I took a couple of minutes out of my busy schedule today to wander over to the Bookstore here on campus and check out the first day of practice.
New Developments
Travis Thomas, LB/RB
Coach Weis confirmed yesterday in his press conference that 2nd string tailback Travis Thomas would be moving to linebacker to vie for a starting position at the newly renamed Will (formerly Apache) or weak linebacker spot.
Travis Thomas looked pretty good today lining up with the first team defense. He didn't appear hesitant or confused at any time, and was very good in coverage.
George West, WR
I was a little surprised today to see George West line up with the second team at receiver, as I would have expected frosh phenom Richard Jackson to get the nod ahead of him, but he looked pretty good. Decent hands, good speed, decent route running. I wouldn't read too much into him lining up today, though, as I'm sure that the battle for 4th receiver will be a fluid one (I think Grimes has pretty much locked up the 3rd WR spot as of right now).
Geoffrey Price and Mike Annello, P
Our punting situation looks pretty good. Price was booting consistently high, tight spirals down the field today, making Annello's kicks look downright wobbly and weak in comparison. I don't think this will be much of a competition.
Carl Gioia and Ryan Burkhart, K
Carl Gioia seemed to be our most consistent PAT kicker today in drills, and true frosh Ryan Burkhart looked like a freshman in his first fall practice.
Burkhart may improve over the course of camp, however, as Coach Polian was tweaking his mechanics after every kick. Burkhart does look like he has a leg on him, and I didn't get to see any long-range kicking work today.
Punt returners
I'm not sure whether this is even worth noting, but during today's punting drills, Tommy Zbikowski was nowhere to be seen. The punt returners practicing today were Jeff Samardzija, George West, Barry Gallup, Jr., and Munir Prince. Their may be any number of explanations for Zibby not practicing there today, and I am confident that he is still going to be our starting punt returner. I'm a little curious about seeing the Shark back there, though...
Freshman running backs
Coach Weis confirmed yesterday that stud frosh RB James Aldridge was hobbled this camp recovering from knee surgery, and with Travis Thomas working on defense, we got a good look at incoming freshman running backs.
Munir Prince
A shifty runner with a good burst (like Darius), there is a lot of potential here. He appears to have better top speed than Darius, but nowhere near the vision.
Luke Schmidt
A big, bruising back, Schmidt looks more like a linebacker than a running back, and when he gets the ball, he looks like a runaway freight train. This kid looks like he can HIT.
Backup Quarterbacks
While Brady ran the first team offense, sophomore Evan Sharpley and the two frosh QBs, Zach Frazer and Demetrius Jones were rotating in with the second team. David Wolke, last year's backup, was passed on the depth chart by Sharpley in the spring, and decided to transfer to a I-AA school this summer.
Evan Sharpley
With his experience from last year, Sharpley looked more comfortable in the pocket than either of the incoming freshman, and displayed a solid, consistent level of play.
Zach Frazer
Frazer has a cannon for an arm, but he needs to work on his mechanics and develop a quicker release. He cocks his arm back before throwing the ball, and will have to work on that to really develop as a passer.
Demetrius Jones
I didn't get to see Demetrius use his legs much, but he looked decent aas a passer, with very good touch on his short passes. I didn't get to see much display of arm strength.
Notable fitness levels
Chinedum Ndukwe
Looks like he has trimmed down, and seems to move and react much quicker than last year. This should greatly improve our team speed and ability to react going forward.
Derek Landri
Became a beast over the summer. Last year he played in the 260s, small for a defensive tackle, and used his speed to get through blocks. He now weighs about 285, and doesn't look like he has slowed even a heartbeat. He may even be faster. This kid could have a monster breakout year.
Sam Young
This kid is a giant. He looms over people.
Chris Stewart
We saw Stewart at bowling last year, and he looked fat. He didn't appear to be in shape, and I was concerned about his athleticism. Apparently, Coach Mendoza's workouts have really worked on this kid, 'cause I swear he's lost 50 pounds of fat since last winter. He is still immense, but no longer appears out of shape, and looks like he has added a considerable amount of muscle. This kid will be an immovable object that absolutely manhandles people when he learns technique.
