Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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irish in the pros lie Frazier said. "Kyle is such a key part of our offense. But the way John filled in, to be the lead guy increased our confidence in him." When Rudolph chose Notre Dame as a No. 1 tight end recruit in 2008, he said head coach Charlie Weis had the ultimate recruiting tool that attracted him to South Bend. "He had John Carlson," Rudolph said. "Every time I visited South Bend, Coach Weis always made sure John was my host. "The whole time I was in high school, I talked to my dad, who is a football coach, about who I wanted to be like. It was always, 'I want to be like John. One day maybe I'll be able to do what John did at Notre Dame.' I always looked up to John." Last year, when the Litchfield, Minn., native returned home, one of the reasons for signing with the Vikings was Rudolph's presence. A knee injury in training camp and a concussion during the regular season stunted his 2012 performance and prevented Minnesota from adopting a two-tight-end look. "Last year was frustration," Carlson said. "It was just setback after setback. Injuries happen in football, but it was disappointing for them to happen when they did, joining a new team and wanting to prove myself to everybody. It was tough to not feel like I was contributing." This year, Carlson has improved his production in the passing game since Rudolph's injury, but his blocking has been steady all season, Frazier has noted. Rudolph is expected to return from the injury in early December, but maybe the pair will be productive together on the field. After all, it's been their mutual wish to play together for quite some time. NFL Notes Through Nov. 21 • Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Floyd caught six passes for a career-best 193 yards, including a 91-yard touchdown, in a 27-14 road win over the Jacksonville Jaguars Nov. 17. He had 42 receptions for a team-high 657 yards and three scores through 10 games. • Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate caught one pass for 26 yards in a 41-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings Nov. 17. He had 42 receptions for 600 yards and four touchdowns heading into the 10-1 Seahawks' bye week. • San Diego Chargers linebacker Manti Te'o recorded five tackles in a 20-16 loss to the Miami Dolphins Nov. 17. He had made 36 tackles in seven games played since returning from a foot injury that sidelined him to start the season. • Kansas City Chiefs tight end Anthony Fasano caught four passes for 37 yards and a touchdown in a 27-17 loss to the Denver Broncos Nov. 17. For the season, he had 15 grabs for 132 yards and the one score for the 9-1 Chiefs. • Minnesota Vikings defensive back Robert Blanton recorded two tackles in a 41-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He had notched 19 tackles in 10 games. • New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck recorded two tackles and one pass broken up in a 2713 win over the Green Bay Packers Nov. 17. Through 10 contests, he had compiled 34 stops, six tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. • Atlanta Falcons safety Zeke Motta recorded his first career tackle in a 41-28 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Nov. 17. • Denver Broncos special teams standout David Bruton notched a couple tackles in a 27-17 win over the Kansas City Chiefs Nov. 17. He had six stops and a blocked field goal through 10 games. ✦