It's a long...long....Summer!...Without ND!....

You know it's funny....This is about the time that we all 

start to think....maybe some of these guys know?...

Maybe these pre season magazines are not just all bullS#it!

Ten bucks for this one.... twelve bucks for that one....eight bucks 

here and there....it doesn't add up!....
No..you're right...IT NEVER ADDS UP!..LOL

Living where I do, I'm surrounded by idiots...Let's 

start with a little story...Today being  

Memorial Day 

(Thank you veterans!)

 I hit my local grocery store....bought some of the 

necessities....Burgers....cheese....chips....oh..and...

You're Welcome!...

Walked by the magazine isle and saw....Lindys...

so I thought...why not.... 

Now first off I walked to the register and while I was being 

rung out...the cashier saw the magazine and was like...
"DUDE....can you believe that Braxton Miller got the 

cover?".... Really?...

I said "Well...it's a regional thing...whoever that areas 

main fan base is....they get the cover...it's marketing." 

After a long uncomfortable pause....he said "What do you mean?...

This is the cover everywhere..." 

I said "No...it's not...only for Ohio." 

At which time I tore the cover off and handed it to him....LOL

First come first served:

Lindys College Football Preview

Lindy's is giving Notre Dame ALL SORTS OF LOVE 

this season...

Not in the form of the
"Pre Season BS Rankings" but, 

read between the lines....then dumb it down for

the fans of non academic schools...and explain it in 

one syllable words....kinda way...

 Notre Dame is irrelevant?

I hear this all the time right after someone see's my 

t-shirt, but right before they ask me if I wanna "super size that combo".

Top 12 non-conference games of 2012 (page 26)

This is a section of what they consider to be the "BIG" games 

of the out of conference schedules of the season...

Now this is a head scratcher....If Notre Dame 

is not relevant...and cannot compete with the "elite" of 

college football...then WHY are almost HALF of the top 

twelve BIG out of conference games...VS ND?

Here are the top 12:

1. Bama vs UM

2. ND vs Oklahoma

3. UM vs ND

4. Boise vs MSU

5. UF vs FSU

6. SC vs Clemson

7. ND vs USC

8. BYU vs Utah

9. Auburn vs Clemson

10. Miami vs ND

11. Washington vs LSU

12. Navy vs ND

So for being irrelevant....seems like we are on the minds 

of A LOT of the big boys?....

And Lindys seems like they think...ND is pretty important
in 2012?...

Now moving on....Coach Brian Kelly!

Now....I can accept that Notre Dame has done a 

SH#T job hiring head coaches from the time 

Lou left up UNTIL they hired Brian Kelly...

This guy can coach..and if you don't believe me...just look at this:

This is page 23....

Titled:

Career Coaching Victories

This is a section updating now that Joe Pa has headed 

to the nursing home in the sky and Bowden is in the 

nursing home in Jacksonville....WHO is now

leading ALL coaches in FBS in most wins?

You can see.....COACH BRIAN KELLY no. 6 

Oh...and wait....Is that the highest winning percentage?....

YEAH IT IS....so RELAX morons!....This 

guy knows what he's doing...it just is gonna 

take time to fix this at a school that doesn't take kids
with 14 ACT scores and the diplomas are not in 

golf course management!...

Now on to:

PHIL STEELE

Now this guy...I actually like....

A few years ago I was in Vegas....and stopped to meet a 

client who's brother was a professional gambler.
He told me that his friends that ran the sports books 

in Vegas at most of the BIG casinos followed Phil 

because he was the best handicapper in the country....

Since I've followed him and enjoyed his stuff....

In my business...RULE 1: Follow the money...
(that doesn't mean to follow a guy with an O$U bumper sticker

in case he's handing out $100 handshakes!) 

If Vegas follows this guy...That's good enough for me!

Now...this magazine is not officially out yet....

But the Notre Dame page is up...and downloaded...

Phil's analysis is....PERFECT STORM happened to ND last year.

****These are his words not mine!

"1st. They had an amazing 508-254 yd edge vs USF but lost 23-20

due to 5 turnovers!"

"2nd. It was UM's first ever night home game and the Irish led 24-7

(410-141 yd, 22-5 FD) going into the 4Q. Robinson's 16 yrd td pass with :02

left game gave UM a MIRACLE comeback as ND lost 35-31. "

"3rd. They had the situational edge vs USC as they were off a bye, for a night home

game while catching USC in a Pac 12 sandwich with Stanford on deck.

