Okay..this one is more for me than you...Gotta get this out! GO IRISH!

Stephen Covey's book

 "7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

is one of my favorites...One of the principles 

in the book is EVERYDAY when you plan your 

"To Do" list...write down EVERYTHING...

It doesn't matter how menial...take the trash out, buy wine..etc..

The idea behind this is, the more you empty your brain of tasks 

you need to accomplish, the more you will focus on real issues 

that will make you more effective!

It works...the problem is 

I HAVEN'T DONE THIS FOR

 NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL!

And I'm going CRAZY!

So there is not a huge amount of info here...just me emptying 

the brain so I can focus and survive till Temple takes a beating!

Here we go:

You might wanna put the kids to bed before I start!

1.WE HAVE A Mutha-Fing 

HELL OF A COACH!

-We have had a hell-a-sish off season!

I'm not gonna re-hash what happened, but you can't show me 

another program in the COUNTRY that could go through

what we've gone through and continue to have such positive

expectations, and REALISTIC expectations for our upcoming 

season!

-The Natty

-The Eagles
-Manti

-Showing the door to a couple players!

-That idiot D-Tackle

-Golson

-the cologne

Good Lord...And we will still have a great year!

Coach Kelly...brush your shoulder off and enjoy your 

new contract whenever it's announced...

YOU EARNED IT!

2. GOLDEN ARMY!

Recruiting?....Yeah..that's going well!

Take yourself to Rivals and get educated on the way they rank

recruiting classes...Now before you do I'll tell you it's STUPID!

They rank the classes not on talent but numbers?

CLICK ME!

If a class has 20 spots and they have all 3 star players they will 

be ranked top 5!...???

If a class has 15 players and they are all 5 stars...maybe top 20?

So you have to look at this like your analyzing a stock!

Regardless of how many players...what is your

 "average skill level" per player?

Let's talk "average star rating per player" 

Right now ND's average star rating per player is 3.67

(Now they punish us cause regardless how good a kicker 

is he's 2 star?..) 

So out of the top 10 classes in the ENTIRE country 

our players are the highest rated talent-wise across the board!

We also had the highest rated across the board in 2013!

You notice Justin Brent?.... Who recognized this kids ability 

BEFORE the rest of the country got up to speed?

WE HAVE A STAFF WHO CAN 
SEE TALENT...before the other guys!

Jonathan Bonner?....Yeah..get excited!

3. HORSES!

Here's a tidbit for you!

A certain popular Chocolate named player told me...

"The O-Line is gonna really surprise people this year!"

"It's better NOW (spring this year) than at any point last year!"

We are gonna line up...pound the ball...and 

BEG people to load the box!

In the nineties, when the tech boom was hitting, there was 

a saying in the financial industry to describe investments..

"Throw enough spaghetti against the wall..

and some of it will stick!" 

Well guess what..from what I'm hearing from our guys...
I'd be surprised if MOST of it didn't stick!

There is A TON of swagger at the running back position!

The veterans want the rock..the freshman are telling them 

they won't have it long!

What I'm hearing from 7 on 7s is...PROGRESSION.

What I mean by that is...what was "robotic" in the spring is now 

"fluid" in the summer...The youth on the team...

CJ & Brown are now running routes that are smooth, 

rather than counting their steps to a 15 yard out...

Tommy is learning where they want the ball...what each 

receiver's "sweet spot" is....

-He's got soft hands...

-This kid can catch everything..just throw it in his direction!

-He's 6

6'7" throw it high and let him go get it!

-He's fast...look for the fade...

-He stops on a dime..look for the out!

-He's big and goes across the middle!

This is of GREAT importance...the relationship between 

a QB and his Receiving core is being CEMENTED daily!

"REES HAS THE HIGHEST FOOTBALL IQ

I'VE EVER COACHED"- Sorry can't tell you who said

it..but it was said!..LOL

While we are talking QBs...ANYONE else notice that

Golson leaving made him a WAY better QB in the 

eyes of the media?