I'll be going to practice for a little while every day this week, so stay tuned for regular updates.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Media Day fallout
Yesterday was Media Day for Notre Dame football, and there was plenty to get excited about in the press conferences from Coach Weis and Brady Quinn.
But before I can get to the really juicy stuff, I feel like I should address the worst piece of hack job reporting I have ever seen (even worse than the Carroll/Weinke articles I wrote about previously).
Because I don't want to link to this writer's newspaper and give him the internet hits that justify him writing something like this, here is the text of the offending article:
Good Charlie, Stubborn Charlie, a fact of life
Al Hamnick
Charlie Weis is as blunt as a butter knife when he warns the media: "Just follow protocol. That's all. Follow protocol."
Jump when he yells JUMP! Don't second-guess, sneak around, or be a distraction. Then, and only then, can you expect player accessibility and a sound working relationship with the football department. Disobey his wishes, pay him no mind and you're treated like a leper, banished from the pressbox.
It's Charlie's way, or the closest you'll get to Irish football is the car radio. Behind the scenes, away from cameras and tape recorders, we're told he's got the people skills of a prison guard. And a temper to match.
What's so frustrating is that Weis can be genuinely charming one moment, a tyrant the next. He had that split personality as an NFL coordinator with the Jets and Patriots, and continues to irritate other coaches at Notre Dame with his moody nature and short fuse.
A large number of alumni reportedly are upset by his behavior. As long as the Irish win, they'll bite their lip. But if the program struggles, his critics will multiply like roaches.
Notre Dame's Football Media Day was Sunday morning, not Saturday, if you can believe that. The media turnout could've been better. We have a Catholic university, on a church day, a traditional family day, basically forcing some to work.
It didn't take Charlie long to flex some muscle. Former Times Sports Writer Jeff Carroll, now working for the Irish Sports Report, was informed by school officials that he could not ask questions of Weis, his staff or players during the three-hour session. It seems Weis and senior associate athletics director John Heisler weren't happy with some of Carroll's reporting endeavors.
Here's an idea: Have someone ask the questions for you.
Personally, I think the intention was to embarrass Carroll, publicly.
Right off the bat, Weis said he appreciated the media showing patience and allowing coaches and players to use their summer to kick back and relax. He said working with us is important to him. But with high expectations, Weis doesn't want his team to buy into the hype and start looking too far ahead.
As for player accessibility, Weis usually allows media the standard 20 minutes ("that everybody whines about") before practices -- all of which are closed -- once a week. Next Saturday morning, he'll throw the media a bone by having the entire practice open, followed by a bribe -- lunch.
"Please follow protocol. Don't try to steal behind the scenes to get to any of the guys," said Weis. "We've been pretty accessible.
Meeting the Rolling Stones backstage is easier to do.
Twenty minutes to chase down local products Jeff Samardzija and Carl Gioia of Valparaiso, plus Merrillville's James Aldridge, is sufficient if you're able to clone yourself.
There are so many problems with this article, it boggles the mind.
First - nowhere in this article does the writer ever appear to have actually talked to anyone at the University of Notre Dame for a comment on the freeze-out of writer Jeff Carroll. He doesn't mention that Carroll violated Notre Dame's access policy regarding its players in publishing a quote from recruit Paddy Mullen (taken out of context) in their ethically questionable articles earlier this summer.
Second - nowhere in this article does he attribute any of his conjectures about perceptions of Coach Weis. He mentions "a large number of alumni," but apparently can't get any of that large number to go on the record. Fishy. He also makes the claim that Coach Weis "continues to irritate other coaches at Notre Dame." That's some pretty heavy lumber to swing without actually naming any names. He doesn't even have a vaguely attributed quote in the story, like "someone close to the athletic department." If he is reporting on stuff he has heard off the record, then he has already violated the confidences of a slew of alumnni and persons within the athletic department for even mentioning the issue.
