Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/954261
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com APRIL 2018 5 FAN FORUM OVERALL UPGRADE Notre Dame followers are in an uproar over losing Josh Adams and Equanimeous St. Brown, however the defensive side of the ball is far more important. The good news is several poten- tial losses on defense — Jerry Tillery, Te'von Coney, Drue Tranquill and Jonathan Bonner — were averted, and that group could hold down the fort as the offense gets settled. Near the end of the season, both Adams and St. Brown contributed very little to the success of the Fight- ing Irish. After watching the U.S. Army Bowl, Amon-Ra St. Brown is immature, and Coach Kelly is fortu- nate that he chose Southern Califor- nia instead. When he made a great catch in the All-Star game, Amon-Ra jumped up, threw off his helmet and punted the ball. Notre Dame does not need selfish players like that. I think Coach Kelly is in better shape losing Adams, St. Brown and his brother. Nonetheless, Notre Dame will not be able to replace Quentin Nelson. He was by far the best lineman in the country, bar none! The line has four starters back from last year — therefore Notre Dame will have a 12- or 13-win season. Re- placing Nelson will not be an easy task, but the depth on the offensive line is talented. Notre Dame is in great shape for many years. Power to Kelly's corrective approach! Steven Burns Chowchilla, Calif. Editor's note: The following is in response to ESPN's Max Kellerman Jan. 30 "First Take" that Notre Dame should follow the example of Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians and abandon its Fighting Irish logo. Cleve- land is abandoning its Chief Wahoo logo. "Pernicious, negative stereotypes of marginalized people that offend even some among them should be changed," Kellerman said. "It's not that hard." WHAT WOULD YOU FIGHT FOR? If Notre Dame even thinks about giving in to the politically correct crowd in this country and change the name and the logo, you're losing a generation of fans. If the wimpy millennials want to allow career politicians and the cor- rupt commie media in this country to dictate to them what is and is not "offensive" or not, that's fine. Let the wimps be manipulated and con- trolled. But anyone age 35 and over is not going to stand for it. We're tired of it. Have a backbone and keep the name and logo, or wuss out and suf- fer the consequences of lost fans and empty seats. Curt Laudenberger Lancaster, Pa. Senior linebacker Te'von Coney is part of a vet- eran Irish defense that could be special in 2018. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL If it is spring, that must mean Notre Dame faithful are having another quarterback debate for the upcoming season. This time it's senior Brandon Wimbush or junior Ian Book. Here was a small sample on BlueandGold.com when spring practice commenced March 6. GroggyGrizzly: What's better? Announcing a starter for the season before the Ides of March, and then yank him before Labor Day, or just say the job is for the taking? Would be pretty sur- prised if Book didn't get over 250 or 300 snaps or so due to injury, ineffectiveness or coaches whim this season. EPdoc: Based on his track record at ND, Kelly should go all George Costanza: pick his favorite — then start the other guy. Mh2365: I would be shocked if it's not Wimbush. Jpm34_NDFl: Not looking forward to this. His- torically it has led to turmoil during the season. Worst case no one reaches the bar, and Phil Jurkovec comes in to muddy the water. Hopefully it won't polarize the team. Thomasna: Wimbush not being able to per- form how he practices is a major red flag to me. Sounds like it is mental and I have seen this hap- pen before in other sports. Doesn't usually go well for the vast majority of guys. Cubs pitcher Jon Lester not being able to throw to first base is an example. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Book beats him out. Wimbush has the most talent of the two though, for sure. SJB75: How Brandon Wimbush played the first 8.5 games through halftime of Wake Forest is my evidence of why I believe Wimbush wins the job. Wimbush's overall best in 2017 was simply better than Ian Book's overall best. BGI3279: Using the QB who can best run is like the Monty Python sketch of the guy who thought he was qualified to be a lion-tamer because he had the hat. Best thrower first — period. Wim- bush has the best tools, but if he can't use them properly, move on to the next. DenPetDel: I hope it is competitive, spirted and that the best man wins. However, once that is hopefully settled, I hope we don't get a recur- rence of the Zaire/Kizer drama. Hoosierwebb: Wimbush is not and never will be an accomplished passer, in my opinion. Too many mental and mechanical flaws to overcome. He was in his third year last season as a major D1 talent. When ND could not run the ball effec- tively like it had been, Wimbush got exposed. At this point either you have it or you don't. For ND to climb to the next level and reach the playoffs they must have a composed pocket passer with good accuracy and mobility. Ian Book is the best candidate it seems. FROM THE WEBSITE BE HEARD! Send your letters to: Letters Blue & Gold Illustrated P. O. Box 1007, Notre Dame, IN 46556 or e-mail to: lsomogyi@blueandgold.com