Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1158434
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com PRESEASON 2019 15 UNDER THE DOME THEY SAID IT "Brian [Kelly] has built such a strong foundation. The culture is so well set, the expectations are so clear. It's easier. I'm not suggesting it runs itself. But we're not changing things, not trying to build the culture or address issues. It's in place." — Notre Dame director of athletics Jack Swarbrick on the needs of the Irish football program (The Chicago Tribune) "A lot of people don't realize that a lot of the plays we made in the back end were because of our D-line. They would say the same. A lot of the cover sacks were because we took the time to really hone in on our ability to help each other. We had one of the best fronts in the country last year, so they made a lot of plays for us." — Notre Dame senior safety Jalen Elliot on how the defensive line aids the success of the secondary (The Athletic) "Off the field, I might be quiet; I might walk right past you. But on the field, I kind of hit a switch." — Notre Dame senior safety Alohi Gilman on his changing demeanor (The South Bend Tribune) "I get why players still take visits even though they're committed, but that's not for me. I'm 100 percent committed to Notre Dame, and I'm not looking at any other schools." — Thomas Dale (Va.) running back Chris Tyree on where his commitment to Notre Dame stands (USA Today) "The year before [Chip] Long was hired by Brian Kelly, the Irish went 4-8. Since then, they are 22-4. Long's offenses have overcome a bunch of key injuries and also handled the transition of losing two stellar of- fensive linemen — and arguably the top line coach in college football — to the NFL and didn't miss a beat. Long definitely has an edge to him, and it will be interesting to see what his next move might be. He's only 36 but should have some options — perhaps a return to Illinois, where he was on the staff in 2010 and '11 — if Notre Dame has another top-10 season." — Bruce Feldman on why Notre Dame offensive coordinator Chip Long is No. 8 on his list of assistants to watch after the season (The Athletic) "I think Coach Kelly has done an amazing job of recruiting kids that are right for Notre Dame but also have given us an opportunity to become competitive on a national stage. I think that's what it is all about. I think the more we're able to perform on a national stage our players have a sense of what's needed, what's necessary to perform at the highest level." — Former Notre Dame running back Jerome Bettis on his outlook for the upcoming season (WNDU) "For the second straight season, Notre Dame has scheduled itself into a serious pickle. Last year it was the November cross-country travel — a grind the Fighting Irish nonetheless survived on their way to an undefeated regular season. This year, it's the alarming number of open-date disadvantages facing the Irish — exactly half the time, Notre Dame will be facing an opponent coming off more rest and preparation time." — Pat Forde on the difficulty of Notre Dame's 2019 schedule (Yahoo!) OF THE WEEK ➤ When the G.O.A.T. talks, you listen. #GoIrish — The Notre Dame football account (@NDFootball) on former Irish head coach Lou Holtz speaking to the team Aug. 14