Solid?....or a house of cards?....We shall see!...

Just like I tell my clients...it takes a lifetime of planning

and saving to retire properly...but only a few bad

moves makes everything come CRASHING down!

This can be said about anything....life, sports...etc!...

So...are we a house of cards...or are we a FORTRESS?..

A house of cards looks pretty...but you take out the right 

card, at the wrong spot, and CRASH!

Now a FORTRESS....you remove a brick....and the 

others around it take the force and remain strong!

You've heard me in the past talk about "concerns"...

The offense is not really a concern....You might say,

"hey, redshirt freshman QB...No Floyd?..." 

Not an issue!...Too many weapons...too much experience,

and are you ready for this....COACHING!

COACH MARTIN!

This guy took Harrison Smith...and created

"1st Round Draft Pick Harrison Smith"

I really don't think ANYONE realizes how good a coach 

this guy really is....SIGN HIM AND ALFORD to 

long term contracts....NOW!

Special Teams?....this might be the first 

year in a while that they

 are actually "SPECIAL"

We got this:

On Kickoff return...one of the FASTEST players

in the country!...

and this...

The ESPN number 1 athlete in the country on 

punt returns!

Now onto what wins CHAMPIONSHIPS!

DEFENSE!

This IS an area of concern...

CORNER!

This is where things get interesting!...

NEXT MAN IN

That's been Kelly's motto since arrival in South Bend...

He proved it works with Tommy Rees....like it or not

when your starting QB gets hurt and your TRUE freshman 

finishes up the season 4-0 with wins at night at USC,

and Miami in the bowl...you can develop talent!

I really like Tommy Rees, don't get me wrong..but 

Tommy has a ceiling that Everett at this point 

looks like he doesn't!...

So...NEXT MAN IN...meet the corner position!

KeiVarae Russell

Number 9 Athlete in the country according to Rivals!

He took his talents to South Bend over...

Stanford,Oregon,Cal,Boise,Washington and a 

HUGE list of others!

6'0 195 and waiting to be tested!

So can we be a FORTRESS or are we house of cards?

Let's talk about corners!...

I reached out to a former asst. coach I know that 

coached D1 and asked his opinion about young corners.

"You can always protect a corner with a safety.  You can't 

protect a safety with a corner.  No need to move 

Slaughter!  Plus a corner can really be protected by 

an experienced LB and deep with safety.  That only 

leaves fades in certain zone coverages, if they can run 

vertical then they should be okay...if they turn their heads!"

"Only other route is an out, but lets hope they can break on 

it, especially the squat corner"

What this translates to?...our OTHER STRENGTHS!

LB-SAFETY-D LINE

Sound familiar?...one brick breaks?...what happens?

Now....on to another reason my worries are starting 

to diminish!....BODY LANGUAGE!

Does this guy look worried?...NO!

Does he look nervous?...NO!

Why?...I think he knows what he has now!

I was talking to my buddy Mike Franck (GIGA)

Mike is a unique guy...not only did he WAY out 

kick his coverage when he married....but

this is his father in law!...

So....you know how much fun we are gonna have

with this dude next year tailgating!...

He and I were talking about ND...

When he pointed out Kelly's body language!

He hit the nail on the head!...PERIOD!...why is he 

not worried!....He expounded:

"1 week till Navy, Navy isn't going to throw the ball more 

than 15 times max.  Purdue isn't staring Muave so no threat there,
MSU has a new QB and WRs and it's week three so they 

will be more apt to make mistakes than most people are thinking.

UM, D Rob is going to use his feet first against us, not his arm. 

Then a bye week."

"Then we have Miami who is just going to be horrible,  and 

Stanford replacing the best QB they have EVER had then 

your first REAL QB threat...BYU"

So Mike and I agreed...By then...2 MONTHS!

If you can't develop a "decent" corner by then...you need to

TAKE A LONG LOOK IN THE MIRROR!

Cause you might not be the guy!

This is not my worry....but these are the FACTS of our 

situation...so where do we go from here?

I have 120% faith in Coach Kelly and the staff and 

players he's put together at Notre Dame!...

My money is on Kelly making this place a:

FORTRESS

In closing...

This is year 3....

LET'S GET IT ON!

GOD BLESS and GO IRISH!

HEY YOU KIDS!....GET OFF MY GRASS!...

There's a saying I use and have loved for years!...

It applies to life, sports...relationships, spirituality 

and most important...
PERCEPTION!...

