Notre Dame 2010 Two-Deep Depth Chart - Aught 31, 2010

Well the two-deep depth chart is finally out for the beginning of the 2010 Fighting Irish Football Season. Expect a ton of articles and posts throughout NDNation. You can find the official chart here.


In a nutshell our take:

Missing in action:

WR- Shaq Evans (Rumors are flying he is transferring)

TE – Mike Ragone

QB – Nate Montana

Pleasant Surprises:

QB – Tommy Rees #2

RG - Mike Golic Jr. #2

WR - Theo Riddick

TE - Tyler Eifert #2

CB – Gary Gray

OLB – Prince Shembo

As Expected:

RB – Cierre Wood #2

C – Dan Wenger #2

WR – TJ Jones #2

WR – Duval Kamara #2

S - Jamoris Slaughter


What the?:

WR – John Goodman #2

CB – Darrin Walls

PR – John Goodman #2

The biggest mystery is Shaq Evans. He ended up a forgotten WR under Charlie Weis and apparently nothing has changed with Brian Kelly.

The second biggest mystery is Mike Ragone. Run-in with the law this spring? Heat injury this fall? Or is Tyler Eifert just better?

The third biggest mystery is John Goodman at #2 WR and #2 PR. Maybe he impresses the SAS readers and ND coaching staff, surely not the SAS staff.  No speed.  No consistent hands. No fast moves.

Darrin Walls must have had one heck of a fall camp. Hopefully he has finally blossomed.

You have to wonder if fifth year senior Dan Wenger had gone to anyother college he could have been starting more consistently over his career.

Ten Reasons Why the Fightin IRISH Will Defeat the Purdue Boilermakers

1. About 60+ players are so hungry to forget 2009, that they, as a unit would jump a well-done soup bone thrown on the ground just for dinner. (Forget the Freshmen; they were all in grade school when Coach Charlie Weis was hired).

2. Purdue is in a rebuilding year. Not one press blurb since Coach Brian Kelly was hired has reported Notre Dame is in a rebuilding year.  You have not heard that from Coach Kelly's lips either.

3. Coach Kelly and his staff are young, climbing up the mountain to the Promised Land and nobody is going to knock them off, not if they can help it.. (As a group, they would jump ahead of the 60+ So., Jr. Sr., 5yr Srs., to snag that soup bone to advance their careers and reputations).

4. The entire Team is healthy. (LB Anthony McDonald is listed as ‘questionable’,)  we shall see. Coach Kelly has been around the block on reporting injuries to the enemy before.)

5. Notre Dame is opening at home. The student body in mass will be wearing the 2010 Green T-Shirt. (Most will be sober) (Although, the IRISH record playing at home leaves something to be desired).

6. Seven Notre Dame players are listed on various post-season award Watch Lists.

7. Purdue has lost their back-up quarterback (academics) and starting running back (injury) for playing against the IRISH.

8. Anastasia Kushchenko predicted an IRISH victory, read it HERE.

9. Speed Kills. Coach Kelly knows that very well after 20 years. After spring training, fall camp, and preparing for the Boilermakers, the 85 scholarship players, walk-ons, and assorted scout team members have bought in big time. Speed is at every position based upon what was available and recruited in less than a year.  Don't get up and go the bathroom and grab another beer when the IRISH have the ball.  Watch out for swarming on defense that you have never seen before.


10. The Notre Dame Football Team has more to prove to the student body (including Saint Mary’s), the Alumni, and the Subway Alumni than Purdue does.

Watch List

Well the expectations for certain Notre Dame Football players keep growing.


Both Kyle Rudolph and Michael Floyd have been placed on two Watch Lists respectively.

Five other players with bright futures have also been nominated to specific Watch Lists for there positions.

Here is the current breakdown:



Nick Tausch – So. – K---Lou Groza Award

Armando Allen – Sr. – RB---Doak Walker Award

Kapron Lewis-Moore – Jr. – DE Ted Henricks Award

Ethan Johnson – Jr. – DE – Lombardi Awards

Manti Te’o – So. – LB – Lombardi Awards

Kyle Rudolph – Jr. TE – Lombardi Awards and Mackey Award

Floyd Michael – Jr. WR – Biletnikoff Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year

Congratulations are definately in order!  Now go out and earn the awards lads.

