ND 38, Washington 3

Quarterback:

Courtesy AP/Michael Conroy

Never mind the third quarter. Brady Quinn had an excellent game. When you throw 3 TD's in the first quarter, and 4 by halftime, you're just going to be running clock for the entire second half. Once again, Pat Hayden is an idiot. Also to Quinn's credit, he was able to distribute the ball very well. Four receivers combined for 12 catches. Anthony Fasano's 3 catches were the first by any ND tight end since BYU. Finally, there were two catches out of the backfield, including 1 by Quinn himself. In case you're wondering why Ty would waste a year of freshman David Wolke's eligibility: there is currently a rule in discussion for the NCAA that will automatically give everyone 5 years of eligibility. Many football coaches this fall are counting on this rule to pass, and therefore playing freshmen that they would otherwise redshirt. If you (and by "you" I mean Ellen and maybe Jessi) were wondering why Ty would let someone take Nicholas Setta's number: well, I don't have an answer to that one. After Wolke and Pat Dillingham, I would have liked to have seen Yale transfer (and former Morrissey interhall MVP) Marty Mooney, but that's not my decision to make.

Running Back: Many people expected Darius Walker to repeat the 322 yard rushing performance given up by Washington last week. Washington is a Division 1 football team though, and they know Notre Dame runs well, so of course they're going to make run defense the focus of their preparation. That considered, 81 yards on 23 carries doesn't look too bad. Marcus Wilson showed flashes of competence this week (5 carries for 20 yards), but a small guy like him can do that against a smaller PAC 10 defense. Jeff Jenkins and Justin Hoskins put up similar numbers to Wilson; not bad considering Washington was looking run that late in the game. Only Travis Thomas struggled; the way the other backs are playing, it will be a long uphill battle for Thomas to get playing time.

Fullback: Hey, did I call the RPN/Josh Schmidt formation or what? Notre Dame may have found the inside power runner they need in Powers-Neal, but will they continue to use him in that function? Schmidt also had a catch out of the backfield for a first down; I believe it was his first catch of the year.

Receiver: Four wide receivers got to share in the fun in this one. Matt Shelton is continuing to have a breakout year; in addition to his two long TD catches, he also had 2 catches for first down. The more reliable first down targets Brady Quinn has, the better. Speaking of reliable targets, Jeff Samardzija had 3 more catches on Saturday, and Rhema McKnight showed up again, also with 3 catches. Carlyle Holiday also got to be a part of the offense with 2 catches. I liked the idea of running an end-around to Shelton to start the game, but I think he's more built to create separation downfield than he is to break tackles on a run.

Tight End: Anthony Fasano had a big game: 3 catches and 2 TDs. Fasano hasn't been heard from in a while, but it's not entirely his fault. With so many options for Quinn, the 6 tight ends get lost in the shuffle. As it is, Jared Clark only plays on special teams any more. Jerome Collins, in my opinion, would have been more helpful adding depth as a backup linebacker. Billy Palmer also would have been a decent idea as a tackle. But hey, whatever works.

O-Line: 146 rushing yards and no sacks.

D-Line: There were no sacks for the line (or for anyone), but they were still able to make some noise. Greg Pauly had five tackles. Justin Tuck and Victor Abiamiri combined for 2 tackles-for-loss. Kyle Budinscak had two pass knockdowns at the line. In addition, the Irish d-line stepped it up in the turnover game. The line alone forced two fumbles (Budinscak and Trevor Laws) and recovered two (Laws and Travis Leitko).

Linebacker: More big numbers for the chain gang. Mike Goolsby tied for the team lead with 7 tackles, and Brandon Hoyte and Derek Curry were right behind with 6 each. BHoyte also had a forced fumble, Curry had a recovery, and they each had a pass breakup.

Safety: Freddie Parish IV expected to see more playing time this year. With a chance this week, he made the most of it. Parrish also tied for the team lead with 7 tackles.

Cornerback:

Courtesy AP/Michael Conroy

In one of my favorite categories - "quietly having a great year" - you will find Dwight Ellick. Ellick also had 7 tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble. Chinendum Ndukwe forced and recovered a fumble in some of his first action as a DB.

Kicker: Eight points for DJ (Ellen loves him), including a 45 yarder. I've just learned that Carl Gioia's last name is pronounced "joy-a." I've also learned he can kick off 7 times without having his leg fall off.

Punter: DJ as a punter is getting better and better. With all the scoring, it's amazing he still had to punt 7 times. He did punt 7 times, and he punted very well. He averaged 46 yards per (I'm happy with 40 per from any college punter, and 35 from a former walk-on) with a long of 54. He also put 4 inside the 20. In his debut, Geoffery Price had one punt of 36 yards, but he was able to put that one inside the 20.

Kick Returner: Well, there was only 1 kick return in this game. Justin Hoskins only got 17 yards, but he showed hurdle skills that probably has the track coach salivating. Hoskins will be one to watch.

Punt Returner: Not much for Carlyle Holiday in this one: 2 returns for 20 yards.

Special Teams: Not much for ND's return teams, but the coverage teams did very well. Washington was only able to muster 10 yards on 4 punt returns. On kickoffs, the Huskies averaged under 18 per with a long of 24.

ND Football 2004Issue 4: Washington

Washinton Rush Offense vs. ND Rush Defense

Washington, believe it or not, is averaging 194.5 yards per game on the ground. That is against Fresno State and UCLA, but it still shouldn't be taken lightly. The Husky rushing attack is lead by Kenny James with 104 yards per game. Backup Shelton Sampson is nothing to sneeze at, with 40.5 yards per game and a 7.4 per carry average.
The Irish rush defense is giving up 81 yards per game, and they just need to keep doing what they've been doing. The entire starting linebacker corps has been solid all year. Helped by a competent game from the line, and a few key backfield pops from the secondary, this team should be able to contain the Washington run game. Trevor Laws had a good chance at a big game, with Greg Pauly and Brian Beidatsch on the shelf.

ND Rush Offense vs. Washington Rush Defense

Ryan Grant is most likely out for this game, so Darius Walker will be in charge. Travis Thomas will back up, and this is his big chance to break out of the doghouse. Fumble problems may keep Thomas from being the "inside" to Walker's "outside," but Walker can prove that he can pound it up the middle just like the big boys. I'd be interested to see RPN line up behind Josh Schmidt on short-yardage situations, but I doubt that will happen.
As much as the Huskies gain on the ground, they give up even more (you will find out that this is a theme for Washington as a team - big offense, but a defense that gives up much more). Thanks to a 322-yard performance from UCLA's Maurice Drew, Washington is giving up 280.5 yards per game. In case you think those numbers are skewed by the UCLA game, realize this: 280.5 YPG still means Washington gave up more than 230 rushing yards to Fresno State. Once again, Notre Dame needs to establish the run early, keep it on the ground if and when it works, and hold onto the football.

Washinton Pass Offense vs. ND Pass Defense

Washington's 195 yards per game in the air isn't very impressive for the PAC 10. The inexperienced Casey Paus has found a favorite receiver in Charles Frederick, who pulls in 104 receiving yards per game. Ty may be obligated to line up Preston Jackson against Frederick, just to see who weighs less or has the better hair. Other than Frederick, there isn't much. Corey Williams and fullback Zach Tuiasosopo (are PAC 10 teams required to have a Tuiasosopo on their roster at some point?) both average 20+ yards per game receiving.
Again, if the Irish pass defense continues to do what its doing, they should be able to contain Washington. The Huskies have only surrendered 2 sacks this season, but Justin Tuck et al. should be able to change that. Jackson, Dwight Ellick, Tom Zbikowski, and even Quentin Burrell and Carlos Campbell have put all worries about the Irish secondary to rest so far. There's no reason why this game should be different.

ND Pass Offense vs. Washington Pass Defense

Once again, the Irish shouldn't need to rely on their passing game at all. Washington is only giving up 123.5 passing yards per game, but that should only serve as a hint to Bill Diedrick - it's so easy to run on Washington, you don't need to pass on them. All three Washington sacks, and both of its interceptions, have come from linebackers. That means Notre Dame will have to control the blitz. With the lack of game experience for Walker and Thomas, this may be where the loss of Grant hurts ND the most. Of course, it could just mean more playing time for RPN.
After a good start to the season, Maurice Stovall will be out for this game. ND can't hide Matt Shelton forever, so Rhema McKnight and Jeff Samardzija will have to step up when needed. Finding the tight ends once again would be nice as well. Opening the playbook up for Carlyle Holliday would be nice, but we can always save those plays for a team like Purdue. Of course, if Shelton can still just outrun everybody, my points are moot.

Special Teams

Washington appears to actually have a placekicker controversy. After incumbent Evan Knudson missed his first two field goals, redshirt freshman Mike Braunstein came in and went 2 for 2. Washington is giving up an average 21 yards per on kickoffs. Punter Sean Douglas is averaging 33.5 yards per, which is very helpful to ND in the battle for field position. Douglas also handles the kickoffs, and is yet to get a touchback.
Charles Frederick is also the primary kick returner for Washington. With a long of 62, he's a threat. Presumably, he's also their punt returner, but who knows? No one has had to punt to Washington yet. I kid you not.
DJ (Ellen loves him!) has continued to do a solid job kicking (2-3 field goals) and punting (40.5 average). Coverage teams have been decent so far.
Carlyle Holliday is the main return threat for this team as a punt returner. John Vannie reports that their may be changes on the kickoff return and coverage teams. (Vannie also reports that a 330 pound freshman named Jordan White-Frisbee may start on the D-Line. I'm not making that up.)

Look for a big game from

The two-headed threat of Walker and Thomas, Anthony Fasano, Samardzija, BHoyte (he loves his mamma), Tuck, and Zbikowski.


ND 31, Washington 16: Walker, Shelton, Holliday, [insert your favorite defensive player here], and 1 by DJ.

