ND Football '08 Prediction Quiz

This is not my official prediction for the 2008 Fighting Irish. That prediction comes after I drink much more August Kool-Aid, probably in about a month.

The gamblers, prognosticators, sportswriters, and other pundits are beginning to make their predictions for the season though. Here are a few notables:

• Charlie Weis predicts the Irish to win "9 to12 games". Yikes coach, I like the optimism, but lets not get cocky. Interesting article about Weis in the link right above, which talks about his prediction, the state of the program, etc, from a Michigan perspective as the article is from the Detroit Free Press. Coach Weis has made this prediction privately, supposedly.


• Columbia, Missouri Tribune predicts 8-4 season and a top 25 ranking. Not sure that these guys are experts, but their reasoning is incredibly simple and logical - the Irish schedule is 4 games easier than last year, and 17 starters return. Another short, interesting read.


• Point Spreads.com predicts the Irish to go 7-5. I think this is a fair prediction.


• Vegas is pegging the Over/Under on wins for the Irish at 7 wins. For Vegas novices, the over/under is the amount of wins that will ideally get 50% of people betting on the "over" and 50% on the "under". Vegas is somewhat 70% of the time, all of the time.

What to make of all of this garbage? Most people on the internet make predictions about Notre Dame just to get traffic, so you can't trust any of this stuff. Since I'm a logical guy, I am going to break it down for you with a simple quiz that will provide you with you're own prediction on the 2008 Fighting Irish win total.

Each question has answers with numbers in ( ). When you pick answer A that says (-2) for instance, the addition or subtraction will start from the 2007 win total of 3. So if you answer the questions and your final net number value is +4, then you are predicting the Irish will win 7 games. Give it an honest try, and see where you come out.

Question #1

Could this year's Irish team beat Duke, Stanford, and UCLA teams of last year?

A) YES (+0)

B) 2 out of 3 (-1)

C ) 1 out of 3 (-2)

D) 0 out of 3 (-3)

Question #2

The Irish gave up a record 58 sacks in 2008, giving up 56 combined in 2005-06. How much improvement will we see in pass protection, measured in sacks?

A) The same (+0)

B) 10 sacks better (+1)

C) 20 sacks better (+2)

D) 30 sacks better (+3)

E) Worse (-1)

F) Much worse (-3)

Question #3

Jimmy Clausen finished with one of the best freshman QB performances ever, throwing more Touchdowns than Interceptions as an injured 18 year old. How much, if any, will he improve?

A) He will play exactly the same (+0)

B) He will get hurt and miss at least 5 games (-1)

C) He will make improvements in learning to throw the ball away (6 sacks by running out of bounds in 2007), as well as getting rid of the ball when the pocket is collapsing, but his completion %s and TD to INT ratio (7/6) will remain the same (+1)

D) Jimmy will make huge strides, not unlike Matthew Stafford during his sophomore year last season. He will become an above average, solid QB that is not in the top 5 but is good enough to have a bright future and make defenses plan for him. (+2)

E) Jimmy will be an All-America team contender, pushing the envelope with a sophomore season akin to Brady Quinn's legendary Junior season in 2005 (+3)

Question #4

The Irish defense finished in the top 40 in the nation in total yards, finishing especially strong against the pass and a bit worse against the rush. Will the defense improve?

A) Yes, the defense will improve, finishing near the top 25 in total defense (+1)

B) Yes, the defense will vastly improve, setting Notre Dame records for sacks and QB pressures (+3)

C) Slightly. The defense will be slightly better than last year, finishing about the same in the rankings (+0)

D) Worse. The defense will be substantially worse, not able to stop the run at all due to a thin defensive line (-2)

Last question, Question #5

The Irish special teams challenged the offense for worst unit on the team (we didn't try a 41 yard field goal to beat Navy as time expired!!). Charlie Weis will now be directly overseeing special teams. How much will the Irish improve?

A) About the same, ranked in the bottom quarter of the NCAA (-1)

B) Worse, not able to do anything functional special teams wise (-2)

C) Slightly better; attempt and make a few late game field goals, but still not yet average (+0)

D) An average all across the board special teams performance. Make average amounts of touch backs, field goals, and good punts (+1).

E) Substantially improved; zero touchbacks in 2007 needs improving, and the Irish respond with a good % of those and even make a few 50 yard field goals, block a punt, etc, producing a top 30 in the nation special teams finish (+2)

So after giving the quiz an honest try, without preconceptions, tally up those scores, and add or subtract the number to the win total from 2007, 3.

What did you have? Obviously this poll is accurate, as I have the Irish winning 14 games next season.

Jack the AD

Notre Dame is set to announce its new Athletic Director later this week, when its expected that 1976 ND Alum John "Jack" Swarbrick will be the man. You can read a nice piece in the Chicago Tribune about Jack, and another piece here on Irish Eyes, both of which gets into a bit of his background. Essentially Jack is a lawyer with a major law firm in Indianapolis, IN, born in Bloomington, Indiana, who has been working in sports in some capacity for 25 years. He graduated from Stanford Law School in 1980, and he's largely responsible for bringing the Super Bowl and other sport events to Indiana.

The Pope will break it down for you with a quick list of his pro's and con's for this hiring:

Pros

• He graduated from ND - this cannot be understated. Weis was an ND grad, as many of us just feel safer with the program or department in the hands of an alum. Instantly most alumni will have a connection with Jack that we did not have with Kevin White.


