Weekend in Review IIby Dave Schmitt, Special to KankaNation

Last weekend, Ellen and I, along with other luminaries such as the Cronk, Lisa, Katie Alpha, Kerrie, etc. attended the wedding of Stephanie Cook and Ryan Alvanos in Perrysburgh, Ohio. Good times, good times.

Steph’s mom and uncle picked us up at Toledo Airport late Thursday night and brought us to Ryan’s house, where everyone was gathered. We were told Steph didn’t want to stay much longer, as it was getting late, so we’d just stop in and say hi really quickly. As soon as I walk in, Ryan’s dad offers to get me a beer. Steph shot him a look, and that ended that. Next stop was the hotel. The official hotel, where we all stayed, was pretty sweet. There was a baseball conference going on, which meant coaching seminars lots of new equipment lying around everywhere. It had two pools, a game room, a pool table, a gym, and a mini putting green for use with plastic little-kid putters.

Friday morning, Ellen left early to go shopping with Steph and her cousin, who hates shopping and is apparently the female version of me. I’ll let Ellen comment more on her. I’m leaving Ellen for her, by the way. I arose around noon, and wandered over to a sports bar that Ryan recommended for lunch. Lots of truckers, big screens, etc. I sat alone at the bar, read a newspaper, ate a great burger, and drank a very cold Amberbock. I was that guy, and proud of it. Afterwards, I walked over to K-Mart to pick up a few things, and then back to the hotel. I stopped to hit around the little-kid golf balls, and then back to the room. Much to my disappointment, there was no ESPN Classic in the hotel rooms. But there was a kick-ass episode of “Law & Order” on, so that almost made up for it. Now’s where things get good. After Ellen returned and got changed, we met Kerrie and Brad in the lobby to head over to Steph’s on our way to the rehearsal. When we got to Steph’s, she informed us that the rehearsal would be really boring, and if Brad and I wanted to stay at her house with her uncles and cousins, we could. Booze was promised, making the decision easy. We walk in the house, and as soon as they pull away, Uncle Dan says, “alright, let’s see what Marty (Steph’s dad) keeps in his liquor cabinet.” Unfortunately, there was no beer, meaning I was forced to drink gin and tonics, which turned out to be not so awful. There was a very old bottle of scotch that we thought better of opening; this will become crucial later on. Highlight of the booze session: cousin Daniel (age 10) stating that his dream in life is to be the quarterback at Michigan, and then proceeding to say that he wishes Carlyle Holiday was still the ND quarterback because “he’s terrible.” Impressive kid. The rehearsal dinner was very nice, featuring Bass on tap, an excellent buffet, and the realization that I hadn’t drank anything non-alcoholic all day.

Saturday, Ellen was at the salon by 9am, so I went to breakfast with the Cronks around 11:30 at Cracker Barrel. What an institution. Chad Pennington claims to want to open one in New York because he misses it so much since leaving the south. If he opened one in midtown Manhattan, I’d go every day for lunch. For $6, I got scrambled eggs, bacon, fried cinnamon apples, 2 types of biscuits, hash browns, and something else, which I forget right now. Awesome.

The wedding itself was not your typical wedding; it was at some type of Christian church, but we couldn’t figure out the denomination because it did not state it anywhere. The service included a song written and performed by Ryan’s clone younger brother, a ridiculously long poem written and performed by Ryan’s English professor, and a bizarre homily of sorts by some wacky preacher cousin. Very long service for it not being a Catholic mass. Anyway, Cronk was getting game updates through the internet on his super-high-tech phone. Unfortunately, his phone died from doing this so continuously, and he had to get play-by-play from his dad on Lisa’s phone on the way to the reception. You know the rest of the saga of this unfortunate game. I only got to be “that guy” at the reception with my earpiece radio for the final kick as we were walking in, so that sucked. On to the reception: this was a pretty standard wedding reception, but with one absolutely treeeeeeemendous addition, for which I can obviously thank Ryan: pour-it-yourself beer kegs. No waiting at the bar for the bartender to pour you a beer. No tipping necessary. Just two kegs (covered up with a cloth to make it look more tasteful) sitting on a table in a back room, with both Killian’s and Coors Light. Oh sweet mercy. I realize that as a man, when I get married someday I will have make most concessions and go with the flow, but this is a definite non-negotiable must-have. The only time I didn’t hit this up every 15 minutes was for about an hour when Cronk and I were engaged in a VERY intense conversation about the future of ND football on the other side of the room (looks like Spurrier’s out now, sorry Cronk).

Now for the scotch story: about halfway through the reception, I’m standing around talking football with Cronk and Brad when Uncle Steve comes over to say hi. He says, “Brad, Dave, it’s a good thing we didn’t open that bottle of scotch yesterday. Marty tells me now that he bought it the day Stephanie was born, and that they are going to drink it soon in celebration of their little girl getting married. Wow, we really dodged a bullet there, huh?!”

The Weekend in ReviewGrilled Cheese Edition

NCAA Football

Auburn 24, Georgia 6: Is there a reason why this team shouldn't be number 1 right now? If there is - schedule strength, whatever - please speak up now, I'd like to know.

Michigan State 49, Wisconsin 14: Wait, what? An MSU blowout was the beginning of the end for Minnesota, but Wisconsin just seems too good to follow in their footsteps. Time for tOSU to play spoiler against Michigan - the team with the most to lose always seems to lose that game.

BC 36, West Virginia 17: Well, I've been saying all along that West Virginia was overrated, but... ugh.

Boise State 56, San Jose State 49: Amazing game. San Jose State really showed up to play in this one, even with the 9AM local start. SJSU obviously doesn't listen to all of ESPN's hype surrounding Boise State. (Although, in their defense, the Broncos do have a solid QB and a great offensive system for their conference.)

Iowa 29, Minnesota 27: For those of you who don't get to see four or more Big Ten games a week, I'll tell you this - Iowa freshman QB Drew Tate will be one to watch in the future. He's just the kind of mobile QB that has killed ND twice this season.

Texas A&M 32, Texas Tech 25: My fingers are still crossed that ND doesn't play the Red Raiders in a bowl game. A basketball game, I'd love to see that (maybe Yonto can land me courtside seats), but a football game against their pass-happy attack - no thanks.

The NFL

Steelers 24, Browns 10: Out coached, out played, out classed. Jeff Garcia is the ultimate gamer - at 6'0", 190 lbs. he has to be - so maybe the fault lies on Terry Robiskie. Robiskie was Kellen Winslow's position coach at "the U" (go figure, huh Butch?) and to my knowledge does not have too much previous coordinator experience. No wonder he commented that he had to cut the playbook back 50% when Winslow went down. There are other tight ends on the roster - Aaron Shea is having a great season - so don't blame the injury. While we're at it - you can collect all the great running backs and mobile QBs you want, but if there's no line to block, they can't go anywhere.
I've said it before, but it bears repeating. Ben Roethlisberger is the real deal - but a traditionally great line and a great receiving corps has definitely helped his quick progress.

Bears 19, Titans 17: Craig Krenzel puts up mediocre numbers on a team with no offense, but he keeps winning thanks to defense and good breaks. Sound familiar?

Rams 23, Seahawks 12: OK, when do they play the second half? Wait, what? Field goal battle? "I'm confused!"

Packers 34, Vikings 31: Great ending to this one. Minnesota scores two late TDs to tie it up, only to see a magnificent catch by Tony Fisher on the sidelines set up the game winning field goal for Green Bay.

Cardinals 17, Giants 14: In other news, Eli Manning will be named starter effective next week. Can Luke Petitgout and the Giant line help Eli make everyone forget about Big Ben?

Patriots 29, Bills 6: Well, if you hold the opposing QB to 76 yards passing, you'll probably win. It's that simple.

Transaction Wire

Giants sign free agent Omar Vizquel. The real end of an era in Cleveland - the last big name from the mid-'90s powerhouses is gone. Meanwhile, the fat dorks at Baseball Primer keep on keepin' on - all they can do is blast Vizquel's stats because they don't have the athletic ability to compare to his magic. On another note - are there any good shortstops left in the AL? For my money, the best defensive shortstops are playing for California's 3 NL clubs - Vizquel, Khalil Greene, and Caesar Izturis.

Washington "Nationals" sign Vinny Castilla and Christian Guzman. Castilla will provide veteran leadership - hey, with no farm system, it's not like he's blocking anyone, anyways. Guzman's move, meanwhile, finally forces the Twins to play someone with talent in their middle infield.

Tigers sign Troy Percival. The Indians were looking for a closer as well, and Percival was the best one out there. Apparently, though, the Tribe was looking more in the salary range of Armando Benitez (hey, he did help them in the playoffs so many times in the 90s). The good news is, with the signing of Percival, the Tigers will probably make Ugeth Urbina available. Urbina, sought after by the Indians last year, again could be an option at closer for the Tribe.

Here's Looking at You

It's former Notre Dame male clarinet Mike Siembor (farthest to the right in the left picture. confused?) , and Golden State forward Michael Najera.

Miscellaneous Ramblings

Recently, some MSU football players were arrested for creating and exploding homemade bombs. Apparently, the official name for a homemade bomb made in a plastic container (I'm thinking 2-liter pop bottle) is a "MacGyver bomb." Who knew?

While doing the ND basketball mini-preview, I noticed that Katy Flecky wasn't listed on the women's roster. Hmm, I thought, wasn't she in Yonto's class - she didn't graduate yet, did she? Turns out she, too, has left the team for personal reasons. Too bad, she was a good one. Too bad, also, that I never got a chance to meet her....

Link of the week: http://whudat.com/tags.html Rap stars and "What Their Mommas Named Them" - in other words, their "real names."

In ND/Chicago Bears news, the Bears released the versatile Mike Gandy to make room for a young stud lineman coming off of the injured list. The Browns could sure use a player like Gandy. Also, on November 10, Darrell began a 21 day period where he will be able to practice with the team while still on injured reserve. At the end of that period, the Bears will have to remove him from the IR list and make a roster move for him.

In case you missed it, here is my rant on the new band CD.

As I type, the #11 ND women's team is locked up in a tight one against #6 Duke in the NIT semifinals. Go Irish. The winner plays the winner of tonight's Arizona-tOSU game this weekend.

