Notre Dame Fighting Irish Tickets

2007 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Season Preview It will be an interesting fall on the campus of Notre Dame as things will be changing dramatically with the losses of quarterback Brady Quinn, running back Darius Walker and wide receiver Jeff Samardzija. All three players will most likely be playing on Sundays in the NFL, although it seems like Walker may have a tough time finding a roster spot.

The Irish also lost wide receiver Rhema McKnight, whose loss can't be underestimated. He started opposite of Samardzija and actually finished with three more touchdowns last season, all the while not gaining any national attention for his production.

Essentially, the Irish are starting all over on offense. Head coach Charlie Weiss will certainly be up to the challenge. He has had tremendous success since leaving the New England Patriots as the offensive coordinator to take over as coach at Notre Dame.

The only blemish on his coaching record is that his teams have failed to win a game against a high ranked opponent, even though they have been close several times. Last year was no exception, and Quinn was a main target of the criticism.

Last year the team finished the season getting crushed by LSU, 41-14 in the Sugar Bowl. Granted, it was virtually a home game for the Tigers but the showing by the Irish left a lot to be desired, especially on offense. It was just another chance for critics to point the finger at Quinn and Weiss for not only their inability to win an important game, but to even have a respectable showing.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Irish might actually be in better shape. It will definitely be the most experienced unit on the team and will be counted on to keep the team in games this year, especially early in the season.

Still, it has to be a scary proposition for Irish fans that they will be counting on a defense considered to be very soft and that has been the achilles heel for Notre Dame for several years now, possibly even costing them a chance to play for a national championship.

The schedule is difficult, particularly at the start of the season. Games against Georgia Tech, Boston College and USC and at Penn State, and UCLA will prove very difficult for such a young team. If Notre Dame can qualify for a bowl game, it should be considered a successful season in South Bend.