Notre Dame dropped yet another game, after leading in the forth. I think I was about as mad as most. I want to help get Charlie fired. I wanted to blame him for everything. I wanted a National Title this year to be honest. Lets all be honest and say that is what we wanted. Now lets think this through a bit. We know better. I know better. Last year we were 3-9. As of right now we are 6-5. THATS TWICE AS MANY WINS. This was not going to happen over night. Things are getting slightly better
Now I will agree that Charlie has to develope these players. He has to come up with a way to run the ball. He has to teach his to finish a game.
These are all young players still, and maybe this is the kinda year we needed. Have faith. Have trust. Go Irish.
Little Inspirational Poem Maybe....
Invictus
OUT of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds, and shall find, me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.
That was not a good game. Looking back I was not really happy about a lot of things. We still need to run the ball more I think. Kicking game still needs to be more consistent, if we could kick we might have won on a field goal. Jimmy made a couple really bad passes, I keep forgetting he is only a sophomore. And our defense needs to be able to stop the run. I do not believe that our safeties should be the leading tacklers, not with four linebackers on the field. Lots of negatives.
There were lots of a good things, but I am tired of looking at the good things. I want to win ball games, and until we can overcome our "bad" things, we are not going to be top 25 team.
This should be an interesting match-up. UNC is a big play team, that does none run the ball that well. Sound familiar? It should.... They have two outstanding receivers, and a decent quarterback. This team could be trouble. We need to play hard and make some plays if we hope to win. This is not just a walk in the park. They can pass, and they can play some defense. It could be one hell of a game, or we would be in for hell. So what do we need to do?
1. I think we have to get after the quarterback again. We need those tackles behind the line of scrimmage. We need some big plays on defense. I think Brian Smith could have another big game, and I think he is key to use blitz packages. Lambert could have a great day, or a real bad one. I think he will be matched up with H. Nicks most of the day and we need to shut him down.
2. Another big rushing day would be outstanding. Allen and Hughes going for a combined 150 should signal a victory, and should open up some room for Jimmy Clausen to do some damage. A lot has been made about running behind Young and Stewart but I tink the left side of the line might be our best bet this week. And with the way that Allen can cut back it might be fun to watch.
3. Rudolph needs the ball. So lets give it to him. I think the more this young kid gets the ball the better we are playing. When the safeties have to come up and help with him the corners are man to man on Floyd and Tate, and that is money in our back.
4. Please do not get scared about the the whole UConn vs UNC game. Lets not forget that it was UConn and that UNC block three punts. I think any team that blocks three punts should win the game. On that note however, lets make sure we win the special teams battle this week. Lets Burkhart kick the ball, and I think Walker could kickoff and put them in the endzone. A touchback would be nice.
5. Burkhart could maybe make a field goal for us. Hell, even if he only make 75% of his kicks, thats better than we are doing now.
Another week and another team for us to go head to head with. Lets bring the heat, make some plays, and put our helmets up in the air at the end of the game once again. LETS DO WORK!
So what you are saying is that we can rush the ball. NICE! Kudos to the O-line, and Mr. Allen for their performance.
We still need a sack on defense. I want a defensive end to just nail a qb this week. Maybe a couple times.
I would like to see a couple slants over the middle to. I know we can run fades, outs, and comebacks.... A couple more slants wouldn't not kill anyone.
It is time for a kick return. Allen was so close a couple times. I want and we need a kick return.
Ethan Johnson has a motor that will just not stop. This guy is always going top speed. I love it.
I was happy to see Walker make a fg. 41 yards is a good distance. It would have been good enough to beat Navy last year.
1. Sheets! We have to stop the run. I am not a big fan of taking Ian Williams out and putting Brown in on against spread formations. I would not mind seeing him in there a couple times while facing the spread to see if we can not slow down the running attack. Not to take away from Sergio Brown, who has been a nice surprise so far this season.
2. Painter! We need to get some pressure, I want some sacks. I have heard all these stories about this blitz packages, but I am not seeing results. I think we need atleast four sacks to come away with a 'W'.
3. Brian Smith! I love this kid so far. He is playing like a man on a mission. He could be a game changer this week. Tackle Sheets! Sack Painter!
