Just a few guys loving the same woman and talking Irish football.
Yes, yes, it’s Notre Dame vs Boston College, the Holy War, the Order of the Holy Cross vs the Jesuits, slapping Fredo across the face, or whatever else you want to call it.
We definitely don’t consider BC a true rival by any means; in fact, I wrote about this last season. However, this doesn’t mean that we can’t find it in our hearts to hate them.
Instead of sitting around and sulking while wishing we were vacationing in Dublin, the HLS team got together to predict the 2012 Irish regular season record. Biscuit, NDtex, Bayou Irish, Grantland-X and myself all agree that ND will beat Navy this weekend, but from there we all see things shaking out a little bit differently.
As we close in on the beginning of the 2012 season, I decided to take the Twibby Bus around the country to check up on each of the Irish opponents. The grueling journey ended with the discovery of plenty adverse effects from NCAA sanctions, a trio of unfit sailors, a couple of quarterback question marks, and a lot of injured offensive linemen. Updates are listed in the order of the ND schedule. Like Everett Golson trying to get used to the playbook, I am still trying to get figure out HLS 3.0 (thanks NDtex and Flannerite for your hard work) so please bear with me if I do something stupid…which is fairly likely.
The “Know Thyself, Know Thy Enemy” series continues today with tight ends – one of the easiest positions to choose for the Irish, and one of the most difficult positions to pick out for Notre Dame’s opponents.
Tyler Eifert had a breakout game at Yankee Stadium in 2010
We all know Eifert’s story – seemingly average recruit; doesn’t play freshman year; fills in when Rudolph gets hurt; turns out to catch everything that is thrown his way; works with Michael Floyd to make Tommy Rees appear to be a serviceable QB; etc. After flirting with the prospect of moving on to the NFL after the 2011, Tyler Eifert chose to stick with his teammates in South Bend.
With the name of the Dublin starter still very much in limbo, Eifert’s ability to create defensive mismatches (particularly on routes of 15-yards or less) could be a must-needed crutch for the 2012 Irish offense. With Michael Floyd now working alongside Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona, and without an established threat at receiver to fill his shoes, Eifert will likely be even more of a focal point to the ND attack than he was in 2011 when he caught 63 balls for 803 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Other than the clairvoyant among us, not too many Domers would have expected Eifert to turn into a better pass-catching college tight end (the NFL may offer a different story) than his predecessor Kyle Rudolph, but he has the opportunity to cement that legacy this season. For his next surprise, let’s hope and dream that Eifert decides to snub the pros once again and come back for a 5th go-around donning the blue and gold.
Zach Ertz won’t have Andrew Luck throwing to him in 2012, but still promises to be an effective target
Stanford returns two of the mainstays in its 3-man tight end rotation (with Coby Fleener joining his pal Andrew Luck in Indianapolis) in seniors Zach Ertz and Levine Toilolo. Last season Ertz caught 27 balls for 346 yards and 4 touchdowns while missing 4 games with an injury, and Toilolo snagged 25 passes for 343 yards and 6 touchdowns.
It is difficult to quantify, but it is not a stretch to say that these numbers were handicapped by the combination of the top quarterback in the country, one of the top tight ends in the country drawing most of the attention, and a lack of many threats at wide receiver. While the talent level may have dropped, we can still expect Stanford’s tight ends to play a big role in David Shaw’s offensive scheme this year with both Ertz and Toilolo offering safe, effective targets to the winner of the Brett Nottingham/Josh Nunes quarterback battle.
Toilolo was named to the Mackey Award Watch List (along with 3 other Notre Dame opponents including Hubie Graham of Pitt, Chris Pantale of Boston College, and Dion Sims of Michigan State) after earning honorable mention all-conference last season.
Similarly to how the Irish utilize Eifert, you’ll likely see Ertz lining up outside as well:
Previously in the Know Thyself, Know Thy Enemy series:
Kicker & Punter
Offensive Line
Defensive Line
Safety
Wide Receiver
Cornerback
Running Back
As always, you can follow Twibby on Twitter: @HLS_Twibby
Recent Comments