• He's a smart guy - Stanford Law, on top of the ND degree. Not bad


• Been around sports - Successfully brought the Super Bowl to Indianapolis, has been chairman of the Indiana Sports Corporation, and also represented various parts of US Olympic teams like Gymnastics and US Rowing.


• He's been a finalist for a few Athletic positions - he was a finalist to be chairman of the NCAA back in 2002, losing to Miles Brand, who sucks. His familiarity with the NCAA will certainly be a huge benefit that most other candidates wouldn't have. He was also runner up to be Commissioner of the Big 12. Obviously this guy wants to get into sports administration/leadership.

Cons

• He has never been an Atheltic director - huge hole on his resume. Most ADs at Notre Dame had been ADs at a few stops before ND, just like Kevin White. No substitute for direct experience.


• No direct football experience - He has advised sports programs legally, and organized Indiana to be the host for Olympic qualifying events, the Super Bowl, etc. But at Notre Dame, managing the Football program is the real job of the AD, and he has little direct football experience dealing with the huge issues facing Notre Dame football: scheduling, BCS/Conference affiliation, and coaching.


• He's been a finalist for a few Athletic positions . . . but has never been hired.

My gut is that this is a good hire. Jack has been successful in the business world, not in the world of college athletic administration. Being an AD is just like promoting a product, protecting a client, or being a CEO. And too often the Academic type don't get the "big picture" when making decisions, which a CEO or a high ranking executive has been trained to do. I think based on the limited amount of information I've read about Jack, that he's our guy.

Will be interesting to see the press conference, likely later this week.

Notre Dame & NBC Extend TV Deal thru 2015

Today the announcement came that Notre Dame Football will continue to have its home games exclusively televised by NBC through 2015. The current deal expired in 2010. As of right now, there are no internet articles available since the press release occurred about 45 minutes ago. But here is a link to the official press release document that I received via email.

Some people suggested that NBC would not renew the deal unless Notre Dame starts winning, especially considering this past season. Obviously those skeptics were wrong. Extending a deal like this is great for the school and the fans for lots of reasons. Here are the most important reasons why this deal is good for Notre Dame, in order of importance:

1. Leverage with the BCS, and other conferences - Most of the major conferences resent Notre Dame's unique independence in football. Should the Irish lose their exclusive television deal, many would argue this would weaken their position at the bargaining table of the college football world. Most conferences and athletic directors know that Notre Dame is good for college football, thus the reason for giving them the special, unique clause in the BCS contracts. A weakened Notre Dame might give the BCS and college AD's the ability to force Notre Dame into a conference to be in competition for BCS or other bowl games. Keeping a strong program, both on the field but especially financially, will give us the freedom to remain independent, and likely be a part of any new BCS or college playoff systems.



2. Exposure for recruiting - How many coaches can tell someone's family that their son will be on national TV guaranteed 8 times a year, no matter what the opponent? (note: the deal with NBC is for 8 games a year - 7 home games, and then 1 neutral site game like San Antonio in 2009 vs Washington State - this is all a part of the new scheuling trend of 7-4-1 home/road/neutral). Most years all 12 games are on national tv, including ABC, CBS, or ESPN for road games. Since we recruit nationally, TV is important to bridge the distance gap we face when recruiting in Florida, California, etc., because parents and family can watch their son play on nearly any given weekend with ease.



3. Availability to fans - this is very important, and even more so for Notre Dame than any other school. Notre Dame's national fanbase negates any regional telecasts or regional networks, like the Big 10 and other conferences have/are attempting to creat. Since I live in Tennessee (aka SEC country), having the Irish fixed to NBC is great news, as SEC teams would likely replace the Irish if it were the local networks choice or regional broadcasts. Having a national network broadcast at least 8 games makes it so much easier to watch and follow the Irish, no matter where you are.



4. Financial security - tied closely to #1 reason above, the NBC contract means guaranteed revenue. This allows our entire athletic department to budget and plan better, knowing what TV revenue we will have through the year 2015. In a time when all the major conferences are scrambling to get their own TV network for sports (i.e. the Big Ten Network), Notre Dame continues to carve out its TV spot like the rest of the BCS conferences. The purposes of Big 10 Network and Notre Dame's NBC TV deal are the same - to control your own TV rights, guaranteeing yourself the proper exposure. The success of the Big 10 Network and the Notre Dame deal with NBC will continue to push all conferences to gain a further TV prescence than just the big games.

Obviously this is extra surprising given the horrendous 2007 season, the losingest in ND history at 3 wins and 9 losses. Word is that things are looking up for the 2008 Irish, mostly because of a) its summer b) the schedule is 2-3 games easier and c) those true freshman cant get any worse, so they have to be better in 2008 right? Lets go Irish fans, drink the Kool-Aid with me . . .

ND Tidbits

A few interesting items in the news regarding Notre Dame football over the past few weeks.

• Chris Zorich returns to ND in an Athletic Department role. He was a poster child of the Lou Holtz era, and is very popular around the Chicago area. Always good news.


• Not only is yours truly drinking the Kool-aid, thinking the Irish will have a good 2008 - so is one Irish assistant coach (Bernie Parmalee, pictured). His comments are vague, but entertaining for me to hear. Look for the Irish record to improve slightly, while their competitiveness and intensity improve dramatically.


• Notre Dame football team's cumulative GPA was once again over 3.0, for an unprecedented 6th straight semester. I've been an athlete at Notre Dame, and I know: there are no joke majors. There is tons of support and study sessions that athletes are required to attend, however. Even though I was a 4.0 high school student, I had to attend counseling sessions, study halls, and all other sorts of meetings to make sure that I was in fact succeeding academically. Kudos to Weis and the Athletic Academic staff and support team for doing it the right way.