While watching the USC-Arizona game, the announcers mentioned that USC's active linebackers often leave the seams wide open for the tight ends. Anthony Fasano, anyone?

Finally, an NSS rambling, from Tuesday night's meeting. One of the ladies their was the wife of an ND grad. "They keep asking me for money. Bill always used to give, but I didn't go there, so I didn't give money any more." This woman must read NDNation, though. She was going on and on about the "Ty stare." She's not sure how long he'll still be around, and she said he reminded her of Dan Devine. Funny she should mention Devine - my thoughts on Ty were always "At best, he's a Dan Devine" - won one championship, but the alumns and fans never thought he was good enough. (Yonto, if you're reading this, I'd love to hear what The Coach thinks of Devine - he did give him the DC spot and everything.) She also mentioned that she remembered one time when the students actually tarred Devine's house in the middle of the night. Please, no one get any ideas.

Important Announcements

• I'm still looking for a guest column for the second half of this week. Email it to me preferrably by 5:30 pm eastern Thursday. If you can get it to me by 5:30 Friday, I can have it up over the weekend.


• Remember that KankaMatic Baseball re-signings are due at the end of this month.


• Next month, we'll again be voting for the KankaNation Hall of Fame. More details as we get closer to December.


• Finally, we're going to start the KankaNation Top 25 with football, not basketball. Email me your NCAA football top 25 by 3pm eastern each Sunday for the rest of the season. If you can't get to a computer easily between the end of the games Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, let me know and I'll try to rearrange the schedule. We'll start with basketball once the season is done.

Pitt 41, ND 38

Say what you want about this game. I'm just sick to my stomach for these seniors - on the field and off.

Quarterback: It was a decent day for Brady Quinn, all things considered. Quinn wen 15-26 (57.7%) for 259 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also had two interceptions - one his fault (thrown into traffic) and one not (tipped). He was sacked only once and had a key scramble late in the game.

Running Back: Well, when I'm wrong, it's not always a bad thing. Ryan Grant and Marcus Wilson had average days - 48 and 6 yards respectively. But, Darius Walker proved that Pitt still has no run defense. Walker had 112 yards and 2 TDs, and it looks like his ability to find the holes has returned.

Fullback: Josh Schmidt had a catch for 16 yards. Where have he and his great hands been all season? Rashon Powers-Neal also had a TD catch on a well-run play.

Receiver: OK, Matt Shelton was open across the seam for the entire first half - enough for 128 yards and a TD. I understand the running game was going well, but you still have to expect more than two catches for 10 yards from your leading receiver (Rhema McKnight). Maurice Stovall did add 23 yards and a TD on two catches.

Tight End: Anthony Fasano once again showed flashes of future greatness with 3 catches for 27 yards. Unfortunately, he and the other 5 tight ends showed no other flashes of present greatness, as this was the only productivity from that position on Saturday.

O-Line: 179 yards on the ground and only one sack against a team that likes to get in the backfield. Sounds like a decent day to me.

D-Line: Well, the D-Line got into the backfield. But, that can be a problem with a mobile QB - once the big guys get near him, he can just run around them.

Linebacker: Well, I would tell you what happened, but apparently UND.com didn't feel like posting the defensive numbers with the rest of the stats. Maybe they were trying to make a statement?

Safety: Again, no numbers, but I will point this out. Other than that fumbled snap, Pittsburgh flat out did not turn the ball over. That's how you win ballgames.

Cornerback: Sometimes I'll make guesses, then be completely right, and it will scare me. And, sometimes I'll be completely right and hate myself for it. In the first half, the secondary played a normal defense, and Greg Lee ran all over them. In the second half, they bracketed Lee, and the backs and tight end Erik Gill ran all over the Irish.

Kicker: DJ hit a 45 yarder in a key situation, which is all you could ask him to do. Apparently, he's also the only guy who can tackle on kickoff coverage, something he no doubt learned from Nick Setta.

Punter: DJ was once again consistent and respectable. Four punts, 3 inside the 20, with a long of 51 and an average of 42.

Kick Returner: Hey, we've finally found a kick returner - and a use for Carlos Campbell! What, we only have one game left in the season? Crap.

Punt Returner: There isn't a Notre Dame fan, player, or coach who wasn't trying to will Carlyle Holiday across the goal line on that one kick return. It was a bittersweet end for Carlyle - he shined one last time, but the team couldn't pull through.

Special Teams: They blocked well and they held Pitt to respectible returns. But, they can't do everything.

ND Football 2004Issue 10: Pittsburgh

Pitt Rush Offense vs. ND Rush Defense

Rush offense? Pitt doesn't have much of one. Leading rusher Raymond Kirkley isn't Tony Dorsett. Heck, he isn't even Brandon Miree. Kirkley, averaging 65.8 of Pitt's 107.8 yards per game, is listed at 5'10", 225 lbs. That means he's one tough little back. The number two rushing threat is QB Tyler Palco at 17 yards per game. Of his 88 rushing attempts (that's an average of 11 per game), 22 are sacks. That means this kid likes to scramble, so the Irish will have to keep an eye on him.
ND's dominant front seven is bad news for the Panther rushing attack, as the Irish come in giving up only 95.2 yards per game on the ground. With an active quarterback, I'm looking for a big game from the linebackers. Leading tacklers Mike Gooslby and Brandon Hoyte can lay the big hits, while Derek Curry has the ability to chase Palko down. Don't be surprised if Palko has more than 17 rushing yards, though, as ND proved in the BC game its trouble with mobile QBs. However, with a dominant line lead by Justin Tuck's 13 TFL, the rest of the Pitt run game won't get very far.

ND Rush Offense vs. Pitt Rush Defense

It was last year against Pitt that Julius Jones put his name on the NFL draft radar. Can senior Ryan Grant do the same this season? Or will Darius Walker return to the national spotlight, a la the Michigan game? I for one wouldn't bet on it. Walker, Grant, and Marcus Wilson have been consistent to a fault as of late. Walker is averaging 70.9 yards per game, Grant 59, and Wilson 14.1. With ND averaging 121 yards per game total, and Pitt giving up 125 per, look for another average day from these three.
As stated above, Pitt is giving up 125 yards per game on the ground - 125.6 to be exact. And, just like ND, their top two tacklers are linebackers. HB Blades (perfect name for a runstopper) has 76 tackles, 10.5 for loss. Right behind him is Clint Session with 59 tackles. Of Blades's 10.5 TFL, only 2 are sacks. So, that tells you he gets in the backfield and makes the stop, no matter who has the ball. It will take good blocking from Rashon Powers-Neal on run plays and Grant on passes to keep Blades in check.

Pitt Pass Offense vs. ND Pass Defense

As stated above, Tyler Palko likes to run. But he's not that bad of a passer, either. His completion percentage is 57.1%. An average day for Palko, in addition to 17 yards on the ground, is approximately 19-33 for 238 yards, a TD or two, and a pick. As usual, Pitt relies on one big receiving target. This year, it's 6'2 sophomore Greg Lee. Lee has 40 receptions, 5 for touchdowns, and averages 104 yards per game. This includes a long of 77 yards. Of course, just because Lee is putting up all the numbers yardage wise, that doesn't mean he's the only threat. Just when all eyes are on Lee, in slips 5'8 "possession receiver" Joe DelSardo. DelSardo's yards per catch numbers aren't as flashy (11.5, compared to Lee's 20.8), but he does have 32 catches, 4 TDs, and averages 46 yards per game. Other key contributors to the Pitt passing game are Kirkley (21.6 YPG), RB/WR Marcus Freeman (17.6 YPG) - who bears a striking resemblance to a young "Rudy" from the Cosby Show, and TE Erik Gill at 26 YPG.
Well, it looks to me like the Irish secondary has their hands full. Last year, they shut down Larry Fitzgerald with a great bracket coverage scheme (even though ESPN loves to keep showing one of the measly 6 catches Fitzgerald did make in that game). But, if you do that to Lee, DelSardo and Gill will no doubt camp out and catch first down after first down. If you play everyone evenly, chances are Lee will beat you deep. It should be interesting to watch - I'm just glad I'm not the defensive coordinator for this one. On a positive note for the Irish, Pitt is giving up almost 3 sacks per game, and that's on a schedule where Nebraska and BC are the only teams they've played that wouldn't consistently lose to I-AA schools. So, again, look for big things from Tuck Curry, Hoyte, and also from a guy like Greg Pauly or Kyle Budinscak.

ND Pass Offense vs. Pitt Pass Defense

What's the average day like for Brady Quinn? 16-30 for 223 yards, with a TD and a pick (11 TDs, 7 INTs total). Of course, that's come against all kind of competition. An ideal game, in my "power pulls the train" mind at least, is one where he doesn't need to throw a single pass because of a dominating run game. But, I suspect he'll need to have a good game throwing the ball in order to keep Pitt off of our backs. When he does go to the air, he "only" has 20 options to choose from. Leading the way are Rhema McKnight, averaging about 4 catches and 55.7 YPG, and Anthony Fasano, averaging 37.8 yards on just under 3 catches per game. As for the supporting cast - it seems as they've gone into hiding as of late. I'm looking for a few catches from Maurice Stovall (39 YPG) in key situations, as is becoming his signature this season. Then, if Matt Shelton (a deceptive 41.9 YPG) and Jeff Samardzija can get back on track, the Irish offense will be in good shape.
Pitt apparently lives and dies with the pass this season. Their defense has given up 265.6 yards per game in the air this season. I see quite a few sacks from their defensive backs this season, which could be bad news for Brady Quinn, but also great news for the Irish receivers if coverage is blown. In addition to HB Blades, look for pressure from lineman Thomas Smith and LBs Charles Sallet and JJ Horne.

