Green with Envy: A Look at Notre Dame's Uniforms

A few months ago I wrote an article detailing the history of Notre Dame's football uniforms (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/210445-my-changes-to-notre-dames-football-informs) and made a few suggestions about what I would like to see different with the Fighting Irish wardrobe.
I thought now that we are heading into Notre Dame's first ever primetime "home" game that it would be a good idea to revisit some of my ideas and recap some of the things we have seen this year.
First off, as expected Charlie Weis has not made any major changes to the Notre Dame uniforms this year. In fact, he has kept the same design for five straight years now which is the longest Notre Dame has gone without major changes since probably the Holtz era.
The only minor change this year (although visually it makes a big difference) is that Weis has had the Irish wearing "pro-style" socks in the last two home games now that the weather is turning cold.
In past years throughout Weis' tenure, Notre Dame would wear knee high navy blue socks during this time of year with the Adidas logo prominently displayed. I never had a problem with this look, although I was never crazy about having the Adidas logo on there.
Does anybody else think it is cool that Notre Dame and many other college programs go without socks when it's in the warmer part of the season, and then decide to wear them when it is cold? I've always thought this was a neat thing to do and just another thing that makes the college game better than the NFL.
This year, Notre Dame has decided to wear blue socks with white on the bottom, giving the team a more professional NFL-style look. Normally, I would shy away from anything making the Irish look like some of the NFL teams today, but I really like this look.
One reason is that the blue used in the socks seems to be brighter than in the past (although being paired with white it may just seem that way) and it stands out much more. The other reason is that I it makes the team look bigger (two colors make the legs look longer) and faster (the eye cannot track white as quickly as dark colors thus giving the appearance of more speed).
Also, when Notre Dame wore the long dark blue socks they always looked black to me and didn't seem to match the uniform that well. I wonder if we will see the pro-style socks with the away uniform in the future or if Weis will have the Irish stick to the long knee high white socks.
Now let's revisit some of my suggestions on uniform changes:
Shamrock on the Helmet
As of today, Notre Dame currently holds the longest streak of wearing the same helmet (Gold with gray facemask) in NCAA history. I am very supportive of traditional styles, but I really think it would be neat if Notre Dame wore a shamrock on just one side of their helmet (worn on both side of the helmet from 1959-62).
They wouldn't have to do this for an entire year (although I think I'd support that), but I believe it would be an interesting idea to use (a la the green jerseys) and pump the team for a big game against say...Boston College perhaps?
The Leprechaun
Has there ever been such a great logo that is so under used? You can walk around the Notre Dame campus for hours and never see the fighting leprechaun logo. Something has to be done where this wonderful mascot is displayed more prominently by the school.
I don't think it should be put anywhere on the uniforms (except perhaps at the end of the collar where the inter-locking ND logo currently is) but there could be some other good places. How about putting the leprechaun on some sideline hats or on the back of those giant winter coats guys like Crist wear on the sideline or even on the skull caps like Golden Tate wear?
ND Logo on the Sleeves
I've never been too crazy with the current jerseys and the absence of the inter-locking ND logo on the sleeves. This is probably because I grew up watching Tim Brown, Tony Rice, and Rocket Ishmail flying down the field with the ND logo so prominent.
Moreover, I always thought having four sets of numbers on a jersey was a bit much but in this age of television it is probably a necessary evil. How about a compromise? Notre Dame should keep its current style for home games and switch to the inter-locking ND logo on the sleeves on the road.
Removing Gold
As I've stated in my previous article, I am in favor of removing the gold outline from the numbers on the road white uniforms. I believe this would be beneficial because it is how the uniforms looked when first used under Ara Parseghian and it would bring more attention to the gold helmets.
As far as the green jerseys are concerned, a more traditional look based on the Paul Hornung era is what I would like to see. Just a simple green jersey with white numbers will do the trick!
Socks
I've already covered the changes in the socks, but I have some ideas of my own. One would be to utilize some striping, but with the new style Weis has been favoring this year it seems unlikely.
If I remember correctly, we have seen some striping on the lower cut blue socks in the recent pass. I believe Clausen had white stripes (Adidas socks perhaps?) during the Hawaii Bowl, and both Clausen and Allen had the same socks for the Michigan game. It also seemed that Allen had this pattern on his forearms during the Michigan came as well.
The other small addition I would make is to put a green shamrock on the socks. It would certainly be better than the Adidas logo we have seen in the past.
Paint the Field
Other than changing the helmets, this subject is sure to rile up the fan base more than anything else, especially from the more traditional folk.
Side note: Can we finally get rid of the natural grass in Notre Dame Stadium? I know it gives it that old-school look and many say football is supposed to be played on it, but it is getting out of hand.
How many more times do we have to see Armando Allen slip on that cut that could spring him for that much needed long touchdown run? Or how many more times does Clausen have to slip while in the pocket? And let us not forget Kamara's slip on the last play against USC.
You may say that both teams have to play on it, but I'm just sick of watching the field look like eastern France during World War I after only a few series. Seriously, it looks like ten of the world's worst golfers were let on the field and allowed to just hack away at the turf leaving dinner plate sized divot holes in their wake.
During last week's game against Boston College an Eagle defensive lineman came to hit an Irish lineman and they just slid backwards about three feet while engaged. This field is a mess and stuff like that should not be happening.
So, if Notre Dame was to install field turf next season it would make it that much easier to paint the field. I'm not advocating anything too radical, but I think there should be some paint laid down.
If they are going to keep the old-school white diagonal slash marks in the end zone, why not put a logo at midfield? Don't tell me a giant ND logo, shamrock, or leprechaun wouldn't look totally amazing because it would. Plus it's easier to tell where the ball is on television with a midfield logo.
And if you don't want that, then why not put something in the end zone? It's curious that many people believe that Notre Dame's current uniform is the "traditional" style, yet they have only been worn from 1964-77 and since the Holtz era in the late 80's.
That is nearly three quarters of a century wearing the supposed "non-traditional" uniforms.
The same goes for the end zone paint. It hasn't always been in its current style and the field has been painted before. In video clips and pictures I have seen, the end zones were definitely painted in the 1970's during the Rudy and Montana era.
These designs included the word mark IRISH or FIGHTING IRISH, along with the leprechaun and football logo. If it has been done before, then I don't think it is too much of a break with tradition to do it again.
If anything, it could be used like the green jerseys as something to do for a big game that is getting a lot of hype. Can't you just see ESPN Gameday remarking on Saturday morning, "And they've painted the end zones for today's game folks...you better watch out!"
The last thing I'll say is directed toward this weekend's neutral site "home" game in San Antonio, Texas. Will we see the field painted in Notre Dame colors? Will it be treated like a bowl game where both teams get their own end zone painted? What are the chances we see some sort of patch on the jerseys to mark the occasion?
I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Go Irish!

