While the defense may be a bigger problem, one of the primary concerns for many Irish fans is the spread passing offense of new head coach Brian Kelly. Kelly makes no secret of his offensive goal, he wants to be aggressive and vertical, scoring on every possession. As such, he favors the pass over the run, operates heavily from the shotgun, and employs an up-tempo…

For most Notre Dame Football fans this off-season has been a whirlwind of news—a somewhat reserved excitement and hopeful optimism for what the 2010 season holds for the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame let a coach go, hired a promising replacement, said goodbye to a handful of players who are currently demonstrating their abilities for the NFL draft, welcomed eight new position coaches (nine if you…

With few exceptions, the 2009 Irish offense had a very productive year. Quarterback Jimmy Clausen and wide receiver Golden Tate turned in brilliant performances and led an explosive unit that generated over 30 points per outing.

But if there was an Achilles’ heel—and there was—it was red zone point production.

The Irish struggled inside the 20-yard line in 2009, but this is hardly a new…

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly and his staff notched 23 commitments on National Signing Day. The Irish garnered the 21st ranked class by ESPN and the 19th ranked class by Scout, while Rivals was a bit more generous and placed Notre Dame at number 14.

Considering the underwhelming on-field product of the three previous seasons and a late-year coaching change, the results were about…

When trying to get a high school football recruit to come to Notre Dame, one of the biggest draws is the added exposure that player will receive, not only from the fans across the nation, but professional scouts as well. Storied history? Check. Historical significance? Check. Facilities that are second to none? Check. A schedule that covers the entire nation (as well as other countries)?…

Since the press conference held by Notre Dame’s Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick last Monday announcing the departure of Charlie Weis, the entire Notre Dame fan base has been on the edge of their seat, constantly checking the internet and ESPN, to see if any head way has been made in the search for the next head coach of the football program. Meanwhile, Swarbrick is working…

Before Charlie Weis was officially announced as the new head coach at Notre Dame, he was preceded with praise from his colleagues and the press touting him as an offensive genius—a guru of X’s and O’s that, if anything else, could get the Irish offense firing on all cylinders. Six years later, Charlie Weis has more or less lived up to those expectations, save one…

The head coaching position for the Notre Dame football team is arguably the most high-profile position in the country. Not only do you have to deal with constant exposure and criticism from television personalities, radio broadcasters, and magazine and newspaper writers, but you also have to deal with the incredible history of your position. Three of the greatest football coaches in college or professional history…

I’m usually an optimist concerning most things. I’m the guy who sat in front of the television every Saturday afternoon during the 2007 football season yelling obscenities and screaming that the football team wasn’t playing as well as I thought they should. They weren’t playing up to my expectations, even though the expectations I had for the team were founded in wishful thinking rather than…

Based on pre-season expectations, most Irish fans are starting to grumble about the state of the football program at Notre Dame. Some people are waiting to see if the two previous close wins will catch up to the Irish, similar to the Michigan game. Around the nation, Irish fans are starting to ask themselves “Are the Irish as good as we thought at the beginning…