Third - He states as fact many things which are simply untrue. He says that the turnout at the Media Day was disappointing. From all other accounts, including Mike Frank of Irish Eyes, the auditorium for the press conferences was standing room only, and attended by more press than any other team's media day. He whines about the level of access, complaining that 20 minutes before practice isn't enough access for him to write his stories. What he fails to mention is that that is 20 minutes EVERY DAMN DAY that he has full access to the players. Coach Weis is even opening an entire practice to the media, which is far more access than media get at many other universities. He attacks Coach Weis for being overly protective of his players, making him out to be some kind of bad guy for limiting access. Weis is responsible for making sure that his team is focused on the goal of winning football games, and as importantly, making sure that the team does not run afoul of NCAA rules. To criticize him for minimizing the distractions for his football team is petty.
Fourth, and finally the worst transgression - This writer is good friends with Jeff Carroll, and is writing this hack job as a swipe at Notre Dame because the petulant Carroll, after being informed that he could not ask any questions during media day, whined to anyone who would listen in the press room, calling the University of Notre Dame a "Mickey Mouse organization." The author decided to compromise his journalistic integrity because Coach Weis hurt his friends feelings. And then failed to disclose his personal relationship with Jeff Carroll. He seemed to think that disclosing Carroll's former relationship with the Northwest Indiana Times was enough. It wasn't.
He accuses the University of Notre Dame of attempting to publicly embarass Carroll by denying access. If the University of Notre Dame wanted to publicly embarass Carroll, they would revoke all press passes from the South Bend Tribune, and issue a press release blaming Carroll for the lack of access, detailing how Carroll violated the team's access rules. Instead, Carroll was quietly informed of his status just prior to the press conferences - a mere slap on the wrist for a malicious and borderline libelous series of articles. It was Carroll that made his freeze-out public by crying like a little baby about it. It was Carroll that childishly stood in the front of the press conference, hoping that ESPN2 would catch him petulantly harrumphing everything that Coach Weis said. It was Carroll that brought this upon himself.
And then he doesn't have the guts to write about it himself, he has to send his friend in to do the dirty work. These people are a disgrace to their profession and should be fired.
But before I can get to the really juicy stuff, I feel like I should address the worst piece of hack job reporting I have ever seen (even worse than the Carroll/Weinke articles I wrote about previously).
Because I don't want to link to this writer's newspaper and give him the internet hits that justify him writing something like this, here is the text of the offending article:
Good Charlie, Stubborn Charlie, a fact of life
Al Hamnick
Charlie Weis is as blunt as a butter knife when he warns the media: "Just follow protocol. That's all. Follow protocol."
Jump when he yells JUMP! Don't second-guess, sneak around, or be a distraction. Then, and only then, can you expect player accessibility and a sound working relationship with the football department. Disobey his wishes, pay him no mind and you're treated like a leper, banished from the pressbox.
It's Charlie's way, or the closest you'll get to Irish football is the car radio. Behind the scenes, away from cameras and tape recorders, we're told he's got the people skills of a prison guard. And a temper to match.
What's so frustrating is that Weis can be genuinely charming one moment, a tyrant the next. He had that split personality as an NFL coordinator with the Jets and Patriots, and continues to irritate other coaches at Notre Dame with his moody nature and short fuse.
A large number of alumni reportedly are upset by his behavior. As long as the Irish win, they'll bite their lip. But if the program struggles, his critics will multiply like roaches.
Notre Dame's Football Media Day was Sunday morning, not Saturday, if you can believe that. The media turnout could've been better. We have a Catholic university, on a church day, a traditional family day, basically forcing some to work.
It didn't take Charlie long to flex some muscle. Former Times Sports Writer Jeff Carroll, now working for the Irish Sports Report, was informed by school officials that he could not ask questions of Weis, his staff or players during the three-hour session. It seems Weis and senior associate athletics director John Heisler weren't happy with some of Carroll's reporting endeavors.
Here's an idea: Have someone ask the questions for you.
Personally, I think the intention was to embarrass Carroll, publicly.
Right off the bat, Weis said he appreciated the media showing patience and allowing coaches and players to use their summer to kick back and relax. He said working with us is important to him. But with high expectations, Weis doesn't want his team to buy into the hype and start looking too far ahead.
