2009 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

[Colonel_Reb]

ND has been fairly consistent in regards to white starters over the past few years, albeit on the low side of what they should have. They had 10 in 2005 and 11 each year since.

Offense
QB Jimmy Clausen
TE Kyle Rudolph
LT Paul Duncan
LG Eric Olsen
C Dan Wenger
RG Trevor Robinson
RT Sam Young

Defense
RDE John Ryan
SS Kyle McCarthy
FS Harrison Smith

Edited by: Colonel_Reb

 

[celticdb15]

McCarthy is a taclking machine, hopefully MCCarthy and Smith can make some athletic plays back there and help each other out

 

[Colonel_Reb]

<div> </div>


<div>Quarterback Nate Montana, son of Irish and NFL legend Joe Montana,
has left Notre Dame to attend Pasadena City College and gain game
experience, The Chicago Tribune reported.

Team spokesman Brian Hardin said the transfer was not related
to grades or discipline issues. As a walk-on, Montana would not have
been in line for significant hands-on work this fall.</div>


He is expected to return to Notre Dame for the spring semester, Hardin said.

Jimmy
Clausen returns as a third-year starter for the Irish, backed up by
sophomore Dayne Crist and fifth-year senior Evan Sharpley, a former
starter.http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/9850842/Montana%27s-son-leaves-Notre-Dame-for-junior-collegeEdited by: Colonel_Reb

 

[Jack Lambert]

I was looking at Notre Dame's depth chart today, and as of today, Scott Smith is listed as a starter for the SLB position, so they look to have 10 whites starting this year.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Thanks Jack! Duly noted.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

what happened to all those amazing White wideouts the now black "Irish" signed over the last couple of years?

the caste system strikes again ...

 

[celticdb15]

I had no idea Harrison Smith started at LB last year for the Irish. Draftdaddy posted this: Notre Dame will move athletic, but very undersized linebacker Harrison Smith to his natural position -- safety.

 

[guest301]

Well for safety he certainly isn't undersized and teamed with the aggressive open field tackler Kyle McCarthy the Irish might have two white starting safety's.

 

[ocaamikedm11]

looks like Robby Parris and OLB John Ryan both start now for the Irish...

 

[Colonel_Reb]

On last week's release, Parris was not the starter, although RDE John Ryan was. Thanks for the heads up, ocaa.

 

[guest301]

Parris getting alot more time due to the season ending injury to Floyd.

 

[DixieDestroyer]

I've never cared for primadonna ND, but do pull for certain players (like Clausen, etc.).

 

[Deacon]

I've found myself rooting for ND, because all the internet seems to hate them.

 

[guest301]

I've found myself rooting for ND, because all the internet seems to hate them.

Then that is the same reason you should become a fan of Duke in college basketball because so many hate them. That's one of the reasons I am a big Irish and Duke fan.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

<div> </div>


<div>SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Notre Dame associate head coach Corwin
Brown criticized Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo for his postgame comments
about the Irish defensive game plan and for the way the way his team
uses what Brown called "malicious" illegal cut blocks.</div>
"I thought it was very disappointing what the Navy coach said after the
game," Brown said. "He didn't want something to be misconstrued, then
he said it regarding how we prepared and what we prepared to do."

Brown went into his criticism of Niumatalolo after practice
Wednesday night, cutting off a reporter before the first question could
be asked and speaking for two minutes about the Navy coach.

The
Midshipmen (7-3) beat the Irish 23-21 on Saturday, the second Navy win
in three years against Notre Dame (6-3) after an NCAA-record 43
straight losses. Following the game, Niumatalolo said the Navy coaches
expected the Notre Dame coaches to use a similar defensive scheme as in
2008 when the Irish held the Midshipmen to 178 yards rushing in a 27-21
loss.

"I think the one thing that helped us, and I really hope
this doesn't come across wrong, but I think the thing that helped us
this year was last year because we knew that they'd line up the same
way," Niumatalolo said.

Brown said Niumatalolo should have known how his comment would be taken.

"In all the classy guys I've watched and played under, they would never say something like that," he said.

Brown
also criticized the way Niumatalolo coaches his players to block, point
to a play last season where linebacker Brian Smith sustained a sprained
knee because of an illegal cut block, missing the final two
regular-season games. On Saturday, Navy receiver Nick Henderson was
called for personal foul on a hit on cornerback Robert Blanton.

Brown called the hit on Blanton "one of the most malicious plays I've ever seen since I've been playing."

Brown
said he called Niumatalolo about the hit, saying he considered saying
something to him before the game about the way Navy blocks.

