The Subway Domer All-American Team

This is the First Annual Subway Domer All-American Team. This is a mostly unbiased list, but as it goes with EVERYONES AA teams... I might have a slight lean to a few players for one reason or another. The players on this team not only represent what they have accomplished in the past, but what the incoming season might hold for them as well.

OFFENSE 1st Team

QB- Brian Brohm Sr. Louisville

RB- Darren McFadden Jr. Arkansas

RB- Steve Slaton Jr. West Virginia

FB- Adam Ballard Sr. Navy

WR- Limas Sweed Sr. Texas

WR- DeSean Jackson Jr. Cal

WR- James Hardy Jr. Indiana

TE- John Carlson Sr. Notre Dame

C- John Sullivan Sr. Notre Dame

OG- Will Arnold Sr. LSU

OG- Herman Johnson Jr. LSU

OT- Jake Long Sr. Michigan

OT- Sam Baker Sr. USC

K- Alexis Serna Sr. Oregon State

KR- Marcus Thigpen Indiana

DEFENSE 1st Team

DE- Calais Campbell Jr. Miami

DE- Tommy Blake Sr. TCU

DT- Glenn Dorsey Sr. LSU

DT- Frank Okam Sr. Texas

ILB- James Laurinaitis Jr. Ohio State

ILB- Dan Conner Sr. Penn State

OLB- Brian Cushing Jr. USC

OLB- Keith Rivers Sr. USC

CB- Zachary Bowman Sr. Nebraska

CB- Aqib Talib Jr. Kansas

FS- Kenny Phillips Jr. Miami

SS- Tommy Zbikowski Sr. Notre Dame

P- Geoff Price Sr. Notre Dame

PR- DeSean Jackson Jr. Cal

Offense 2nd Team

QB- Colt Brennan Sr. Hawaii

RB- Jonathan Stewart Jr. Oregon

RB- Ray Rice Jr. Rutgers

FB- Mike Viti Sr. Army

WR- Early Doucet Sr. LSU

WR- Mario Manningham Jr. Michigan

WR- Mario Urrutia Jr. Louisville

TE- Chase Coffman Jr. Missouri

C- Adam Spieker Sr. Missouri

OG- George Robinson Jr. Oklahoma

OG- Adam Kraus Sr. Michigan

OT- Jared Gaither Jr. Maryland

OT- Kirk Barton Sr. Ohio State

K- Sam Swank Jr. Wake Forest

KR- Darrell Blackman Sr. N.C. State

Defense 2nd Team

DE- Lawrence Jackson Sr. USC

DE- Derrick Harvey Jr. Florida

DT- Sedrick Ellis Sr. USC

DT- Roy Miller Jr. Texas

ILB- Vince Hall Sr. Virginia Tech

ILB- Xavier Adibi Sr. Virginia Tech

OLB- Ali Highsmith Sr. LSU

OLB- Malik Jackson Sr. Louisville

CB- Malcom Jenkins Jr. Ohio State

CB- Antoine Cason Sr. Arizona

FS- Taylor Mays So. USC

SS- Courtney Greene Jr. Rutgers

P- Durant Brooks Sr. Georgia Tech

PR- Tracy Porter Sr. Indiana

Well there you have it, in all its unfathomable glory. If you have a problem with the list (such as 3 players from Indiana), kiss my ass. In fact, send me a list of your own, 1st and 2nd or just a 1st, and I'll post them if I receive enough of them.

Peace-Out an remember... it's only 66 days until G.T.

Your Supreme Emperor, The Subway Domer.

Throwback

In case you missed the news, Notre Dame and its jersey partner Adidas, announced in a press release that the October 20th meeting versus U$C will take on a retro feel. Notre Dame will "honor" the 1977 squad by donning the green jerseys. Of course, these are the uber fabulous uniform colors that helped make Joe Montana a god.

This announcement has come with some mixed results from the Irish faithful. Most of the Domers, would like to see us "honor" the '77 team with these colors versus the likes of Duke. Some do not want this at all and some seem O.K. with the retro day. Here is some advice from me, The Emporer of the Subway Alumni Nation... suck it up and deal with it! As it goes with a lot of things in life, this is just another detail that can not be controlled by us. So, to help the Domers out there who may be miffed or unsure about all this, here is some advice on what to do on October 20th, 2007.