Go IRISH

Before and After or a Work in Progress --- Coach Brian Kelly

Has been a lot of commotion in the written press this week over Coach Kelly losing some much-needed pounds from early spring.

Sent our graphic artist and resident photographer on a mission to try to get a full-length photos of Coach Kelly. A before and after type deal. Kind of like Dan Marino, Don Shula and Marie Osmond that saturate the commercials on the Idiot Box and disrupt our TV viewing.

The best we were able to abscond from the Ethernet are shown above. You tell us which is early spring and middle summer?

BTW, our photographer was denied press credentials at Notre Dame, can't understand why.

A Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery inside an Enigma

Winston S. Churchill (Oct. 1, 1939)

He was of course referring to the Soviet Union and their real intentions just after the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany. [The key was what was the true national interest of Russia]

Our riddle is E. J. Banks cornerback for Notre Dame.

The mystery appears to be settled? 

Here is what Coach Kelly had to say Thursday, August 26th.

Q: What is the situation with E.J. Banks?



“We’re going to bring him out as a scout team player next week, Tuesday, and we expect him to come and do a great job for us.”

Q: Can he compete or just practice?

“He cannot compete, that is correct. He is no longer on scholarship. He is paying his own way here at Notre Dame by his own decision. He wanted to come back to Notre Dame, he wanted to be on the team, and he wanted to prove himself. So he’s going to get the chance to prove himself academically and on the football field.” 

Italics and underlining added.

A little history.

Banks was an early enrollee in January 2010. Went through spring practice and the Blue-Gold Game. Came out for fall camp and then disappeared from the Team. It is assumed he attended summer school with the rest of his teammates.

His father made a statement afterwards that E.J. would remain enrolled at Notre Dame but would not be playing football this year, but hoped to be accepted on the Team in 2011. (Or words to that effect)

Coach Kelly had also initally stated that Banks had left the Team.  (Or words to that effect)

If it were an academic issue, you would assume that it would have surfaced prior to the start of fall camp. Secondly, Banks is off scholarship after only winter semester and summer school? What happened to academic probation? Thirdly, if it is an academic issue and he needs to pull his grades and G.P.A. up to get his academic house in order, why/how would he have time to practice on the scout team?

We do not want to speculate and foster rumor.  We think their is more.

The enigma may be that the Notre Dame admissions office should take a closer look at and screen the maturity, scholarship, and adaptability of early enrollees coming to the University of Notre Dame in January. No one wants to see these young, student athletes fail. From this small January class, Chris Badger left for a two-year Mormon mission and Spencer Boyd left for personal reasons.

Good luck E.J. Banks, hang in there, get your scholarship back and make the Team in 2011. Go IRISH

Leprechaun Poll

Every year it’s the same old thing at Notre Dame Stadium. The band strikes up the greatest fight song ever and the green-suited student leprechaun waves the ND flag preceeding the Team out onto the field. Except for the Charlie Weis Era, the Head Coach normally would be in front of the Team leading his boys out of the tunnel.

We will have to wait and see if Coach Kelly is a runner or a walker. Anyway, how boring and dull. Change is good. Coach Kelly is trying to put his stamp on new ways of doing things for the Irish. SAS has come up with a reader poll to determine which new leprechaun should be recommended to Coach Kelly and the University to replace the green-suited student.

Your vote is important! As we say on election day in West Virginia, vote early - vote often! The poll is somewhere on the right side of the blog.

Notre Dame Walking Wounded

Well the Fighting Irish injury list is growing. Although as of today, August 26th, only Anthony McDonald is officially considered “doubtful” for the Purdue game.


A crack investigative reporter from our SAS staff has been assigned to track and monitor “known” injuries. You can never tell if an injury is a one-time event or something that could reoccur and hag the player. Coach Kelly like any good coach keeps his injury cards close to his vest.

We suspect Rudolph’s ‘tweaked hamstring' is more serious than previously reported.

Remember all is not lost, most of these ailments will go away via the Notre Dame top notch training staff.

Our guest physical therapist is working on an analysis of McDonald’s knee issue.

