Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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IRISH IN THE PROS ticing every day for an entire week. I didn't do much the first week, but I got more and more reps as the weeks went on. There were no setbacks. The third week you could tell I was getting my burst back and I was playing with a lot more confidence. "They were expecting me to have a bunch of soreness and they were expecting some swelling, too. Neither one of those things happened. They were very pleased." Gray entered the three- dated the fact that my knee is very close to 100 percent. With an entire offseason of working, I'm going to be better than I was before." He now feels as if he's a part of something since leaving Notre Dame. "I wasn't trying to 'Rudy,'" he said. "On my first day of practice they started chanting 'Rudy, Rudy, Rudy.' It's hilari- ous." The Dolphins want to "They all call me week evaluation with plenty of confidence, but he admits there were moments he doubted what he'd be able to do coming off the injury. He performed well, but with Miami's depth chart at that position in good shape, the Dolphins placed Gray on the in- jured reserve list. "Every time I watched some practice, I'd say to myself, 'I know I can do this.' But there were cer- tain things where I was like, 'I don't know if I'm ready to do that yet,'" he said. "To go through a full practice, do special teams and do all the run- ning back drills, it vali- impress the coaches as much as I was trying to impress my teammates," Gray said. "I was try- ing to get some respect. I hadn't practiced at all. … To come in after a long practice and grind- ing with the guys, it was huge. It finally made me feel like I was in the NFL." Outside linebacker Kevin Barnett's locker is next to Gray's. The first time Gray tried to chat up the defender earlier this year, Barnett gave him the rookie treatment. "He said, 'Don't talk to me until you run into a wedge on kickoff re- turn,'" Gray said with a chuckle. The two shared a laugh see Gray, who was disap- pointed going to the in- jured reserve, after a full year of recovery. "They thought the best decision was for me to get a full offseason and compete for a starting spot and compete for an extended role on the team. "But they're a first- class organization and they've delivered 100 percent on everything they promised." starter, Kansas City quarterback Brady Quinn came off the bench in a 28-6 loss to Cincinnati Nov. 18. He finished 9-of-14 passing for 95 yards and was sacked three times. • New Orleans offensive guard • After a two-game stint as NFL NOTES Through Nov. 22 after Gray held his own in that first week of prac- tice in blitz pickup drills. In fact, the entire team has embraced Gray after watching him battle dur- ing those three weeks. Eric Olsen played 47 percent of the Saints' offensive snaps in a 38-17 victory Nov. 18 at Oakland. Olsen has appeared in all 10 games for the Saints this season. • First-year Arizona wide re- ceiver Michael Floyd had two re- ceptions for 18 yards in a 23-19