• Very very quiet on the search for an Athletic Director. Impressively quiet. There have been some names floating around, in particular Steve Orsini (pictured) of SMU, who is reportedly a qualified and interested candidate. In addition, Bubba Cunningham and Joe Castiglione, AD's currently at Tulsa and Oklahoma, have been mentioned as possible candidates. We really don't know who, if anyone, has officially been contacted. And we don't have a timetable for a decision. I would assume in the next month, but who knows.


• Freshman arrived on campus this past Monday for summer school and essentially the beginning of their tenure as Irish freshman. The #2 ranked recruiting class in the country will be very important to the next few seasons, so hopefully they get started on the right foot. They have all been assigned numbers, covered in this article where the history of every number is mentioned. Pretty cool stuff. My favorite is that there will be 2 freshman wearing the #9, Tommy Zbikowski's old number. Both Kyle Rudolph (Freshman, speedy tight end from Cinncinnati) as well as Ethan Johnson (pictured, Freshman, absolute stud defensive end from Oregon) will be donning the great #9. Those 2 are easily 2 of our top 5 recruits signed last year, if not our top 2. Also interestingly, is that California QB Dayne Crist will be wearing good ole #10, last worn by this guy . . .
  
  


• Interesting take on Notre Dame and the BCS, conference situation in the Orlando newspaper. I agree, ND needs to win to maintain the power that it has at the table. More importantly, we need an Athletic Director that will continue to lead in a way that is best for ND and our independence, as well as meshing with current college football conferences.

White Out

Against my promise of last Friday, I am posting again today about Notre Dame. Two things happened over the weekend, one of which being a huge occurence:

• Kevin White is no longer the Athletics Director at Notre Dame. He has accepted the same position (with the addition of Vice President at the front of his title) at Duke University. At first glance, this move was one of job security for Kevin White. It was long known that White opposed the firing of Tyrone Willingham in 2003, but the move occured anyway due to pressure from the Board of Trustees. In addition, it was also reported that he was against the 10 year contract given to Weis just months into his first season. White likely saw that he was going to be held accountable for decisions that he wasn't fully controlling. I'm sure the less intense and microscoped environment of Durham will be a much better retirement than in South Bend, where he could have been one more bad football season away from being fired. We can't forget that he signed Bob Davie to a contract extension in early 2000, only to fire him later that year. Then he hired George O'Leary, who was on campus for 7 days before being fired due to resume issues. And then he hired Willingham and oversaw that debacle. No doubt that non-football sports made enormous strides under White however. Overall it was a great job in non-football sports but a sub-par one for Notre Dame football.



• Notre Dame and Utah will likely play in 2010 at Notre Dame stadium in a 1 game deal. This is a good move for the Irish, as we get a brand new flavor that is also a competitive college football team. Certainly they are not tier 1, but they are a solid opponent that is respectable and (should be) beatable. Always good to keep the schedule fresh and geographically spread out.

Right now there is no timetable or official hiring schedule for a new AD. The South Bend Tribune has created a list of candidates of interest, with really only two things connecting them: Athletics Directing experience, as well as passing through Notre Dame at some point in their lives. Prediction from my seat: Lawrence "Bubba" Cunningham, who has a few huge things going for him.

1. He graduated from ND (twice, 1984 & 1988)



2. He was an athlete at ND (golf)



3. He worked in the Athletics office at ND for 15 years (!!) after college, being the lead negotiator in the current deal with Adidas.



4. He has now been a full athletics director at two schools (Ball St. & Tulsa)

I met the guy once, and he was super charismatic and classy - perfect for this role. Certainly I think there is one other viable candidate that I just must mention . . .

99 Days . . .

. . . until the Irish take the field against San Diego St. Not too much happening in college football until camps open in August, so don't expect much from this blog. A few tidbits of note over the past few weeks:

• Coach Weis visited soldiers in Iraq, touring with other college football coaches. By all accounts it was a great experience for Weis and the military alike. The coaches coached and refereed a flag football game on Memorial Day, staying afterwards to sign autographs for hours. Interestingly enough, the coaches were asked to write messages on some bombs to be dropped in Afghanistan. Weis wrote, "You will lose. Go Irish!" on his bomb, sparking the creation of t-shirts everywhere. I still say 2008's "The Shirt" for Notre Dame football should say: "Notre Dame Football 2008 - No more F_cking Around"




• Notre Dame appeared at #19 in Phil Steele's preseason poll, being released over this past week and next week. No that's not a typo, and no this is not for basketball. Phil Steele is known for his analytic approach and is incredibly well respected in the college football community. No doubt he sees the Irish much weakened schedule as a big harbinger of the Irish return to relevancy. Personally I think he is a bit optimistic, but its nice to see an objective analyst make a call instead of me/message board dude/Lou Holtz making the claim. Also nice to see BYU at #17 in his pole. Not sure why I mentioned that . . .
  
  
• Army and Notre Dame will likely begin playing again in 2010 or later. Great news for traditionalists, although many younger Irish fans are tired of playing service academies. The games will be at Notre Dame Stadium for Irish home years, and in neutral sites like Philadelphia, Orlando, Chicago, etc. for Army host years (similar to the Navy series). Every schedule has to have some "softer" teams, so ours might as well be service academies, which I have enormous respect for (insert Navy joke here). As long as we keep the Michigan and USCs, as well as some new fresh rivalries on the schedule (i.e. Oklahoma home and away in 2012 and 2013), I will be fine. Would be great to add more SEC teams like Georgia or Alabama onto the schedule, but that looks doubtful as the push is fore more neutral site games that essentially are under Irish control. Big, "premier" programs would only play home and home most likely.
  