• Break out the vintage gear. Get in your closets or nearest Bargain Box/Salvation Army Store and dress to impress... all day.
• Demand that this gas/oil crises be the same as it was in the 70's and the same price.
• Imagine Demetrius Jones as white, and 3rd string...and watch him save the day.
• If you are 18-20 and in Ohio, go to a bar and demand to be served alcohol... just as you could in 1977.
• Think of your President as a peanut farmer instead of a character in Peanuts.
• Crank up some Freebird.
• Enjoy the game.

This may seem a little much for some of you, but so will trying to pull off an upset with those yellow pants.

Trick Dogs, Carbonite, and Fish Frenzy

The NFL Draft has come and gone. Four and a half months of pure hype, and now the ramifications of what the draft will bring football fans is still a long ways away. The only certainties that we know are where these players have all gone and speculations on why they went where they did. Also, there seems to have been a resurrection of sorts...but more on that later.

Here is the list of Fighting Irish Players that were drafted, where they went, and the free agent signings for the guys not picked in the draft. By the way if any of you out there are an undersized, 4.6 + 40 yard dash running back... stay a 4th year in school. "Flipping Idiot!!!"- Napoleon Dynamite.

1. Brady Quinn Cleavland Browns 22nd Pick. Unless you live on Uranus, you know all about the freefall of Quinn. How in the hell did he slip to 22? Miami fans are enraged and Cam Cameron does his best to pacify the horde of saltwater spewing Fin Fanatics as depicted in this video. This was not planned by the Browns, but there has been reports of Cleavland trying to trade up with Buffalo to take Quinn at #12. Completely contrary to what the Brown are used to, they got lucky and got a trade with Dallas to nab Quinn before K.C. Good luck to Brady in the Dawg Pound.


2. Victor Abiamiri Philadelphia Eagles 57nd Pick. Round 2 for this domer. He fits in nicely with a good defense and can learn a lot while he is there. He was the 6th DE took and could of ended up in Chicago at pick number 62. Hopefully Philly doesn't keep drafting DEs every year ala the Giants . (A Justin Tuck reference).


3. Ryan Harris Denver Broncos 70th Pick. Ryan got the call while he was walking to Dairy Queen. He won't need the extra weight in Denver. They plan on using his athleticism in their zone blocking scheme. If he can ever develop a pissed of mentality, he could do well as a Bronco. How nasty can you be with a Banana Split?


4. Derek Landri Jacksonville Jaguars 166th Pick. I heard he could have gone earlier. Only 3 DT were taken after him, so good luck to you #66 at pick 166.


5. Mike Richardson New England Patriots 202nd Pick. WOW. Mike has come a long way. He went from 1 star prospect out of high school, to horrible, to starter, to one of the reasons any school could throw for 300+ yards on ND, to decent, to arguably the best DB ND had in 2006, to drafted in the NFL. Good Luck Mike. Try covering Moss in practice. OUCH.


6. Dan Santucci Cincinnati Bengals 230th Pick. I really didn't think he would get picked... so kudos to you Dan.


7. Nedu Ndukwe Cincinnati Begals 253rd Pick. Only 2 picks away from being Mr Irrelevant! Damn, so close. It all makes sense now. Cincy needs character guys in the late rounds. That is why Nedu and Santucci landed here. Nedu will be a special teams guy, because he does tackle very well and hits with some pop.

Seven is a step in the right direction, but it could have been nine. The other 2... oh yea just a starting RB and WR on a deadly offense. It seems they were undraftable, but they are signed.

Darius Walker Chicago Bears. Darius just became the poster child for anyone considering leaving school early despite the advice from EVERYONE not to do it. He should make the roster and be 3rd on the depth chart after Cedric Benson and Adrian Peterson. Not a bad situation, but it may get worse in a year. Good Luck Darius.

Rhema McKnight New Orleans Saints. Rhema is in a tighter spot. I am really surprised he did not get picked, but if you can't catch a 4th and 5 pas that hit you dead in the hands...you don't get drafted. He has a lot of competition ahead of him as the Saints were loaded at WR and took another with their first pick in Robert Meachum. If he makes the roster, he will be lucky.

Chris Frome Chicago Bears. In an unexpected turn of events, Frome was signed to a contract with Chicago after going undrafted and unsigned. Word on the street is that Chris had been frozen in Carbonite and was quite safe as he survived the freezing process. No word yet if Emperor Weis or Darth Brown had any connection to Frome's hibernation. I did pick up a few transmissions that he was sent to the Bears to protect the Princess. A.K.A. Darius Walker as he is already being called that by Urlacher.

