Welcome back to another edition of Subway Domer’s Wu Am I?series. This is a look at who the 36 players of impact are on this Notre Dame Football team for 2010. If you have missed some of the previous Wu Am I? posts from 2010, please check out: Chambers 1&2, Chambers 3&4, Chambers 5&6, Chambers 7&8, Chambers 9&10, Chambers 11&12, Chambers 13&14, Chambers 15&16, Chambers 17&18, Chambers 19&20, Chambers 21&22 , Chambers 23&24, and Chambers 25&26.
Let’s keep this bitch rolling as we enter Chambers 27 & 28…
Theo Riddick #84
Wide Receiver
5’11” 190 lbs.
Sophomore
Manville, New Jersey
Wu Name: Mad Dominator
Theo Riddick might have been a little overlooked by the zealots in ND Nation. In a class that included Cierre Wood, Riddick looked a bit like an after-thought. He didn’t have the “national” offers like Wood, but his offer list was still quite an impressive mix of Big 10, ACC, and Big East schools. It didn’t really matter though… Riddick committed to the Irish early in the recruiting process and never looked back. Once on campus, Riddick moved ahead of Wood on the depth chart at running back, and in the process he also became the number one return man for kickoffs. As a running back, Riddick averaged over 5 yards a carry. As a returner, he had more return yards in a season than any player in Notre Dame history (the silver-lining to a bad defense). He looked like everything that Armando Allen was supposed to be at running back when he came out of high school.
Things changed- and they changed in a hurry for Riddick. First, Coach Weis was fired, then a few weeks later, Brian Kelly was hired as the next Head Football Coach of Notre Dame. A lot of new coaches like to tinker with the personal a bit to fill holes and put players in a better position to help the team. (Something Weis did very little of and Holtz did quite a bit of… just sayin’). I was certain that because of our need at safety that we were probably going to see Wood move over, and Riddick maintain his role as the speed back. WRONG. Kelly put Riddick into the slot and has plans to use his speed in a variety of roles running and catching the ball. In addition, Riddick changed his number from #32 to #84 (that should be correct).This one move by Kelly, could be enough to make the offense much more diversified and dangerous than a Weis offense ever was… of course it could be a big waste of time too. Time will tell on this one, and as much as I like Theo, for anyone to thing he will be able to make the change as well as Golden Tate did is premature and delusional. Again, wait and see…
Steve Filer #46
Outside Linebacker
6’3″ 235 lbs.
Junior
Chicago, Illinois
Wu Name: Fearless Genius
Steve Filer was the “Big Dog,” in the incoming class of 2008. Yes, there were bigger names and a few 5 star players in the nations number one recruiting class, but Filer was probably tied with Michael Floyd at the top of our wish list. After a recruitment that seemed to drag on for a lifetime, and some flirting with Michigan and Ohio State, Filer was finally Irish. It was thought that Filer might redshirt his freshman year, but that was quickly nixed as he became a regular member on the special teams units. As a sophomore, Filer became an even more important piece on special teams, and as the season wore on, he gained a bigger and bigger role on defense as a pass rusher off the edge. The thing about Filer was that he was thought to be the answer at the “Jack” in the 3-4. Then, with the switch to the 4-3, he was to be the answer as a “Will” outside linebacker, which he played some as well as playing with his hand on the ground as a pass-rusher.
What lays in store for Steve Filer in 2010 is still a big mystery. You won’t see Filer play with his hand on the ground as this new coaching staff has more or has created more options at defensive end than the previous regime. Filer is in a fight for playing time with Darius Fleming and Brian Smith. As of right now, I would give the edge to Smith and Fleming as the two starters at outside linebacker, but Filer probably has the most potential. His combination of speed and athleticism has been toyed as perhaps the best on the entire team, let alone the linebackers by themselves. What is for certain, is that Filer will be a HUGE contributor on special teams, and that he will get a lot of snaps at outside linebacker. The biggest knock on Steve in the past, was that he just wasn’t developing mentally. With a better system in place that sounds a little more simplified, Filer could play himself right into a starting role by mid-season.