Irish Roots: The Secret to Notre Dame's Continued Success

Throughout the first half of the 2009 season, Notre Dame Head coach Charlie Weis has marched an explosive and threatening offense onto the field each Saturday. While the Fighting Irish defense has been struggling all year long, the Domers offense, led by quarterback Jimmy Clausen, has been mostly cool and efficient.

But, there still is much room for improvement and the continued success of the Irish offense depends on the team getting back to its roots and running the ball.

It is true that Notre Dame was one of the first programs to utilize the forward pass and the school has produced numerous college legends at quarterback including: Frank Carideo, Angelo Bertelli, Johnny Lujack, Paul Hornung, Daryle Lamonica, John Huarte, Joe Theisman, Joe Montana, Steve Beurlein, Tony Rice and Brady Quinn.

However, for over a century of football in South Bend the running game was the most important weapon to the team's success on offense. And today, with a high flying aerial attack in place, Notre Dame would do well to also commit to running the ball as best as they can.

During Charlie Weis' first two seasons at Notre Dame, the team scored a school record shattering 843 points, posting nearly 34 points per game. While many will remember the arm of Brady Quinn as the force behind this offense, let us not forget that the 2005 and 2006 teams boasted a strong and versatile running game.

In 2005, tailback Darius Walker ran for 1,196 yards and nine touchdowns, while the following year he gained 1,267 yards and seven touchdowns. To go along with the very respectable 4.85 yards per carry average, Walker also caught 99 balls for 742 yards with another three touchdowns.

While many fans were never enamored with Walker at running back, myself included, it is clear now in hindsight that he was able to put up tremendous numbers, became an integral part of the offense, and will forever be one of the more underrated players in Irish history.

Which leads us to 2009 and the current state of the Irish running game. It is absolutely crucial that Charlie Weis develops the current talent at running back over the next six games, and into next season, in order to ensure long term success on offense.