Before the season it was...

"Golson is gonna have to work on a lot of things" 

He leaves....?

"Notre Dame lost their "star quarterback" 

It's too funny!...Wait till he comes back...

So what I'm trying to say, my beloved IRISH family, is 

enjoy the last few weeks of summer...and know we are 

in great hands and the future is bright!

Quick note....Lisa Kelly 

BOOK INFO!

Is a friend mine who has written a great book on 

"Where are they now?" of Irish Legends!

You know in this day and age of "instant" gratification

and five hundred dollar handshakes...and dirty recruiting...

Notre Dame realizes this is still "college" football...

Here's a book reminding us of the glory they experienced 

on the field...now continues in the boardroom!

So later today when you sit down and draw up next week's 

"to do list"...remember to cross off

"Wonder if Notre Dame will be ready for the season?"

Cause that's been taken care of!

GO IRISH AND GOD BLESS!

Only "SECONDARY" by position...not by talent!

You wanna know plumbing...ask a plumber.

You wanna know medicine...ask a doctor.

You wanna know how to break NCAA rules...ask a Buckeye!

You wanna know how our Defensive secondary will look 

this season....ask a NFL Safety!

No..this is not a 70's porn legend!..

No..it's not a guy about to find out if he's someone's 

Baby Daddy on Maury!

This masked man...is Minnesota Viking 

ROBERT "RJ" BLANTON

former IRISH great!

With all the love our Defense has been receiving, and 

we all know who LOUIS and STEPHON are...

We know what Shembo and Day can do!

We've know Fox and Carlo are solid!..

We are hopeful of what Grace will be!

SECONDARY?

Only by position name according 

to RJ!

We all know RJ knows what he's talking about..

WATCH ME!

RJ's career at ND was decorated with great moments..

It started early with a pick six vs Purdue...all the way to 

showing Mark Sanchez the slant is off the table..

To the Utah blocked punt, to SHOVE momentum 

into ND's favor...to sealing the Michigan State game 

with a HUGE interception on the goal line!

If RJ was on the field...you always knew FIREWORKS 

were not far away!..

Being a Finance Major he was always full of questions

whenever we were in the same place at the same time!

So guess what?

YOU OWE ME!

Tell me what you see when you look at our D 

secondary what jumps out to you?

-You know, they have a ton of talent, depth and speed.

Bennet, Russell & Farley are tested, they played well last 

year, and showed everyone that we could stop the pass.

Those three are not coming off the field!

What are you thoughts on the empty safety position?

 -Schumate is an assassin he's a big kid,

looks like he's been in college for four years! Watching him last year

he makes plays and hits like a ton of bricks.  You can also tell how 

much faith the coaches have in him...he played in several different positions

 last season...he's versatile. 

-Redfield...Wow! For his size he changes position great!

Could play day one..he and Schumate will have a battle on their hands.

He's played a lot of offense so ball skills will give him an advantage

and the fact that he will HIT YOUR ASS!

I'm excited to see this play out!

What about the young corners?

-First off...let's talk existing corners. Bennett Jackson is 

my dude. Great ball skills, his footwork since they switched 

him from offense has come so far!

Being an ex receiver he just naturally goes after the ball.

I think with one more season, he will be one of the top CBs 

taken in the next NFL draft!

-Keivarae Russell...It's amazing to watch this kid play.

No way when you watch him do you think he hasn't played this 

position for years.  He reached out to me a few times last season 

looking for advice...I told him that he needed to get into the mind

state of a defensive back.  You have to think that you are 

the BEST player on the field...that nobody can hang with you!

He's got moxy and confidence...he's special!

He's gonna have a bright future..he'll be in the league!

Okay..the new guys?

-Devin Butler..the thing that jumped out to me when I watched 

film on Butler was his discipline.

I saw a few times where they were in cover 3, the offense runs

2 verticals and the job of the corner is to midpoint himself...

