Last Train Ride

After three years and 556 posts I have decided for a variety of reasons to stop posting.  I will leave the Blog up for a year if there are any posts or pictures you are interesting in downloading.  Go IRISH!

ND Recruiting Class of 2012 – Minus Three

What do Tee Shepard, Gunner Kiel, and now Davonte’ Neal have in common?

**  All three Rival 5 – Star Recruits.

**  All three offensive players.

**  All three from the class of 2012.

**  All three leaving the Irish.

Tee left for academic and Notre Dame acclimation reasons (rumor).

Gunner for depth chart reasons (rumor).

Davone’ to go home to Arizona and help father his six week old son (rumor).

So to add to the injuries of Chase Hounshell (shoulder), Amir Carlisle (broken collarbone), the transfer of Gunner Kiel, the transfer of Davonte’ Neal, and the latest rumor, the transfer of Justin Ferguson, that is five bad things.  Former head coach Lou Holtz said bad things happen in three’s, ---wrong again.

Let’s hope this is it.  Keep in mind, spring practice has just started and a lot can happen.

Irish Amir Carlisle and Injuries

There are very few photos of Amir Carlisle in a Notre Dame uniform and in most of them he is carrying or using a crutch.

Well the internet rumor is that Irish wannabe running back Amir Carlisle has suffered yet another injury.  This time an unofficial reported broken collarbone.  The kid cannot catch a break.  (Sorry lousy pun.)

He was basically let go by USC and Lane Kiffin over ankle and knee injuries/issues in which the Trojans were not willing to maintain a precious scholarship during the drastic NCAA punishment period.

Coming to Notre Dame in January 2012, he was granted immediate playing time by momma NCAA.  Then Amir broke his ankle before spring practice and then had subsequent nerve damage issues which caused him to Red Shirt all of 2012.

Now a broken collarbone to suffer through during spring practice and 7-7 unofficial workouts this summer.  It would appear he can physically be ready for fall practice, however, what about mentally and being behind four or five other running backs?

The NFL does not look kindly to injury prone running backs that traditionally have about a three year window to succeed in the NFL.

A classmate or fellow player needs to head down to the Grotto and lite a row of  candles for Amir.

Funk City and Other ND Ruinations

Guess it started with getting our butts kicked down in South Beach. 

Then this Manti Te’o thing, I was alright with it until I watched the Dr. Phil interview with the moron who thinks he is a girl.  Now I don’t know what to believe about Manti’s manhood or sexual leanings.

The one highlight since getting clobbered by Nick and the Boys has been the number four ranking for the Irish 2013 recruiting class.

Brian Kelly and his flirtation with the Eagles which had all the drama of a pimple-faced kid asking out the head cheerleader for his first date.  Text book example of how NOT to look for a job.

The NFL Combine was a bit underwhelming for a number of players including Te’o and Zeke Motta.  It will be interesting to see how the Irish seniors do at the ND’s pro day.

Jamoris Slaughter did not get another year of eligibility which really hurts his chances at the next level.

Now this Gunner Kiel transfer announcement.  You have to really wonder what he was thinking coming out of high school.  Indiana, LSU and Notre Dame, no good fits anywhere, figure he has one shot left. 

I guess it means that Everett Golson is the real deal and Gunner did not see himself starting or getting any meaningful playing time.  I’d always thought Andrew Hendrix was the odd-QB-out and he still may be.

Then to top things off, the Pope ups and quits.

Here is hoping spring practice will prove interesting and solidifying running back, linebacker, and OL.  No injuries and no more transfers.

An Early ND Look Ahead To The 2013 Campaign

Before final decisions on fifth year players are determined.

Before the Blue-Gold Game is played.

Before spring (and first year) academics sort themselves out.

Before any transfers.

Before any practice and training injuries.

Before any Early Enrollees and First Years getting homesick.

Before any mischief by players.

Even before the recruiting class of 2013 even starts summer school in June.

Korzo78 on the NDNation Rock’s House bulletin board has posted the below analysis/opinion of the 2013 schedule.  Good for him.  We need to keep the momentum going after getting our butts kicked by the Red Tide.

While his comments are in italics, ours are in normal Times New Roman.

Last year, ND was coming off an 8 win season and facing a schedule with six teams who had won 10 games the previous year. Just about everyone agreed that it would be one of the nation’s most difficult slates. Many expected an eight or nine win season. Didn’t turn out that way as MSU, BYU, SC, and Michigan slipped from the previous year.

This year, ND is coming off a 12-1 season and faces only two teams with 10 win seasons. Maybe, a few teams will rise up and have good seasons, but at this point, the schedule seems quite manageable.

Temple (4-7). Good opening game fodder. Should help ND break in a number of new offensive players.  This game should be fun.  On the downside, the Irish have been flat against opening day cupcakes before.

Michigan (8-5) Year 3 for Hoke, who has done well. The Skunkbears have recruited well. Gardner is an intriguing QB. Night game at Michigan. Toughest game on slate? It is also the last game in Ann Arbor concerning the contract between two stored programs.  Look to Michigan for an all out assault.