USC led 17-10 but ND was poised to get back in it when Crist fumbled

a snap at the USC 1 and it was batted back and returned for a TD."


Those first 2 give aways where the only thing keeping ND from the BCS!

With all this being said....Phil Steele is calling for a 

minimum of 9 wins this year.

This season is what BIG BOY programs dream about!...

Big Games...in Big Venues....to make BIG STATEMENTS!

You want respect...EARN IT!....

You wanna dodge the big boy's and schedule cupcakes....

Welcome to being...

GOD BLESS AND GO IRISH!

100,000 views in 10 months!....GO IRISH!

Okay...it seems like only yesterday my talents were taken

to this blog after the fans around the world begged

for my help!

Soooooo the IRISH family has come out in support...and I want to say thanks!...

Let me start by telling a quick story on what got me thinking about this...

First Blogger.com is excellent!...no cost!...
Links you to advertising sources,

Even if your no sell out like the DAMEFAN!

But the great thing is, it allows you to track your traffic...where...how many...and whom!

But this takes me to my story!...About a week ago I was in
Costa Rica on a work/vacation type of trip...

You see the only thing I know better than College Football is 

Financial Planning!....so I was at a trip provided by a 

firm that does work for me when I walked up to the bar 

and was approached by 2 other brokers...

The Malia boys from Florida!....

They simply said...
"We're on to you!...We know who you are!"

"Your Damefan!"
As I laughed we became fast friends and 

exchanged some Irish football talk and then returned to our 

day to day  jobs after several whiskys and other cocktails!...

The IRISH family is truly WORLDWIDE...

My blog has been read by people in the following countries:

United States -Canada

India-Australia

Sweden-Bermuda

Czech Republic-Iraq

Belize-France

Ireland-Italy..
OVER 100,000 views in 10 months!

So THANKS!

Now on to the IRISH!...

Let's talk UNDER THE RADAR players!

Let's talk Defense!....let's talk re-loading!

Josh Atkinson

Thanks to the NFL most of our D secondary went in the draft...

So the shelves are ready to be re-stocked!....that's where 

Josh Atkinson comes in!....
We all know what his brother can do... 
But watching Josh cover the best tight end in the country during 

the spring game coming off his Big East Track
Championship Title...was a joy!....

This kid hasn't even scraped the surface of what he is able to accomplish!..
I heard a coach years ago say..."You can't fix speed with experience...
but you can make up for a lack of experience with speed!"
Josh is full of speed!....Nasty SEC type speed!...

JUSTIN FERGUSON
6 '2 220 lbs...ESPN Top 150 recruit...
Notre Dame beat out Alabama and EVERY 
Florida school for his skills!...He's big..fast and has
excellent body control!...
By seasons end he and Davaris should make excellent bookends!

Ben Councell 
Expect this kid at 6'5 245 lbs to have people wonder
who was dumb enough to EVER transfer from this D?
Fast...aggressive...and long wing span...
he's got speed rusher written all over him!...

Elijah Schumate
This kid is game ready DAY 1!....
At 6'1 and 215lbs 
If we have Bennett or Josh go down to injury this 
kid allows us to bump Slaughter up to corner and 
still have that BIG HITTER in the secondary!...

Be ready my brothers and sisters!...
The haters and bandwagon bit#hes will come out full 
force in the near future!...


The bottom line is this....Notre Dame could pu$$y up their schedule 
by putting some cupcakes here and there...but 
at the end of the day what does that accomplish?
NOTHING... but creating an 
over hyped...over ranked team that gets their 
a$$ handed to them by the SEC...just look at the last 
couple National Championship games involving the BIG 10!


This is Notre Dame...This is not a cake walk...this 
is not easy... We have endured the bad choices of the 
administration for over 20 YEARS!...


But now...

We have a HEAD coach!....
Better get your wins Coach...cause the 
powers that be at ND...have a very short 
attention span!...


GOD BLESS...and GO IRISH!..


*****NEEDED: A COMPUTER EXPERT FOR THE BLOG!
E-mail me at. Jerald@jkennedyfinancial.com

Spring Game excitement....TEMPERED BY REALITY!

You know the weekend started pretty normal....
Trip to the liquor store....

BBQ essentials for Friday night...

Excited?...yeah...but playing a kinda wait and see approach!

We were still morning the loss of another causality of war...

RIP...or should I say...USF?...LOL

So we were tempered in our approach...we saw some 

friends...bought some memorabilia....
Got "THE" shirt...which is the best in DECADES!...

