Sound and Fury 8-23-10
Posted 08-23-2010 at 02:03 AM by psdo51
SoundandFury 08-23-10
“The Guns of August”
Riddick Riddick Riddick!!!!
The sound crackles across the summer field like the echo of a repeating rifle. It’s a scary sound. A sound that sends fear through a defender. The sound of oncoming aggression. A sound that penetrates the imagination of the studious fan and lures the mind to places of well remembered days gone by. To the days of Tim Brown, the days of Raghib Ismael. To the days when Notre Dame Stadium was a battlefield to be feared by all who entered.
Riddick Riddick Riddick!!!!
That sound. Once you’ve heard it, you fear it. Even when it isn’t ringing in your ear, its ominous power of destruction that could shred the flanks of an unsuspecting defense in the blink of an eye, commands your attention. A stray glance from the line could bring the fall of your entire squad. This is not to demean the whole of his troop. It is as powerful as has been seen on the plains of South Bend in quite a while. On the offense: There is Rudolph, perhaps the best tight end in the country. There is Floyd, perhaps the best wide out in the country. There is Armando! Back for his fourth season as a quick, strong, tailback. There is Crist, heir to the starting quarterback spot, a young field general with a capacity to read a defense and throw a dart. Their way is cleared by a line of veteran and nasty road pavers: Martin, Stewart, Wenger, Robinson, Dever. These are soldiers who fought with one hand tied behind their backs in recent years. Now, they are to be given their head to fight as they know they can. They have a hunger in their eyes that should strike fear in all who face them.
Riddick Riddick Riddick!!!!
There are two attacking squads this year. The first attacks with the ball. The second attacks to reclaim it. Like their Band of Brothers on offense, the Notre Dame defense has been held in check in recent years by its own strategy. The clumsy, all blitz-all the time, scheme of the past general left cover men overmatched against receivers with all day patterns. Too young, and under developed linemen and backers are ready to verify their recruitment credentials at the expense of opposing lines and quarterbacks. Walls and Gray have explained their happiness at returning to a zone defense that ‘will allow me to make plays instead of sticking with one man’. Jamoris Slaughter and Harrison Smith are eager to show off the athleticism that a good outfielder can provide when given a singular assignment.
Riddick Riddick Riddick!!!!
The bazookas on the defense will shoot, as they should, from the center of the field. Steve Filer is ready to show that the streets of Chicago may be a tough place to live but they are great academy to learn the gruesome art of physical combat. Running backs beware! That guy on your left is a man of Big Shoulders. Then there is The Man! ManTi! The guy who was the best linebacker coming out of high school and became the best linebacker to come in as a freshman. Now, he is just the best linebacker. He is the guy the causes invading forces to scheme their march away from his area. He is the guy that causes broadcasters to invent new hyperbole so they can out exclaim what he did the week before. He is the player who gives his regiment its character. He can just mean an opponent to the ground.
Riddick Riddick Riddick!!!!
Then there is the General, Brian Kelly. He comes to the land of Rockne to take charge of a territory that has experienced a string of disappointments. Some have come with more hope than others. Some have shown flashes of promise, only to fade when the bright sun of endurance demanded more than schemes. Brian Kelly is more Parseghian than Pershing. He comes wearing medals of past triumphs but leaves them in headquarters. He takes charge of a unit ready to serve, ready to win. He takes over a handful of players who have shown extraordinary talent. He takes over two handfuls of players that have shown glimpses of brilliance, leaving behind old reviews of predicted greatness. This is where the General makes his mark. As Parseghian once took an unknown quarterback named John Huarte and turned him into a Heisman Trophy winner by moving talented players to better suited positions and almost stealing a first season National Championship, so General Kelly has taken on the task of training a virtual rookie to be his field general. He has made his moves around him. The first was his boldest. Theo Riddick was moved to a spot that will get him the ball quickly and often and…. In open space! When Theo lines up, all eyes will be on him. He could be left, he could be right. He could be behind the quarterback. He could be behind the tight end. He could short, he could go deep. He could run sideways and take the ball. Whatever he does, he will do it quick as a bullet. Riddick! Riddick! Riddick! He is an athlete, a football player. He has savvy with the ball. He can dance, he can sprint, he can hit and break a tackle. He doesn’t have Rocket speed like Ismael, who once, after returning a kickoff for a touchdown, ran straight through the uprights, the tunnel, under the feet of Touchdown Jesus, into the library, checked out two books, and still made it back for the extra point! He doesn’t have the NFL reach and elevation of Tim Brown. He does have that attention demanding skill for getting further faster than players are supposed to. This is the lethal weapon that makes everybody else on General Kelly’s field better. It is a clarion call the new General is intent on advancing immediately.
It is only August, but, the Guns are out of the racks and on display for all to see and hear. The sounds will carry through September and October and November but the one that will be remembered most clearly is:
Riddick Riddick Riddick!!!!