As for player accessibility, Weis usually allows media the standard 20 minutes ("that everybody whines about") before practices -- all of which are closed -- once a week. Next Saturday morning, he'll throw the media a bone by having the entire practice open, followed by a bribe -- lunch.
"Please follow protocol. Don't try to steal behind the scenes to get to any of the guys," said Weis. "We've been pretty accessible.
Meeting the Rolling Stones backstage is easier to do.
Twenty minutes to chase down local products Jeff Samardzija and Carl Gioia of Valparaiso, plus Merrillville's James Aldridge, is sufficient if you're able to clone yourself.
There are so many problems with this article, it boggles the mind.
First - nowhere in this article does the writer ever appear to have actually talked to anyone at the University of Notre Dame for a comment on the freeze-out of writer Jeff Carroll. He doesn't mention that Carroll violated Notre Dame's access policy regarding its players in publishing a quote from recruit Paddy Mullen (taken out of context) in their ethically questionable articles earlier this summer.
Second - nowhere in this article does he attribute any of his conjectures about perceptions of Coach Weis. He mentions "a large number of alumni," but apparently can't get any of that large number to go on the record. Fishy. He also makes the claim that Coach Weis "continues to irritate other coaches at Notre Dame." That's some pretty heavy lumber to swing without actually naming any names. He doesn't even have a vaguely attributed quote in the story, like "someone close to the athletic department." If he is reporting on stuff he has heard off the record, then he has already violated the confidences of a slew of alumnni and persons within the athletic department for even mentioning the issue.
Third - He states as fact many things which are simply untrue. He says that the turnout at the Media Day was disappointing. From all other accounts, including Mike Frank of Irish Eyes, the auditorium for the press conferences was standing room only, and attended by more press than any other team's media day. He whines about the level of access, complaining that 20 minutes before practice isn't enough access for him to write his stories. What he fails to mention is that that is 20 minutes EVERY DAMN DAY that he has full access to the players. Coach Weis is even opening an entire practice to the media, which is far more access than media get at many other universities. He attacks Coach Weis for being overly protective of his players, making him out to be some kind of bad guy for limiting access. Weis is responsible for making sure that his team is focused on the goal of winning football games, and as importantly, making sure that the team does not run afoul of NCAA rules. To criticize him for minimizing the distractions for his football team is petty.
Fourth, and finally the worst transgression - This writer is good friends with Jeff Carroll, and is writing this hack job as a swipe at Notre Dame because the petulant Carroll, after being informed that he could not ask any questions during media day, whined to anyone who would listen in the press room, calling the University of Notre Dame a "Mickey Mouse organization." The author decided to compromise his journalistic integrity because Coach Weis hurt his friends feelings. And then failed to disclose his personal relationship with Jeff Carroll. He seemed to think that disclosing Carroll's former relationship with the Northwest Indiana Times was enough. It wasn't.
He accuses the University of Notre Dame of attempting to publicly embarass Carroll by denying access. If the University of Notre Dame wanted to publicly embarass Carroll, they would revoke all press passes from the South Bend Tribune, and issue a press release blaming Carroll for the lack of access, detailing how Carroll violated the team's access rules. Instead, Carroll was quietly informed of his status just prior to the press conferences - a mere slap on the wrist for a malicious and borderline libelous series of articles. It was Carroll that made his freeze-out public by crying like a little baby about it. It was Carroll that childishly stood in the front of the press conference, hoping that ESPN2 would catch him petulantly harrumphing everything that Coach Weis said. It was Carroll that brought this upon himself.
And then he doesn't have the guts to write about it himself, he has to send his friend in to do the dirty work. These people are a disgrace to their profession and should be fired.
2006 Spring Opponent Preview - Air Force Academy Falcons
Top player: Gilberto Perez, DLMake-or-break player: Victor Thompson, WR
Biggest offensive strength: Offensive line
Biggest offensive weakness: Receivers
Biggest defensive strength: Interior line (defensive tackles)
Biggest defensive weakness: Linebackers
Spring Depth Chart
Like the rest of the service academies, Air Force struggles to recruit players that can match up physically with the rest of Division I-A.