But mostly...we sat and talked REALISTIC expectations....

Then this happend...

Now first things first....

I've seen 2 full practices and the spring game via the Coaches Clinic..

 That's me in the practice video next to my buddy 

Pete Sampson Irish Illustrated,

and my little asian buddy Matt and Ryan!...

So let me break down for you what I saw....

COACH HARRY HIESTAND

Might be the best hire by a head coach in 20 years!

This guy is paying dividends IMMEDIATELY!

The O Line last year struggled to perform in the big games..

and pass protection broke down way to often and caused 

some needless interceptions.... Not only do the players

love this guy...but we have already wrapped up 

our O-line recruiting for 2012 RIGHT NOW with 

whats sure to be a top 5 O-Line class by seasons end...

The O-Line for ND is gonna DICTATE the tempo

of the game for 2012... 

Thank GOD we upgraded this coaching position!

We've always had "BIG" and we've always 

had "NASTY" but we've struggled in the 

past four or five seasons to have both..

"BIG & NASTY"

That's what I saw in the practices and spring game!

Ground game:

Cierre is a premier BCS running back...he's hit the gym

and just is what he is...a workhorse..1000 yard rusher..

Theo Riddick...he's my wild card...what can he accomplish

and what he's capable of is a mystery...

He can leave you picking up the change outta your pockets

with one move...he can catch the ball...and 

is very dangerous in open field...

George Atkinson III...LORD 

You tell me?....But one thing is for sure...it's hard 

to determine where and when lighting strikes....

but a good bet is to be SOMEWHERE else...

He is DANGEROUS on the outside!...

Just ask the special teams coaches for USC and MSU!

Having a SOLID O-Line

and a group of elite running backs will, 

ease the transition of what I'm sure will 

be a new starting QB for 2012...

At this point...I break down our QB race as....

1. Everette Golson

2. Andrew Hendrix

3. Tommy Rees

4. Gunner Kiel

Each have different strengths and weaknesses!..

Golson- Makes ALL the throws and has touch

as well as the ability to scramble but more importantly

during the scramble he keeps his eyes down field and 

alert and almost ALWAYS makes something 

outta nothing... 

BUT:

He seems to be struggling reading the defenses and getting the 

mental aspect of the game under control.
That can be mended by fall thorough film study and coaching!

Hendrix- Andrew has me a bit confused at this point...

Brilliant one play...struggles the next...

But the upside is TREMENDOUS!

He's got a rocket for an arm...He can throw it on a rope

for 50 yards with a flick of his wrist...

He runs like a freight train...and is not afraid to 

lower his pad level...

BUT:

His arm?...It's STRONG...but that seems to affect the short 

route and touch passes!....He's like a convict who's been 

locked away for years at home with his wife 

for the first night...IT'S GONNA BE ROUGH!

He seems to struggle to make the "touch" passes..

This can be mended by fall through 7 on 7 drills and practice!

Before I go into Tommy...Gunner is work in progress...

If we have to play a true freshman?....We got PROBLEMS!..

I have NO DOUBT that Gunner Keil will be the future of ND!...

But not yet...

Tommy Rees is like a new puppy dog....He was fun..

he did some great stuff....

BUT:

When he did good...

We never remembered!

When he did bad...

We never forgot!...

I want to first of all say....

TOMMY REES DID 

NOT COST US A SINGLE GAME LAST YEAR!

Get it outta your head!...Was he a Heisman 

contender...NO!

But was he HORRIBLE...no!

He was what he was...over his head!...

Tommy could win us 10 games!...I have no doubt...

Hell he almost did last year!....but what Tommy in my 

opinion can't do....go into Norman and beat OU!...or USC!..

The 2012 Class is coming together....

We have the talent and for the first time in DECADES

we are shelving talent... because we are just 

LOADED at certain positions!...

We just need to wait and develop and prepare!...

Cause I don't know about you?....

But when I look at this schedule it seems

very manageable to me...

Only 2 games really worry me if we don't 

shoot ourselves!

One in Oct...one in Nov!....

By then?....who knows!...

Next Week...the D!....I'm not really that 

concerned with our D!...just our late game play 

calling on D!....
You know what I'm talking about!...

But in closing...
Louis Nix

Stephon Tuitt

KLM

Gonna be rough on opposing QBs!...

GO IRISH and GOD BLESS!...

