Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/187176
irish in the pros and it's time to learn as fast as possible. I still demand a lot of myself, more than what I've done so far." It was only seven years ago that Samardzija suited up for the last time in an Irish football uniform as part of a 10-3 team that ended the year in the Sugar Bowl. His football days are long behind him and, as he enters what could be a lucrative offseason, his focus is on maintaining the arm strength that allowed him to top 200 innings in 2013. "I learned a lot from last offseason [after] throwing a lot of innings," he said. "I think I'll definitely change my routine in the offseason with flushing my body, flushing my arm out and really getting back to zero when it comes to getting ready for camp." Through Oct. 2 • John Axford (Played at Notre Dame from 2002‑05), RHP, St. Louis Cardinals: Finished the regular season with a 7-7 record and 4.02 ERA in 75 appearances split between the Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers … Went 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA down the stretch for St. Louis and helped the team earn the National League's top record. • Jeff Manship (2004-06), RHP, Colorado Rockies: Finished the season 0-5 with a 7.04 ERA in his first season with the Rockies … Made four starts with Colorado, posting an 0-4 record with a 6.86 ERA in those games. • David Phelps (2005-08), RHP, New York Yankees: Was 6-5 with a 4.98 ERA in 22 appearances, 12 of which were starts … Collected 75 strikeouts and walked 39 batters in 862⁄3 innings … Was out from July 4 to Sept. 15 with a right forearm strain. • A.J. Pollock (2007-09), OF, Arizona Diamond‑ backs: Played in 137 games for the second-place Diamondbacks … Finished with a .269 batting average, eight home runs and 38 RBI … Also stole 12 bases in 15 attempts and had an on-base percentage of .322 … Made just two errors in 256 attempts in the field. NFL Notes Through Oct. 2 • Robert Hughes was cut by the Indianapolis Colts last spring and again this fall, but the team re-signed him to its practice squad Sept. 30. • Former Irish linebacker Manti Te'o tasted his first NFL game action against the Dallas Cowboys Sept. 29. He recorded three tackles and is expected to receive more playing time each week following a foot injury that limited him through most of fall camp and the first three weeks of the season. • Cincinnati Bengals rookie tight end Tyler Eifert caught three passes for 39 yards in a 17‑6 loss to the Cleveland Browns Sept. 29. Through four professional games, Eifert had snared 12 passes for 159 yards, but is still seeking his first professional touchdown. • New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck recorded just one tackle at Kansas City as the team fell to 0-4 with a 31-7 loss Sept. 29. After the winless start, Tuck defended head coach Tom Coughlin by saying: "If anyone turns on our coach, I would be the first one to punch him in the mouth." • The Minnesota Vikings beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-27 at Wembley Stadium in London Sept. 29. Tight ends Kyle Rudolph and John Carlson combined for three catches and 10 receiving yards, while safety Harrison Smith recorded seven tackles and Robert Blanton added one stop. • Detroit Lions running back Reggie Bush returned to the lineup in week four after missing the previous game with a knee injury. As a result, former Notre Dame running back Theo Riddick received no carries and had a total of two for minus-two yards in his first four games. • Kansas City Chiefs tight end Anthony Fasano missed the last two games of September due to an ankle injury. The ailment continued to hamper Fasano heading into week five. • Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate caught three passes for 17 yards in a 23-20 overtime win at Houston that gave the Seahawks their first 4-0 start in franchise history. ✦