Countdown to Kickoff: 8 Days

So I was just sitting in an empty diaper box the other day when I realized that the 2009 Notre Dame football season is nearly upon us! There are so many questions about this season that I was nearly overwhelmed at the prospect of trying to sort it all out. But instead of just sitting there and crying like a normal baby, I crawled over to the coffee table and grabbed a pencil and notepad and made a list. Will freshman linebacking savant Manti Te'o make an immediate impact? Can Jimmy Clausen make the necessary steps to become a Notre Dame legend? Will Shaq Evans see the field this year? What about Cierre Wood and Theo Riddick? How will new offensive line coach Frank Verducci correct the scheming incompetencies of his predecessor John Latina? Will Armando Allen develop into more than a serviceable running back? Will Harrison Smith's transition from linebacker to safety be a smooth one? Will Golden Tate and Michael Floyd prove to be the most dangerous receiving tandem in the country? Does ND have the country's best tight end in sophomore Kyle Rudolph?

And that's just a small sampling of my questions. After I completed my list, I started to jot down some ideas for my Countdown to Kickoff series of posts here at LEBSAB, but I got too excited and broke the tip of the pencil.

So the coming week here is not going to be as organized as I had hoped. There won't be player profiles or game by game breakdowns. Instead, I'm just going to spend the week celebrating all things Notre Dame. And I'm going to start with what I think is a pretty appropriate video. So put on your leprechaun outfit, paint yourself blue and gold, and strap in. Let's get this show on the road!