However, Coach Fisher DeBerry has consistently been competitive at Air Force with the talent he gets, and was one of the rising stars in college football. As a matter of fact, Air Force is coming off of their first back-to-back losing seasons since DeBerry took the helm 23 years ago. However, DeBerry and Air Force haven't been the same the past few years. To add to their woes, Fisher caught the foot-in-mouth disease, and made racially insensitive comments last year.
DeBerry will need a successful season this year to rehabilitate his image, as nothing heals better than winning. However, he is starting a new quarterback this year, and lost his leading receivers from last year's squad.
Incoming junior QB Shaun Carney has some talent at the QB position, and if WR Victor Thompson can step up his game, the Falcons may have a good year - even a bowl game. However, I don't think that Thompson has the tools necessary to stand out on this team.
The defensive should be stout against the run, but against elite offenses like the Irish, their pass efficiency defense was ranked 112th last year, and there aren't any stars on the horizon that can help them improve much on that front. With the talent they have on the defensive line, don't expect many teams to run the ball against them.
While Air Force is normally far more competitive against the Irish than the other service academies, this year the Irish strengths play into the Air Force weaknesses, and the Faclons don't really have any weapons to threaten the Irish with.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Prediction |
| 9/9 | at Tennessee | L |
| 9/23 | at Wyoming | W |
| 9/30 | New Mexico | W |
| 10/7 | Navy | L |
| 10/12 | Colorado State | L |
| 10/21 | at San Diego State | L |
| 10/28 | Brigham Young | L |
| 11/3 | at Army | W |
| 11/11 | Notre Dame | L |
| 11/18 | Utah | L |
| 11/24 | at UNLV | W |
| 12/2 | at TCU | L |
Friday, August 04, 2006
Positional U
There is often argument about which schools are the best school at producing players at a particular position (usually skill positions). For example, some people often call USC Halfback U, and Notre Dame is referred to as Quarterback U. To that end, I decided to do some research into which schools consistently produce the best players at their positions.
To do so, I decided to research the number of players elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, Heisman winners at that position, and how many players have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Also, other notable players at the position are worth noting. Here are my results:
Quarterback U - Notre Dame
College Football Hall of Famers: (9)
Angelo Bertelli, Frank Carideo, Paul Hornung, Johnny Lujack, Harry Stuhlrehder, Bobby Williams, Ralph Guglielmi, Joe Theismann, John Huarte
Runners-up: BYU and Stanford (4)
Pro Football Hall of Famers: (2)
Paul Hornung and Joe Montana
Other teams with 2 Pro Hall of Famers: Alabama, Duke, Georgia, Northwestern, Oregon, Purdue, UCLA
Heisman winners at position: (4)
John Huarte, Paul Hornung, Johnny Lujack, Angelo Bertelli
Notable QBs:
Angelo Bertelli, Frank Carideo, Paul Hornung, Johnny Lujack, Harry Stuhlrehder, Bobby Williams, Ralph Guglielmi, Joe Theismann, John Huarte, Brady Quinn, Joe Montana, Joe Theismann, Steve Beurlein, Terry Hanratty, Blair Kiel, Rick Mirer, Ron Powlus, Tom Clements, Jarious Jackson, Tony Rice
Running Back U - Southern California
College Football Hall of Famers: (10)
Mort Kaer, Erny Pinckert, O.J. Simpson, Charlie White, Marcus Allen, Jon Arnett, Frank Gifford, Mike Garrett, Ricky Bell, Anthony Davis
Runners-up: Notre Dame (8), Ohio State (6)
Pro Football Hall of Famers: (3)
Marcus Allen, Frank Gifford, O.J. Simpson
Heisman winners at position: (5)
Reggie Bush, Marcus Allen, Charles White, O.J. Simpson, Mike Garrett
Notable RBs:
Mort Kaer, Erny Pinckert, O.J. Simpson, Charlie White, Marcus Allen, Jon Arnett, Frank Gifford, Mike Garrett, Ricky Bell, Anthony Davis, Reggie Bush, LenDale White
Receiver U - TIE
This one is a little tougher, as fewer players have been elected to the College or Pro Football Hall of Fame as receivers. I included the more generic end position, and tight ends, to calculate this.
