Hilltoppers? Like Joliet Catholic Hilltoppers? Did we forget where Rudy played his high school ball?
Joe from the YO | Email | Homepage | 07.14.08 - 8:46 am | #

Disregard. Glenbard West Hilltoppers.
Joe from the YO | Email | Homepage | 07.14.08 - 8:47 am | #

hooray for O-line help. as a side note, it's nice that Weis has regained a stranglehold on the state of Illinois, something that was lost after Holtz left.
Schultz | Email | Homepage | 07.14.08 - 8:47 am | #

Happy to see this guy on board. I was really hoping we would get him.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 07.14.08 - 9:18 am | #

I continue to be slightly skeptical about a group of folks who haven't played their senior year in HS yet.
jbarthel | Email | Homepage | 07.14.08 - 10:12 am | #

First Team All-State, both ways, as a Junior. Big and mobile. "120+ pancake blocks" in ONE season...Now that's what I'm talking about!
The future, if it ever gets here, is looking bright!!
Voice in the Wilderness | Email | Homepage | 07.14.08 - 10:26 am | #

Jbarthel –
Son, where are you coming from?

The college recruiting game is played for keeps at the junior class level. You can’t wait to see the results of senior year fall ball or spend the summer playing golf.
How do you think ND got into the predicament they are in with talent?

Coaches better do their homework very early or get caught chasing low level talent.
Subway Alumni | Email | Homepage | 07.14.08 - 11:15 am | #

Nice punt block!
Joe Subway | Email | Homepage | 07.14.08 - 12:33 pm | #

If ND can get a couple of potential OTs to commit, including one elite OT . . .

I really think ND should have a devastating OL. DL is still a notch short, but OL recruiting has been quite impressive.
atepesm | Email | Homepage | 07.14.08 - 12:51 pm | #

Love this passage:

"Buckeyes . . .Michigan, Oklahoma, Miami, Tennessee, Penn State, UCLA, Nebraska, Colorado, Virginia, Stanford, Northwestern . . ."

I know I say that every time, but it makes me smile every time!
Domer Guy | Email | Homepage | 07.14.08 - 1:05 pm | #

Good find on the School Week article.

Its a nice read.
atepesm | Email | Homepage | 07.14.08 - 1:48 pm | #

I know that there are some late bloomers or guys who don't get to play until their senior year because they sat behind older guys in front of them, but to see a Junior pancaking that many guys is a sure delight. We can't wait or all those other schools listed will get our guys instead.

When was the last time we had an O-lineman who continually pancaked opposing D-linemen? I guess perhaps our trap blocking cut-back schemes have limited the amount of power our O-line has been required to show, relying more on finesse blocking and speed pulling, but even in short yardage situations I haven't seen a good flapjack in years. Hopefully he will bring what we've been missing.

Welcome, Chris!
Erik '04 | Email | Homepage | 07.14.08 - 2:59 pm | #

I'm pessimistic, unfortunately. I love the talent that is coming in and I'm excited about getting this guy, but I really hope that our current crop of players can be coached to excel on the playing field. Same goes with the general comments about Walls not being on the team this year. We talk about how its not a big loss since there is all this talent coming in...same general comment about some of the offensive linemen that have left the program over the last year. I'm more concerned about the now...what about the talent that we have on the team right now? We can't always be looking forward to guys that are either still in high school or just stepped foot on campus.

Sorry...been in a down mood lately.
ND Alum | Email | Homepage | 07.14.08 - 3:29 pm | #

Good article in the LA Times on Notre Dame, Academics, NBC.
Pretty good read.
jim masterson | Email | Homepage | 07.14.08 - 3:33 pm | #

This just makes me feel good all over! Quarterbacks and the "Whoosh!" guys are all very exciting, but the strength of a program lies in the ability to dominate in the trenches. If you have an O-line that can create holes, it doesn't matter much who carries the ball. Average backs can excel behind a great offensive line. But great backs don't help much if they have nowhere to run.

Bring me more tackles and guards!
OC Domer | Email | Homepage | 07.14.08 - 3:34 pm | #

As I understand it, guards need to be a little more mobile since they have to "pull" to block for runners sometimes. Are there any other differences in physicality, technique or other differences in what makes a good guard vs. a good tackle?
GB | Email | Homepage | 07.14.08 - 6:39 pm | #

GB - I don't know about RT, but LTs are sometimes credited with being the best athletes on the field (see the book "The Blind Side" by Michael Lewis, about Michael Oher from Ole Miss).

The rationale goes, if I understand it correctly: LTs are required to be (1) good run blockers, by virtue of playing on the line (duh); (2) good pass blockers to a greater extent, because they must protect the QB where he can't see; and (3) often match up against the other team's best DE or OLB.

Please correct me if mistaken, group. I've never claimed to be an expert when it comes to the "big uglies."
Domer Guy | Email | Homepage | 07.14.08 - 7:21 pm | #

I've seen two different articles today mention our "weak schedule" this year. If we start winning some games, get ready to hear that mantra a few more times . . .
Jack Burton . . . Me! | Email | Homepage | 07.14.08 - 10:12 pm | #

Jack, as long as we don't get blown out in our bowl game, I don't care what our schedule looks like. If we overachieve against underperforming teams and get stuck in a BCS bowl we have no business being in, then it's just deja vu from a few other times in the past decade.

Maybe it's good that people are *already* saying we'll have a weak schedule. It's a simple defense mechanism against having to acknowledge that we're putting the pieces together to make something special happen. Plus, if we do poorly then the haters can pile on us even harder, but if we do well then they can fall back on our weak schedule they've been compalaining about since the summer.
Erik '04 | Email | Homepage | 07.15.08 - 9:57 am | #

*complaining
Erik '04 | Email | Homepage | 07.15.08 - 9:58 am | #

Weak by ND standards, not by Big Ten/Pac 10 standards.
Oak | Email | Homepage | 07.15.08 - 6:15 pm | #

ND Alum,

If we were an elite team, maybe Walls costs us.

However, we have a LONG way to go just to get to the competitive D1 level - aka. fundamentals, respectability, or even .500 ball.

Most of us just want to make sure 2007 was definitely was THE bottom and / or turning point.
ThE LoSt BoY | Email | Homepage | 07.15.08 - 11:39 pm | #