Weekend in Review"I'd better write this before next weekend starts" Edition

NCAA Football

Auburn/LSU: Quote from one of the TV announcers: "If Carnell Williams is 'Cadillac,' Ronnie Brown is the Escalade." An Escalade is a Cadillac, genius. What an ending to this one, too. LSU got an early TD but missed the extra point. Late in the fourth quarter, they lead 9-3 when Auburn drove for a touchdown. Is it all over for LSU? No! Auburn missed the extra point, too. But wait... it's not over yet. An LSU player had lined up five yards behind the line of scrimmage, then took a flying leap onto the lineman. That's a penalty. Auburn retries the extra point and makes it. Final score: Auburn 10, LSU 9.

Miami/LaTech: 48-0. Good, good. Everyone should be proud of themselves, especially the two ADs who arranged this one.

WVU/Maryland: This one was a fight to the finish. If West Virginia can get by Virginia Tech in a few weeks, they should have an undefeated season. Then, everyone at ESPN can praise them for putting together such a weak schedule.

Tennessee/Florida: Is the Ainge family talented or what? First, Danny leaves the Blue Jays to play point guard in the NBA. Now, newphew Erik is the Volunteer QB (how many times will we see Danny's buzzer beater over ND the week of the Tennessee game?). Proving once again that the extra point isn't a gimme, the Tennessee kicker missed a tying extra point late in the game. Unable to run out the clock, though, Florida had to give the ball back with enough time left for the Volunteer goat to turn into a hero with a 50-yard FG.

Michigan/San Diego State: The Wolverines win 24-21 a year after the Aztecs took tOSU to the wire. Wow, are the Big 10 teams playing their non-conference opponents close on purpose, just to make it look like they aren't scheduling crappy teams?

Texas Tech/TCU: Final score: Red Raiders 70, Horned Frogs 35. Cronk's Sister's University took an early lead, then they just kind of lost it. Tech had graduated their 500 YPG passer from a few years ago, but apparently they have replaced him with a 440 YPG passer. Not a bad offensive system.

UCLA/Washington: The UCLA back put up 322 yards on the Huskies. Taking notes, Mr. Diedrick?

The NFL

Cowboys/Browns: Ugh. The Browns offense looked like me in the early days of playing football video games. Too many runs that go nowhere, then long bombs into triple coverage. Jeff Garcia was 8-27. With the Cowboys 17-12, Vinny Testaverde gave the Browns many chances to take the lead, as Vinny threw 3 picks over the course of 5 straight snaps. But, the Browns kept finding a way to give the ball right back. Holding in the end zone put the Cowboys up 19-12 with just under a minute left. If Bill Bellichick were still coaching, I would have said the safety was on purpose - instead of trying to drive from the 4, an onside free kick recovery gave the Browns the ball at the 35. But I don't think Butch Davis was planning that. The last play of the game saw two subs come in - Keyshawn Johnson as the extreme free safety standing on the 5, and strongarmed rookie QB Luke McCown. McCown's Hail Mary went right to MeShawn, and I was just waiting for him to do something and tip it right to a Brown. But, he knocked it down like a champion as time expired.

Bears/Packers: Am I cursing the fact that the Bears looked overmatched at the beginning of the game, then just dominated on defense and on the ground? No. Am I cursing the fact that my top back got 1 yard this week, while Mike's late round pick got 152? Yep.

Ravens/Steelers: And the Ben Roethlisberger era has begun, thanks to an injury to Tommy Maddox. Favorite moment of the game: Deion makes a decent punt return, then rips off his helmet to do a stupid dance. Fifteen yard penalty! To quote the TV announcer, "This isn't the 1980s any more, Deion."

Giants/Redskins: Check the message board for a discussion of people Ellen loves.

Eagles/Vikings: Are Terrell Ownens and Randy Moss jerks or what? Normally, when you do a "who's better?" TV segment, you sit both guys down toghether, they joke around, and keep telling the interviewer that the other is much better. Not the case with Randy and TO. Owens stated that "no matter if we win or lose, I'm better than him." Great team spirit there, Terrell. Way to go. Randy, on the other hand, went on and on how he's so much better than Owens. I agree with Moss, but he could at least try to be humble. John Madden must be reading TMQ. After the Vikings ran an end around, he made a point of explaining that the play was in fact an end around, and not a revese, because the ball didn't change direction. But what was with the Michael Jackson complex the Eagles had? First, a linebacker dances after a sack, then Donovan McNabb moonwalks after a TD. I was waiting for Andy Reid to come out after halftime and tell Michelle Tafoya that her question was "ignorant - that's ignorant."

Cuts and Bruises

Not many transactions this week, but there were a few players released, and quite a few injuries.

• Ravens cut Gerome Sapp to make room for a new running back. So what we're saying here is that Sapp should be the one getting punished because Jamal Lewis tried to get his friend coke? Well, Mr. Billick, what happens when Ray Lewis's safety friend Ed Reed gets convicted of a felony?


• After cutting Shane Walton earlier this year, the Colts sign Vontez Duff to the practice squad. To each their own.


• Indian Jody Gerut is out for the season after tearing his right ACL chasing a foul ball near the wall. The rehab will take 6-8 months, which Gerut is actually happy about. Why? Rehab for his left ACL took him 18 months.


• Browns rookie Kellen Winslow will be out 6-8 weeks with a broken leg. The injury occurred on the onside kick mentioned above. Wondering why everyone is coming after you, Kellen? Maybe it's because you come after them first, with words and actions. Despite the fact that his agents wanted his contract to be nearly all guaranteed money (why should he need to play well to get $40mil anyways?), Winslow could loose a bonus that states he needs to play 35% of the Browns' offensive snaps this year to get an extra $3.5mil. Hmmm, I wonder if the Postons will be breathing down Butch Davis's neck for playing time once Kellen comes back (which would be funny if it lead to another injury).


• Julius Jones has broken his collarbone, and will be out for 2 months. This is not a good start for Julius, who missed week 1 due to a preseason rib cage injury. No word on whether the injury happened before, during, or after (yes, he stayed in the game by his own choice) his one fumble against the Browns.


• Knicks sign Vin Baker. Good luck.
  

Miscellaneous Ramblings

• Back by popular demand - the Postons/Kellen Winslow negotiations cartoon.


• Congrats to ND women's soccer, #1 in the NCSAA coaches poll and the Soccer America poll. The #1 light has returned to Grace Hall, and the #1 flag to the Joyce center.


• Speaking of women in the rankings, Irish women's basketball are being ranked quite favorably in the preseason magazines: #10 by SLAM Magazine, and #14 by Liddy's College Basketball Annual and Athlon Sports. After a post-championship falloff, the "Lady Irish" finally appeared to get it together at the end of last year, and I'm expecting big things from them this winter.


• Can BC be bigger ND ripoffs? They're worse than the Saxes ripping off the Bones in the late 90's. Not only do the BC "SuperFan" t-shirts given out every year have an eagle posing just like the leprechaun, but this year's slogan is "Soaring to Glory." Hmm, "glory," where have I seen that word on a shirt before?


• Browns defensive end Kenard Lang wins the "Most Likely to Give the Queer Eye Guys a Heart Attack" award, especially when you consider his hair, beard, and unibrow are much bushier now than they are in the picture. Now, before you ask yourself, "wait, does Kanka watch Queer Eye?" first ask yourself, "does it look like Kanka watches Queer Eye?"


• The "Hu$tle" commercials (and there have been enough of them) feature Pete Rose saying, "I'm Number 14, baby!" Should Dave Chappelle's writers be pissed about this blatant ripoff of their Rick James line?


• Is it really necessary to put a large picture of Tony Siragusa's head on the screen every time he talks during a Fox game? Then again, it may not be physically possible to put up a small picture of his head.


• More reasons why I love NCAA 2005: 1) Did you realize the "SI" polls keep track of "also receiving votes" and "dropped out"? I didn't until just recently. 2) I was scrambling to the left with my QB, while my left slot receiver was running a slant from left to right (basically running along in front of me). Sensing trouble, the receiver comes to a hole in the zone, stops, and starts waving his hand above his head. Now that's attention to detail.


• Ichiro update: With 11 games to go, Ichiro needs 14 base knocks to tie George Sisler's 84-year old record for hits in a season. Ichiro had been in a bit of a slump lately, but he came back Tuesday night with a 5-for-5 night. The chase is on.


• In case you're wondering why Gameday was in East Lansing last weekend: the "official" reason is that they were planning on visiting LSU, but ESPN decided to move it due to hurricane activity.


• Jerry Rice ended his consecutive games with a catch streak at 274. For the record, that's 274 more games with a catch than anyone reading this has combined.


• How's this for a good guy: On a visit to ND by Darius Walker, the football team lost. However, the team still walked over to the students and raised their helmets, and the students still cheered. Fans that are behind you win or lose were one of the big reasons Walker chose ND.

See you again tomorrow with an ND-Washington preview.

Apparently, NSS meetings have started up again. So, no Weekend in review until tomorrow. To tide you over:

From the "My dad and i told you so department": Five of Bill Bellichick's assistants from his Cleveland Browns days are now head coaches of AP top 20 college teams.

Shawn Green, like Sandy Koufax before him, must decide between baseball and religion.

F1 Sees China as a "New Klondike". Maybe they're referring to that freshman trombone with the red hair and glasses.

ND 31, MSU 24

You say ND didn't have that killer instinct when they went up 28-7? I say Michigan State wasn't going to roll over just because Corso and Herbstreit said that the fourth Irish touchdown was the knockout blow. That's the way this rivalry has been as of late, and hopefully that's how it will continue to be.

Quarterback: scene: Brady Quinn and Rhema McKnight are in the film room. They have hooked up an XBox to the projector, and are playing NCAA Football 2005. Offensive Coordinator Bill Diedrick enters.
Diedrick [oblivious to the fact that this is a video game, as is every 50+ person who sees NCAA for the first time]: "I see you're studying some film, boys."
Quinn: "Uh, yeah coach. That's it." [Quinn calls for and connects on a long bomb in the game."
Diedrick: "Whoa, what was that?!"
McKnight: "It was a deep pass, coach."
Diedrick: "You can do that?!"
And thus a few pages are added to the ND playbook. Quinn didn't throw too much, as I had hoped he wouldn't, but when he did he was effective. 215 yards and one touchdown in the air is a perfect complement to 173 yards on the ground. If you ask me, the offense is starting to look very compitent. I know that doesn't sound like much of a compliment, but it is when you look at the BYU game and much of the 2003 season.

