ESPN Story: Notre Dame vs. The Big Ten

It's not often that you'll see a story headline of one school versus a conference -- so goes life at the University of Notre Dame...

LINK:  NOTRE DAME vs. THE BIG TEN

Great Story -- Notre Dame / Michigan

ESPN's Matt Fortuna tells a very nice story today about the relationship between a Notre Dame fan and a Michigan fan who saved his life...

LINK:  A SPECIAL STORY

Michigan Coaches & Players Talk Notre Dame

Here are some links to the press conferences held the past two days in Ann Arbor -- as the Wolverines talk about their game this Saturday with Notre Dame:

LINK:  COACH HOKE PRESS CONFERENCE

LINK:  COACH BORGESS PRESS CONFERENCE

LINK:  COACH MATTISON PRESS CONFERENCE

Coach Kelly's Michigan Week Press Conference

Notre Dame's head football coach Brian Kelly -- met with the media today to talk about Saturday night's game in Ann Arbor:

LINK:  COACH KELLY PRESS CONFERENCE

ESPN's COLLEGE GAMEDAY Prep Work @ ND

The folks from ESPN's COLLEGE GAMEDAY are here on campus this morning -- doing their homework for Saturday's show in Ann Arbor.  Here's their mobile studio parked at the Guglielmino Athletics Complex.

Reminder: Coach Kelly's Presser @ NOON ET

The University of Notre Dame's Brian Kelly will be meeting with the media today at NOON ET to talk about the Irish's upcoming game this week against that school from Ann Arbor.   Just click on the link below to watch it LIVE:

LINK:  BRIAN KELLY PRESS CONFERENCE

Brady Quinn Wearing #9 for the NY Jets

Here's a photo and story from Brady Quinn's first practice as a New York Jet.  Some may recall there was plenty of speculation, during the off-season, that Quinn was going to sign with the Jets...

LINK:  QUINN IN JETS UNIFORM

Week #1 -- Inside Notre Dame Football TV

Here's a link to the first Inside Notre Dame Football TV show of the 2013 season.  Enjoy!

The folks at Fighting Irish Digital Media might want to move Jack Nolan's teleprompter down about 7 inches...

LINK:  INSIDE NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL

Trick Shot Monday -- Only Notre Dame!

Notre Dame freshman offensive lineman John Montelus is an internet celebrity this evening.  Click on the link below to see why:

LINK:  TRICK SHOT MONDAY

Watch Coach Kelly's Press Conference LIVE

Tuesday at NOON, ET -- Notre Dame's Brian Kelly will be answering questions from the assembled media.  You can bet there will be a "follow-up" question about his comments concerning the rivalry between Notre Dame and Michigan -- I completely agree with his view on the subject.

You can watch it LIVE -- at the link below:

LINK:  COACH KELLY PRESS CONFERENCE

"Pure Michigan" At Its Best -- Brady Hoke...

If you listen to the "pure Michigan" media -- you'll here stuff like this...

LINK:  BRADY HOKE GETS IT RIGHT...

Jonas Gray and Jamoris Slaughter Back in NFL

The Baltimore Ravens signed former Notre Dame running back Jonas Gray today to their practice squad -- as did the Cleveland Browns with former Irish safety Jamoris Slaughter!  Great news!

Both suffered serious injuries during their last football season at Notre Dame.  Glad to see they are on NFL teams:

LINK:  JONAS GRAY

LINK:  JAMORIS SLAUGHTER

New York Jets Sign Brady Quinn Today!

Well, I'm not surprised...

Former Notre Dame All-American Brady Quinn signed a contract today with the New York Jets -- a team having big-time QB troubles right now.

Congrats Brady!

LINK:  JETS SIGN BRADY QUINN

A Proposal For the NCAA's Consideration

Much has been discussed these past few years about the "paying of student-athletes" -- and the proposed solutions have been all over the board.  The latest -- paying each athlete a stipend of $3,500 has yet to gain much traction -- so I've decided to throw out an idea for the NCAA to consider.

IT IS LABOR DAY after all...

It's simply this -- create a "pension program" for all NCAA Division I scholarship athletes.  It would look something like this:

• The NCAA would create a pension program that they and each of the 340 Division I member institutions would agree to contribute to -- out of television and licensing revenues each year.
• Eligibility:  Every NCAA Division I "student-athlete" -- who signed a National Letter of Intent out of high school with their original school, was on this team's roster a minimum of four academic school years and received a (four-year) college degree from that same institution. 
• Pension Benefit Payments would be available to the qualified student-athlete once they reach the age of 65.

Here's what this proposed program does for college athletics:

1. It requires student-athletes to remain in college all four-years and earn a degree.
2. It puts some 'monetary value' in remaining at the school you signed your original National Letter of Intent with.
3. And, it treats "every scholarship student-athlete" the same -- no matter what school you played for or sport you played.

For those who feel the requirements are too severe -- the NCAA could easily pay out a "lesser percentage" to those who transferred to another school, failed to play all four years or graduate...

What do you think?

Michigan Week: Monday's "Pure" Reporting

Since it's the last time the IRISH will be playing in Ann Arbor for the foreseeable future -- the media in "Pure Michigan" will be writing about this game all week long.  Here's what's being said today on Labor Day:

LINK:  DETROIT FREE PRESS

LINK:  DETROIT NEWS 

The Last Time Michigan Beat a Team by 50 pts.

They lost the next week to the University of Notre Dame...

Michigan beat UMASS 63 - 13 a year ago -- then lost the next week to Notre Dame 13 - 6.

OT: Miracle Last Second TD -- Texas HS

If you haven't seen this winning kick-off return in a Texas high school football game Friday night -- you must!  Copperas Cove had just kicked a "winning" field goal with one second left in the game -- that was until this happened...

LINK:  MUST SEE!

LINK:  STORY

I Had No Idea It Was This Bad In Kansas...

I just read a story about the upcoming season for the Kansas Jayhawks football team and I saw this astonishing fact:

THE KANSAS JAYHAWKS' WIDE RECEIVERS DID NOT CATCH A SINGLE TOUCHDOWN PASS LAST SEASON.

This is hard to believe -- especially with what we saw out of Coach Charlie Weis '79 and his offense at Notre Dame...  YIKES!

LINK:  THIS CAN'T BE

What Though the Odds be Great or Small...

The Fightin' Irish are a 3.5 point underdog to the Michigan Wolverines -- so says the odds makers in Las Vegas.  Prior to the season this game was a "pick-em" -- but, after Michigan's 50 pt. win over CMU they are the favorites of the betting public...

LINK:  MICHIGAN FAVORED

Brady Hoke Expects "Electric Atmosphere"

I guess when you use your lights for a night game in Ann Arbor you fill the atmosphere with electricity...

Next Saturday's game with Michigan will be the second game in Michigan Stadium's history played under the lights -- the first was also against Notre Dame.  The gang from ESPN'S COLLEGE GAMEDAY will be in attendance.  And, this will be the last time the maize and blue region will see real GOLD HELMETS in their stadium for many years...

Yeah, it's a big game.

LINK:  BRADY HOKE ON GAME WITH NOTRE DAME