the Fighting Irish as well. It's great the caliber of player back that Yeatman is, and I suspect he will have a good season. On another note, I am extremely happy that a player can fuck up like Will did, and not have to watch his life get completely fucked up. Kudo's to Weis and the administration for ending this whateverness. (RPN- had the same thing happen to him, but it was during the season and that ended abruptly). Be Careful...Click-Click.

"T" Time

Notre Dame received their 9th verbal commitment for the incoming class of 2009 from kicker Nick Tausch.

The 6'1" 180lbs. from Jesuit College Prep School in Dallas, Texas made the verbal pledge on Tuesday.

This commitment comes as a little bit of a surprise, as it seemed that Dustin Hopkins was The Fighting Irish's #1 kicking prospect for 2009. Weis gave Hopkins a date to commit if he wanted the job, and that day came and went. The job and the #1 spot then fell to Tausch... and he took the spot.

This is the second special teams commitment for The Fighting Irish as punter Ben Turk already made his verbal pledge. Weis looks to have a firm desire to improve the special teams by large margins and the proof is in the pudding when during a year of limited scholarships the Irish would take two kickers (1 K & 1 P) while already having two kickers on the roster for multiple years.

Let's hope the gamble pays dividends.

NUMB3RS

The jersey numbers for the incoming freshman were announced earlier this week (or was it last week?) and they throw a wrench in my earlier predictions for them from my Recruiting Spectacular in February.

Let's have a look...

-

-

-

Anthony McDonald ILB #54

Pred: #54

Michael Floyd WR #3

Pred: #81

Robert Blanton CB #12

Pred: #12

Dayne Crist QB #10

Pred: #10

Sean Cwynar DT #98

Pred: #98

Kyle Rudolph TE #9

Pred: #86

Brandon Newman NT #99

Pred: #92

Braxton Cave C #52

Pred: #73

Steve Filer ILB #46

Pred: #46

Jonas Gray RB #25

Pred: #26

Dan McCarthy S #15

Pred: #15

Lane Clelland OT #73

Pred: #64

Darius Flemming OLB/DE #45

Pred: #9

Trevor Robinson OG #78

Pred: #78

Jamoris Slaughter S/CB #26

Pred: #17

John Goodman WR #81

Pred: #88

David Posluszny OLB #36

Pred: #37

Deion Walker WR #17

Pred: #4

Kapron Lewis-Moore DE #89

Pred: #89

Mike Golic C #57

Pred: #52

Ethan Johnson DE #9

Pred: #99

Joseph Fauria TE #85

Pred: #85

Hafis Williams DT #79

Pred: #79

I nailed 10 of them. That's not a very good percentage, but I wasn't counting on Gary Gray keeping #4 and didn't think E.J. would still want #9. Whatever.

Here's our new #3 scoring on a skunkbear. Fuck Michigan!

Bagpipe Monday... Fighting Muts

This put a tear in my eye.

Protect Ya Neck

Time to get back in the swing of things and open up a few more Chamber doors. This is part 3 of a 18 part "series." And I "seriously" procrastinate...




David Bruton #27
Safety
6'2" 210 lbs.
Senior
Miamisburg, Ohio
Wu-Name: Jive-Talkin' Choirboy

David Bruton is about to blow up. He was arguably the best defensive player for the Irish last year. This year he looks to continue to improve and turn himself into a dominating player and a potential first round draft pick.

Bruton is very athletic and looks like a gazelle when he runs. That gazelle turns into a lion as he approaches ball carriers and/or the ball in mid-flight. He will be an absolute menace to opposing offenses if the Tenuta/Brown scheme of constant pressure using different blitz packages succeeds. Those blitzes will count for errant throws which turn into more interceptions for the budding star. Give me a motherfucking #27 jersey. Seriously. Someone needs to send me one.



Ian Williams #95
Nose Tackle
6'2" 306 lbs.
Sophomore
Altamonte Springs, Florida
Wu-Name: Thunderous Wizard

Thunderous Wizard is an excellent match for this large and impressive sophomore to be. Ian became an impact player as a true freshman last year while coming off of the bench in relief of Irish starter Pat Kuntz, and started in place of Pat while he (Kuntz) was injured. Ian made a freshman All-American team and is just days away from unveiling his cure for cancer and Alzheimer's.

Williams will most certainly be an every down player this year and was the only "true" nose tackle the Irish had on the roster for spring ball while Pat Kuntz was taking care of his academics. Plus, the common knowledge has been that Kuntz will split out to the DE spot vacated by all-life player Trevor Laws. Ian will have some competition coming in this summer from true freshman Brandon Newman and Hafis Williams. Watch for Ian to really become the playmaker needed on the inside.

Opposing teams: Protect ya fuckin neck!

Punt The Ball!!!

After a few years of Charlie Weis's playcalling, a very distinct call comes out from the stands and at television sets.... "PUNT THE BALL!!!"

Weis is a gambler and it shows with his 4th down decisions. It doesn't stop there. The Irish have extended two scholarships this year to two different kickers that do two different things. Pretty wild considering the cap on this class might be 18 or 19 players.

Ben Turk committed to the Fighting Irish on Thursday night without even setting foot on campus. Turk, it seems, is a gambler as well.

The 6'0" 190 lbs. punter from St. Thomas Aquinas in Florida (Sam Young's and Dan Wenger's Alma Mata chose the Irish over only one other scholarship offer- Cincinatti. He is the nephew of NFL punter Matt Turk. Ben becomes the eighth verbal commitment for the incoming class of 2009.