Running back: It was good to see Travis Thomas back in there, but the timing perhaps wasn't the best. Of course, it is possible that he was just in there because Darius Walker needed a breather and the team was being overly cautious about Ryan Grant's injuries. Unfortunately, though, Thomas is likely back in the doghouse for a few more games, and it's not entirely his fault. Walker and Grant, on the other hand, are turning into a formidable 1-2 punch. For a team that needs to establish the run game, it's great to have two backs who can spell each other so we always have a fresh back in key situations. I also enjoy seeing Grant finally learning that he can power it between the tackles instead of just dancing into the sidlines. Walker is surprisingly powerful for his size, but in the end it's a good idea to use your bigger back (Grant) on inside handoffs.

Fullback: The fullbacks have been quiet, except to block. RPN had one carry for zero yards.

Receiver:

Courtesy AP/Bob Brodbeck

Is it just me, or are we all of a sudden incredibly deep at the receiver position? I mean, Rhema McKnight hasn't even been heard from this season, other than his punt return misadventures against BYU, and the onside recovery at the end of this game. Matt Shelton continues to impress, with 123 yards and 1 TD of three catches, despite his unassuming appearance. Even Rocket Ismail loves the guy (although Rocket does seem to get fired up about a lot of people). Let's put it this way: imagine Steve Cronk taking on the best corners and safeties in 1-A football, consistently beating them deep, and then making an athletic catch to pull the ball down. Heck, Cronk may even be taller and fatter than Shelton. And get this, Shelton is actually learning routes now! For the firt time, he ran a skinny post, instead of just a go route (aka "run as fast as you can that way and we'll throw it to you").
In addition to Shelton, Jeff Samardzija came up big late in the game by feeding off of MSU's too loose zone. You want to talk deep? Samardzija had 4 catches for 565 yards, while Maurice Stovall, Rhema McKnight, and Carlyle Holliday combined for 2 catches and 17 yards (and both those catches were by Stovall). Also, freshman Chris Vaughn, now wearing Omar Jenkins's #80, got in on the fun with a catch for 7 yards.

Tight End: Speaking of deep, the Irish are also deep at TE, but they were only used for blocking against the Spartans. It's nice to have them as a security blanket, but it's also nice when you don't need them to catch passes because the running game is working and the receivers are getting open.

O-Line: The Irish ground game had 194 yards in the positive direction, and 21 yards in the negative direction. That includes 2 sacks for -11 yards. Are the running backs doing well because of the line, or is the line doing well because of the running backs?

D-Line: Justin Tuck didn't have a single tackle last Saturday, but it didn't matter. It was Derek Landri's turn to step up this week, leading the linemen with 5 tackles and a pass breakup. Kyle Budinscak made noise for the first time this year with the team's only sack and a fumble recovery.

Linebacker: I should point out that the Irish front 7 didn't have a good day defending the run against MSU, giving up 165 yards. Mike Goolsby had 6 tackles and two breakups, while Derrek Curry contributed with an interception, but this unit will have to step it up the next time a big ground game comes to town.

Safety:

Courtesy AP/Al Goldis

Ty wanted his best two guys out there at safety, and I think he made the right two decisions. In fact, I haven't even seen Lionel Bolen at all this year. Tom Zbikowski received Walter Camp Division 1-A Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance that included 9 tackles (leading the team), 1 interception, and two forced fumble, including that great strip and dash for a 75 yard touchdown. Following that play, Kirk Herbstreit for the first time said something that made sense: "When you teach that [being aggressive and looking for turnovers on defense], it's not being lucky." Quentin Burrell also had a good game with five tackles and a fumble recovery.

Cornerback: Dwight Ellick and Preston Jackson continued to play competent ball, amassing 4 tackles each.

Kicker: Too often, Carl Gioia is the first man to make contact of a kickoff. The only problem: he isn't nearly the tackler Nicholas Setta or DJ are. (ooh ooh ooh - Ellen loves both of them! Love overload!) DJ was 1-2 on field goals, making from 23 and missing from 37. The 37 yarder had the distance but was wide.

Punter: I won't complain about a 40 yard average and a long of 51. Two punts inside the 20 are also nice.

Kick Returner: Stovall and Chase Anastacio are getting playing time, but they still haven't shown that the have the ability to make something big happen.

Punt Returner: Despite facing a good punter, Carlyle was able to have a long return of 21 yards.

Special Teams: The blocked punt - Jared Clark has been in that position for years - he should have known better, either to block the inside man, or to adjust the coverage accordingly. As for the kickoff return for the touchdown - that's going to happen, but it did seem that returner DeAndra Cobb was in the clear a little too quickly, as if the ND coverage team got down the field too fast and let Cobb run right by them the other way. Other than that return, the kick coverage team was decent (giving up just under 20 yards per). The punt coverage team did well, giving up just under 10 yards per return.

Well, there you have it. Maybe we can make "Return to Competence" t-shirts for this season, as that appears to be the theme. Please, let the be blue, though. A note on my ND reviews: I've decided to stick with this position-by-position breakdown format mostly because everyone who reads this watches the games, and because John Vannie offers a good review on NDNation. If you would like to see me do a game recap, please let me know.

Weekend in Review Wednesday morning; ND-Washington preview Friday.

ND Football 2004Issue 3: MSU

MSU Rush Offense vs. ND Rush Defense

Michigan State is averaging 150 yards per game on the ground. That came against Rutgers and Central Michigan, but that's nothing to be laughed at. Last year, the Spartans put up numbers against ND that were very similar to the numbers they put up against the cupcakes they had played before that game. MSU appears to be employing a running back by committee system. Junior Tina Turner look-alike Jason Teague appears to be the man, but last week he shared the carries with freshman Jehuu Caulcrick. Teague is averaging 76 yards per game and Caulcrick 67, which, when put together, is something to pay attention to.
On the other side of the ball, the ND rush defense has been great. OK, so BYU doesn't run all that often, and Chris Perry's replacements in Michigan apparently suck, but 39.0 yards per game given up on the ground is almost as good as what I do at varsity level on NCAA 2005 with 5 minute quarters. The linebacking crew - the "chain gang" came up huge against Michigan. Brandon Hoyte (he loves his mamma) and Mike Goolsby should come up big, and Derrek Curry should have another decent game. The rotating pieces on the D-Line should play just well enough against the run, and I'll pick Trevor Laws to have another decent game.

ND Rush Offense vs. MSU Rush Defense

Darius Walker should be enough for the Irish, but I would like to see Travis Thomas again. Thomas is the unfortunate victim of the ND coaching staff's philosophy of not teaching people to protect the ball, then punishing them severly when they fumble. With MSU giving up 205 yards per game on the ground, I'd pick Walker to have a huge game, except for two things: 1) just because they don't need to pass at all, ND will probably pass too much. 2) this game is against MSU in East Lansing, which means it won't be easy.
As for Ryan Grant - you have to love the senior leadership, but the injury troubles from Don Bosco prep must have finally caught up to him. His legs right now are the football equivalent of a young pitcher's dead arm.

MSU Pass Offense vs. ND Pass Defense

The QB controversy this year for MSU was supposed to be between Drew Stanton and Damon Dowdell. Stanton's had fluid on the knee all year, and Dowdell completed 56% of his passes for 270 yards against Rutgers, so of course the starter will be... redshirt freshman Stephen Reaves (no, that's not Jeff Smoker wearing #9 in his 12th year of eligibility), who completed 47% of his passes for 183 yards vs. Central Michigan. I don't get it. Michigan State's pass-friendly offense (231 ypg... so maybe it's not working too well) has spread the ball to 9 receivers so far. The main targets are Kyle Brown and Eric Knott, each with 60+ ypg. Matt Trannon is the #3 receiver, and Teague is averaging 24.5 yards per game receiving out of the backfield (which combines for 100 total ypg, so he's the guy to watch).
After facing two pass-happy teams, ND is giving up "only" 251.5 yards per game in the air. MSU's receivers have always given ND fits, and just because there's no Charles Rogers doesn't mean there won't be problems. Dwight Ellick and Preston Jackson will have to continue to play out of their minds and tackle well. Tom Zbikowski and the linebackers will have to help shut down the short passes. Quentin Burrell will have to do his best to defend the deep passes on the fast grass. If the defense is up for this game like they were last week (please tell me they will be), they can shut down this offense. But, as I said, this game is in East Lansing, so who knows.

ND Pass Offense vs. MSU Pass Defense

MSU is only giving up 167 passing yards per game. Of course, when you can pick up 205 rushing yards against a team in a game, you shouldn't need to go to the pass. The low passing totals on defense aren't due to a great pass rush (2 sacks) or interceptions (1), but Michigan State does do a good job of breaking up passes and batting down the ball. MSU has 11 "break ups" this year, while ND only has 6. Of course, MSU's opponents have 8 breakups, compared to 4 for ND opponents, so this could just be a case of how each team's official scorer interprets an official "pass broken up."
Once again, Notre Dame had better let their running game do the work. There's no reason why they shouldn't just ride Walker. If you're going to pass, pleas use the same parts of the playbook you used last week - no telegraphing your screens, and no jump-balls to Stovall. Maurice Stovall is a great weapon when used correctly. Rhema McKnight has been quiet so far this year (for example, you didn't hear him calling "fair catch!" when returning that one punt in the BYU game), and the ND tight ends were nowhere to be found in the passing game last week. Look for Bill Diedrick to expand the playbook a little to get his tight ends back in the game, and look for Rhema to have an "Arnaz Battle in 2002" kind of game. Also, let's see if we can get that Carlyle Holliday kid some work.

