I was getting ready to post my weekly Irish blogger Gathering post this morning when I read the horribly tragic news about Declan Sullivan, a 20-year old student at Notre Dame, whose life was cut short when the scissor lift that he was in fell over, causing mortal injuries. He died later at Memorial Hospital. Declan was filming football practice.
I am deeply saddened by this tragedy, and as a member of the Notre Dame and South Bend community, my heart goes out to the friends and family of Declan Sullivan. There will be a mass on campus tonight at 10 o'clock p.m. at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
There will be no IBG post this week, as now football has taken a back seat to this tragedy. Indeed, I no longer care whether we win or lose against Tulsa, or even if we play the game.
Also, I am infuriated that this young man was even up in the lift yesterday. As I was walking down the street in South Bend yesterday, I literally had to lean into the wind to stay upright myself. It was the worst wind storm I've ever seen in my time living here. The person who was responsible for asking that young man to take a mobile scissor lift 60 feet into the air under such conditions should be held accountable for their gross negligence. This is an inexcusable tragedy that could have been prevented by a little application of common sense.
I cannot imagine the pain and suffering his family is going through right now. Please say a prayer for them in their time of need.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of Declan Sullivan and all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Irish Blogger Gathering: Tailgating Hall of Fame Edition
Matt over at We Never Graduate is hosting this week's Irish Blogger Gathering, and with a MAC team on their way to town, we're going to examine some bigger picture issues surrounding the program. Like whose friends are the most awesomest tailgating companions ever. (Answer: mine)
1. The Irish have posted back-to-back victories over teams that have given us fits the past decade to pull back to .500, but when you head to the message boards on ND Nation, Rivals, etc. all you see is unrelenting negativity. Some cry Kelly's in over his head and doomed to fail, others bitch and moan about the run-to-pass ratio, and many more say that even though we've won the last two there's no improvement over last year's team. What's your take on the negativity that's swirling around the program on the internet? What message would you like to convey to ND Nation?
I think that the negativity of many of these posters stems from the roller-coaster ride we've had with our last few coaches. Almost every true Notre Dame fan has drunk the Kool-Aid with at least one of the last three coaches, and gotten burned as a result. This time around, many people wanted us to hire a proven winner, like Bob Stoops or Urban Meyer, to ensure that we wouldn't have to go down this road again. However, luring one of those coaches away from their top-tier job is easier said than done, while still holding true to our ideals.
What I would like to convey to NDNation is to take a deep breath, relax, and let the season play out. We're not winning it all this year, so sit back and enjoy the ride. Coach may make a few mistakes, and we may not be as good as we're capable of being. That said, a firestorm of negativity won't be good for the psyche of this program. Give them some leash, and let them go out there an play. Support your team for once and let these kids have some fun. We should see improvement throughout the year, and next year this team should be clicking along on all cylinders.
And believe me, whether you like the spread or not, it will score enough points to win every game on the schedule.
2. When Western Michigan and Tulsa were announced as 2010 opponents last fall there was a full-throttle meltdown among ND fans that was surpassed only by The F-Word Incident in April in terms of sheer outrage. Well, if the opinions expressed then are the same now the apocalypse has finally arrived and a MAC squad is about to forever sully our field by stepping foot on it. Have your thoughts on the Western Michigan/Tulsa games changed since they were announced? Would you rather ND Stadium sell out and continue the streak that extends back almost 40 years or see the streak broken so that the powers-that-be know just how disrespected you feel by the audacity they showed in scheduling such inferior opponents?
Honestly, I want the stadium to sell out, beat the ever-living crap out of these teams, and use it to build confidence moving forward. I'm not a big fan of watering down the schedule, but picture the difference between the team this year sitting at 5-3 heading into Utah versus 3-5 had we scheduled Oklahoma and Miami for those two games.
And for those people that are so pissed at the scheduling, Western Michigan was only added because the deal with TCU fell through - think anybody would be complaining if the #4/5 team in the country were on it's way to town? Scheduling is difficult as an independent, and the transition at athletics director left us with a couple of holes to fill. At least we didn't slot in any FCS teams.
Swarbrick has done some really good things to improve the schedule going forward, but ultimately this season sets up well for a young and developing team. These will be confidence games where the team can hopefully find a rhythm on offense, do some spectacular things on defense, and build up the psyche of the team heading into the showdown with Utah.
Honestly, I want the stadium to sell out, beat the ever-living crap out of these teams, and use it to build confidence moving forward. I'm not a big fan of watering down the schedule, but picture the difference between the team this year sitting at 5-3 heading into Utah versus 3-5 had we scheduled Oklahoma and Miami for those two games.
And for those people that are so pissed at the scheduling, Western Michigan was only added because the deal with TCU fell through - think anybody would be complaining if the #4/5 team in the country were on it's way to town? Scheduling is difficult as an independent, and the transition at athletics director left us with a couple of holes to fill. At least we didn't slot in any FCS teams.
Swarbrick has done some really good things to improve the schedule going forward, but ultimately this season sets up well for a young and developing team. These will be confidence games where the team can hopefully find a rhythm on offense, do some spectacular things on defense, and build up the psyche of the team heading into the showdown with Utah.
3. Most people painted AD Jack Swarbrick as the villain when the Western Michigan/Tulsa games were made public. Since then he's made drastic moves in locking down opponents on future schedules, went through the process of firing Weis and hiring Kelly, and navigated ND through the murky waters of conference realignment. Has your personal opinion on Swarbrick been altered over the past year?
I was high on Swarbrick when he was hired. Too many people were quick to lay the blame on him for trying to fill the holes left by his predecessor. Indeed, most of the people that didn't like Swarbrick didn't like him because he talks like a lawyer. He's never going to say that conference membership won't happen, because things could change drastically. He's not going to throw his predecessor and colleague under the bus, because he may need Kevin White at some point in the future if we wanted to try and schedule a basketball game with Duke. He's quietly dismantled the 7-4-1 model while not throwing it in Kevin White's face. He made the best possible decision regarding the coaching hire. He has shown a commitment to creating a schedule worthy of Notre Dame. He's a big-time player with the clout to lead this athletics program through the often rough waters of college football independence. Do you really think that BYU would have gone independent without the support of Swarbrick and Notre Dame?
This guy is a Notre Dame man who understands far better than any of us the position we occupy in the college football landscape. He has the connections and the leadership ability to put this program back at the top of college football. But Rome wasn't built in a day. Give him time, and he'll right the ship.
I was high on Swarbrick when he was hired. Too many people were quick to lay the blame on him for trying to fill the holes left by his predecessor. Indeed, most of the people that didn't like Swarbrick didn't like him because he talks like a lawyer. He's never going to say that conference membership won't happen, because things could change drastically. He's not going to throw his predecessor and colleague under the bus, because he may need Kevin White at some point in the future if we wanted to try and schedule a basketball game with Duke. He's quietly dismantled the 7-4-1 model while not throwing it in Kevin White's face. He made the best possible decision regarding the coaching hire. He has shown a commitment to creating a schedule worthy of Notre Dame. He's a big-time player with the clout to lead this athletics program through the often rough waters of college football independence. Do you really think that BYU would have gone independent without the support of Swarbrick and Notre Dame?
This guy is a Notre Dame man who understands far better than any of us the position we occupy in the college football landscape. He has the connections and the leadership ability to put this program back at the top of college football. But Rome wasn't built in a day. Give him time, and he'll right the ship.
4. We're at the halfway point so it's a perfect time to step back real quick and evaluate what's happened thus far. What have been your two biggest surprises at this juncture of the season? Choose one positive and one negative.
Positive: We can kick a field goal. I talked about this last week, but it's amazing what a decent field goal unit can do for your ability to win games. Just look at the Pitt game - we went 3-3, they want 1-2. They make that chip shot they missed, and we miss the 50 yarder, and all of a sudden we're looking at an overtime game. Ruffer is perfect on field goals this year - 11/11. For the record, that puts him tied for second among kickers that are still perfect, with only the Southern Miss kicker having kicked more field goals without a miss (he's tied with the kicker from Oklahoma State).
Negative: This offense is still horribly inconsistent. We turn the ball over too often, stagnate for long stretches of the game, and aren't as efficient as we ought to be at this point. This offense is loaded with weapons, but they still haven't gotten to that unconscious competence point yet. You'll notice that the faster the offense plays, the better they do. That's because we aren't giving them time to think. Once this team can settle in and stop thinking about it, we can be a very explosive offense. But thus far, I've been very disappointed.