Special Teams

Placekicker Josh Cummings is 12-17 on field goal attempts this year, but that number is slightly deceiving. Despite a long of 47, 4 of his 5 misses have come from 40+ yards, including two attempts of 51 yards. The primary punter is Adam Graessle, and he's a good one. He has an average of 44.7 yards per punt, and a long of 79 (a good roll on the astroturf perhaps?). Of his 44 punts, 16 have gone inside the 20, and 4 have been blocked. Hmmm, maybe putting 8 guys in the box on punts will finally pay off for ND. Besides a block, ND may finally have a good day in the return game as well. Pitt is giving up 25.7 yards per kick return and 10.1 per punt return.
The punt return game for Pitt is nothing special (sound familiar). DB Allen Richardson is averaging 3.7 yards per punt, with a long of 17. Kick returners, however, are another story. Richardson has 5 returns for 102 yards, and Raymond Kirkley has 8 for 142. But the primary threat is the versatile Marcus Furman. Furman is averaging 27.4 yards per return with a 96 yard touchdown. Gulp.
Well, once again, DJ is doing as well as a walkon can do - unless you want to talk about Reggie Ho. Fitzpatrick is 9-12 on field goals, missing one each from 30+, 40+, and 50+. His long is 47. Punting, DJ has an average of 42.3 and a long of 67. 23 of his 58 punts have ended up inside the 20. Kicking off, Bobby Renkes has an average of 59.8 yards, which gets the ball to the 5 yard line. Coverage teams have been hot and cold for the Irish. They're giving up 20.5 yards per on kickoffs and 7 per on punts.
We'll skip kick returns because I don't want to think about them, but I will say this - it appears that Carlyle Holiday is finally figuring out how to make the most of what Buzz Preston is giving him. It's probably too little too late, but it's better than nothing. Plus, he always has an excuse if he drops one, right?

Look for a big game from
Quinn, Stovall, Goolsby, Hoyte, Tuck

ND 24, Pitt 17: Two by Grant and one by Fasano (one set up by a turnover and one by a deep pass to Stovall), plus one by DJ. That beats a TD set up by a long return, a sustained drive, and a figgie.

The Weekend in ReviewRocky Top, you'll always be home sweet home to Cronk

NCAA Football

Louisville 56, Memphis 49: Defense wins championships, but lack of it doesn't keep you from winning Thursday night games.

USC 28, Oregon 20: Ugh. If you get an early lead, you have to keep adding on. Otherwise, USC puts up 28 straight points on you and inches closer to a weak undefeated record.

Utah 63, Colorado State 31: Let's see - 42-10 at halftime, 56-10 after 3. Do you think Utah has something to prove to the pollsters? (Alas, it didn't help, as they fell out of the protected #6 spot in the BCS.)

Clemson 24, Miami 17: Sure, Larry Coker drives an Escalade, but can he coach? Nope? OK.

The NFL

Cardinals 24, Dolphins 23: Now Miami knows how my fantasy team feels every week. Another week, another comeback win for Josh McCown - this time with a TD on the fade-stop route to Larry Fitzgerald.

Steelers 27, Eagles 3: Tom Jackson was actually surprised that you can run easily on the Eagles. Do you watch football much, Tom?

Bears 28, Giants 21: Um, Ellen, I know you like me to comment on the Giants game, but do you really want me to talk about a game where you lost to Craig Krenzel.

Gimmicks and Mimmics: The Mailbag

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Um, OK. Moving on.

GO PURDUE!!!

Good game this weekend, Kid.

GO BOILERS!

http://mplazear.com/on_approach.htm - Matthew Lazear

I love class, don't you?

Hey! I saw I got a mention on your blog.

That is awesome. - Marcus Barlow, South Bend, IN

Yes, you're now famous to the 10 or so people who read this site. Oh, wait, they already know you. Oh well, see you at Corby's next fall... 'cause that's how I roll.

Kanka,

I was wondering what your thoughts are about Utah and Urban Meyer. As far a
Utah goes, how high do you think they should be ranked in any of the polls?
I mean they are undefeted but the Mountain West conference is bordering on
I-AA status. And what about Meyer. He has obviously done some great things
and turned around some teams but Bowling Green and Utah are not Michigan,
Miami, or Notre Dame. Since he has out clauses to two of those schools
(Michigan and Notre Dame), do you think he could hack it as a head coach
there? - Ellen Fitzgerald, Colonia, NJ

Well, you can't argue that Utah's schedule is much tougher than Cal's, and Cal is sitting at #4. In fact, if you look at it, they're not too far behind USC in quality of opponent, either. So, I'll hear no arguments about schedule strength, unless it involves Oklahoma's openers against Bowling Green (not a state) and Houston.
As for Meyer - he does have experience at Notre Dame at a good time in their history, so that's a good start. Let's take a look at a few key aspects of being a head coach. It's not a definitive view, so don't hold me to that.
Recruiting: Meyer had Randy Moss coming to ND until the administration turned him down (don't blame them, though - this idiot actually got kicked out of FSU als), and he almost got Allen Iverson to play football at ND. You would think that it was easy to recruit at ND in the 90s - "Hey, this is a great football school, and we're playing really well right now, so come play for us." Alas, a certain former coach proved that it isn't that easy. (Or did that certain coach recruit well, then screw up the players?)
Play calling: Meyer runs a gimmick offense at Utah - the spread option. The spread option puts the quarterback in the shotgun and uses multiple receivers. Now, some could look at this and say it won't work in a big school, especially since the best players are looking for "pro style" offenses. However, you can also look at it this way - maybe Meyer is just so much of a genius, he realizes that a conventional approach in the Mountain West wouldn't nearly be as successful with his talent, so he goes with what works. I'm leaning on the side of genius, and I have a feeling more than a few NDNationers do as well. Plus, Urban was a receivers coach when at ND, so he has experience with a somewhat conventional offense. If not, I'd have to believe he'd be able to use his recruiting skills to bring a quality supporting staff to an ND or a Michigan. You wouldn't think it would be that hard, especially with the coaching talent that has gone through those schools. (In addition, Meyer was a legit special teams coach!)

Dear Kanka:

I thought you might find this interesting:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Dawn K. Brohawn
Once-and-Future Books
<address withheld>

"Knute Rockne's Only Novel Republished"

After more than half a century, Knute Rockne's first and only novel, THE
FOUR WINNERS, is making a comeback.

Why republish this work of fiction by the legendary football coach of
the University of Notre Dame? As Once-and-Future Books founder, Michael
Greaney explains, the voices from past generations can remind us of the
values we've forgotten as a society. And, they can provide a good read.

The "Rock's" own namesake and grandson, Knute Rockne III, expressed
delight when he learned of the upcoming release of the new edition of
THE FOUR WINNERS. Rockne commented, "THE FOUR WINNERS was written by my
grandfather for the expansion of the game of football, but most of all
to show that it is a game of intelligence and not just pure muscle."

Notre Dame football fan and Professor Emeritus of Law Charles Rice
applauds the values expressed, "This enjoyable little book, by a great
teacher of youth, evokes a positive and clean morality that is not a
curiosity of the past but our hope for the future."

Many people remember "the Rock" (1888 - 1931) as Notre Dame's most
famous football coach. He revolutionized the sport of college football,
popularized the forward pass and put finesse into a game where it had
been notably absent. Less well known is the fact that Rockne was also a
chemist, working in the development of synthetic rubber. To these
achievements we can now add novelist.

Written in the "young adult" genre, the book treats in fictional form
Rockne's philosophy of sports and academics, both essential parts of the
foundation for a well-rounded personality. The book exemplifies how the
proper approach to life can set a young man - or woman - firmly on the
path to what Aristotle called "the good life." Straightforward in its
storytelling, the novel expresses what may seem to today's readers an
almost childlike presumption of the basic goodness of the human race.
Diehard football fans will note the tie-in of the title with the
legendary Notre Dame backfield of the mid-1920s, the memorable "Four
Horsemen," Crowley, Layden, Miller and Stuhldreher.

Republished in September 2004 by Once-and-Future Books, THE FOUR
WINNERS: THE HEAD, THE HANDS, THE FOOT, THE BALL (ISBN 0-9729821-0-8) is
available from the Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com web sites as well
as by special order from local bookstores. Quantity discounts are
available from the publisher. - Michael Greaney

Hey, great.

Kanka,

Of the three big time qbs that came out of the 2004 draft, two are in
interesting positions, Eli Manning and Philip Rivers. Which if two is in a
tougher spot? Do you think the Giants will get rid of Warner even though
he is preforming better than expected and has adjusted to a completely
different offense well? What about Rivers. All of a sudden the San Diego
QBs don't suck. - Ellen Fitzgerald, Colonia, NJ

Well, of the two, I would say Rivers is in a better position right now. Drew Brees, who is having a great year, will be a free agent at the end of the season. Rivers has already proven he's Marty Schottenheimer's boy - see last year's senior all-star game (Senior Bowl, was it?) and the draft day trade - so I wouldn't be surprised if the Chargers just let Brees go at the end of the year, using the "he's asking for too much money" excuse. Once Brees is gone, Doug Flutie won't challenge for the starting spot.
As for Eli - I can see another Carson Palmer/Jon Kitna situation here, with Warner sent to the bench no matter how well he does. It may not happen next year, especially if the Giants make a playoff run, but it will eventually. Depending on how old Warner is when it happens, he'll probably try to find a starting job elsewhere.
As for this year's "third" QB - Ben Roethlisberger. Yes, I do think he is the best of the three (maybe that's some of Todd's Miami influence speaking). But, without the good receivers and decent line in Pittsburgh, he wouldn't be on top of the world right now.

Dear Kanka:

I'm curious: how would you rank New York Giants quarterbacks of the last 20
years? They are: Phil Simms, Jeff Hostetler, Dave Brown, Danny Kannell,
Kerry Collins, and Kurt Warner. Personally, I would go Hostetler, Collins,
Brown, Simms, Warner, and Kannel. - Dave Schmitt, West Islip, NY

Sounds about right. I may put Kannel ahead of Simms, though. Funny you should mention that, though. I was watching a game on Sunday, and they showed a list of quarterbacks coached by Jim Fassel. Now there's an interesing and bitter list. It included Simms, Hostetler, Collins, John Elway, and Kyle Boller. Good good.

Miscellaneous Ramblings

• Congrats again to Jackie Batteast. Once again, you can add a preseason All-American spot and a place on the 50-player Naismith watch list to her list of accomplisments.


• Ladies and gentlemen, Notre Dame's All-Century Basketball Team.
  
• Thanks to loyal KankaMatic Nick Schumacher for his list of the lastest ND bowl projections. Of course, let's play the last two games before we start making travel plans. (As for me, I can only go if we get a January bowl game, which I doubt will happen.)