Purdue (6-7) New coach. Could be a letdown game like last year.  Although Tommy Rees had to win this game last year for the Irish, Purdue is an embarressment to the Big Whatever.

MSU (7-6) Lost a lot of talent. Also losing a bit of luster with Michigan’s reemergence. Mediocre QB play last year lead to many close losses. Tough team, could be tough game but ND is the better team.  Mark Dantonio has more tricks up his sleeve than Doc Holiday, you never know.

Oklahoma (10-3) Victim of high expectations. Ten wins but program seems a bit stale. Mediocre recruiting class this year. New QB, which is never good, Stoops probably will be looking for payback. Will the Sooners come back roaring on all cylinders or pucker up and take a beating like last year?  Glad this game is at home.

Arizona State (8-5) Pitt. circa 2013? Decent team, decent coach, Irish letdown and it could be a close game.  The game will be fun.

USC (7-6) Lane Nero fiddles as USC burns. Maybe, the biggest wildcard in college FB. Rebirth or firing the coach? Lot of physical talent; mentally, mush. Another team with an inexperienced QB.  Glad this game is at home.  Did I just say that above?

Air Force (6-7) Should be a W.  We need to limit our schedule to one academy team.  After 2014 and the ACC five game rule we probably wil.

Navy (8-5) Should be a W.  I sure hope so.

Pitt (6-7) Irish should be ready for the Panthers this time. Another W.  Man, what a game last year, this is a trap.

BYU (8-5) Tough team but very winnable game. Ho Hum.

Stanford (12-2) Toughest game on schedule? A true aspirational peer: Stanford on a nice run lately. Will ND need a signature win to cement its post season placement?  In tree hugger country, could be tough.

Much different than last year at this time. Hard to see any definite losses, like Okla. and USC last year. No one really knows but looks like a lot of wins.

Three walkovers: Temple, AF, Navy.

Irish should beat Pitt., ASU, and Purdue comfortably if their heads are screwed on straight.

MSU and BYU will probably show up to play but can’t match ND’s talent.

Not sure what to make of Okla. and USC. Talent is there but something is missing.

Toughest games at Michigan and Stanford.

In sum, Irish look BCS bound. Double digit wins seem quite reasonable.

Yes, 9-3 would be disappointing.

I have to agree, Michigan and Stanford (both away) appear to be problems.  There is always the bite you in the butt game/team that plays over its' head to contend with as well.

EDITORS NOTE:  If Korzo78 or any of his buddies read this post, please contact us to give credit and by-line.

The ND Football Class of 2017

 Well the fax machine in the Notre Dame Athletic Department got quite a workout last Wednesday.  24 new lads, you can read all about it just about in any sports media.  We won’t plagiarize here.  The Irish ended up being rated/ranked number 3, if you believe in rankings and ratings concerning 18 year old recruited kids.

So what does all this mean for the Irish?  Are there any loose ends?  What pieces of the puzzle for another championship run this year or maybe next year need to be placed on the board and interlocked?

First here are a couple of pieces that may have been missed.  Notre Dame has a freshman punter and kicker to add to the class of 2017 in preferred walk-ons Andrew Antognoli (punter) and John Chereson (place kicker).  Hopefully these pieces will turn into future athletic scholarships down the road for Andrew and John.  Both punter Ben Turk and kicker Nick Tausch on scholarship turned out just so-so.

It would appear that the Irish have enough athletes to field a true punt return and kickoff return squad and no more talk about lack of talent and afraid to put the defensive starters out there to block and tackle in the open fearing injury.

Some pieces that have to fall into place:

An answer is needed from the NCAA on Jamoris Slaughter (S) and his appeal for a final year of playing eligibility.  My god, the man will have a doctorate by the time he leaves Notre Dame if approved.  Jamoris has been designated one of eight Irish invited to the NFL Combine so the sting of final rejection may not be so bad.

The kicking walk-ons pretty much answer the question on whether Nick Tausch will return for a fifth year.  If he has a goal in kicking for the NFL, maybe a lower division school where he can play immediately would be the solution for him.

Tight end and inside linebacker are lacking in experience and questionable depth.  However, that’s what coaches get paid for. 

Apparently there are enough slots left to offer both Carlo Calabrese and Dan Fox fifth year scholarships.  After all, they applied and add some great experience in the middle of the defensive backfield.  Hope that happens.

Here is the bad piece of the puzzle that can’t seem to fit.  Everett Golson, Tommy Rees, Andrew Hendrix, Gunner Kiel, Malik Zaire.  You cannot carry five quarterbacks on scholarship.  The logical odd man out is Hendrix.  The problem is practice repetitions to prepare and action on the field.    Expect Hendrix to transfer after spring practice and when school lets out in May.  Everett is the guy to beat out.  Tommy is the preferred short term backup, Gunner is the competition and the quarterback to have ready and Malik will be wearing a redshirt.

