Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 20, 2021 51 IRISH IN THE PROS BY TODD D. BURLAGE I n what could blossom into a long and prosperous relationship, rookie Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields and his second-year tight end Cole Kmet are lay- ing the groundwork this season to some- day become one of the best offensive tan- dems in the NFL for years to come. With the Bears still finding their of- fensive footing around a first-year sig- nal-caller, Kmet — a standout tight end at Notre Dame from 2017-19 and a Chi- cagoland native — is becoming a sta- bilizing force and a go-to target who's helping to flatten Fields' learning curve. In the Bears' 29-27 loss to the Steelers Nov. 8, Kmet — the 2020 second-round pick of the Bears — recorded six recep- tions for a career-high 87 yards. And during a four-game stretch for the Bears dating back to Oct. 17 — all with Fields as the starter — Kmet had 18 recep- tions for 203 yards, not overwhelming numbers for an elite NFL tight end, but signs of a growing connection between a quarterback and receiver. "As we've gotten more reps with Jus- tin [Fields], things have just naturally been getting better, kind of having a feel for each other," Kmet explained. "I think that is going to keep progressing as the year goes on." Through the first nine games this sea- son, Kmet already had the same number of catches (28) and more receiving yards (284) than he did in 16 games as a rookie in 2020 when he tallied 28 for 243. "Cole has taken that next step," Bears head coach Matt Nagy said following Kmet's performance against the Steel- ers. "He's at a point where I think you're starting to see more targets go his way. He's making big catches. "I love where he's at. I love his men- tality, and I think he's going to keep growing." As a talented tight end and a gifted flame-throwing pitcher for Notre Dame, Kmet was affectionately known as "the freak" by his Irish teammates, and understandably so. Carrying a 6-foot-6, 260-pound build, with a size 16.5 cleat and hands big enough to make a football disap- pear, Kmet is a physical marvel. Kmet vertically jumps more than 40 inches, and before the draft, he posted a 4.65 time in the 40-yard dash. Add to Kmet's natural physical gifts a family lineage of athletic success, and it's no surprise he's becoming a budding NFL star. Cole's father, Frank Kmet, was a de- fensive tackle at Purdue from 1988-91 and a fourth-round draft pick of the Buffalo Bills. And the brother of Cole's mother, Kandace, his uncle Jeff Zgonina spent 17 seasons as an NFL defensive lineman through the 1990s and 2000s. Cole is a young and growing branch on the robust Kmet NFL family tree. "All the hard work I have been putting in, it's definitely nice to know that it is paying off," Kmet said. "It's exciting to know that I have a lot of progression left to come and a lot of opportunities ahead." ✦ Kmet notched a team-leading six receptions for a career-high 87 yards in Chicago's 29-27 loss at Pittsburgh Nov. 8. PHOTO COURTESY CHICAGO BEARS Cole Kmet Is Enjoying His Second-Season Improvement MEMORABILIA MEMORABILIA Call 877-630-8768 to advertise in Blue & Gold Illustrated! M A R K E T P L A C E Vintage Notre Dame Memorabilia Augie's Locker Room ND Stadium Items, Jerseys, Helmets, Autographs and One-of-a-Kind Rockne Items. COME INTO THE STORE TO SEE OUR RARE NOTRE DAME HELMET DISPLAY, 1900 - PRESENT!! Voted Best Notre Dame Collectibles in the Country! 1811 South Bend Ave. South Bend , I n 46637 574-277-NDND (6363) www.augieslockerroom.com FACEBOOK.COM/AUGIESLOCKERROOM NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL GAMES on VHS or DVD for sale, from 1928 to present. Contact Peter Rahas at 7700 Golden Filly St., Las Vegas, NV 89131 or call 1-702-395-2974 NOTRE DAME IN THE NFL: WEEK 9 HIGHLIGHTS • Julian Love (Played at Notre Dame from 2016-18), CB, New York Giants: Recorded four tackles (three solo) in New York's 23-16 home win over Las Vegas … Has started one game this season and appeared in all nine for the 3-6 Giants, compiling 23 tackles (10 solo), three passes defended and one interception. • Mike McGlinchey (2013-17), OT, San Fran- cisco 49ers: Suffered a season-ending torn quad injury during the 49ers' 31-17 home loss to Arizona … Had started at right tackle in each of the first eight games for 3-5 San Francisco. • Quenton Nelson (2014-17), OG, India- napolis Colts: Started at left guard and helped the Colts rush for 260 yards in a 45-30 home win over the New York Jets … Has started each of the six games he has appeared in for 4-5 Indianapolis. • Adetokunbo Ogundeji (2016-20), DE, At- lanta Falcons: Played more than 65 percent of the defensive snaps for the third week in a row and recorded two tackles in Atlanta's 27-25 win at New Orleans … Has appeared in all eight games for 4-4 Atlanta and compiled nine tackles with one sack.