Positive: We can kick a field goal. I talked about this last week, but it's amazing what a decent field goal unit can do for your ability to win games. Just look at the Pitt game - we went 3-3, they want 1-2. They make that chip shot they missed, and we miss the 50 yarder, and all of a sudden we're looking at an overtime game. Ruffer is perfect on field goals this year - 11/11. For the record, that puts him tied for second among kickers that are still perfect, with only the Southern Miss kicker having kicked more field goals without a miss (he's tied with the kicker from Oklahoma State).
Negative: This offense is still horribly inconsistent. We turn the ball over too often, stagnate for long stretches of the game, and aren't as efficient as we ought to be at this point. This offense is loaded with weapons, but they still haven't gotten to that unconscious competence point yet. You'll notice that the faster the offense plays, the better they do. That's because we aren't giving them time to think. Once this team can settle in and stop thinking about it, we can be a very explosive offense. But thus far, I've been very disappointed.
5. Which player that hasn't contributed much to this point in the season do you see emerging as a contributor down the stretch?
Michael Floyd. This may seem a bit disingenuous for a guy that is our leading receiver (in yards), but we all know that Michael Floyd is capable of being one of the dominant receivers in the country. He simply hasn't been that player yet, and I'm expecting for him to start getting it in the second half of the season, especially as Theo Riddick continues to develop his reputation as a playmaker,
As far as players that really haven't contributed much, I'm going to go with Prince Shembo. The kid has shown a play-making ability, as he has 2.5 sacks already in limited playing time. He'll see a lot more minutes and show his disruptive ability as the season wears on.
6. Scholarships are running thin and some tough decisions are going to have to be made this spring when it comes to offering 5th years to current seniors. If you're Coach Kelly who do you offer and who is left out in the cold to make room for the incoming freshman class? Here's a link to the 2011 scholarship chart for a list of potential 5th years.
Offered (in order of preference):
Harrison Smith, Safety
Safety depth is a huge problem for this team, and bringing Harrison Smith back for his 5th year would be a great move. He seems to finally be settling in at the position, and he's really stepped up as a leader for this team. I fully expect to see him on the field next year for the Irish.
Gary Gray, Cornerback
Gary has shown himself to be a very coachable player with a lot of speed and natural athletic ability. While there is plenty of talent coming up behind him, I'd be very happy to see him suiting up at corner again next year.
Taylor Dever, Matt Romine, and Andrew Nuss, Offensive line
There is no way you let a 5th year eligible player with significant playing experience go on the offensive line. Playing time is by far the best single indicator of future performance here, so I think you bring all of them back to compete. Especially Dever.
Mike Ragone, Tight End
Talented kid who is doing some pretty solid work in Kyle Rudolph's shadow. He hasn't put himself in the position to be a NFL prospect yet, but he has the athletic ability to cause some pretty big matchup problems next year if he continues to develop towards his potential.
Passed on:
Steve Paskorz & Emeka Nwankwo
Both of these players have essentially been buried on the depth chart, and there is plenty of young talent behind them that can push for starting time in their stead. Thanks guys, but we do have scholarship limits to deal with here. At least you'll have that Notre Dame degree to fall back on.
Offered (in order of preference):
Harrison Smith, Safety
Safety depth is a huge problem for this team, and bringing Harrison Smith back for his 5th year would be a great move. He seems to finally be settling in at the position, and he's really stepped up as a leader for this team. I fully expect to see him on the field next year for the Irish.
Gary Gray, Cornerback
Gary has shown himself to be a very coachable player with a lot of speed and natural athletic ability. While there is plenty of talent coming up behind him, I'd be very happy to see him suiting up at corner again next year.
Taylor Dever, Matt Romine, and Andrew Nuss, Offensive line
There is no way you let a 5th year eligible player with significant playing experience go on the offensive line. Playing time is by far the best single indicator of future performance here, so I think you bring all of them back to compete. Especially Dever.
Mike Ragone, Tight End
Talented kid who is doing some pretty solid work in Kyle Rudolph's shadow. He hasn't put himself in the position to be a NFL prospect yet, but he has the athletic ability to cause some pretty big matchup problems next year if he continues to develop towards his potential.
Passed on:
Steve Paskorz & Emeka Nwankwo
Both of these players have essentially been buried on the depth chart, and there is plenty of young talent behind them that can push for starting time in their stead. Thanks guys, but we do have scholarship limits to deal with here. At least you'll have that Notre Dame degree to fall back on.
7. *****BONUS***** You've been challenged to a Tailgate Olympiad by some chaunce from Southern Cal and you need to assemble a dream team of your fellow Irish fans to compete in the following events:
Full Beer Flip Cup (four-man team), Beer Pong, Hamburger Eating Contest (two-man team), Cornhole/Bags/Whatever You Call It, Individual Case Race, and Thunderdome (one shotgun per minute until someone can't answer the bell). Your captaincy role on this team is Ryder Cup style so you'll be monitoring the proceedings rather than actually partaking. Throw some internet love out to your fellow tailgate All-Stars that have delivered through the years and let us know who you'd put in each slot to make sure Troy fell in the parking lot as well as on the field...and while you're at it, tell us what three songs you'd be blasting as you rolled to victory.
Full Beer Flip Cup (four-man team)
Lacey - 30th Birthday flip-cup champion
Nivas
Shaggy
Libbie (that's right, Wes, I picked your wife over you. Deal.)
Beer Pong
1. Laura Waechter
2. Chris Waechter
First alternate: Lisa Waechter
Shout-out to my family, who have proven time and again their ability to focus even after many rounds of beer pong. The Waechters are unstoppable at beer pong, my friends. Don't even try...
Hamburger Eating Contest (two-man team)
1. George Kalber
2. Len Kalber
First alternate: Dave Grimm
Second alternate: Tim Kelly (if he can eat hamburgers even remotely like he can eat spaghetti, this wouldn't even be close)
Believe me, if you saw these guys, you would just forfeit on the spot.
Cornhole/Bags/Whatever You Call It
Briege Gish, Good Guys, Team Captain
Brad 'Hoss' Jordan - Oldest and best tailgating partner in crime
Individual Case Race
Any one of the crazy Canadians Hoss and I tailgated with that one time. They got out of the car, and there were 3 of them. There were 7 cases of beer. They invited us to join (we had one case of our own), and there was nary a drop left by gametime. Anything involving cases of beer, I'm going to draft those guys. Bonus points for also sporting the ND tats.
Thunderdome (one shotgun per minute until someone can't answer the bell)
Andrew LaBreche
First alternate: Jason Weaver
Three songs
Notre Dame Victory March - Can never get enough of this on gameday, so this will always be on heavy rotation. That said, I'm not taking away one spot of the precious three for so obvious an answer.
1. Dropkick Murphys - Shipping Up To Boston
2. Guns 'N Roses - Welcome to the Jungle
3. AC/DC - Thunderstruck (Live)
Full Beer Flip Cup (four-man team), Beer Pong, Hamburger Eating Contest (two-man team), Cornhole/Bags/Whatever You Call It, Individual Case Race, and Thunderdome (one shotgun per minute until someone can't answer the bell). Your captaincy role on this team is Ryder Cup style so you'll be monitoring the proceedings rather than actually partaking. Throw some internet love out to your fellow tailgate All-Stars that have delivered through the years and let us know who you'd put in each slot to make sure Troy fell in the parking lot as well as on the field...and while you're at it, tell us what three songs you'd be blasting as you rolled to victory.
Full Beer Flip Cup (four-man team)
Lacey - 30th Birthday flip-cup champion
Nivas
Shaggy
Libbie (that's right, Wes, I picked your wife over you. Deal.)
Beer Pong
1. Laura Waechter
2. Chris Waechter
First alternate: Lisa Waechter
Shout-out to my family, who have proven time and again their ability to focus even after many rounds of beer pong. The Waechters are unstoppable at beer pong, my friends. Don't even try...
Hamburger Eating Contest (two-man team)
1. George Kalber
2. Len Kalber
First alternate: Dave Grimm
Second alternate: Tim Kelly (if he can eat hamburgers even remotely like he can eat spaghetti, this wouldn't even be close)
Believe me, if you saw these guys, you would just forfeit on the spot.
Cornhole/Bags/Whatever You Call It
Briege Gish, Good Guys, Team Captain
Brad 'Hoss' Jordan - Oldest and best tailgating partner in crime
Individual Case Race
Any one of the crazy Canadians Hoss and I tailgated with that one time. They got out of the car, and there were 3 of them. There were 7 cases of beer. They invited us to join (we had one case of our own), and there was nary a drop left by gametime. Anything involving cases of beer, I'm going to draft those guys. Bonus points for also sporting the ND tats.
Thunderdome (one shotgun per minute until someone can't answer the bell)
Andrew LaBreche
First alternate: Jason Weaver
Three songs
Notre Dame Victory March - Can never get enough of this on gameday, so this will always be on heavy rotation. That said, I'm not taking away one spot of the precious three for so obvious an answer.
