Kickoff for Notre Dame is Here

            After the tumultuous offseason that the Notre Dame Fighting Irish went through there cannot be a team any more ready to start the 2013 season than them. Coming off a 12-0 season that many believed occurred because of “lucky breaks”, nobody is expecting the Irish to return to a BCS Bowl or reach double digit wins this year. This is in large part due to the absence of quarterback Everett Golson. He is a tremendously talented QB with a rocket arm that also wreaks havoc with his running ability. Unfortunately, Golson was removed from the team and the University for academic reasons. He is expected to return in January but until then the man replacing Golson is Tommy Rees.

            Rees has created a schism in the Irish fanbase with people who love him and people that hate him. The senior has had his problems in the past but he is a solid quarterback and a tremendous leader. Plus, he will have one of the best defenses in the nation to help him out. The Irish were one of the top defenses in the country last year as well but this year they are even better. The secondary is much improved and deeper at every position. The linebacker unit is lacking a leader like Manti Te’o but they are still very talented. The defensive line is the anchor. They are led by nose tackle Louis Nix and defensive end Stephon Tuitt.

            I was asked last year what I thought the Irish would do that season and I believed 8-10 wins was the goal. My prediction for the season was a 9-3 record. I never once thought before that season that we would be playing for the national championship. I always pointed to 2013 as being the year we break through and return to glory. I am still holding to that prophecy as kickoff looms. Everybody says our schedule is daunting but there is only one team right now that is better than us and that is Stanford. Michigan is starting a new quarterback, Michigan State is likely to struggle on offense, Oklahoma has to replace Landry Jones, USC is a mess, and Arizona State is talented but I’m not sold yet. There is no reason we shouldn’t get at least nine wins. I’m predicting 11-1 and a BCS Bowl.

            The #14 Fighting Irish open their season at home against the Temple Owls. Unless Bill Cosby straps on a helmet and shoulder pads the Irish should have no worries about this game. This is merely a tune-up game before the Irish head to Ann Arbor next Saturday night.

Keys to the Game

Tommy Rees- Rees has seen so many ups and downs in his four years at Notre Dame. His freshman season in 2010 he took over for starter Dayne Crist. In 2011 he started out as the backup quarterback again but after Crist became ineffective he took over the starting job. In the offseason Rees was involved in an altercation with the South Bend Police Department. That run in with the law, Rees’s 24 career interceptions, and a lack of running ability is why many Irish fans have no faith in Rees. While that is all troubling, it should be noted that Rees is 14-4 as a starter and he was a huge part of last season’s success. There is no way Notre Dame goes 12-0 without Tommy Rees on the team.

Position Battles- The roster is loaded with veterans and young players that are fighting for playing time. It’s expected the Irish will pile it on Temple early so that will allow the bench players to get quality playing time and show the coaches what they have learned.

No Injuries- This is the most important for the season opener. Even though there is more depth and talent on the team than last year there are still spots where the Irish are not deep enough. For example, offensive and defensive line.

Pick em’

Last season I finished with slightly above .500 with 92-49 record. Just a reminder that I pick all the in-state team games (ND, Purdue, IU, and Ball State) and then a handful of games played on Saturday (possibly one or two Thursday/Friday games) that I consider the most exciting and likely to produce a close game.  I’ll pick enough games to reach ten each week. Finally, I will least each game in the order of their scheduled kick off times. The team I am picking will be in bold. Here we go:

Purdue Boilermakers at Cincinnati Bengals

Temple Owls at #14 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Northern Illinois Huskies at Iowa Hawkeyes

Syracuse Orange at Penn State Nittany Lions

Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. #13 Oklahoma State Cowboys