• One transfer out, two players return. Freshman linebacker Aaron Nagel will seek a transfer after being buried on the depth chart and potentially behind incoming freshman this fall. Wish him well, and thank him for opening a schollie for someone else. In great news, last year starting defensive tackle Pat Kuntz will be returning to campus, after leaving due to academic reasons in the spring. Sophomore Tight End Will Yeatman has also returned, after being suspending for a drinking incident on campus. Yeatman missed the spring, which included his participation on the Irish lacrosse team, on which he earned National Lacrosse Rookie of the Year in 2007. At 6 foot 6, 260 pounds, Yeatman is the perfect size for a tight end, and also can lay hat on the lacrosse field. Both will start or at the minimum play significant minutes for the Irish.
  
• Talent levels in 2008 are arguably back to a competitive level, although not in the senior or 5th year senior classes. The "star" system for high school recruits has been pretty steady since about 2001, and many are starting to see a direct correlation between NFL draft picks and successful college football programs and the star rankings out of high school. In short, 5 star players have statistically shown to have a much higher chance of being a top 2 round NFL draft pick than 3 star players, as these high school talent evaluators are getting pretty good at what they do. The hard issue is how do you compare a senior in college that was a former 5 star signee, with a true freshman 5 star? Obviously the former is more valuable, and that's what the Irish lack. The Irish 1st - 3rd year players represent 3 straight top 8 ranked classes in 2006 - 2008 (and the top RB in the nation Cierre Wood (pictured) on the way for 2009); however, the lack of talent in the 4th and 5th year classes will continue to hurt the Irish in 2008. Come 2009 though, the Irish will have no excuses for not winning 9 games a year.

Hopefully the team is getting into shape and the incoming freshman will work hard to be ready to contribute come September. Probably won't be too much blogging on the Irish until a few pre-season posts come August. Talk is cheap, and all the Irish can do to gain respect back is to show up in September. My official prediction for the season will be decided later, but I look for the Irish to be much more competitive and enjoyable to watch this year.

Conversation with Charlie Weis

Last night the Pope had the pleasure of meeting Charlie Weis. I was only allowed to speak with Charlie a moment, but wisdom permeated the conversation on both ends. Here is a quick look at what was said, in this week's Supreme Pontiff's Conversations:

THE POPE: Charlie, the pleasure is all mine. Im glad you have come to this meeting.

WEIS: No problem your highness. I have a lot of repenting to do.

THE POPE: [muttered under his breath] (your goddamn right you do . . .)

WEIS: UH, Excuse me? Did I hear you say something.

THE POPE: Nothing, just have a slight cough (cough cough). Charlie, we are very happy here to speak. What might you be speaking about this evening?

WEIS: I was going to talk about the commitment Notre Dame football has to excellence in character, grades, and on the field play.

THE POPE: 2 outta 3 aint bad - in baseball you'd be the greatest hitter ever at that average

WEIS: The on the field excellence wasn't there last year, but its coming.

THE POPE: I agree Charlie, I agree. San Diego St, Syracuse, Navy, Washingon, Stanford - must have bought a lot of indulgences for that 2008 schedule, Charlie

WEIS: Not sure what that means. I think we are going to be better next year not just because of the schedule, but because our team will be a year older and more experienced, and much bigger.

THE POPE: Experience is overrated. So is size. Especially in your case . . .

WEIS: Whats that supposed to mean!?

THE POPE: Your NFL experience is a bit overrated, dont you think? Thats what I meant.

WEIS: Possibly. I think its a selling point in recruiting.


THE POPE: Thats like saying my experience loving God is a great selling point for me with the ladies.

WEIS: ?!?!

THE POPE: Moving along now. As long as you stay focused, not paying attention to what the fans say, any dumb websites, or blogs, then I think your 2008 season will go well. Maybe much more like your 1st season in South Bend



WEIS: Thanks your eminence.

There you have it. Historic conversation, recorded for you, right here at VaticanSmoke.com.

Vegas Baby, Vegas

The Pope was in the US, so he couldn't not go to Vegas right? During my visit, I roamed the sports books of Caesar's, Mirage, Paris, and MGM, looking for futures. Here are some interesting bets/odds that I found:

Tennessee Titans to win Super Bowl = 25 to 1
Memphis Tigers to win 2009 National Basketball Title = 25 to 1
Notre Dame to win 2009 National Basketball Title = 20 to 1
Indiana to win 2009 BCS National Championship (Football) = 125 to 1
Notre Dame to win 2009 BCS National Championship (Football) = 75 to 1
USC to win 2009 BCS National Championship (Football) = 7 to 2 (3.5 to 1)

A few thoughts:

- When was the last time Notre Dame had a greater chance to win the basketball national championship, than the football one? Not only a greater chance, but three times greater chance.

- Certainly we must take into account the Notre Dame bias. Due to the widespread and large number of Notre Dame fans, oftentimes the lines on Notre Dame bets, especially football, are slanted a bit more against Notre Dame (paying less) due to the large number of bettors. If Notre Dame is favored by 7 points in reality, the number of bettors on ND might move the line to 8 or 9 so that the casino can even out the betting. Case in point: the 75 to 1 odds on the National Football Championship have moved down to there from 100 to 1 at the start of betting.