Take it easy!.....relax!.....Don't get too excited!...

Rumblings!....Rumors!....He said this...

I've heard that...I know a guy that knows a guy!

STOP!

It's just the spring...and your already annoying me!

Here we go!....From what I've heard!...

O-LINE!....100% improvement!.... Not gonna

dance on a guy's grave...but THANK GOD!...we 

upgraded at that coaching position!...

From what I'm hearing....90% of the mistakes from 

what appeared to be QB play...was lack of protection...and

route running!..

Don't take this as an endorsement of ANY one of our QBs!...

We've got us an old fashion GUNFIGHT on our

hands at that position!...and from what I've been 

told....there is no clear cut leader!...

All have been impressive in their own ways!...

The Offense has so many skill position weapons...that scoring 

doesn't seem to be a concern!...They KNOW they will score!

THEO RIDDICK 

Has come alive at the Running Back position this spring!

He is showing the staff that they have a LEGIT 3 headed 

monster coming outta the backfield for ND!

WOOD will gash ya!

RIDDICK will slash ya!

ATKINSON will dash past ya!

Wide outs are looking impressive!....but the big news is the 

Patriots type of tight end passing set I see emerging before

my eyes!....

Troy Niklas/Tyler Eifort

1-2 PUNCH!

Say Hello to SIX FOOT SEVEN...

Two hundred and fifty five pound 

TIGHT END

TROY NIKLAS!

This kid is gonna be on EVERY TE watch list by seasons end!

I feel sorry for the first safety or corner that has to tackle 

this beast in the open field!....BETTA HIT LOW!

The Defense is gonna be just exactly what you think....

FAST!

AGGRESSIVE!

NASTY!

DEVELOPED!

This is year two of the:

IRON CURTAIN!

There is so much athletic ability last year

technique was overtaken by talent....

This year...talent will be accented by technique!

Are we young at corner?....YEAH!

Are you gonna be able to run the ball?....NO!

Are you gonna have much time to set your feet?...NO!

Problem solved!....

You'll get a pass here and there....but 

you better hope that this guy, from what I'm hearing doesn't

get some confidence....or it's gonna be a
NO FLY ZONE!

So enjoy the spring game!....I'll be blogging my thoughts 

of what I see there also!....but for now...RELAX!

The season is a long way off...and we need 

every second to develop our talent and build our team!

But the progress is easy to see!....

All we have to do...is not show up to any 

gun fights that we can easily win,

carrying this!

GO IRISH!...and GOD BLESS!

Okay....JUST WIN!...

If you're a college football fan..you've felt like this

MANY TIMES!

Whether it was a hard loss....a missed recruit...interception at the wrong time!

Or a money laundering scheme being found out after

a decade of supposed success....

WE'VE ALL BEEN THERE!

Maybe not the money laundering thing...but you get the point...

You have to realize that the game has changed....

CASH IS KING....and everything else...well, is many steps 

down the priority ladder...

Let me clarify one thing before we move on...and maybe you 

haven't realized this...I BLEED NOTRE DAME!

You wanna compete...? You wanna land the big boys?

You want your respect back?  WIN!

But at the same time there are lists of things YOU CAN'T DO!

1. You can't give games away!

When you play an inferior team and you get a 

few touchdown lead....YOU HAVE TO CLOSE!

Letting games go by not closing strong when you pushed 

the team around for 2 or 3 quarters is RIDICULOUS!

2. You can't be Notre Dame with Harvard academics!

You can't fight sinners with saints?

Now take this any way you want...If you want to compete

with schools that will allow 8th grade grads into college than

RELAX your academic standards....
Don't "do away" with them...just conform a bit!...

I'm not saying "undecided" is an okay major for a junior...but?

3. You can't get OUT COACHED!

Now this one is a double edged sword!...

 -You can't go crazy and losing your F-ING mind on the sideline!

BUT?

-You can't put so much pressure on a staff to turn a program 

around in 2 seasons...that it makes the pressure UNBEARABLE!

We have a great coaching staff....LET THEM COACH!

(with that being said...you F-ed up a few times last year!)

2011 was an UNBELIEVABLE season!

My take on the record is this...

Who's to blame?

USF=Kelly

If the grenade doesn't go off...don't pull the pin 

on a new one and hope!

 FSU and UM= Diaco

Put your foot on their throat and STOMP!

USC and Stanford= Players!

You can't play uninspired and expect to compete!..

This off season is going to be a long one...Momentum was 

killed by allowing FSU to win that bowl game....