• Thompson Twins Keep Rolling, Become Only Doubles Team To Have Reached Semis In Both Grand Slams This Fall Waaa?
  


• From Page 2's latest "What were they thinking?" on the Red Sox: "And here's another little-known fact about the playoffs. That wasn't blood on Schilling's sock. It was Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill." Hey, chicks dig the Boone's.


• Gammonsesquity strikes again: Not only does the team feature both new Rookies of the Year - Bobby Crosby and Jason Bay, but it also includes AL #4 Zack Greinke and NL #2 Khalil Greene.

See you Thursday with a Pitt preview.

ND 17, Tennessee 13

Quarterback: Well, it wasn't much, but it got the job done. Brady Quinn was only able to put together one touchdown drive en route to a 12-23, 118 yard performance.

Running Back: The running backs are nothing if not consistent. Should we just chalk up Darius Walker for 70 yards and Ryan Grant for 50 every week? Again, Walker's numbers have fallen off a bit from the Michigan game (plus, 32 of his 70 yards were on one carry), but he's young and will get better as he and the line grow together. Besides, isn't 21 carries for 120 yards a decent day for a running back? Meanwhile, Marcus Wilson and Travis Thomas combined for 20 yards on two receptions.

Fullback: Not much here. RPN had a one yard carry and a reception for 3 yards.

Receiver: Rhema McKnight was a steady performer, with 4 catches for 35 yards. Maurice Stovall had two receptions, one of which was for 12 yards on ND's only touchdown drive.

Tight End: Anthony Fasano's great hands turned what was otherwise a bad pass into a touchdown. He had only one other catch besides his TD, and John Carlson added a reception for 3 yards.

O-Line: ND gave up 3 sacks and had a combined 46 rushing yards in the wrong direction. Again, not great, but not too bad considering Tennessee's attacking style of defense.

D-Line:

Courtesy AP/Wade Payne

This game was won by the front seven of ND. Derek Landri and Kyle Budinscak had this hit that caused the game-changing interception, but it was Justin Tuck's consistent play - 8 tackles and two sacks - that also made a difference for the Irish. Congratulations to Tuck for claiming ND's all time sack record for himself in this game.

Linebacker:

Courtesy AP/Wade Payne

It was Gary Godsey who Beat Purdue - twice - and it was the ND linebacking corps who beat Tennessee. Mike Goolsby lead the team with 14 tackles and had that game-changing interception. Right behind Goolsby in tackles were Brandon Hoyte (he loves his mama) with 11 and Derek Curry with 8. Each added a sack, and it was Hoyte's that forced Erik Ainge out of the game. But that wasn't the only big hit Hoyte had (ah, alliteration) - BHoyte had big tackle after big tackle, including a Noi-esque stop on a key third down play.

Safety: The missed tackles showed more than the made ones for the secondary in this game. OK, let me stop myself there. I won't single someone out for one mistake when there was at least one - or more - good things he did do during the game. I'll also add that Tom Zbikowski led the secondary with 7 tackles, including an assist on that key fourth down stop.

Cornerback: It was again Preston Jackson's time to shine. In addition to 6 tackles, Jackson elevated for a key breakup of a touchdown early in the game. Out of everyone in the stadium and watching on TV, he was probably the only person who knew he could leap high enough to get a hand on the ball.

Kicker: He only had to march out there once, but DJ added clutch insurance points with a 39 yard field goal late in the game. Meanwhile, Bobby Renkes averaged just under 60 yards per kickoff (that'll get you to the 5 yard line) and had a touchback.

Punter: DJ probably spent a long time in the sauna after this one, and he deserved it. In the role of punter as a weapon, DJ had 10 (count 'em, 10!) punts for a combined 398 yards. His long was 52.

Kick Returner: Communication, it's a good thing. Fortunately, only one of Tennessee's 4 kickoffs didn't result in a touchback.

Punt Returner: It's too little too late, but Carlyle Holiday looks like he's finally starting to figure out how to return punts in the formation he's being given. He had two returns, each for 9 yards.

Special Teams: In a word, solid. Punt returners were held to a respectible 24 yards on three returns, and kick returners had 32 on three returns. It helps when you give the other team's offense a long field to start with, doesn't it?

ND Football 2004Issue 9: Tennessee

UT Rush Offense vs. ND Rush Defense

Tennessee has a powerful, balanced attack, lead by a 1-2 punch at running back. Cedric Houston averages 77 yards per game, and Gerald Riggs is right behind him with 73 per game. Both are listed at 6', 220, so I doubt this is an inside-outside rotation. Both appear to be powerful backs made to both take and give a beating in the strong SEC. Behind these two in the rushing attack is QB #2 Brent Schaeffer at 11 yards per game. Overall, the Vols gain 181.4 yards per game on the ground.
Notre Dame gives up an average of 99.9 yards on the ground. This will be a physical game for the ND front 7. Tackles Greg Pauly and Derek Landi will have to hold their ground in the trenches. The matchup between Tennessee's powerful backs and Mike Goolsby and the hard-hitting Brandon Hoyte should be interesting to watch.

ND Rush Offense vs. UT Rush Defense

The Irish, averaging 124.8 yards per game, will have to get the running game going to win this one. Darius Walker is still leading the team with 71 yards per game, but things haven't come quite so easy for him as of late. He'll need to find the right holes, inside and outside, and his performance will be key in this game. Ryan Grant is averaging 60.8 yards per game. If Walker can't get it going, Grant will need to be able to hold onto the ball and pound it inside against a physical defense. (Right now Klondike probably has a lot of dirty thoughts running through his mind.)
Tennessee is giving up 123.6 rushing yards per game. I suppose that shouldn't be surprising in the SEC. Linebackers Kevin Burnett and Omar Gaither are numbers 2 and 3 on the team in tackles, combining for 127 and 12.5 for loss. (One note: UT is averaging negative 22 yards per game from sacks, making their actual run defense total 145.5.)

UT Pass Offense vs. ND Pass Defense

Cue the ND-BYU basketball highlights. Erik Ainge, nephew of two-sport star Danny, is the primary passer for the Vols. He as averaging only 162.9 yards per game, but has thrown 16 touchdowns (an average of 2 per game). Ainge is only a freshman, though, and he does have 9 interceptions. There are no stars of the UT passing game - there are 6 players with 9-19 catches and averaging 21-31 yards per game. Touchdown leader Bret Smith has 5, and 11 catches total.
Notre Dame is giving up a miserable 251.1 yards per game in the air. Assuming the playcalling is correct, the short and intermediate game hasn't been too bad. Defense of the deep pass, on the other hand, has been a problem for the past two seasons. I see longs of 60, 55, and 42, 39, and 39 from the Vol receivers, so ND will have to guard against the deep pass (safety help anyone?). Bret Smith already has TD catches of 57 and 60 yards on the year. Shutting down the deep pass, or at least minimizing the damage will be key for the Irish in this game.

ND Pass Offense vs. UT Pass Defense

"We're going inside of ‘em, we're going outside of ‘em -- inside of ‘em! outside of ‘em! -- and when we get them on the run once, we're going to keep ‘em on the run. And we're not going to pass unless their secondary comes up too close. But don't forget, men -- we're gonna get ‘em on the run, we're gonna go, go, go, go! -- and we aren't going to stop until we go over that goal line!"
On one hand, ND has a QB who can throw the ball - Brady Quinn is averaging 236.2 yards per game. On the other hand, I hope we don't need to use him. Of course, they could take a hint from the Browns' coaching staff vs. the Eagles - after running all over Philadelphia in the first half, they knew the Eagles would be looking run. So, it was then they went to the air. When Brady does go to the air, he has no less than 19 options to choose from. I'll assume that Marcus Freeman and Jerome Collins are still banged up, but other than that I haven't heard any injury reports. Leading the way for the Irish passing attack are Rhema McKnight and Anthony Fasano. McKnight has 31 catches for 466 yards, and Fasano has 19 for 286. Behind these two are the talent trio of Maurice Stovall, Matt Shelton, and Jeff Samardzija. If these five are used correctly, good things will come.
Do you want an active defense? How about 11 interceptions, 25 sacks, and 67 tackles for loss. Defensive back Jason Allen leads the team in tackles with a whopping 83. Defensive linemen Parys Haralson and Jesse Mahelona have 11.5 TFL each, and have combined for 9 sacks. The Irish line will have quite a challenge on their hands. Perhaps some misdirection and rollouts will come in handy.

Special Teams

Sophomore James Wilhoit is a deceiving 5-10 o n field goals. All 5 misses have come from 40+, but he does have a 51 yard game winner under his belt. Wilhoit is also averaging 62.1 yards per kickoff (good enough to get it to about the 3 yard line), and has 18 touchbacks. Punter Dustin Colquitt has numbers very similar to DJ Fitzpatrick's - 41.9 per with a long of 61 and 11 inside the 20.
Tennessee punt returns? Decent - 6.8 per return. Kick returns? 19.8 per. But, if you're not yet convinced that Bret Smith is a speedster and a playmaker - he has 1 kick return on the year, and one kick return TD. It's 44 yards, so probably an onside kick, but that's still nothing to sneeze at.
Tennessee's kick return teams have been average - 19.6 yards per. Meanwhile, ND can just forget about punt returns against this team - 3.4 yards per.
DJ has been the double threat as a kicker. He's 8-11 on field goals with a long of 47. But his strength has been his punting. DJ is averaging 42.8 per with a long of 67 (thanks to a wind at the BC that apparently I could see from my couch but Tom Hammond and Pat Haden couldn't see from inside the stadium) and 21 inside the 20. On kickoffs, Bobby Renkes's 59.8 yard average will put the ball around the 5, and he has 3 touchbacks.
ND return game? Nonexistent. I've spent too many words on it already.
As for the Irish coverage teams, it's night and day. The punt coverage team can be good, although their average is 8.8 per. The kick team, meanwhile, is giving up 21.4 per.

Look for a big game from
Walker, Grant, Goolsby, BHoyte, DJ

ND 23, Tennessee 22: I have no idea.

The Weekend in ReviewI've got your Kimo von Oelhoffen right here!