1. Dropkick Murphys - Shipping Up To Boston
2. Guns 'N Roses - Welcome to the Jungle
3. AC/DC - Thunderstruck (Live)
Friday, October 08, 2010
Irish Blogger Gathering: Teaching the Wannestache a Thing or Two...
Irish Round Table is hosting this week's Irish Blogger Gathering, and he's making me into a fortune-telling teacher this week.
1)Grade Brian Kelly's performance to date. We're not interested in how you think he will perform going forward. How has he done through the first five games? Grade scale is A+ to F-.
I'd give Coach Kelly a B-. He's clearly upgraded the fundamentals of this team, especially on defense. It's a sound football team that is capable of competing with anybody except for the elite teams in the country.
Of course, we still have a losing record. And what really matters is winning and losing on Saturday. We turn the ball over too often, which is one of the few fundamentals that we are not sound in. Clearly, we've practiced form tackling and tip drill on defense, and we are blocking better overall and running better routes. But we need to work on ball security.
2)Much has been made of Brian Kelly's sideline rants. Some fans like the excitement and energy others are worried that they are excessive and will wear thin on the players. Where do you stand?
He's a football coach. He's been a football coach for 20 years. He knows when to teach, he knows when to coddle, and he knows when to dress somebody down. Now, would his approach work in a boardroom? No. But this isn't a boardroom, it's a football field. And these kids are going from moment to moment in a high stakes, high adrenaline, high emotion fast-paced high pressure environment. Taking 10 minutes to calmly critique the mechanics of a kick or a catch is not really an option on gameday. Telling a kid that if he doesn't get his act together, there are three kids sitting on the bench waiting to take his spot is often appropriate.
I don't believe for one second that Kelly will lose his team by yelling at them. He's a fiery guy in the heat of battle, and he wants his team to have that same mentality. You're also going to see him get just as animated when a player makes a great play, and he'll be effusive in his praise at those times as well.
3)What is the best storyline for Notre Dame football this year? The best storyline in college football?
Notre Dame: David Ruffer becoming a clutch kicker. I can't remember the last time I didn't have to hold my breath on every single field goal attempt. Plus, you add in the Rudy-esque background story, making the team after kicking for the Siegfried Hall inter-hall team, and this is my favorite story-line this season.
College Football: I'm not really sold on any of the storylines developing this year in college football. Right now, I think that Oregon's juggernaught of an offense may be the best thing going.
4)We are going to test your prognostication skills with a little IBG prediction contest. Predict the following for this week's Pitt game:
Kyle Rudolf receptions: 6
Points scored by Notre Dame's defense: 0
Carries by Robert Hughes: 3
Points Notre Dame wins by: 9
Tackles Manti T'eo registers: 12
Pass attempts by Tommy Rees: 0
Taylor Swift in Attendance(for 2 points at 5:1 odds; a correct "Yes" equals 10 points a correct "No" equals two): Yes (of course I'm gonna go for the 10 spot here)
Winner will receive a prominent post on the Irish Round Table extolling their website and awesomeness.
5)What would you like to see in place of the yellow mums on the Notre Dame sidelines?
Why would I ever want to change the yellow mums? They are as much a part of this stadium as anything. Maybe we could add in some blue flowers for the blue/gold combo. But really, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
1)Grade Brian Kelly's performance to date. We're not interested in how you think he will perform going forward. How has he done through the first five games? Grade scale is A+ to F-.
I'd give Coach Kelly a B-. He's clearly upgraded the fundamentals of this team, especially on defense. It's a sound football team that is capable of competing with anybody except for the elite teams in the country.
Of course, we still have a losing record. And what really matters is winning and losing on Saturday. We turn the ball over too often, which is one of the few fundamentals that we are not sound in. Clearly, we've practiced form tackling and tip drill on defense, and we are blocking better overall and running better routes. But we need to work on ball security.
2)Much has been made of Brian Kelly's sideline rants. Some fans like the excitement and energy others are worried that they are excessive and will wear thin on the players. Where do you stand?
He's a football coach. He's been a football coach for 20 years. He knows when to teach, he knows when to coddle, and he knows when to dress somebody down. Now, would his approach work in a boardroom? No. But this isn't a boardroom, it's a football field. And these kids are going from moment to moment in a high stakes, high adrenaline, high emotion fast-paced high pressure environment. Taking 10 minutes to calmly critique the mechanics of a kick or a catch is not really an option on gameday. Telling a kid that if he doesn't get his act together, there are three kids sitting on the bench waiting to take his spot is often appropriate.
I don't believe for one second that Kelly will lose his team by yelling at them. He's a fiery guy in the heat of battle, and he wants his team to have that same mentality. You're also going to see him get just as animated when a player makes a great play, and he'll be effusive in his praise at those times as well.
3)What is the best storyline for Notre Dame football this year? The best storyline in college football?
Notre Dame: David Ruffer becoming a clutch kicker. I can't remember the last time I didn't have to hold my breath on every single field goal attempt. Plus, you add in the Rudy-esque background story, making the team after kicking for the Siegfried Hall inter-hall team, and this is my favorite story-line this season.
College Football: I'm not really sold on any of the storylines developing this year in college football. Right now, I think that Oregon's juggernaught of an offense may be the best thing going.
4)We are going to test your prognostication skills with a little IBG prediction contest. Predict the following for this week's Pitt game:
Kyle Rudolf receptions: 6
Points scored by Notre Dame's defense: 0
Carries by Robert Hughes: 3
Points Notre Dame wins by: 9
Tackles Manti T'eo registers: 12
Pass attempts by Tommy Rees: 0
Taylor Swift in Attendance(for 2 points at 5:1 odds; a correct "Yes" equals 10 points a correct "No" equals two): Yes (of course I'm gonna go for the 10 spot here)
Winner will receive a prominent post on the Irish Round Table extolling their website and awesomeness.
5)What would you like to see in place of the yellow mums on the Notre Dame sidelines?
Why would I ever want to change the yellow mums? They are as much a part of this stadium as anything. Maybe we could add in some blue flowers for the blue/gold combo. But really, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Irish Blogger Gathering: Backing into Backup College
1. After 3 straight losses, there appear to be two camps of fans: A. The sky is falling. Coach Kelly is not a good coach, not a good fit, probably won't ever win a game and should be fired today. B. Coach Kelly is still totally awesome, and you had to expect some bumps and bruises as he builds the team - remember Holtz's first year?
Which camp do you fall into, and why?
I'm still firmly in the "Kelly is still awesome" camp, but that position took a huge blow this week. I thought we were the better team each of the first three weeks (despite the two losses), but last week I never really felt that way. Of course, there's a reason Stanford is ranked in the top 10, but it hurts that we're simply not in that class right now. I'd say that this team is fully capable of being a top 20 team this season, but their inexperience in the system is going to cost us a good year. Also, I think that if we can get wins in the next two weeks, the ship will be righted and the fan-base will become reunited in their support of Coach Kelly.
2. With the current state of the program, put yourself in a recruit's shoes. If you had offers from all 12 schools on our schedule and Notre Dame, which would you pick right now and why? Who would your top 3 be?
I'd pick Notre Dame, but then I'm an alum and a total homer. So I'm going to discount my personal bias and pick from the rest.
And I'm going to spend my football career at: the University of Utah.
They are an up and coming program that's poised to enter the Pac-10 and really make some waves. I like Coach Wittingham and I like that the program is 86-30 since 2000 and has a 12-3 record in bowl games, tops in the nation among teams that have played 10 or more bowl games - and that includes their two wins in BCS games (both years where they should have had a shot at the title.
I wanted to go to Stanford, but then I met Coach Harbaugh, and got physically ill at the thought of spending four years around him.
And to round out the top three, I spent some time seriously considering the Naval Academy. But then, I'm not really a morning person.
3. What's the trajectory of this season? Is this going to spiral downward into a 2007-esque kind of year, or will the team rally and start winning some game against quality opponents?
I know I've picked the Irish to win every game this year, and they're sitting here with a 1-3 record. I've watched enough of this Irish football team to know that they're good, but not great. We will win the games against Western Michigan, Tulsa and Army. We will lose to USC, Utah and probably Pitt. We should beat BC and Navy, but there's no guarantees there, as we still continually shoot ourselves in the foot. Which means a 6-6 record.
That said, if this team gets better as the season progresses (which they have somewhat, until they regressed this week) - this could still be a solid season. This team is capable of winning out. But until I see some evidence that they've learned that killer instinct, I'm going to withhold judgment.
4. Give me your top 5 reasons why you'd rather go to Notre Dame than Backup College.
5. Boston College sucks.
4. BC people are assholes.
3. Academics.
2. No respect for how difficult it is to maintain a real grass field.
1. I like football.
5. I'm depressed after our third straight loss. Do your best to cheer me up and convince me that I should still be excited about this weekend's game.