#1 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Virginia Tech Hokies

#5 Georgia Bulldogs at #8 Clemson Tigers

#12 LSU Tigers vs. #20 TCU Horned Frogs

#19 Boise State Broncos at Washington Huskies

#22 Northwestern Wildcats at California Golden Bears

BCS National Championship Preview

            How fitting is it that the team that can end the SEC’s vise grip on the college football world can be Notre Dame? The University of Notre Dame, a place where academics always come first and athletics are second. Notre Dame, a name that conjure up emotions that varies from hatred to never-quit loyalty. Notre Dame, the greatest college football program in the 20^th century. Notre Dame, a school that refuses to join a conference and remain independent. How fitting is for Notre Dame that they get to play perhaps the best football program so far in the 21^st century? The Crimson Tide has won two championships in the last three years and are going for back to back championships. If you want to be the best then you have to beat the best, and that’s Alabama.

            When Notre Dame and Alabama take the field in Miami, the entire sports world will be watching. Fans from every region will have a rooting interest. Fans who hate Nick Saban, Alabama, and the media’s love for the SEC will root for the Irish. Fans who hate Notre Dame will be rooting for the  Tide. Many have said this will be highest watched championship game ever and I believe this is the most anticipated championship game ever. Of course, that’s easy for me to say since I’m an Irish fan.

Keys to Victory

Pressure A.J. McCarron: McCarron is the Tide’s junior quarterback and leader on offense. He led the team to a championship last year and now he’s back looking for a second. McCarron threw for 2,600 yards and 26 touchdowns with a 66% completion percentage. He only threw three interceptions during the season as well. The Irish need to force McCarron to make plays. Push him out of the pocket and make him find the open receivers. That goal sounds simple until you realize Alabama has one of the best offensive lines in the country. It will be up to Louis Nix, Stephon Tuitt and Kapron Lewis-Moore to draw double teams and allow the linebackers into the backfield.

Rushing Attack: Notre Dame has long been known for its famous backfields and running backs. This year they have relied heavily on the running game too. Seniors Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood have split the carries and have combined for over 1,500 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. The Crimson Tide have the 2^nd ranked defense but gave up more than 100 rushing yards against Georgia, Texas A&M and LSU. That means they are vulnerable and the Irish have to take advantage. Riddick will also be key in the passing game. He is my “player to watch” in the game.

Everett Golson: Alabama’s lone loss came at the hands of Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel. The eventual Heisman winner beat ‘Bama by using his arm as well as his legs. Golson will have to do the same Monday night. He cannot stand in the pocket and wait for receivers to get open. He will have to move around, scramble out of the pocket and possibly run for yards when receivers are not open. Fortunately he has done already done this numerous times during the season. 

           When Oregon and Auburn played for the national championship, everybody expected it be a score fest. The final score was 22-19. When LSU and Alabama played last year many expected it to be close to the score of their previous meeting in the regular season. The final score was 21-0. Notre Dame and Alabama have the two best defenses in the country and many are expecting this to be a low scoring game. I'm not buying it. Each team will score at least one touchdown.

            Notre Dame is playing for more than a national championship and a year of bragging rights. They are playing for everybody who bleeds blue and gold. For everybody who has prayed for victory at the Grotto. For everybody who has been to the Basilica of Sacred Hearts but knows the real cathedral is Notre Dame Stadium. For everybody who cried during “Rudy”. For everybody who has won one for the Gipper. For everybody who plays like a champion. For everybody who knows the Four Horsemen didn’t ride horses. For everybody who has been inspired by the Golden Dome on a crisp, autumn day. For everybody who believes that nowhere else but Notre Dame is football is more than a game.

Go Irish. Beat ‘Bama.

Predicted score: Notre Dame-23. Alabama-13

Wild Card Preview

            The impossible-to-believe season for the Indianapolis Colts continues into the playoffs where their first round matchup takes them to the city we take everything from, Baltimore. The Irsay’s moved the Colts to Indianapolis from Baltimore in 1984 and before this season started we took Chuck Pagano and defensive lineman, Cory Redding. They got Jim Caldwell and Curtis Painter (fair trade, right?).