"Very
malicious," Brown said. "In this game, which we're supposed to be
playing for our kids and we're working for our kids, you don't let your
players do something like that."

Brown wouldn't say how Niumatalolo reacted.http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/10356716/Irish-assistant-Brown-criticizes-Navy%27s-Niumatalolo-Edited by: Colonel_Reb

 

[Fightingtowin]

It's being reported that Jimmy Clauson got into a bar fight this weekend and got beat up pretty bad. Thus there is a good chance he won't play against Stanford. http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2009/11/david-kaplan-report-clausen-in-fight-outside-south-bend-bar.html That means ND would be down to their 3rd string QB, which bodes well for Toby getting a lot of carries after ND goes three and out over and over again. Edited by: Fightingtowin

 

[Van_Slyke_CF]

I would be very surprised to see Charlie Weis fired. If you take into consideration the money required to buy out the last 6 years of his contract, the money also needed for certain staff members, and what it would take to get a new coach and staff to sign on the dotted line for several years, it just doesn't make sense.

Bob Davie, Tyrone Willingham and now Charlie Weis all have pretty similar records through successive 5 year runs. Perhaps the ND faithful need to take a clue from all this and think of other reasons why their football program has been mediocre for most of the past 15 years.

 

[Electric Slide]

Wow that is too bad about Clausen getting into a fight. Where were his teammates/buddies when this went down? Guys will too often feel a false sense of security while drinking, and wander away from their protection if something were to go down. I'm not saying it was a ghetto thug/s who did this, but I wouldn't be surprised either way...

On another note, ESPN had a list of potential replacements for Weiss:

Positive names on the list:

Jim Harbaugh, Stanford

Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
Chris Petersen, Boise State

Negative name on the list:
Urban Meyer

There were a couple other names listed, I cant remember though.

 

[jaxvid]

On Cowturds radio show the other day he was moaning that the problem is not Charlie Wiess but the talent at ND (even though they're always rated in the top 10 of signings), and tht ND needs to relax it's academic requirements so they can get "faster". He didn't elaborate, probably saved his job by not elaborating, but I knew what he meant.

ND problem is their schedule. Without a conference they are playing too many good teams, and don't have enough patsies to beat up on. Their traditional patsies have gotten much better too (Pitt and Navy). ND plays Purdue, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Souther Cal. and another good team nearly every year. It's too much for the program.

 

[FootballDad]

As expected, The Irish finally blew out Charlie Weis. Here is a story on the firing. Of course, with six years left on his contract that the university has to buy out, it's not like he's going to be eating Top Ramen.

 

[FootballDad]

Just ran across this article giving the author's uninformed opinion of Notre Dame's problems. Notre Dame's problems aren't with it's recruiting and players, it's with the coaching and gameday decisions. Weis turned out to be an excellent recruiter. It also waxes and wanes about the decline in Catholic schools and such, but if you look at state HS playoff and championships throughout the nation, pariochal schools are well represented, so his assertion that their aren't any good players coming out of Catholic high schools is simply ignorant.

 

[guest301]

I heard Tony Dungy's name bandied about as a possible replacemnt for Weiss. I know Dungy is a religous man but is he a Catholic and does ND require a Catholic to be a head coach? I would rather ND get the Head Coach of Cincinnati, Brian Kelly or steal somebody like Kirk Ferentz of Iowa who will recruit some white skill position athletes.

 

[Europe]

On Cowturds radio show the other day he was moaning that the problem is not Charlie Wiess but the talent at ND (even though they're always rated in the top 10 of signings), and tht ND needs to relax it's academic requirements so they can get "faster". He didn't elaborate, probably saved his job by not elaborating, but I knew what he meant.

ND problem is their schedule. Without a conference they are playing too many good teams, and don't have enough patsies to beat up on. Their traditional patsies have gotten much better too (Pitt and Navy). ND plays Purdue, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Souther Cal. and another good team nearly every year. It's too much for the program.

I think their schedule is a bit easier compared to some years in the past.
In '89 when ND had only 1 loss, they played 8 of the top 18 teams including 4 in the tp 8 in the final AP poll. In '88 their last NC year, they beat 4 of the top 7 in the final poll.1980 they played 6 of the top 18 including 3 of the top 6.All These include bowls.
'90 they played 7 who finished in the top 20 and 4 in the top 8.

 

[Europe]

ttp://www.uhnd.com/bb/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=6&msgid=227704

This is how teams should look.

 

[Europe]

www.uhnd.com/bb/forum/index.php? action=display&forumid=6&msgid=227704