tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15561288.post3035838018679860011..comments2023-12-25T14:06:47.943-05:00Comments on Domer Law Blog: Irish Blogger Gathering: Let's Get OffensiveWackohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11573984468865704789noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15561288.post-79046954351374311232010-07-28T14:02:16.046-04:002010-07-28T14:02:16.046-04:00Sarah - You and Choppy are always welcome in my ho...Sarah - You and Choppy are always welcome in my home, football weekends or not.<br /><br />ND2005 - I agree that we can return to perennial top 25 status with 3 and 4 star recruits. But that is not, and should not, ever be our goal. To become a perennial national championship contender, we need those 5-star athletes on the roster. That said, we'll get plenty of 5-star talent if we simply start winning games.<br /><br />Gutsmo - I agree that losing Tenuta's blitz happy philosophy will be very good for this team.Wackohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11573984468865704789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15561288.post-50491337370421610172010-07-28T11:24:03.420-04:002010-07-28T11:24:03.420-04:00I am not too big on 'must win' games this ...I am not too big on 'must win' games this early. We have speed and skill guys that can go with the best. They will be in better shape physically and psychologically. The biggest change will be defensive. Mark Mays was correct when he said last year that ND would be much better off if the D just stopped blitzing. Coach Tenuta did not believe in defense in depth and frequently and very predictably created a situation where beating one man meant a TD or major gain. Give the D four games and you'll see significant improvement there. I do think it usually takes a season to get the full benefit of a new offense. We'll probably see some glicks there but, as you note, as the QB gets snaps he'll improve quickly. Another major change is the threat that the QB will run. This holds at least one linebacker and sometimes a corner opening up WR and TE opportunities.<br />Gutsmo '70Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15561288.post-48190982317169852132010-07-28T00:20:29.048-04:002010-07-28T00:20:29.048-04:00You know, if you tell everyone where my tailgate i...You know, if you tell everyone where my tailgate is, I will demand that you let my dog stay at your house during football weekends...Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07543196622359557690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15561288.post-13236700816530605832010-07-27T23:01:39.639-04:002010-07-27T23:01:39.639-04:00Regarding the first question (and perhaps piggybac...Regarding the first question (and perhaps piggybacking on the current answer), I am a firm believer in 4 and 5 star recruits being extremely over-hyped, especially within the Fighting Irish fanbase. First of all, there are several teams who have built solid programs with primarily 2 and 3 star recruits. Teams such as Utah, Boise State, Georgia Tech, TCU, BYU, Oregon State, Navy, Clemson, North Carolina, the list goes on. These programs do fairly well, and probably/realistically have outperformed ND over the past 6-7 years. TCU, Utah, OSU, Boise State, and BYU have had extremely competitive teams, yet their recruits are usually overlooked by the 'major' programs. When the current goal is to return to NCAA relevancy aka Top 25 year after year, player development trumps number recruiting stars. I am not saying talent is irrelevant. I am saying talent is relevant when making the final jump from a Top 10 program to a Top 5 program. Then, with a little luck , any one of the Top 5 programs can win a national title. Our problem has not been recruiting athletes & talent. It has been player development aka getting players to perform at or above their talent level. It was a problem with Davie, Willingham, and Weis. I believe, and hope B.Kelly will be able to turn our recruits into football players, whether or not they have a certain number of stars attached to their name.ND2005inChicagonoreply@blogger.com