Christmas links: Crist, Jackson, and Elliott

First and foremost, a very Merry Christmas to everyone. Thanks for being a part of a wonderful year, both on and off the field. It’s terrific to see how many readers we keep bringing to the Inside the Irish blog, and I appreciate all the new friends.

Hope you enjoy some time with family, a dash of holiday cheer, and a few links to get you through the day.

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Friend of the program Bruce Feldman has a great column on Dayne Crist, and how the former Irish quarterback is doing as he watches his former teammates prepare for battle with Alabama in the BCS National Championship.

As you’d expect, Crist was all class during his sit down with Feldman in Southern California. And while this final season of eligibility at Kansas didn’t turn out the way Crist, Kansas head coach Charlie Weis, or just about anybody that’s had a chance to get to know Crist hoped, as usual Dayne kept a positive attitude as he continues to plow forward.

Right now, that means prepping for a senior showcase All-Star game, where he’s hoping to wow an NFL scout or two and get a chance to head to an NFL training camp.

Do yourself a favor and read the entire story, but here’s a snippet from Feldman:

Dayne Crist spent four years in South Bend and in that time he . . .

• Met his long-time girlfriend.
• Began two seasons as the starting quarterback for the Fighting Irish.
• Made many of his best friends.
• Suffered two season-ending knee injuries.
• Received more online death threats than he cares to count up.
• Graduated with a 3.2 GPA and a Business degree.

Crist could’ve been in South Florida wearing the famed Notre Dame Golden helmet playing for the BCS title with so many of his closest friends — guys he lived with for four years, guys he calls his brothers. Actually, if the story played out the way many would’ve thought, Crist — the strapping 6-4, 235-pound former five-star California-bred quarterback — would’ve already sparked the Irish back to being a national powerhouse and be an NFL rookie right now. Instead, Crist transferred out of Notre Dame after getting his Business degree and ended up following former ND coach Charlie Weis to Kansas, where the Jayhawks went 1-11 while the 12-0 Fighting Irish are hoping to knock off mighty Alabama and win their first national title in almost 25 years.

Crist, though, is not second-guessing his decision to have transferred out as a grad student for the 2012 season. “I live my life with no regrets,” Crist said over lunch last week at a Southern California restaurant. “I really have had so many blessings in my life.”

Crist’s on-field plight has been covered quite a bit on these pages, and while many thought the five-star quarterback got a raw deal last season, ultimately it looks like Brian Kelly probably got things right.

That said, it’s never quite as simple as that. And after four years of watching a tremendous leader with all the physical attributes needed to be an NFL player never quite get things to click, it’s just a reminder of two things: 1) Quarterback is a really tough job. 2) Getting your degree is mighty important.

Whether it was the two major knee injuries or something else, Crist seems to lack the confidence that it takes to be a highly successful quarterback. But I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody took a shot on him, and at least gave him a chance to come to NFL training camp and fight his way onto a practice squad.

But if this is it for football, don’t worry about Crist. He’ll be successful in life after football and always continue to love Notre Dame.

“I love seeing those guys succeeding, and Notre Dame will always hold a special place in my heart,” Crist told Feldman. “I’ve gotten so many positives from going there.”

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From one former Irish quarterback to another, Wes Morgan of BlueandGold.com caught up with Jarious Jackson, and it’s great to see that the former Notre Dame record-setting quarterback is still playing the game that he loves.

At 35 years old, Jackson has spent the better part of the last dozen years in professional football. He spent four years with the Denver Broncos before starting a global odyssey that took him to the NFL Europe’s Barcelona Dragons, before finding a home in the CFL, winning two Grey Cups with the British Columbia Lions.

Now backing up Toronto Argonauts quarterback Ricky Ray, playing in the CFL hasn’t stopped Jackson from following the Irish, and the 12-0 season has been great fun for one of my favorite Irish players ever.

Here’s more from Morgan’s conversation with Jackson, and his assessment of the work Brian Kelly has done transforming the Irish.

Where the No. 1 Irish are today, just a couple weeks from taking on No. 2 Alabama in the BCS National Championship in Miami, doesn’t surprise Jackson, who learned a lot about head coach Brian Kelly from Toronto teammate Zach Collaros. The former Cincinnati quarterback played under Kelly and helped lead the Bearcats to a 12-0 regular season in 2009.

A combination of Kelly’s winning skillset and Notre Dame’s stubbornness, Jackson said, made a perfect marriage.

“I hate to use the old cliché, but it’s just haters,” Jackson said of critics’ claims that the Irish would never be back on top. … “Notre Dame has been hated on for years and years. Even back when I was being recruited to go there Notre Dame was being hated on. The fact that they’re back at the top of the mountain and doing so well, I think it’s a tribute to the kind of guys they constantly bring in and the type of attitude the guys have. Coach Kelly has done an outstanding job.”

His records have been surpassed by guys like Brady Quinn and Jimmy Clausen, but people often forget that Jackson left Notre Dame after setting the school’s single-season records for passing yards and completions in 1999, all while throwing 17 touchdown passing and finishing second on the team in rushing.

Jackson was a better passer than he got credit for, and did a nice job running the football, similarities he shares with Everett Golson. Jackson talked about what he sees in Golson.

“I’m beyond impressed,” Jackson told Morgan. “I’m looking at him as almost a RGIII or Andrew Luck in their first year in the NFL with the type of year he’s having. He’s just going out and trying to win games any way he can. As long as he can keep that mentality, he’s going to grow and keep getting better and better.”

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In a story that can’t help but bring out the Christmas spirit, Eric Hansen of the South Bend Tribune caught up with former Michigan head coach and Iowa athletics director Bump Elliott. The 87-year-old legend has watched the Irish closely this season, often beaming with pride as his son, Notre Dame safeties coach Bob Elliott, has resurrected a coaching career that was derailed by cancer.

“It’s a wonderful thing to see,” the elder Elliott told Hansen. “I’m really proud of my son, with the way he’s handled things. He’s faced a lot of adversity and has not shied away from it. He’s been strong and tough, and I really respect him for that. I’m so proud to be his father.”

The younger Elliott’s story is one we’ve told before but worth repeating. Elliott was the bright and energetic defensive coordinator for legendary Iowa coach Hayden Fry. But when Fry retired after the 1988 season, Elliott was in the throws of battling the blood cancer polycynthemia vera, and in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant.

Instead of replacing Fry, Elliott walked away from coaching to recapture his health, something he’s done successfully, now 14 years removed from his dangerous bout.

It’s amazing to see the immediate chemistry Elliott has had with the defense, working under two former players in Bob Diaco and Kerry Cooks. Elliott has been a calming influence for a position that lost Chuck Martin to the offense, lost lynchpin Harrison Smith to graduation, and Austin Collinsworth and Jamoris Slaughter to injuries.

With Zeke Motta and Matthias Farley, the group hasn’t missed a beat. That’s thanks to the great work of Elliott.