NCAA Football

Boise State 69, Hawaii 3: OK, so Boise State may be overrated at 15, but you have to give them credit for being the first to realize that other WAC teams don't have any run defense. Meanwhile, Hawaii QB Timmy Chang may have completely killed his NFL hopes with this one. Chang was already known for only being able to operate out of shotgun, and for having happy feet. Going for Ty Detmer's career passing yardage mark, Chang instead ended up with the career interception mark. So, the brute force method of passing on every down doesn't always work well, does it?

North Carolina 31, Miami 28: Well, guess who's defense didn't show up on Saturday? Once again - talent will only get you so far. Sooner or later, you're going to have to start coaching and teaching discipline, Larry Coker. Meanwhile, just because Brock Berlin put up 338 yards against UNC doesn't mean he's once again a Heisman candidate.

Maryland 20, Florida State 17: Wait, Chris Rix didn't play, and it wasn't raining. Where's the excuse for this one?

Michigan 45, Michigan State 37: Oh, this one was winnable by MSU. But, you have to capitalize when you're given the chance, or else... it's too late.

West Virginia 35, Rutgers 30: Well, Rutgers is a Big East powerhouse this year.

Northwester 13, Purdue 10: Wow, those tests Kyle Orton had must have been really tough. He hasn't recovered since, to the point of being benched in this one - including during the potential tying/winning drive at the end of the game.

Indiana 30, Minnesota 21: Wait, I watched Indiana play last week. How did they score 20 points in one quarter without Matt LoVecchio throwing to Arnaz Battle?

tOSU 21, Penn State 10: Who needs offense when you can return a punt and an interception for a TD? (And, who needs it when your opponent doesn't have any?)

The NFL

Eagles 15, Ravens 10: OK, I don't really like Terrell Owens or Ray Lewis, but the highlight of this one was definitely Owens's redition of Lewis's stupid little dance.

Packers 28, Redskins 14: Well, supposedly this means that John Kerry will win the election. Too bad for George Bush that the Redskins really suck this year.

Titans 27, Bengals 20: There's nothing like seeing a young hotshot who's struggling to get by blow the game by trying to do too much. Less than 15 yards away from the tying TD with a minute and a half left, Carson Palmer started to go down to a sack, decided to try to get off a stupid pass, and completely lost the football. Good good, go kill yourself.

Steelers 34, Patriots 20: OK, you can lament New England's scant 5 yards in this one, but when you start the game down 21-3, you have to go to the air. Pittsburgh out-Belichicked Bill Bellichik in this one, forcing turnover and bumfuzzling the Patriot offense. Meanwhile, Ben Roethlisberger continues to make everyone say Eli who? Phil who? Carson who? I'm waiting for the day when Luke McCown can join Big Ben's ranks.

Bears 23, 49ers 13: Ugly game to watch. Well, I guess you can't complain about Ken Dorsey and Craig Krenzel too much after their performance in the Fiesta Bowl a few years ago.

Rating the AL Gold Gloves

Ivan Rodriguez, C: Always a safe choice. AL teams may not run much any more, but they definitely don't against Pudge.

Darin Erstad, 1B: A solid defensive outfielder, who has spent time at first in the past, Erstad was made a full time first baseman in 2004 due to injury problems. If you can handle center field, chances are first base isn't all that tough (especially considering the number of first basemen who struggle with routine throws to second and home).

Brett Boone, 2B: Interesting choice. Boone is definitely not as graceful as an Omar Vizquel or a Robbie Alomar, but he plays hard and gets the job done. Plus, he's considered to be one of the best AL second basemen in terms of starting and turning the double play.

Eric Chavez, 3B: In the AL, third base is a position where you're expected to hit home runs, defense be darned. But, when healthy, Chavez is the complete package at the hot corner.

Derek Jeter, SS: You're kidding, right? Jeter finished near the bottom in range factor (at least he wasn't last this year), and he actually had more errors than Omar Vizquel, who had a bad year defensively! It's surprising he had so many errors in the first place, since he never gets to the ball! And don't mention one word about the play where he ended up in the stands. Any Major League caliber defensive player knows you need to slide there to avoid the stupid thing that Jeter did. Just because he's popular doesn't mean he's a great defended (ahem, those who voted for A-Rod the past two years should listen up). (In case you're wondering, Miguel Tejada should have walked away with this one.)

Ichiro, OF: He just gets the job done. He could easily be a top center fielder in this league. Plus, you wouldn't think it, but he's got an arm that you just never should run on.

Vernon Wells, OF: Again proving he's a solid all-around star, it's good to see Wells got some credit after Toronto's miserable year.

Torii Hunter, OF: OK, he's a jerk, and he totally mailed it in after the Twins won the division, but Hunter is the best home run robber since Kenny Lofton in his prime.

Kenny Rogers, P: Some pitchers look clueless when it comes to fielding. Some ground ball pitchers realize they need to be athletes and field their position well. Kenny Rogers plays a very athletic pitcher position, and he could probably play a better second base than teammate Alfonso Soriano.

ND Men's Basketball Mini-Preview

Back Court: Well, this is again Chris Thomas's team, but he doesn't have to do it alone. Thomas may seem undisciplined at times, but he realizes his mistakes and is getting a little better with each passing year. Chris Quinn (not Colin Quinn) again joins Thomas in the starting back court. I'm looking for Quinn to bounce back from his sophomore slump, and this 1-2 punch should mean good things this year. Joining Thomas and Quinn at guard are are Colin Falls, Russell Carter, and Greg Bosl. Falls looked overwhelmed as a freshman last year, but now he has a year under his belt, I'm looking for him to develop into an Alicia Ratay-type player, with the added bonus that Falls enjoys hustling and doing the little things. Carter is described as an athletic Torrian Jones with good range. Wow, that sounds like an unstoppable player, but this is from UND.com, so they could be wrong. Either way, Carter is supposed to be used as a shutdown defended late in the game. Playing against Thomas in practice every day sure won't hurt Carter's defensive development. A second year walk on, Greg Bosl was a Big East Academic All-Star last year.

Front Court: If Torin Francis can stay healthy, he's just the inside option that the 3-loving guards need to succeed. Joining Francis in the starting lineup are Jordan Cornette and transfer Dennis Lattimore. Cornette has been a dominating rebounding and shot-blocking presence, but lately he has the Ryan Humphrey jones to hang around the three point line all day long. Lattimore is described as a physical presence, but UND.com (again, not a very reliable source) says he needs to improve his defense and rebounding. Gee, who on this team doesn't? And why can't we get a physical rebounder on this team? Maybe Francis can grow from young Shawn Kemp to old fat Shawn Kemp and dominate the boards (well, I guess old fat Shawn Kemp never dominated anything except random loose women, but htat's another story.) Anyways, tangent over, I'm still very interested to see Lattimore play. Backups for these three start with the highly underrated Rick Cornett, coming off offseason surgery. Cornett will still provide a much needed rebounding presence, if he plays. Next comes Omari Isreal, who is listed as a 6-9 small forward, but is rumored to be practicing some point guard. I won't compare him to Magic Johnson just yet, but that would be nice to see. Rob Kurz is the lone freshman on the roster, and assumedly is more a sign of the future of the program. Finishing out the roster is tight end John Carlson. Hey, once again, we need all the physical presence we can get, even if he's only 6-5.

ND Women's Basketball Mini-Preview

Back Court: Megan Duffy has already established herself as a leader by example. As a junior this year, the little hustler that could will be a strong team leader. The rest of the backcourt isn't too experienced, though. The only other guards with experience are sophomores Breona Gray and Susie Powers. Neither played much last year. Gray is a Torrian Jones-style defensive presence. Powers is more of an all-around offensive threat. She's a relatively tall guard at 5-10, with an outside shot, good ballhandling skills, and great court vision. Sounds like the type of player who won't get overwhelmed by them game. I don't know anything, but I'll look for Powers to start alongside Duffy. Joining these three in the backcourt are three freshmen - Charel Allen, Tulyah Gaines, and Amanda Tsipis. Allen is described as an athletic scorer who will probably play the 2-3. Gaines is an undersized guard who is described as a great passer and probably won't want to shoot the ball too much. She'll also be a good defensive backup when Duffy needs a breather. Tsipis is a walk on and the daughter of new assistant coach Jonathan Tsipis. I'm sure Mothball will find her to be a very satisfactory replacement for Karen Swanson and Jill Krause.

Front Court: This is Jackie Batteast's year to shine. If the Irish are going to go any where, it has to be this year, Batteast's senior season. There's no reason to worry about her, as long as her teammates can help her out of cold streaks, and her knees hold out. Starting alongside Batteast are veteran F/Cs Teresa Borton and Courtney LaVere. The combination of these two all-around players haven't made anyone forget about Ruth Riley just yet, but that doesn't mean they haven't played very well. Plus, after she turns 21 on the 18th of this month, we will no longer have to worry about one of these players sneaking into a certain Ray Aftandilians-frequented South Bend establishment. There isn't much backup for these three, but that doesn't appear to be too much of a problem. Likely 6th-woman Breona Gray was a much needed spark last year. Whenever the Irish offense was in a lull, Gray could come in and just think score-score-score. It kept ND in more than a few games. The only other front court player coming off the bench for the Irish is freshman Melissa D'Amico. At 6-5 (Ruth Riley's height), I'd imagine D'Amico is more of a work in progress, but I'm sure the future of the program is in good hands.

Other Miscellaneous Ramblings

• Great Ricky Henderson story from a recent Peter Gammons column:
  "Ricky Henderson called the Red Sox clubhouse Thursday looking for tickets for Saturday's sixth game. Told there was no game, Henderson asked, "Why?" OK. In 1980, Ricky asked an Oakland teammate, "How long will it take me to drive to the Dominican?" Really ..."


• Remember the "Ann Arbor is a Whore" t-shirts from the Michigan game? Why hasn't some creative Republican made up "Kerry Edwards is a Whore" shirts yet?


• So, apparently Mets reliever John Franco is being investigated for alleged mob ties. Supposedly, in the early 90s, he gave a group of tickets to members of the Bonanno crime family. Wait, an Italian New Yorker with a pimpstache is involved with the mob? Holy Stereotypes Batman!


• Finally, Tuesday's Get Fuzzy. Yep, sounds about right.