4. Tate-Floyd! These two studs might be our new starting wideouts. Both have showed play making abilities, and to be honest, thats what we need. I like how they both run routes (Tate is quite good) and how they both go get the ball. Lets give it to them.
5. Allen? I have seen all three running backs. I like them all. I think ('think') I like Allen the best. We need to figure out the running game, and I think Allen could be the answer. I think the fact that we are running the screen pass is awesome, but I do not think that Hughes is the one that should be catching it. Allen on a screen could be scary.
At this trend, I'll take 13 ugly weeks of Notre Dame football, because it looks like ugly still translates to wins. It's amazing how quickly people forget that when you have more points in under your name on the scoreboard than your opponent, you actually get the credit for the win. I swear people don't register that in their thought process.
There are way to many critics out there wanting to say this and that about the amount of turnovers Michigan had (and according to sports writers, Notre Dame didn't earn any of these, Michigan gave them to us) and being out gained when it comes to yardage. I'm sorry, but the Irish had the ball with starting field position at the Michigan 14 yard line. So if I'm thinking correctly, 28 yards can equal to 14 points which then leads to a 14 - 0 lead, but then means that because they were outgained in yardage, they didn't do anything correctly. To hell with you!
I hope next week's game is ugly. I like ugly games and ugly wins. Well, I will just be honest with you, I like wins, ugly or not. WINS!
I know the game is 4 days old now, but I'm still at a loss of words as to why ND didn't have a bigger showing against SDSU last Saturday. I'll tell you what, after watching the replay on Universial HD channel, I've been able to see why they looked lack luster.
First and foremost, every run play seemed to be to the left side of the offensive line. I am a huge Olsen fan and Turk has come up big this fall but you would have thought for sure that we'd be running behind the biggins' that we have with Stewart and Young on the right side. By doing this, Chris Stewart struggled to get to the second tier (the linebackers) to accomplish his assignment. Multiple times the player he was suppose to block made the tackle that prevented huge gains by Irish tailbacks Allen and Hughes. You could actually see his frustration on one play when he punched the air and stomped his huge foot. If he doesn't get quicker to the second tier, the Michigan linebackers are going to tee-off on the running backs.
Second thing I noticed is how hard it was for the WRs to break free from the bump and press coverages. Michigans DBs are big and physical and ND needs to be able to break away clean and quick as the front 7 is definitely looking to get to the QB often.
Mental mistakes, mental mistakes, mental mistakes. I'll highlight a few that were huge. Crum personal foul call, Kamara missing the hot route slant that hit his helmet and bounced off to get intercepted, Clausen missing Tate in ther corner on a wide open touchdown miss, a botched coverage call for Brian Smith and Kyle McCarthy on the long pass play that set up SDSU's first TD (they both had no clue who to cover), Hughes' fumble inside the 5 yard line (that was definitely NOT a fumble because his knee was down) and finally the FG/PAT holder (Maust) needs either more practice or to move to another position because he was unable to correctly place the ball for kicker Walker on two different occasions. Oh, on Clausen's other interception, Kamara stopped looking at the ball while the ball was in the air and instead of running the route and going up strong for the ball, he strided into the endzone, with his head looking at the DB, and gave a fairy tale leap that was about 3 seconds too early. I don't blame that all on Kamara, but he gave a very piss-poor effort to catch the ball or knock it away.
Now some good things I noticed (this could be individual or whatnot) on Michael Floyd's TD play, Clausen saw the coverage before he even lined up and pointed over to Floyd's directions. Floyd then broke away from coverage and got about 3 yards seperation immediately on his way to the catch. Brian Smith is an animal and was ALL OVER the field. Sergio Brown is going to be a stud. Ethan Johnson was getting work as an interior DL. Notre Dame's special teams (other than the FG/PAT unit) was amazing and it's only a matter of time before we see a kick-off for a TD. SDSU is very lucky that their QB was young and inexperienced because he was pressured A LOT and just seemed to chuck the ball wherever without a purpose (ND wo.uld have had about 8 sacks if there were a more experienced QB that knows to just take the sack, but SDSU got really, really lucky).
