Notre Dame Football 2010.......The Brian Kelly Era Begins

• Tobias Fünke

  

  rock_knutne;582124 wrote:The Sun Bowl is dependent on what happens in the Pac 10 this weekend.
  
  As for next year, the schedule lends the possibility of having a great year but they'll need to stay injury free for that to happen. We know Te'o isn't going anywhere, he said he would see out his four years at ND. Floyd IMO has to come back to improve his draft stock and Rudolph is injured which should bode well for a return for his senior year. They'll need to replace both Walls and Gray at the corners and both guys played pretty damn good this year.

  I was under the impression Gray can return, no? Or at least one of them. Someone on irishenvy said that they could return 19/22 starters. That'd be very nice.
• rock_knutne

  ^^^^You know what, Gray maybe able to return for a fifth year. I believe he broke an arm or leg his frosh year and never played. Having to replace just one of those guys would be huge.
• karen lotz

  

  Gray sat out his freshman year to recover to shoulder surgery. He will be back next year. Tobias is correct in that 19 of 22 starters are eligible to return. Walls, Chris Stewart, and Kerry Neal would be the 3 that have used up eligibility. That stat is a little misleading though, Ian Williams and Armando Allen were starters until they were injured who won't be back. Fortunately guys were able to step up into those roles and the team didn't really miss a beat.
• karen lotz

  

  Also just looking at the depth chart as it stands right now, there are going to be a lot of 4 year players next year who will have the chance to come back for a 5th year too.
• Tobias Fünke

  

  Ian Williams, as good as he is, was out during this steel curtain run from the defense though. But I'm thinking Louis Nix can fill in nicely, plus the guys who filled in this year. DL won't be a problem in my opinion, actually defense at all won't be the issue (HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN SINCE WE'VE SAID THAT?!).
  
  QB is the sole issue I see. Everyone else has facets of their game that will be taken care of in the bowl practice and spring (i.e. Wood's patience and getting north/south on runs, Goodman's stupid fascination with trying to make useless cuts, etc). If we lose Floyd, that will suck. If he lose Rudolph we won't miss a beat in my opinion, Notre Dame has a TE corp as good as anyone's.
  
  If everyone returns, we've got an all-American caliber WR, TE, and now MLB in Te'o. Those are some nice weapons.
  
  I assume Allen is done for the bowl too, but what about Ian Williams? Theo Riddick caught one pass against Southern Cal, and I don't think Jones caught any, so I would assume they weren't 100% but would be for the bowl game?
• sherm03

  

  Normally I would feel great knowing that this many starters can return next year.
  
  However, knowing that one of those starters is Harrison Smith makes me want to fucking puke! Ugghh! Another season of him back there. Shoot me in the fucking face!
• karen lotz

  

  I disagree on Harrison Smith. Coming in to this season I wasn't very high on him like a lot of fans, but he really has played well this year. Yes he has dropped a few INTs and on the 87 yard run by Denard he basically tripped over his own feet opening the hole up for him, but he has been solid other than that. He has made some huge INTs and has rarely been out of position, which is a remarkable upgrade over past seasons where he was bounced around from position to position. He was put in position to be the key player against Army's option on the outside and he came through pretty well. Add in that he was the only safety who stayed healthy all year and its easy to see how valuable he was to the defense.
• karen lotz

  

  Tobias Fünke;582293 wrote:I assume Allen is done for the bowl too, but what about Ian Williams? Theo Riddick caught one pass against Southern Cal, and I don't think Jones caught any, so I would assume they weren't 100% but would be for the bowl game?

  
  
  Our mondo is for sure out for the bowl game. He had surgery on one hip but still needs the procedure on the other one. Williams I would assume would be back for the bowl game, especially if its a December 28th or later game. Riddick and Jones both should be good for the bowl also, they both hadn't practiced much since their injuries, plus I think it helped that guys like Toma, Kumara, Eifert and of course Floyd were able to get a good rhythm going with Rees. The first 10 practices of the bowl season are going to be geared toward developing some of the younger guys, so I'd expect Riddick and Jones to get more involved.
• rock_knutne

  karen lotz;582331 wrote:I disagree on Harrison Smith. Coming in to this season I wasn't very high on him like a lot of fans, but he really has played well this year. Yes he has dropped a few INTs and on the 87 yard run by Denard he basically tripped over his own feet opening the hole up for him, but he has been solid other than that. He has made some huge INTs and has rarely been out of position, which is a remarkable upgrade over past seasons where he was bounced around from position to position. He was put in position to be the key player against Army's option on the outside and he came through pretty well. Add in that he was the only safety who stayed healthy all year and its easy to see how valuable he was to the defense.