            The Colts are seen as underdog in the matchup and that’s understandable. However, you want to be playing your best football late in the season and the Colts played what I believe was their best game of the season last week against Houston. The Ravens, on the other hand, have gone 1-4 in their past five games and look very vulnerable.

It seemed as if the Colts would have the emotional advantage in the game with Chuck Pagano on the sideline but then Ray Lewis announced earlier this week that this is his final season. There is nobody in Baltimore who wants to see Ray Lewis retire. The Ravens are going to be playing inspired football in all aspects and nobody is going to give up.

             Before the Ray Lewis announcement, I figured the Colts could win this game by a touchdown. Now, I am not so sure. This game is going to be a dog fight but that plays into the Colts’ favor. Indy is a remarkable 9-1 in games decided by 7 points or less. The Ravens are 6-4 in the same circumstance.

The Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco could be considered a seasoned veteran but he has yet to claim a spot on the “elite” level. Flacco is 6-4 in the playoffs but has lost to the Steelers twice and the Patriots once. This is a game that could push Andrew Luck to that level while putting Flacco on the same level as Tony Romo. It is vital that Luck withstand the Raven’s pass rush and limit his turnovers. If he throws a couple interceptions and fumbles then the Colts will lose. Luck will also need production from rookie running back, Vick Ballard, to help in the cause and reduce the amount of blitzing Baltimore does.

As for the Colts defense, they really stepped it up against Houston in Week 17. In a game that Houston needed to win, our defense held them to only 16 points. We picked off two of Matt Schaub’s passes and held Arian Foster to 96 rushing yards. Many are worried about Ray Rice putting up huge numbers against our defense but I am not one of those. The Colts are gonna bring their “A” game against Baltimore just like they did against Houston. If they can force Flacco to make plays then we will have the advantage.

Predicted score: Colts-20. Ravens-13.

Notre Dame is Relevant

            Nobody thought Notre Dame would finish the season undefeated and earn a spot in the national championship. Before the season I said the Irish would finish 9-3. Eric Hansen on the South Ben Tribune said 8-4. Even Brian Kelly didn’t think they would have a perfect season. Yet in one week, the undefeated #1 Fighting Irish will play the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide for the BCS National Championship.

Notre Dame’s perfect season and run to the BCS National Championship is magical because of all the intangibles that were involved on and off the field. Here is why this season has been one of the greatest in Fighting Irish history.

• 125^th season of Notre Dame football
• Season began in Ireland
• Four coaches have won national championships in their third year. This is Brian Kelly’s third year
• Kelly’s assistant coaches are easily one of the best groups in the country. Defensive coordinator Bob Diaco and offensive coordinator Chuck Martin deserve a lot more recognition of how they have prepared their units for each opponent they faced
• Roster full of talented individuals and a mix of young and old players
• There is only one superstar on the team but he would never say that himself. That player is Manti Te’o

Te’o’s humble spirit and never quit work ethic have inspired the entire team. Nobody on the team boasted or bragged during the season. Nobody ever quit until the clock read 00:00. If you want evidence then look back at the season. Every game the Irish were in was a battle. There was no room for the weak or anybody with an ounce of quit in them. It took complete team efforts to beat Michigan State, Oklahoma and USC on the road as well as Pittsburgh and Stanford in overtime.

I’ve been a Notre Dame fan for 11 years. I was starting to believe that the Irish would never play for a championship. The last time they had won one was before I was born and since that year they had struggled to ever return to that level. As each year passed without Notre Dame winning a BCS game, the number of doubters grew and grew. Would Notre Dame ever return to relevance? Could a Catholic school compete with the SEC and Big 10? Could an academic institution that has the rigorous demands that Notre Dame still draw big name recruits?

The answer to all of those is yes and that has been proven by Brian Kelly. Kelly went 8-5 in his first two years. That was not what many Irish faithful want, but you could tell he was making improvements. He continually brought in Top 10 recruiting classes and his teams were playing great on both sides of the ball. It has been a long time since the Irish had even a Top 5 defense. Kelly has created a team that knows how to win and is dedicated to winning in the future. He has established an amazing group of assistant coaches, a group that I believe is an integral part of how Notre Dame got to where they are.

