A returning feature from version one, I'm planning on doing a write-up for all of the recruits in Notre Dame's class of 2010. There are three to this point; OL Christian Lombard, WR Daniel Smith and DE Chris Martin. I'll get to Smith and Martin later, but first let's start with the first commitment of the year, Christian Lombard.
Lombard is 6'5" and weighs in at 290 pounds. He comes from Palatine, Illinois (WM Fremd HS) and was recruited by Rob Ianello (surprise surprise). The midwest is stocked with talent this year, and Lombard would have to be included among the best. Scout has him listed as the top guard in the country, while ESPN lists him among the top 150 players in the country.
Lombard had offers from Michigan, Nebraska, Illinois, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Purdue among others. He earned All-Area honors as a sophomore from his local paper (Daily Herald) and Prep Football Report. He is an excellent pass blocker, and ESPN says he could become a monster run blocker if he learns to play with better leverage. Scout admires his work ethic and intelligence.
Overall, Lombard is a great start to this class, and could end up being a 5-star player if he has a solid senior season
Broncos Freaks, a Denver Broncos blog, has a story claiming the Browns and Broncos have been discussing a deal involving Brady Quinn and Shaun Rodgers going to Denver in exchange for Jay CUtler and a 3rd round pick.
The poster admits that it is early in the process, but the deal has made sense from the beginning. Broncos head coach Jeff McDaniels was tutored by Charlie Weis with the Patriots, and Jay Cutler has wanted out since his name was thrown around in Matt Cassell rumors.
It would be a good move for Quinn, though I'm sure the Dublin kid would like to start for his hometown team. In all reality, the Broncos are a much better team than the Browns, Denver being just one game from the playoffs last year and the Browns being a mess. Both teams have new head coaches, but wouldn't it be nice to see Quinn coached by the guy who brought us Tom Brady and Matt Cassell? As a big Brady Quinn fan, I hope this happens.
UPDATE: The Broncos have granted Jay Cutler's request for a trade. You can now check off step one.
Good morning all. Yesterday was a big day for TDS. We had over 170 new visitors to the site! I'd like to welcome all of the newcomers. Hope you enjoy the site and stick around for a bit. As always, feel free to comment on any of the posts and/or email at any time (thedailyshillelagh@gmail.com).
There's a bit of spring football news, but first, let's dive right in.
Like a cup of coffee in the morning. I hope we see that attitude in the year to come.
Golden Tate was back at practice with the day off from baseball, and he brought his might mouth abilities with him. Tate talked some trash with Robert Blanton upon arrival, saying "Your worst nightmare is back." Blanton responded with No (punks) allowed here. We don't get red jerseys." Later, while running their figure-8 drill, Tate mentioned to Coach Ianello that it wasn't good for his throwing arm. Ianello asked which arm Tate threw with, and the receiver responded, "Both." Brian Hamilton has a post regarding Manti Teo's ability to play all three linebacking positions (and the coaches hope to fit him in at the position of most need.) Weis mentioned in his press conference that the coaches would evaluate where they needed the most help at linebacker and turn Teo loose to compete for that spot. It seems pretty evident that the coaches feel Teo can make a difference right away.
John Walters pinch-hit over at BGS with some thoughts on what the Irish need to do to be successful in the upcoming season. Walters is a fan of going more towards the passing game, opening the offense, and getting the best athletes on the field, regardless of position, and working the offense around them. Walters goes on to say that he'd rather go 5-wide in a 4th and short situation than pound the football if a fullback doesn't emerge. Personally, I think you need to have more of a running presence, enabling the passing offense to have some more freedom, and preparing your team for the colder months of the season. That doesn't mean we shouldn't favor the pass, but many feel there should be some sort of adoption of the Texas Tech offense, which just wouldn't work in South Bend, In (especially in November).
The Journal-Gazette looks at Bryant Young's transition to coaching. I think Young will prove to be a huge addition (no pun intended), bringing experience, intensity, and name-recognition to the players he coaches and the recruits he goes after. So far I've head nothing but good things aboutYoung, and they've come in numbers.
The Obvserver has a piece on the depth at the tight end position this year, something that was really lacking last season. Kyle Rudolph exceeded expectations as a true freshman and returns as the starter, but Mike Ragone is healthy, Joseph Fauria is pushing for playing time, and walk-on Bobby Burger (what a ridiculous name) is contributing. It will be nice to be able to run a set with three true tight ends, which wasn't even a thought last year, and could prove to provide an improvement in short-distance running situations.