The midpoint gives you the ability to make a play on either 

receiver...most young corners get burnt by this and play

towards one or the other..cause they 

aren't' disciplined...Butler has this naturally!

It's something you can't teach!

He needs to work on going after the ball and finishing 

the play..but man I can't wait to see him after some coaching!

-Cole Luke...Cole is my under the radar guy.  I think he has the 

best feet of any incoming freshman.  He's fluid and has 

good hips and a great nose for the ball!

If someone goes down...Luke will get his time!

He's underrated!

Are you pulling for anyone or do you have a prediction?

-Lo Wood is my guy, I feel for Lo getting injured and 

opening the door to this young talent will make it hard 

for him to re-gain his spot...but he's a battler!

-Redfield will be a walking ESPN highlight.

He is just to dynamic to not make an impact...

It would be hard De-thrown Farley..he's smart fast and 

just an over all good player!

-Prediction?...by seasons end..people will be talking 

about the secondary of the IRISH like they are talking 

about the D-line of the IRISH now!

So now your in Minnesota or how I like to call it

"little Notre Dame" how is it?

-The weather is a bit crazy..but the city is tight!

Real nice...it's cool to have Rudolf and Harrison here...

Then you got Carlson and Sullivan..it's a hub for ND 

players!..LOL

Okay...Girls?...

-Uh..yeah..I feel a no comment might protect the 

hearts of the ladies in the Minnesota area! 

And last but not least...You have a degree in 

finance from the UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME!

Who is the greatest financial mind of our time?

-LOL...I know what you want me to say...

Okay..It's JERRY KENNEDY!

 Thank you!

So there you have it brothers and sisters from 

the mouth of the south as we used to call him

he's says we are ready for primetime!

  

Now...to address the IDIOTS in the MEDIA!

There are two worlds in College Football.

1. Notre Dame's World

2. Everyone else!

This leads me to my pet peeve of the week!

I watched the Idiots on ESPN last week...now believe me

they are not on like a Subway Domer level or an 11 Warriors 

type of stupidity...but not far off!

They were reporting on the TOP TEN PROGRAMS for the 

next five years...what programs were 

"trending" in the upward direction!

Now...Rod Gilmore

Rod's Twitter tell him your thoughts!

Rod's stupidity on ESPN ( his school was 10th on 

the list and ND was 6th) was pretty noticeable.

Little bit butt hurt I'd say from his OT loss!

Now his rational was because Brian Kelly interviewed with the Eagles.

Oh..and Bob Diaco was a hot up and coming D-cord.

These were bad things?

Now these two things in his "idiotic" opinion were 

why we should not be on the EXPERT'S list.

So now your head coach being GOOD and people wanting 

to hire him= NEGATIVE?

So now your D-cord being a hot name, and up and 

coming talent= NEGATIVE?

Now Sumlin at A&M interviewed for the Eagles job also?

But that's okay?

Now A&M graduating over 50% of their starters last year?

But that's okay?

Their train wreck of a so called Heisman hating the city 

he plays in and can't wait to leave?

But that's okay?

ROD GILMORE

I'd make you the Jameson Irish Whisky 

DOUCHEBAG of the week...

But it would be a waste of whisky!

GOD BLESS and GO IRISH!

Diamonds don't just grow on trees...they come from PRESSURE!

So..how was your Memorial Weekend?

About 2 weeks ago I called a friend named Pete at a 

Irish web site and asked.."Hey have you heard anything about 

Golson having issues?"

It was about that day till now...I've not slept real well since!

I reached out to a friend close to his family...Nothing!

I chalked it up to just rumors...rumors about a young
QB destined for greatness this season....

That's when all Hell broke loose in the past few weeks!

Now...if you read my last blog I'm not here to mince words!

THIS SH@T HAS SUCKED!

This has been HORRIBLE..

I'm feeling crazy !

Now this is not a "spin" conversation!

