Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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50 OCT. 15, 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED IRISH IN THE PROS BY COREY BODDEN I t's been a successful marriage be- tween former Irish star wide re- ceiver Golden Tate and the Detroit Lions. The NFL veteran signed a five-year, $31 million deal with the team in the spring of 2014 following four years with the Seattle Seahawks, where he caught 165 passes for 2,195 yards and 15 touchdowns while helping them win a Super Bowl. Even with the potential Tate pos- sessed at the time, many probably did not expect what was to come in Detroit. In his first four years of the deal, Tate has caught at least 90 passes in each season while eclipsing 1,000 yards three times. His average out- put during his tenure with the Lions comes out to 93 receptions for 1,056 yards and just less than five touch- downs per season. Even with his consistency, Tate entered the final year of the deal without an extension from the team. Through four games this season, Tate caught 28 passes for 389 yards and three touchdowns. A similar pace would keep him well on his way to another 90-catch and 1,000-yard cam- paign. While various contract talks have dominated league headlines so far, Tate is more focused on one goal: winning another Super Bowl. "Obviously, I want to have more catches, obviously I want to have more touches, more touchdowns, more yards," Tate told The Detroit Free Press. "But collectively man, I'm going into year nine, I want to win. I want to win. "I look around this locker room, we have plenty of talent. I just want to win in December and January, even going into February, because that's when the football's fun. That's when all the work you put in starting way back in April is worth it. Late in the season when you're back at Ford Field in late January. "I want these guys to experience that, experience what me and [run- ning back] LeGarrette [Blount] and a couple other guys experienced." The lack of a contract has some in the media covering the team questioning what the Lions' plan is with Tate and if moving on would be the right call. Especially after it was learned in early October that Tate stopped on the highway to help those who were involved in an ac- cident. "Basically, when Tate isn't scoring two touchdowns in a game, when he's not busy being the Lions' lead- ing receiver, when he's not occupied being on pace for a 1,500-yard sea- son, he's prowling our roadways and saving lives," Detroit Free Press writer Carlos Monarrez wrote on Oct. 3. "The dude might have to skip the Pro Bowl to accept a humanitarian award. "As the kids say these day, that's so fire. That's so extra. Tate is all that and a bag of chips. "I might be getting my decades mixed up. "But how do you justify not pay- ing Tate? Now [in] the final season of his five-year deal, all he's done as a Lion is accumulate 400 catches, 4,613 yards, a Pro Bowl selection — and Golden Tate Is Off To A Strong Start In His Contract Year Tate notched 28 receptions for 389 yards and three touchdowns during the first four weeks of the NFL season. PHOTO COURTESY DETROITLIONS.COM NOTRE DAME IN THE NFL: WEEK FOUR HIGHLIGHTS • Tyler Eifert (Played at Notre Dame from 2009-12), TE, Cincinnati Bengals: Caught four passes for 38 yards and a touchdown before suffering a gruesome ankle injury in a 37-36 win at Atlanta … Will be out for the remainder of the season due to the setback. • Isaac Rochell (2013-16), DE, Los Angeles Chargers: Did not record a tackle, but had the game-clinching interception in a 29-27 victory over San Francisco. • Kyle Rudolph (2008-10), TE, Minnesota Vikings: Caught five passes for 57 yards in a 38-31 loss at the Los Angeles Rams. • Jaylon Smith (2013-15), LB, Dallas Cow- boys: Finished with seven tackles in a 26-24 win over Detroit.