Charlie is deadly serious when he talks about the special teams improving across the board. He is backing that talk up with early offers out to specialists such as Turk. This is an issue that Charlie looks to remedy for years to come.

Welcome to ND Ben!!!

Bagpipe Monday... In A Galaxy Far Away

This is a new feature for Subway Domer. Can you figure it out? God, I hope so. Something new and fresh, because we all need to be our freshest.

Subway Derailed?

Not a fucking chance guy. I have been battling a severe case of workaholism, some sort of bronchial damage that has me wheezing and gasping for breath like a 90 year old, a honey-do list, and have been in a deep football depression. Shit sucks. Oh yea, I have been the main battlefield for a blog war between Irish Band of Brothers and Domer Sports Report. I am staying out of this because it seems insanely childish. I am an IBB reader and enjoy that site. DSR (not Detroit Sports report for yet another Tigers loss) is new- listen Mark, if you want a link... quit begging for one like a child. Keep posting on a regular and when I update my blogrolls in July, you might find yourself there. Or, maybe not at all. I don't know and don't care. Ithink you may have been a troll and that doesn't sit well with the Emporer. We'll see.

All this has led to a less than stellar effort from myself, The Subway Domer. But, I apologize to no one. It's fucking summer and I have been enjoying as much as a workaholic, with fucked lungs and a demanding wife can. However, I feel the need to comment on a LOT of things that have gone on in NDNation recently. I won't sit here and pretend to report on these things as if you did not already know them, but I feel you are owed my commentary on these events.

Let us begin...

May 31st, Kevin White Leaves Notre Dame for same position at Duke. Huh. I wasn't shocked, but I really didn't see this thing ending so abruptly.

Kevin White had become a somewhat infamous character in Irish Athletic lore. His scheduling tactics for the football team were unforgivable in the eyes of many alumni and subway alumni. His "barnstorming" theory was a good thing in concept, but was very poorly executed up to this point. His bumbling of George O'Leary and his hiring and firing of Ty Willingham made him a household name.

Here's the thing, it doesn't matter. Here or somewhere else, an insanely hard or easy schedule, or whatever... winning cures all.

So go ahead and search for a new Athletic Director. Bring up names like Holtz, Phelps, and whoever else from the past that you can dig up. It really doesn't matter if we are winning. It doesn't. Oh sure, we may bitch about a few things, but we would not be sticking venom into this subject as much as we have been for the last few years. Watch what happens in 2009 and 2010. It may be Kevin White's fault.

I am by no means an apologist for Dr. White, but he has about as much impact against Michigan and USC as I do.

June 3rd, Chris Zorich returns to Notre Dame as the manager of student welfare and development inside the athletics department. Zorich has become a permanent fixture at Notre Dame during gamedays since Charlie Weis became the Head Coach. This is a similar plot line to another former Irish great. (I said great motherfuckers. Don't doubt me.) Ron Powlus. Begging in a small administrative role and turning good work into a reward of a coaching position. Maybe Zoro has no aspirations of this, but any fan of his can only hope of having him in Ian Williams or Brandon Newman's face at practice and on gamedays. Wahoo!

June 5th, Phil Steele is in my mailbox. So much information it gave me a headache and induced my bronchial infection to attack at full scale.

June 5th, Dan Fox committed to the Fighting Irish. The 6'4" 219 lbs. linebacker from St. Ignatius high school in Cleveland, Ohio gave his verbal pledge to Weis on Thursday and it was a commitment Irish fans have been anticipating.

Dan has a very athletic edge to him and his single greatest attribute has been his ability to cover the pass at his linebacking position.

Dan is the sixth commitment for the class of 2009 and will be a very welcome addition to a class that is looking to keep the momentum going after the 2008 class.

Dan is rated as a 4 star on Rivals.com and turned down offers from Boston College, Michigan State, and Virginia. He chips away another piece of this 2009 class that is forming. With only 19 scholarships available (went up one when Nagel left) Fox represents 2 of the 3 or 4 LB commits for this year. Spots are filling up and the pressure may now be on players such as Jenkins, Te'o, and Telfort.

Now a little video for the archives...


Welcome To ND Dan!!!

June 6th, Alex Bullard commits to Notre Dame. The 6'3" 285 lbs. guard from Brentwood Academy in Brentwood Tennessee gave his verbal pledge via a news conference most of you who are reading this have already seen.

Alex is the first offensive lineman and the 7th overall to commit to the 2009 incoming class. The first offensive lineman in a class that needs to rake up about 4 or 5 with most of those being tackles. This now leaves the Irish with about 12 or 13 scholarships remaining to give to incoming recruits, and two of those offers are for specialists. Ben Turk, a punter, and Dustin Hopkins, a kicker.

Alex also represents a small trend in Irish recruiting. they are doing well in Tennessee. Alex is the 3rd 4 star recruit to commit to the Irish in as many years. (Harrison Smith and Golden Tate class of 2007). Beating fat Phil in anything is great, but after recruiting losses to Ben Martin, Chris Donald, and Gerald Jones for the 2007 class, recruiting geeks should be joyous in the fact that we received a pledge from an outstanding recruit both on and off of the field.

Once again, spots are filling up and ND might get another boom soon after a few summer visits. Stay tuned to ALL Irish blogs and sites for more info in a very interesting recruiting year.

Welcome to ND Alex!!!

June 7th, Subway Domer stays home from work and actually writes a new post... still not breathing though. However, I did find this piece of youtube footage from the MZone. TAH-NOO-TAH teaching back in the day for the Suckeyes. Notice the extreme lack of f-bombs. What the fuck?!!!