Special Teams

MSU's punt return team isn't all that impressive (6.9 yards per return), but in the kick return category, third string running back DeAndra Cobb is averaging a decent 24 yards per return. That average includes a 52-yarder. OK, on the other hand, that one 52 yard return does account for half his return yards over 4 returns. So, this is a guy to look out for, but if you play him right, you can shut him down. If that last paragraph made sense to anyone, please explain it to me, because I have no idea what I just wrote.
Notre Dame faces another great punter in Brandon Fields, who is averaging 50.3 yards per punt with a long of 62. Of course, he also has 4 touchbacks and a block, so there are ways to not let this guy beat you. As for a kicker, Dave Rayner is 1-3 on the year in field goals, but one of those misses was from 50+. Return coverage for the Spartans is so-so, giving up just over 25 yards per kick return, and close to 13 yards per punt return. So, the right guy can break one.
Nd is averaging almost exactly 20 yards per kick return and 10 per punt return. I still don't get the feeling that Chase Anastacio or Maurice Stovall can break one on a kick, but I really like Holliday on punt returns. He will break one at (or two or three) at some point this year. Stovall can run over DB's with his size, but sooner or later he'll run into someone bigger than him on the kickoff coverage team.
DJ (Ellen loves him) is averaging 40.6 yards per punt with a long of 56 and 4 inside the 20. He also has a 21-yard field goal. Carl Gioia doesn't have a booming leg on kickoffs, but I'm starting to see that Ty picked him for his ability to pin a kick returner in the corner. Sure, you'll have a few go out of bounds, but you'll also have more than a few returners who won't even make it to the 20.

Look for a big game from

The Chain Gang, the corners (they'll have their ups and down, but they'll make the big plays), Justin Tuck, Darius Walker, and Carlyle Holliday



ND 20, MSU 14 Walker, 2 by DJ, and the obligatory last-minute slant that turns into a 60-yard game winning TD by Rhema (or maybe Matt Shelton?)

The Weekend in Review

Booyah Edition

First, I ramble on about my weekend

Fired Up Friend Todd and I got in to ND around 9:30 South Bend time. No one was around, so we headed for the Stadium, to check if the managers were still painting helmets. Sadly, we made it all the way across campus without me recognizing a single person. When we got to the stadium, there was no one to be seen anyways. In a moment of Frank Leahy-esque preparation, I decided to scout the JACC to see where we needed to be the next morning for the ticket exchange. As I assumed, it was in the northwest corner of the building. Making our way around the stadium, we saw two people already camped out at the normal ticket window. Hard core. Continuing to circle the stadium (as usual, with me not really paying attention to where I'm going), we decide to stop at Legends. Wow, that place is too nice. There's even one of those new building plaques in the foyer, just like in COBA or DeBartolo. Fortunately, we were able to restrain ourselves from randomly wandering around the restaurant area (formally the dance floor side) staring at the coaches' quotes on the wall (mostly because the restaurant area seemed unusually high-scale). So, we headed to the bar area (to the right as you enter). I noticed that the crowd was predominantly Ara-Era Alumni and lost Michigan fans, but the Miami-FSU game was on, so we decided to stay. After regulation, we decided to move on to The Backer, where we first ran into Katie Alpha outside the door. The Backer is still The Backer, and a good night was had by all. We walked back to Fisher via D6 afterwards, and headed to our rooms. Todd got a bit of a rude introduction to Yonto and Scovil - "Hi, this is Nick and Chris. You're staying with them tonight, and I'm staying upstairs (in Andy's room)." Dah, thought I had warned him of this earlier.
Saturday morning, we got up with our bando roommates and headed to the Alumni Ticket Exchange. There were only 7 people ahead of us, and we were able to get two tickets in section 101 for only $55 each. Not bad at all. Walking over to LaFortune for breakfast, we were able to catch the band marching to morning practice. Ah, it's football weekend on campus again! After breakfast, we toured the campus, including a stop in the bookstore to spot Ara himself. We finally ran into Dave, Ellen, et al. before Concert on the Steps. Todd was happy because he got to see the players leaving mass, and I got the honor of plaiding Andy. The rest of the gameday activities went as planned, including the game itself. Our seats were the best I'd ever had at the stadium - north endzone staring straight down the field. The section was mostly NDNation-esque Ara-Era alums, with a few Michigan fans as well. But, by the time it was 28-12, I looked down, and the Michigan "supporters" had vanished. Oh, and if Todd or I haven't already told you 100 times, the blocked punt and the last 3 TDs were all at our end. Afterwards, it was BW3s and a great night/reunion at Corby's.
Sunday morning brought 10am mass and a drive home while listening to the Browns.

ND 28, Michigan 20

Quarterback: 10-2 for 178 yards and 3 picks doesn't do wonders to the ol' QB rating, but I look at it as a sign of good things to come. Bill Diedrick finally woke up and realized the screen passes weren't going to work, so he decided to take risks downfield. Quinn rushed his short passes, and ended up throwing then into the ground before settling down on the TD to Rashon Powers-Neal. I'd blame the kid, but hey, Jeff Garcia did the same thing two plays in a row on Sunday. The TD to Matt Shelton made up for the 3 picks in my book, but only because it was a win.

Running Back: How about this Darius Walker kid? 115 yards in his debut, and 2 TDs. Here's hoping he doesn't turn into a fat mess like Julius did under Davie. Walker earned his #3 for this game. And, as someone in my section pointed out, anyone who can run around the corner on the Michigan D is OK in my book. Honorable mention to Ryan Grant for stepping up as a senior and saying "I want the ball" on 4th and goal at the 1. A fake-FB/HB-toss would have worked much better, but it's the thought that counts.

Fullback: We couldn't get it in from the 1 twice, but that isn't all RPN's fault. Powers-Neal did have a TD catch after Quinn finally settled down and quit throwing worm-burners on short passes into the flat.

Receiver:



Courtesy http://www.wideopenwest.com/~michiganmanphil/nd04a.htm.

What a catch by Shelton. Maurice Stovall had a great game. I don't no if it was a case of finally stepping up, or if it was more of a case of the coaches finally realizing he can't win jump balls, but can do anything else a good receiver can.

Tight End: At our deepest position, we managed 0 catches. Oh well, you can't have everything.

O-Line: They couldn't push by an experienced Michigan front on the goal line, even though they had two chances. But hey, the Michigan defense had 0 sacks, and Darius Walker was only stopped in the backfield a few times, all late in the game while ND was trying to run out the clock. The line stepped up in this one. There were even fumble recoveries by John Sullivan and the long snapper (how's that for hustle?). One complaint, though: Mark LeVoir went for the Jeff Faine routine, continuing to bully his guy after the whistle had been blown. Jeff was awesome, so he could get away with it.

D-Line: It was a quiet day for the line. Trevor Laws led the linemen with 4 tackles, and he has a chance of putting together a quietly good year. Justin Tuck added 3 tackles and a sack.

Linebacker: The "chain gang" is in this together, and this unit continues to impress. BHoyte had another monster performance, racking up 9 tackles this time. Mike Goolsby proved he was back by leading the team with 14 tackles. Derrek Curry added 6 tackles and a sack.

Safety: Zbikowski and Burrell started again and combined for 10 tackles.

Cornerback: I'd like to meet the person who taught these guys to tackle and shake his hand. With the freshman Henne, Michigan tried to be conservative (waaay too conservative if you ask me, but I'm not complaining) by running a Diedrick-style offense. But the secondary, especially the corners, stepped it up by frequently stopping the recievers for little gain or a loss of yardage. Dwight Ellick led the unit with 6 tackles (on TFL), a forced fumble which he recovered, and a "look what I found pick." In my BYU preview, I mentioned that Preston Jackson deserved one more shot to prove he can be a starter. Well, in two games, he definitely hasn't disappointed.

Kickers: Carl Gioia did a good job of pinning the Michigan returners in the corner. Of course, when your plan is to aim for the corner, you're going to have a kick or two go out of bounds. Carl is now the idol of "Carl's Crew," as his friends' t-shirts read. By the way, his nickname apparently is "Booge." I didn't ask. DJ (Ellen loves him) was 4-4 in extra points.

Punter: DJ had 7 punts for a 37.6 average, but only one was returnable, and that was only for 7 yards.

Kick Returners: Chase Anastacio and Maurice Stovall did a decent job, combining for 64 yards on 4 returns. But, I don't really picture either of them breaking one. Stovall can absolutely run over defensive backs on a screen play (almost to a Gary Godsey sense), but on kick returns, he's going to run into somebody big sooner or later. Oh well, at least there were no fumbles.

Punt Returner: It was exciting to see Carlyle Holliday out there. This is a guy who you know can break one. Unfortunately, his best run this week was the result of a few illegal blocks. But, there will be an air of excitement when he's back deep on the return team.

Special Teams: Jerome Collins blocked a punt. The punt team recovered a fumble. Michigan's speedy returners were held in relative check. If the punt return team can keep their blocks legal, special teams will be alright this year.

The NFL

Browns/Ravens: Listened to this one on the way home from ND. Fortunately, WTAM 1100 out of Cleveland reaches well into Indiana. The Browns D was fired up for this one, and this game had many similarities to ND-Michigan. The Browns held Jamaal Lewis to 57 yards, which is 242 less than in their first game last year. They completely came to play. Also on D, Anthony Henry stole an interception from former Brown Kevin Johnson, who had spoken more than enough trash in the offseason. The Browns gave up less than 300 total yards, and most of those came late in the game as the secondary softened up with the lead. On offense, the Browns had to do without Lee Suggs, but William Green's 65 yards weren't too bad. The offense couldn't do much until Jeff Garcia hit on a few deep passes, one a TD to Quincy Morgan. Now, if Garcia was a jerk, he'd be talking smack to Terrell Owens, who complained that Garcia was too weak to throw it deep. (Translation: "Garcia doesn't throw it deep to me as much as I want him to.") Fortunately, Garcia isn't a jerk. As much as I hate to admit it to, it looks like sending Kellen Winslow up the seam is going to be the key play when the Browns need to pick up yardage.

Colts/Patriots: Another barnburner goes Bill Belichick's way. I was pleased to see the first Peyton Manning Face not even 5 minutes into the season.

Giants/Eagles: I only caught the end of this game, but I turned it on to see Eli Manning learn for the first time that the answer to "I wonder if I can beat these guys to the outside for the first down" is a definite "no." Ouch.