I think we need some more time to let a team separate itself from the crowd in this category. Many teams, such as Florida, Miami and Southern Cal are all making some progress in developing an impressive stable of receivers.
Presented are all three teams with a legitimate claim to the title right now. This will likely change as more players become eligible for induction into the halls, and some more receivers win Heismans.
College Football Hall of Famers:
Michigan: Ron Kramer (End), Bennie Oosterbaan (End), Neil Snow (End), Jim Mandich (Tight End), Anthony Carter (WR)
Notre Dame: Leon Hart (End), Wayne Milner (End), Jim Martin (End), Bob Dove (End), Ken McAfee (Tight End)
Florida State: Fred Biletnikoff (WR), Ron Sellers (WR)
Pro Football Hall of Famers:
Notre Dame: Dave Casper (TE), Wayne Milner (End)
Michigan: Bill Hewitt (End), Elroy Hirsch (End)
Florida State: Fred Biletnikoff (WR)
Heisman Winners at position:
Notre Dame: Leon Hart (End), Tim Brown (WR)
Michigan: Desmond Howard (WR), Charles Woodson (DB/WR)
Recent players of note:
Notre Dame: Anthony Fasano, Jeff Samardzija, Maurice Stovall, Derrick Mayes, Rhema McKnight, Tim Brown, Raghib "Rocket" Ismail
Michigan: Desmond Howard, Charles Woodson, Braylon Edwards, David Terrell, Amani Toomer, Marquise Walker, Jason Avant, Tai Streets
Florida State: Anquan Boldin, Laveranues Coles, Peter Warrick, Javon Walker, Craphonso Thorpe, Ron Sellers, Lawrence Dawsey
Note: ND should get some extra credit at the receiver position for revolutionizing the forward pass with a young end named Knute Rockne as the game's first star receiver.
To do so, I decided to research the number of players elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, Heisman winners at that position, and how many players have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Also, other notable players at the position are worth noting. Here are my results:
Quarterback U - Notre Dame
College Football Hall of Famers: (9)
Angelo Bertelli, Frank Carideo, Paul Hornung, Johnny Lujack, Harry Stuhlrehder, Bobby Williams, Ralph Guglielmi, Joe Theismann, John Huarte
Runners-up: BYU and Stanford (4)
Pro Football Hall of Famers: (2)
Paul Hornung and Joe Montana
Other teams with 2 Pro Hall of Famers: Alabama, Duke, Georgia, Northwestern, Oregon, Purdue, UCLA
Heisman winners at position: (4)
John Huarte, Paul Hornung, Johnny Lujack, Angelo Bertelli
Notable QBs:
Angelo Bertelli, Frank Carideo, Paul Hornung, Johnny Lujack, Harry Stuhlrehder, Bobby Williams, Ralph Guglielmi, Joe Theismann, John Huarte, Brady Quinn, Joe Montana, Joe Theismann, Steve Beurlein, Terry Hanratty, Blair Kiel, Rick Mirer, Ron Powlus, Tom Clements, Jarious Jackson, Tony Rice
Running Back U - Southern California
College Football Hall of Famers: (10)
Mort Kaer, Erny Pinckert, O.J. Simpson, Charlie White, Marcus Allen, Jon Arnett, Frank Gifford, Mike Garrett, Ricky Bell, Anthony Davis
Runners-up: Notre Dame (8), Ohio State (6)
Pro Football Hall of Famers: (3)
Marcus Allen, Frank Gifford, O.J. Simpson
Heisman winners at position: (5)
Reggie Bush, Marcus Allen, Charles White, O.J. Simpson, Mike Garrett
Notable RBs:
Mort Kaer, Erny Pinckert, O.J. Simpson, Charlie White, Marcus Allen, Jon Arnett, Frank Gifford, Mike Garrett, Ricky Bell, Anthony Davis, Reggie Bush, LenDale White
Receiver U - TIE
This one is a little tougher, as fewer players have been elected to the College or Pro Football Hall of Fame as receivers. I included the more generic end position, and tight ends, to calculate this.