The saying goes...

"You're either GROWING....or 

You're DYING...there is NO 

third direction!..."

So to kids today....

You're either current and HOT....

                                        Or you're dated and NOT!....

What this means is either you're getting BETTER?

Or you're getting WORSE?...

But those are your only two directions in life!...

Anyone who disagrees go take a LONG LOOK 

in the mirror today!....

There is room for 

improvement everywhere!....Even me!...Really!...

Hard to believe isn't it?...but even the  

greats can improve!....

Here's my point...

On the field last season I saw a team that was 

GROWING in certain areas...and dying 

in others...

Defensive line play?...GROWING

Linebacker play?...GROWING

Safety play?...GROWING

Kick return?...GROWING

DB play?...well depends on the game!...

Offensive line play?...dying=new coach!

QB play?....dying=new coach and QB!

Punt return?...DEAD...=new returners!

Running back play?...GROWING

WR play?....GROWING

TE play?...GROWING  

Recruiting?....GROWING!

But this is a new world now!...

You are either getting current or getting old!

This is not 1930 anymore!...this is a NEW 

college football universe and Kelly 

(like it or not) is getting this program 

up to speed!...

This is a different generation!....we have to 

continue to evolve ON and OFF the field!

On the field:

Spread'em out...and up the tempo!

(you'll see this WAY more this season!)

Defensive lineman?...Really?...been a while!

Popping guy's into the NFL....elite guys!

Elite recruits with SPEED!

Opening the cabinet and shelving talent!....

-number 1 QB in the country=RED SHIRT!

Music to get the gray hairs to 

STOP WANTING TO COME to games!...

and...

SWAG!

How many Dr.s have you seen operate in 

bermuda shorts?

Or attorneys go to court in sweat pants?

Or O$U players in orange jump suits....wait... never mind!

You have to be CURRENT...like it or not!

This is an instant gratification type of society!...

Kids make choices for DUMB reasons!..

It's like picking grapes and finding a GREEN-BERRY!

(get it?) 

Let's not let "Notre Dame is TOO traditional!" 

be one of them!...

This team is on the verge of greatness!....RIGHT NOW!...

Sure we got issues!...

Our D-secondary is young at corner!...and?...

Our schedule is BRUTAL...and?...

We have a new starting QB...and?...

SO WHAT!...

WE ARE NOTRE DAME...

We are the Alpha and Omega!...

The beginning and the end!....Without Notre Dame

college football would have been NOTHING!

Notre Dame has been and always will be the 

center of the COLLGE FOOTBALL UNIVERSE!

Just mention 2007 in a college football conversation

 and you'll hear....

"Who won the National Championship that year?"

Then..

"wait...that's the year ND went 3-9!"

We SUCKED and that's all anyone talked about!...

WE WIN=NEWS

WE LOSE=NEWS

Which brings me to the point at hand....

EXTRA SPECIAL DOUCHEBAG 

OF THE YEAR AWARD!...

yeah...Douchebag of the YEAR!

Brought to you by the ENTIRE 
Jameson Irish Whisky Distillery! 

Now that this is a special award, we chose to have the distillery

be the sponsor, that way EVERYONE in the world 

can raise their glasses at one time and say...

"RICK REILLY IS A JEALOUS DOUCHEBAG!"

Rick...you uneducated moron!....

Quick lesson for ya...

rel·e·vance

  [rel-uh-vuhns] 

noun

the condition of being relevant,  or connected with the 

matter at hand: to be covered 

or coveted=The company was always in the news. 

Now I'll start with ANY person that is still bitter that 

their DAD flunked outta ND at your age...is just sad!...

I was wondering about the timing of the article until I saw this:

Will ESPN walk away from Rick Reilly and his $3 million contract?...sources say YES!

You talking about us you bitter jealous idiot!...makes us relevant!..

Our play on the field this season....?

We win 10...WE ARE NEWS!

We lose 10...WE ARE NEWS!

So win or lose...Notre Dame is ALWAYS relevant!...

So enjoy the next few weeks until kick off and remember!....

GOD BLESS and GO IRISH!

Translation?....Relax....it's all taken care of!....GO IRISH!

Look I know using Bush as an image for being confused 

is like throwing Bonds an underhand slow pitch in his 

prime...but hey..He always looked confused!...

This is how the average Notre Dame fan was after Coach 

Kelly's press conference this past Friday!....