We here at the Station are excited about the Irish and are looking forward to the vanilla Blue-Gold game to get some depth chart questions answered or at least give us something to write about.

P.S.  The entire coaching staff is in place for at least another year and that is a good thing.

Time is of the Essence for Manti Te’o

First of all, I believe Manti Te’o innocent until proven otherwise.  Second, Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick and his staff did an outstanding job in protecting the University and in initially defending and advising Manti.  Third, the ball is in his court now and the game clock is ticking away.  There are still too many questions and inconsistencies being raised by a media previously burned by a lack of research, due diligence and poor reporting.

I’m not sure what Manti’s handlers are waiting for in getting this scandal over with and behind them.  It is going to take another statement and a question and answer session with a group of media reporters to end it all. 

The story is on the BBC and been ridiculed by all the late night comedians.  It has reached the dragging out and stung by rumors, falsehoods and second guessing stage.  It is not going to go away even with Lance Armstrong temporarily taking the heat.

What is at stake now is Manti’s professional football career, lucrative endorsement deals and most importantly his name and reputation.  Not to mention his mental health.  Who will want to buy a sub after watching a Subway commercial with Manti munching and talking about how great subway sandwiches taste?

If he found out on December 6^th that he was the victim of a cruel hoax, the clock started ticking then on how much time he had until someone involved or someone knowledgeable of the hoax would break the story.  Deadspin.com claims they received an anonymous email, who knows who believe.

The agent(s), lawyer(s), family and true friends need to get Manti ready for the examination and cross examination now!  The prepping was already done by lawyer Jack Swarbrick.

We are behind you Manti.  God Bless.

Notre Dame and Leaving Early for the NFL

It appears 73 college underclassmen have declared for the NFL draft and will be leaving school early.  The 73 is up from 65 last year and 56 in 2011.  Sign of the times or economy or both?  Just another example of the lure of big bucks and what a business college football has become?

How does this affect the Irish?  In two ways.

1.  Tyler Eifert and Cierre Wood will be part of the 2013 draft as both have now decided to forego a fourth year of eligibility.  It is noteworthy that both have been at Notre Dame for four years and did not play their freshman years.  Eifert graduated in December and Wood’s academic status is unknown.  We have stated previously that Wood is making a mistake however he has a daughter to provide for and is looking to the short term.  We hope he gets invited to the NFL Combine and can get drafted or at least picked up as a unrestricted free agent.

2.  The early declarations will also slightly affect the 2013 schedule.

Michigan State lost 3

RB Le'Veon Bell -- This guy always seemed to be in Notre Dame's defensive backfield carrying the football.

DE William Gholston -- This guy always seemed to be in Notre Dame's offensive backfield tackling someone who had the football.

TE Dion Sims

Stanford lost 3

TE Levine Toilolo -- This guy is good. 

TE Zach Ertz -- So is this tight end.

CB Terrence Brown

 

Oklahoma lost 3

S Tony Jefferson

LB Tom Wort

WR Kenny Stills

Southern Cal lost 2

WR Robert Woods -- Nonfactor this year against the Irish, no so in 2011or 2010.

CB Nickell Robey

 

Now this is unheard of, LSU is losing 10 underclassmen to the draft.  Talk about a football factory.  Will Les Miles be able to reload?  Does he have gray-shirts waiting in the wings?  Guess the graduation rate at LSU is nothing to brag about.

We want to be the first to say it.....

Go Irish.  Beat Temple.

Things Are Looking Up For The Fightin Irish

Is the glass half full or half empty after the kester kickin we took down in South Beach?

The Program has never been stronger and here’s why.

*  The coaching staff is intact.  No defections to head coaching jobs or career moves this year.  However we would encourage Coach Brian Kelly to look towards replacing Scott Booker as Special Team’s Coach and bringing in someone to generate some life and respect for Special Teams.  Of course that starts with the head coach wanting to chance his present philosophy.

*  Six early enrollees to add to the mix during spring practice in April. 

**    Alex Anzalone – OLB

**    James Onwuala – WR

**    Malik Zaire – QB

**    Steve Elmer – OT

**    Mike Heuerman – TE

**    Corey Robinson – WR

Five, count them five quarterbacks for spring practice.  Competition, players pushing players always a great thing.  However we suspect Hendrix may become a casualty and take his skills elsewhere.

**    Everett Golson

**    Tommy Rees

**    Andrew Hendrix

**    Gunner Kiel

**    Malik Zaire

*  No early departees.  Louis Nix is coming back for his senior (Academic) year.

*  Currently the number one recruiting class for 2013 and there are still a number of quality recruits available.

*  After the Oklahoma victory an undercurrent and feeling that the Notre Dame Football Program is coming back to the national stage and respectability.

*  Those injured this past year are coming back to help the program.  Adding depth and competition for playing time.