Here’s the list:

*  Kyle Rudolph – TE - Hamstring

*  Anthony McDonald – LB - Knee

  Andrew Ness - T - Undisclosed

*  Steve Paskorz – LB – Knee

Mike Ragone TE – Heat injury

*  Matt Romine OT – Concussion

Jamoris Slaughter – S – Groin

*  Chris Stewart – OG – Sore Neck

*  Dan Wenger – C - Concussion

*  Ian Williams - NG - Toe Infection

* - Potential Starter

Brian Kelly Press Conference – Tuesday August 24

Wow. Has Coach Kelly lost weight or what! He looked fit, trim, and extremely healthy Tuesday. Quite a difference from Coach Weis showing up in sweats and looking haggard. An unflattering SAS post was made on April 4th, comparing Coach Kelly and Coach Weis with pictures. I guess Coach Kelly read the article!  Glad he has time to follow us.

Great press conference. You could here the questions! What a concept! You know longer have to guess which player is being discussed!

So, the offensive and defensive coordinators will be in the booth. Fine. Who calls the plays? Of course, Coach Weis did (except for half a season), will/does Coach Kelly? I’ve never picked up on that. Guess I should get in the film room and watch some Cincinnati Bearcat tapes.

Staying with the coach’s thread, the most amazing thing that Coach Kelly did was bring in coaches who he had previously worked with or who were at Cincinnati with him. Coach Weis in his first year hired coaches on recommendations and over the phone. It was a last minute slapped together coaching staff. Of course Coach Weis wanted it that way being a micro-manager.  Only good can come from intimately knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your assistants. Plus, they know exactly where you (Kelly) is/are coming from. Lots to be said about that in the business world and life as well. The coaches and Head Coach familiarity concept is worth at least one close-extra victory for Notre Dame.  It is that important. Go IRISH.

It appears that Coach Kelly has gotten off on the professional right foot with the local Press Corp. Maybe a first heart breaking loss and a snippy reporter question will change that, but it’s not like Coach Weis dropping into the chair and saying, “OK fire away.” No adversarial or confrontation attitude yet.

Going back to Coach Holtz and the Davie-Willingham debacle, I seem to remember that rank and seniority had its privileges and the upper classmen got the starts. Coach Kelly is adamant that the best players take the field. This has created great competition and pushing and shoving to get on the depth chart and then be number one and starting. Seniority does not matter. He has that luxury being a new head coach.

Special Teams should win at least one game for us. Hopefully Ben Turk has improved and can kick the hell out the ball. Poor punting and kicking has cost Notre Dame a number of games over the past five years.  David Ruffer should be putting it in the end zone as well. It appears a toss up between Brandon Walker and Nick Tausch, nice to have two guys competing. Again Coach Kelly mentioned Armando Allen returning punts, Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood will be returning kick-offs. I am going to be so pumped over watching those guys given some blocking and having a little room to run.  Wish the reporters had asked a few more questions concerning Special Teams.  It is too often an after thought with coaches. 

Cierre Wood is the # 2 Back, good for him. Speed surely kills. Sorry Jonas Gray and Robert Hughes.

Coach Kelly mentioned that in a 20-minute timeframe, 60-65 plays are run at practice. Are you kidding me? Man that is fast, can’t wait to see that come September 4th. It was fast during the Blue-Gold Game, but gee it was raining and Coach Kelly wanted to get it over with, especially before the heavy rain hit.

Last point. Be interesting to see if NBC cooperates with TV time-outs. Coach Kelly relies on the no-huddle and hurry up. Commercials just give the defense the chance to regroup. This is something new for him, TV and commercials. How many games were televised at Grand Valley State or Central Michigan? Maybe NBC should work the time-outs when the Notre Dame defense is on the field? :+)

Game Day Post for Comments and Running Commentary

Hello Subway Alumni Station Faithful


A game day gathering post will be opened at 12:00 noon, Saturday September 4th.

Purdue vs. Notre Dame, as you know the game day telecast starts at 3:30 pm on NBC.

Join in providing comments during the agony and the ecstasy of the first game under Coach Brian Kelly and The Fightin Irish of Notre Dame.

Go IRISH beat the Boilerpeople!