Spring Fling Notes...And A Coronation Of Sorts

The Blue-Gold Game has been over for approximately 4 days and I can now finally sit down and enlighten you all of what has happened and what shall be. Please keep in mind that I speak on behalf of the ENTIRE Notre Dame Subway Alumni Association. (I am the self-appointed Emperor...voting is for wussies).

This is a bulleted breakdown of the weekend.

• The Shirt unveiling was a joke. I think it was poorly organized and the line was exhausting. Clearly a better way to sell these things, is a topic that should be discussed at the committee meetings. If you were there, you know what I mean... if you were not there, don't be at the event next year. I will update you in the future if it is safe. I do like the color. I think the slogans are cheesy. I will wear it at all the home games. Please simplify it for next year.


• Before I go into any info on the game and players, I have another complaint about ND and poor organization. I almost died of dehydration. When one is expecting between 40.000 and 55,000 guests it seems that common sense would rule that beverages should be plentiful. Especially as warm as it was. No water bottle stations? Have they gone mad? I stood in line for 20 minutes prior to the game, and during the entire halftime. I NEVER GOT SERVED. Why I followed rules and didn't bring anything in, is beyond me. But hey "Super, Smart, Elite University" Think the details out a little for next year.


• Quarterbacks. A lot of my fellow spectators in my section were confused and quite honestly upset, that the passing game was almost non-existent. I knew better. Weis already has a good idea who is top 2 QBs are and didn't need an aerial dogfight to help him out. Who those 2 are is antibody's guess (and everyone is). Clausen is one of them I am certain, flip a coin for the other. I will say that I was impressed by all the QBs, and a little disappointed in all as well. I don't think we can take anything out of this game, and why should we. Chris Olsen was once the MVP here.


• Running Backs. We've got a lot of them. One in particular was very impressive. Junior Jabbie. Weis has been talking about this kid all spring, and we finally saw what he was dishing. He cuts very well and showed good vision and a nice burst through the line. I have had a man-crush on this kid since he committed in HS. The name alone is great "Junior Jabbie from The Hun School in New Jersey". The other backs were equally impressive in their own ways. Travis Thomas is going to have a very good year. He plays with fire and guts and runs as hard as an escaped convict.He seems to have improved on his lateral movement as well. James Aldridge is going to be a huge factor for the Irish this year. James is showing signs of why he was a 5 star recruit. His legs are back and power and shiftiness go hand in hand with him. Armando Allen looks fast and is a slick runner. Let's hope we can find ways to get him in some open field.


• Wide Receivers. I am not going to even start on this subject. I don't have the heart. I will say that no routes went longer than 15 yards, so the jury is still defiantly out on this position.


• Tight Ends. Ask Lou Holtz.


• Offensive Line. They looked very good at times and poor at others. Pass blocking is a concern, but that is defiantly a technique issue. The run blocking looked very good. They play very physically. Sully got injured and will be fine. I like this group for the most part, but depth is an issue. Weis needs to keep these guys mean and what's the word...NASTY. Jeff Faine style.


• Defensive Line. The word of the day is going to be aggressive. They looked like a bunch of crazies. Laws is an animal and Pat Kuntz surprised me with his physical play. I would not be put back at all this season with a healthy rotation of players during the games. Chris Stewart is as big as Asia and could be huge, if he revs up his motor every play.


• Linebackers. Toryan Smith is going to be a legend... I can feel it. He is the biggest bad ass out there. (That includes#9). They all played pretty well. I am not sure if I am sold on John Ryan, but this is a 3-4 personnel defense, not a true 3-4. Some people were impressed with Vernaglia, but he has fooled me before. I think the starting 4 will be a mystery until the end of August.


• Secondary. What's the word again?...AGGRESSIVE. They looked a lot faster. Why? Probably because they are playing in a system where they know what the hell they are doing. They all flew around to the ball very well. Bruton of course was a key guy to watch and he didn't disappoint. ALL of the DBs looked very good and should be a strong force this year. Here's to a pass rush, huh fellas!


• Kickers. I see lots of practice showdowns in the future. We need a solid leg this year. Not sure if it's on campus just yet.

Well that's my little take on it. I need to go. Weis is blowing up my cell...everyone needs a little help. If you need more on the game, go to Blue-Gray Sky. They got a rundown of good stuff along with a very nice slide show.

Stay tuned for more coverage of ND Football this whole off-season.

Subway Domer...The Last Emperor.