NFL

New York Giants defensive end Ishaq Williams runs through a drill during NFL football rookie camp, Friday, May 6, 2016, in, East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Checking In On The Undrafted Irish

May 12, 2016 by andrewwinn

Here's the latest on the athletes who played last year for Notre Dame, were not drafted and are now trying to make an NFL team: CHRIS BROWN: There are actually two players named Chris Brown on the Dallas Cowboys roster as of right now. The first is the Notre Dame graduate who was a great complement to Will Fuller in the 2015 Irish receiving corps. The second is a former Cal Poly QB who was invited to a minicamp to prove himself as a wide receiver. In a Tuesday post, SB Nation's Ryan Ratty ...

Credit: Joe Raymond/Associated Press

Notre Dame Unmatched On and Off the Field

September 17, 2014 by WhiskyPoet

Through three weeks, Notre Dame has already blown past expectations for 2014. And they've grossly exceeded moral expectations for any football program, professional or college. The 3-0 record may have been foreseen at this point by many Irish fans, but did we know that there would be two 30-plus point victories? Did we know that we'd have a poor performance against a rival and still find a way to coast to a victory (which is more than we could say at this point in 2012)? Did we know that ...

How Do You Spell Success? N-F-L? G-S-R? A-P-R?

May 12, 2014 by Bayou Irish

The 2014 NFL Draft is in the books, and with it comes a reflection on success. For the eight Irish players who were drafted, they're basking in some form of success. But what I want to examine in today's piece is whether or not there is a difference in the success enjoyed by, say, Prince Shembo, and the success enjoyed by Troy Niklas? I also want to examine whether, or not, with this draft class, we can say that Coach Brian Kelly's regime has been a success? Is the program successful? Let's ...

credit: und.com

Harry Hiestand: Leaving a Mark on ND and the NFL

March 17, 2014 by Bayou Irish

Happy Monday. Today, as we celebrate the end of Spring Break, the return of Spring ball, March Madness, and St. Patrick's Day, I wanted to take a closer look at one of ND's recent coaching hires and assess his impact and influence as he enters his third season under Brian Kelly. I'm referring to the Irish offensive line coach, Harry Hiestand (HE-stand). Whether its in recruiting or developing the next Zack Martin, Coach Hiestand's record is one of demonstrated excellence. And, as the leader of ...

Combine Nation: Trying Out The Irish

February 24, 2014 by Bayou Irish

This weekend, nine Irish took to the podia, weight benches, and drill spaces to "[. . .] jump, and run across the floor, and perform many other feats, exhibiting [their] activity and condition." Each of them, and close to three hundred other ex-college players, are participating in this century's equivalent of the slave auction. Sure, they're there voluntarily, and they're chasing payouts in the millions-of-dollars. But they're still there to perform, or in the case of Teddy Bridgewater, not, ...

ND News: Irish Down Duke, Tuitt Declares

January 6, 2014 by Bayou Irish

Despite there being no football game or national championship won, this last weekend should go down as one of the more important, if not the first ever, of 2014. As Friday became Saturday, and the temperatures in Purcell Pavillion rose on account of the nattering nabobs of the nation's assembled media, as Saturday became Sunday, and the temperatures outside plunged and record snow whited-out the landscape, Notre Dame filled the non-weather-related headlines. Saturday saw Coach Mike Brey's ...

DEBATE THIS! The Heroic? Return of Brian Kelly

January 13, 2013 by Lisa

Head Coach Brian Kelly returns to Notre Dame! Are we happy? Maybe, maybe not. Grantland X and I seem to have differing views on the topic. Here is my two cents worth on the return of Brian Kelly, and Grantland X will present his rebuttal on Monday. Here we go ... It’s o-dark-thirty in the college football recruiting world and Notre Dame is hovering with a top five recruiting class. In the days leading up to the national title game head coach Brian Kelly gushes that coaching at Notre Dame ...

Martin, Irish Chocolate and Lagniappe

December 18, 2012 by Bayou Irish

In New Orleans, a little something extra is called lagniappe. As you've no doubt heard by now, the Fighting Irish got quite a good deal of lagniappe (about 630 pounds of it) on Monday when Coach Kelly announced that Zack Martin (OL) and Louis Nix III (NG) would be staying with the program next season. That these two young men would decide to forego NFL millions speaks volumes to the program's trajectory and to their personal goals. And while it's too easy to harken back to Tyler Eifert's or Mati ...

Davidson College Ranks Ahead of The Irish: GSR or a Sick Rick Reilly Fantasy?

August 23, 2012 by Bayou Irish

I can't do anything about Lo Wood's Achilles, but I can do something about the Janus Bifrons of anti-journalism that is ColinReilly a/k/a RickCowherd. Now, I don't need to go after these dopes on their lazy opinions. Twibby did that already. I'm going to go after their underlying fiction as it pertains to "student-athletics" because I refuse to throw up my hands and acquiesce to the notion that college football is just one big academic fraud (Cowherd) or that Notre Dame needs to be taken down ...

What if Samardzija had chosen the NFL over MLB?

July 5, 2012 by Twibby

After reminiscing about one of my favorite Notre Dame memories involving Jeff Samardzija last week, I got to thinking about the Shark’s decision to pursue a career in baseball rather than the NFL in 2007. Earlier this season I had the fortune of watching Samardzija absolutely dominate the Cardinals at Wrigley Field, and while I am a fan of the pathetic Cubbies I couldn’t help but think I would rather see the Shark donning a Bears #83 jersey instead. In 2012, his first full season as a starter ...