- The Memphis Tigers basketball odds just bring up more pain and coulda/woulda/shoulda from this past season. The Tigers will remain in the picture, although never guaranteed to have a shot at the title like they did in 2008. Tough to read those odds, especially given that they were behind Notre Dame and other teams that clearly they can be better than.

- The "Field" bet for the National Football championship was 18 to 1. Thats a dumb bet though, because every decent BCS team is not considered to be "in the field". A team like Vanderbilt or Ole Miss were examples of teams that would be in the field, and I dont think those odds pay enough despite the 50 or so teams that you would have included.

- I think the Titans winning the Super Bowl is more doable than 25 to 1 personally. Certainly they are not a top 3 team in their conference, but I think that a playoff team with that good of a defense definitely has a reasonable shot at improving for a title shot. I would be more shocked if Notre Dame won the Basketball championship honestly. The defense could be improved through the draft, as well as some potential development in the offense with the new and returned Mike Heimerdinger returning as Offensive Coordinator, he of Steve McNair's MVP season offensive coordinating fame.

- USC, I think, has the best shot to win next year. Vegas agrees, with the lowest odds by far being the 7/2 bet on the Trojans to win the title. The SEC is too tough to consider Georgia, Florida, or a rebuilding LSU, and the Trojans have proved to be the best team outside of the SEC in many's mind each year. USC last year, possibly could have beaten LSU at season's end, and they would have been in the title game if not for 5 major injuries in the middle of the season that cost them 2 close losses (Stanford & @ Oregon). 7/2 odds is not worth the bet though, as Vegas knows better than anyone who the best chance is.

Odds of the Pope returning to Vegas = 1/1 Zillion

Notre Dame Spring Football 2008

Spring brings new beginnings, both to the flowers and trees, but also to the mosquitoes and other annoying insects. Which will be a more appropriate analogy for Notre Dame Football this spring?

So far, here's the run down on the major occurences since the end of last season (which ended on a two game winning streak):

- Bill Lewis retires as Secondary coach, making way for famed Defensive Coordinator Jon Tenuta to join the staff as Defensive LB Coach and essentially co-Defensive Coordinator with Corwin Brown (although not officially).

- Jimmy Clausen gains some pounds - now fully able to lift weights due to his elbow healing, Jimmy reportedly weighs in about 15 pounds heavier than the end of last year, at a solid 212 pounds

- The Offensive Line has bulked up, led by RT Sam Young packing on about 20 pounds to weigh in a 330 pounds. These guys are finally maturing physically, and also mentally by all accounts

- The #2 recruiting class in the nation was signed in February. This fall will definitely see the arrival of arguably the best recruiting class in Notre Dame history. Time will tell if they pan out, but I'd rather be #2 in the rankings of high school recruits than #20.

- A new Charlie Weis emerges - the formerly gruff, interview declining and "arrogant" Weis has been replaced by someone who is more open, humble, and grounded. Players over to his house for dinner, more meetings with prominent ND alumni, and even Weis relenquishing play calling duties come this fall, all add up to a man who knows that the 2007 season was his one free pass.

- Secondary and Running Back Depth - With the infusion of talent the past three years, arguably the two positions where Notre Dame is the healthiest in terms of numbers and talent is the secondary and running back. This depth never was achieved under Willingham or Davie at either positions.

What are the most important Papal tidbits stemming from spring practice?

1. Jon Tenuta - His hiring was bigger than any recruit we got in our #2 rated class in February. Known for his relentless blitzing and aggressive defense, his knowledge and fire will greatly help a defense that needs direction. Tenuta shut down the Irish when he coordinated the Georgia Tech defense during 2006 and 2007, and decided to leave when knew Yellow Jackets coach Paul Johnson was introduced. His defenses at Georgia Tech never were outside of the top 30 in total defense or total rushing, and in 2007 his Georgia Tech team led the nation in sacks. Not only will his knowledge help, but also passionate yelling during practice (be wary of F bombs):

2. Jimmy Clausen - Weis says that he is ahead of Brady Quinn at the same age. Hard to argue, especially since Jimmy had a better Freshman season than Brady did, by most accounts. He didnt play as much as Brady, but had better numbers during his minutes, despite playing fresh off an injury. Jimmy has gained weight, is taking the reins of the offense, and is clearly the man. No QB controversy will allow Jimmy to focus on absorbing as much from Coaches Weis, Haywood, and Paulus. Look for him to have a solid year, with flashes of brilliance, but also flashes of youth. 2009, this guy will be ready to go, trust me.

3. Lets Get Physical, Physical - After not practicing "tackling to the ground" (aka, full tackling) last spring or last August in camp, the Irish have taken a new approach to try and address the lack of toughness last season. Now the Irish are hitting and tackling full speed in practice, compared to a half tackle of sorts last year. Basic fundamentals of tackling, blocking, and hitting were awful nearly the entire year. Weis has learned that at the college level, to be a good hitter and tackler, you have to practice doing it, unlike the Pro level. Practices are leaps and bounds more physical this year, as evidenced by a few "scraps" here and there between players, which Weis later called "a positive thing":

4. The Talent is Maturing - The past three recruiting classes have been ranked in the top 7 in the country. The only other programs consistently ranked at the top with us are Florida and USC over the past 3 years. Obviously those programs are well ahead of the Irish. They are ahead of the Irish due to their 4th and 5th year players, not their 1st thru 3rd year players, however. Too many 1st and 2nd year players saw the field last year for the Irish, and it showed. Hopefully that fire of a season, combined with physical and mental maturity that naturally comes between the ages of 18 and 20, will allow these kids to take the quantum leaps in their game. Many players see their biggest improvement between year 1 and 2 of their playing time. Time will tell if this hold true for the Irish in 2008.

