So “Catching Up” was on a little bit of a bye week.
But we’re coming back with a thunder this week and better late than never. After doing some hunting, I finally tracked down Denver Broncos right tackle Ryan Harris. Ryan is one of my personal favorites -- he’s a graduate of both Cretin-Derham Hall and Notre Dame, a very good start -- and is the true embodiment of a Notre Dame student athlete.
As Ryan and the undefeated Broncos prepares for a Monday Night Football clash with the San Diego Chargers, you may be surprised how much he’s thinking about another game this weekend as well.
ON IF HE’S FINDING TIME TO FOLLOW THIS WEEKEND IN SOUTH BEND:
Absolutely. As big as this week is for us, the Broncos, there are a lot of guys, coaches and players, talking about the big SC-Notre Dame game. That’s one of the things coming to the NFL -- so many people ask about Notre Dame, it’s one of the first things coaches ask about. Now that the big game is coming up, they’re starting to show clips from my junior year, and it’s just... man. This game is good for college football and just shows you what a wide range of the people that are paying attention to the game. It’s not a bowl game, not a conference final or the SEC Championship or Big 12 Championship, it’s just a game on Notre Dame’s schedule. That speaks to how instrumental Notre Dame is in the world of college football.
ON THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN CHARLIE WEIS AND JOSH MCDANIELS:
The offense is very similar, but the difference is that in the NFL, they blitz every play and you’ve got 16 games against teams that blitz 60 to 80 percent of the time. Beyond the playbook, I think that it’s the preparation to win. We really had that at ND, we felt that we had prepared so well that we were going to win the game because we knew what was going to happen, we knew the other team’s tendencies, the same preparations and points of emphasis we did at Notre Dame are used at the Broncos.
ON HIS FEELINGS FOR WEIS AS A COACH AND A MAN:
Coach Weis always had a good game plan. He had great game plans, and I honestly don’t know if there’s a better coach in college or the NFL that keeps his players prepared like that. He still shoots us texts, talks to us -- he’s always been great about shooting us texts at the beginning of the year or after a big game, he keeps us a part of the family. That’s just another testament to the character of Coach Weis. No one is forgotten and you are a part of the Notre Dame family.
ON THE CONNECTION BETWEEN CRETIN-DERHAM HALL AND NOTRE DAME:
At Cretin, there’s no question that academics are stressed. I remember every time I got a college letter, Coach Scanlan would always say, “make sure you’re getting an education, too.” In school, they’d make sure that no one was treated differently, even if you’re an athlete. I think with the expectations that CDH has for its students, Notre Dame is one of the few colleges that can offer those expectations and a spiritual community while providing the utmost experiences in football and school. That’s why I think Notre Dame is attractive to not just Cretin-Derham athletes, but also Cretin-Derham students. It’s an environment we’re used to.
ON SEANTREL HENDERSON:
I’ve met him a couple times and every time he’s been kind, calm, cool, and collected. The thing people forget is that you’re talking about a kid. A 17- or 18-year old young man who really -- and this goes for all recruits -- who can make that decision at 17? That’s why I think getting them on campus is so good. You can see things for yourself. This is the expectation, this is the environment. You have no idea what 70,000 plus in a stadium feels like. No idea what the facilities are like, what the flight to these places is like. What classrooms, dorm rooms, living by yourself is like. I was fortunate that my parents were helpful and did a great job of guiding me. Seantrel has my best wishes, and of course being an ND alum, I’d love for him to go there, but he’s got to make the right decision for himself.
ON HIS DECISION TO CHOOSE NOTRE DAME AS A PRACTICING MUSLIM:
It was the best place for me. Period. The environment, that community of faith that understands other faiths. I became a better Muslim because of the respect and real genuine faith that’s practiced at Notre Dame. The respect and dialogue you can have with another student who also has faith, that’s a big thing. Prayer is a big thing in Islam, and I wonder that if I went to a state school and said, “Hey guys, before we go to dinner, I’ve got to go back and pray,” who knows what a guy outside of a religious community might say to that. At Notre Dame, it was always like, “Cool, take your time, go ahead and pray.” That understanding helped me be secure in my faith and secure in my practice of faith in everyday life. If I went to a public school, that would’ve been harder to experience.
ON HIS HIGH SCHOOL MTV FAME:
I never made any money from it, but I get made fun of all the time for it. It’s crazy how many people remember that episode. I look at it as a good experience though, because I learned at a young age that people recognized me just from that show. Learning that wherever you are that you need to represent yourself the right way in public. A lot of times people -- athletes in particular -- learn that lesson the hard way.
ON THE BIG GAME
As an Irish fan, of course I think it’s an Irish victory. It’s the only way I see it. That’s how Coach Weis is preparing those guys. I almost guarantee he’s preparing those guys to see the victory in the game plan and he’s doing that right now with them. We’ll see what happens, but I really think they can pull it off.