Since I hosted this week, I feel I should be exempted from answering. However, I will post my favorite answers as they roll in...
One Foot Down weighs in (via Michael Collins, Irish revolutionary leader), telling me it's my job to get myself excited about the game this weekend - he'll have nothing to do with it.
Matt at We Never Graduate submits that if I can't get fired up for Notre Dame football, there's something wrong with me. And this is the correct answer. I don't care if we're 0-11 and playing a D-II school, I'd still be fired up come gameday.
Subway Domer, Safety, 6'1" 210 lbs, commits to the IBG. "Drink up, and fire that shit up." Well said, my friend.
Keith Arnold from NBC Sports gets a little testy. Apparently, Backup College is offensive to those people who couldn't get into ND. (I kid, Brian!) He does a pretty good job of trying to get me fired up, but Matt and Subway had pretty much already fixed that.
6. If you could ask Coach Kelly any one question, what would it be?
I'm also going to hold out on this one, as I'm working on actually having Coach Kelly answer the questions posed during the bye week. So tune in then to find out...
Which camp do you fall into, and why?
I'm still firmly in the "Kelly is still awesome" camp, but that position took a huge blow this week. I thought we were the better team each of the first three weeks (despite the two losses), but last week I never really felt that way. Of course, there's a reason Stanford is ranked in the top 10, but it hurts that we're simply not in that class right now. I'd say that this team is fully capable of being a top 20 team this season, but their inexperience in the system is going to cost us a good year. Also, I think that if we can get wins in the next two weeks, the ship will be righted and the fan-base will become reunited in their support of Coach Kelly.
2. With the current state of the program, put yourself in a recruit's shoes. If you had offers from all 12 schools on our schedule and Notre Dame, which would you pick right now and why? Who would your top 3 be?
I'd pick Notre Dame, but then I'm an alum and a total homer. So I'm going to discount my personal bias and pick from the rest.
And I'm going to spend my football career at: the University of Utah.
They are an up and coming program that's poised to enter the Pac-10 and really make some waves. I like Coach Wittingham and I like that the program is 86-30 since 2000 and has a 12-3 record in bowl games, tops in the nation among teams that have played 10 or more bowl games - and that includes their two wins in BCS games (both years where they should have had a shot at the title.
I wanted to go to Stanford, but then I met Coach Harbaugh, and got physically ill at the thought of spending four years around him.
And to round out the top three, I spent some time seriously considering the Naval Academy. But then, I'm not really a morning person.
3. What's the trajectory of this season? Is this going to spiral downward into a 2007-esque kind of year, or will the team rally and start winning some game against quality opponents?
I know I've picked the Irish to win every game this year, and they're sitting here with a 1-3 record. I've watched enough of this Irish football team to know that they're good, but not great. We will win the games against Western Michigan, Tulsa and Army. We will lose to USC, Utah and probably Pitt. We should beat BC and Navy, but there's no guarantees there, as we still continually shoot ourselves in the foot. Which means a 6-6 record.
That said, if this team gets better as the season progresses (which they have somewhat, until they regressed this week) - this could still be a solid season. This team is capable of winning out. But until I see some evidence that they've learned that killer instinct, I'm going to withhold judgment.
4. Give me your top 5 reasons why you'd rather go to Notre Dame than Backup College.
5. Boston College sucks.
4. BC people are assholes.
3. Academics.
2. No respect for how difficult it is to maintain a real grass field.
1. I like football.
5. I'm depressed after our third straight loss. Do your best to cheer me up and convince me that I should still be excited about this weekend's game.
Since I hosted this week, I feel I should be exempted from answering. However, I will post my favorite answers as they roll in...
One Foot Down weighs in (via Michael Collins, Irish revolutionary leader), telling me it's my job to get myself excited about the game this weekend - he'll have nothing to do with it.
Matt at We Never Graduate submits that if I can't get fired up for Notre Dame football, there's something wrong with me. And this is the correct answer. I don't care if we're 0-11 and playing a D-II school, I'd still be fired up come gameday.
Subway Domer, Safety, 6'1" 210 lbs, commits to the IBG. "Drink up, and fire that shit up." Well said, my friend.
Keith Arnold from NBC Sports gets a little testy. Apparently, Backup College is offensive to those people who couldn't get into ND. (I kid, Brian!) He does a pretty good job of trying to get me fired up, but Matt and Subway had pretty much already fixed that.
6. If you could ask Coach Kelly any one question, what would it be?
I'm also going to hold out on this one, as I'm working on actually having Coach Kelly answer the questions posed during the bye week. So tune in then to find out...
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Irish Blogger Gathering: Fear the Cardinal?
1. After suffering through back to back heart breaking losses how have your expectations for this season changed? Has the rough start affected your expectations for the Brian Kelly era?
Expectations for the season have changed somewhat. I still believe this is a pretty darn good football team, but they haven't quite developed that killer instinct necessary to close out an opponent when they get the chance. There's still a sense that the team waits for the other shoe to drop, as it has so many times in the past couple of years. I'm hoping that eventually these kids will get sick of losing close, last-second games and finally come out and beat the ever-living shit out of someone.
Until they do, though, the quality BCS teams on the schedule will continue to give us fits. Does anybody else wish we could swap the Western Michigan and Stanford games right now?
As far as the Brian Kelly era, my expectations haven't changed. We haven't gotten blown out of any games, and the fundamentals of this team continue to be strong. I am concerned about the number of turnovers we've had, but that's exactly the kind of thing you'd expect from a young inexperienced offense. Once we start taking care of the ball, these games should start to take care of themselves.
2. Our defense has given up 28 points in both of our last two games. But our defense has also forced a few three and outs and has looked fairly stout out times. So on D, are we Jekyll or Hyde? Or are we just a work in progress?
The biggest issue I have with the Brian Kelly system is that by de-emphasizing time of possession, the defense is on the field a lot. There are going to be more possessions in a game, and more opportunities for the opponent to score, thus resulting in more total points (on both sides). The biggest issue I've seen on defense is that we still occasionally make boneheaded plays that cost us the game.
3. I've heard that Bill Walsh believed that if he saw a player make one great play, he and his staff could coach that player to consistently make great plays. The Irish offense clearly made some great plays against State. Our Offense also unfortunately disappeared at critical times. Are we just witnessing the process of Kelly and his staff teaching the lads to consistently make great plays?
This question pretty much hits the nail on the head. This is a work in progress, and we're still crafting some of the pieces we need for this machine to run smoothly. For example, Theo Riddick finally learned how to play receiver, and that's another piece of the puzzle that we have put into place. We need the quarterback to do a better job of reading coverages and progressions. We need our #1 receiver to stop fumbling the ball in the end zone. We need to develop some depth at safety so we don't get beat by the occasional big play. We need to learn how to limit turnovers generally.
4. Where would you rank Stanford among the Irish opponents? Would a defeat of the Cardinal be the biggest win of the last six years?
I don't know if it would be the biggest win, but it would certainly be a big confidence booster for this program - especially if we find a way to do so convincingly. The problem with so many of the wins the last several years is that they have been close wins over what turned out to be over-rated opponents. If we can go out on the field and beat a top 15 Stanford team by two touchdowns, then it will be the biggest win in the last 6 years. It will inject some confidence into the team heading into two other big games against BC and Pitt. I think Stanford is the third best opponent on the schedule, behind Pitt and Utah, and slightly ahead of USC. A win would be very very good for this program.
5. While many outsiders and a contingent of fans have cited ND's academic standards as a hindrance to football success, many Irish supporters consider Notre Dame's unique combination of strong academics and big-time football (and faith) as an advantageous niche in the college football world. With stricter admission standards and far-less football notoriety, Harbaugh's Cardinal have burst onto the national recruiting scene to again prove that plenty of really good football players welcome academic challenges as long as they come with a chance to compete at the highest level. Could you foresee sustained excellence by Stanford Football and would you perceive a perennially strong Cardinal program as any kind of a threat to Notre Dame's niche?
I think that Stanford is capable of building a very strong perennial program, but I don't see them getting to the elite status of Notre Dame of years past, or the Florida,
Texas, Southern Cal and Ohio State teams of the past decade. Sure, they can compete for the Pac-10 crown year-in and year-out, but I don't see them as perennial national title contenders. Notre Dame's uniqueness comes from a history of overcoming the challenges presented by maintaining your academic integrity while fielding an elite football team. Stanford does have some ancient history of elite football success, but they aren't built to sustain it, due to the unique nature of the college football beast compared to the Olympic sports programs.