**    Alex Welch – TE

**    Amir Carlisle – RB

**    Austin Collinsworth – S

**    Jamoris Slaughter – S

**    Lo Wood – CB

**    Luke Massa - WR/QB

**    Matt Hegarty - C

**    Ronnie Stanley – OT

**    Tate Nicholas – OL

*  A 2013 schedule similar to the one this past year when we went 12-0.  New meat includes Temple, Arizona State, Air Force.  Oklahoma and USC at home.  Schedule in fact may be a little easier.

*  A recruiting system that apparently works.  Coordinators, coaches recruiting prowess, official and unofficial visits, home visits, daily contact, selling the Program, admission office support and whatever else, it all seems to be working like a well oiled machine.

*  An absolute ton of positive publicity, good press, led by Manti Te’o and his unbelievable year.

*  Fifth year seniors returning.

**    Zack Martin

**    Chris Watts

**    Carlo Calabrese, Dan Fox, Cierre Wood (If there is room and they want to return).  Calabrese is the most likely.

*  Some interesting changes coming and already here to the Program.

**    NBC contract renewal.

**    Well deserved coaches contract extensions and salary increases.

**    Tom Hammond being replaced by Dan Hicks as the play-by-play announcer for NBC.

**    Continuation of the Shamrock Series in Dallas against Arizona State.

**    The unveiling of the five game ACC included football schedule in 2014.

**    The introduction of sideline, locker room and candid videos of the players.  Great for the fans.

**    The professionally done video series done throughout the year about the team and players.

We only see great things ahead.  The glass is half full.  Pour some more in please.

Comment From the Most Interesting Man in the World

 

"If watching American football I normally only pay attention to the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.  However this Bowl season I must also root for Georgia Tech and South Carolina."

Stay thirsty my friends and Happy New Year!

Go Irish.

Irish vs. Bama Prediction

 

Well I let the entire staff here at Subway Alumni Station off for New Year’s Eve.  It was either that or put up with a pot-luck luncheon and BYO booze office party.  Either way nothing would get done. 

So back in August who’d of thought I would be posting a Notre Dame vs. Alabama BCS National Championship Game prediction December 31^st? 

In the middle of fall camp I secretly thought the Irish could go 9-3 with losses to OK, USC and some chump team.  The chump loss to Pitt almost happened.  Attended the Navy and Stanford games and thought tailgating in the rain after the Cardinal Game that we would go 11-1 with only a loss to OK.  That was the only prediction I screwed up. 

Let’s see how I do with Bama.  Here are some things I wrote about the Tide two weeks ago.  I posted this last week about the Irish.

Common sense would tell you it will be a low scoring game just because of the defenses and normal conservative play calling during the initial stages of the game.  A Special Teams play leading to a touchdown, critical turnovers creating opponent points, and costly penalties could make the difference in the game.  Down by two scores for either team will be a tough row to hoe with the strong defenses.  You don’t want to be in that position.   I suspect the game will be decided in the last 8 minutes.

Here is where I think Notre Dame has an advantage.  They have won two games in overtime and a few others by some nail biting close scores.  They have not lost and do not know how to do that sort of thing.  Bama has pounded some luckless cupcakes and got their heads handed to them by TAM.
The Irish are healthy and in the best physical shape of the season.  The players, coaches and staff are hungry and need to be fed.

I have never seen a team bonded and focused like the Irish.  I may not again.

If Alabama gets behind and tired in those last 8 minutes, I think they will quit, fold and go home.

-- Subway Alumni

Notre Dame 14 – Alabama 13

 

 

Te'o and Hesburgh

Manti Malietau Louis Te'o – College Football Player

Rev. Theodore Martin Hesburgh – Catholic Priest

You could write volumes about both and volumes have, however the cell phone picture says it all.

ND vs. Alabama Things to Watch and Listen for

Like all of you, we here at Subway Alumni Station are beside ourselves in anticipation of The Game. 

Unfortunately along with way too many TV commerical timeouts, numerous stops in the action for play reviews and countless advertisements on the Jumbotron, plus their are signs along the sidelines, logos on the field or projected on the TV sreeen through sneaky means and there are still other distractions to suffer through.

Thus we have put together a list of Obligatory Camera Shots and Mind Numbing Dribble from the broadcast crew that you undoubtedly will see and hear.

The Obligatory Crap:

A large group of students/fans in the front row, mostly drunk, with painted team colored chests and faces screaming and yelling that they are number 1while holding up their index fingers.

At the end of a play, a traumatized player flipping his hand in the air throwing an imaginary flag and looking for a referee to agree.

With every possible opportunity in catching reactions from a coach to something that happened on the field, a camera will be there to record the action.  Of course this includes coaches spitting and picking their noses as a bonus.  (This camera shot will be repeated throughout the game until it is beyond annoying.)

The end of first half, the 30 second interview with each head coach as they try and get off the field.  Men used to conduct these but finally realized that women were better suited for asking asinine and obvious questions with obvious answers.

Opposing players and coaches signaling incomplete pass even before a referee can signal that it was a completed pass.

A grouping of each cheerleading squad including mascot screaming something and holding up the usual right index finger.  They maybe saying that they are #1, however we are never sure.