This is not a "puppies and rainbows" type of article!

This is real...

It's happend!...He's gone...Will he be back?...Time will tell!

DO YOU KNOW HOW LUCKY WE ARE THAT

THIS WON'T KILL OUR SEASON!

Do you realize that if this happend to the majority of

college football programs they would be DEVASTATED!

Not set back...not "We will see.." but SCREWED!

What if this happend to...

Clemson

Tajh Boyd goes down!

Cole Stoudt with his 60 snaps as a jr. steps in!

Texas A&M 

See what happens if Johnny Football leaves!

Matt Joeckel steps up?...he's thrown 11 career passes!

Oregon

Marcus Mariota blows out his knee...

3 star true Freshman Jeff Lockie get's to step up!

We have 3 VERY viable options at Quarterback!

Tommy Rees...Tommy is the Honda Accord!

He's not fancy....he's not fast..but he's CONSISTANT!

He get's you from point A to point B!

The bottom line is we are BLESSED to have a 

senior with over 600 snaps under his belt!

With a career 61% completion ratio!

That has played at Michigan at night!

Won at USC at night!

Beat Stanford in OVERTIME!

This kid is un rattled by the FLASHBULBS!

He's seen it all!

We have 

Andrew Hendrix!

I met him at the Touchdown Club of Columbus the year

before Tressel was fired for the cheating scandal!

I watched as Tressel damn near tear up telling Andrew how 

sad he was he didn't attend O$U..and remember we landed him over

the "Heart Attack" waiting to happen coaching the Gators!...

At the Notre Dame Coaching Clinic I was told that this has been 

his best year as far as development since they arrived!

That the "light had gone on" for Hendrix!

That if Golson went down...Hendrix could step in!

ZAIRE!

This kid was the number 1 QB in the state of Ohio...

We took him right out of Urban's back yard...

I talked to Zaire's buddies in camp...they said he get's up 

EVERY day at 4:30 just to watch film...

A coach told me that Zaire is the most mentally gifted 

freshman he's ever coached!

Zaire is the future...maybe this year...maybe not!...
Maybe after Golson returns?

Maybe Golson opened a window of opportunity he 

shouldn't have?

This is our schedule!

Temple=Temple

Game one is a open scrimmage!

An opportunity to just throw some spagetti against

the wall and see what sticks!

Michigan

Beatable

Ree's has 430 yards and 70% comp ratio 

He's beat them before and seen their place!

MSU

NEW QB

Oklahoma

NEW QB

Arizona State

Better have some answers by then!

USC

NEW QB

Air Force=Air Force

Navy=Navy

Pitt

NEW QB

BYU

NEW QB

Stanford

Better be ready!

So realize the glass is not broken...it's not jagged 

at the top, and it's not gonna cut your lip!

The glass is...

HALF FULL

So throw some ice in it...relax and splash some 

Jameson on the other half and let Kelly do his job!

GO IRISH and GOD BLESS!

Sack up...Wipe your tears away & Shut your mouth!

One of my favorite sayings in the world is,

ACT LIKE YOU BEEN HERE BEFORE!

Well we have...thats college football..EVERY TEAM 

has been here before!

This week reminds me of a situation, almost 

EXACTLY one year ago, with a player I won't

even mention by name because I know right 

now EVERY day he is kicking himself for 

leaving the University of Notre Dame!

This player had a bright future...he was an elite 

athlete.  Had all the potential in the world but 

refused to be coached... Refused to listen to mentors 

around him, and to his own mother, on what life was all 

about and how hard it could be if he didn't maintain the 

path that he was on...

He left the school...watched his teammates go 12-0

and make an appearance to the 

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP...

WITHOUT him...

I made a statement last year on some message boards about this 

player...I said that our season would be just fine!

That losing him was addition by subtraction!

What happend?

Months later he called the coaches...asking if there was a chance,

a glimmer of hope of returning to the program that he once 

wronged....and the answer?...no

Who was that player?