If the Cardinal find a way to compete at that elite level, they will certainly present a challenge to Notre Dame's niche, but the Irish also have the Catholic identity, which comes with the infamous "parietals" governing student behavior. Stanford is a good academic institution, but they hardly have the restrictions on student life. Parents love Notre Dame not only because of it's football tradition and strong academics, they also know that their sons will become Notre Dame Men.
6. Let’s talk statistics. Will they matter this weekend?
a. Coming into the game, Stanford has the #3 ranked Scoring Offense nationally (51.67 pts/gm) with the 14th ranked Rushing Offense (242.33 yds/gm). Notre Dame's Scoring Offense ranks 73rd (26.00 pts) with the 99th ranked Rushing Defense (197 yds/gm).
Will the Irish be able to contain Stanford's rushing attack?
This is really the key question to this weekend's matchup. Last year, Toby Gerhart mowed us down en route to nearly winning the Heisman trophy. This year, sans Gerhart, the Cardinal are still rolling. We let Denard Robinson make us look like fools, and Michigan State ran for over 200 yards against us.
However, there are signs of improvement. In the fourth quarter, Michigan State only ran for 11 yards. And in OT, they were -4 yards. So, our defense got stronger as the game progressed. If we can avoid giving up the big play, we may be able to stop this Stanford rushing attack.
b. Notre Dame's Passing Offense is 8th nationally (318 yds/gm) and Stanford's Passing Efficiency Defense is 3rd nationally (74 yds/gm).
Will Stanford be able to contain the Irish passing attack?
No. This offense is growing every week, and Stanford hasn't seen anything like the talent that Notre Dame has at their disposal. With Riddick starting to play like a complete receiver, Floyd will get more touches, TJ Jones will sneak out some good plays, and you know that Kyle Rudolph can be counted on in a pinch. This should be a high scoring game for the Irish, as long as we don't turn the ball over.
c. Stanford gave up 170 yds rushing to UCLA and 265 yds rushing to Wake Forest. Notre Dame has averaged 133 yds/gm so far.
Do you expect Kelly to utilize the Irish rushing attack more?
I do. With the tape Kelly has on Stanford, I expect to see a lot of Armando Allen until they bring a safety down in the box. I expect to see some explosive pass plays as a result if the Irish can move the ball on the ground.
d. Stanford is ranked 4th in Red Zone Defense (50%) while the Irish have the 65th ranked Red Zone Offense (82%). Stanford's Red Zone Offense is tied for 1st (100%) in conversions and the Irish Defense's Red Zone conversions allowed is 36th (75%).
Will the Irish be able to stop Stanford's RZ conversions and improve theirs? How would you do that?
Notre Dame will stop Stanford in the red zone on Saturday. And the Irish don't need to worry about their red zone offense, they need to worry about ball security.
7. 1-2 is pretty tough to deal with for a football team still trying to find its identity. Meanwhile, Stanford is looking like a well-oiled machine thus far. Do you think this Irish squad can really bounce back from another heart-breaking loss against the Cardinal? What if it's not all that close?
I tell you what, if this game gets out of hand and the Irish get spanked by the Cardinal, my confidence in Kelly will be badly shaken. I still think that the Irish are better than MSU and Michigan, but their own mistakes (blown coverages and turnovers, specifically) kept them from winning the game. If Stanford beats us soundly, then that means that we will have regressed as a team, as I think we are fully capable of going toe-to-toe with Stanford.
Will we win the game? I don't know. The Cardinal offense has put up some pretty sick numbers so far. And I thought we'd be able to contain Denard Robinson, so I'm not exactly perfect here.
In the end, though, I think that this team is frustrated because they know they are better than their record says. And they want to get out there and prove it.
*****
Notre Dame 45
Stanford 42
Expectations for the season have changed somewhat. I still believe this is a pretty darn good football team, but they haven't quite developed that killer instinct necessary to close out an opponent when they get the chance. There's still a sense that the team waits for the other shoe to drop, as it has so many times in the past couple of years. I'm hoping that eventually these kids will get sick of losing close, last-second games and finally come out and beat the ever-living shit out of someone.
Until they do, though, the quality BCS teams on the schedule will continue to give us fits. Does anybody else wish we could swap the Western Michigan and Stanford games right now?
As far as the Brian Kelly era, my expectations haven't changed. We haven't gotten blown out of any games, and the fundamentals of this team continue to be strong. I am concerned about the number of turnovers we've had, but that's exactly the kind of thing you'd expect from a young inexperienced offense. Once we start taking care of the ball, these games should start to take care of themselves.
2. Our defense has given up 28 points in both of our last two games. But our defense has also forced a few three and outs and has looked fairly stout out times. So on D, are we Jekyll or Hyde? Or are we just a work in progress?
The biggest issue I have with the Brian Kelly system is that by de-emphasizing time of possession, the defense is on the field a lot. There are going to be more possessions in a game, and more opportunities for the opponent to score, thus resulting in more total points (on both sides). The biggest issue I've seen on defense is that we still occasionally make boneheaded plays that cost us the game.
3. I've heard that Bill Walsh believed that if he saw a player make one great play, he and his staff could coach that player to consistently make great plays. The Irish offense clearly made some great plays against State. Our Offense also unfortunately disappeared at critical times. Are we just witnessing the process of Kelly and his staff teaching the lads to consistently make great plays?
This question pretty much hits the nail on the head. This is a work in progress, and we're still crafting some of the pieces we need for this machine to run smoothly. For example, Theo Riddick finally learned how to play receiver, and that's another piece of the puzzle that we have put into place. We need the quarterback to do a better job of reading coverages and progressions. We need our #1 receiver to stop fumbling the ball in the end zone. We need to develop some depth at safety so we don't get beat by the occasional big play. We need to learn how to limit turnovers generally.
4. Where would you rank Stanford among the Irish opponents? Would a defeat of the Cardinal be the biggest win of the last six years?
I don't know if it would be the biggest win, but it would certainly be a big confidence booster for this program - especially if we find a way to do so convincingly. The problem with so many of the wins the last several years is that they have been close wins over what turned out to be over-rated opponents. If we can go out on the field and beat a top 15 Stanford team by two touchdowns, then it will be the biggest win in the last 6 years. It will inject some confidence into the team heading into two other big games against BC and Pitt. I think Stanford is the third best opponent on the schedule, behind Pitt and Utah, and slightly ahead of USC. A win would be very very good for this program.
5. While many outsiders and a contingent of fans have cited ND's academic standards as a hindrance to football success, many Irish supporters consider Notre Dame's unique combination of strong academics and big-time football (and faith) as an advantageous niche in the college football world. With stricter admission standards and far-less football notoriety, Harbaugh's Cardinal have burst onto the national recruiting scene to again prove that plenty of really good football players welcome academic challenges as long as they come with a chance to compete at the highest level. Could you foresee sustained excellence by Stanford Football and would you perceive a perennially strong Cardinal program as any kind of a threat to Notre Dame's niche?
I think that Stanford is capable of building a very strong perennial program, but I don't see them getting to the elite status of Notre Dame of years past, or the Florida,
Texas, Southern Cal and Ohio State teams of the past decade. Sure, they can compete for the Pac-10 crown year-in and year-out, but I don't see them as perennial national title contenders. Notre Dame's uniqueness comes from a history of overcoming the challenges presented by maintaining your academic integrity while fielding an elite football team. Stanford does have some ancient history of elite football success, but they aren't built to sustain it, due to the unique nature of the college football beast compared to the Olympic sports programs.
If the Cardinal find a way to compete at that elite level, they will certainly present a challenge to Notre Dame's niche, but the Irish also have the Catholic identity, which comes with the infamous "parietals" governing student behavior. Stanford is a good academic institution, but they hardly have the restrictions on student life. Parents love Notre Dame not only because of it's football tradition and strong academics, they also know that their sons will become Notre Dame Men.
6. Let’s talk statistics. Will they matter this weekend?
a. Coming into the game, Stanford has the #3 ranked Scoring Offense nationally (51.67 pts/gm) with the 14th ranked Rushing Offense (242.33 yds/gm). Notre Dame's Scoring Offense ranks 73rd (26.00 pts) with the 99th ranked Rushing Defense (197 yds/gm).
Will the Irish be able to contain Stanford's rushing attack?
This is really the key question to this weekend's matchup. Last year, Toby Gerhart mowed us down en route to nearly winning the Heisman trophy. This year, sans Gerhart, the Cardinal are still rolling. We let Denard Robinson make us look like fools, and Michigan State ran for over 200 yards against us.
However, there are signs of improvement. In the fourth quarter, Michigan State only ran for 11 yards. And in OT, they were -4 yards. So, our defense got stronger as the game progressed. If we can avoid giving up the big play, we may be able to stop this Stanford rushing attack.
b. Notre Dame's Passing Offense is 8th nationally (318 yds/gm) and Stanford's Passing Efficiency Defense is 3rd nationally (74 yds/gm).