But the bright spots are clear!....

Consistency.... Consistency... Consistency!

Recruiting is off and rolling....the QB battle is underway...

Conditioning is coming along like gang busters!...

Now the only thing you should worry about is!...

Go IRISH and GOD BLESS!

You called down the thunder...Well now you got it!....GO IRISH!

This is a unique position to be in....No, really!

Think about it a second....We screwed up last season!

We did....you have to admit...We shot ourselves in the foot the

first two games...GAVE away, what should have been 

pretty easy wins!

You play that USF game 100 more times...we win 99!

And the Michigan game?...Please, the only thing missing 

from that gift was a big RED BOW!...

Nobody will EVER be able to determine what those two

gifts cost us in the long run!....Top 5 recruiting class?... Probably!

Now we are backed against the wall...in a place we don't wanna be...

Against odds we don't want, and most pu$$ies would dare

 EVER schedule..or they'd be "nuts" to think they would...(get it?)

The 2012 season is a reckoning!...it's like Wyatt in Tombstone....

We can get on the train.....or...

BRING DOWN THE THUNDER!

We can make our own rules, and play like there is no tomorrow!

Personally, I felt like we should have done a little more 

of this type of play last year...

There is an old stock broker saying....

"You throw enough spagetti against the wall..

Some is bound to stick!"

We have the talent to take some chances!

We have the speed to take some chances!

We have NO expectations next season....NOBODY thinks

we can survive the season...I've seen morons thinking we 

might not make six wins for a bowl?

Same morons said the EXACT same thing about Lou's 88 team!

Look I'm not here to blow smoke up your skirt!

I'm not saying we are bound for an undefeated season...

What I'm saying is our job next season is to defy 

rational thinking...

To win the games we should....keep the BIG games close...

And punish some teams for thinking we can't!...

This is the year that we HAVE to beat the teams nobody thinks

we can!....We have 2 of those games....

Oklahoma and USC!..

This has to be the Missouri year!

This is my state of mind...SHOW ME!...

I know you can recruit...

Two back to back Top 10 Recruiting classes!

Number 1 QB in the nation!

Number 1 overall athlete in the nation!

I know you can develop talent...

Ask Jonas Gray how much he likes Coach Kelly!

This guy didn't exist until Kelly and his staff arrived...

Now he's headed into the first round to be picked by

some lucky NFL team!

Now show me your magic!....show me coaching...

Show me the reason you were Home Depot Coach of the Year...

Too Funny!...Thanks Brent!

***
Here's a little tidbit to carry ya over!...

Big Position changes coming!...Some so obvious that 

when you hear it you'll be like..."why didn't I think of that?"

Kelly recruits size....speed....talent!...Now he's mixing 

up playmakers and doing what he can to fill the field with them!

(Think Patriots!)

This guy used to be there...now he's here...and etc....

Next:

HE IS LIVING IN FILM ROOM!

I'm hearing that Golson is PRIORITY number 1 for 

development...film study...playbook...reading defenses!....etc..

I've also heard from some DB's that he was THE MAN in practice!..

He just needed some time to develop...the word "freak" 

is used often, and with good reason from what I'm hearing!

Get ready for a certain WR to step up and fill some BIG SHOES!

My favorite part of losing Greenberry is how he was going 

to magically pass up my boy...

DaVaris Daniels!

Uh...NO!...

Daniels has not only been in the weight room 

for a year...but in the playbook for a year...in 

the system for a year...and practicing against 

COLLEGE db's for a year!...

at 6'3 and 205...

This is the new WR for ND!...

This off season is going to go fast and furious!

Longo is KILLING the boys in conditioning right now!

The spring game is just around the corner and with spring 

comes new freshmen hitting the ground in June!

In closing I'll leave you with the...

Jameson Douche Bag of the Week Award!

It goes to the ENTIRE Michigan Fan Base...

with the exception of 

Andrew Mettle

Richard Trimmer

Joe Bowman

This strange obsession with the Damefan is making 

me a bit....well...

Uncomfortable!...

We all know that the MGoBlog crew is dreaming of 

sniffing the Ol' Damefan's undies!...

But now...a new stalker...

Midnight Maize?

This guy adds a whole new level to the word...

WEIRD!...

Somehow I've become one of the top ten reasons to hate ND!...

So I'd like to thank God...and the fans for this honor!...

SUCK IT BIG BLUE!...

GOD Bless and GO IRISH!...