Dan Hoard

1. Veteran Leadership

T.J. Slaton Jr.is embracing the role of veteran leader.

"I've never been in this position before," he said. "We've got a lot of young guys on this defense, so I'm trying to communicate and be a great teammate."

2. Defensive Touchdowns

Notre Dame tied for the NCAA lead in defensive TDs last year.

Al Goldenhad the Bengals working on the finer points of INT returns today.

"He's extremely detailed," saidJoseph Ossai. "He's very hands-on and I don't know, there's just something about him. He's exciting."

3. Hand Fighting

The O-linemen are constantly working on hand-to-hand combat under new coach Scott Peters.

Will it translate to improved pass protection?

"That's the main goal," saidTed Karras."How can we put tools in our players' hands that increase the chances of a one-on-one victory."

4. Return of the Money Mac

Camp ended with a 54-yard field goal byEvan McPherson.

The goal post must have looked huge compared to the skinny ones on the practice field.

"I love 'em," said Darrin Simmons. "We've had them here since day one. It makes it a smaller target to hit and narrows their focus."

5. Take Advantage of the Break

The players are off for the next 5 1/2 weeks. What'sZac Taylorsmessage going into the break?

"You can't be the reason why we start training camp slow," said Taylor. "We've got to hit the ground running that's on every single player and coach to be able to do that."