Allen Pinkett

The Irish lost an excellent tight end when after last season Anthony Fasano passed on one more year of eligibility to enter the NFL draft.

But in Fasano's place, John Carlson has emerged as perhaps an even better player at the position than his predecessor, who was taken by Dallas in the second round of last spring's NFL draft.

Exceeding expectations
After the first eight games of this season, the Irish were nothing less than thrilled with Carlson's performance. He had surpassed 500 receiving yards, turning his often noted potential into solid production.

His play at tight end has been highlight-reel material, and it has helped him move into elite company among the Irish greats at the position.

After just over half this season was in the books, Carlson had moved past Mark Bavaro (1984) for fifth place in single-season receptions by a Notre Dame tight end, and Ken MacAfee (1976) for fourth place in that category.

He also surpassed MacAfee for fourth place, and Tony Hunter (1982) for third place in single-season receiving yards by an Irish tight end.

And the best is still likely to come from the 6-foot-5, 256-pounder, who while excelling on special teams last season, also caught the attention of Irish coaches when he was used in a double-tight end formation with Fasano.

Doing well at practice as Carlson did in 2004 and 2005 is one thing, but coming up big in games as a starter is quite another.

You can tighten up when you get in a game, and that can work to your disadvantage in making plays. Carlson has no such problem.

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I knew he was comfortable when he began catching passes with his hands and not with his body. That's a big thing because when I see a player catch a pass with his hands, it tells me he is not nervous, and has reached a comfort level on the field which will help him perform at his best.

I first saw this level of comfort in Carlson in the season-opener against Georgia Tech. There was a third-down play where Carlson jumped up, reached out, and hauled in a throw by Irish quarterback Brady Quinn that had been deflected. Carlson's superb effort to make this catch kept the Notre Dame drive alive.

Playmaking ability stands out
I was a huge fan of Fasano because he was a playmaker, who had a knack for twisting and turning his body, stretching to get that extra yard, and making unbelievable catches. And what has impressed me most about Carlson is his ability to make plays.

I think Carlson is having a better season than Fasano did a year ago, and that's saying a lot since Fasano's 47 receptions in 2005 were the second most in a season by an Irish tight end. And the Litchfield, Minn. native has become a much better playmaker than Fasano.

Playing with two elite wideouts in Jeff Samardzija and Rhema McKnight, Fasano knew he would have opportunities where he would be thrown to, but he still had to make the plays.

Case in point was Carlson's banner day in the Notre Dame win over Penn State on Sept. 9. That day Carlson seemed to catch almost everything that came his way, finishing the game with a career-high six receptions, and a game-high 98 yards.

Carlson has clearly shown an ability to make tough plays. On that subject, what comes to my mind first are the catches he makes coming over the middle.

These are tough receptions because Carlson has to hug the hash mark, beat the linebacker trailing on the inside, and then he has to turn his head enough to see the ball well enough to catch it -- all this while anticipating a hit from a safety.

So it takes a lot of courage to make this kind of catch, and I have seen Carlson do this on several occasions this season. He also has impressed me by showing a knack for creating opportunities for himself.

Carlson is as valuable a weapon in the Irish passing offense as are Samardzija and McKnight.

He has solidified himself as a player that opposing defenses have to make special considerations for in an attempt to shut down or limit his production. He's become a go-to guy in big spots.

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