“Why Carlyle Holiday Sometimes Misses Catching Punts” – An Inside Look at the Bob Davie Years

by Ellen Fitzgerald - Special to KankaNation

[Editor's Note: I wanted to massively edit this for flow, as I, too, have the same problem of thinking of things to add as background as I'm typing. But, I decided to leave it as is to capture the true essence of Ellen.]

Ok now I’m sure most of you all are thinking, “What does Carlyle Holiday’s performance this season have anything to do with his former coach, Bob Davie?” Well, to the untrained eye, they have absolutely nothing to do with each other, but to someone, like myself, who had the unique opportunity to observe Coach Davie on a daily basis, it has some meaning. I hence, give you my theory on this topic with a side order of some humorous Bob Davie stories.

Back when I was under the tutelage of Bob Davie, who I like to call B Diddy, Carlyle Holiday was a mere back up quarterback to Matt “I like to walk like a model” LoVecchio. Because of this, he had a bit of extra time on his hands. Now, in those days, the quarterbacks used to have their practice area, where they would congregate at the beginning of practice, right where us managers were shagging punts for the kickers. Now, one day, early in the season, a few female mangers, including myself, were shagging punts for the kickers like we did at the beginning of every practice.

Before I continue I guess I should explain how the beginning of practice went. The mangers get to the practice fields very early to set up the field, play manager football, and hang out. Towards the end of the manager football game, the kickers show up and a while later the rest of the team trickles in. As more players come, the mangers get practice rolling by tossing the ball around with the QBs and shagging for the kickers. As this is going on the coaches jog in.

Now back to the matter at hand. So one day, Coach Davie comes into practice and notices that female mangers are shagging punts for the kickers. This causes him to stop mid jog and approach us. He looked around with that confused look that you all know so well then said in his infamous Texas accent, “I don’t want you girls catching those footballs”. We all just stared at him and wondered why; we knew that we were doing a good job, but then he continued with his reason. “Girls shouldn’t catch punts because you might knock your teeth out and if you knock your teeth out, no man will marry you.” And he was serious.

Now a bit more background information for you. Bob Davie was seriously obsessed with other people’s love life. Apparently he is a very happily married man who loves his wife, and her cooking, very much and wants the same for others. He was always asking the graduate assistants about their dates while running defensive plays, trying to set up football players with mangers, and giving the female mangers tips on how to get a man.

So this brings me to my theory about Carlyle Holiday. I’m guessing that during the 2001 season, while he was just a back up quarterback, he was hanging around when Bob Davie told the female mangers that they should catch punts. He probably didn’t hear the whole thing since he is applying this to himself even though he is not a female. I guess he still wants to make his old coach, the man that recruited him to run the option at Notre Dame, proud of him by letting the ball bounce or missing it entirely so he won’t lose any on his teeth and will meet a nice girl and live happily ever after.

Ellen Fitzgerald is a periodic contributor to KankaNation. She is the website’s expert on sketchy stories involving old Notre Dame football players and all things that go on at Giant’s Stadium. In addition, she is a brilliant theorist on such sporting issues as “Why the Best Defensive Players Have Crazy Names and Hair” and “Why I Don’t Believe in Offensive Pass Interference”. She can be reached at efitzge2 @ alumni.nd.edu.

The Weekend in Review100% Guaranteed Not Lip Synced

NCAA Football

Florida State 20, Wake Forest 17: Wait, where was I on this one? Was this on TV? Why did Florida State play so crapily when it wasn't raining? How did Xavier Beitia not miss the winning field goal?

Georgia 20, Arkansas 14: So, Georgia apparently isn't invincible. Or, maybe I'm just an idiot. But, Bullgod QB David Greene sure did up his draft stock with 382 passing yards in this one.

Texas 51, Texas Tech 21: Note: If ND goes 6-5 and accepts a crappy bowl bid versus Tech, RUN THE BALL! Texas ran for 351 yards, enough to overcome 403 passing yards from Texas Tech.

Michigan 16, Purdue 14: Hey, finally a big win on the road for Chad Henne. Meanwhile, Kyle Orton continues his Heisman-killing (and NFL career improving) campaign. Passing yards from his last four games: 385, 275, 235, 215. Those test must be really tough, huh?

Tennessee 17, Alabama 13: Watch a tape of this one, folks. Tennessee's run game can be contained. Freshman Erik Ainge can be contained. Meanwhile, Alabama got it together on the ground. The Vols are a beatable team.

LSU 24, Troy 20: So, when do the guys in the mustard blazers start passing out those cool little Fiesta Bowl stickers in Troy, Alabama?

Mississippi State 38, Florida 31: This was the straw that broke former Orville High head coach Ron Zook's back. Let the rumors start flying.

Texas A&M 29, Colorado 26: So, was this Colorado's week to show up or not? Either way, A&M looks to be on the right track.

Pitt 41, Rutgers 17: After a rough start, and a near loss to Furman, Pitt appears to be back on track, led by QB Tyler Palco.

tOSU 30, Indiana 7: Before you start praising the Buckeyes for getting back on track, know this: I watched this game, and Indiana looked like they have 11 Deion Sanderses running around on defense. Not so good.

The NFL

Eagles 34, Browns 31: As my dad put it, "a loss is a loss." No matter how you look at this one, the Browns are still 3-4, and Terrell Owens is still making the front page of sports websites.

Chargers 17, Panthers 6: Say what you want, but the QB who actually wants to play for San Diego (Drew Brees) is getting the job done. They're 4-3. In a division where only the Broncos are playing well, I wouldn't be surprised if the Chargers make the playoffs.

Lions 28, Giants 13: I didn't get to see this one, but I know Ellen at least likes me to comment on the Giants. The stats were OK, but it looks like they just couldn't put it in the end zone. Detroit holding Tiki Barber to 70 yards on the ground helped, though.

Dolphins 31, Rams 14: What happened in this one? Field position. Only two of Miami's scoring drives were shorter than 50 yards. One of those drives that were longer ended with a 71 yard TD pass.

Chiefs 56, Falcons 10: If Atlanta had one bright spot in this game, it was Allen Rossum's 75 yards punt return TD.

Patriots 13, Jets 7: I missed the second half of this one, but apparently it didn't matter. Neither team could score after halftime, and the streak continues.

Packers 41, Cowboys 20: Highlight of this one? Tony Fisher's 8 yard TD pass, which was pulled in nicely by Bubba Franks. Terry Glenn was 0/1 passing in this game, begging the question: When was the last time two or more non-quarterbacks completed a pass in the same game?

Bengals 23, Broncos 10: Where did this come from? Cincinnati couldn't come close to a competent offense last week. The blame, perhaps, goes to Denver's defensive coordinator. The Bengals said, "I wonder what happens when we throw at Champ Bailey." It worked the first time, so they kept going that way. Meanwhile, there was no safety help for Bailey, probably because it's been assumed that he didn't need it. Test and ye shall be rewarded. Fail to adjust, and you will be punished.

MLB Playoffs

Red Sox over Yankees: Finally, I can talk about this one. And, finally, the Sox got the breaks. Of course, they weren't really breaks. They were a case of the umpires doing the right thing. When an umpire was out of position, or wasn't sure of a call, he was smart enough to swallow his pride and call a conference. I would have gone nuts if the would have called a forfeit after that A-Rod call. Seeing the riot geared cops was good enough, though. Now we know that re-enacting 10 Cent Beer Night in the Bronx would be a terrible idea. I appreciate the Sox playing the role of underdog, but waiting until Rivera is in in the 9th when you're down is a bit much. Boston didn't fear Mariano, and they were rewarded, twice. The pitching staff was dominant after the blowout, lead by gutsy work by Curt Schilling, a great start by Derek Lowe against a lax game 7 Yankees lineup, and the pleasant surprise of Bronson Arroyo's relief dominance. I was going to to rip on Mark Bellhorn (mediocre defense at second and all he does is walk or strike out - I can do that!) and Johnny Damon (I can hit .100, and I probably have a better arm!), but the few hits they had in this series were absolutely clutch. Speaking of Damon - you'v all seen those "Jesus is My Homeboy" shirts by now, right? Spotted a "Damon is My Homeboy" shirt in the Fenway stands - looks just like the real thing, only with a picture of Johnny Damon. Extremely well done. Meanwhile, the Yankees just rolled over and died. Is there some rule that, once you join the Yankees, you have to become a whiny jerk? Because that's what happened to A-Rod. Poor baby must be frustrated. My favorite (or least favorite) part of this series? The post game reactions from the Yankees. They were incredibly depressed, and it almost seemed as if they wanted everyone to be sorry for them. Yeah, right, like there aren't 27 other teams sitting at home right now.

Cardinals over Astros: Little was expected from the Astros, but they put up quite a fight. It was so close that, after the Sox were down 3-0, I was going to write that I wished that this series was the World Series. These teams were so evenly matched in this one. Carlos Beltran started on a tear. Brad Lidge was a workhorse - 7 scoreless innings, 14 K's, 1 hit, and two walks over the course of 4 games. Had the Astros won this, and had Beltran not been the talk of baseball, Lidge had a very good argument for series MVP. Meanwhile, I absolutely scared myself as my predictions from 2 weeks ago started to come true. I mentioned that Houston would make a series of it, but I didn't think it would be quite this close. I was also very pleasantly surprised when Brandon Backe put his money where my mouth is. Backe gave up a single hit in 8 innings of shutout ball in a game five win. With all that said, St. Louis was just too good, and they won a series where the road team never won a game.

Red Sox vs. Cardinals: Boston may have won the first two, but this series isn't over yet. St. Louis has a huge advantage at home. Not only are the Cardinals built for the National League game, but their manager is also built for it. Sure, David Ortiz at first can turn your hair gray, but can he be any worse than Manny Ramirez in left? Terry Francona may have managed in the NL with the Phillies, but with the trouble he had with substitutions in the AL, do you really think he will handle the double switch well? Take into account Tony LaRussa, who is a managerial GENIUS, and these next 3 games will be good ones.

1. This was in no way DJ's fault. There, that's my analysis for the game.

2. Theoretically, everyone here now has 2 full weeks to whine and gripe about the coaches and the team. Well, guess what - you don't. Any Monday Morning Quarterbacking/Coaching or reference to the BC game will be nuked. Period.

