Your heart’s got to be in it.

Denial and Isolation, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance…I went through all of these in about an hour after learning of Aaron Lynch’s decision t leave Notre Dame. 

Denial and Isolation:  I thought it’s just left over buzz from Aaron’s early departure.  When I did confirm the news I went into the bedroom (the condo we are in for vacation) and moped.  It must have been pretty clear on my face because my wife (and Talking Irish chief editor) asked, “What’s the matter?” 

Anger:  Like many comments on the web, there was some cursing of Lynch’s character and questioning his integrity.  People called him names and blamed his girlfriend.

Bargaining:  A lot of this had to do with wishing future football failure for Aaron.  Adding his name to the list of players I will have in my crosshairs to write about going nowhere (Tee Shepard, Deontay Greenberry and Taylor Decker to name a few).

Depression:  I just attached myself to the ongoing depression of a Notre Dame fan, not winning a National Championship since 1988.

Acceptance:  I just wrote earlier in the week about “I would hope you'd support who we are, not who we are not” and we need to think that way.  We still have Chase Hounshell, Tony Springmann, Stephon Tuitt, Sheldon Day, and of course Kapron Lewis-Moore (not too shabby).  Kona Schwenke, who has been pushing Louis Nix at nose guard by taking first team snaps and kicking ass in the process can also play defensive end.  Oh yeah, don’t think Troy Niklas did not fly through my mind.

Better now than in the fall I guess.  Brian Kelly should be able to keep pressing forward.

Getting your Fix

It’s been months since the Irish took the field last and after the Blue and Gold game, it will be months before they do again.   In addition to getting a sneak peek into what the fall may hold, the Blue and Gold game provides Irish junkies with an opportunity for some game action.   I for one will “celebrate” the game by heading to Shamrock Jack’s and hoisting a few Guinness and watching the game for fun.  Of course, I will DVR the game and review it multiple times for analysis.

What should Irish followers hope to get from this scrimmage?  It depends on your level of interest.  For casual fans it is entertainment and an opportunity to root for the boys from South Bend, easily done since all the players on the field will be wearing gold helmets.  For the more connected fan it is an opportunity to see how players they are familiar with have possibly developed and become familiar with those players they did not know as well last year.  For committed fans Spring Practice and the Blue and Gold game provide an opportunity to evaluate, debate and speculate on players, coaches and the season.

Make sure you get your fill on April 21^st at 1:30, because after that, action gets pretty thin until August.  Fear not - there will be plenty of football tidbits and news to follow until then.  With high school students taking visits, there will be a commit watch on waiting for those verbal’s to come in.  Incoming freshmen will be reporting to campus getting a dose of Longo’s strength and conditioning program.  Of course, the best way to get your fix is to keep up to date with Talking Irish.

Move past the Echoes

Tim Brown, Joe Montana, Bob Golic, Raghib Ismail, Jerome Bettis, Paul Hornung, Johnny Lujack, George Gipp or any other Irish Great will not be taking the field for the Irish this season.  With graduation and the NFL draft approaching, and spring practice is half over, I declare that it is time to stop talking about who we don’t have any more. I wish the best to our former student athletes and thank them for their efforts.  Let’s get this out of the way and move forward.  So when I read and see future stories about the 2012 Notre Dame Football Team, we are not focusing on who is gone but who is here.  I think it was Coach Norman Dale in Hoosiers that said. “I would hope you would support who we.  Not, who we are not.”

Thank you, Harrison Smith for your five years in South Bend.  A personal thank you for your Sun Bowl performance in El Paso Texas against the Miami Hurricanes, which I had the pleasure of seeing in person.  Although many people thought your senior season was a bit of a disappointment statistically, your leadership was invaluable and we hope to see you playing on Sundays.

Thank you, Robert Blanton and Gary Grey for holding down the defensive backfield at the cornerback position, something some current observers feel will be a lost cause this year (this is an opinion I do not share). 

Thank you, Ethan Johnson for four years of solid play at defensive end.  Although I know you were expecting better from yourself and a team as a whole, your performance was enjoyed.  The position you played for four years is in good hands.

Thank you, Trevor Robinson and Taylor Dever for helping anchor the offensive line and showing the importance of the unit.  Trevor Robinson, although you were somewhat surprisingly not invited to the NFL combine, I believe your work effort will help you find your way into a team’s camp.

Jonas Gray, thank you for making the most of your senior year and making it fun to root for you.  We forgive you (and have for some time) for the goal line fumble against USF in last year’s season opener.  However it would have been nice for you to get your act together earlier in your career and played that well for more than one year.  Sorry about your injury, and good luck moving forward.

Darius Fleming, thank you for your athletic and tenacious play on defense. 

Last, but most definitely not least, Michael Floyd (who with little argument is the best receiver in Notre Dame history, and imagine if he was fully healthy for his entire career - he missed 8 or so games over four years due to injuries), thank you for staying for your senior season and showing how Notre Dame helped you “fly right” and become a person I have grown to like.

Sean Cwyner, thank you for your efforts last year breaking in Louis Nix III.  Although I would have been more than happy to have you back for another season, I thank you for knowing when football is over and life needs to start.  Good luck in the business world.

Matthew Mulvey, thank you for being on the sidelines leading the Red Army and continuing the tradition of fans rooting for walk-on class acts such as yourself.

Yes, the Irish need to fill holes, yes there will be inexperienced and untested talent at different positions throughout the year, and?  This is why recruiting is so important each year.  This is why we follow spring practice.  This is why competition for playing time and starting jobs help the cream rise to the top.  We need to get out of the mindset of rebuilding each year and into the mindset of reloading.  Quite frankly, one of the players stepping into one of these holes left behind be one of the departing players could be the next Irish all-time great. 

There is a caveat to this article - we can talk about departed players in their current and future endeavors (i.e. the upcoming draft and the potential NFL career).  If we are to discuss their time at Notre Dame, it is to reflect on their career, not to sing the “woe is us” tone about how they’re not here and we are lost without them.