Chiefs/Broncos: The Broncos looked dominant at home, and the Chiefs almost looked like a college team that had lost one too many key weapons to graduation. Kansas City couldn't get anything together, but Quentin Griffin could. Not even a left-handed interception by Jake Plummer could stop Denver.

Packers/Panthers: As much as Mike will hate to read this, it seems at times that Brett Farve can do whatever he wants, and that he just isn't trying most of the time. He'll pull an amazing play out of his butt for 30 yards, then hand off to Ahman Green 6 straight times. I don't get it, and that's why I'm not an NFL offensive coordinator.

Quotes of the Weekend

"You see, I don't know why girls have to wear uncomfortable shoes like that. It's just stupid" - some guys we passed as we were walking behing a group of hoed-out girls walking barefoot and carrying their uncomfortable shoes

"I'm very intox... icated right now." - Mothball. "Drink some beer, it will make you feel better." - Kanka

"Gameday... Gameday... you suck!" - ND Band to the NBC cameras

"Long Islands make me so happy." - Katie Alpha

"Kanka? I've heard a lot about you... I don't know if that's good." - Matt Merten

"And a very special welcome to any Michigan fans still here." - Basilica Rector Peter Rocca at 10am mass

Transaction Wire

• The South Bend Tribune reports that sophomore DB Isaiah Gardner has officially transferred to Maryland.

Gardner

• In case I missed it before, Omar Jenkins was cut by the Vikings on August 31.


• Eagles sign Dorsey Levens.

ND News and Other Ramblings

• The past few days, I've had "Badlands" and "You Don't Have to Call Me Darlin'" stuck in my head. The Backer lives! Well, at least the blog and the "official" website do.


• Congrats to Rangers relief pitcher Frank Francisco who was arrested for throwing a chair into the stands in Oakland and hitting a woman. Brilliant.


• Found this on the drive home: AM 960 out of Chicago has to be the best radio station to listen to on a Sunday. The show is basically a continuous news report cycling through each of the NFL games currently in progress. Basically, it sounds like two guys with NFL Sunday Ticket on 12 TVs, watching and reporting on the current situation of each game in order. What an amazing concept.


• I'm still waiting for the day that the Jeopardy! question panel gets sick of Ken Jennings, and the 6 board categories are "Street Names for Drugs," "Monogamy," and 4 columns of "Potent Potables."


• OK, so the monogamy crack was a cheap shot. But, I wasn't the first to make that kind of joke this weekend. Stanford AD Ted Lelandhad to issue an apology after Stanford's band poked fun at polygamy by trotting out 5 dancers in wedding veils in their home game against BYU. Gee Mr. Leland, do you still think a student-run band is a good idea. Ah, the Stanford "band." Without them, Alumni Band at ND wouldn't be possible.


• In case you missed it, Mike's commercial can be seen here (Video 1). Also featured is Danielle Greene, who carried the flag Saturday before the football game. Danielle is a hero. Mike, on the other hand, is visably annoyed that he is in that picture.


• Congrats to the ND Women's soccer team, named #1 in the Soccer America Poll after a week that included a win over #11 Arizona State.


• Came across this article about a Holy Cross priest and bone alum who sprinkled grass from George Gipp's grave and holy water into the end zone at halftime of the Michigan game. Fr. Brian Stanley is the new band chaplain, because we apparently need more bones in positions of power in the band. This article includes a very fired up reference to one Mistah (Lane) Weaver! My only question: why weren't we informed of this sooner? Mike, Dave, and I would have made the trip up to Gipp's grave every weekend!


• Julius Jones was inactive Sunday due to a hip problem, and Glenn Earl got a normal DNP.


• While on the Non-Football Injury list, Darrell Campbell was assigned uniform number 67. No, I haven't ordered a custom jersey yet.


• Courtney Watson, starting middle linebacker for the Saints, led the team with 11 tackles in their loss to Seattle.

Well, there you go. As I said, I'm going to be reworking my writing schedule in the coming weeks, so look for that. You'll see the ND-MSU preview on Friday morning.

No column today as I needed to work on KankaMatic instead. With only 2 stat updates to go (and one being only 8 days), I will try to email everyone a copy of their roster.

The Weekend in Review will come way late - Tuesday night, which means you'll read it Wednesday morning. I plan on changing things up in the future weeks, though. My thought right now is to do an ND game review on Sunday night (or Monday night if I need an extra day to blow off steam), a complete Weekend in Review/Transaction wire on Tuesday night (to include MNF), and an ND preview on Thursday night. It's just tentative, but that's the plan.

PS Great fantasy football start - Trent Green with a QB rating of 53, and Quentin Griffin on the bench while he picks up 99 more yards than Deuce McAllister. Oh, and I picked the Pats D vs. the Colts. Good, good.

ND Football 2004

Issue 2: Michigan

Michigan Rush Offense vs. ND Rush Defense

Despite the 43-10 win, Michigan only put up 115 yards on the ground, on 40 carries. Chris Perry replacement David Underwood put up an Eddie George/Duce Staley-esque 2.9 yards per carry - 64 yards on 22 carries. In addition to the loss of Perry, remember that Michigan also had a very veteran O-Line last year. Judging by the lack of stars (indicating letters won) next to the O-Linemen's names on the roster, most of the experience on the line has moved on. Brandon Hoyte, Mike Goolsby, and the rest of the front 7, now that they have a game under their belts, should be able to hold Michigan to a respectible total on the ground.

ND Rush Offense vs. Michigan Rush Defense

Well, for starters, we need to have a rush offense this week. Miami had some decent runs early against Michigan, but they were completely shut down after that. Ryan Grant (if he's back) and Travis Thomas need to step up and say "give me the football," and then they need to hold onto it. Otherwise, it's going to be a long day.

Michigan Pass Offense vs. ND Pass Defense

Chad Henne, who will most likely be starting this Saturday, has shown he can throw the deep ball. ND has shown that they have trouble defending the deep pass. However, it appears that this is one of the few holes in this year's D. Henne is playing his first road game in a place that should be tough for him. The student section will have to get loud, stay loud, and rally behind their defense. Every time the home fans boo ND's defense, they're only encouraging Henne, Lloyd Carr, and the Wolverine offense. Braylon Edwards and Steve Breaston will get their catches, and will probably even pull down a few deep ones. The key is for the line to get in the backfield and the safeties have to limit yards-after-catch on the deep balls. Then, the rest of the secondary can handle the short passing game. Of course, one big hit by BHoyte on Chad Henne will really help this Irish D. Here's a goal for the Irish secondary: 159. That's how many yards Miami's pass defense game up. Motivate yourselves to meet or top that.

ND Pass Offense vs. Michigan Pass Defense

Michigan had 5 picks last week, but that was against an untested QB. I'm also guessing it happened once Miami got behind and needed to go pass-heavy to stay in the ballgame. So, don't expect to see 5 picks again. If the Irish can start by establishing the run game, they won't have to panic and leave the game in the hands of the Wolverine secondary. The key here is to effectively use each receiver's skill set, throw the ball downfield, and rely on Marcus Freeman and Anthony Fasano in key situations. Preferrably, those key situations should involve them being past the first down marker when they catch the ball. Michigan only got 2 sacks last week, so Brady Quinn should have time to throw the ball. He just needs to sit back and wait for his receivers to get open down the field.

Special Teams

Michigan didn't have a punt or kick return longer than 20 yards, but that doesn't mean they won't be a threat. Kicker Garrett Rivas had a 31-yard field goal, but missed the last two of his 6 extra point attempts. Punter Adam Finley had a 45.2 yard average in his first game, but that may actually be a sigh of relief for the Irish. Also of note: Miami had a 70-yard punt return during the game, and also had a punt return TD called back.
For the Irish, DJ Fitzpatrick is continuing to handle both kicking duties to the best of his ability. Special teams coverage and returing has been competent, except for a few decisions on punt returns. Breaking one, either on a kickoff or punt, would do a great deal of good for the home team.

Look for a big game from

Thomas, Fasano, and the defense as a whole.

ND 24, Michigan 17 Yeah, I said it. Thomas, Freeman, McKnight, and DJ.

Transaction Wire

"55, 54, and... 53" Edition

• Rockets trade Eric Piatkowski, Mike Wilks, and Adrian Griffin to the Bulls for Dikembe Mutombo. Well, the Bulls get a little younger in Piatkowski (although only by 4 years), and some almost-potential in Wilks, a '99 co-rookie of the month once. The Rockets get a decent defensive backup for Yao and perhaps the greatest dunk contest spectator of all time.


• Bears release Vontez Duff. The reasons why were covered in last week's Transaction Wire.


• Jets release Ken-Yon Rambo and Little John Flowers. Is it even legal to release guys named Rambo and Little John on the same day?


• Ravens release Javin Hunter. "MyBoyfriendJavinHunter," as he is known to Niele Ivey, Javin played in 12 games for the Ravens, making five catches and returning 4 kickoffs. He missed the 2003 season due to injury, and apparently was switched to cornerback some time between this year and last. Well, the experiment at corner obviously didn't work, and now it looks like Hunter will have to live off of Niele's WNBA money.


• Texans release tight eng Jabari Holloway. Holloway, who started his career with the Patriots but did not play for them, had 16 starts and 15 catches in 26 games for Houston. Unless Jabari is picked up by somone soon, Notre Dame's Computer Science and Engineering Department will have to change all of their "Where Do Notre Dame CSE graduates end up? 1% - NFL" pie charts. That's unfortunate, because that was one of the few jokes they used in the department graduation ceremony.


• Eagles cut Dorsey Levens. If only ND were that deep at running back again....


• Cardinals release Cedric Hilliard. If Mike wasn't married already, he'd definitely be upset that he wouldn't be able to use "I got blocked by an NFL player in a Bookstore Basketball game once" as a pickup line after this.


• Seahawks sign Sigmund Jalapeno favorite Taco Wallace to their practice squad.


• Packers waive Tyreo Harrison. Harrison spent 2002 and 2003 with the Philadelphia Eagles, making 3 tackles in 14 games. I'm assuming that those were mostly in a special teams role.

