Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/259072
IRISH IN THE PROS less to be happy and win ballgames than to take way more and go to a crappy city where the fans don't give a crap about the team, you win a game once a month — something like that. "I would much rather stay in the situation that I have now for a little less than to go and try to break the bank somewhere else." Tate, who also added in the in- terview that he doesn't want to be "disrespected" in his new contract, developed into second-year quarter- back Russell Wilson's favorite target in 2013. He also served as the Seahawks' primary punt returner last year. For a player whose first word as a child was "ball," as his mother told The Tennessean, the trajectory of his career has fulfilled a dream. Tate is a Nashville native, and his stellar play at Pope John Paul II High School in Hendersonville, Tenn., earned him a scholarship offer at Notre Dame. As a freshman on a 3-9 squad in 2007, he caught six passes for 131 yards and one touchdown while learning how to run routes at the collegiate level. The 2008 and 2009 seasons — he declared for the NFL Draft after his junior year — were two of the best for a wide re- ceiver in Notre Dame history. He com- bined for 2,576 receiving yards and 28 touchdowns alongside current Ari- zona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Floyd in an explosive Irish offense. After his second-round draft selec- tion in 2010, his football career has come full circle with a Super Bowl win. "It's a dream come true, it really is," he said. "This is something I've dreamed of since I was a young boy. In the backyard playing I would always envision playing in the Super Bowl. Sometimes I catch myself thinking, pinching myself, [was] I really at the Super Bowl?" ✦ NEWS AND NOTES • Nine Notre Dame players were invited to the NFL Combine, which will take place Feb. 22-25 in In- dianapolis. Included are running back George Atkinson III, cornerback Bennett Jackson, wide receiver TJ Jones, offensive lineman Zack Martin, tight end Troy Niklas, defensive lineman Louis Nix III, linebacker Prince Shembo, defensive end Stephon Tuitt and offensive lineman Chris Watt. The nine invites give Notre Dame the third most in the country behind Alabama (12) and LSU (11). • Martin played in the Senior Bowl and received rave reviews from scouts as his NFL Draft stock continues to climb. Quarterback Tommy Rees, Jones, Shembo and Jackson were each selected to the East-West Shrine Game. • Former Irish stars running back Jerome Bettis (1990-92) and wide receiver Tim Brown (1984-87) were not included in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2014. Both are expected to receive enough votes in the future to be honored in Canton, Ohio. • Long snapper J.J. Jansen (2004-07) was the lone former Irish player that played in the Pro Bowl. • Former Irish signal-caller Jarious Jackson (1996-99) has accepted the quarterbacks coach position with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL). • Former Irish men's soccer defender Grant Van De Casteele was selected in the first round (19th overall) of the Jan. 16 Major League Soccer Draft.