Two of my fellow residents of Alumni Hall once spent a good portion of an August hour scrolling 98 channels of their newly-discovered cable package. They remained on each one long enough to figure out its appropriate acronym, wrote down as much in large writing to be taped on the wall above the television, and then continued past the ESPNs, past the FOX variations, past the whatever-BCs.
When they got to channel No. 99, a litany of profanities echoed down the hallway from their room.
If at any point that year an unsuspecting guest utilized the TV Guide channel rather than the listing on the wall, he or she was shouted out of the room. Naturally, these were the days before a “Guide” button came standard on remotes with readily-available scrolling buttons nearby.
If you sympathize with those two’s pride and plight, then perhaps skip this scheduling note.
Notre Dame is on spring break this week. There are no spring practices until next Wednesday, March 22. From there, the Irish will have a total of 13 practices spread over one month.
A listing of that schedule complete with notations for media availability:
Wed., March 22 – Brian Kelly available after practice
Fri., March 24 – Selected assistant coaches after practice; selected players at 4:30 p.m. ET
Sat., March 25 – Kelly after practice
Wed., March 29 – Selected assistant coaches after practice
Fri., March 31 – Kelly after practice; selected players at 4:30 p.m. ET
Sun., April 2
Wed., April 5 – Selected assistant coaches after practice
Fri., April 7 – Kelly after practice; selected players at 4:30 p.m. ET
Sun., April 9
Wed., April 12 – Selected assistant coaches after practice
Wed., April 19 – Kelly after practice
Fri., April 21 – Selected players at 4:30 p.m. ET
Sat., April 22 – Blue-Gold Game; Kelly and selected players available afterward
Watch ND video from Wednesday
The below video may be only 70 seconds, and it is certainly crafted for best impressions, but a few things can still be gleaned from it. (Editor’s Note: If viewing this video at work, audio is not necessary. It is only an overlaid soundtrack.) (Technical Note: Should the video’s embed not work properly, here is a link directly to it.)
0:07 – As should probably be expected, senior linebacker Nyles Morgan looks physically ready for the season.
0:30 – Nice cut from junior running back Josh Adams. Admittedly, these practices are to the offense’s advantage. This is not necessarily by design. Rather, the fewer players involved, the better the offense will likely look. For example, take a look at any 7-on-7 highlight reel.
0:43 – It would have been a difficult interception for Morgan to make, but with two hands on that pass, he needs to come down with it. After his deflection, though, graduate student tight end Durham Smythe displayed excellent concentration to make the catch.
0:51 – Another nice grab by Smythe, staying in bounds. These may be only two catches in a highlight reel put together after one practice, but Smythe’s two receptions clearly outdid most of the other catches on the day.
A reminder: New offensive coordinator Chip Long’s offense typically features tight ends in the passing game, a theoretical change from last season’s Notre Dame passing attack.
Rivals highlights from Wednesday
A longer video from Wednesday’s practice, put together with bits from the session’s first 30 minutes.
“Inside the Irish” March Madness group
Should anyone feel like testing their basketball projection skills against other readers of this space, go for it. The scoring is a custom version of my annual league. 1-2-3-5-7-10 with a bonus added for any upset. Any time a correctly-picked lower seed beats a higher seed, the difference between their seeds will be added to your score.
The group features absolutely no reward beyond possibly some recognition akin to this sentence here.