Partly because of the previous regimes coaching and partly because of his heavy reliance on Darius Walker as the exclusive running back, Weis was left with a set of far too inexperienced tailbacks during the 2007 season at a time when he needed a strong ground game more than anything else.

During that disastrous 2007 season, Notre Dame started an inexperienced sophomore James Aldridge tailback while rotating true freshmen Armando Allen and Robert Hughes. This trio struggled mightily all year long and when you tally up the sack yardage, the team only rushed for 903 yards at 2.1 yards per carry.

To put that in perspective, Notre Dame has already rushed for that many yards through seven games this season.

Thanks to a strong recruiting effort by Charlie Weis, this lack of experience may never occur again anytime soon. But it is paramount that Weis quickly develops his growing stable of running backs so that Notre Dame can be even more dominant on offense in the future.

Clearly the go-to guy right now is junior Armando Allen who has rushed for 514 yards but has been banged up for the majority of the season. When he is healthy, Allen brings a Walker-like game to the Irish offense and is the team’s best weapon right now not named Golden.

The questions arise as to who will continue to back up Allen and which players will step up and assert themselves as the No. 1 runner in the future.

Junior power runner Robert Hughes has been filling in behind Allen and has gained 180 yards on only 40 carries to go along with three touchdowns. Bringing up the rear, sophomore Jonas Gray has picked up 98 yards on 26 carries and true freshman Theo Riddick has chipped in 43 yards on only seven attempts.

Everyone knows Charlie Weis is going to stay with a pass-first offense, but in order to reach the offensive output of the 2005 and 2006 teams, Notre Dame will need a healthy and effective Allen or one of the younger backs to provide excellent back-up carries.

Notice how I didn’t include the veteran Robert Hughes in that scenario? I hate to continue beating this drum, but I don’t think Hughes has much to offer in the form of a running back at Notre Dame. Yes, he’s got pretty good speed and agility for his size, but overall he doesn’t have anywhere near the speed of Allen, Gray, or Riddick.

What’s more, Hughes isn’t much of a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield and that is another slight that can’t be ignored. That’s not to say that Hughes can’t come in and run hard from time to time, because he certainly has this year against Purdue and Washington, but he’s clearly less talented than the other backs waiting to carry the ball for the Irish.

If I am Charlie Weis, I make it a priority over the next two games to give Jonas Gray and Theo Riddick significant amounts of carries whenever possible. This will give Notre Dame two more speedy running backs to utilize in their tough games to close out the season and perhaps more importantly, give the team a lot more confidence in the ground attack heading into 2010.

I don’t believe Weis is doing the team any favors if he continues to give the ball to Hughes whenever Allen is tired or banged up. Even worse, if Notre Dame is sporting healthy leads against Washington State and Navy, Gray and Riddick have to be given the ball.

Clearly, the strength of the Notre Dame offense is the passing game led by Jimmy Clausen, Golden Tate and Kyle Rudolph. However, running the ball is so obviously important to the game of football and it has to be something the Fighting Irish can do effectively against anyone if they want to compete with the best.

This means that even if Notre Dame is breezing through their next two games, Weis shouldn’t just run the ball continuously like he did against Navy last year. But instead, he should keep a balanced offense that mixes up the play calling so that the fresh running backs can gain some confidence without eight men stacked in the box.

It also wouldn’t be a bad idea to develop backup quarterback Dayne Crist as well.

Looking Toward the Future

With the Blue-Gold game over there is only 18 weeks until the Fighting Irish open their season at home in Notre Dame Stadium against the University of Nevada. Despite the most losses in school history over the last two years there is renewed optimism and growing expectations for the 2009 Notre Dame football team.
There seems to be a consensus that if there is not considerable improvement on the field this year then Charlie Weis will be fired. For most Irish followers, eight wins seems to be the magic number while others claim nothing less than nine wins will be acceptable. I would almost guarantee that Notre Dame will win nine games. Here’s why:
First, if you have to go through hell to get to heaven then the Irish have hopefully tested the fires over the last two seasons. No longer can they claim inexperience as an excuse and the core of this team has been together for quite some time now. And after three very strong recruiting classes the depth chart is as deep and talented as we’ve seen since the early 90’s. It’s time to take the next step.
Second, the schedule for 2009 is very favorable and this will almost certainly be pointed out by every Notre Dame hater in the college football world. But there can be no denying that after years of difficult schedules the 2009 version is shaping up to be fairly easy.