  
  I agree on Smitty, he struggled leading up to this year. It's obvious that the coaching change on the defensive side of the ball made a huge difference.
• sherm03

  

  karen lotz;582331 wrote:I disagree on Harrison Smith. Coming in to this season I wasn't very high on him like a lot of fans, but he really has played well this year. Yes he has dropped a few INTs and on the 87 yard run by Denard he basically tripped over his own feet opening the hole up for him, but he has been solid other than that. He has made some huge INTs and has rarely been out of position, which is a remarkable upgrade over past seasons where he was bounced around from position to position. He was put in position to be the key player against Army's option on the outside and he came through pretty well. Add in that he was the only safety who stayed healthy all year and its easy to see how valuable he was to the defense.

  Normally I agree with you when it comes to ND. However, I have to disagree with you here. Sure Harrison had a good game against Army. But he is absolutely terrible! Ronald Johnson was wide open at the end of the game because Harrison Smith fell flat on his face. If Johnson doesn't drop that pass...Harrison Smith costs ND the game against USC there. I can't even begin to tell you how many times during the course of this season I've yelled that Harrison Smith is the worst athlete to ever put on a Notre Dame uniform.
  
  I wonder every week what Danny McCarthy did that caused the coaches to play Smith over him.
• Tobias Fünke

  

  haha I'm going to have to make it 3-1 voting for Smith here. I think he's played very solid ball this season, just inconsistent (yet 100000% better than last season). That should be expected since it is his first season fully there. I really think he's going to be a strength next season.
  
  Does Blanton play the other corner spot? He was a good nickel back this season. What about EJ Banks? I know he left the team and had to be on the practice team this season and pay his own way, but one would assume he would work his way back up, no? He could be a surprise. If there's one position Notre Dame needs this recruiting cycle, it'd be another CB in my opinion. Snagging that CB from Akron SVSM would be GIGANTIC.
• karen lotz

  

  sherm03;582387 wrote:Normally I agree with you when it comes to ND. However, I have to disagree with you here. Sure Harrison had a good game against Army. But he is absolutely terrible! Ronald Johnson was wide open at the end of the game because Harrison Smith fell flat on his face. If Johnson doesn't drop that pass...Harrison Smith costs ND the game against USC there. I can't even begin to tell you how many times during the course of this season I've yelled that Harrison Smith is the worst athlete to ever put on a Notre Dame uniform.
  
  I wonder every week what Danny McCarthy did that caused the coaches to play Smith over him.

  He was in good position and slipped. It was a double move and in prior years I guarantee he would have bitten hard on the first move. I do agree the previous years he struggled but I think a lot of that can be attributed to coaching. Halfway through last year he was moved to outside linebacker, only to be moved back to safety. Throw in the fact he was often exposed due to all out blitzes by Tenuta and its easy to understand his struggles. I'm not saying he is an All American safety, but this year he played a lot better and improved over the course of the season along with the rest of the defense. Another year of experience under his belt with him entrenched at the safety spot can only help him. If Slaughter can get/stay healthy, the defensive backfield could be a strength for the first time since Shane Walton and Co.
  
  McCarthy had nagging injuries all year after sitting out the previous 2 seasons.
• karen lotz

  

  Also, I can't believe I'm defending Harrison Smith this much. That alone proves his development because I have been very critical of him in previous seasons.
• karen lotz

  

  Tobias Fünke;582412 wrote:Does Blanton play the other corner spot? He was a good nickel back this season. What about EJ Banks? I know he left the team and had to be on the practice team this season and pay his own way, but one would assume he would work his way back up, no? He could be a surprise. If there's one position Notre Dame needs this recruiting cycle, it'd be another CB in my opinion. Snagging that CB from Akron SVSM would be GIGANTIC.