It doesn’t matter if the Fighting Irish win or lose on January 7^th because Brian Kelly will win a national championship in his tenure at Notre Dame. It may not be this year but it will happen. When it does millions across America and the world will celebrate because football at Notre Dame is more than a game. It’s a celebration of what college football is all about. Students that happen to play football at the highest level.

Colts News

            In a Week 17 matchup between the 10-5 Colts and 12-3 Texans, can you believe that only the team has something to play for besides pride is the Texans? The Indianapolis Colts have locked up the #5 seed and nothing they do can change that. As for the Texans, if they win they clinch the #1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. But the Texans are gonna have to dig deep if they expect to beat Indy because we have a new weapon on the sidelines and his name is Chuck Pagano! Pagano has regained his health after battling Leukemia and will return as head coach for the first time since September. There is going to be a lot of emotion on the field tomorrow and nobody on the Colts is going to want to walk into the locker room without a victory.

            Besides Pagano being back, there are a few other reasons why the Colts shouldn’t be such an underdog. First off, the Texans have NEVER won in Indianapolis before. They are 0-10 in the RCA Dome and Lucas Oil Stadium. Second, the Colts handed the game to the Texans in Week 15. Even though the final score was 29-17, the Colts could have easily won. We fumbled the ball on the goal line and had a Pat McAfee punt blocked and returned for a touchdown. If we score on that touchdown and don’t allow the Texans to block the punt the score would have been 24-22, Colts win.

Colts and Texans play at 1:00 p.m. on CBS.

Postseason Awards

             
There are three candidates for Rookie of the Year. They are Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, and Russell Wilson. All are quarterbacks for their teams and all have greatly surpassed their expectations.

The Colts were 2-14 last year and with Luck as quarterback they soared to 10-5 with one game left. Luck has been superb in the 4^th quarter but has had his rookie moments. He has thrown 21 touchdowns but also 18 interceptions and has fumbled 9 times. If you’re going to criticize him on the turnovers you should note that he has one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL and one that has struggled with injury the entire year.

Robert Griffin has been electric in his first year. His 9-6 Redskins are one win away from winning the NFC East title. He has thrown for 20 touchdowns and rushed for 6 more while throwing just five interceptions. However, he has the same number of fumbles as Luck, with nine. Griffin has also had the luxury of joining a team that was a little better than the Colts as the Redskins went 5-11 last season.

Russell Wilson has been the biggest shocker of anybody. Nobody, including me, expected him to perform anywhere near the level he has. He has thrown for 25 touchdowns and rushed for 3 while completing 63% of his passes. The biggest fault I have with Wilson winning ROTY is that he joined a team that was already pretty good. The Seahawks were 7-9 last year and have a tremendous defense.

If I was voting, I would vote Griffin and then Luck.

There are two awards that should be no-brainers. Coach of the Year HAS to be Bruce Arians. Arians took over after his best friend, Chuck Pagano, was diagnosed with Leukemia. Arians has no coaching experience but he guided the young Colts to where they are now. But you cannot forget who they guy was that brough Arians and Pagano to the Colts franchise, and that’s Ryan Grigson. He has worked miracles for this team. Besides drafting Andrew Luck, he also acquired Dwayne Allen, T.Y. Hilton and Vick Ballard in the draft. He also signed linebacker Jerrell Freeman, wide receivers Donnie Avery and Lavon Brazil and traded for cornerback Vontae Davis. The only other name I have heard come up against Grigson for Executive of the Year is the Denver Broncos’ executive because he signed Peyton Manning. The genius behind that idea was a man I once respected, John Clayton. Even though Grigson brought in 36 new players, a fact that Clayton even acknowledges, he still believes that Denver should win the award.