A defensive player after making a nice tackle, sack or pass breakup, running off the field and eating out of an imaginary bowl signifying “eating this us” or some other stupid thing.

A player scoring a touchdown, PAT, field goal, or safety and raising his arm and hand extending his index finger to heaven.  For some players this is the most religious as they have ever gotten.

The Dribble:  This will come almost totally from Brent Musburger, the ESPN play-by-play announcer.  It is enough to either make you constantly scream or hit the mute button on the remote.

First of all, Kirk Herbstriet is constantly referred to as "Herbie" as in Herbie from the Love Bug.  For gods sake, the man has a name, Kirk, how would Brent liked to be called "Muskie" or maybe "Burger?"

What will we hear first, “You’re looking live…” This is one of Bent Musberger’s catch phrases that he utters at the start of each telecast.  We already know what we are watching and all wishing we were there.

Musburger also likes to refer to some imaginery person as “The Pardner.” 

Of course we all are referred to as “Folks.”

“It’s a foot race!”   Yes their will be a long run with someone chasing the ball carrier and it becomes a foot race.  If this involves George Atkinson or Theo Riddick it will be a good thing.

“There’s that man again.” After someone becomes “That Man,” hopefully it will be Manti Te'o.

Brent will mention the title sponsor at least half a dozen times as part of the commentary, guess it is in his contract as an incentive clause.

“In the college game.”  Brent likes to let us all know he is aware of the NFL and NCAA football rules.

Calling a touchdown before the player actually scores. For example, during an interception return, Brent says “It’s a touchdown!” before the player actually scores.  Let's pray he is referring to Bennett Jackson.

“Herbie, my man.” this is his way of showing respect to Kirk.  Who secretly may be also a "Pardner."

“The Big Hawaiian."  If Brent has a pet nickname for one of the players during the game, for example calling Manti Te'o “The Big Hawaiian,” is the highest type of praise Brent can exclaim.

“My Friend.”  Brent stole this worn-out phrase from Lee Corso.  They both should drop it.

Well their you have it, the Obligatory camera shots and Tired Commentary.  Regardless and in spite of, Notre Dame will prevail.

Notre Dame Contracts – Sitting In The Catbird Seat

 Have you ever been in the catbird seat?  Knowing you have the upper hand, secretly knowing what no one knows, or sitting in a position of strength.  Jack Swarbrick is in the catbird seat thanks to Brain Kelly and the Fighting Irish football team.

Such is a position of negotiating strength –- 12-0 in 2012 and the promise of more to come with a strong recruiting class and a bevy of talent coming back in 2013.   We need to throw in the fact that the Irish are also playing of the National Championship as well. 

Lucky the Adidas and NBC contracts were not due in 2007 when Charlie Weis led the Irish to a 3-9 dismal season.

Notre Dame’s outfitter Adidas is not the most popular sports apparel company in town these days.  A number of schools have dumped them over labor issues coming out of Indonesia where they manufacturing faculties.   Russell, Champion, Nike and Under Armour are four other outfitters that come to mind.  Notre Dame has used Champion in the past.  

The contracts are close hold because Notre Dame is a private school and its records and legal documents are not open to public scrutiny.  However it is safe to assume that the contract includes outfitting all Irish sports teams from head to toe to include coaches, staff, players, trainers and miscellaneous hangers on.  A cash payment is also included.  Adidas gets in return its logo on apparel shown on national TV for 12 games.   Much more than any other brand and the exclusive right to stock the Hammes Bookstore with everything they manufacture.  Using Michigan as an example, the outfitting costs Adidas about six million with half a million in cash going to the Michigan tills as well.

It is suspected that Under Armour and Nike would love to have the outfitter contract.  Let the bidding begin.

The current NBC broadcast contract expires at the end of 2014.   NBC and Notre Dame have acknowledged that they are conducting preliminary negotiations and discussions to stake out bargaining positions and common areas of mutual interest and agreement.  The current contract is for 15 million per year and a good guess would be 20 million for a negotiating point.  The original contract started in 1991,

NBC is kind of shutout of sports right now.  ESPN/ABC pretty much controls what Joe-6pack watches on TV.  Olympics, hockey (not this year), Triple Crown and Breeders Cup, Notre Dame football and a small slice of the NFL on Sunday Night are about it.  Would ESPN/ABC be interested in Notre Dame?  Who knows however they would pretty much sew up the Notre Dame football audience if they did.  It memory is correct; CBS had one away game this year and ESPN/ABC the rest.  NBC has their own Sports Network now and needs programming.

It would be nice if Mr. Swarbrick got NBC to televise some men’s and women’s basketball as part of the deal.  Digital programming gets talked about a lot and will come into play somehow.  This year Notre Dame had cameras on the sidelines and in the locker rooms to produce some interesting clips and insight to the players and coaches.  Jack Nolan appears to be more prominently seen many of the clips and interviews.

We shall see who devours the cat or visa-versa. 

Update on Notre Dame Recruiting

The recruiting class of 2013 is kind of in limbo until after January 7^th.   Here is what we know.

