Notre Dame Football: 2011's Most Dynamic Irish

Notre Dame football is almost ready for the 2011 season with kickoff only a week away.  Unfortunately, Irish fans have to patiently wait like kids on Christmas Eve to get their first look at Notre Dame in action.  To help alleviate the anxiety that comes with such excitement, I've compiled a video slideshow of Notre Dame's most dynamic players to satisfy your unquenchable thirst for anything and everything Notre Dame football until then. 

Watch Irish stars Cierre Wood, Michael Floyd, Manti Te'o and others in action with this set of individual highlights designed to occupy a small part of your day.  Enjoy the show and go Irish!

No. 3 Michael Floyd, Senior, 6'3", 224 Pounds

After a distracting DUI incident in the offseason, Michael Floyd is poised to return to the Irish team as the most prolific pass catcher in Irish history.  His size and speed make him a nightmare for any defensive back, often causing double teams. 

With a supporting cast including Theo Riddick, Tai-ler Jones, Roby Toma and Davaris Daniels in play at wide receiver, as well, it should be more difficult for opposing defenses to double team Floyd.  Additionally, that should reduce the number of hits Floyd must endure during the season, helping the injury-prone receiver make it through 2011. 

Without Floyd, the offense would be potent, but with him, the offense will be unstoppable.  His consistency issues make the only question whether Dayne Crist can give him a chance to use his talent and make plays.

No. 20 Cierre Wood, Junior, 6'0", 215 Pounds

Cierre Wood is poised to become one of Notre Dame football's most prolific runners.  Though many believe the spread is a 90 percent passing attack, the spread actually relies very heavily on the run game to operate at maximum performance. 

Wood benefits from a strong, experienced offensive line that fully understands Brian Kelly's system.  If the line can perform like it did at the end of 2010, Wood should be able to run freely into the second and third levels of opposing defenses regularly—when he isn't running into the end zone.

Wood was a highly regarded recruit but one who was projected as a safety by many pundits.  His dilemma was the same as Tony Driver's.  But unlike Driver, the staff has settled on Wood being the featured running back for the Irish attack. 

Wood is speedy and quick with good vision.  He has good change of direction and has slowly learned to become a pass blocker, finally rounding out his skills as a tailback.  With balance among the receiving corp, Wood should benefit from six- and seven-man fronts that will make him a household name in homes across the nation.

No. 6 Theo Riddick: Jr., 5'11" 198 Pounds and No. 7 TJ Jones: Sop., 5'11" 187

Two players in the Notre Dame receiving corp deserve mention together.  Theo Riddick and TJ Jones should share similar stats at the end of the season, but they carry two different skill sets.  Notre Dame's loss to LSU in the Sugar Bowl under Charlie Weis was obviously the result of a bad defense, but it was also the fact that Notre Dame did not have enough dynamic wide receivers. 

Rhema McKnight and Jeff Samardzija couldn't do much against a strong LSU defense that could double them while easily covering Notre Dame's other less athletic receivers.  Now, the Irish have a plethora of weapons.

Riddick flew under the radar when he came to Notre Dame with Cierre Wood, but Weis consistently hailed him as a star in the making.  Riddick was uncomfortable in Brian Kelly's system last year but that still didn't stop him from making plays when he got the ball.  Riddick is a shifty scat back, who has been shifted to receiver.  He's a fast and unrelenting runner with the power of teleportation—or at least opposing defenses believe can teleport—considering he's in one place one moment and another a split second later. 

If Crist can get the ball in Riddick's hands, by pass or hand-off, Riddick should provide regular highlights for Irish audiences everywhere.

Jones came to the Irish as a true freshman last year, but he was a refined playmaker when he entered school.  The son of former Notre Dame football player Andre Jones, who passed away in the offseason, Jones was the beneficiary of a father who knew what it took to be an athlete at the next level. 

Not only does Jones have the natural ability to play in college, but he's also proven to be an excellent route runner with strong hands.  Jones will see solid stats as a direct result of his hard work and intelligent game play.

Together, Jones and Riddick make a strong tandem to reinforce the explosive play of Wood and Floyd.  Opposing defensive coordinators will lose sleep regularly as they try to defend all of Notre Dame's offensive weapons.

No. 5 Manti Te'o: Junior, 6'2", 255 Pounds

Is there anybody who doesn't know Manti Te'o yet?  Starting as a freshman, his commitment was a real coup for former Irish head coach Charlie Weis and his staff, stealing what would otherwise be another five-star commitment for USC from Hawaii. 

Te'o is the linebacking version of Troy Polamalu, with a nose for the ball and the power to make every hit look like a highlight.  Though he has anchored the Irish defense at middle linebacker the last two years, Te'o finally has help from a developed defensive line and the admission of the most highly touted recruiting class of defensive line recruits in years, many of whom are already to play. 

If Te'o can finally run free due to blockers who are actually occupied on the front line, he should be exponentially more dynamic this year.  Not doing it alone means Te'o can truly live up to his full potential.

No. 19 Aaron Lynch: Freshman, 6'6", 265 Pounds

Of the incoming freshmen, nobody has higher expectations on them than Aaron Lynch.  He's fast, imposing and unstoppable.  In the Blue-Gold game, he gave an experienced Irish offensive line headaches as they attempted to stop him on the inside and outside of the line. 

He's nicknamed himself "Beast" and rightfully so.  He can't be stopped and will remind Irish fans of Manti Te'o, who stepped into a starting position as a true freshman.  Lynch is exactly what Te'o has needed to become: a complete nightmare for defenses.  Lynch will attract double and triple teams, freeing up opportunities for his fellow front seven teammates to stop the run and sack opposing quarterbacks. 

While there are other highly regarded players on the 2011 Irish defense, Lynch is special and should be worth the watch when he's on the field, though Brian Kelly will attempt to manage expectations for his young star.

Honorable Mention

For our honorable mention, I want to remind you that this entire Notre Dame football team is special, and that the sum is greater than the parts.  The USC game reminded us of our legacy as a team and what our future will soon look like.  The following are candidates for honorable mentions:

Offensive Line

The Irish Line really came on at the end of the season last year.  They'll be key to the Irish success, as they'll remind you of five Jeff Faines lining up against defenses.  They're nasty and drive their opponents down field.

Crist/Rees

Because of the quarterback controversy and each player's foibles, I didn't think either should make the cut. But both will be credited with big plays resulting from the surrounding Irish cast.  Look for a lot of excitement from the quarterback position.

Defensive Secondary

The Irish have had a highly lauded secondary for many years now, but Notre Dame fans have heaped a lot of undeserved criticism on them.  The secondary has been punished because the Irish front seven have been weak.  Harrison Smith has developed into an All-American candidate while being supported by stars Robert Blanton and Gary Gray.  With pressure on the quarterback and not being left to play man-to-man the entire game, the Irish secondary should rack up highest number of interceptions they've seen since 2002.