Coach Kelly is a pro at "Coach Speak" 

We got issues here....we look decent there!....etc...

The only part of the press conference that made complete

and utter sense....meaning he screwed up and said it...

"Teams are not going to be able to run the ball on us!"...

FACT!

Our D line is gonna be an IRISH IRON CURTAIN!

Now...throwing the ball on us?....That's another topic...

I know one thing, you better get rid of it fast!...

Don't think your gonna have all day to look

 for the open man..

A few things have popped out to me between conversations 

with coaches and some info I got here and there...

1. KaiVarae Russell

Many thought he was recruited as a running back 

but on the contrary, he was recruited as an "athlete"

Certain things can't be taught...from the small amount I saw

he was very smooth and always had his head towards the 

QB...very fast and physical...very AWARE of his 

surroundings!...and it got the coaches attention...

Look, he's not doing anything this year....but he has

 very bright future...

2.I thought Fleming was at San Fran?

ROMEO OKWARA!....remember the name...

This kid looks like an upperclassmen right now!....

He's a truck!... When this pic first popped up I thought they 

screwed up and put a picture of Fleming from camp 

last year!....This kid was a STEAL!...the coaches love 

him...he's smart...fast and very strong!...

He's gonna be great!...write that down!

3. SPEED!

When you saw the word "SPEED" you were 

thinking Neal weren't you?...We'll get to him...

The thing that jumps out to me is the AMOUNT of 

speed that this team has...and at a wide array of 

positions...from the TANKS of Louis Nix and Sheldon Day 

who are about as fast as your gonna find at that position...to

the wide receivers, with Toma who by far has the 

best transition to the catch of any receiver I've seen 

in forever....and yeah including Michael Floyd....

Toma does things they teach you in the NFL!...

Toma will show his abilities more this season with 

a QB that can extend plays...when a play breaks 

down and Golson breaks the pocket...is when

Toma gets dangerous!

But the influx of young speed is very exciting!...

Will Mahone...this kid it considered by most scouts 

to be the best running back in the state of Ohio...and I can 

see why...Catches the ball out of the backfield...

flows through traffic while staying North and South...and 

is a good 5'11 and 220...He's gonna be nasty!

4. INTANGIBLES

DAVONTE NEAL

&

CHRIS BROWN

1st. Neal:

This kid is a threat EVERY TIME he touches the ball...

He is a safety blanket for Everette Golson....He is a 5 yard

screen that can go 80 yards to the house type potential!

 You line him up he's gonna draw attention...What this translates to is 

whether he touches the ball or not...he's making an impact.

Eifert....Toma...Neal....Daniels....Jones...I thought 

we were worried about our WR's?...

2nd. Brown:

I've NEVER heard a kids name SO much as I've heard 

the name "Chris Brown"...from coaches...players....

equipment guys watching practice...etc...

This kid is WAY special!...Ohio $tate's Urban Meyer 

tried with all his might to get his attention at 

seasons end last year...but he is IRISH and 

 ready for big things...I think he will see the field!

Speed...energy...skill and the determination to 

win is what I've seen so far outta Brian Kelly and 

his staff and players!...

They have weeded out the weak parts of the coaching 

staff...made HUGE upgrades in who they hired...

And are currently recruiting as well as ANYONE in the 

country to reload the shelves!...

My point is JUST RELAX...

Give the man a chance

to build a monster and I'm sure you'll find that...

Now on to our 

DOUCHEBAG of the WEEK AWARD!

This is the first week where we have JOINT winners...

1st:

Our favorite Used Car Salesman...Colin Cowherd!

He said last week that ND can't compete anymore....

Academics etc...it's too hard at Notre Dame!

But about 3 weeks ago when conference re-alignment was 

all the rage...he had a HUGE segment about how ND would 

be forced to join a conference because nobody would 

want to schedule such a TOUGH out of conference game!...

So....we can't compete...but anyone would look at us as a 

"tough" out of conference game and not wanna chance

a loss?...

Stop double talking Colin...I actually enjoy you...realize you dont' have 

to say stupid things to get listeners anymore...you've made 

it to the big time...let the little radio Common Man and the Bore

 antics go!...you're better than that!...

Joint winner?

 ALL YOU FANS that freak out over what 

this idiot has to say...and not realize that he 

flip flops more than a presidential candidate!...

He's getting paid to piss you off!...LOL

Until then...GO IRISH and GOD BLESS!...