If you haven’t been following the ups and downs, the class lost two verbal commitments.   RB Jamel James pulled back his verbal commitment.  He never made a visit to campus and rumor has it that he had admittance issues.  It probably didn’t help that Brian Kelly received a verbal from Rival 5-Star RB Greg Bryant.

LB verbal Danny Mattingly changed his mind as well.  Apparently Danny was still taking visits to other schools and looking at the current roster and recruits, did not see immediate playing time on the horizon.

So that puts the class at 20.  It appears that there is room for at least 3-4 more.  Folks in the know believe that Kelly has “soft verbals” from at least three.  Couple from USC.  Reasons for keeping quiet?  Some of these guys want to make a big splash, conduct a news conference or get their 30 seconds of fame by putting on a school baseball hat during the upcoming high school all-star games.

The return of seniors Zack Martin - OT and Chris Watts - G is great news and shrinks the scholarship total.  It is very nice that Louis Nix - NG is returning for his junior year, we will graduate next December.  I think we have Louis’ momma to thank for that.

One question mark is Cierre Wood - RB.  It is suspected his draft stock is not very high however he has a family to support.  It appears his best hope is undrafted free agent and hitching up with someone willing to take a chance.  His best bet is to return to Notre Dame, get a graduate degree and hope for a great year.

Two wild cards are line backers  Dan Fox and Carlo Calabrese.  Are they returning, does Kelly have room for at least one?

Six from the class of 2013 are enrolling in January.  This is always nice to see.  It is unknown how many of these early enrollees (EE) can be counted against last year’s class.  It is all fuzzy math to us, similar to the NFL team salary caps.

Alex Anzalone - OLB

James Onwualu - WR

Malik Zaire - QB

Steve Elmer - OT

Mike Heuerman - TE

Corey Robinson – WR

Everything is shaping up for a top five class and whether the soft verbal rumor is true.  You can check out the current 20 on the left side of the Blog.

What Do We Really Know About The Fighting Irish?

Two posts back we discussed what we knew about the Crimson Tide.  Turn around is only fair play.

1.  The Irish are 12-0 and the Tide is not.

2.  Irish have the best player in college football leading the defense and is one of two defensive team captains.

3.  Speaking of defense, the Irish do not have a good defense.  They have a very, very good defense.

4.  The players are extremely hungry.  You tend to get that way when you haven’t been to the Big Dance in 24 years.

5.  As a group, they can sing the Fight Song and recite the Our Father faster than anybody.  I know, I’ve heard them in their locker rooms.

6.  The coaching staff is even hungrier.  A win will solidify some coaching careers and bring prominence to others.

7.  Regardless what Bama fans say, the Irish played a tougher schedule than those southern boys.

8.  The Irish won some nail biter games by the hair of their chinny-chin-chins.  They know pressure and they know how to come back.

9.  They know how to dance and sing “We’re going to the Ship”.  I know, I saw and heard them in the USC visitor’s locker room. 

10.  It would be very unwise to say anything nasty about Louis Nixs’ momma. 

11.  Jesus doesn’t care if Notre Dame wins, however his Mother does.  Nuff said.

12.  The Irish have a red-shirt freshman quarterback who is getting better by leaps and bounds.  They also have an experienced backup who can come in and win it if needed.

13.  The Irish are 12-0 with a non-existent punt return team and a disappointing kickoff return team.

 

14.  Notre Dame has some cute co-eds.

 

 

 

 

National Championship Swag for the Irish

Let’s talk swag.  The kind the Irish football players, staff and coaches will receive from the BCS Championship Game.  We did this drill before; it’s always interesting to see what goodies the players will receive.  Read Here concerning what we posted on last years Swag.  If you want to read the whole article from where we plagiarized this year, click Here.

First the NCAA rules:

The NCAA allows each bowl to award up to $550 worth of gifts to 125 participants per school. Schools can, and almost always do, buy additional packages that they can distribute to participants beyond that 125 limit. In addition, participants can receive awards worth up to $400 from the school and up to $400 from the conference for postseason play, covering both conference title games and any bowl game.  Don't know if or how Notre Dame uses the $400 award category since they are independent and would have to pony up the $$$ instead of it coming from conference coffers.

We here at the Station think that the NCAA should increase the $550 to $750 to take into consideration inflation and the pending fiscal cliff.  It was $550 last year as well.

Gift suites are set up as private events in which game participants, and often bowl VIPs, are given an order form and allowed to select a gift, or gifts, up to a value that is predetermined by each specific bowl, not to exceed the NCAA limit.

The Folks at the Discover BCS Championsip Game have opted for providing a Gift Suite visit and a Tourneau Watch.  Not sure the practicility of a watch since everyone over the age of ten carries a cell phone.  The value of the watch subracted from the $550 gives you the amount of the shopping spree in the gift store.

We have tracked this for a number of years and the Bowls are leaning more and more toward Gift Suites. 