“The Guns of August”
Riddick Riddick Riddick!!!!
The sound crackles across the summer field like the echo of a repeating rifle. It’s a scary sound. A sound that sends fear through a defender. The sound of oncoming aggression. A sound that penetrates the imagination of the studious fan and lures the mind to places of well remembered days gone by. To the days of Tim Brown, the days of Raghib Ismael. To the days when Notre Dame Stadium was a battlefield to be feared by all who entered.
Riddick Riddick Riddick!!!!
That sound. Once you’ve heard it, you fear it. Even when it isn’t ringing in your ear, its ominous power of destruction that could shred the flanks of an unsuspecting defense in the blink of an eye, commands your attention. A stray glance from the line could bring the fall of your entire squad. This is not to demean the whole of his troop. It is as powerful as has been seen on the plains of South Bend in quite a while. On the offense: There is Rudolph, perhaps the best tight end in the country. There is Floyd, perhaps the best wide out in the country. There is Armando! Back for his fourth season as a quick, strong, tailback. There is Crist, heir to the starting quarterback spot, a young field general with a capacity to read a defense and throw a dart. Their way is cleared by a line of veteran and nasty road pavers: Martin, Stewart, Wenger, Robinson, Dever. These are soldiers who fought with one hand tied behind their backs in recent years. Now, they are to be given their head to fight as they know they can. They have a hunger in their eyes that should strike fear in all who face them.
Riddick Riddick Riddick!!!!
There are two attacking squads this year. The first attacks with the ball. The second attacks to reclaim it. Like their Band of Brothers on offense, the Notre Dame defense has been held in check in recent years by its own strategy. The clumsy, all blitz-all the time, scheme of the past general left cover men overmatched against receivers with all day patterns. Too young, and under developed linemen and backers are ready to verify their recruitment credentials at the expense of opposing lines and quarterbacks. Walls and Gray have explained their happiness at returning to a zone defense that ‘will allow me to make plays instead of sticking with one man’. Jamoris Slaughter and Harrison Smith are eager to show off the athleticism that a good outfielder can provide when given a singular assignment.
Riddick Riddick Riddick!!!!
The bazookas on the defense will shoot, as they should, from the center of the field. Steve Filer is ready to show that the streets of Chicago may be a tough place to live but they are great academy to learn the gruesome art of physical combat. Running backs beware! That guy on your left is a man of Big Shoulders. Then there is The Man! ManTi! The guy who was the best linebacker coming out of high school and became the best linebacker to come in as a freshman. Now, he is just the best linebacker. He is the guy the causes invading forces to scheme their march away from his area. He is the guy that causes broadcasters to invent new hyperbole so they can out exclaim what he did the week before. He is the player who gives his regiment its character. He can just mean an opponent to the ground.
Riddick Riddick Riddick!!!!
Then there is the General, Brian Kelly. He comes to the land of Rockne to take charge of a territory that has experienced a string of disappointments. Some have come with more hope than others. Some have shown flashes of promise, only to fade when the bright sun of endurance demanded more than schemes. Brian Kelly is more Parseghian than Pershing. He comes wearing medals of past triumphs but leaves them in headquarters. He takes charge of a unit ready to serve, ready to win. He takes over a handful of players who have shown extraordinary talent. He takes over two handfuls of players that have shown glimpses of brilliance, leaving behind old reviews of predicted greatness. This is where the General makes his mark. As Parseghian once took an unknown quarterback named John Huarte and turned him into a Heisman Trophy winner by moving talented players to better suited positions and almost stealing a first season National Championship, so General Kelly has taken on the task of training a virtual rookie to be his field general. He has made his moves around him. The first was his boldest. Theo Riddick was moved to a spot that will get him the ball quickly and often and…. In open space! When Theo lines up, all eyes will be on him. He could be left, he could be right. He could be behind the quarterback. He could be behind the tight end. He could short, he could go deep. He could run sideways and take the ball. Whatever he does, he will do it quick as a bullet. Riddick! Riddick! Riddick! He is an athlete, a football player. He has savvy with the ball. He can dance, he can sprint, he can hit and break a tackle. He doesn’t have Rocket speed like Ismael, who once, after returning a kickoff for a touchdown, ran straight through the uprights, the tunnel, under the feet of Touchdown Jesus, into the library, checked out two books, and still made it back for the extra point! He doesn’t have the NFL reach and elevation of Tim Brown. He does have that attention demanding skill for getting further faster than players are supposed to. This is the lethal weapon that makes everybody else on General Kelly’s field better. It is a clarion call the new General is intent on advancing immediately.
It is only August, but, the Guns are out of the racks and on display for all to see and hear. The sounds will carry through September and October and November but the one that will be remembered most clearly is:
Riddick Riddick Riddick!!!!
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