If Notre Dame continues the good and corrects those mental mistakes, the game this weekend will be fun to watch because Michigan is not getting any better with their offense and Notre Dame is about 5 times better than the Miami, OH squad that the Wolverines had come through there. GO IRISH!
I told you not to expect much from Notre Dame vs. San Diego St., but even I didn't think it would take that long to get the lead.
ND ran the ball up the gut (didn't try those tosses and runs outside), they passed the ball to lots of receivers (no screens or play-actions), and they didn't give up a single sack the entire game.
Not to mention they ran the ball for over 100 yards and Clausen was able to build confindence in his o-line and his receivers.
I don't care how they looked against the Aztecs, they won the game. They ran the minimal amount of plays needed to get the job done. Take away one of those interceptions and both of those costly fumbles and this game is 35-10 with the same kind of ugly stats.
Oh, and a side note. When the game counted and Notre Dame needed to move the ball, they totalled 136 yards on 2 scoring drives and the final run-out the clock drive. That's over 500 yards of offense if mulitplied out by 4 quarters. I think Weis was holding something back, don't you?
As I was looking through scores and thinking about what kind of attack I can expect from the Irish in their opening game, I realized something; San Diego State lost to Cal Poly. What? Yeah, that's California's 87th best college football school, apparently just infront of San Diego State.
This is something to keep in mind as we watch the game this weekend. You can bet your children that Charlie Weiss and the Fighting Irish are going to do exactly what they need in order to win the game, without showing ANYTHING for the week 2 match-up with the groundhogs, I mean bush-weasels, I mean barn cats, I mean Wolverines.
I know that Weiss has stated many times that he wants to demonstrate a running football strategy, especially with the stable of backs at his dispense. But I fully expect to see, and I am crossing my fingers as I say this, about 250-300 yards of rushing from the Irish. I don't plan on seeing Clausen chuck the ball but a dozen (ok a baker's dozen because I like pastries) times on Saturday, with Sharpley getting almost a full quarter of mop up duty. They will work in some quick slants and some quality tight end work and I bet that 7 different receivers touch the ball.
I just don't want the entire Notre Dame world to put too much stock in the game plan this weekend as they play an obvious inferior team. Michigan will come into South Bend with an 0-2 record and looking for some kind of energy and Weiss will absolutely unleash the hounds.
Also look for a test for the secondary as the Aztecs will be down early and will have to start passing the ball to get themselves in a position to score points.
Overall, we will be able to see just how tough and physical this offensive line is, how crisp our tight ends play, how frisky our defensive line gets, how fast our linebacking core can get, and finally just how stingy our secondary can get.
A difference maker; Notre Dame has been looking for one for the past two years. After we lost the Brady to Jeff combination we have been lacking the “spark” that can change the outcome of the game. Many of us have hoped that it would be Armando Allen, or Golden Tate. Both showed signs of being the play maker they were brought in to be, but it never really happened (maybe 2008?).
Considering what we all saw in the Army All-American Game, Notre Dame might have another difference maker in the waiting. Michael Floyd put on quite the performance in the Army All-American game. He had two TD catches (one from classmate Danye Crist) and was a constant deep threat. He had a very impressive senior campaign too. He had 43 rushes for 497 yards (12 ypc) and 3 touchdowns, 59 catches for 1,247 yards (21 ypc) and 17 touchdowns, and let’s not forget 16 returns for 373 yards and 4 touchdowns. If you are counting that is over 20 touchdowns for a receiver. I will take it!
Coach Weiss has been very high on Floyd, and has mentions numerous times that he does NOT look like a freshmen. After announcing the depth chart on Monday we found out that Floyd is in the 2 deep along with Golden Tate. That alone is a match up nightmare; I cannot wait to see a four wide set with Grimes, Kamara, Tate, and Floyd out there. For good measure we can even put Armando Allen in the backfield. I get goose bumps just thinking about it.
What really impresses me is Floyd’s work ethic. It has been mentioned how he has stayed after practice to work on route running and how he has worked very hard in the weight room. For a freshman, this kid has come to play. Just looking at him you have to be impressed. He is all of 6’3” 215 pounds; he was only 195 pounds while in high school. For someone to gain 20 pounds in such a short time he had to work hard and put the time in. In Floyd’s case he put the time in before he even got to Notre Dame.