Gift                                          Bowls
Fossil Watch                            19

Gift Suite/Shopping Trip          16

Oakley Product                        8

Timely Watch                          8

Gift Card                                 5

New Era Cap                           4

Tourneau Watch                      4

Go Irish.  Grab the Swag.

What Do We Really Know About The Crimson Tide?

Without getting into the muck and weeds involving statistical comparisons, number crunching, amateur analysis, and biased conclusions, let’s just stick with the facts.

1.  We should be very leery about any University that resides in a state which every other letter is an ‘a’.

2.  The Crimson Tide is the 2011 National Champions in college football.  We need to respect that fact.  They are very very good.

3.  Alabama fans are known to saw off broom handles and jam empty Tide detergent boxes on top.  They then parade around with them like some barbarian carrying the head of his enemy on a pike.

4.  The Tide can be beaten, just ask Johnny Football (Heisman) and his pals at Texas A & M.

5.  Nick Saban is one of the 2-3 best coaches in college football.  (Les Miles and Urban Myers)

6.  Alabama possesses the second best defense behind Notre Dame.  The final score will NOT be 48 – 42.

7.  Tide fans are fanatical and bear considerable watching.  They are known to poison the trees of their rivals.

8.  The Team is loaded with talent.  The recruiting program is one of the best in the country. 

9.  Sometimes it is hard to get excited over a Team nicknamed “Red Water”.

10.  Nick Saban teams, whether at Toledo, Michigan State, LSU, or Alabama are well prepared and come to bring it on.

11.  Alabama has a habit of claiming a lot of National Championships.  The most controversial one was in 1973 where a Notre Dame (10-0) team defeated an Alabama (11-0) team in the Sugar Bowl.

12.  The Crimson Tide of Alabama particularly enjoys playing football in the former Confederate States.  They do because the SEC Conference plays in the deep South and border states such as Missouri and Kentucky.  In 2012 in order to remain close to Dixie, they scheduled such cupcakes; Western Kentucky, Florida Atlantic and Western Carolina.

We can beat these guys. 

Go IRISH

Johnny Football and Manti Te'o

The Fighting Irish need their Captain back.  Apparently he has one more trophy to pick up, The Lott Impact Player of the Year award tonight Sunday (12/9/12).  Then it’s back to South Bend and his first final exam Monday morning.  Manti will complete his classes this December and graduate with the rest of fellow seniors come May.

The Team needs his leadership, dedication and intensity to beat Alabama come January 7, 2013.  Coach Brian Kelly said that Manti Te’o was running on fumes.  That’s easy to believe after all the interviews, all the autograph signing, all the hype and all the rubber chicken awards banquets.  He missed two workouts/practices and is apparently eager to prepare for Alabama.

The Notre Dame community A.K.A. NDNation is very proud of one of its’ own who is the most highly honored college football player ever.  We will be even be prouder when he lifts the crystal football in the air.

No he did not win the Heisman.  He was not expected to.  In this era of pass happy spread offenses, it has become a popularity contest of the most prolific quarterback with the best statistics.  It also helps that your team finishes in the top tier ranking that will play in a BCS game.  Sorry Geno Smith.  Sorry Matt Barkley.

Johnny Manziel clearly meets and exceeds what it takes to win the Heisman today, in 2012.  Congratulations to him for sure.

This article pretty much sums up what the Heisman means to Texas A & M.  $$$$$.  The marketing of Manziel and the blitz to make TA&M a national brand, a mover and shaker in the SEC and fill the College Station coffers has begun.  Johnny has taken the unusual step of legally claiming the moniker “Johnny Football”.  This is similar to what Robert Griffin III did when he won the Heisman last year by branding “GR III”.  Of course this was when GRIII was a senior, getting ready to join the NFL and not a redshirt freshman.  Hopefully Johnny and his father will seek legal advice in walking that path with two or three years of amateur eligibility remaining and the NCAA with their big rule books.

I thought Johnny did a great job in his interview and acceptance speech.  He looks good holding the statue and he has a nice set of parents.  While that statue weighs 25 pounds, that target on his back is going to weigh a lot more.  It is suspected that the Oklahoma linebackers and defensive ends are preparing to meet Johnny in the backfield of the Cotton Bowl.  Ditto for every game next year and the year after which  includes cupcakes; Rice, Sam Houston State, SMU and UTEP.  The target and living up to the hype of repeat and three peat is going to take its’ toll wait and see.

 

 

Manti's Trophy Case

 

We suspect the hammering and sawing we hear in the Te’o garage is Mr. Te’o building a new trophy case for Manti.  He sure is collecting a lot of hardware. A number of awards are yet to be presented including Notre Dame Team awards as well as the Heisman Trophy.  MVP of the NC would be a nice crowning touch as well.

At the Station here we were early tooters of Manti’s horn.  With just a couple of days to go before the awards ceremony in New York we took down are Manti Te’o Heisman Watch Box.  Everyone is now familiar with his on and off the field accomplishments.  He has finally received the publicity due.