Even with these cuts, there are still more than a few Irish making it in the NFL, including some recent ones (Arnaz Battle and Rocky Boiman were thrust into starting roles this year, and David Givens is starting to get some attention as a Super Bowl-winning receiver). Tomorrow: my "trying to stay positive" ND-Michigan preview.

The Weekend in Review

ND/BYU

I'll avoid any emotional rants, and instead just go with a position-by-position breakdown.

Quarterback: 26-47 for 265 yards doesn't seem too bad, but it was. Brady Quinn didn't throw downfield until he absolutely had too. Last year, Quinn got a visit from Joe Montana, who told him not to be afraid to dump it off to his safety valve when necessary. Well, either BYU's secondary was in our receiver's back pockets all day, or Quinn was afraid to take a chance. Or maybe it was just playcalling. I for one don't even want to guess.

Running Back: Eleven yards. George Gipp's career per-carry average was 9. Gary Godsey can get 11 yards by falling down. Travis Thomas and Jeff Jenkins had more receiving yards than rushing yards (28 and 10, respectively). I know we were behind, but we still should have been able to run on that team. Somebody, anybody, please step up and hold onto the football.

Fullback: Rashon Powers-Neal had 4 catches for 24 yards. The sure-handed Josh Schmidt had no catches. RPN had 1 carry for 0 yards, but that was when he lined up as the only back. The fact we had only 11 yards on the ground implies the fullbacks weren't blocking too well, and the fact that we constantly had to pass on 3rd and 4th and 2 also doesn't speak well for our fullbacks.

Receiver: Ty was free with his substitutions at wide receiver, but that only seemed to lead to a lack of consistency. Rhema McKnight was quiet for much of the game (of course, you can only run that screen so many times successfully). Matt Shelton was only used on an ill-advised go pattern from deep in ND territory, then never seen again. Carlyle was nowhere, and Jeff S also didn't have a catch - although Jeff did have one or two forced his way. On a positive note (perhaps the only one), we may finally have found a use for Maurice Stovall. He has trouble going downfield and outjumping someone for the ball, but give him a screen pass and some open field, and he'll use his large frame to break tackles and make something happen. Let's just hope they continue to use Stovall in this role.

Tight End: Another small bright spot, as Marcus Freeman and Anthony Fasano combined for 7 catches and 88 yards.

O-Line: Read my last sentence under Fullbacks, and remember that BYU only has a front 6 instead of a front 7. OK, so the confusing blitzes are difficult, but the Irish line should have been able to out-muscle the Cougars on the ground.

D-Line: Weaver, Cambell, Hilliard, and Roberts these guys aren't. Justin Tuck showed up, and Trevor Laws helped out (they combined for 10 tackles and 3 sacks), but that was about it. You didn't hear Budinscak or Abiamiri's names called all night, and there was a reason - Kyle had 2 tackles and VA none.

Linebacker: As was the case with most of the team, you could tell this was the first game of the season for these linebackers. Goolsby looked silly on an early TD run, but later settled down for 11 tackles (and the team's only pass breakup). BHoyte played hard, got in the backfield, and was at least near every play when it finished. Derrek Curry played a decent game as well, but I still hate watching this group in pass coverage.

Safety: Well, unless BYU picked the exact perfect times to throw deep (in other words, blitzes when 0 or 1 safeties were assigned to play deep), the safeties flat out were not doing there jobs. Quentin Burrell was supposed to be a bright spot for this secondary, but he looked out of place on those deep routes. Maybe it was just playcalling - I have no clue.

Cornerback: Michigan's offensive coordinator must be licking his chops right now, knowing that he can throw deep on the Irish all day long. Judging by quarterback Chad Henne's performance on Saturday, they have someone who can easily do it, too. Carlos Campbell played extrememly well as a tackler, but he was exposed on the deep routes. Preston Jackson secured a spot on the Packers with his TD pick, or at least he proved he's a little better than Clifford Jefferson. Other than those two, ugh.

Kickers: DJ (Ellen LOOVES him) did what he needed to do. For some reason, I can only remember seeing Carl Gioia kick off once. When his only job is to kick off, though, he probably should be doing better than kicking it to the 12 in a high-altitude stadium.

Punter: You can't really blame DJ too much for anything he does, since this is supposed to be Geoff Price's job. DJ did shank 1 or 2, but he also had a clutch 51-yard punt late in the game and ended with a 40.8 average.

Kick Returners: Chase Anastasio, this week's winner of the "Guy You'd Least Expect was a Wide Receiver/Kick Returner if You Saw Him in the Streets" award, had 1 return for 40 yards. He's no Julius, but that's pretty good.

Punt Returner: Ugh. Moving on.

Special Teams: Blocking Matt Payne would have been the only way to stop one of his punts. The Irish gave up just under 10 yards per on punt returns, and just over 10 yards per on kick returns, so I'd say they did a decent job. Plus, there was the 40 yard Anastasio return.

Other Ramblings

• Last week, I quoted The Backer about Vontez Duff being cut by the Bears. I was preparing to retract this, as it was not the case at the time. However, Duff was a victim of the final roster cuts this weekend.


• How bad have things gotten for the Yankees? Well, not very bad, comparatively, but besides that 22-0 drubbing by the Indians the other day (yahoo), the Yankees also tried to ask for a win by forfeit after Tampa Bay was late to their game on Monday. You have the best record in the AL, Tampa Bay is in last place, they're late because of a friggin' hurricane, and you're whining about a forfeit? This kind of stuff makes me want to punch a wall with my non-pitching hand.


• Speaking of non pitching hands, at least Kevin Brown heeded the advice of Bull Durham when he didn't use his pitching hand to punch a clubhouse wall the other day. Great job, moron.


• The 22-0 game is easily one of the top moments in the Cleveland YHC Chapter's existence. Others include the 1948, '54, '95, and '97 teams breaking consecutive World Series streaks of the Yankees, and Billy Traber being a John Flaherty blooper away from a perfect game against the Yanks.


• Schedule strength in college football. I was going to go into a huge rant today about this - why, when Notre Dame is the only team playing a tough schedule, is it ND's fault for doing this, instead of everyone else's fault for playing pansies? And how can small-school athletic departments sleep at night letting their kids get beat 62-0 just to make a few thousand off a national power with a packed 90,000 seat stadium? As I said, this rant would have been longer, until I read an article this morning by the man himself, Jason Lloyd. In a rare non-tOSU column, Lloyd explained that Kevin White is looking to drastically reduce the quality of teams scheduled beginning with the 2009 season, assumedly the first season that isn't completely booked as of right now. (Insert your own NDNation-esque "that's if he still has a job in 2009!" quote here - I won't do it.)


• Random football thought: Notre Dame has way too many tight ends. Their O-Line is young and inexperienced. Billy Palmer is known for his run blocking and not his receiving. Why not have Palmer pull an Andy Heck (former ND footballer, not the 14 year old brother of Dominic's former roommate) and move to tackle? Then again, I'm paid to make databases, not coach a D1 program.


• The Indians have lost in Cliff Lee's last 8 starts after a great start with him on the rubber. Most people are calling his rookie season a failure, but that's not the case. Lee is in uncharted waters in Innings Pitched. Since the team is still rebuilding, and the playoffs are out of the question anyways, why not keep marching Lee out there, so he can build up his stamina for future years, when we'll need him in September and October? Sure, he suffers this year, but it should (hopefully) pay off for him and the team in the future.


• Cheers to Dave for noticing this one, because I didn't think there was a chance. Ichiro is quickly closing in on the record for hits in a season. The record, 257 by George Sisler has stood since 1920, which was the very nativity of the live ball era. I never paid much attention to ESPN's hype of this, because for a while, I didn't think it was possible. "He needs at least 2 hits a game for the rest of the season - there's no way that happens," I thought. But, here we are with 26 games left for Seattle, and Ichiro only needs another 33 hits to tie the record. That's completely doable. And, when it happens, I hope Ichiro gets all the respect and attention he deserves for topping an 84 year old mark. So what if Seattle is in last place? So what if it's not a glory power stat like home runs or strikeouts? This guy knew his role, did his job well all season, and didn't give up when things started to go poorly. Go for it Ichiro, and make your country and the Sisler family proud.


• Congrats to WVU running back Kay-Jay Harris for setting a Big East record (go figure) with 337 rushing yards against ECU.


• I didn't watch much college football this weekend, as it usually makes me sick to my stomach following a loss by my team, but I did catch a great non-call by a referee. "There is no flag for a block in the back, as the player missed the block." Good, good.


• This story I already told Dave and Ellen, and they loved it. My cousin (not the infamous one) was given a two-stroke penalty for using his cell phone during a high school golf match.
  
• Finally, we have our own reluctant TV star in our midst, as Mike's picture is featured in a new spot for Notre Dame. Mike, I'm just glad it's you and not that Elvis guy.

Great Quotes and Moments from Ellen and Dave's Visit to Ohio

• "I'm lauging because he reminds me of me when I'm excited." - Ellen, while Kanka's dog Harry was howling at her


• For my money, Dave and mini-Kanka are the greatest Bocce combination around.


• "I now know more about Zelda than I ever wanted to." - Dave, after mini-Kanka rambled for 20 minutes about Zelda for Nintendo 64. You're right, Dave, my brother probably should have a weekly guest column as our video game correspondent.


• "They weren't 'he's an idiot' stories, they were 'he's crazy and I'd never try that myself' stories." - Kanka, after Dave finally met my Infamous Cousin and explained that I've told Dave many stories about him.


• "You would have loved Kanka's church, there were so many cute old people there." - Dave to Ellen


• Dave had quite an experience meeting my 86 year old grandma (who told him WAAY to much about my grandpa's health problems), but unfortunately he was never willing to try my mom's cheese ball, made of many varieties of cheese and intended to be spread on crackers. Maybe next time.


• Ellen, I do appreciate the brownies, but unfortunately my sister decided to take a full plate back to school with her, leaving the remaining 5 members of my family with the plate that was already half finished. Dah.


• Just think - Ellen will get to see me again this Friday! I know I can't wait, but I do have two columns to keep me busy in the meantime.

ND Football 2004

Issue 1: BYU

Ah, it's great to be doing football previews again. Here we go.