I think we need some more time to let a team separate itself from the crowd in this category. Many teams, such as Florida, Miami and Southern Cal are all making some progress in developing an impressive stable of receivers.
Presented are all three teams with a legitimate claim to the title right now. This will likely change as more players become eligible for induction into the halls, and some more receivers win Heismans.
College Football Hall of Famers:
Michigan: Ron Kramer (End), Bennie Oosterbaan (End), Neil Snow (End), Jim Mandich (Tight End), Anthony Carter (WR)
Notre Dame: Leon Hart (End), Wayne Milner (End), Jim Martin (End), Bob Dove (End), Ken McAfee (Tight End)
Florida State: Fred Biletnikoff (WR), Ron Sellers (WR)
Pro Football Hall of Famers:
Notre Dame: Dave Casper (TE), Wayne Milner (End)
Michigan: Bill Hewitt (End), Elroy Hirsch (End)
Florida State: Fred Biletnikoff (WR)
Heisman Winners at position:
Notre Dame: Leon Hart (End), Tim Brown (WR)
Michigan: Desmond Howard (WR), Charles Woodson (DB/WR)
Recent players of note:
Notre Dame: Anthony Fasano, Jeff Samardzija, Maurice Stovall, Derrick Mayes, Rhema McKnight, Tim Brown, Raghib "Rocket" Ismail
Michigan: Desmond Howard, Charles Woodson, Braylon Edwards, David Terrell, Amani Toomer, Marquise Walker, Jason Avant, Tai Streets
Florida State: Anquan Boldin, Laveranues Coles, Peter Warrick, Javon Walker, Craphonso Thorpe, Ron Sellers, Lawrence Dawsey
Note: ND should get some extra credit at the receiver position for revolutionizing the forward pass with a young end named Knute Rockne as the game's first star receiver.
2006 Spring Opponent Preview - Army (West Point) Black Knights
Top player: Caleb Campbell, SSMake-or-break player: David Pevoto, QB
Biggest offensive strength: Wide Receiver
Biggest offensive weakness: Size
Biggest defensive strength: Safety
Biggest defensive weakness: Speed
Spring Depth Chart
I have great respect for Army. I think they are a high-integrity program that does things the right way - just like Notre Dame.
Problem is, Army sucks at football.
They are getting better under head coach Bobby Ross. They won four games last year, against Air Force, Arkansas State, Akron and Massachussets. Problem is, Army just doesn't have the talent to be competitive in Division I football. And this pains me. I used to love reading about the Notre Dame - Army game in whcih Knute Rockne and Gus Dorais revolutionized the use of the forward pass. The Notre Dame - Army battles during World War II were epic clashes of the titans.
But, alas, no more. Army may be more competitive this year under Bobby Ross, but they probably still will not make a bowl game, despite a weak schedule, and (more important to Army fans) will not beat Navy.
That said, Army returns an experienced, if undersized, squad this year. Their junior quarterback can make the throws, and they have a talented receiver in Jeremy Trimble, Jr.
Their defense will be solid with an experienced veteran linebacking corps, and an All-American talent at safety in Caleb Campbell.
However, Army just doesn't have the horses to hang with the big boys, and this game should be over by halftime, giving the Irish plenty of opportunity to play all their seniors on Senior Day. In fact, the Irish could probably play with only their seniors against Army, and still win handily.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Prediction |
| 9/2 | at Arkansas State | W |
| 9/9 | Kent State | W |
| 9/16 | at Texas A&M | L |
| 9/23 | at Baylor | L |
| 9/30 | Rice | W |
| 10/7 | Virginia Military Institute | W |
| 10/14 | at Connecticut | L |
| 10/21 | Texas Christian | L |
| 10/28 | at Tulane | W |
| 11/3 | Air Force | W |
| 11/18 | at Notre Dame | L |
| 12/2 | vs. Navy | L |
The season has officially kicked off...
The Coaches Poll was released this morning, which for me marks the start of the football season. The Coaches Poll is the organization that awards the national championship trophy after the BCS bowls, and is the primary component of the BCS formula. Thus, these rankings will be the rankings which we will have to play against all season. Let the games begin.
