Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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IRISH IN THE PROS BY ANDREW OWENS I t's almost like 2015 marks the start of a second beginning in the NFL for Tyler Eifert. The former Irish tight end, selected No. 21 overall in the 2013 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, suffered a season-ending elbow injury in week one last year. He began his profes- sional career with 39 receptions for 445 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie in 2013. In his second year with the Ben- gals, Eifert was relegated to watch- ing the games while being able to do very little physically. "I couldn't really do anything for three or four months," Eifert recently told reporters. "So it's just getting that back, getting back in the groove of lifting and getting strong, that's probably been the hardest part. "That's why I'm excited now be- cause I'm feeling strong, feeling upbeat. I'm not in any pain. It feels good." Coaches and teammates have thor- oughly praised Eifert for his training camp performance. With standout tight end Jermaine Gresham no lon- ger with the squad, many expect the Notre Dame graduate to thrive in 2015. "It does feel a little weird, but at the same time I feel confident," Eifert said. "I know our offense, and I'm getting back healthy and strong. I loved Jermaine, and I wish he was still here. But guys move on, and now it's my turn to step up into that role and lead the tight ends." The Bengals have reached the play- offs five times in the past six seasons, but, amazingly they have gone 0-5 in the NFL's wild card weekend. Not since the 1990 season has Cincinnati won a playoff game. If that changes this year, there's a good chance Eif- ert's increased role in the passing game will be partially responsible. "I want to be someone [quarter- back Andy Dalton] can trust," Eifert said. "I want it to be where we're on the same page. Even if I'm not open, go on and put the ball up and I'll go make the play. "You look at a lot of tight ends in the league, and there are some really good ones. But when it comes down to it, their quarterback trusts them. If it's third-and-eight, and you've got to run a route, whether you're open or not, the quarterback's go- ing to trust those guys: the Wittens [Dallas' Jason Witten], the Gronks [New England's Rob Gronkowski]. The quarterback is locked on them and has trusted they're going to get open." Notre Dame has developed a repu- tation for producing top-line tight ends the past decade, and none can match Eifert's contributions. He cap- tained the 2012 team that went to the BCS National Championship Game and holds the school record for ca- reer receptions (140) and career re- Tyler Eifert Is Back At It