Man oh Man, do I wish we could keep Abiamiri one more year to see what he would do in an OLB role in a 3-4. Good God would I have loved to see that.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 01.29.07 - 10:45 am | #

Very good point Brad, that would be awesome.
Smitty2183 | Email | Homepage | 01.29.07 - 10:51 am | #

It's going to be disappointing to watch the draft and have to watch later and later to see the Irish players go (again). At least Brady will be in the first round. I was really hoping that Harris would impress and move up, but given what we saw out of the O-line this year, that didn't seem likely.

Here's hoping that the drafts in a couple more years start featuring tons of Irish players on the first day.
JohnWA | Email | Homepage | 01.29.07 - 11:44 am | #

How many times did Harris commit a false start penalty?
PM | Email | Homepage | 01.29.07 - 12:14 pm | #

McK made some outstanding catches this year...it was the easy in the belly drops that killed us...
Yago | Email | Homepage | 01.29.07 - 12:18 pm | #

McKnight developed a severe case of Charles Rogers Syndrome (CRS) in which you make spectacular plays at the collegiate level and then routinely drop the easy ones.

I don't think Abiamiri ever really lived up to his hype coming out of high school. He was a solid college player but not a great one. You can talk a lot about double teams but the great ones (Bruce Smith, Reggie White, etc.) find a way to beat them.
Fighting Binny | Email | Homepage | 01.29.07 - 12:29 pm | #

I think Victor was better than a solid player in college. Not great, but definitely above "solid".

As for Harris, I hope the snap count thing doesn't become his legacy as an ND player. He didn't have a fantastic senior year, but he was still very good. As for jumping the snap count in the SC game, I've heard a few folks suggest that the issue was more with Sullivan being a touch late with the snap than Harris jumping early. That might explain the little televised tiff between Sullivan and Quinn on the sideline.
Pat | Email | Homepage | 01.29.07 - 12:46 pm | #

Yeah that could be it but Harris did it alot more than any other lineman- including a true freshmen. I for one am very excited about the future of the Irish OL. It cannot be said enough of the importance a crushing ground game can have. It can wear down the other team's D to make them open to a big pass play and more importantly keep our currently average D off the field.

I think for the next two years our team is going to slightly resemble USC of 2005. A powerful, explosive offense coupled with a defense that allows some yardage and the occasional big play but can stop someitmes and force FGs. Corwin may not yet have the top talent or more accurately the depth needed to be great, but I belive we will see a well disciplined, opportunistic D. New coordinators often look what worked and what didn't more so than older DCs because they have no deeply entrenched notions of what is the right way. It should be interesting.
PM | Email | Homepage | 01.29.07 - 1:39 pm | #

I think that with the attitude that Corwin Brown played with, regardless of the stats our D has next year, we are going to see a D that is going to come on the field with an attitude that they are going to punish someone. CB did that in the NFL and college, and I think that an attitude like that can rub off onto young kids quickly and have a big impact. I expect more big plays from that alone. They may give up some points, but I think they'll be much tougher, and much closer the Nasty that we all love and look forward to.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 01.29.07 - 2:29 pm | #

Anyone know who Quinn is talking to in that picture? Fortunately, it doesn't look like Matt Millen of the Lions. Are they just general scouts, or are they affiliated with any particular team?
Erik '04 | Email | Homepage | 01.29.07 - 2:32 pm | #

One of the gentlemen in the photograph has been hired full-time to count his money and the other's task will be to console him daily after he is drafted by Oakland.
Fighting Binny | Email | Homepage | 01.29.07 - 2:37 pm | #

Quinn won't wind up in Oakland, thank God. The Raiders are taking Jamarcus "Paul Bunyan" Russell--the guy everyone says is like Daunte Culpepper except he's bigger, faster, stronger, smarter, and a better tipper.

Quinn won't exactly end up in an ideal situation, either, but what top-5 draft pick does? All those teams blow for a reason--and usually more than one.
kmf | Email | Homepage | 01.29.07 - 3:24 pm | #

Wait -- none of this can be correct. It was I, remember, who had the guts to criticize the over-hyped Charlie Weis for his inability to win big with "five first-round NFL draft picks" on his team.

Now you're saying the ND talent just wasn't that good, based on these practices? (Except for Brady Quinn, who, of course, had a knee.)

I'm not buying it. Who do these NFL scouts think they are? No one can trump my knowledge of the game of footbaw.
Bob Davie | Email | Homepage | 01.29.07 - 3:36 pm | #

As a Lions fan, I would love to have Detroit draft Brady Quinn. However, there's a lot of chatter saying that any interest in BQ is a smokescreen to provoke trade interest.

Tampa Bay or Minnesota are other possible destinations.
PAK'00 | Email | Homepage | 01.29.07 - 3:49 pm | #

As a Browns "fan," I would love to have Cleveland draft BQ... as long as they also draft/pick-up O-lineman to save him from being punished. I thought Tampa had Chris Simms? Do they want another QB?
guyritz | Email | Homepage | 01.29.07 - 4:02 pm | #

I say Quinn goes to the winner of the TB/Cle coin flip. Both need QBs.
PM | Email | Homepage | 01.29.07 - 4:02 pm | #

kmf - "Quinn won't exactly end up in an ideal situation, either, but what top-5 draft pick does?" Reggie Bush seems to have made out okay.
Anon | Email | Homepage | 01.29.07 - 4:16 pm | #

Anon-

I stand corrected. At the same time, Bush is the exception rather than the norm.

As a Bears fan, it'd be great if BQ ends up with the Lions so I can see him twice a year.
kmf | Email | Homepage | 01.29.07 - 4:29 pm | #

I have also heard that the Carolina Panthers may be interested in making a move to get Quinn.
Doug | Email | Homepage | 01.29.07 - 5:17 pm | #

Abi "double-teamed"?

BS

Go back and review the MSNBC tapes.

If you really wanna see Abi get embarrassed go watch the Purdue game. He got manhandled all game.

Abi is a great guy and a solid player. But only solid.

Tuck was double-teamed a ton of times, he fared much better in terms of getting in the QB's face.
LOVEMYIRISH | Email | Homepage | 01.29.07 - 5:23 pm | #

Are you suggesting that teams rarely left a tight end or running back in to help block or chip Abiamiri?

I would think that finishing 15th in the nation in sacks is better than "solid".

As for Tuck, he was a different player than Victor. Justin was a weakside defensive end, coming in from the QB's blind side. Victor played the strongside defensive end position where he couldn't always just tee off on the QB.
Pat | Email | Homepage | 01.29.07 - 5:50 pm | #

Ryan Harris was one of those oddities in a player that actually "regressed" during his tenure at Notre Dame. Amazingly I see a parallel between him and Tony Munoz's kid at Tennessee. In both cases, I think they just have more on their minds than football and may be tiring of the game. Harris is a very introspective individual that can have a very good, full life outside of football. Don't begrudge him if he doesn't feel like it anymore.
Atlantadomer | Email | Homepage | 01.30.07 - 9:30 am | #

Again, it seems painfully obvious that the 06 team regressed versus 05. What's the name of the personnel responsible for players' development in technique and on-field ability?

Go Irish
Bill H | Email | Homepage | 01.30.07 - 6:28 pm | #

i think that harris had a average senior year becuase he had a brocken finger and he had a messed up back so he was playing threw pain the entire season.
Bobby | Email | Homepage | 01.31.07 - 4:10 pm | #