Jimmy Clausen is a man, the offensive line is beefed up. The defensive backs are all over the place, 10 deep. The linebackers blitz every play and can get to every quarterback but ours in practice. The WRs look like pro-caliber talents out there, and heck, we have 3 bonafide NFL runningbacks.

Oh wait, its spring ball. Seriously though, yall have to try this Kool-Aid - so good.

Guarded Optimism

The Irish rolled to victory for only the 2nd time this season, disposing of Duke by a score of 28 to 7. Yes, this was Duke football, but yes, a win is a win for this season's Irish edition. The Irish played well in all aspects of the game, which represented a baby step at the beginning of a long journey to the top. Hopefully the Irish can finish the season on an uptick with a visit to Stanford this weekend.

The real story of this game were the true freshman that not only played, but shined. Robert Hughes (pictured in middle below) had 110 yards on 17 carries, including 60 yards after the first contact. He had one TD (click for video) and numerous runs that elicited the crowd to cheer "Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuughes!". He reminds some of a Jerome Bettis, with the ability to shake and bake a little in a big mans frame. I love the way this kid plays, and have been saying all season long that I think he is better than James Aldridge, the other big Irish RB that has gotten the most carries this season.

Duval Kamara (on right) had 2 catches for 32 yards, including 1 TD on a "box out" reception over a 5 foot 9 defender. The 6 foot 4 Kamara is a carbon copy of Maurice Stoval, who had a fantastic season in 2005 and is with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers currently. There doesnt need to be a complex play when you have a 7 inch advantage at WR over a CB. Get him in 1 on 1 coverage, and throw lob passes. Thats what Clausen did with Kamara on the second touchdown pass of the game - an easy lob into the endzone, letting Kamara use his size and go get the ball.

Finally, Jimmy Clausen (on left), quarterback. Irish fans have seen his poise all season long, despite our teams record. Very few true freshman look comfortable and in control on the field. Clausen is the exception. While he made mistakes and was never perfect or even great, he just looked like he belonged. Once he was injured in game 5 at Purdue, he needed to have a seat on the bench. Since he has returned healthy from the bench, he has been nothing short of great, throwing 6 TDs and no INTs in two games against Air Force and Duke, amassing about 500 yards. If it weren't for a combined 9 drops the pass two weeks, Jimmy's pass completion % would be near 70%. He has moved better in the pocket, made better passing decisions, all while maintaining the same poise that he showed early in the year. He has even completed passes to 10 different receivers. View his TD passes against Air Force and Duke by clicking here and viewing the list of individual plays.

Its hard not to like this kid. He has a solid arm, even better accuracy, and appears to have the pedigree to be a Notre Dame quarterback. He must get in the weight room, and become the warrior that Brady Quinn became after his first and second years at ND. I think we have found our QB for the next 3 seasons, assuming he works hard in the film and weight rooms.

Armando Allen didnt necessarily have a big game on Saturday, but he has been the most consistent and biggest impact player of all the freshman for the course of the whole season. Kerry Neal, Ian Williams, and Brian Smith on defense have also performed fantastically for true freshman. More on those guys after the season with the Pope's season recap. Lets finish off the season right this Saturday with a win against the Trees.

What now?

Notre Dame football is in a very poor position right now, obviously. A few streaming thoughts about the state of our program following a beat down by the Air Force Academy this past Saturday:

1. "Things are never as good or as bad as they seem." Lou Holtz

We have young talent, and more coming in with this recruiting class. A lot of young players need an offseason or two before things "click". I certainly hope that is the case with our talented freshman and sophomore classes. I expect them to get better this offseason, significantly better.

2. Firing Charlie Weis is not an option. Think about it, then move on. Nothing to see here folks. Firing Weis would set back our program 10 years, and dissolve quite possibly the greatest recruiting class in the history of Notre Dame. We inked him to 10 years, and whether we like it or not, we are tied to him as a football program. As he goes, so will we.

3. Jimmy Clausen is improving. Hard to point that out with the state of our offense. Against a subpar Air Force defense, Clausen completed 55% of his passes, which didnt include 5 drops that were WR miscues. He had 260 yards, 3 TDs, and no interceptions or fumbles. At the end of this year, he is starting to look like what we expected. I think he is more poised and accurate than Brady Quinn was at the same age. Above I said that our program is tied to Weis. We are also tied to Jimmy - if he's not playing or not playing well, so will be the state of our program.

4. Weis has messed this season up considerably, and gets the largest slice of the "blame pie". He has been teaching calculus to kids that need addition and subtraction learning. He did not transition his coaching to a style thats better for younger, more inexperienced players.

5. This is only Weis's 4th year as a head coach at any level, and his first with a "young" team. Weis has been served a boat load of the Patriots famed "Humble Pie" this season; lets hope that he has learned and will adapt with all the lessons he hopefully has learned this season. For example, I hope that he realizes that in college football, its more about talent and execution than it is at the pro level, where talent and experience are relatively even. In the pro game, X's and O's are much more important with the playing field more even. Not so in college.