Outside of football, IrishEyes has a preview of the upcoming ND-Penn State matchup in The GARDEN. Penn State had victories over Michigan State, Illinois, and Purdue this season, but missed the NCAA tournament despite finishing in a tie for fourth (and being passed over from Michigan, which finished seventh in the conference). Taylor Battle is the star of State, averaging 16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. Best of luck to the Irish. Here's hoping they are one of the few teams that finish the year with a win.
In non-ND related news, Pete Carroll is mental. Carroll has launched an all-out campaign to get Will Ferrell on twitter. Carroll, who twitters, facebooks, text messages, and communicates with the planet Nebulus, could not believe that Ferrell actually was not tweeting (what century is he living in?). So how do you solve this aggregous error? Well, the SC coach has appeared on ESPN, conducted a poll, received endorsements from Shaq and Lance Armstrong, created an email address, and posted 17 tweets of his own in trying to convince Ferrell. It's only a matter of time before Ricky Bobby caves to The Coach of Persistence. Oh, and USC is currently conducting it's spring practice, so it's not like Petey Poodle would have a job to worry about or anything.
That's all for today. There's a possibility I will be live-blogging tonight's game, but it depends on real-world work (and paying the cable bill). Cheers all!
Some genius out there has done what geniuses do: Created a website of real Michigan Men. WalmartWolverins.com is run by "a 'huge' University of Michigan fan that never attended the university" (How many different ways can the term "huge" be defined in this situation?). I personally hope he keeps up the good work
Perhaps you should give him a copy of this for his birthday. That way he not only receives a grea gift for any coach, but he may also climb past Tyrone Willingham's "Return to Glory" on the Amazon charts (which still sells for $25!).
P.S. My original plan was to post a picture of Weis smiling, but few were available.
- Charlie is going to let blockers cut-block in practice next Saturday for the first time in his tenure. Weis says the offense is struggling because of the aggresive play-calling on defense and he needs to even things up a bit. It's dangerous, especially when considering the lack of depth in our front 7, but if it helps the offense (and we can keep everyone healthy) then it will prove to be a good move.
- Weis is going to evaluate the linebackers, see where the weakest link is, and put Manti Teo at that position. I think it's obvious that Weis believe this kid will not only be on the field very early in his career but also that he possesses star power.
- Weis was dissatisfied with the team's walk-through on Saturday. He felt the team lacked focus, a sign to Weis that the team still lacks maturity.
- Weis wants Jimmy Clausen to be more of a leader in difficult times. He mentioned that it is easy to lead when things are going well, but much harder when times get tough.
- All of the coaches are wearing headsets on the sidelines (as opposed to just the head coach and coordinators, which was the scenario last year). Weis feels that it will help get all of the coaches on the same page. Seems like a logical move, but why didn't this thought come to Weis earlier in his tenure?
- Michael Floyd has a strained quad, while Duval Kamara has a strained hamstring.
- Darrin Walls came into camp in great shape and will challenge for a starting spot from day 1. Weis said it was like Walls "hadn't missed a beat".
- Brian Smith has emerged as the leader of the defense. Smith showed signs of leadership potential from the beginning, so it seems like a natural fit. I can tell you that I would follow him if I were on that defense.
- Ethan Johnson and Kapron Lewis-Moore will play inside in nickel situations, but outside in regular 4-3 formations. Both are big players (270+), so this could help generate more of a pass rush in obvious passing downs.
- Weis claims to be "evolving with the job." Presumably he means that he is improving, though going from nine wins in each of your first two season to 10 wins total in your next two seasons isn't all that convincing.
Irish forward Luke Harangody was named a second-team AP All-American selection today. Harangody was in the top 10 in scoring (23.5 pts/game) and rebounding (11.8 rebs/game) , posting 24 double-doubles in 30 games. He had a solid season dispite the Irish's disappointing results.
Harangody has also earned third-team All-American honors from The Sporting News and was a fourth-team selection according to FoxSports
Cheers to Luke, we'd love to have you back next year.
Big weekend for me, which means not a lot of time on the computer. Took a trip down to the Tri-State area, which is always enjoyable.
The big news from the weekend is Charlie Weis' press conference following the Saturday press conference. I'm actually going to extend myself and do a separate post on the press conference to follow LOTD.