What Brian Kelly Really Meant

Like most of you Loyal Sons of Notre Dame, I watched/listened to the Brian Kelly press conference on Tuesday, August 17th. Thought most of the questions were quite dumb, but I guess the reporters have not graduated from their pandering of Charlie Weis. In addition, I never realized that Eric Hanson, whom I admire, is a really big dude.  This press confernece format high-lights the reporters, makes them use a mike so we can basically see and hear who asked the dumb question.  It has Kelly standing at a podium instead of a table, obviously what makes him most comfortable.  This is quiet a change from the Weis era.  We like it.  Coach Kelly does need to quit picking at his head and face though.

If you’ve been on vacation or travel, here is the link to the press conference.

SAS reading between the lines take is:

** Kelly again appeared honest and sincere in his answers. Like all good coaches, he knows the enemy is watching and never states too much, just enough to get them lying awake at night. We were surprised he announced that Armando Allen, Kyle Rudolph, and Theo Riddick could/will run the Wild Cat. That is something for Purdue and the Skunkbears to find out when the IRISH line up without Dayne Crist. Rudolph is the most intriguing to receive the snap. After getting rid of the football, he can really lay a hit on someone, especially on a reverse to spring the runner free of the defensive end.

** Tommy Rees is gonna be the backup QB to Dayne Crist. He received a lot of praise from Kelly. Nate Montana is inconsistent. Being an early January enrollee and spring practice sure has helped Rees. We have to remember; Nate never received any scholarship offers and got his preferred walk-on status due to his father.

** Another indictment against the Weis coaching era and staff, Michael Floyd “was an average player last year” and his athleticism accounted for his performance not skills taught. Now Michael knows and runs crisp routes and has set the achievement bar for the rest of the Team.  We shall see.

** Unspoken but assume Manti Te’o and Michael Floyd will be Team captains.

** Manti Te’o, a sophomore is the standout defensive player thus far in fall practice. That speaks volumes about the defense.

** At least nine true freshman will see playing time.

** Kelly works with the walk-ons during practice.

** The defense is still a mystery and a work in progress. This is unsettling even with a 3-4 scheme and a new defensive coordinator. Of course, the same cast of characters is back, that may be the unsettling part.

** In the kicking game on Special Teams, Armando Allen on punt returns with Theo Riddick (again) and Cierre Wood. Fast, shifty, speed demons all. Give them some good blocks boys and they will be in the end zone waiting to high-five ya.  We see a return to glory in the return game, not since Tim Brown and Rocket Ismail. 

I am going to try to get credentials from the local rag here in West Virginia and start, attending the pressers. I want to know:

*** Exactly what is the status of E. J. Banks. At first, I guessed academics, now it may be a ‘conflict’ with the coaching staff.

*** Is Chris Badger really coming back from a two-year Mormon mission? What’s his scholarship status?

Anything you want to know that I can ask?

Another Notre Dame Football Poll To Help Pass The Time

Tried of reading about Notre Dame football fall camp?  Nope, I'm not either but here is something else to ponder.


This poll is a corollary to the first one. If you have a feeling where Notre Dame will end up in the final ranking poll, you obviously have an opinion as to their final record (pre-bowl).

What do you think will be Notre Dame’s record in 2010?

Vote on the right side of the blog.

Notre Dame Tight End Injuries

After six days of Fall Camp and two-a-days starting today (Friday), the injury report has been encouragingly modest. Well at least comforting as to what the Notre Dame staff has been officially releasing and reporting. Mike Ragone (TE) was hospitalized and since released for a heat related condition. On Wednesday, he appeared wobbly and the training staff and team doctors quickly got his temperature down and introduced fluid.
Been on the LaBar complex fields at midday and can attest to the radiating heat coming off the artifical turf field (see blog below). What is hard to imagine is how and why the training staff let it happen in the first place. The miserable hot days and the intense regimentation of the Kelly style of practice/play require everyone on the staff to be constantly alert for heat exhaustion, which can quickly lead to heat stroke and sometimes-even death.

You read about it every fall, it happens on high school practice fields as well as in college and the Pro’s.