Will Stanford be able to contain the Irish passing attack?
No. This offense is growing every week, and Stanford hasn't seen anything like the talent that Notre Dame has at their disposal. With Riddick starting to play like a complete receiver, Floyd will get more touches, TJ Jones will sneak out some good plays, and you know that Kyle Rudolph can be counted on in a pinch. This should be a high scoring game for the Irish, as long as we don't turn the ball over.
c. Stanford gave up 170 yds rushing to UCLA and 265 yds rushing to Wake Forest. Notre Dame has averaged 133 yds/gm so far.
Do you expect Kelly to utilize the Irish rushing attack more?
I do. With the tape Kelly has on Stanford, I expect to see a lot of Armando Allen until they bring a safety down in the box. I expect to see some explosive pass plays as a result if the Irish can move the ball on the ground.
d. Stanford is ranked 4th in Red Zone Defense (50%) while the Irish have the 65th ranked Red Zone Offense (82%). Stanford's Red Zone Offense is tied for 1st (100%) in conversions and the Irish Defense's Red Zone conversions allowed is 36th (75%).
Will the Irish be able to stop Stanford's RZ conversions and improve theirs? How would you do that?
Notre Dame will stop Stanford in the red zone on Saturday. And the Irish don't need to worry about their red zone offense, they need to worry about ball security.
7. 1-2 is pretty tough to deal with for a football team still trying to find its identity. Meanwhile, Stanford is looking like a well-oiled machine thus far. Do you think this Irish squad can really bounce back from another heart-breaking loss against the Cardinal? What if it's not all that close?
I tell you what, if this game gets out of hand and the Irish get spanked by the Cardinal, my confidence in Kelly will be badly shaken. I still think that the Irish are better than MSU and Michigan, but their own mistakes (blown coverages and turnovers, specifically) kept them from winning the game. If Stanford beats us soundly, then that means that we will have regressed as a team, as I think we are fully capable of going toe-to-toe with Stanford.
Will we win the game? I don't know. The Cardinal offense has put up some pretty sick numbers so far. And I thought we'd be able to contain Denard Robinson, so I'm not exactly perfect here.
In the end, though, I think that this team is frustrated because they know they are better than their record says. And they want to get out there and prove it.
*****
Notre Dame 45
Stanford 42
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Irish Blogger Gathering: Bring on Sparty
After not even finishing last week's posting (I posted it only partially completed late Friday night from the bar on my friend's iPhone), I'm hoping to get this week's post done with plenty of time to spare.
1) Status check: How deflating was the loss to Michigan? I could argue that Crist's injury makes this loss both easier to swallow and even more maddening for Irish fans.
For the first time in years, I wasn't exactly heartbroken after the loss. Michigan has a ridiculous talent in Denard Robinson, and we played without our starting quarterback for half the game. And we still had a chance to win at the end.
In fact, this Irish time is almost exactly what I expected coming into the season - a very good football team with some depth issues, especially at quarterback. I said in the preseason that if we lose Crist, this season could get ugly, and everyone saw a glimpse of that on Saturday, as Michigan outscored us 21-0 with Crist out of the game.
But with Crist at the helm, we beat Michigan 28-7.
Injuries are part of the game, and I'm not trying to take anything away from Michigan's win - Denard Robinson did torch us for over 500 yards of offense. But I don't think there was anyone in the stands or watching at home that day that felt that Michigan was the better team when both are at full strength.
This season is playing out exactly as I expected, except for the injury to Dayne Crist which knocked him out for most of the first half.
2) How critical is this Saturday's game? Walk away 2-1 and the Irish can feel good about taking on a very able Stanford squad at home next weekend. Walk out of East Lansing with a loss..?
Every game is important in the college football season, but I said before the season that this game would be a barometer for the new regime. Michigan is not a great football team, and while they may have a good record this year behind Robinson, they are deficient in several other areas. Michigan State is a good football team, very solid across the board. Win against MSU, and that will bode well for the rest of the season.
Lose, especially in the wake of losing to Michigan, and suddenly you have a top 20 team coming to town that becomes a must-win game for a 1-2 football team. Suddenly what looked like a brilliant hire starts to look like another possible mistake, and the fanbase has to resign themselves to another sub-par campaign practically before it begins.
3) Why does the rivalry with Michigan State seem to get so little respect?
Simply because Notre Dame is everybody's rivalry. On just this year's schedule, the following teams consider this game a rivalry:
Purdue - played for Shillelagh Trophy
Michigan (no trophy, but considered a rivalry game)
Michigan State - played for Megaphone Trophy
Stanford - played for Legends Trophy
Boston College - "Holy War" played for Frank Leahy Memorial Bowl and Ireland Trophy
Navy - the longest uninterrupted intersectional series in college football
Pittsburgh
Army
Southern Cal - played for Jeweled Shillelagh
Listen to Coach D'Antonio's press conference this week, and all he can talk about is how important this rivalry is to the school and the players. He talks about the history and the tradition and how playing Notre Dame legitimized MSU so they could get into the Big Ten. Blah. Blah. Blah.
Now, let me put together the list of schools that Notre Dame considers a rivalry game:
Southern Cal
Navy
Funny how one of those lists is shorter than the other. You might be able to add Michigan, but that's more of a grudge match than a rivalry. Fact is, we don't really consider Michigan State a true rivalry. But they do. And that's why it doesn't get much respect.
4) It's hard to draw too many conclusions from victories over Western Michigan and Florida Atlantic, but what do you expect this Saturday night in Spartan Stadium?
I expect to see another classic Notre Dame - Michigan State matchup. I think that it will be a relatively close game for much of the game, but I do expect the Irish to pull away late. Of course, we get another injury to Dayne Crist, and all bets are off. But I'm hoping that will be our only injury scare of the season, and that we'll be at full strength the whole game.
Michigan State will come out trying to establish the run, but they don't have a weapon on par with Denard Robinson. Our defense should be able to contain their offense for the most part, although their grind-it-out style will score them some points.
On offense, we should be able to move the ball effectively. Greg Jones is a beast in the middle of the defense, so our running game may not be the most effective. But if we attack the perimiter, we should be able to score early an often.
5) Best case, worst case, most likely: The Irish's record after the first six games.
Best case: 5-1
We should be able to compete with everyone on the schedule, especially if we continue to improve and grow in our offensive and defensive systems.
Worst case: 1-5
Injuries and mistakes could kill us, and all 4 of the teams we face in the next four weeks are fully capable of beating us if we aren't ready.
Most likely: 4-2
I think that we can beat MSU and BC and split the games against Stanford and Pitt.
6) Let's leave Michael Floyd out of this for a second. What Irish player needs to step up and play better football?
Theo Riddick. Michael Floyd needs Theo to start catching balls and making plays so that the opposing defense has to respect his abilities. If they can roll the coverage to Floyd, and Riddick still only catches 2 balls a game, we're not going to become the explosive offense we are capable of becoming. If he can't get the job done, find someone who can. Next man in.
1) Status check: How deflating was the loss to Michigan? I could argue that Crist's injury makes this loss both easier to swallow and even more maddening for Irish fans.
For the first time in years, I wasn't exactly heartbroken after the loss. Michigan has a ridiculous talent in Denard Robinson, and we played without our starting quarterback for half the game. And we still had a chance to win at the end.
In fact, this Irish time is almost exactly what I expected coming into the season - a very good football team with some depth issues, especially at quarterback. I said in the preseason that if we lose Crist, this season could get ugly, and everyone saw a glimpse of that on Saturday, as Michigan outscored us 21-0 with Crist out of the game.
But with Crist at the helm, we beat Michigan 28-7.
Injuries are part of the game, and I'm not trying to take anything away from Michigan's win - Denard Robinson did torch us for over 500 yards of offense. But I don't think there was anyone in the stands or watching at home that day that felt that Michigan was the better team when both are at full strength.
This season is playing out exactly as I expected, except for the injury to Dayne Crist which knocked him out for most of the first half.
2) How critical is this Saturday's game? Walk away 2-1 and the Irish can feel good about taking on a very able Stanford squad at home next weekend. Walk out of East Lansing with a loss..?
Every game is important in the college football season, but I said before the season that this game would be a barometer for the new regime. Michigan is not a great football team, and while they may have a good record this year behind Robinson, they are deficient in several other areas. Michigan State is a good football team, very solid across the board. Win against MSU, and that will bode well for the rest of the season.
Lose, especially in the wake of losing to Michigan, and suddenly you have a top 20 team coming to town that becomes a must-win game for a 1-2 football team. Suddenly what looked like a brilliant hire starts to look like another possible mistake, and the fanbase has to resign themselves to another sub-par campaign practically before it begins.
