Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/542018
FAN FORUM surrounding him, I asked my mum if I could play Dad's favourite song, "Notre Dame — Our Mother." My fa- ther died listening to this tune and with tears streaming down all of our faces. Once I knew my father had passed, I played The Victory March to send him on his way. As I started his funeral arrange- ments, I smiled to myself that by pure coincidence the priest for my father's funeral was named Pat O'Brien (not the actor who played Knute Rockne) and the Choir that day was going to be the IRISH guards. I write this to tell you Notre Dame does not just touch those who live in South Bend or Indiana, the Midwest or the United States. It can touch even those many thousands of miles away. Notre Dame should know this and how it positively impacts many lives. We have subscribed to Blue & Gold Illustrated since 1992 and I have happy memories seeing my Dad reading the latest edition in 'his chair.' I wanted to thank Notre Dame and BGI for giv- ing my dad so much joy and comfort throughout the years, and I thank you for allowing me to share those mo- ments with him. John Regan Widnes, England Mr. Regan, normally our policy is to limit the word count on letters, but we'll make exceptions for something powerful. We are sorry to hear about your loss, and the thank you goes to you for sharing his story. FROM THE WEBSITE Tis the season for renewed confidence as Notre Dame prepared to open football practices Aug. 6. On BlueandGold.com there was especially optimism about quarterback Malik Zaire taking over as the starter. baron10: He came in as the No. 3-rated dual threat in the country, three years in the program, sur- rounded by great skill talent and one of the top three or 4 o-lines in the country to protect him. I'm really surprised how many board members are predicting 8-10 wins. For me, that's a big-time disap- pointment this year. Top to bottom this is a much better team than 2012 and the schedule looks harder on paper than I think it actually is. This year should be a special one. Irish Trife: Brian VanGorder's defense hasn't proven anything yet. It's that defense that got shredded by UNC, Navy, ASU, Northwestern, Louisville and USC that doesn't exactly make one overconfident. PortND: Zaire probably has the best first-time starters in in terms of surrounding cast since Rick Mirer in 1990. That said, championship contending teams start on the DL — and this DL still concerns me. KevinPS: If Brian Kelly determines he wants to outscheme each opponent, we'll lose three or four. If he decides to call a play and let his guys execute it without being concerned about whether the play is perfect, we won't lose more than one. Ryno1134: This is the most talent that has been at Notre Dame in over 20 years and I see a great season ahead. Mgormal1: Don't disagree with the other stuff from baron, but just for reference — Demetrius Jones was the No. 2 dual-threat QB in the country behind Tim Tebow, and we saw how that played out.