UHND's Frank V. has observations from Saturday's spring practice. One report that keeps coming out of these practices is the new intensity of the defensive line. It appears that Bryant Young is really changing the attitude of these players, which points to positive results from the hire. One report from practice had Tyler Stockton getting beat by Chris Stewart, with Stewart standing over and taunting Stockton after the play. Stockton reportedly backed down until Brian Smith stepped in, and Bryant Young was in Stockton's face after the play, telling him to never back down in that situation (see the past two seasons for examples of what happens when you do back down.
Also, Williams and Williams (Ian and Hafis) ran with the first team at defensive tackle. That's a lot of weight in the middle, and reports have both playing very well. This could be a big deal for the defense, especially if the defensive ends are as questionable as reported.
The defense continues to beat the offense in practice. There's three ways to look at this: 1) The offense hasn't improved from last season, and is still the weakness of the team, 2) The defense and offense have improved at the same rate, and the defense is just better, 3) The defense is really, really good, and the offense is slightly less. I have a feeling that there have been improvements on both sides of the ball, and the fact that the defense is that solid is encouraging (though I still have some doubts about the offense). Defense wins championships, and though we probably won't contend next year, it could be the basis of a very good season.
Matt Hayes covered the practice as well, and truly sees a change in attitude. Players seem to be coming to practice with a new passion, "banging and brawling for their ever-loving football lives, play by play, position by position." The attitude this team brings to the next season will make or break the year. If the fire and passion are there then they can challenge for a BCS game. If not, well, Charlie's house will be on the market. Hayes has totally drank the kool-aid at this point, which is encouraging.
More news from practice, Brian Hamilton notes that Miami (Oh) head coach Mike Haywood was at practice. The former Irish offensive coordinator may have been picking the brain of Charlie Weis, but that's just speculation. It's nice to see that Haywood hasn't fallen out of favor with the way that things ended last season. Oh, and someone from IrishIllustrated got drilled with an errant pass. People with access getting their karmatic due is always nice to see.
IrishEyes has a feature on Harrison Smith's move back to his natural position at free safety. Smith was solid on the field last year, and the fact that the coaching staff put him in the SAM position shows that they felt the need to get him on the field in any way possible. Smith had a solid season last year, and it would be a big boost for the defense if Smith can increase his production at his natural position.
Her Loyal Sons has posted a look at the 2009 championship odds in Vegas. The Irish are running with 40/1 odds, making them 11th most favorable. Oklahoma is the current favorite with 7/2 odds.
Moving on from football, the Irish hockey team has seen their season end at the hands of someone named Bemidji State (Is Bemidji state next to Wyoming or North Dakota? I can never remember). The Irish lost 5-1, but their season was not a failure. They held the #1 ranking in the country for seven weeks and were the #1 seed for the tournament. While a championship would have been nice (duh), the accomplishments of this team should not be lost. Cheers to the Irish puckers.
In basketball news, the hoops team wants Barack Obama to claim "Next!" in a pickup game with the team while Obama is on campus for Notre Dame's commencement speech. Also, there's some genuine quotes from some of the players, reminding you that they too are part of the youth wave that helped get Obama in the office (as am I).
In other news, Tate Forcier is a freshman, and this will frustrate Michigan Men. Forcier shined at times in practice, but also struggled. At one point he completed a 20 yard pass to one of his receivers and then fumbled on the next play. Prescriptions for Xanax are now climbing in the Upper Peninsula.
Also, Tommy Tubberville's house is up for sale (in this market?), so if you have $2.4 mil hanging around you could live in the same house as a guy who went 13-0 in the toughest conference in the country and didn't get a shot at the national championship!
That's all for today. Oh, and my bracket is busted. Carolina is my only hope at this point, so if Ty Lawson has his toe amputated it would really hurt my shot at the $50 pot.
I wouldn't have agreed with anyone making that claim in the pre-season, but oh, technicalities. The Irish hoops team beat Kentucky 77-67 last night, backed by Luke Harangody's 30 points and 11 rebounds. Tory Jackson, Ryan Ayers, and Kyle McAlarney all had double digit points on the night. The Irish now head to The Garden to take on Penn State (3/31, 9pm). It's not THE tournament, but it's something. Cheers to the hoops team.
