Some ramblings about our team and players.

[davislove]

I haven't heard anything about prestwood landing at some other school.Is it time to allow ourselves to think he's gonna return? Our line ain't as dominate as I once thought, would love to have him back.

 

Did we make a mistake by not redshirting neal? I mean goody could fair catch. Do our guys not block well enough to give our PR ashot at returning the punt?

 

Sheldon day looks like a freakin cannon ball. Pure SEC type lineman

 

I was down on golson after the purdue game. His numbers were not bad but I saw a lot of problems. HE'S TOO SHORT!!! He could not see over the lineand dropped out of the pocket which created a ton of sacks. He couldn't put any zip on the passes because he had to lob them over the line. He took too long to get rid of the ball, waiting for the wr to finish the route instead of timing it.

 

This week the staff moved the pocket and allowed EG to better see the field. He can stand to be a little more accurate and those guys got to start making catches. I saw improvement this week.

 

Finally, what a game Manti had. I couldn't imagine playing under those conditions. He made the world proud.

 

Go Irish

[piratey]

Golson was very adept in just throwing the ball away, he Polly threw 5 five or six balls into the stands. It was savvy and nice to see

[davislove]

Golson was very adept in just throwing the ball away, he Polly threw 5 five or six balls into the stands. It was savvy and nice to see

 

I'd like to see him tuck the ball and get a few yards rather then throw it away.

 

Also I thought we'd see more 3 TE sets. That seems like it would help the run game out some

[mudskipper]

I was down on golson after the purdue game. His numbers were not bad but I saw a lot of problems. HE'S TOO SHORT!!! He could not see over the lineand dropped out of the pocket which created a ton of sacks. He couldn't put any zip on the passes because he had to lob them over the line. He took too long to get rid of the ball, waiting for the wr to finish the route instead of timing it.

 

Kelly has stated this team and Golson still have a long ways to go to reach their potential. Golson passing stats aren't great but for his third game in College football, he's shown remarkable poise, he managed the game extremely well for what he was asked to do. The too short comment, well Drew Brees, Michael Vick,Ty Detmer and Doug Flutie might have a word or two to say to you. This was a remarkable win and I will enjoy it, knowing this product on the field is trending up.

 

Go Irish

[reneg]

I haven't heard anything about prestwood landing at some other school.Is it time to allow ourselves to think he's gonna return? Our line ain't as dominate as I once thought, would love to have him back.

 

Did we make a mistake by not redshirting neal? I mean goody could fair catch. Do our guys not block well enough to give our PR ashot at returning the punt?

 

Sheldon day looks like a freakin cannon ball. Pure SEC type lineman

 

I was down on golson after the purdue game. His numbers were not bad but I saw a lot of problems. HE'S TOO SHORT!!! He could not see over the lineand dropped out of the pocket which created a ton of sacks. He couldn't put any zip on the passes because he had to lob them over the line. He took too long to get rid of the ball, waiting for the wr to finish the route instead of timing it.

 

This week the staff moved the pocket and allowed EG to better see the field. He can stand to be a little more accurate and those guys got to start making catches. I saw improvement this week.

 

Finally, what a game Manti had. I couldn't imagine playing under those conditions. He made the world proud.

 

Go Irish

 

It is not our returners. Our coaching on special teams in regards to punt returns is terrible. I have been quiet and tried to not be critical of it, but it's the same thing all 3 weeks of the season. When we punt we generally have 3-5 players just sitting there trying to block the punt teams security blockers, we give almost the entire front line a free release to go after our return man. Very rarely has Neal even received a block to have much of a chance to do anything with a punt return. The one or two times he had a bit of daylight we saw some flashes of what kind of talent the kid has. We need to get back a lot faster after the punt team hears the pop of the ball and make some blocks. You could argue we were being safe to prevent MSU from doing some sort of fake, but even if you were in a man safe return set, then you should be able to put a hat on a hat and get a few blocks in. And again that is no excuse for the way we blocked for punt returns against Purdue and Navy. Anyone that has DVR'd the games, go back and watch our punt returns in regards to our blockers while the ball is in the air, it's terrible.