Having spent 22 years in the U.S. Army, anytime a soldier came down with heat related issues that soldiers’ chain-of-command had a lot to answer for as to why it happened in the first place. Prevention is the key. Let’s hope that this is a wakeup call for the entire Kelly staff and Notre Dame. Not sure that Kelly and his staff are used to training and practicing players on a plastic field in the brutal August sun of Indiana.

Tight ends appear to be the only casualties thus far.

It was reported that Kyle Rudolph (TE) “tweaked a hammy” early in the week and was being held out in practice with only limited activity as a precaution. “Tweaked a hammy,” OK what does that exactly mean? I remember hearing it for the first time from Charlie Weis at a press conference when he was reporting on a player’s injury. (Wish I could remember who that was now?) Anyway, what’s the difference between a tweak and a pull?

How many times have you seen after a solid hit, a baseball player tearing down the base path for first base only to see him fall down like a sack of potatoes and hold the back of his thigh? Now that’s a pulled hamstring.

We decided to get this cleared up and go to a professional for answers. (Our first Guest Poster here at Subway Alumni Station)

Alex Brenner has over 14 years of physical therapy experience in the military, private clinics and the U.S. Public Health Service. He is rated as a DPT, Doctor of Physical Therapy. If, God forbid, the injuries grow during fall practice and during the season, SAS plans on calling on Alex to explain the injuries and give us a realistic timetable for recovery.

Here is his take:

Background

The hamstrings are a group of muscles that attached from the bottom of the pelvis and extend down the back of thigh and attach to various locations on the back of the femur and tibia. They are the primary flexors of the knee and are very important during the initial propulsion from a football stance. It is very common for this group of muscles to be injured, the most common injury being a muscle strain also known as a Apull.@ A muscle strain is a result of actual tearing of the muscle fibers either partially or completely depending on the severity.

In Kyle Rudolph’s case, Coach Kelly described the injury as a Atweak@ of the hamstring. To me this would indicate that Kyle has a minor strain. Hamstring strains, like most other injuries, vary in degree of severity. A severe muscle strain actually results in a complete tear of the muscle or an avulsion of the muscle away from the boney attachment. This almost always happens where the muscle attaches on the bottom of the pelvis although it can also happen in the mid belly of the muscle or less commonly from the attachment down directly behind the knee. A more severe muscle strain will result in bleeding which will leave the skin around the injury appearing to be bruised. This severity of muscle strain takes much longer to heal and usually results in the athlete being confined to crutches for ambulation. I doubt that Rudolph has this severe of an injury.

How and why does this happen?

I remember from my own high school football days that we would have several players suffer this same injury early in the football year, usually during our late summer double sessions. Although this can happen to any level of athlete at any time, I feel when it occurs early in the football season this type of injury is due to improper or lack of proper conditioning. It is not caused by weakness in the muscle; to the contrary, these high level athletes have highly developed hamstring muscles groups. Unfortunately, straight weight lifting and gains made in the gym do not translate over to function on the field. Most hamstring injuries occur during Aquick starts@ like a runner coming out of the sprinting blocks or in Rudolph’s case, coming out of his stance during the hike of the football.

Prevention

I would be surprised if the strength and conditioning coach wasn’t doing this but the best way to prevent early season hamstring strains is to conduct sprinting drills to augment the weight training. I would argue that the sprint drills would be more important in prep for intense summer/fall football practices. Players should perform repetitive Aquick start@ drills where they go from a football stance and sprint 5 yards. Start at 50% effort and progress to 100% effort, conducting multiple sets.

Treatment

Acutely, the muscle group should be iced daily for 20 minutes every few hours or so. If there is a large echymosis (bruising) an x-ray may be indicated to ensure that there is no avulsion of the bone. I highly doubt Rudolph needs to worry about this. The hamstring muscle group also tends to tighten up or shorten after injury so gentle static stretching is indicated to retain/maintain flexibility of the knee joint. Remember too, the muscle is torn so the stretching should be performed in the pain free range, maybe holding a gentle stretch for 30 seconds and repeating twice (repeat 3-4 times daily). I have also had success with wrapping the hamstring tightly with ace wrap or coban to take pressure off the damaged muscle or tendon. This puts the hamstring tendon in the best position to facilitate healing. Once the knee regains its normal range of motion and flexibility then it is time to progress to strengthening and then slowly back to functional/skilled activities such as sprinting and cutting on the football field.