Does it really matter now?

A wall will not fall if it's fundamentally sound, built

by the finest brick layers...even if one brick is missing!

"But...But...Our front 7 is so good now...and looking at 

2014 we will lose Nix...and Tuitt!"

"What if Vanderdoes doesn't come????"

"What if...What...if....What if...." 

STOP!

This is the coaching staff that CREATED, and yeah

I'm using the word CREATED, Harrison Smith!

He was a gypsy before they came along...

"Oh..one season I'll live up here..next I'll try this...."

They made him into a first round draft pick!

This is the coaching staff that took THREE,

three offensive players and put together a defensive secondary

that was easily top 10 by seasons end!

This will fix it's self!!!!

I hate to break it to you...but Louis Nixs and Stephon Tuitts

don't grow on trees!

Kids with this type of talent, that can 

ACTUALLY get into ND are rare!

They are ELITE and day one ready players!

We will land more of them...but we will lose some also!

At some point you have to take a 3 star and make him 

impact like a 5!

You have to train and condition and mentor and 

develop!

You have to BUILD a player into who you want and how 

you want!

This is what programs like Stanford do, and NOBODY out there

is crying!

Let me tell you a story about a player from Texas!

He was a skinny 6'4 D End

He didn't have a extensive offer list...
Texas A&M before Johnny

Texas after Colt

Michigan with Rich Rod

...ND under Cholly!

He came to Notre Dame weighing 225 Llbs..

just a tad lighter than....Michael Deeb!

He wasn't 6'7 300lbs like Jarron Jones

He wasn't 6'5 240lbs and 17 years old like Romeo

He wasn't 6'6 260lbs like Tony Springman

He wasn't 6'5 260lbs like Isaac Roshell

He wasn't 6'5 270lbs like Jay Hayes

He wasn't 6'5 250lbs like Trumbetti

Heck...he wasn't as big as Marquis Dickerson the 

new "walk on" D Tackel from Arkansas!

But with his heart and Notre Dame's influence...

He trained!...he listend and learned and turned into this:

300lbs of ALREADY signed 

Baltimore Ravens future!

So stop your crying!

Don't tell me that one brick will matter!

Don't tell me that we can't win a championships with 4 

defensive lineman like Kapron Lewis Moore!

Don't tell me that the sky is falling because of one player!

Well guess what Notre Dame Fan Base?

YOU are the Douchebag of the week!

That's right my beloved ND family is the winner of the 

Jameson Irish Whisky DOUCHEBAG of the week award!

Why?...just like I said at the beginning...

Every team has been here before!

That makes me the biggest douchebag of them all!

Cause NOT every team has been here before!

Not every team has:

A 3 Time Coach of the Year at the helm!

A QB with NO CEILING for his potential!

One of the best sets of asst. Coaches in football!

15 returning starters from a regular season undefeated team

that actually beat a schedule that you should be 

proud of and not embarrassed!

Unbelievable talent arriving in 2 weeks to re-stock the shelves!

And...a current recruiting class that has the potential of being

the best Kelly has brought to South Bend yet!

So...no!...not everybody has been here before!

Lets remember who we are...and ACT LIKE IT!

GOD BLESS AND GO IRISH!

Don't wish away your summer thinking FOOTBALL!...

When I was a kid the school year couldn't go fast 

enough and seemed to take centuries to end...

Then summer break would come and I'd blink my eyes and

the next grade was open and ready for enrollment!

This is the dilemma of the football fan.

We want to see our team play...but hell the sunshine just 

arrived and we've been looking forward to that all winter!

People e-mail me for updates?...well right now

we are in a holding pattern!

We'll talk recruiting later in this article but as 

far as players?...nothing is happening!

So...Updates will come..but your gonna have to find

a balance to your excitement!

So...what's the balance?...Here is the balance!