With an easier schedule in 2008 (remove Georgia Tech, Penn St, UCLA, & Air Force, add San Diego St, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, & Syracuse), and young talent that should improve, there is no way Weis shouldnt win 7 games next year. If he doesn't win 7 next year, fire him. That wont happen though, as I think you can take 8-4 or better to the bank next year. Mark it down.

Recruiting Help

Too bad Notre Dame is struggggglllllling a bit. Instead of blabbering about excuses and discussing how we played, I think stepping back is the only way to digest this season.

So I will start with a question - how does a program recruit new players to come play for a 1-7 team that ranks dead last in nearly every offensive category, and not much better in defensive categories? You sell playing time, and simply ask the recruit, "Well you tell me, do you think you can get out there and make a difference next year?" Recruits are listening.

The Irish picked up our #WR target recruit over the weekend (Michael Floyd), and can likely land 3 more top 100 recruits. This recruiting class, if it keeps going and holds together, will be the greatest recruiting class in the history of Notre Dame. Scout.com and Rivals.com both have the class firmly entrenched at the #1 ranking. Its really amazing considering how the season has gone. The recruits responding the way they have tell me that Charlie does know what he's doing, and these kids and their parents recognize that.

Eventually the tide will turn, and I think that historically this season and maybe a part of next season will be remembered as the fire that forged our program into the future. I really hope that I'm right . . . certainly something good must come out of this season, which has been nothing but a disaster. To take the big picture view is the only hope for this team, and for Irish fans.

Dirty Laundry

"Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down

You dont really need to find out whats going on
You dont really want to know just how far its gone
Just leave well enough alone
Eat your dirty laundry "

Thank you Don Henley for that magical song, "Dirty Laundry".

In a game that the Irish were going to need some breaks to win, the Irish got very few and came up short, losing to #5 ranked (now #2 in the BCS) Boston College 27 - 14. A flag happy officiating crew certainly didn't help either.


A few notes from the game, which the Pope attended:



- Our defense played well, especially given the short field our offense gave them on two drives (more on that later). Matt Ryan took the checkdown receiver on nearly every pass, and handled our blitz very well. We gave up very few big plays, and even scored a TD. More pressure on Ryan would have been the only realistic improvement our defense could have made in the game, but certainly they were blitzing and at least trying to rattle the QB.



- It might just be bad karma from the 4th and 9 play in 2005, but its time for Ambrose Wooden to see the bench and not the field. The guy continues to be around the play and make tackles, but on receivers that he failed to cover. I might be picking on him too much, but I get an awful feeling whenever I see #22 on the field or around the ball.



- The stadium was loud in the second half. I was happy to see Irish fans cheering and feeling that a victory was never in doubt until 5 minutes to go in the game.



- A few huge officiating calls that proved to be the difference between an overtime game or even an outright win for the Irish:

• Geoff Price's knee being called "down" during a low, botched snap on a punt. The punter was never pressured and booted a solid 45 to 50 yard punt, only to have the ball marked where he caught the snap. The drive for BC resulted in a TD, given the very short field they had due to the play. Ive said time and time again, the NFL rule of being down only when another player on the defense tackles or touches a player while down needs to be applied to college. This was ludicrous as he was simply trying to balance himself to catch the snap, which he did. The real problem might be with the rule, but none the less Price's knee touched the ground for just a split second, and the call never should have been made.


• Excessive celebration after the Irish closed the gap 20-14 after a defensive touchdown on an interception return by true freshman Brian Smith [Note: After the game the Pope saw Brian Smith and Gary Gray at Buffalo Wild Wings on Grape Rd. The Pope gave Brian a blessing for his big play and noted that he liked the "Asian Zing" buffalo sauce.] The Irish team piled up in the end zone, celebrating the score as a team. However, the officials saw this as excessive. They should have seen the Pope in the parking lot before the game, who would have been penalized for excessive drinking. Either way, we gave BC the ball on our own 40, promptly resulting in another TD out of their 3 total.


• 4th & 1, 5 minutes to go in the game, the Irish score a touchdown on a play action pass to Robby Parris. The gutsy call pulled the Irish to 27 to 21 after the extra pt . . . but no, holding was called on the play by LG Mike Turkovich. Thats a tough call to make on a play that certainly was the play of the game. I haven't been able to see the replay, but I hope it was a blatant tackle/hold, because anything less likely would not have affected the play and thus should have not changed the game. The Irish would have kicked off to BC with 3 timeouts in a 27 to 21 game with 5 minutes to go - and the stadium would have been rocking. Instead, the Irish had to go for a 4th down and 10 and came up short.


• 3rd and 12 one play before the call above. Evan Sharpely amazingly escapes pressure to deliver the ball to Carlson for what looks to be a 12 yard gain and a first down. The spot is then reviewed up in the booth, which was the first booth review of a spot of this type I had ever seen in a college game. The officials move the ball back a half of a yard, setting up the 4th and 1 mentioned above. This was only wild because a) it happened back to back with the above terrible call and b) Ive never seen a spot review that the other team or an official on the field did not request.


• My favorite officiating move of the game was in many ways the most telling. Irish Tight End John Carlson stepped back from the line to go into a standard motion in the backfield, which tight ends do probably 40% of the plays on the Irish offense. The flag-happy referee immediately through a flag, jumping the gun on what he thought was a false start. He then picked up the flag and corected his mistake. Despite his correction, he still looked like a complete idiot that was obviously throwing flags at everything.
• Referee quote of the day on the stadium loud speaker: "Please put Nyinne Teeehnn on the clock." I'm from Tennessee so I guess I cant make fun.