Conclusion

From what I gather on Rudolph, he has a minor hamstring strain that will be better in 1-2 weeks. I doubt that he is receiving any extensive treatment and the medical staff is just monitoring him at this time. This early in the practice season and there is no reason to have Rudolph push through this injury and risk the chance of progressing the minor strain into a more severe injury which could affect him well into the start of the season. I suspect the medical staff will treat him as I indicated above. Look to see him back 100% participation in another week.

Alex Brenner, DPT, OCS

Board Certified Orthopaedic Physical Therapist

Something in the Water?

Early football enrollees are falling like flies.

Spencer Boyd – Got homesick for his family in Florida.

Chris Badger – Going on a two-year Mormon mission.

E. J. Banks – Left the Team but is still enrolled at Notre Dame. (Pure speculation is academics)

Research will have to be completed, but other January enrollees have had problems as well. Why?

Too young?

The harsh January Indiana winter?

Lack of identification with a normal swarm of incoming freshman in the fall?

Oh, where is Anna Chapman went you need her!?

SAS will send two of it’s crack investigative reporters to South Bend and determine if the water is tainted our other factors have mysteriously come into play.

Stay tuned to this blog.

Go IRISH.  Beat the Boilerpeople.

Announcing the SAS Post Season Notre Dame Football Poll

The USA Today Preseason Coaches 2010 College Football Poll just hit the wires in the SAS pressroom and Notre Dame is not in the Top 25. To be expected. No problem or issues there. The top five were expected, [Alabama, Ohio St., Florida, Texas, Boise St.] good for those schools. Good for the Fighting Irish as well. They got no place to go but up. No pressure. No swagger. Just go out and get it done. The polls will take care of themselves.

Anna Chapman was not asked to provide a preseason ranking for Notre Dame in her phone interview with SAS a while back. (See somewhere below for the post)

So it is only fitting that we poll the few meager bloggers who visit this site and get their opinion on how well Notre Dame will do this year. (The heck with fooling around with preseason rankings, monkeys can do as well with a dartboard). The poll is somewhere on the right side of the blog. (Google keeps moving it every time we post so you never know where the heck it will end up).

Vote early and often, just like we do here in West Virginia.

BTW, where do polls really come from? Scroll down for the answer.


















Keep Goin.........

The Top Ten Things David Letterman Would Like To See Come Out Notre Dame’s Fall Camp

1.  A 100% Healthy Team


2. An Offense and Defense That Can Play Four Quarters


3. A Solid #2 Quarterback Behind Dayne Crist


4. A Designated #3 Quarterback Behind A Solid #2 Quarterback


5. A Consistent Ben Turk Punting 40+ Every Time


6. A Cohesive, Well-Oiled, Offensive Line


7. Break-Out Final Years For: Robert Hughes, Duval Kamara, Emeka Nwankwo, Mike Ragone, Darrin Walls, Dan Wenger


8. Special Teams On A Mission To Run Back Punts and Kickoffs For Touch Downs


9. A Smash Mouth Defense


10. A Slew of Freshman On The Depth Chart

Secret Cartier Field Pictures

Today with the advent of fall camp for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, it is fitting that these photos be leaked to the internet.  Soon bruises, sweat, blood, pulled muscles, and discourging four letters words urging every player to a higher level of play will occur and echo on Carter Field.

I have been by the Carter Field Practice Complex at least half a dozen times. The gates are always locked and the best I could do was take a picture through the open canvas seam between the gates.

Last month, much to my surprise, the gates were open! My granddaughter and my two sons decided to venture out onto the practice fields with me of course in the lead. The worst that could happen was being yelled at and told to leave. Well I guess someone could have called the campus police, but no one did. Here are some amateur never before seen pictures.

It was a warm, sunny but not hot late July day in South Bend.  Walking on the artificial turf you could immediately feel the heat radiating from the green plastic.  Midday summer practice sessions must be brutal.