3) Why does the rivalry with Michigan State seem to get so little respect?
Simply because Notre Dame is everybody's rivalry. On just this year's schedule, the following teams consider this game a rivalry:
Purdue - played for Shillelagh Trophy
Michigan (no trophy, but considered a rivalry game)
Michigan State - played for Megaphone Trophy
Stanford - played for Legends Trophy
Boston College - "Holy War" played for Frank Leahy Memorial Bowl and Ireland Trophy
Navy - the longest uninterrupted intersectional series in college football
Pittsburgh
Army
Southern Cal - played for Jeweled Shillelagh
Listen to Coach D'Antonio's press conference this week, and all he can talk about is how important this rivalry is to the school and the players. He talks about the history and the tradition and how playing Notre Dame legitimized MSU so they could get into the Big Ten. Blah. Blah. Blah.
Now, let me put together the list of schools that Notre Dame considers a rivalry game:
Southern Cal
Navy
Funny how one of those lists is shorter than the other. You might be able to add Michigan, but that's more of a grudge match than a rivalry. Fact is, we don't really consider Michigan State a true rivalry. But they do. And that's why it doesn't get much respect.
4) It's hard to draw too many conclusions from victories over Western Michigan and Florida Atlantic, but what do you expect this Saturday night in Spartan Stadium?
I expect to see another classic Notre Dame - Michigan State matchup. I think that it will be a relatively close game for much of the game, but I do expect the Irish to pull away late. Of course, we get another injury to Dayne Crist, and all bets are off. But I'm hoping that will be our only injury scare of the season, and that we'll be at full strength the whole game.
Michigan State will come out trying to establish the run, but they don't have a weapon on par with Denard Robinson. Our defense should be able to contain their offense for the most part, although their grind-it-out style will score them some points.
On offense, we should be able to move the ball effectively. Greg Jones is a beast in the middle of the defense, so our running game may not be the most effective. But if we attack the perimiter, we should be able to score early an often.
5) Best case, worst case, most likely: The Irish's record after the first six games.
Best case: 5-1
We should be able to compete with everyone on the schedule, especially if we continue to improve and grow in our offensive and defensive systems.
Worst case: 1-5
Injuries and mistakes could kill us, and all 4 of the teams we face in the next four weeks are fully capable of beating us if we aren't ready.
Most likely: 4-2
I think that we can beat MSU and BC and split the games against Stanford and Pitt.
6) Let's leave Michael Floyd out of this for a second. What Irish player needs to step up and play better football?
Theo Riddick. Michael Floyd needs Theo to start catching balls and making plays so that the opposing defense has to respect his abilities. If they can roll the coverage to Floyd, and Riddick still only catches 2 balls a game, we're not going to become the explosive offense we are capable of becoming. If he can't get the job done, find someone who can. Next man in.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Irish Blogger Gathering Episode II: Attack of the Skunkbears
For no good reason, I'm feeling a Star Wars themed IBG coming on this week. Probably because whenever we play Michigan, I feel like we are the Jedi Knights to their evil Sith. "
You've now seen Notre Dame Football: The Kelly Edition, Volume 1, Episode 1. Was it everything you thought it would be? Were characters missing from this episode that you were expecting to see featured? DiPd it strike you as a carbon-copy of Kelly's Cincinnati teams, or is there something discernible between the 2 programs beyond the colors of the uniforms?
"Great, kid. Don't get cocky." (Han Solo, Episode IV)
Brian Kelly's Recipe for success at prior stops
Start with one mediocre to poor team. Beat soundly at a very rapid pace until smooth fundamentals appear. Pray for a shot to coach a team which can compete for championships when it wins all of their games.
Brian Kelly's Recipe for success at Notre Dame
Start with one mediocre to poor team. Add a healthy heaping helping of top quality talent. Beat soundly at a very rapid pace until smooth fundamentals appear. Win championships.
Look, you had to know that this team would closely resemble Kelly's Cincinnati team. You don't coach for 20+ years without developing some kind of identity. But there is one major distinction between Kelly's Cincinnati teams and Kelly's Notre Dame teams. That system that managed to eke out an undefeated season at Cincinatti is now playing with some much more high octane fuel. Once this thing is running on all cylinders, look out.
2) Pick one positive play, offense or defense, by the Irish from last Saturday that you feel serves as a bit of metaphorical foreshadowing for the 2010 Irish. Extra points if you can stretch the metaphor to fit Kelly's entire tenure at Notre Dame.
"I think my eyes are getting better. Instead of a big dark blur, I see a big light blur." (Han Solo, Episode V)
Let's take a look at Armando Allen's touchdown run - 22 yards to paydirt. It was quick, it was flashy, but it was possible because of the solid fundamentals of every player on the field. Also, that play (as the culmination of that entire series) illustrates why I believe Kelly will win at Notre Dame.
Kelly's teams play solid fundamental assignment football across the board, and this play demonstrates it. Excellent blocking at the point of attack, creating a running seam, then a good downfield block by receiver Michael Floyd, and a fired up Armando Allen runs to paydirt. Why was Allen so fired up? Because the three previous plays chewed up half the field behind the excellent runnning of his backup, Cierre Wood. Next man in? You better believe Armando can feel the heat from the talented redshirt freshman. Also, despite all of the concern about Kelly's pass-happy spread offense, it shows that he knows the strength of his team and will coach to the strengths - that drive started at the 16, and consisted of 2 passes for 21 yards and 5 runs for 73 yards. No square peg in a round hole here.
It also shows the trajectory of Notre Dame football I expect to see under Coach Kelly - while we may not get off to the fastest start (first two drives covered 26 and 21 yards respectively), once the cylinders start clicking, we will be tough to stop (84 yds, TD; 50 yds, FG; 45 yds FG; 30 yds, TD; 53 yds, fumble on the 3, nearly a TD). Here's hoping, however, that we can continue to find a way to win, despite not hitting on all cylinders just yet.
3) Pick another play, offense or defense, by the Irish from last Saturday again, but this time, make it a negative play. Tell us how that play serves as a bit of metaphorical foreshadowing for the 2010
Irish. And again, bonus points for stretching it over Kelly's tenure.
"Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering." (Yoda, Episode I)
Funny thing about this game is that I left without any complaints. Sure, there were a few things we could do better. But on the whole, I felt like we played a largely error-free game where we executed just like we wanted to on offense and defense. Now, we're not exactly top tier material yet, but this coaching staff did an excellent job of putting our kids in the position to win. And for the first time in a long while, I wasn't afraid of anyone on our schedule.
If you force my hand, though, I'll pick Michael Floyd fumble on the 3-yard line. For 2010, I think that (similar to 2005), we'll show some serious promise for the future, but find a way to shoot ourselves in the foot with our inexperience, costing us what could potentially be an incredible season.
However, I'm going to pass on the bonus points, as I see truly great things for the future of the Irish program under Kelly.
4) You know us, we're stat geeks. Give us a stat that we should be watching this season that will A) Tell us something enlightening about the 2010 Irish and/or B) Tell us something enlightening about the average Top-5 teams at the end of the 2010 season.
"Do or do not, there is no try." (Yoda, Episode V)
Because I'm worried about the youth of this team, I'm going to look at the stat that Brian Kelly mentioned in his press conference this week - striving to be less than 12% critical mistakes. This team is talented enough to beat anyone in the country, as long as they do what they are capable of doing. As long as we can continue to install more and more of the offense, while maintaining our discipline and limiting errors, the sky is the limit.
Because that stat is not readily available, however, I'm going to say take a look at average yards per carry on the ground. Not number of yards, but average yards per carry. Good teams run the ball effectively when they choose to do so.
2009 [Notre Dame 3.84 ypc]
1. Alabama (5.01 ypc)
2. Texas (4.03 ypc)
3. Florida (5.59 ypc)
4. Boise State (5.13 ypc)
5. Ohio State (4.51 ypc)
2008 [Notre Dame 3.27 ypc]
1. Florida (5.94 ypc)
2. Utah (4.08 ypc)
3. USC (5.04 ypc)
4. Texas (4.29 ypc)
5. Oklahoma (4.72 ypc)
Nobody makes it to the elite level without being able to run the ball. An average ypc of over 4 means that you are effective on the ground, and can count on your running game to keep the defense honest. Notre Dame's yards per carry against Purdue? 4.25 ypc
5) Notre Dame is currently a 4 point favorite in the coming Michigan game. You get 3 points for being at home. The AP poll actually ranks Michigan higher than ND. ND is 1-4-1 in the last 6 games with Michigan in which the Irish were favored and 9 and 6 in the last 15 games in which Michigan was favored. Does any of this worry you? Why or why not?
