crouchingjedi Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 The absence of any running game absolutely irks me to no end. Every week we are making excuses like "well x team runs the triple option so they obviously are going to put up more yards on Y team" or "they were lining up everyone in the box to defend the run". Even CW in his presser makes excuses like, "well when you don't include the botched field goal we averaged over 4 yards per carry". BS!!!!!!! This is ND football!! Are you freaking kidding me??? When it's 3rd and 2 we are not man enough to line up mono y mono with San Diego Freaking State and pound it for 6 measly feet. I just can't believe the mentality here. I don't mean to be a downer here, but we will never be an elite team--NEVER--if we can't or won't be able to rely on a running game to convert a 3rd and short. Let's look at what we have--we have 300+ pounders with above average experience (60+ total starts) on the O line. We have phenomenal running backs. Read: WE DON'T LACK THE TALENT. We are not coaching the proper technique or execution. Some other remedies: How about we don't advertise on game week what we are going to do on Saturday--i.e. Weis saying "Yeah we're going to pound it." I don't care if it's misinformation or not that is terrible. Go through your list of the top coaches in the game and tell me if they are dropping any hints of their gameplan. We have two run plays--the dive and the stretch play with an occasional ill-timed draw. Why do we not run traps or misdirections??? Even on occasional guard pulling or misdirection play can force those linebackers to second guess the runs. JC needs to sell the play action better. Study some of the greats in this regard. Once--just ONCE--I would love to see us actually COMMIT to the run and run three runs in a row (4th quarter clock runouts do not count). At least twice on Saturday we had sequences like this: 1st and 10: ran for 5 yds; 2nd and 5: ran for 3 yrds; 3rd and 2: incomplete pass. 4th down: crouchingjedi successfully fires beer bottle at the TV. We tried to commit to the run against Michigan State last year and it was actually working for a while. I am terribly sorry to use this as a venting machine, but I have had it with excuses why we can't run the ball. Despite this frustration I do see some real potential in this team. We definitely have the talent there is no question. Our D is improved, I feel like JC is already beyond where Quinn was as a sophomore. I've offered up some suggestions on how I think we can improve it. What else are people seeing? I think this is one of our most critical problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will munny Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 I'm a broken record on this but since you started a new thread on it I'll just say I've looked into it and after researching Latina at Ole Miss and his three years at ND I'm confident that as long as he's o line coach we'll struggle running the ball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazyglue Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 I'm a broken record on this but since you started a new thread on it I'll just say I've looked into it and after researching Latina at Ole Miss and his three years at ND I'm confident that as long as he's o line coach we'll struggle running the ball. Just wondering, I have never looked into it but I have always heard he was a good line coach. Disreguarding our current situation, could you expand on your findings? Just my 2 cents but I feel we really started having line problems year 2 of CW. I thought his first year we did well. Was Latina around year 1? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NDJoe06 Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 it is SDSU!!! and they are missing 7...SEVEN Defensive linemen!!! we should have run for 400 yds!!! BUT what is worse is that JC had to move around the pocket at all! our line is huge and while no sacks, we should have been able to give him 10 seconds a snap to find a man. We are better, but not that much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest joycel Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 it is SDSU!!! and they are missing 7...SEVEN Defensive linemen!!! we should have run for 400 yds!!! BUT what is worse is that JC had to move around the pocket at all! our line is huge and while no sacks, we should have been able to give him 10 seconds a snap to find a man. We are better, but not that much better. Agree with you there it should have looked lkke the cowboys game yesterday, romo had an eternity in the pocket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Fence Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Crouching - you at least get the award for funniest post of the day: "incomplete pass. 4th down: crouchingjedi successfully fires beer bottle at the TV. We tried to commit to the run against Michigan State last year and it was actually working for a while." LMAO! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will munny Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Just wondering, I have never looked into it but I have always heard he was a good line coach. Disreguarding our current situation, could you expand on your findings? Just my 2 cents but I feel we really started having line problems year 2 of CW. I thought his first year we did well. Was Latina around year 1? You have to go back to the late 90's to find a year when Latina produced a good line in regards to running the football. Back in '06 I went to Ole Miss sites and asked them about Latina and it's not surprising now that they stated he sucked at producing a line that could run the ball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian_Irish Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Its something in the coaching, because talent has NOTHING to do with it. I dont know if its Weis, Latina, both, or someone else, but something is flawed in how things are being done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ND FANATIC Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 Its something in the coaching, because talent has NOTHING to do with it. I dont know if its Weis, Latina, both, or someone else, but something is flawed in how things are being done. Weis doesn't coach the OL, so I think you answered your own question.