 

I am not a pessimist by the way, I have been high on Notre Dame all year. I am probably more of the Kool-Aid drinker variety, but the punt return game is a glaring issue that needs to be fixed.

[hawaiiirish]

Taking everything into account i think its a fair assessment to say Golson had an EXCELLENT GAME!

 

Remember he was facing the "BEST DEFENSE OUTSIDE OF THE SEC"---They put pressure on him all day--they through every look at him they could --

 

Did he make any turnovers--NO

Did they get any sacks-----I don't think so

 

You can't go by stats in this situation--the screaming hostile atmosphere --did that give him happy feet---NO

 

The TWO TOUCHDOWNS did they come in from the playbook---NO---BOTH TDs WERE MADE BY GOLSON THE PLAYMAKER--One pass--One run---for a third start and in that atmosphere it was nothing short of EXCELLENT FOOTBALL!

 

Golson frustrated them and gave our team confidence---

 

Something special there--I Love his attitude--Golson is the epitamy of the "HAPPY WARRIOR"--He is relaxed--he is upbeat--he is clearly having "FUN"---I just can't remember the last time i saw that quality in any ND QB!

 

Everett overthrew that TOUCHDOWN TO BROWN--pressure may have played a part --and he needed a bit more touch on those two swing passes that had too much mustard on them for the back to make an easy catch----

 

Give him those two throws & the TD pass to Brown and you add a TON to his stats---NEXT TIME HE HITS THOSE!

 

Golson--"the happy warrior" seems to have given KELLY A LIFT as well as the team itself with or without great stats---as a young leader the kid is doing everything we could want---

 

Against the MICHIGAN DEFENSE----WATCH OUT!__

 

aloha's go irish!

[ErickJD08]

Davis,

 

Not sure about a lot of your comments. Our OL not as dominate? I believe Purdue Might have been a fluke and I am closer to thinking it was jetlag or an off game. The OL played really well yesterday against a really solid DL. I am not buying into the Purdue hype but MSU has multiple NFL bound players on defense. And the defenses get much easier for the next few weeks. OL is a strength on this team and we don't need kids on this team that aren't bleeding green and gold.

 

Golson is not too short. I think that EG gets the offense but I think he struggles at reading defenses. The kid is a player maker though. He is a really impressive player.

[chirodomer]

Frankly, I thought the o-line was more dominant than what they have been against Big Ten teams. Our running backs are either really slow or our line isn't opening holes.

[davislove]

Davis,

 

Not sure about a lot of your comments. Our OL not as dominate? I believe Purdue Might have been a fluke and I am closer to thinking it was jetlag or an off game. The OL played really well yesterday against a really solid DL. I am not buying into the Purdue hype but MSU has multiple NFL bound players on defense. And the defenses get much easier for the next few weeks. OL is a strength on this team and we don't need kids on this team that aren't bleeding green and gold.

 

Golson is not too short. I think that EG gets the offense but I think he struggles at reading defenses. The kid is a player maker though. He is a really impressive player.

 

The right side of the Oline could be better and martin is not as dominate as I thought he would be at this point in his career. I expect him back next season. In the past i thought he could make the jump to the NFL.

 

Golson is too short to pass in the pocket, anyone can see that. How many of his passes downfield are jump balls? Nearly all of them and it's due to him having to lob the ball. it's not a knock, just fact. when he's moving his passes have a little more zip.

 

And thanks reneg for explaining the special teams problem

[ErickJD08]

The right side of the Oline could be better and martin is not as dominate as I thought he would be at this point in his career. I expect him back next season. In the past i thought he could make the jump to the NFL.

 

Golson is too short to pass in the pocket, anyone can see that. How many of his passes downfield are jump balls? Nearly all of them and it's due to him having to lob the ball. it's not a knock, just fact. when he's moving his passes have a little more zip.

 

And thanks reneg for explaining the special teams problem

 

Throwing bullets for seams and go routes get intercepted. You have to drop the ball over the top of the DBs when throwing down field. Everyone knows that.