"The fear of loss is a path to the Dark Side." (Yoda, Episode III)
Honestly, I haven't been worried about Michigan all week. I've watched the tape for both teams, and I just think UConn's defense was undisciplined and lacked fundamentals. The Irish defense I saw on Saturday, assuming they show up and do what they do, will make Michigan's offense look pedestrian. I saw so many missed tackles and blown assignments by the UConn defense, that I think that Robinson's stats are more about their opponent than his abilities.
That said, Michigan will score some points. And we'll probably let Robinson slip out of our grasp and gash us a couple of times. But ultimately, we just won't make that many mistakes.
And on offense, Michigan's secondary is ripe for the picking. If we can come out and establish any semblance of a running game, this one could get out of hand. Michigan simply does not have enough bodies in the secondary to cover us if we go 5 wide.
Also, this ain't your Charlie Willingham Irish anymore - we have a new coach in town, one that's actually got experience coaching football.
"I sense something. A presence I haven't felt since..." (Darth Vader, Episode IV)
6) Last week, Frank at UHND put the Gathering on the spot with our predictions for the season. After week 1, are there any of those predictions that you'd like to alter? Any upon which you'd double down?
"Always in motion is the future." (Yoda, Episode V)
Actually, based upon what I saw this week, I'm even more confident in
7) Describe in no fewer than 30 words why you hate Michigan.
"[Ann Arbor]. You'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy." (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Episode IV)
Michigan sucks.
*****
"YAHOOOO!! You're all clear kid, now let's blow this thing and go home." (Han Solo, Episode IV)
You've now seen Notre Dame Football: The Kelly Edition, Volume 1, Episode 1. Was it everything you thought it would be? Were characters missing from this episode that you were expecting to see featured? DiPd it strike you as a carbon-copy of Kelly's Cincinnati teams, or is there something discernible between the 2 programs beyond the colors of the uniforms?
"Great, kid. Don't get cocky." (Han Solo, Episode IV)
Brian Kelly's Recipe for success at prior stops
Start with one mediocre to poor team. Beat soundly at a very rapid pace until smooth fundamentals appear. Pray for a shot to coach a team which can compete for championships when it wins all of their games.
Brian Kelly's Recipe for success at Notre Dame
Start with one mediocre to poor team. Add a healthy heaping helping of top quality talent. Beat soundly at a very rapid pace until smooth fundamentals appear. Win championships.
Look, you had to know that this team would closely resemble Kelly's Cincinnati team. You don't coach for 20+ years without developing some kind of identity. But there is one major distinction between Kelly's Cincinnati teams and Kelly's Notre Dame teams. That system that managed to eke out an undefeated season at Cincinatti is now playing with some much more high octane fuel. Once this thing is running on all cylinders, look out.
2) Pick one positive play, offense or defense, by the Irish from last Saturday that you feel serves as a bit of metaphorical foreshadowing for the 2010 Irish. Extra points if you can stretch the metaphor to fit Kelly's entire tenure at Notre Dame.
"I think my eyes are getting better. Instead of a big dark blur, I see a big light blur." (Han Solo, Episode V)
Let's take a look at Armando Allen's touchdown run - 22 yards to paydirt. It was quick, it was flashy, but it was possible because of the solid fundamentals of every player on the field. Also, that play (as the culmination of that entire series) illustrates why I believe Kelly will win at Notre Dame.
Kelly's teams play solid fundamental assignment football across the board, and this play demonstrates it. Excellent blocking at the point of attack, creating a running seam, then a good downfield block by receiver Michael Floyd, and a fired up Armando Allen runs to paydirt. Why was Allen so fired up? Because the three previous plays chewed up half the field behind the excellent runnning of his backup, Cierre Wood. Next man in? You better believe Armando can feel the heat from the talented redshirt freshman. Also, despite all of the concern about Kelly's pass-happy spread offense, it shows that he knows the strength of his team and will coach to the strengths - that drive started at the 16, and consisted of 2 passes for 21 yards and 5 runs for 73 yards. No square peg in a round hole here.
It also shows the trajectory of Notre Dame football I expect to see under Coach Kelly - while we may not get off to the fastest start (first two drives covered 26 and 21 yards respectively), once the cylinders start clicking, we will be tough to stop (84 yds, TD; 50 yds, FG; 45 yds FG; 30 yds, TD; 53 yds, fumble on the 3, nearly a TD). Here's hoping, however, that we can continue to find a way to win, despite not hitting on all cylinders just yet.
3) Pick another play, offense or defense, by the Irish from last Saturday again, but this time, make it a negative play. Tell us how that play serves as a bit of metaphorical foreshadowing for the 2010
Irish. And again, bonus points for stretching it over Kelly's tenure.
"Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering." (Yoda, Episode I)
Funny thing about this game is that I left without any complaints. Sure, there were a few things we could do better. But on the whole, I felt like we played a largely error-free game where we executed just like we wanted to on offense and defense. Now, we're not exactly top tier material yet, but this coaching staff did an excellent job of putting our kids in the position to win. And for the first time in a long while, I wasn't afraid of anyone on our schedule.
If you force my hand, though, I'll pick Michael Floyd fumble on the 3-yard line. For 2010, I think that (similar to 2005), we'll show some serious promise for the future, but find a way to shoot ourselves in the foot with our inexperience, costing us what could potentially be an incredible season.
However, I'm going to pass on the bonus points, as I see truly great things for the future of the Irish program under Kelly.
4) You know us, we're stat geeks. Give us a stat that we should be watching this season that will A) Tell us something enlightening about the 2010 Irish and/or B) Tell us something enlightening about the average Top-5 teams at the end of the 2010 season.
"Do or do not, there is no try." (Yoda, Episode V)
Because I'm worried about the youth of this team, I'm going to look at the stat that Brian Kelly mentioned in his press conference this week - striving to be less than 12% critical mistakes. This team is talented enough to beat anyone in the country, as long as they do what they are capable of doing. As long as we can continue to install more and more of the offense, while maintaining our discipline and limiting errors, the sky is the limit.
Because that stat is not readily available, however, I'm going to say take a look at average yards per carry on the ground. Not number of yards, but average yards per carry. Good teams run the ball effectively when they choose to do so.
2009 [Notre Dame 3.84 ypc]
1. Alabama (5.01 ypc)
2. Texas (4.03 ypc)
3. Florida (5.59 ypc)
4. Boise State (5.13 ypc)
5. Ohio State (4.51 ypc)
2008 [Notre Dame 3.27 ypc]
1. Florida (5.94 ypc)
2. Utah (4.08 ypc)
3. USC (5.04 ypc)
4. Texas (4.29 ypc)
5. Oklahoma (4.72 ypc)
Nobody makes it to the elite level without being able to run the ball. An average ypc of over 4 means that you are effective on the ground, and can count on your running game to keep the defense honest. Notre Dame's yards per carry against Purdue? 4.25 ypc
5) Notre Dame is currently a 4 point favorite in the coming Michigan game. You get 3 points for being at home. The AP poll actually ranks Michigan higher than ND. ND is 1-4-1 in the last 6 games with Michigan in which the Irish were favored and 9 and 6 in the last 15 games in which Michigan was favored. Does any of this worry you? Why or why not?
"The fear of loss is a path to the Dark Side." (Yoda, Episode III)
Honestly, I haven't been worried about Michigan all week. I've watched the tape for both teams, and I just think UConn's defense was undisciplined and lacked fundamentals. The Irish defense I saw on Saturday, assuming they show up and do what they do, will make Michigan's offense look pedestrian. I saw so many missed tackles and blown assignments by the UConn defense, that I think that Robinson's stats are more about their opponent than his abilities.
That said, Michigan will score some points. And we'll probably let Robinson slip out of our grasp and gash us a couple of times. But ultimately, we just won't make that many mistakes.
And on offense, Michigan's secondary is ripe for the picking. If we can come out and establish any semblance of a running game, this one could get out of hand. Michigan simply does not have enough bodies in the secondary to cover us if we go 5 wide.
Also, this ain't your Charlie Willingham Irish anymore - we have a new coach in town, one that's actually got experience coaching football.
"I sense something. A presence I haven't felt since..." (Darth Vader, Episode IV)
6) Last week, Frank at UHND put the Gathering on the spot with our predictions for the season. After week 1, are there any of those predictions that you'd like to alter? Any upon which you'd double down?
"Always in motion is the future." (Yoda, Episode V)
Actually, based upon what I saw this week, I'm even more confident in
7) Describe in no fewer than 30 words why you hate Michigan.
"[Ann Arbor]. You'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy." (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Episode IV)
Michigan sucks.
*****
"YAHOOOO!! You're all clear kid, now let's blow this thing and go home." (Han Solo, Episode IV)
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