It's called "Captain Led 7 on 7 practices" 

In Charlie's last season I had the pleasure of being in town 

in June and was able to sit in on a few of these "coach-less" 

practices!

What these are all about is CHEMISTRY...the ability for a QB 

to time a receiver...to know his patterns and how he breaks from

 cuts, or the speed in which he hits his marks on a route.

It's where the seniors take the freshmen and teach them the 

difference between just being BIGGER and STRONGER than 

everyone, like they were used to in high school...to 

here is the TECHNIQUE for going against players that are 

BIGGER and STRONGER then you've ever seen before!

It's about DB's getting time to perfect their abilities against 

elite talent...and skill.

It's where running backs show the QB that they can 

do more than just run between the tackles and 

build trust. 

It's a chance for the O-Line to come together through repetition

and understanding without the worry of being monitored! 

Spring ball is about learning where to be and when...What's your 

responsibility on each play and grasping your role!

7 on 7s?...that's where the UNDERGROUND magic happens!

In my opinion there is more team chemistry formed in these 

practices than any other time of the year!

"Seniors...I'm not gonna just give you the team. You're not 

ready yet...I'll give it to you, when you've earned it!"

BRIAN KELLY

This is the time where the leaders emerge...there are no "official" 

captains yet...but the LEADERS lead

and CAPTAINS are born!

So during the summer while your "wishing away" the 

days till that first kick off..the team is growing and 

perfecting and training and lifting!

Becoming...what they hope to show the coaches 

come fall...is possible!

I'll be posting updates on these critical practices 

as I hear from people within the program.

So...what's happing now?

This:

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

This class is already off and running and EXTREMELY 

talented and exciting!

We have our RECRUITER now with Hood!

He's been ATTACKING recruits on Twitter and establishing

himself as the leader of this class!

My test of any recruit...who did we beat out to land him!

Elijah Hood	ATH	5-11/221	EVERYONE!
Quenton Nelson	OL	6-5/301	EVERYONE!
Sam Mustipher	OL	6-3/286	EVERYONE!
Justin Brent	WR	6-3/193	Committed early and shut down!
Jimmy Byrne	OL	6-4/275	O$U & MSU
Jay Hayes	DT	6-5/270	EVERYONE!
Andrew Trumbetti	DE	6-5/249	EVERYONE!
Nic Weishar	TE	6-5/215	EVERYONE!
Greer Martini	LB	6-3/230	RKG

We are firing on all cylinders right now and winning 

the battles taking talent from across the country!

My top 2 right now?...HOOD & HAYES!

Hayes is the type of player that ND needs to recruit 

EVERY season!...he's fast, big and has no ceiling!

Having Issac,Vanderdoes and Hayes gives us the 

ability to remain dominant on the D line for 

seasons to come!

He understands his place within a scheme and doesn't 

overplay to try and make an impact!

Remember the 2011 USC game...there was a D lineman

in that game that OVERPLAYED and cost us a ton 

of points...because he didn't know his place within the scheme!

Jay has tons of personality and reminds me of 

Big Louis Nix!

And knows how to keep the fans attention!

ELIJAH HOOD

Where do I start with this kid?

He's a man among boys and has unreal speed for 

a kid his size!

He refuses to go down and punishes anyone in the 

open field that thinks they can arm tackle him 

to the upper body!

His conditioning is second to none and he has the 

ability to make an instant impact in the 

backfield!

ND is SO LOADED at Running Back that 

teams will have no idea how to cope with 

the amount of non stop fresh legs that

can come off the bench at anytime!

BRYANT

HOOD

FOLSTON

MAHONE

GAIII
AMIR

MCDANIEL

We've struggled to get "A" elite running back

in the past...now we have several!

Updates?....Stay tuned!

Inside Info?...It's dead!

Excitement?....TONS!

So pick your favorite...light up a stogie and enjoy the summer...

The IRISH train is rolling and I feel sorry for

whoever gets in our way!...

GO IRISH & GOD BLESS