Actually, the complex is not called Carter Field anymore.  Here is the scoop from the ND website:

The LaBar Practice Complex, the University of Notre Dame's three-field football practice facility was dedicated on September 6, 2008. The three fields, two of them artificial turf and the other natural grass, are adjacent to the Guglielmino Athletics Complex and comprise a $2.5 million project that is based on the benefaction of John R. "Rees"


LaBar, a 1953 Notre Dame graduate, and his wife, Carol, who reside in Cincinnati, Ohio, and in Long Boat Key, Fla. The LaBars have a grandson David who was a 2008 Notre Dame graduate, and a granddaughter Lindsay who is a current junior at Notre Dame.

Rees and Carol LaBar together are two of the largest contributors in Notre Dame history to undergraduate scholarships for deserving students. More than 100 students from the Cincinnati area have attended Notre Dame as a result of their long-time financial support.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held Oct. 20, 2007, the morning of the Notre Dame-USC football game, to signify the start of the project. The project was completed in time for the Aug. 8 start of Notre Dame's 2008 fall football camp.


The FieldTurf practice fields are available for use primarily by the football squad, but also for lacrosse, soccer and RecSports use. The fields are located side by side at the far north end of the former Cartier Field configuration. They will help meet the year-round demand for high-quality practice fields and also reduce demand for the Loftus Center indoor field. Each field is lighted and secured by an eight-foot fence, with an adjacent maintenance building to provide storage.


The former track, grass field and bleachers within Moose Krause Stadium were removed beginning April 1, 2008, making room for the three new fields. A new track is being constructed just north of Edison Road, adjacent to (and east of) Leahy Drive, and southwest of Eck Baseball Stadium.


The construction of the new football fields is one of the latest dominos in the series of facility additions and changes that also will include construction of new stadia for lacrosse, soccer, track and field, and tennis, all within the large area east of the Joyce Center. All these projects are part of the University's "Spirit of Notre Dame" campaign.

Well I guess they are not so secret, but at least it got you to read the post.  Scroll down.
Since the pictures are at the bottom of the blog.

Here Come the IRISH

Well fall practice is getting close (August 7th unless you’ve been living in a cave or coming off a long vacation to Siberia). All the players and coaches are on campus, ready to wake up the echoes. Boy do they/we need reawakening!


However, who will it be to get us back on top? How will the first team shake out? Here is the take from the staff at Subway Alumni Station. Obviously, we could not evaluate the incoming freshman. We clinked bottles and toasted them and hoped at least one would break into the starting lineup. Sigh.

Note: The blog editor-in-chief supplied a generous galvanized washtub of cold-iced down Raven Special Lager, thus the results may vary from other ND websites and even Coach Kelly and staff.

Let’s start will the Defense, the heart of the problem last year. Many are returning, however will a new 3-4 Defense and energized Defensive coordinator Bob Diaco turn this unit around? A lot of juniors and seniors are going to see time on the field, Kelly’s tempo and pace will dictate multiple substitutions and breathers. He likes experience.  Can we again figure out the option and beat Navy? Here are the starting 11.

DEFENSE:

Defensive End: Emeka Nwankwo 6-4, 280, Sr.

Nose Tackle: Ian Williams, 6-2, 301, Sr.

Defensive End: Kapron Lewis-Moore, 6-4, 275, Jr.

Outside Linebacker: Brian Smith, 6-3, 234, Sr.

Inside Linebacker: Manti Te’o, 6-2, 250, So. (No brainer even for the SAS staff)

Inside Linebacker: Anthony McDonald, 6-2, 230, Jr.

Outside Linebacker: Darius Fleming, 6-2, 245, Jr.

Cornerback: Gary Gray, 5-11, 190, Sr.

Safety: Harrison Smith, 6-2, 212, Sr.

Safety: Zeke Motta, 6-2, 210, So.

Cornerback: Robert Blanton, 6-1, 190, Jr.

What! Where is Darrin Walls, 6-0, 185, Sr. Good question. Where has he been for the last four years? Darrin is a fifth year senior who has not proven himself. He will get playing time of course, we just don’t think he was the five star recruit everyone expected.

What about Ethan Johnson at defensive end? Nope. Nwankwo’s time has come. Watch out quarterbacks, this guy is on a mission.

