Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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For the Irish offensive line — led by Nick Martin (72), Chris Watt (66), Zack Martin (70) and Christian Lombard (74) — playing together is "a way of life," according to head coach Brian Kelly. photo by joe raymond to do, but there were certain things he didn't allow us to do because he really didn't trust us to do it with the proper technique," Watt explained. "He's placed that trust in the seniors and juniors, and the guys that have been around for the past year or so. We were able to take that to the summer and really progress, which I think is going to be big for us this year." On the left side, Martin and Watt form one of the elite offensive line tandems in college football. "Zack is the best offensive tackle in the country, in my estimation," Kelly said. "He's the best offensive tackle because of his athletic ability, his strength, his understanding of the position, what he does for our team, the way he teaches and leads … "Chris is a much more straight-line, physical, knock-you-in-the-mouth kind of player. Zack can play that style … but he can be a guy out in space. They're a great complement to each other. "They take great care of themselves, they're committed to being in great shape and taking care of all the things they need to off the field as well. They live the right way." After some significant struggles in week two last year against Purdue (a 20‑17 Irish victory), the coaching staff put its bread and butter — plus meat, vegetables and fruits — mainly on the left side with Martin and Watt. This year, the offensive line pantry will be expected to expand. Making It 'Right' The graduation of three-year starter Braxston Cave made finding a new center the first priority of spring drills. That was achieved by shifting Martin's