  I'd say Blanton will start at the other corner but Lo Wood will see the field quite a bit as well. I don't really know what Banks' situation is. I know he stayed in school on his own and is with the team on the practice squad but haven't seen anything come out about what his future will be.
• Tobias Fünke

  

  But you would just have to assume that if he's on the team he has the ability to earn back his scholarship and play. If the guy can play it's not like the staff is going to say he can't because he made a stupid decision when he was 19. He is my sleeper (ughh) to do well with the team in 2012 and 2013.
• karen lotz

  

  I'd think Kelly will give him the chance as well. For him to stay and pay his own way when he easily could have transferred and gotten away from whatever his issue was says a lot about him. I believe Kelly said that he was impressed by that as well and was glad that he still wanted to be a part of the team/school in any way possible.
• Hamp89

  I'm 50/50 on Harrison Smith, but leaning towards siding with Sherm on this one. While I agree he has improved dramatically throughout the season, I still often found myself screaming at him rather than praising him. If Ronald Johnson catches that ball and ND loses the game after dominating nearly every quarter you all would be singing a different tune. Slip or not, it was still a terrible play on his part and should have cost ND the game. It seems like every time he does have a bad play, it is painfully obvious, and not just a minor mistake. He is getting better though. Because the depth in the defensive backfield is so young, I would still gladly welcome Harrison back next year, no doubt.
  
  I agree with whoever posted about the development of this defensive unit throughout the season. When is the last time we have seen a team develop as the year has progressed?
• karen lotz

  

  Smith also bounced back and made the game saving interception at the goal line. As you and I and others have pointed out, he played 100 times better this season than he has in the previous years. There are a lot of factors that go into that: His development/experience, coaching (both in scheme and player development, and confidence which I think was the biggest thing he was lacking. Its understandable that he was unsure of himself the last 2 years with all of the moving around he had done. Being locked in at safety and getting quality coaching allows him to play football instead of thinking too much. Another offseason with the same message and solid strength and conditioning program will help him develop more.
• sherm03

  

  I'm not disagreeing with the fact that he improved over last year and the year before. But that's not really saying much. With how absolutely terrible he was, anything would have been a huge improvement. LOL.
  
  Yes, he made the game ending interception. But it was a horrible pass. And honestly, I didn't think he was going to hang on to it given his past. It was a shock to me that he even came down with that one.
  
  Hopefully next year, he proves me wrong and turns into a stud. I just feel that he's a big liability back there...and I'm looking forward to when he finally graduates and is done on the team.
• Tobias Fünke

  

  Hamp89;582824 wrote: I agree with whoever posted about the development of this defensive unit throughout the season. When is the last time we have seen a team develop as the year has progressed?

  
  That was me and most of us actually. Kelly said he'd do two things: develop players and get better during the season, and reform the strength program so they'd be better in November. Mission freakin' accomplished.
  
  Notre Dame's record in November:
  
  2010: 3-0
  
  (Sorta freaky how Weis' Novembers got worse almost linearly)
  2009: 0-4
  2008: 1-4
  2007: 2-2
  2006: 3-1
  2005: 4-0
  
  (Willingham was a definite putz)
  2004: 1-2
  2003: 3-1
  2002: 2-2
• Tobias Fünke

  

  Savon Huggins is getting a home visit from Diaco and Hinton tonight. Cross your fingers.
  
  Kansas DE/OLB Shane Ray picked up an offer too. He's 6' 4'' 225lbs and runs a 4.8. He is committed to Missouri, and his father went there, so I don't know what the staff is going with here. He is a three-to-four-star prospect, depending on the source, but fits that mold Kelly wants of his OLB's.
• karen lotz

  

  ND assistant Mike Denbrock stopped by Central Catholic HS today, home of DE Brennan Scarlett. Denbrock will do an in-home visit tonight.

  6'4" 245 lb DE from Oregon
• Tobias Fünke

  

  Haven't heard Scarlett's name in a while. He'd be a nice snag.
  
  Anyone else think they're out there getting a sh'load of DE's/OLB's and not enough CB's?
• september63

  

  sleeper;195604 wrote:Okay, now for reality:
  
  6-6 with a bowl loss at best

  
  Pretty damn accurate post from Feb 8!! I dont often prop Sleeper, but he did hit the nail on the head with this one.
• karen lotz

  

  september63;583751 wrote:Pretty damn accurate post from Feb 8!! I dont often prop Sleeper, but he did hit the nail on the head with this one.

  So even though at 7-5 with a bowl game still to play and he only predicted 6 wins he hit the nail on the head? You should go away again.