Below are the preseason predictions for the Coaches Poll, and My preseason rankings. (First place votes are in parentheses)
| Ranking | ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll | My Preseason Rankings |
| 1 | Ohio State (28) | Notre Dame |
| 2 | Texas (11) | Auburn |
| 3 (tie) | Notre Dame (9) | Michigan |
| 3 (tie) | Southern Cal (1) | Texas |
| 5 | Oklahoma (13) | Southern Cal |
| 6 | Auburn (1) | Ohio State |
| 7 | West Virginia | Florida State |
| 8 | Florida | LSU |
| 9 | LSU | California |
| 10 | Florida State | West Virginia |
| 11 | Miami (FL) | Florida |
| 12 | California | Oklahoma |
| 13 | Louisville | Miami (FL) |
| 14 | Georgia | Georgia |
| 15 | Michigan | Louisville |
| 16 | Virginia Tech | Iowa |
| 17 | Iowa | Penn State |
| 18 | Clemson | Georgia Tech |
| 19 | Penn State | Texas Tech |
| 20 | Oregon | Tennessee |
| 21 | Texas Christian | Alabama |
| 22 | Nebraska | South Carolina |
| 23 | Tennessee | Virginia Tech |
| 24 | Alabama | Oregon |
| 25 | Texas Tech | Texas Christian |
Notes:
I wonder how many ballots were turned in before Bomar was kicked off the squad at OU - 13 people ranked them #1.
Texas appears to be getting quite a boost from their National Championship - Vince Young is not replaceable, however, and the Horns will be great, but not the best.
SC and Ohio State both were absolutely devastated by the draft, and they are both overrated. On talent alone, they will be very good football teams, but the Ohio State defense returns only 3 starters, and USC lost two Heisman winners from their offensive backfield.
West Virginia is not as good as the other teams around them, but they have a favorable schedule.
In a year where every team has their weaknesses, Auburn is getting very little credit. They are an all-around good team - no weaknesses. They lack the playmakers of the other top teams, but their lack of weaknesses will have them in a position to be able to win every game they play this year. Would they deserve a #2 ranking by me in any other year? Probably not. But this year, there is simply nobody else that doesn't have glaring holes to fill.
Michigan, in my opinion, is immensely underrated in the Coaches Poll. They are loaded with experienced juniors poised for abreakout season. They will probably lose their road opener against the Irish, but they will likely win all of their other games, except perhaps Ohio State.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Oklahoma's Starting QB Bomar released from team
Due to egregious violations of NCAA rules, Oklahoma's starting quarterback Rhett Bomar (and one other player, the starting right guard) was released from the team today. Read the official story here.
Bomar accepted a job at the Bid Red Sports car dealership in Norman (did the name of the dealership throw up any red flags for people? there aren't any fightin' irish lexus dealers here in the Bend...) where he worked approximately 5 hours per week, but was paid over $18,000 last year, largely for hours claimed that he did not work.
This is a classic example of the kind of egregious abuses by major college football teams that have led to SMU's program death penalty and Alabama's major sanctions. Oklahoma's "internal investigation" broke this story and dismissed the two players.
This was the same dealership that almost created some controversy earlier this summer with an unauthorized extended test drive of a lexus to starting tailback and Heisman hopeful Adrian Petersoon (according to rumor on message boards). There is some rumor that Peterson may be implicated in this investigation as well, but there are no confirmed sources that have said anything about Peterson's involvement.
This is the kins of thing that can destroy a football team, and Oklahoma's preseason aspirations to compete for a national title are no longer viable. Adrian Peterson has the talent to carry this team, but cannot win a championship without a viable passing game.
The depth behind Bomar is weak. There is one player that has some on-field experience, but he has been practicing at wide receiver since Bomar was named the starter. They have a juco transfer and a freshman as well. Not to mentiion the leadership that this team has lost.
Also, despite this being self-reported by Oklahoma, the almost certain NCAA investigation that would follow will very likely result in some very serious sanctions for the Oklahoma football program. In particular, Oklahoma may get diinged for lack of institutional control, as this was a violation by two starters at an organization that has had problems in the past with alleged violations.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)