Practice Observations, 9/19/07

Notre Dame remained in full pads as it continued its training camp/Michigan State practice outside at Cartier Field:

• Senior defensive end Justin Brown is looking a little bit hobbled these days. During a running lines drill the Irish typically do, every other player did side steps while Brown lugged along straight ahead. He also stretched with a trainer instead of another player and was doing calf and leg stretching maneuvers while the rest of the Irish were doing other stretches. And he looked very awkward doing so. As another reporter put it, he was the definition of "gingerly."
• Linebackers coach Brian Polian is throwing the ball a little bit better these days -- in a spiral and with some juice behind it.
• No Dan Wenger for the second straight day.
• More importantly, we have some news on potential depth chart moves -- if you believe what you see during the media portion of practice.
• First team offense: LT -- Sam Young; LG -- Mike Turkovich; C -- John Sullivan; RG -- Matt Carufel; RT -- Paul Duncan; TE -- John Carlson; WR -- Robby Parris, David Grimes, George West; RB -- Armando Allen; QB -- Jimmy Clausen.
• Second team offense (although it didn't seem like 11 players were out there): LT -- Bartley Webb; LG -- Chris Stewart; C -- Thomas Bemenderfer; RG -- Eric Olsen; RT -- Taylor Dever; WR -- Barry Gallup Jr. and Duval Kamara; RB -- Junior Jabbie; QB -- Evan Sharpley.
• First team defense: DBs -- Darrin Walls, David Bruton, Terrail Lambert, Tom Zbikowski; LB -- Anthony Vernaglia, John Ryan, Joe Brockington, Maurice Crum; NT -- Pat Kuntz; DE -- Trevor Laws and Derrell Hand.
• Pat Kuntz, during individual drills, had to get some tape cut off his right foot. For what it's worth, there was  A LOT of tape on Kuntz' ankle and foot.
• During a drill without wide receivers, the first-team offense looked like this: OL -- Young, Olsen, Sullivan, Carufel and Duncan; TE -- Carlson and Will Yeatman; RB -- James Aldridge; QB -- Clausen. Olsen and Turkovich were being rotated, from what we saw.
• Charlie Weis to the linemen during this period: "Block who you're supposed to block." Then later... "Don't guess."

Don't forget about our predictions contest. Send your guesses to mrothstein@jg.net. First one to pick the correct final score and winner gets a prize. Also, don't forget about our Friday Mailbag. Send your questions to mrothstein@jg.net or put them below. And please include at least a first name and hometown.

-By Michael Rothstein of The Journal Gazette

Comments

[Tracy]

Final score this week Mich. St. 31- ND 13... Hate to say it.

[albert]

28-0 state

[bob drake]

MSU 31 - ND 3

Weis will continue to see what he wants to see until he opens his eyes.

[tkmaloney]

why is terrail lambert starting over raeshon mcneil? Lambert is terrible and from the little I've seen Mcneil play he is the real deal. He and darrin Walls are the future of the ND defensive backfield