Oh, and someone is claiming that Mike Brey should be considered (and would accept) the Virginia job opening, though Brey won't be offerred and it would be a lateral step at best. ESPN's Andy Katz sees the following in his crystal ball:
A perfect domino if it were to come to this would be for Virginia to go after Notre Dame's Mike Brey, a Beltway-connected coach who is of high character, and then for Siena's Fran McCaffery to go back to Notre Dame, where he was once an assistant to Digger Phelps. If Virginia were to call Brey, I would be surprised if he wouldn't go for the right offer.
As my father always told his son, "No Believe!"
BlueandGold.com's Jason Sapp posted a team practice roundup from yesterday. Ron Powlus continues to mentor the QB's (doesn't anyone else see the irony there?), spending the majority of his time with Jimmy Clausen and Dayne Crist (surprise!). Kapron Lewis Moore and John Ryan are our starting defensive ends, which reminds me that I need to refill my xanax prescription (though the rest of the defense looks solid).
In recruiting news, defensive end Chance Carter has included the Irish among schools he is interested in. Carter reportedly wants to decide early, so this is a good thing. He is a 4-star prospect out of Illinois.
In other college football news, Congress is going to investigate the BCS. This is not a joke, though it would be much funnier if it were. It seems that there are enough issues in the country right now for Congress to have a full slate, but oh no no. An investigation means facetime for the politicians in charge (Sen Orrin Hatch of -surpsrise- UTAH is leading the push), and politicians flock to cameras like moths to light. Seriously, any congressman who wastes time (and taxes) on this should be booted from his seat.
That's all for today. Hoops on the television tonight and tomorrow (my elite 8 is still open). There's a shot I will be unable to post for the next two days, but we'll see (Saturday is definitely out).
Spring practice continues on, with the lads beginning contact drills.
Dayne Crist, who wasn't available to the media as a freshman, is enjoying his new found freedom.
"It's an obstacle. Jimmy has paid his dues and he's done great. But I can't let that stop me from being who I am ... Whether it be tomorrow or in a week or a year, I'm not going to stop until I get what I want. And what I want is being out on the field and winning games for Notre Dame."
That's very ambitious of Crist, which is a good trait for a competitor, but I can't imagine that Clausen will lose his job next season. Weis comes from the NFL, where a coach is tied to his quarterback from the moment he brings him in, and Clausen was Weis' handpicked guy. It would take a lot for Weis to dump Clausen mid-season, and the only way I can see it happening is if the hotseat heats up (even more). Dr. Saturday sees things in a slightly different light, as Clausen's numbers did not improve much against winning teams (Clausen did make big strides against poorer competition). Clausen has this season to prove himself, and if he can't do that then his position as the starter needs to be questioned. Quinn was successful because of the strides he made in his third year, and Clausen has to come close to those numbers if this team is to return to the BCS.
IrishEyes has a story up on James Aldridge's move to fullback. Aldridge says that the coaches threw the idea out there and that he was willing to do whatever it takes to win football games. You like to hear that attitude out of an ND player, and the move could prove to give Aldridge a second life (though I would have preferred to see Hughes used in that role).
OL Coach Frank Verducci gave an interview to The Journal Gazette confirming what we already knew: Jon Latina was a terrible offensive line coach. Verducci mentioned that his terminology was different from Latina's, which is giving the linemen some trouble, but also that some of the players didn't even know the concept that Latina was talking about.
“On one hand, it’s scary that they haven’t heard it before,” Verducci said. “On the other hand, it makes me realize if they can acclimate to it, that the chance for them to make a big leap as far as production is there.”
Well, the optimist sees this as having even more room for improvement in the offensive line than previously thought. The pessimist sees this as just a bad offensive line that needs to be built from the ground up. Seriously, what was Jon Latina doing?
Jack Swarbrick isn't ruling out a matchup with Miami. In an email sent out to the media, Swarbrick said:
"I am interested in trying to create some marquee match-ups for our annual neutral site home game, and we may be able to play Miami in one of those, but again we have not yet discussed any dates. We are going to try and get some clarity on the future scheduling for those games this summer."
I don't really see the value in playing Miami, though I understand why many fans like the prospect of this matchup. Miami is now a B-level team, and the players on the squad don't see this as a rivalry like many of the fans that experienced it in the 80s. These players are 18-22 year olds, they were infants when Jimmy Johnson squared off against Lou Holtz. I would even venture a guess that many of the players on ND and Miami don't even know about the games. That said, the rivalry was fun at the time, and it would be a lot of fun if the two teams can get back to the level they once were.