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 66DOMER Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 That game was very disturbing. Completely agree with Cjedi. Also, Latina's been here all four years of CW's tenure. Maybe the line blocked better in year one because they still had a few good habits left over from the previous coach. Oh my God, I can't believe I just said that. In my opinion . . . it's time to clean house and get another regime in here. Anybody for Skip Holtz? Maybe he has a Notre Dame escape clause in his contract the way Daddy did. One can always hope I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crouchingjedi Posted September 9, 2008 Author Share Posted September 9, 2008 If it's Latina than fine, get him outta here and replace him with someone proven to do the job. It seems that the rest of what Weis is doing could be something special, but if he doesn't make this change (if the line coach is the problem) than it will likely cost him his job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chirodomer Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 Frankly, Latina was "allegedly" the big problem last year. How many times has ND had a running back with back to back 100 yd rushing games since these guys were here? Granted JC was not sacked Saturday. So, he's got that going for him, which is nice! Just feel like a lot of you guys are right. We could try a play other than up the middle, no hole, loss of 3. Outside off tackle gain of 1. etc. My high school could have run on SDSU...seriously! I think if running game continues to struggle then there will be support staff changes but frankly, no one has recruited better in the 85 scholarship era than the Lil' Tuna. So don't look for him to go anywhere. Period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ND FANATIC Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 We haven't run the ball very well since Joe Moore was so uncerimoniously let go - maybe we are just paying our pentence with Latina. I'll be the first one to say it this year, I nominate Andy Heck to be our new OL coach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishGuy Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 We have two run plays--the dive and the stretch play with an occasional ill-timed draw. Why do we not run traps or misdirections??? Even on occasional guard pulling or misdirection play can force those linebackers to second guess the runs. Amen brother....a-freakin-men Have we run counter in the last 3 years? Have we EVER pitched it to our speed back so he can take it OUTSIDE? I would be pretty happy with one of each Saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishGuy Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 I was sure that when CW met with the coaches at NE after the season, that they were going to tell him that his problem was Latina. I am not sure why.....maybe Latina is fine, and it is a simple matter of.....err.....yeah.... I have never played OL in my life. I always ended up playing WR or DB because I was a tall linky fast guy. I may have heard my HS OL coach say something to an OL guy once.......and I can do as good a job as Latina. Why he is still here is beyond me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest irishrick Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 irishguy, wait till saturday , you will see the irish football team play all most a perfect game, there will be big turn arounds this week . go irish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishGuy Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 I am fully confident that we will see a huge turn around this week. I just don't think it needs to come from our running game. CW needs to get back to his bread n butter. Pass first.....run when you are tired of passing.....pass some more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ndmike88 Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 I remember the good old days when Lou was the head coach. He would pound you and pound with the run. Run the ball and run some more. I would give my left arm to see Lou back at ND. That my friends was Notre Dame football. If Lou had the talent Weis has recuited ND would be undefeated for the next several years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ND FANATIC Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 I remember the good old days when Lou was the head coach. He would pound you and pound with the run. Run the ball and run some more. I would give my left arm to see Lou back at ND. That my friends was Notre Dame football. If Lou had the talent Weis has recuited ND would be undefeated for the next several years. Thats when Joe Moore was the OL coach..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ndmike88 Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 Thats when Joe Moore was the OL coach..... Amen brother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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