BYU Rush Offense vs. ND Rush Defense

BYU isn't exactly known for its running game, but the Cougars do return leading rusher Ray Brathwaite. Ty wants to start off by shutting down the run game, and he makes a good point. BYU is known for its passing, so they're bound to run 3- and 4- (and maybe even 5-) receiver sets. So, Notre Dame will be lining up with 5 or 6 inexperienced DBs, two new starters at tackle (Pauly and Landri), and two ends more known for their pass rushing abilities (Tuck and Abiamiri). Brandon Hoyte and Mike Goolsby (and to an extent, Derrek Curry) are our best bets against the run. If timed correctly, BYU can pull of some decent runs in key situations. They wont put up 200 yards, but if they're smart, they can keep some key drives alive.

ND Rush Offense vs. BYU Rush Defense

The Irish lost a great one in Julius Jones, but they still have an experienced fumbler... I mean runner in Ryan Grant. Grant is backed by a trio of young studs in Travis Thomas, Darius Walker, and Justin Hoskins. The O-Line is a year older and wiser, and besides, they should just dominate based on size alone - especially since the Cougars run a 3-3-5. Grant should dominate and play like a punishing runner. If he doesn't, Rashon Powers-Neal had better show him how to do it, or else it's going to be a long year.

BYU Pass Offense vs. ND Pass Defense

BYU is known for its passing game, and they return both of their starting QBs from last year - Matt Berry and John Beck. Beck will most likely get the start - I believe he was the starter at the beginning of '03 before the injury bug hit. Will Beck be experienced enough to pick apart a questionable secondary? Not if ND's defense as a whole can step up. Justin Tuck must continue his good work from last year, and Abiamiri and Kyle Budinscak must augment the pass rush. We can't get into situations where Derrek Curry is split wide in coverage (no offense to Curry). Preston Jackson and Dwight Ellick will start at the corners, with Quentin Burrell and Lionel Bolen at the safeties. Burrell I have no problem with, but the rest need to show they belong. Starting the senior Jackson is a good move in my eye. It's Ty's way of saying, "This is supposedly an easy game. Go out there and prove to me and to everyone that you can be a starting cornerback." This will motivate the undersized Jackson, and if he plays out of his mind, he may just stay there. If Jackson can't, and if Bolen also proves he doesn't belong, Ambrose Wooden and Tom Zbikowski are waiting in the wings, along with Freddie Parrish and Chinedum Ndukwe.

ND Pass Offense vs. BYU Pass Defense

In addition to the O-Line being a year older and wiser, Brady Quinn is as well. But, in the words of John Vannie, "Notre Dame must provide Quinn with competent receivers whose names are not Rhema or McKnight." Carlyle Holiday must prove he can do more than run screens and end-arounds, Maurice Stovall must be able to finally live up to his hype (and false praise), and Jeff Samardzija must continue to develop into a go-to first down guy. Ty wants his backs to be good receivers as well, but he'll need everyone besides Grant and Josh Schmidt to prove that they're competent at the whole "catching" thing. Fortunately, Anthony Fasano and a stable of tight ends are there, and they should be able to step up if the receivers fail.
The 3-3-5 defense is known to be a case of gimmicks pulling the train. These kind of gimmicks can be confusing to a still developing QB and his blockers. Notre Dame needs to be able to rely on a powerful rushing attack. If established, they will cut down on third-and-longs, and they can also utilize play action effectively (if someone can actually catch a deep ball, that is).

Special Teams

BYU's special teams are average except for kicker Matt Payne, who had a long FG of 53 yards last season. For ND, the newly scholarship-ed DJ Fitzpatrick (Ellen LOOOVES him) is joined by kickoff specialist Carl Gioia and punter Geoffrey Price. Price has apparently been inconsistent lately, so he hasn't completely taken that job from Fitzpatrick just yet.
Notre Dame must return to the special teams dominance of - I'll say it - Bob Davie. Fitzpatrick can't lead special teams in tackles again (ok, he didn't lead the team, but Setta might have done it hadn't he hurt himself trying to), If out young guys are hungry to play, they have to show they're hungry to execute on special teams. Rhema McKnight will be the key returner, with Carlos Campbell among others joining him on kickoffs. But, they'll need people to block for them. Matt Shelton as a holder is a good ideas, but throwing in a trick play is something for a big game down the road.

Look for a big game from

Tuck, Hoyte, Goolsby, Grant (I hope), Quinn, and Fasano

ND 30, BYU 17 Grant, [insert your favorite DB here], Fasano, and three by DJ.

Transaction Wire

MLB September Call-Up/NFL Cut Day Edition

• OK, so Rick Ankiel has been the only notable September call-up so far (Cleveland fans - Clint Bartosh is back, and Josh Bard is in the majors for the first time this year). Best of luck to him.


• The Cubs trade for OF Ben Grieve. The former rookie of the year never quite lived up to his potential. Now Mike, I like the Cubs and all, so I hate having to rip on their every transaction. But I just have to say this: What, was Brant Brown not available?


• Only one "hot" trade rumor in the majors right now - San Franciso is looking to pick up Jeremy Burnitz from the Rockies. It's a good deal for the Giants, because it lets them put someone with more pop than Marquis Grissom in the spot immediately ahead of or behind Barry Bonds.


• In cased you missed it, Kurt Warner was named starter for the Giants this year.


• Bears place Darrell Campbell on the Non-Football Injury List, which for most teams is really just the "injured playing football in college but we signed him anyways" list.


• Nick Setta didn't want to steal John Carney's job in New Orleans, and he didn't. Unfortunately, he also wasn't able to unseat the incumbent Martin Gramatica in Tampa Bay. If I were him, I'd keep my answering machine turned on, just in case Martin gets a little too excited after a 30-yarder.


• Speaking of Gramaticas, Bill was recently released by the Giants. It's for his own good, though. Ellen just would have LOOOOVED him way to much.


• Shane Walton was waived by the Steelers during the early round of roster cuts, so the Colts tried to pick him up. Unfortunately, according to The Backer, Walton was unable to sign with Indianapolis after failing his physical.


• Vontez Duff is dropped by the Texans, and in short order, the Bears as well (thanks to The Backer for that tip). He was actually drafted in the 6th round. It's almost as if all his ability to cover a receiver just disappeared after Carson Palmer picked him apart in '02. Some would probably argue, though, that he might not have had cover skills in the first place.


• Packers place Brennan Curtin on the injured reserve. Curtin is a very large man, so I'll let you make up your own jokes.


• In case you have forgotten, Ced Hilliard was cut by the Cowboys, then picked up off waivers by Arizona. From what I can tell, it looks like he survived the August 31st cut date. They've given him a uniform number (78), so that's a good sign. The Cardinals website lists him as a tackle (T, not DT, implying he's an O-Lineman) - I don't know if that's a typo or not yet.


• Browns waive Nate Hybl. 2003: Josh Booty, our third stringer, is our QB of the future! Oh wait, he was just cut to keep Nate Hybl. 2004: Nate Hybl, our third stringer, is our QB of the future! Oh wait, he was just cut to keep Luke McCown.


• Eagles waive kicker Tim Duncan. Oh, wait, not that Tim Duncan.


• Chargers waive punter Bill LaFleur. Oh, wait, not that Bill LaFleur (D-Day). Nevermind.


• Broncos cut Ron Israel. Eagles cut Ron Powlus.

The Weekend in Review

Rambling while preparing the Kankas for Ellen's (and Dave's) Visit

• I'll start with an "in case you haven't seen this yet" link: Jeremy Bloom's thoughts on the NCAA and their decision. At least Bloom can rest a little easier with Mike Williams also sitting out this year.


• While we're linking, I give you the Rally Squirrel, the star of Cleveland's recent comeback over the Yankees. Unfortunately, MLB.com only decided that the YES Network's coverage was worth posting. (movie link - might not want to play this at work)


• Watching ESPN's "behind the scenes" of the USC-Virginia Tech game only made me hate television studios even more. You're supposed to cover the game as it happens, not tell them when and how to play! Idiots.


• Speaking of the game: wow, VT almost had that one. If they hadn't laid over and died after that crap pass interference call (he was moving around the guy, not pushing him out of the way), USC is in a decent sized hole.


• Speaking of ESPN's college football coverage: How many times this year will I catch myself saying this this year: "wow, Trev Alberts is actually making
sense this year. Oh wait, that's Craig James." Sounds like something my dad or Dave's dad (or Sports Guy's dad) would end up doing.

• Still speaking of ESPN college football, it's official: College Gameday will be on campus again for the ND-Michigan game. I wonder how Fired-Up Friend Todd will be able to contain himself.


• Mike Brey has named his captains for the upcoming season: seniors Chris Thomas and Jordan Cornette, and juniors Torin Francis and Chris Quinn. Cornette and Thomas are obvious, but Francis and Quinn are probably the surprises here. With Francis, perhaps not, since his solid play on the court is almost like natural leadership. In Quinn's case, it may be a strategical push (or a kick in the seat) on Brey's - go out there and play like you're a leader, like you're in charge. It could mean big things for ND's "other" starting guard.


• Kanka's Sports page is getting a little more minor publicity. Apparently, Yahoo's Finance department has a separate message board for each company/stock. Well, someone on Sirius's message board apparently liked my comment about Sirius's Tom Brady commercial. Link here.

OK, so I happened to be in the room while my sister was watching the MTV awards last night. I pretended to be reading, but I kept peeking over my book for column fodder. Here are the highlights.

• The first thing i saw was, reunited after five years, P. Diddy and Mase. Wow, it's almost like Simon and Garfunkle, but not as interesting. They were there to unveil their new slogan: "Vote or Die." Well, it is important for the youf of America to get out there and vote.


• The award that Diddy and Mase presented went to an Usher song featuring Ludacris and Lil John. The stage was the biggest posse convention I had ever seen.


• I will give the VMAs credit - they were very fired up about music history this year. LL Cool J called Alicia Keys this generation's Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder performed, Keys gave a 20 second tribute to Ray Charles (should have been much longer), and of course Dave Chappelle gave a shoutout to Rick James. When Usher won an award, he credited Michael Jackson, and - surprise - Jackie Wilson ("Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher and Higher") as dancing influences. It's nice to see someone remembers these people.