[Franco]

The right side of the Oline could be better and martin is not as dominate as I thought he would be at this point in his career. I expect him back next season. In the past i thought he could make the jump to the NFL.

 

Golson is too short to pass in the pocket, anyone can see that. How many of his passes downfield are jump balls? Nearly all of them and it's due to him having to lob the ball. it's not a knock, just fact. when he's moving his passes have a little more zip.

 

And thanks reneg for explaining the special teams problem

 

lol his throws downfield are jump balls? which ones? are we watching the same game?

 

If you're referring to the throws to Eifert in the beginning of the Purdue game or the first pass to TJ Jones against MSU...those are meant to be thrown behind the receiver so he can go back and get it...the coaches told him to throw it that way....

 

The guy has plenty of arm and like Erick said, you need to throw over the top

[phony]

Davis,

 

Not sure about a lot of your comments. Our OL not as dominate? I believe Purdue Might have been a fluke and I am closer to thinking it was jetlag or an off game. The OL played really well yesterday against a really solid DL. I am not buying into the Purdue hype but MSU has multiple NFL bound players on defense. And the defenses get much easier for the next few weeks. OL is a strength on this team and we don't need kids on this team that aren't bleeding green and gold.

 

Golson is not too short. I think that EG gets the offense but I think he struggles at reading defenses. The kid is a player maker though. He is a really impressive player.

 

If you remove Atkinson's 32 yard run in the 2nd quarter and Wood's 26 yard run in the 4th quarter from ND's rushing stats (RBs/WOs only), the Irish running backs gained only 71 yards on 25 attempts last night, good enough for 2.84 ypc. That's abysmal.

 

It's even worse when you look at the rushing statistics (again, RBs/WOs only) over the last two games in toto.

 

Irish backs have rushed the ball a total of 45 times for 196 yards in the last two games for a respectable, but not great, average of 4.35 ypc. Take away those two huge gains last night and that average drops down to 3.2 ypc.

 

It's pretty troubling when almost 30% of a team's rushing yards over their last two football games have come on only two attempts.

 

The O-line, if we're being honest with ourselves, has been a huge disappointment thus far this season. Jet lag and solid opponents aside, this is something that needs to be addressed immediately . . .

Edited September 17, 2012 by phony

[AlabamaDuck]

I haven't heard anything about prestwood landing at some other school.Is it time to allow ourselves to think he's gonna return? Our line ain't as dominate as I once thought, would love to have him back.

 

Did we make a mistake by not redshirting neal? I mean goody could fair catch. Do our guys not block well enough to give our PR ashot at returning the punt?

 

Sheldon day looks like a freakin cannon ball. Pure SEC type lineman

 

I was down on golson after the purdue game. His numbers were not bad but I saw a lot of problems. HE'S TOO SHORT!!! He could not see over the lineand dropped out of the pocket which created a ton of sacks. He couldn't put any zip on the passes because he had to lob them over the line. He took too long to get rid of the ball, waiting for the wr to finish the route instead of timing it.

 

This week the staff moved the pocket and allowed EG to better see the field. He can stand to be a little more accurate and those guys got to start making catches. I saw improvement this week.

 

Finally, what a game Manti had. I couldn't imagine playing under those conditions. He made the world proud.

 

Go Irish

 

 

At what height do you stop being Too Short?

[coltssb]

In reguards to the punt return. Sampson I believe it was, said that they are basically playing it safe. Almost as if they are afraid of the fake punt. They are more than satisfied with letting Neal try to make 2 guys miss and get a mediocre return if it means not giving up a fake. You may see Neal get unleashed once we have a decent lead.

[ErickJD08]

If you remove Atkinson's 32 yard run in the 2nd quarter and Wood's 26 yard run in the 4th quarter from ND's rushing stats (RBs/WOs only), the Irish running backs gained only 71 yards on 25 attempts last night, good enough for 2.84 ypc. That's abysmal.

 

It's even worse when you look at the rushing statistics (again, RBs/WOs only) over the last two games in toto.

