(Continuing a look at who the top offensive play-makers will be for the Fighting Irish this season...)#5 Impact Player on Offense: Mike Ragone, TE (Sophomore)
Vital Statistics: 6'5, 241 lbs
Players unfairly-and-unrealistically compared to: Anthony Fasano, John Carlson
Actually, perhaps it's not unfair. Why would Ragone, a third string tight end last year with one catch and no video footage (shoot, the only picture Google images brings up are high school pictures) be on this list? Quite simply, because he figures to be the tight end with the lion's share of receptions in this offense.
Weis' offensive system doesn't have a fancy name (spread, West Coast) and it doesn't have a readily identifiable look. That's by design. But one thing you can count on in a Weis offensive system is TE production. Check out the statistical comparison between Weis' first two years and the two years prior to his arrival (statistics reflect the combined production of the top two TEs; usually one TE hoards the catches...):
2003/2004: 32 catches - 373 yards - 3 TDs (average over the two seasons)
2005/2006: 52 catches - 591 yards - 4 TDs (average over the two seasons)
Even last year, the worst offense in college football featured a TE as the leading receiver. John Carlson was still able to put up numbers eerily close to what we saw before Weis arrived:
Carlson 2007: 40 catches - 372 yards - 3 TDs
So why Ragone? A number of factors point to a big season:
1) See the above TE production in a Weis offense.
2) His competition: a junior who might be the designated blocking TE (Yeatman), another junior who just moved positions from FB (Schmidt), and two freshman (Rudolph and Fauria).
3) Due to Yeatman's suspension, Ragone got almost all the reps in spring.
And oh yeah, 4) apparently Ragone is pretty fast. "He's really, really fast," Weis said of his highly-rated TE recruit a year and a half ago on signing day. "You don't find many tight ends that run that fast." In high school, Ragone had six TDs that were 60+ yards and also returned a kickoff for a touchdown. He was a friggin' TE returning kickoffs... think about that.
Devil's Advocate: Ragone might only be the co-starter at TE, along with Will Yeatman. It's hard to get too excited over one 7-yard reception (his career so far) and 22 career playing minutes. Plus, the two previous TEs (Fasano and Carlson) were really, really good - both first day NFL Draft picks.
2008 Projection: One phrase that might sum up Notre Dame's offense last year would be "three and out." (Okay: "Clausen/Sharpley sacked for a loss..." also works). They really struggled picking up first downs, sustaining drives, moving the chains, keeping their defense and the other team's offense off the field. A TE figures to play a big role in changing that and Ragone figures to be that TE. Will he be returning kickoffs? Probably not. And he might not have too many 60+ TDs (although that would be sweet if he did!). But he should be a legitimate weapon in a much improved offense and I wouldn't be surprised if his numbers this year matched Carlson's last year.
A Second Opinion: Blue and Gold Illustrated/Post-Spring Projection for Mike Ragone.
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