That is all.

ND Football 2004Issue 8: Boston College

BC Rush Offense vs. ND Rush Defense

Boston College seems to always have a good rusher in their backfield. This year, it's Andre Callender. Callender has only played in three of BC's 6 games due to a groin injury, but he should be healthy in this one. When he's playing, Callender has averaged 97 yards per game. When he's not, AJ Brooks and LV Whitworth are combining for 143 yards per game. Brooks is their version of Darius Walker, a true freshman with games of 95 and 160 yards this year. Put it together (and consider that my math sucks because Callender and Whitworth have only played 3 games each), and BC is gaining 162.3 yards per game on the ground. The line appears to be a plus for them as well - with a rushing attack like that, and only 7 sacks given up in 6 games, they would have to be.
Notre Dame has played the run well this year, considering the competition. They're giving up 105 yards per game on the ground, but have only surrendered 4 rushing TDs. Look for leading tackler Mike Goolsby to play big in this one - he's still not happy with the outcome of the game at ND two years ago, and he's looking for revenge. With run stopper Brandon Hoyte as the team's #2 tackle, and improved play by the rotation of defensive tackles, look for ND to once again play bend-but-don't-break against the run in this one.

ND Rush Offense vs. BC Rush Defense

Who will it be this week? It appears that defenses have finally figured out Darius Walker. Plus, he's becoming less agressive hitting the holes as of late. That being said, he's still averaging 77 yards per game. Ryan Grant had a big game against Navy, but this inside runner and his injury bug may have a little more trouble against a slightly bigger team. It won't be impressive, but the combined attack, with help from an outside run or two by Marcus Wilson, should be able to get the job done.
BC is giving up 99.5 rushing yards per game, but I'd warn you to check their schedule before calling that a good stat. Their leading tackler is linebacker Ricky Brown with 35. Another man to watch is DT Tim Bulman, with 7 of the team's 34 TFL. This is a quick team, so ND will have to look to the misdirection and good blocking - just not on third and short.

BC Pass Offense vs. ND Pass Defense

His last name isn't Hasselbeck, but Paul Peterson is still a rather efficient passer. Peterson is averaging 233.7 (two thirty three point seven! hoo hoo!) with 10 TDs and 6 interceptions. Like Brady Quinn, Peterson likes to spread the ball around. He has hit 14 different receivers, and he's not afraid to throw it to his backs. The leading receiver is wideout Grant Adams, with 27 catches and 67.7 yards per. Right behind Adams are #2 receiver Joel Hazard and... fullback Mark Palmer. Hazard and Palmer have caught 35 balls between the two, and are both averaging about 29 yards per game. Throw in no less than five more guys averaging more than 20 yards per game, and this is a very balanced attack.
Against a balanced attack, Notre Dame's D will have to be good from top to bottom. As mentioned above BC has given up only 7 sacks this year, but Justin Tuck will look to change this. ND's top 4 linebackers have combined for 8 sacks. If they're playing agressively against the run, they can get into the backfield and get to the quarterback. However, you'll probably also have to see them in coverage as well. I have a feeling our linebackers are athletic enough to cover their fullback and tight ends, but it will be the running backs they'll have to look out for. The defensive backs will have to play as a unit in this one, and that could come down to coaching and playcalling. Adams isn't a superstar, but even if you shut him down, there are plenty of other places to go. The entire ND 11 will have to give it their all on every play to prevent giving up the big play to the Eagles.

ND Pass Offense vs. BC Pass Defense

There have been some complaints about Brady Quinn lately, but I can't complain about a kid who doesn't turn 20 until next Wednesday, but is still throwing for 237 yards per game with 9 TDs and 5 INTs. Quinn has increased his receiver total this year to 18 as well. Notre Dame has basically put together a Big 5 of key targets for Quinn. Rhema McKnight is still The Man for Quinn, with 10 more catches than anyone else on the team. Anthony Fasano continues to be the best "safety valve" a guy could have. Maurice Stovall is stepping up as a clutch go-to guy this season, while Matt Shelton is proving he can be a big play threat no matter where you give him the ball. Just when you think you have those four figured out, along comes Jeff Samardzija for a first down along the sideline.
Pass defense has been the pride for this quick Eagle team, giving up a scant 176 yards per game. The stars are defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka and corner Will Blackmon, but free safety TJ Stancil has been a solid performer as well. Kiwanuka is second on the team in tackles, and has put up a staggering 9 tackles for loss, including 4 sacks. Blackmon has 29 tackles and 2 picks, while Stancil is third on the team with 32 tackles. Notre Dame will have to rely on good blocking and throwing the ball away from Blackmon - which could mean a big day for Stovall or Shelton.

Special Teams

Ryan Ohliger is 6-9 in field goals on the year, with a long of 42 and one miss each in the 20+, 30+, and 40+ range. Don't be confused about Ohliger's leg strength, though, as he does have 4 touchbacks on the year. Punter Johnny Ayers is exactly what you would expect from an OK, up and down team - an average of 37.2 yards, with a long of 57, 3 touchbacks, and 10 of 30 punts inside the 20.
On returns, Blackmon is again the guy to watch. He averages 10.6 per on punts, and a whopping 35.3 per on kickoffs. He already has a 96 yard touchdown off of a kickoff this year. Not so good. You can tell it's team discipline, too, as Grant Adams, the other kick returner, has an average of 27.7 per. BC also boasts a blocked punt this season.
On coverage, BC is slightly above average on kickoffs - 15.4 yards per - and slightly below on punts - 9.8 per.
For Notre Dame, DJ continues to be a pleasant surprise. He's 7-9 on field goals with a long of 47, and carries a 42.5 yard punt average with 17 of 42 inside the 20. Bobby Renkes is averaging 60.7 yards per kickoff, 5.3 yards better than Carl Gioia. Renkes also has 3 touchbacks.
Notre Dame's return teams have been, well, disappointing. Chase Anastasio has a decent 20.8 yard average per kick return, but his long of 40 is by far the best return for this team on the season. Carlyle Holiday somehow has an 8.4 yards per punt return average, despite continued single coverage on the opposing gunners.
Coverage teams have been two separate entities for the Irish. The kick coverage team has an OK avearge of 22.1, but they have given up 2 TDs on the year. Hold your breath in this one. Meanwhile, the punt coverage team has put up a nice 6.9 yards per average, lead by the fired-up play of the gunners flying down the field.

Look for a big game from
Grant, Stovall, Fasano, the DTs, Goolsby, and Hoyte.

ND 20, BC 16: Two by Grant (one long drive, one short after a turnover) and two by DJ. BC gets a field position TD (starting around their own 40), a return TD, a missed extra point, and a figgie. Just an ugly, ugly game.

Go Irish, Eat Bagles!

The Weekend in ReviewGuaranteed No Ignorant Anti-BCS Whining (but don't rule out ignorant pro-BCS whining)

NCAA Football

West Virginia 31, UConn 19: So wait, WVU wasn't ranked on a single BCS computer poll? I wonder why.

Miami 41, Louisville 38: This was a great game until Louisville first decided to channel the spirit of Buzz Preston on punt coverage, and then decided to make Brock Berlin look good.

Wisconsin 20, Purdue 17: Poor Kyle Orton hasn't played well in the past two weeks, because he actually has to go to class. Two tests and a paper in classes that rival Andy Katzenmoyer's have taken a lot out of Orton. SportsPickle puts it best, though: "Kyle Orton successfully salvages any hope for a decent NFL career by blowing Heisman." My Buddy Matt did have a great point though - how was Wisconsin, an undefeated team with the #1 defense in the country, not ranked higher than #12? Well, give the SEC some credit, even those teams with losses, but he does have a point considering the parity this year in the top 25.

MSU 51, Minnesota 17: Um, OK. Run defense anyone? Or should the Gophers just join the PAC 10, where they don't have to worry about run defense and "cold" weather?

Iowa 33, tOSU 7: The Ohio State defense made Iowa QB Drew Tate look like an All-American (331 passing yards, 24 rushing, 4 total TDs). Meanwhile, the Iowa defense made the Buckeyes look like they don't have a quarterback or running back. Oh, wait. Nevermind.

Louisiana Tech 41, SMU 10: The top competition isn't doing much for LaTech's record (4-3), but it sure is doing something for their playing ability and talent, isn't it?

The NFL

Browns 34, Bengals 17: So, Pete, you had Lee Suggs as a fantasy receiver for this game, right? Because he had 100 receiving yards and a TD in this one. This was some game for the Browns offense - they basically put 51 points on the board. On Bengals TD came on a 5 yard fumble recovery. Cincy followed with a field goal coming off another Cleveland turnover, on a drive that basically started and ended on the 25 yard line. The only time Carson Palmer could put any sort of drive together was for 50 yards and a TD - again following a Cleveland turnover. Highlights abounded for the Browns. Jeff Garcia continues to be the anti-Tim Couch - Garcia is great at home but terrible on the road so far, whereas Couch was the exact opposite. Garcia had 310 yards and 4 TD passes, including a "record tying" 99 yard bomb to Andre Davis. William Green added 115 yards on the ground, but the best story from this game was Chad Johnson. Early last week, Johnson sent a bottle of Pepto Bismol to each of the Browns DBs, saying that they'll need it after trying to cover him for 60 minutes. Well, it was the Browns DBs and the Dawg Pound who had the last laugh. Johnson finished with 3 catches, but he dropped the ball more than I do. The Dawg Pound was in top form sign-wise. "#85 Head Bungle" was topped only by a picture of Johnson superimposed on a toilet with the caption, "Johnson is about to get a bad case of the Browns."

Patriots 30, Seahawks 20: When you're up you're up, and when you're down you're down. Struggling teams (like my fantasy team) always somehow find a way to lose. Teams like the Patriots, when they're winning, can always find ways to dig deep and keep the streak alive.

Packers 38, Lions 10: Detroit was the unfortunate bystander in Green Bay's sudden decision to prove that they really don't suck this year.

Broncos 31, Raiders 3: Well, Clinton Portis may be proving me wrong in Washington right now, but it still looks like Denver's backs are usually a product of their great line and system.

Steelers 24, Cowboys 20: Rivers? Manning? Palmer? Who are those guys?