 

Irish backs have rushed the ball a total of 45 times for 196 yards in the last two games for a respectable, but not great, average of 4.35 ypc. Take away those two huge gains last night and that average drops down to 3.2 ypc.

 

It's pretty troubling when almost 30% of a team's rushing yards over their last two football games have come on only two attempts.

 

The O-line, if we're being honest with ourselves, has been a huge disappointment thus far this season. Jet lag and solid opponents aside, this is something that needs to be addressed immediately . . .

 

That is how games play out. When you play good defenses, they are going to stuff you most of the time. That is why people say things like "you can't give up on the run game" because if you have playmakers on the run attack, players will make plays and break off a chunk.

 

Have you ever watched a team play a good run defense and consistently pick up 5-6 yards a carry? It doesn't happen.

 

Bottom line. ND played a very good defense yesterday. And if you want to beat a good defense, you need players to make plays. Goodman made a one handed catch. Wood made some good read and plays. EG made some things out of nothing. GAIII made some plays too. This is probably the top three defenses ND plays all season. We played this on the road, at night, with an inexperienced QB. Our OL showed to be the strength of this team on offense yesterday. Don't think that talented DL did not want this game bad. They played a really good game but our kids made more plays. And that's it. So don't come out and say, "Well,if it weren't for this or that play..." Because that is what rivalry games with ranked teams comes down to, kids making big plays.

[AlabamaDuck]

Taking everything into account i think its a fair assessment to say Golson had an EXCELLENT GAME!

 

Remember he was facing the "BEST DEFENSE OUTSIDE OF THE SEC"---They put pressure on him all day--they through every look at him they could --

 

Did he make any turnovers--NO

Did they get any sacks-----I don't think so

 

You can't go by stats in this situation--the screaming hostile atmosphere --did that give him happy feet---NO

 

The TWO TOUCHDOWNS did they come in from the playbook---NO---BOTH TDs WERE MADE BY GOLSON THE PLAYMAKER--One pass--One run---for a third start and in that atmosphere it was nothing short of EXCELLENT FOOTBALL!

 

Golson frustrated them and gave our team confidence---

 

Something special there--I Love his attitude--Golson is the epitamy of the "HAPPY WARRIOR"--He is relaxed--he is upbeat--he is clearly having "FUN"---I just can't remember the last time i saw that quality in any ND QB!

 

Everett overthrew that TOUCHDOWN TO BROWN--pressure may have played a part --and he needed a bit more touch on those two swing passes that had too much mustard on them for the back to make an easy catch----

 

Give him those two throws & the TD pass to Brown and you add a TON to his stats---NEXT TIME HE HITS THOSE!

 

Golson--"the happy warrior" seems to have given KELLY A LIFT as well as the team itself with or without great stats---as a young leader the kid is doing everything we could want---

 

Against the MICHIGAN DEFENSE----WATCH OUT!__

 

aloha's go irish!

 

Hawaii,

 

Golson`s passing stats aren`t bad when you look at the type of passes he was throwing. They are not the 5 yard dink and dunk passes that we are use to seeing. And factor in the two drops (Maybe More) and the 5-6 passes he had to throw away, he is pretty good.

[phony]

That is how games play out. When you play good defenses, they are going to stuff you most of the time. That is why people say things like "you can't give up on the run game" because if you have playmakers on the run attack, players will make plays and break off a chunk.

 

Have you ever watched a team play a good run defense and consistently pick up 5-6 yards a carry? It doesn't happen.

 

Bottom line. ND played a very good defense yesterday. And if you want to beat a good defense, you need players to make plays. Goodman made a one handed catch. Wood made some good read and plays. EG made some things out of nothing. GAIII made some plays too. This is probably the top three defenses ND plays all season. We played this on the road, at night, with an inexperienced QB. Our OL showed to be the strength of this team on offense yesterday. Don't think that talented DL did not want this game bad. They played a really good game but our kids made more plays. And that's it. So don't come out and say, "Well,if it weren't for this or that play..." Because that is what rivalry games with ranked teams comes down to, kids making big plays.

 

I agree with everything that you've said, but I'm talking about developing some consistency in the running game . . .