Football in the offseason

Even though the Irish players are spending more time hitting the books and weights than each other, and even though my media darling Brownies are all on vacation, I've luckily been able to curb some of my football cravings the past few weeks in other ways than putting on my high school helmet while playing Madden.

That's right, I'm talking about the Cleveland Gladiators, a team that moved to the shores of Lake Erie after notching a dismal 2-14 record in Sin City last season. No Cleveland team has won anything since 1964, but this Saturday, the Gladiators will square off in a rematch against Bon Jovi's Philadelphia Soul in the league semi finals. At first glance, one might think that Weis will be rooting for the team of his musical man crush, but Cleveland does have a mascot named Rudi who I guess is a baller, so Notre Dame coaches from Jersey could probably go either way on this one.

So watch the game if you have time this weekend; they're more fun to watch than a failing Indians team.

But enough about Cleveland; news has been pretty good in South Bend these last few days as the Irish have secured two more verbal commitments for the recruiting class of 2009. The combination of Weis and Brown continued their trend of landing talented secondary recruits with the addition of Marlon Pollard on Monday, and also landed the second TE in the '09 class the next day in Fort Wayne product Tyler Eifert.

While such paper numbers as Pollard's 160 lb weight may not make him jump out as an elite prospect, the experts all seem to agree that his small frame is more than compensated for by other attributes. Recruiting guru Tom Lemming ranks Pollard as the 70th best player nationally, and adds that he has "everything needed to be an outstanding cornerback." While the 6'1" corner could use some time in the weight room, it seems that once he gets a little bigger, his style of play indicates that he should be able to add to Notre Dame's quickly growing aggressive secondary:

"I just go after it and I swarm to the ball. I play off my instincts and usually that carries me to the ball."

If Pollard has a nose for the ball, then TE prospect Tyler Eifert has hands for the ball. Eifert's picture may make him look more like the guy that sat next to you in freshman calc than someone that'll be playing ball on Saturdays, but his 6'5" 220 lb frame begs to differ. Ranked as a 3 star recruit by both Rivals and Scout, Eifert played his way to a scholarship offer at one of Notre Dame's camps this summer; Weis reportedly offered him the chance to play TE, WR, or safety for the Irish:"I think I could help out most at tight end,” he responded. “I know they already have some great tight ends, but I’ll play wherever I can contribute. It’s fine with me if that’s working out as a wide receiver first and growing into a tight end.”

You gotta love the way the kid is already talking like he's a team player. Here's ESPN's take on the Indiana native:

"Displays soft hands and the ability to pluck the ball. Eifert's main contribution to a college program likely will be as a pass-catcher, especially initially. He has the frame and hands to be a chains-mover"

Let's hope these two can help ND dominate teams in the future like Rudi dominates ugly chicken (?) mascots now!

Go Irish!