To be fair, the Irish had a few roughing the passer penalties in our favor that were very likely bad calls. The officials did not blow this game, but they certainly didnt provide the Irish much of a chance given how ineffective our offense and especially rushing game performed.

I wish the officials would eat their dirty laundry after that game.

Hitting Refresh

It has been 322 days since the Irish last experienced the feeling of victory. Let that sink in . . . the last win was November 2006 against Army at home. This game certainly wasn't pretty (from what I hear - more on that in a minute), and the stat line was atrocious, but the way college football is going this season, we'll take it.

This was the first Irish football game that I was unable to watch on live TV in quite sometime. ABC opted to regionally televise the Irish, preventing most of the country from getting the game broadcast without pay per view. My thumb is still sore from hitting refresh on my blackberry countless times, on a night that saw a refresh of the Irish Football season.

Yes we had 140 yards total offense. Yes, we beat up on their third string walk on QB after we knocked out their starter. Yes, the Irish forced 7 turnovers. And yes, I was utterly confused when refreshing the play by play sequence on my blackberry, especially when we recovered a fumble at the UCLA 1 yard line, and then had 3 offensive plays for a loss of 7 yards (certainly UCLA had the ball and was advancing right?)

I don't care. A win is a win (El Kabong doesnt care either).

The reality is that the Irish are a 1-5 football team that doesn't do anything great and certainly will be favored in only a few more football games this season. Right now, par for the course would be 5-7, which might even be a longshot right now. Despite all this, I can only name a few victories more satisfying than this one, and certainly no victory more satisfying since maybe Pittsburgh or Purdue in 2005.

Beating Boston College or USC would be huge upsets, and the Irish are going to need some bounces in our favor to contend in either game. But the way this college football season is going, nothing will surprise me. Congrats to the Irish on avoiding tying the longest losing streak in Notre Dame history, and knocking the "monkey" off their back.

Enjoy highlights of the game from Oldie, via youtube:

Saint & Heretic of the Week - September 29th Weekend

Saint of the Week - Golden Tate (True-Freshman WR for the Irish)

Golden made a few plays in the game that changed our offensive look in many ways. After really having zero passes that would be considered "deep" passes, Golden made 3 in one game. Two of his catches were nothing short of spectacular, showing fantastic timing, great leaping ability, and nice hands. The only way one can really explain how a true freshman can do what a lot of upper classman cannot is talent. He barely knows the offense and certainly doesnt know much about the nuances of playing WR in college. I'm excited to see what Coach Weis can do with this cat once Golden develops more of an understanding of the position. Enjoy his Purdue highlight clip:

Golden Tate . . . what a name. A Notre Dame name. Hopefully his progress the rest of this season will continue, as we desperately need a deep threat at WR. Who's next to breakout? The 6 foot 4 Duval Kamara, who some might argue already has. In reality, we've seen some great short routes from him, but nothing deep yet.

Runner up for Saint of the Week - Mike Gundy. Hilarious and awesome. I enjoyed this guy's rant. His passion was unquestioned and so was his loyalty to his team and players. Lots of sportswriters (not all) are arrogant academic liberals that twist facts to their own tune, creating a story out of nothing. Gundy may have gone a bit overboard, but sometimes a bit overboard is exactly the best way to send a message. Enjoy this video as well:



Heretic of the Week - Urban Meyer

This guy made a play that I absolutely despise in football. The timeout right before a field goal for the opposing team is kicked, yet the kicker is not stopped and kicks a meaningless kick anyway.

This rule is stupid, and has to go. Too many times you see the first kick go through, but then nerves or a bad snap or whatever mess up the second kick. The Cleveland Browns in week 2 made a kick that was ruled a time out play, only to miss the second kick and lose the game. Allowing this is stupid and its up to the NCAA and NFL rules committees to make the change. I cannot totally fault Urban I guess, but as an Irish fan I dont like him for obvious reasons. This play gets me madder and madder each time I see it occur and hurt a team trying to win a game, on the road especially.

Divine Diatribes - Irish week 5

There are many different emotions that I feel after this week's Irish loss to the Boilers. On one hand, we are 0-5, and really havent had a chance to win any of the games (arguable). We have given up at least 30 points in every game, and our rushing attack hasn't really had a great game yet. We are atrocious on third down offense, and our third down defense gave the Boilers 6 first downs because of stupid penalties. We also gave up a 3rd and 27 on defense that almost caused my HDTV to become injured.

On the other hand, the Irish outgained the very good Purdue offense in yards for the game. In the second half, after a Weis halftime tirade, we won the half 19-10. We saw the emergence of a playmaker in WR in freshman Golden Tate (pictured) and Duval Kamara. Our defense essentially shut Purdue down in the second half, throwing out the poor special teams field positions and the crazy 3rd and 12 penalties to keep their drives alive. We showed spark, fight, and had some big passing plays. We looked like the team that I expected for this year - a bend but not break defense with an improving offense that could keep us in 75% of our games.

I sure hope the second hand feelings end up being reflective of what we see the rest of the year. We have 3 more tough opponents in a row, and many it would be nice to steal a win (or two) from those guys. Not likely though, unless our special teams and defensive penalties drastically improve, while improving our play across the board on offense and defense.

Go Irish, beat Bruins.

Unfortunately the Titans were off this week. With as hot as we've been, I kinda wish we could have played someone this week and gotten another win. Next week we get the Falcons, so we should be able to win that game if we play like we can.