The rumor on the street is that TA&M quarterback Johnny Manziel is the odds on favorite but who knows.  You can argue either way.  If Alabama had beaten TA&M handing Johnny "Touchdown" his third loss, it would be a moot point.

Anyway the votes are cast; we have not watched the Heisman show since Brady Quinn got himself invited.  Guess we will tune it in this Saturday.

The Notre Dame T-Shirt Some Choices

Good old free enterprise, entrepreneurship, a brainstorm of an idea and bingo lets sell T-shirts.  The 12-0 run and National Championship game has brought out the folks looking to make a fast buck.  Below is a small sample.  We here at Subway Alumni Station do not sell, endorse or otherwise involving ourselves with the T-shirt business.  It can only be imagined the amount of hawkers down in Miami selling some such items.

 

This one is probably the nicest of the lot.

 

 

Hopefully this comes in something other that gray.

 

 

Maybe this one should be in gray.

 

 

Suggest "BOUND" be scaled back a tad.

 

 

Ug.  The blue is wrong as well as the rest of the shirt.

 

 We strongly urge you not to wear the top shirt around any drunk Alabama fans least one of them figures out what it means.

Alabama – A Shameful Schedule 2013

 

Alabama won the 2011 National Championship, is in the 2012 NC game against Notre Dame and has a good chance of being in the 2013 NC hunt as well.  Why?  Good coaching, sure.  Great talent, absolutely.  Both key ingredients that all teams need to possess to win a title.  However the Crimson Tide has something else going for it, an obscenely easy schedule.  This is not new to Alabama, playing cupcakes and carefully scheduling games to their advantage is an art form in Tuscaloosa.

Alabama does not like to leave the Confederacy.  In 2013 they venture out one time, to play Kentucky, a civil war border state.  This year they really went out on a limb and played Michigan, however that game was in Arlington Texas, a friendly Confederate State.  Very nicely crafted indeed.  In 2013 The Tide opens against Virginia Tech, however the game is at Atlanta Georgia.  Bama did not even want to venture up North to Blackburg Virginia.

Here is the shameful schedule:

Notice that only 11 games are listed, Alabama needs to find one more cupcake to complete the 12 FBS NCAA game schedule.  Pretty late in the hunt to find a team with an open date equaling The Tide’s.  Rest assured the will pay some chump team to travel to Bryant-Denny Stadium to get mauled.  This year it was Florida Atlantic (40-7), Western Kentucky (35-0) and Western Carolina (49-0).

Virginia Tech*              (6-6)

@Texas A&M             (10-2)

Ole Miss                       (6-6)

Georgia State              (1-10)              

@Kentucky                  (2-10)

Arkansas                      (4-8)

Tennessee                    (5-7)

LSU                             (10-2)

@Mississippi State        (8-4)    

Chattanooga                (6-5)

@Auburn                      (3-9)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

* @Atlanta Georgia

4 SEC teams away

1 game at a “close neutral site”

6 home games, 4 SEC and 2 embarrassing cupcakes.

1 obvious home game to be scheduled Sept 7, Sept 21or possibly but not likely (LSU the following week) Nov. 2.

The SEC West is kind of weak compared to the East, that sure doesn’t hurt Alabama’s chances either.

The cupcakes:

Crimson Tide Cupcake

Georgia State will move up in 2013 to the FBS Division 1-A, they had been in the FCS Division 1-AA CAA Conference.  Chattanooga is a lowly FCS in the mighty Southern Conference.

No doubt if Notre Dame was not undefeated, Alabama would be ranked #1, even with this years schedule.  So much for the myth of strenth of scedule.

Go IRISH beat the shameful Tide

Notre Dame Football Potpourri

Cartoon – Well I guess if you are an SEC fan you probably would snicker at the cartoon.  At least its’ not something derogatory or hateful about the Pope or the Irish Catholics.  Of course the NC is still almost five weeks away.

Nate Montana – Well Nate’s senior year is over.  A well traveled career from ND to JC to ND to Montana to West Virginia Wesleyan.  The Bobcats finished out the season 3-8.  Nate played in nine games and threw for 2480 yards (275.6 ypg) and nineteen touchdowns, he ran for two more.  Wonder if dad Joe watched Nate play?  Wonder if Joe could even find WV Wesleyan?

Looking more like his daddy every year.

 

Honey Badger – Well Tyrann Mathieu decided being a student was not for him and has declared for the NFL draft.  Another street thug out of college football great!  Maybe he can sit on the bench next to Terrell Pryor at Oakland.  They are about the only ones stupid enough to take the Honey Badger on.

Honey Badgers in happier times and places

 

Jim Tressel – Jim was honored at OSU for his championship team.  These are same fans who demand OSU be considered at the #1 ranked team in the country and a share of the NC.  These are the same fans who feel Jim did nothing wrong and the big bad NCAA was out to get OSU.  Lest we forget that OSU won that NC with a street thug named Maurice Clarett.  Maybe the Irish will play OSU next year in some Bowl game, maybe for the NC.

Watching Lou Holtz and the circus on ESPN.  At 75 how does he have blonde hair and so much of it?