The Offense is a little trickery. It’s sure great to continue to have depth again, plenty of it at wide receiver and tailback. We are so excited about the Offense. Although, crossing our fingers about Dayne Crist. We relooked the video of the Washington State game and the no contact ACL. Ouch. Hope the line can protect him.  Here are the starting 11.

OFFENSE:

Quarterback: Dayne Crist, 6-4, 235, Jr.

Running Back: Armando Allen, 5-10, 201, Sr. (With a lot of Cierre Wood, 6-0, 210, So.)

Wide Receiver: Michael Floyd, 6-3, 220, Jr. (Obviously)

Wide Receiver: Tai-ler Jones, 5-11, 185, Fr.

Wide Receiver: Theo Riddick, 5-11, 190, So.

Left Tackle: Zack Martin, 6-4, 280, So.

Left Guard: Chris Stewart, 6-5, 298, Sr.

Center: Braxton Cave, 6-3, 309, Jr.

Right Guard: Trevor Robinson, 6-5, 300, Jr.

Right Tackle: Taylor Dever, 6-5, 301, Sr.

Tight End: Kyle Rudolph, 6-6, 265, Jr.

No Robert Hughes, 5-11, 201, Sr., Speed kills and Kelly wants speed, cuts, jukes, savvy, not power.

We did not spend much time debating (drinking) over Special Teams. The issue is not kicking or punting but punt and kick coverage and springing Theo Riddick or Cierre Wood free on punt and kick-off returns. Something long missing from Notre Dame football since the Holtz era.

We have confidence that Turk will turn things around in punting and Tausch will escape ResLife punishment for the bust at the drinking party in July. The trio have bright futures at Notre Dame. Just another example of who and what Brian Kelly inherited. Kelly should be lighting candles at the Grotto everyday. Maybe that’s why it on caught on fire!

SPECIAL TEAMS:

Kicker: Nick Tausch, 6-0, 190, So.

Punter: Ben Turk, 5-11, 196, So.

Long Snapper: Jordan Cowart, 6-2, 215, So.

Toast:  Here's hoping for an injury free Fall Camp and GO IRISH!!

West Virginia Chickens

Well, well, well. The chickens are coming home to roost in Rich Rodriquez’s chicken coop in West Virginia. He may end up with the last laugh after all. It was just over two years ago that the Mountaineers were calling for his head, making threatening phone calls and sending nasty snail mail to his wife. The loss in the ugly lawsuit and repayment of $6 million buckaroos had to hurt.

Now, with the NCAA investigations, which will probably cost WV some scholarships, airtime, and maybe a bowl. Also, the jury is still out in Michigan on his shenanigan there. Ouch Rich.

Apparently, present WV coach Bill Stewart just rolled over the illegal activities into his football program as well.  Ouch Bill.

Way to go Dickrod. I e-mailed Anna Chapman, a.k.a. Anastasia Kushchenko (see 8 post below where Anna tells all) and got her take on the scandal and if it would effect Rich at Skunkbear U. Her answer was a laugh and a chuckle.

“Mr. Rodriquez will have to do 8-4 or better to keep his job. 7-5 will not cut it.” Stated the slinky, redhead Anna.

“Anna, you also predicted Notre Dame to go 8-4, are you stuck on those numbers?”

“Yes, 4x2=8, don’t you get it?”

“No.”

Some Unusual Pictures of Notre Dame Campus

The Notre Dame campus is about so much more than the typical pictures so often shown to depict Notre Dame. The stadium, golden dome of the administration building, the mosaic on the Hesburgh library and Basilica of the Scared Heart are the most photographed sites on campus. Down at the bottom of the blog are a few more I recently took while vacationing in New Buffalo Michigan.

13-14-15-16

Wow. While I was away on vacation, Brian Kelly and staff obviously were not.

Somewhere on the right side of the blog, you can scroll down and catch a short brief on each of the 16 verbally committed recruits.

Jalen Brown
Justice Haynes
Aaron Lynch
Anthony Rabasa

The diversity of where Coach Kelly is hunting is impressive. At first, I was concerned that he was focusing in on Ohio and the talent he was zeroing in on while at Cincinnati. However, since then he has raided in Michigan, Florida, and Texas to name a few football fanatic states.