Vikings 38, Saints 31: So, Minnesota does really have other receivers besides Randy Moss? Maybe this means he'll start taking plays off again. But, maybe I'm just still dumbstruck that Urban Meyer nearly got both him and Allen Iverson to play football for ND. Speaking of ND, Courtney Watson looks like he was a good pick in the second round, even for a terrible defense.

Rams 28, Buccaneers 21: I won't lie to you: I was watching baseball.

Other Miscellanous Ramblings

• OK, I'll start with the BCS thing, since I mentioned it in the subtitle. The first release of the rankins stirred controversy right at the top. Despite being #2 in both polls, Oklahoma was only 3rd in the BCS, due to low computer rankings. A guy on the BCS committee did make a great point, though: Oklahoma has only beaten one ranked team, and has played only 1 road game so far. Meanwhile, Miami, the current BCS #2, has already beated two ranked teams. As much as I hate Miami, he does have a point. As my dad and I were discussing this point, we came to the conclusion that anyone who argues that Oklahoma should be #2 in the BCS right now is an idiot. No sooner do we finish this thought, but then I walk into the living room and see Kirk Herbstreit on TV... arguing that Oklahoma should be #2 in the BCS.


• I've already argued that a playoff wouldn't solve anything. Right now, we're arguing who #2 and #3 are. With a playoff, we'd just be arguing who should be #8 and #9, or #16 and #17. The polls are stupid, each in their own way. The writers don't know what they're talking about - they only have their jobs because they're too uncoordinated to be players and too dumb to be coaches (take me for example). As for the coach's poll - do you really think the coaches have the time to sit down and watch every other game going on that weekend? If you want to better the system, have some coaches (preferrably not some 1AA playing, blowout-minded state of Florida coaches) and sit them down with the computer nerds, and have them come up with an unbiased formulas. Then, put in a few checks and balances. What do you do if there isn't a clear #2? What if you do if there are four equal #1 teams? Figure this stuff out beforehand, don't just whine about it later.


• Not convinced that the press has no idea what it's talking about? Take it from Urban Meyer, courtesy The Tampa Tribune: ``I'll hear the people who have absolutely no idea about college athletics - and they're actually getting paid to give you their opinion on college athletics - and what they consider a quality opponent,'' Meyer told the Salt Lake Tribune. ``I just hear some of the comments [from] people wearing a tie behind a desk that really have no, absolutely no clue. And I can say it, because I do have a clue, because that's my job.
  
  ``What I think people need to do is go travel around and look at the personnel. Watch 'em practice. Get up from behind that desk and playing golf and doing whatever those people do and go evaluate.''


• OK, so John Kerry isn't exactly a big sports person. But, it's not like becoming president puts you in charge of hiring Notre Dame's football coach. Dah, who said that. Of course, if Kerry was in charge of that, he'd probably end up hiring MSU band director John Madden, or some guy named Irving Meyers.


• In case you were wondering: Yes, seeing the breakout Carlos Beltran is having in the playoffs does get Gammons-esque people like me excited.


• So, I was flipping the other day, and I came across "True Life: I'm a Jersey Shore Girl" on MTV. I decided to watch it to get a little insight on the life of Ellen and her friends. My Lord, it was a bunch of excited Ellens running around! I couldn't take it! Who said that?


• An absolutely great sequence of rumors I heard the other day: If Butch Davis has a bad year this year, he's fired. If Davis is fired, he replaces Mack Brown at Texas. Add to that the fact that Nick Saban is "openly excited" when asked about the possiblity of becoming the Browns' head coach some day, and you have an "openly excited" Kanka. Saban was an Browns assistant under Bill Belichick before leaving for MSU and later LSU. Don't get me wrong, I'm still rooting for the Browns to do well this year, but you can't pass up on a true good coach like Saban.


• Favorite cheer heard at Fenway over the weekend, with Gary Sheffield at bat: "Who's your dealer?" I almost fell of the bed.


• So, Jeff Garcia is apparently dating the Playboy Playmate of the Year, who moved to the Cleveland area for him. When Tim Couch first started in the NFL, he dated then-Playmate of the Year Heather Kozar, later a Barker Beauty (no relation to Bernie Kosar). Now, if you're the Browns GM, is there any excuse for not signing any single QB in the NFL?


• Speaking of Couch and Heather Kozar, here's there dating history:
  1. Couch dates Kozar.
  2. Couch introduces Kozar to friend Cade McNown.
  3. Kozar leaves Couch for McNown.
  4. McNown sucks it up and is cut.
  5. Kozar leaves a jobless McNown to return to Couch.
  Good, good.


• Positive Punlicity, Part 1: Purdue Blogs on FanBlogs.com The Purdue preview and "Beat Purdue Memories" got good reviews from one Purdue fan.


• Positive Publicity, Part 2: Heavy-Equipment-Rental.com's page on Charlotte Bobcat tickets Apparently, they Googled "Charlotte Bobcat tickets" and didn't pay too much attention to the results before posting them.
  

Transaction Wire

• Browns get former Pitt standout Antonio Bryant for Quincy Morgan. Both were complaining about reduced playing time, so the front offices thought a change of scenery would be good. The problem: both received reduced playing time for continually dropping wide-open passes. I'm starting to wonder why I wasn't involved in this deal.


• Chargers trade draft picks for Keenan McCardell. All part of my fiendish KankaMatic plan. Bwahahahaha....


• Seahawks get Jerry Rice. Hey, someone needs to teach their receivers that their job is to actually catch the ball.

Here's Looking at You

Rhema McKnight - Mike Brown

Fun Googling KankaManiacs' Names

• Yet another nomination for first dance at my and Ellen's wedding


• Dave's foray into the "leisure/entertainment business That's what I thought you said.


• I knew Meg was old, but 1935?!


• When Meg's not looking, Mike's a bass player in the UK


• Lisa a Head Athletic Trainer? Do they know she hasn't finished med school yet?


• Cronk, Air Force operations chief


• Gee, Nick, you really let yourself go


• Klondike can now brag that his girlfriend is a model


• Hey, Klondike really was an Astrophysics major!

ND 27, Navy 9

Quarterback: Brady Quinn didn't do much in this one. Then again, he didn't have to -- and that's not always a bad thing. Quinn did go 11-20 for 130 yards.

Running Back:

Courtesy AP/Bill Kostroun
Well, it may be safe to say that Ryan Grant is back to his 2002 form. Coming of a 2 touchdown game against Stanford, Grant had 2 more touchdowns and 114 yards against an overmatched Navy team. Marcus Wilson proved that he can be a decent outside threat from time to time by scoring on a 33 yard run. Of course, with proper blocking and two healthy legs, anybody should be able to run around the outside for a decent game. Darius Walker had a bit of an off game with only 26 yards. Walker isn't hitting the holes as hard as he was against Michigan. He'll get that back with time. With two good options at running back, we can afford to let the freshman have an off day once in a while. In garbage time, Travis Thomas and Jeff Jenkins combined for 24 yards and no fumbles - a moral victory for Thomas.

Fullback: Well, they didn't touch the ball, but they blocked well this week. That'll happen when you're a fullback.

Receiver: The leaders were Matt Shelton and Rhema McKnight with two catches each. Shelton had a 30 yard grab in the seam, and added 10 off of a screen pass. Maurice Stovall and Jeff Samardzija combined for 2 catches and 19 yards.

Tight End: Well, Notre Dame carries 6 tight ends, and apparently they're each taking turns when it comes to playing the games. This week, it was John Carlson with 2 catches for 17 yards. Anthony Fasano also added a catch for 18 yards.

O-Line: It was a good day for the Irish line against an undersized opponent. Notre Dame had 204 net rushing yards. There were only four plays that resulted in negative rushing yards, and none of them were sacks.

D-Line: The line combined for 33 tackles, including sacks by Greg Pauly and Derek Landri. Landri also added a fumble recovery. In case you didn't notice, Justin Tuck lined up as an outside linebacker across from Derek Curry for most of the game. This 3-4 look is something Kent Baer hasn't shown before, and it was very effective against the option. Tuck did drop down into a 3 point stance on obvious passing downs. It is nice to have such a versatile defensive end, and I'm sure Tuck's time as a linebacker during his skinny freshman year helped.

Linebacker: It was a big day for the Irish linebackers. Brandon Hoyte led the team with 16 tackles, followed by Mike Goolsby with 12. The "chain gang" had sacks all around - Corey Mays had 2, and Hoyte and Goolsby each had one. And boy were the sacks huge - it wasn't until the fourth or fifth designed pass play that Aaron Polanco was able to drop back without getting sacked.

Safety: It's normally the strong safety who has a big day against the option attack. Tom Zbikowski did have a decent game with 8 tackles. But it was Quentin Burrell who flew o the ball, ending the game with 11 tackles, including .5 behind the line of scrimmage.

Cornernback: Well, when the linebackers won't let the opposing QB get passes off, the corners don't have to do much. Trust me, this isn't a bad thing. Dwight Ellick and Preston Jackson had a tackle each.

Kicker: Bobby Renkes is proving he has a stronger leg that Carl Gioia, wind or no wind. Renkes had two touchbacks, and pinned the Midshipmen deep all game. DJ (Ellen loves him, and probably told him so this weekend) had field goals from 47 and 20 yards out.

Punter:

Courtesy AP/Bill Kostroun
Is DJ the only guy who can tackle on special teams? Well, no, Maurice Stovall and Chris Vaughn have made nice plays this year, but it's nice to see your kicker get in and make a nice form tackle. DJ averaged 41 yards on 4 punts.

Kick Returner: Justin Hoskins had returns of 16 and 22 yards, and a fumble. Nothing special, yet, but blocking always helps.

Punt Returner: Carlyle Holiday had 3 returns for 1 yard. When you're not blocking the gunners, I don't think there's anyone who can get a good return off.

Special Teams: Well, see the above for my thoughts on our return teams. As for our coverage teams - they're playing very aggressive football as of late. This can be a blessing and a curse. Everyone's swarming to the ball, which has resulted in very short returns for the opposition. However, if the Irish leave their lanes to fly to the ball, they can still give up some big returns.

It's NSS meeting time again this week, so I'll see you Thursday morning with the Weekend in Review. Just in time for next weekend to start, hooray.