Just ten more days until we find out though, and I cannot wait. I really want to see at least three plays over 30 yards. If it happens to go to Floyd don’t say I didn’t tell you so. Keep your fingers crossed and your mugs filled.
Notre Dame Football is almost upon us. I will say it again; Notre Dame Football is almost upon us. I have been an emotional wreck since the end of last season. Sometimes I lay awake at night and wonder just what happened. Other times I catch myself thinking about the up and coming season, hoping for a return to greatness.
I know that I should not expect the greatest ofthings or jump to conclusions, and that I should realize that it is going to take time….BUT WOW, things were really bad last year. Here is some of the numbers that are just flat out unacceptable.
1. 75.2 rushing yards per game. Are you kidding me? Really? That comes out to about 2 yards per carry. That is not going to get it down. Hughes, Aldridge, and Allen are better than that. Not that is it just their fault. The O-line defiantly gets some of the blame. I feel that we have to have a productive ground game to have a productive passing game. We need to be able to pound te ball at the goal line, and not get tackle in the back field. 3.5 yards a carry = a decent ground game. How on Earth do I come up with that, well, 3 rushes times 3.5 yards a carry = a first down.
2. 9.2 yards per reception. Huh, so what you are saying is that we only average 3 more yards a reception than Beanie Wells (OSU) averages a rush (6.1 yards per carry)…..huh. Yes, Clausen was hurt. Yes, Clausen got sacked, hit, slammed, nailed, crucified, lynched, etc etc A LOT, but this is no excuse. There were times when Martinez and I were screaming at the TV asking, begging Jimmy to throw the ball. The receivers have to be held accountable to some degree also. Three of them averaged over ten yards a reception. Kamara with 11.2, Parris with 12.4, and Tate had 21.8 yards per catch. Where are West and Grimes at? Tate had a nice average, but come on, he only caught 6 balls. USC had five guys that had 20 or more catches and 6 guys that average 10 or more yards per catch.
3. Speaking of passing and receiving…..58 sacks. I believe that this has been discussed enough. Or has it? Who is our left tackle? Turk? Duncan? Yeatman (yes there have be rumors)?
4. 102 to 52! We were outscored by 50 points during the second quarter. 31 to 80! We were outscored by 50 points in the first quarter. All in all we were outscored in every quarter. We need to put some points on the board. We only averaged 16.4 points a game. I believe this has a lot to do with every part of our offense. This year should be different.
5. The lack of a game changer. Every team needs one, and we have yet to find ours. Whether it is Tate or Floyd at receiver, or Allen at running, we need a spark to the light the fire. This can also be done on special teams. I would love to have a return game. That along could turn the offense around. The field is a lot short when you start at the fifty.
The good news is that I think we have the answer to a lot of these problems. The O-line is looking very good; particularly the right side with G Stewart and T Young. The running backs are competing, and the competition looks fierce. That can only be a good thing. We actually know who are starting quarterback is this year, always good.
The offensive line is where it all begins this year. If they can give Jimmy sometime, and open up some holes for our platoon of running backs things should be good. I like what I am hearing about Trever Robinson at guard. He sounds and looks like a beast. The fact that Stewart has lost weight and is moving better is a good thing too. The combination of Young and Stewart should be our bull dozer in the fourth quarter. The left side still has questions, but it has the players to fill spots. Robinson could very well see time there. Left tackle is so important, especially with a younger Quarterback. The fact that Turkovich and Duncan are competing hard for the job is good, but I really like to have a name penciled in there.
I think I can say confidently that Robert Hughes is going to be our featured back. Aldridge is going to get his chances, you can believe that, but Hughes is the man. Allen has yet to show me what he can do. I think Allen is our hardest runner, but I there is more to him still and I cannot wait to see it. When Allen’s game comes to full circle things should be exciting. The X factor is all of this is Jonas Gray. At first I wanted him to take a red shirt, but from what I have seen I do not think we can keep this kid off the field. He is a man-child at tailback, and should be fun to watch.
Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy. Martinez and I have had our arguments about Clausen this year. Well, let me tell you how it is going to be. Expect this to be a breakout season. He will have over 20 touchdowns, and a couple 300 yard games. We have the line to protect and the backs to run, if Clausen gets the passing game going we will be dangerous. He does have targets this year too. He may not have the preseason All-Americans, but he has a pool of talent to throw to. I am looking forward to seeing Floyd and Walker, but I think Robby Parris could have a big year too. And I hate to admit it, but I really want to see Golden Tate catch a slant route in the first game and take it the distance.
I have not brought up the defense. I am really happy with what I have read and seen about it. I think we are going to run that hybrid 4-3. I think Bruton will be a player, along with Crum. I am not concerned with either of those players; I am not even surprised or really excited about them. What I am excited about are all those NEW players. Robert Blanton is going to be our next Bobby Taylor. Brian Smith is something special and should be watched. Brandon Newman is HUGE. Ethan Johnson should love the 4-3 how we run it. The list just goes on and one with these younger guys. Tenuta knows what he is doing, and the Defense should be really fun to watch this year.
Notre Dame should do great things this year. Do not be surprised if they pull out 8 or 10 wins. I will go out and say that I am expecting 9 wins, but you cannot rule out the possibility of a one loss season. Keep your fingers crossed and your mugs filled.
The 2008 Associated Press released their poll today, and as expected, Georgia leads the way getting 22 first place votes to top 2nd ranked Ohio State who received 21 first place votes.
The only team that was in the AP preseason poll that is currently on the ND schedule (other than USC ranked 3rd) was Pittsburgh who came in at the 25th ranked position. Of course, these are just the preseason rankings. We all know that when the season is over, 8 of the teams that the Irish have on their schedule could be ranked. Michigan, Michigan St., Purdue, Washington, Pittsburgh, Boston College, USC, and Navy/North Carolina.
Those you of you who haven't seen the videos of Notre Dame's first padded practice, let me run a few observations by you. I will say, through all and all, I liked what I saw.
Eric Olsen (JR/#55/LG) is now my favorite ND player. Have you seen this guy? I will tell you what, he reminds me of a former ND mauler, Jeff Faine. His arms tattooed and a nasty attitude that he shows everytime he blocks someone. During one of his one-on-one drills against Kuntz, he earned himself a pancake block. He absolutely humiliated Kuntz causing a roar of cheers from his fellow lineman.
Chris Stewart (JR/#59/RG) is looking like he could be that missing link the line needed last year. He's BIG, nasty, and moves incredible well. Not to mention, mixed with Sam Young (6'8" 330lbs) you could see a lot of those run plays right up his hind-end. This kid was showing emotion on every play. That's what I was looking for. And teamed up with Olsen in the middle, I look for a lot of those crafty draws they use to run with Walker to break for some solid yardage this year. The kind of plays we were waiting to see Allen actually get in and make.
Robert Hughes (SO/#33/HB) looks like he's gaining momentum as the feature back. I know I know, it's only the first week of practice, but on film, Hughes was getting the most work with the 1st team. I have always been a solid Aldridge fan (I still am) but watching him make some of the runs that he did, I'm becoming more and more of a Hughes fan. He's quick through the hole, he sees the openings well, he's hard to tackle (no one tackled him first try) and my god did he show some speed, outrunning McNeil to the endzone on a 21 yard TD scamper. My only gripe about him is when he gets into the line after he has the ball. For a guy that is 237 lbs., you would think that he would be looking to hit someone to create for himself, but his case is the opposite. Hughes takes the hand-off, finds the hole, and then looks to make cuts and slide steps. If he would hit the hole like Aldridge and Allen (who still runs the hardest of all of them) then he would gaurantee himself 3 yards, regardless of when he gets hit. Put a shoulder down first and you've got my overwhelming support Robert!
Harrison Smith (rFR/#22/LB) made me smile on one play. Hughes ran off tackle to the right and Smith came up and laid a smack right on him. I mean, usually a defender is coming up and tackling the runner as he gains a few yards after the initial contact. With Smith being a lighter LB, he came right up and made the hit, taking Hughes down immediately. I have been praying for a player/LB like this for a long time. Someone who can fly all over the field and yet still lay a lick down on a player. This is going to be a guy to watch this year!
Newman is BIG!
Newman is REALLY BIG!