Recruit Tai-ler Jones (all-name team contender) has narrowed his list of schools to seven. Jones lists the Irish as one of his favorites, along with Georgia, Ohio State, North Carolina, UCLA, Cal and Stanford.
The Basketball team will take on Kentucky in the next round of the NIT. The Wildcats beat Creighton last night to advance to the next round of the tournament. It's interesting to see this game scheduled for South Bend and not Lexington. I would have thought that the NIT committee would want this to be played in one of the Meccas of college basketball (as opposed to a second rate facility, which is what the Joyce center has become).
Back tomorrow with today's news (that doesn't sound right) and a look at Charlie Weis' Sunday Conversation (which happened 3 days ago). What can I say, I'm a newspaper guy.
Spring Practice began, which is nice because it provides actual football news. So where the begin?
Charlie Weis outlined four major areas in which the Irish need to improve (UHND): Chemistry of the coaching staff, the running game, competition, and maturity. All were an issue last year, some more than others, and if we can improve in these areas it could mean a trip to the BCS.
There were plenty of reports of coaches being confused with their roles and the staff generally not working as one. This amounts to getting back to basics. A coaching staff needs to be working on the same page if the team is going to play like a unit. This may be Weis' last shot, so he needs to have his guys behind him if he is to take this team back to a major bowl game.
The running game was a joke last year, and it's at the top of my list of things that need to change. There's no reason we shouldn't be averaging 4.0 yards a carry. Competition and maturity are basically one in the same. As the young talent becomes upperclassmen, the newer talent will push them for spots. Recently we had talented youngsters who were given positions. Now the entire roster is talented, and players will want starting spots regardless of year.
More Weis news: Charlie plans to return to the field for next season. I'm not sure if this is the right move, but it does help the coaching chemistry mentioned above. Weis' greatest talent is as an offensive play-caller. It is to his advantage (in this area) to be in the press box and seeing the entire field. However, a coach needs to be on the field to manage the players and the officials. I guess you have to settle for having Weis on the field as putting him in the press box is too much of a risk.
Blue-Gold coaches were announced, and once again they will be former Irish players who have seen success in the NFL. Super Bowl champion Justin Tuck will be joined by Bertrand Berry, Jeff Faine, and Reggie Brooks. Tuck helped the Giants win a championship, so I will forever be in his debt, but the other three coaches are big names in Notre Dame lore. It's nice to have a connection to the past, and hopefully it helps bring a winning attitude back to the team.
The first depth chart was released, providing some insight into what the team looks like heading into the spring. The defensive line looks shaky (the presence of John Ryan never gives confidence to anything) and the linebacking corps are very young (but talented). The offense remains intact, with the only changes being the possibility of Paul Duncan at LT and James Aldridge at FB. Aldridge came to ND as a 5-star runningback prospect, but has struggled to find his groove after a knee injury in his senior year of high school. It is safe to say that he has been disappointing to this point, but the move to fullback will provide playing time and the possibility of a Rashon Powers-Neal type player.
Brian Hamilton notes that Golden Tate will only participate in five practices due to his place as the centerfielder of the baseball team. Tate is listed as the third "X" reciever on the depth chart, but will be in the top two once the season starts.
There was some real world job issues going on which might have inhibited my blogging abilities, but that's all cleared up now and I'm ready to continue.
There's going to be a few changes. During the slow parts of the off-season I will usually have a daily update. If anything breaking happens I'll have it, but most of the news will be links and roundup items.
For now I'll have coverage on spring practices, recruiting, and the blatherings of Charlie Weis. Hope you stick around (or return) and see us into the new season.
Notre Dame sports news and updates. Links to my favorite fellows. Basic computer skills. Self-deprecating. Seeking writers (and readers).
E-mail me at TheDailyShillelagh (a) gmail.com
Sept. 5- vs. Nevada Sept. 12- @ Michigan Sept. 19- vs. Michigan State Sept. 26- @ Purdue Oct. 3- vs. Washington Oct. 17- vs. USC Oct. 24- vs. Boston College Oct. 31- vs. Washington State Nov. 7- vs. Navy Nov. 14- @ Pittsburgh Nov. 21- vs. Connecticut Nov. 28- @ Stanford
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