Vs. Nevada
@Michigan
Vs. Michigan State
@Purdue
Vs. Washington
Bye
Vs. USC
Vs. Boston College
Vs. Washington State (at San Antonio)
Vs. Navy
@ Pittsburgh
Vs. Connecticut
@ Stanford

Third, there will be an improvement in the running game which under Weis has been downright abysmal at times. The restructuring of the coaching staff mixed with an improving offensive line and talented corps of running backs leads me to believe 2009 rushing attack will be the best of the Weis era.
With the elite talent becoming upperclassmen, a weak schedule, and an improved running attack there is no reason Notre Dame cannot be a top 15 team.
And what about Charlie Weis? I have to admit I was a Weis apologist until, like many fans, last year’s loss to Syracuse was too much to swallow. Still, time heals all wounds and a strong bowl victory, another very good recruiting class, and a productive spring season have calmed my fears.
Do I think Weis is an elite coach? Probably not, but I don’t think he has to be in order for Notre Dame to be successful. A strong coaching staff coupled with high quality talent and leadership on the field are the keys to success in South Bend; And for the most part that’s what exists at this point.
Sure I question Weis’ play-calling and his inability to light a fire under his players, but something tells me things are going to work out. And let’s be realistic here, Weis was left with very little talent to work with from day one. He took two teams (2005 & 2006) that were good teams and he made them much better. Under Ty Willingham those teams would have averaged 7 or 8 wins a year. By 2007 Willingham’s lack of recruiting left the talent level diminished (see Stanford ’02-’05 & Washington 2008 until 2010) to the point where most astute observers knew things weren’t looking good for the Irish.
But here we are looking at 2009 with a battle tested sophomore and junior class chalk full of talent with senior leadership sprinkled amongst emerging freshman talent ready to compete and make a difference.
These are the 5 goals Notre Dame should look to achieve:

*Win 10 games
*Win bowl game
*Beat USC
*BCS bid
*National Championship

If any two of the goals are met Charlie Weis will keep his job and the first three are very obtainable. Yes, Notre Dame can beat USC this year! Southern California has lost too many players to remain unbeatable and hopefully the Irish will have momentum and confidence by the time the teams meet in October.
Three keys to the season will be the running game, offensive line, and overall team defense. Much has been said about the lack of experience on the defensive line, but I think the players that are there are going to surprise a lot of people. This is mostly because the D-line will be surrounded by very good defensive teammates and that will only make them better. And we don't know just what impact a guy like Manti'i Teo could make either.
The offensive line has been much maligned but with new running backs/offensive line coach Frank Verducci we will see better run and pass blocking. I know we’ve been saying it for years but the Irish offensive line is just too big, too strong, and too talented to not take their game to the next level.
As far as the running game is concerned, a lot of pressure is being put on Armando Allen and I'm expecting big things from this guy. He is without a doubt in my mind the number one running back and he is poised for a breakout season. Moving James Aldridge to fullback was an obvious decision and I don’t think Robert Hughes is the right guy to improve the running game. If I were Weis I would only use Hughes in goal-line situations and very sparingly throughout the rest of games. Aldridge is a career 3.85 yard per carry runner and while Hughes’ 4.45 YPC is solid, his stats are inflated by his performances in the last two games of the ’07 season where he racked up 246 yards against Duke and Stanford. Otherwise he is a 3.3 YPC runner which is just about where his average was for 2008.
Armando Allen on the other hand, has averaged 4.2 yards per carry for his career and more importantly has shown steady improvement since his freshman campaign. If he can improve on hitting the holes and breaking longer runs (his longest run is only 21 yards!), and find the end zone more often (only 3 career TD’s) then Allen will become a very dangerous running back. Even with Hughes and soon-to-be Jonas Gray bound to get substantial carries Allen will still have a good shot at 1,000 yards.
Finally, with an emerging star at quarterback and one of the best set of receivers in Notre Dame history the offense should have no problem putting points on the board. And let’s not forget the trio of tight ends led by Kyle Rudolph that will be giving opponents fits in the fall as well. In all likelihood we could be ready to see a record breaking Irish offense that has the potential to put up some impressive numbers. I’m keeping my fingers crossed but despite the horrors of 2007 and 2008 Notre Dame has a lot to look forward to in 2009.

Go Irish!!