Jonas Gray (FR/#25/HB) is looking like he has all the makings for a truely dominant RB in this offense. Imagine Darius Walker, only good (those who know me knows I wasn't a huge fan). Hughes, Aldridge, and Allen had better be careful, because this guy is going to make some noise if any of you slip up. (Don't you get the feel of a USC type stable of running backs with the verbal of Wood for 2009?)
And it looks like at least one of my prayers has been answered, as it seems to appear that Turkovich (SR/#77/LT-LG) has moved ahead of Duncan (SR/#72/LT-LG) for the starting left tackle position. Duncan was working with the 2nd team offense at LG. I'm not going to get emotional here, but I wanted to put my hand in a frying pan everytime I watched Duncan "attempt" to block anybody last year. I'm a big "Turk" fan right now!
Newest piece for the Irish, EJ Banks, is another player that the Irish seem to be recruiting for in the secondary to set up a little bigger, faster group. And here is a total list of verbals for 2009 and where they are rated (out of 100 for their rating):
Cierre Wood - #3 Athlete, #23 Overall, 84 rating Tyler Stockton - #2 DT, #32 Overall, 83 rating Chris Watt - #5 OG, #5 #68 Overall, 82 rating Zach Martin - #11 OG, 105 Overall, 81 rating E.J. Banks - #16 Athlete, 131 Overall, 81 rating Tyler Eifert - #13 TE, 79 rating Theo Riddick - #48 Athlete, 78 rating Carlo Calabrese - #12 ILB, 78 rating Marlon Pollard - #21 CB, 78 rating Jake Golic - #34 TE, 77 rating Alex Bullard - #35 OG, 77 rating Dan Fox - #61 OLB, 76 rating Nick Tausch - #20 K, 74 rating Ben Turk - unranked as of now
Hey, we talk Notre Dame Football from every angle at any point throughout the week. We don't hold anything back and welcome any and all comments.
GAMES THAT MATTER: This is a section where Martinez and Johanathan pick out the current weeks best games and pick who they believe will win that game. There is a running talley to determine who's been the most accurate during the season.
BOLD PREDICTIONS: This is where we will tell you how we think the upcoming games is going to go and a few stat predictions for that game. This is also a spot where Martinez will give you his can't miss games, where he will tell you what teams will or will not cover the spread. 5 games a week and he will keep track of his record throughout the year.
With signing day only 20 days away things are beginning to look up. There are four major points that have to be looked at for the 2008 season. These four points could make us, or break us. These four points are what has to happen for the Irish.
The first point is our special teams. Believe it or not, we do have special teams at Notre Dame. Our kicking game has to improve. We need to put kickoffs in the endzone and we have to be able to kick field goals. This whole problem could have been solved if Weiss would have been able to land Forbath a two season ago. Instead Forbath went to UCLA and has been an absolute STUD! We need to get some returns! It is possible to return a kickoff or a punt, I know, I have seen it done before! I look for Golden Tate and Allen to turn it up a notch and get it done!
The second point is the O-Line. We need to become bruiser up front again. It use to be that when team played Notre Dame our offensive line owned the competition. You would be sore for days after you played Notre Dame. There are no excuses for the line this year. Young, Wenger, and the gang need to be dominate.
Point three has to be the play of the linebackers. They need to play behind the line of scrimmage everyone once in a while. They need to get after the ball..SPEED SPEED SPEED! There is a need for an inside presence, and I still think T. Smith can fill that role. He just needs to relearn the fundamentals. Brian Smith and Kerry Neal looked very good as frosh last year, and Crum is coming back for a fifth year.
The fourth point is we need to have some big plays. Big plays can turn a game around and make it worth watching! At times, it was boring to watch ND get smacked around last year. Lets get some picks, lets have some homerun balls, lets play football!
The last point is the development of Jimmy. I am a big Jimmy fan. The coaches need to get him in the weight room and build him up a bit. I really hope he is developing a relationship with the recievers and throwing the ball around. A QB that knows his recievers, and trust them, is a GOOD thing. On that same note, a reciever that knows what his QB is thinking is just as dangerous!
SO....a summary if you please. 1. Special Team Improvement 2. A Dominating O-Line 3. A "You Can't Score On Us D" 4. Big Plays = WINS 5. Jimmy "Glossy" Clausen
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