• My favorite moment of the night came during Alicia Key's performance (and it wasn't just because Keys is nice to look at). Keys began singing one of her songs on piano, then the house lights came up on her band and a second piano player - Stevie Wonder. After that song finished, they broke into "Higher Ground" with Lenny Kravitz. Fun to watch. As I watched, though, I thought how funny it was to see a semi-Cosby Show reunion. Not only was the night a celebration of bthe history of black culture (a constant favorite theme of Cosby's - see previous point), but the performers all had Cosby ties: Keys was an extra, Wonder a special guest star, and Kravitz was formerly married to Lisa "Denise" Bonet. All that was missing was Adam Sandler (extra/friend of Theo's) on guitar.


• Several female Olympic gold medalists were introduced during the show. I'd like to know who had the idea of standing Kerri Walsh (tall blonde beach volleyballer) next to gymnast Carly Patterson.


• It's absolutely amazing that the Beastie Boys are still doing the 80s rapper thing, even with gray hair. They're doing it well, too.


• To introduce a bit, Nick Lachey and Paris Hilton came out on a floating stage (think a cage from Heartland suspended by wires from the ceiling). The two stare at the wrong camera for 45 seconds until finally they turn, and Paris says, "Oh, over there!" My sister's comment: "Nick's probably thinking, 'finally I'm with someone dumber than Jessica.'"


• The act these two introduced was supposed to be a group of "up and comers." It was a group of 12 people, all with long hair and robes. There was a male lead singer, 7 instrumentalists including brass, and 6 female backup singers. The song they sang was some sort of psychedelic showtune. While watching this, I could think: when did "Jesus Christ Superstar" become a music genre? The best part was the scattered cheering from the crowd. It was as if they were saying, "this sucks, but MTV is telling us we should like it, so maybe we should cheer."

That's it for today. Look for a Transaction wire Thursday morning, then my first ND football preview of the year Friday morning.

Transaction Wire

• Cubs sign Neifi Perez, who had been with the Giants, to a minor league deal. His release by San Francisco unfortunately broke up the "I before E except in the Giants' middle infield" double play combo with Deivi Cruz. As for Perez's signing with the Cubs, Baseball Primer says it best: "Dear Mr. Hendry. Iowa is boring. Please [keep] sending crappy shortstops." Meg must be so proud.


• Indians trade Scott Stewart to the Dodgers for a PTBNL or cash. Apparently, the Dodgers thought their bullpen was too good.


• White Sox sign Alex Escobar, who had been released by the Indians to make room for Josh Phelps. Well, Escobar is still third in the AL in outfield assists, despite having been in the minors for several months. Of course, he was sent to the minors in the first place because he was having trouble staying over the Mendoza line. Hey, when Coco Crisp has 11 HRs and 50+ RBI, who needs Alex Escobar?


• The Diamondbacks have placed 7 people on waivers, including Randy Johnson. Don't expect him to go anywhere, because Arizona still has the ability to pull him back. However, that doesn't mean they won't give him up if the right offer comes along.


• Rumor has it that the Cardinals are looking to recall Rick Ankiel come the September roster expansion. I'm sure most of you are laughing at this due to Ankiel's past "location problems." However, he's been tearing up AA as of late. His problems were mostly a mental thing - "Steve Sax Disease" is the common term, named after the former all-star second baseman who went through a period of being unable to make easy throws to first. I know they're mental, because I go through spells like that on occassion, too. Ankiel says that he believes arm surgery has helped correct what was also partly a physical problem. Whether or not there was a physical element, the fact that Ankiel believes it is fixed is the first step towards him not worrying about it, and towards him living up to the potential of his rookie season.


• Ced Hilliard, as reported Monday, was released by his hometown team, the Cowboys. On Tuesday, Hilliard was claimed by the Arizona Cardinals off of waivers.


• Jets sign Quincy Carter. Maybe he's a crackhead, maybe he's not. Carter claims the positive test for cocaine was a media rumor run wild. Considering the media that I know and love, I'd tend to believe Carter. If he is lying, though, he wouldn't be the first coke addict that Dave has watched play for a favorite team.


• Dolphins waive WR Snoop Minnis. Apparently, the Miami front office had heard of Snoop Dogg's mad pee-wee coaching skills and wanted to add him to the staff. But, after finding out they had the wrong Snoop, Minnis was gone.


• The good news: USC suspended star RB Hershel Dennis for an alleged sexual assault occuring at his apartment. The bad news: USC still has 2 more star running backs. The worse news: "indefinitely" probably means "until we actually start playing good teams."


• Speaking of USC: in case you missed it, the NCAA is still sitting on the Mike Williams decision, and he will not be able to play until they make it. He'll be out for at least their opener against Virginia Tech.

KankaMatic Football Draft Winners and Losers: Part 1

Rounds 1-10

Winners

• Andy: Sure, having the number 1 pick overall helps, but check this out: If you put last year's stats into Dave's point system, Andy already has picked up the #1 QB (Peyton Manning), the #2 WR (Torry Holt - and he was a close #2), and the #1 TE (Tony Gonzalez). He can let Butch Davis finish the draft for him, and he'd still do OK.


• Dave: Dave didn't see a QB he liked in the first two rounds, so he picked up Randy Moss and Ahman Green with his first two picks. Then, Tom Brady fell to him late in the third round. I'd say your strategy paid off, even if Jamal Lewis was a risky pick.

Losers

• Kanka: Seriously, can I run a 3 RB/2 TE set? I lucked out by getting Trent Green (#2 QB by 2003 stats) at #5, but I made up for it with my WR picks. Next time I start wondering why a guy is lasting so long, I'd better start reading up on him. (Well, except for Derrick Mason. I should have picked him up.) Good grief. Maybe I should take Ricky Williams next. He did well last year, didn't he? And hey, Shannon Sharpe hasn't been taken yet...


• Mike: Mike, you do realize QB rushing stats don't count, right? Right?


• Ellen: Matt Hasselbeck's a good start. But Clinton Portis is overrated due to Denver's great O-Line, Corey Dillon is a risky pick, and Kellen Winslow - where should I start? Oh, and then there was the debacle with Pete taking Tiki. Ouch.

Not a winner or a loser, but he normally lucks out and wins everything anyways

• Pete

The Weekend in Review

Ramblings with a Half Yurchenko Twist

• First of all, I'd like to welcome a new blog to the list of links in our right sidebar - The Backer. It's an interesting mix of ND life, sports, and just about anything else you can think of. Welcome to the blog bandwagon!


• You know, there's nothing like a 8 game losing streak to teach me to keep my mouth shut about the Indians' playoff chances. Then again, with a rotation that's in uncharted waters when it comes to innings, a bullpen that never was good, and a young lineup that's bound to have droughts, maybe this year was a little too soon.


• There was a huge unfounded rumor floating around NDNation this weekend that Tom Zbikowski would be transferring to Nebraska. Well, he had missed a few days of practice, but it was nothing major. "TZ" was back today taking reps at free safety.


• A week or two ago, there was a rumor that the Browns would trade WRs or Quincy Morgan or Andre Davis (not to be confused with LB Andra Davis) to the Dolphins for holdout DE Adewale Ogunleye. And why not? With Ricky Williams gone and David Boston out for the season, Miami needs offense. The Browns are relatively deep at WR (although they wouldn't be any more after this trade), and Butch Davis is known for taking quantity over quality on the D-Line. Well, this rumor wasn't even close to coming true. THis was something proposed by the Miami front office, but the Browns never even considered it. A few days later, Ogunleye went to the Bears for Marty Booker. Rumor has it that the Dolphins may still have their eye on Browns reserve RB James Jackson, a graduate of "The U" who has said he would gladly accept a trade to the Dolphins. They can have him.


• Speaking of "The U" - is "ironic" the right word to use here? Football players from Miami refer to their school as "The U," even though U stands for University. University implies a school and the associated academic work, something Miami football players rarely concern themselves with.


• My favorite moment of the Olympics thus far: after winning his first gold medal in the 400 IM, swimmer Michael Phelps turns to silver medalist and fellow American Eric Vendt and asks, "Do we have to take our wreaths off for the Nation Anthem?"


• Ced Hilliard's NFL dream took a hit recently, as he was a victim of the Cowboys' latest roster cuts. Hey, maybe he'll end up in Cleveland.
  
• The Mets welcomed ND Alum Aaron Heilman back to the majors today (Monday) and handed him the ball for their game against San Deigo. It hasn't been a great year for Heilman at AAA, but after a rough first innings, it appears that he's settled down against the Padres.


• Speaking of Mets pitchers, or at least former Mets pitchers, Scott Kazmir will be in uniform for the Devil Rays starting on Monday night. Between Kazmir, BJ Upton, Carl Crawford, Dewon Brazelton, and Rocco Baldelli, it appears that Lou Pinella is trying to challenge most NBA teams for the youngest average age for a pro sports team. Hey, at least he's giving his young talent some experience instead of hiding them behind overpaid, washed-up free agents.


• Well, it appears that Tom Timmermans will not be playing for the Nets this year. The Mark Paul Gosselaaar of Basketball signed a deal with the Cantabria Lobos of the Spanish League for the upcoming season. No word yet as to whether he actually speaks Spanish.


• Congratulations to KankaSports contributor Ellen Fitzgerald for her first scoop. The South Bend Tribune is now reporting that Gary Godsey will be a part of the remake of The Longest Yard. Godsey will play a prison guard/defensive end named Malloy. He has no speaking lines, but in addition to his character, he will also serve as a stunt double for the "action" football scenes. Check out some of his co-stars courtesy imdb.com: Stone Cold, Brian Bosworth, Goldberg (apparently no longer feuding with Stone Cold, or at least not enough to keep him from getting a paycheck), Michael Irvin, Kevin Nash (the #2 recruit out of high school the year he graduated - second only to someone named Ervin Johnson), Nelly, and Bill Romanowski. You can't make this up.

Well, that's all I have. Time to go figure out how I'm going to screw myself over even more in the fantasy draft.