Just a quick note to everyone that’s spending time with family and friends. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you that stop by. I truly appreciate all the time spent here. It’s been a great year here, even if the Irish took a step back on the football field.
While most should be enjoying today and staying off the internet, here are a few interesting updates that should be an added dose of Christmas cheer to Irish fans.
* Defensive end Stephon Tuitt‘s stay-or-go decision might have gotten a bit easier with the NFL’s advisory committee returning a second round grade to the hulking defensive end. Most Irish fans -- and some early NFL draft prognosticators -- had Tuitt a lock for the first round.
But after a season that started slow with a hernia injury and saw Tuitt labor through a ton of snaps for the good of the team, it might make sense for the Georgia native to follow the paths of Michael Floyd, Manti Te’o and Tyler Eifert.
Tape doesn’t lie. So the second round grade showed NFL executives that Tuitt wasn’t playing as dominant as you’d have thought.
Expect Brian Kelly to walk through Tuitt’s options to both graduate and move back up draft boards with a healthy, productive offseason and a dominant final year in South Bend.
* Irish Illustrated’s Tim Prister spent some time inside the Giants practice facility, and Prister reports ($) that freshman safety Max Redfield appears to be making a move up the depth chart. That’s music to the ears of Irish fans that have been waiting for the five-star safety to get on the field, after mostly moonlighting on special teams.
The staff has had a long look at Redfield over the bowl practice schedule, and adding some athleticism to the secondary will be a priority after a fairly underwhelming season at safety. It should be interesting to see how reps are spread between Austin Collinsworth, Matthias Farley, Eilar Hardy, Elijah Shumate and Redfield during the bowl, and see if that plays into a spirited competition that’s sure to take place this spring.