HB, NRNII

I'll be on the road all week and unable to blog, so just wanted to say Happy Birthday to Nancy Rose. If I'm not mistaken, Thursday will mark another year gone by for our Queen of the Blog.

Why do we remember such things after all these years?

Just like remembering Harry O--51 yards.

Enjoy the week, sports fans. Six weeks and counting...

Colonel Domer

Desktop or Laptop for College Student

It seems that a lot of us are sending our kids off to college these days. Perhaps some of you have a thought on the desktop/laptop question (maybe it's not even a question for you). My oldest son will be a freshman at Baylor in the fall. (At least he's not going to USC . . .) In any event, we are in the process of buying a computer for him. A friend of ours got their son a desktop, thinking it is harder for a desktop to be lost or stolen. My lovely wife thinks that we should likewise get a desktop for our son, as he doesn't always keep up with things. I'm thinking that a laptop is the way to go, as you can take it anywhere, and he may need it in class at some point. What have the rest of you done? Other thoughts? Is it OK to post non-football queries here? Best to all, Mark GO IRISH!

ESPN ND Preview 2007

Very good overview included below. This is the short version, you can read a much longer one at espn.com

BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS

Weis said during the spring that Notre Dame's new slogan is "tradition never graduates." Perhaps not, but talent does, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

Grading the Irish
Unit	Grade
Offense	B
Special teams	A
Defense	B+
Intangibles	B+

The Irish lost one of the best quarterbacks in their history in Brady Quinn, one of their most prolific rushers in Darius Walker, and a pair of sure-handed receivers in Jeff Samardzija and Rhema McKnight. By the end of the spring, all that was settled of the three was the running back situation, where Travis Thomas will return full-time after playing linebacker last year. Other than that it's a free-for-all.

One of the most publicized position races in all of college football will be Notre Dame's for starting quarterback. Sophomores Evan Sharpley and Demetrius Jones and freshman Jimmy Clausen remain in the running after Weis balked at narrowing it down to two. Sharpley would appear to be the most qualified because he was Quinn's primary backup last year. But expect a groundswell of support for Clausen, one of the most high-profile recruits in recent memory.

Whoever wins will have his work cut out for him learning Weis' complicated passing offense.

Defensively, the Irish will be running the 3-4 under first-year defensive coordinator Corwin Brown. What that meant in the preseason was that several linemen and linebackers found themselves either switching positions or learning new ways to play their old positions. Despite the controlled chaos, the defense is better off then the offense. There's depth at every position, especially the secondary where no fewer than eight players have legitimate claims to a starting job. One player who won't have to worry about competition is safety Tom Zbikowski, who appeared leaner and more focused on football during the spring.

As always, Notre Dame's schedule is tough. But what the Irish have going in their favor is that five of their final six games are at home, including contests against Boston College and USC.

Notre Dame's defense will keep it in games. If the offense can find a consistent rhythm, be that with the passing or the running game, expect to see the Irish vying for their BCS bowl tie-in.