O Captain, My Captain

Charlie Weis recently announced the captains for the upcoming football season. Selected by the coaches and team were junior QB Jimmy Clausen, senior C Eric Olsen, senior LB Scott Smith, and senior S Kyle McCarthy. All four are projected starters, and in typically Weis fashion, were selected to represent the offense, defense, and special teams.

Scott Smith has been a loyal member to the Irish football team, excelling at special teams throughout his career, and thus a strong representation for special teams. Furthermore, the 5th year senior Smith is slated to start at linebacker. Joining him on the starting defense is 5th year senior safety Kyle McCarthy. After a solid year last season, McCarthy is poised for a dominant year, and truly deserving of the captain title. This kid is the epitome of what Notre Dame Football means and the type of players Notre Dame needs. He’s a tough, hard working kid with a passion for the game and an even greater football mind. It’s hard to believe ND almost missed out on this kid.

Moving on to offense, selecting Jimmy Clausen as a captain was a no-brainer. There is not a more important position in football than the QB. I hope Clausen has matured into a leader, as the success of this season may fully lie on his shoulders and his development as a player and in-game coach. Lining up in front of him will be senior C Eric Olsen. I love the selection of Olsen as a captain for a lot of reasons. I know he is vocal in pre-game warm-ups, as evident in the USC scuffle (and many others) last season. He’s from Brooklyn; he talks trash. I just hope he can back it up this year. Still, the man is nasty and carries a swagger, which if channeled properly (see former All-American C Jeff Faine) can do some damage to the opponent. The first opportunity to intimidate is the coin flip. Why not have our 6’4”, 305 lbs. tattooed beast with flowing locks meet the opponent at mid field and strike a little fear in the opposing captains. After all, when’s the last time an opposing team was scared of the Irish?

-DH