'14 TN OT Alex Bars (Notre Dame Signee)

[VAIrishFan]

Welcome Aboard!

 

[ACamp1900]

I'm in the middle... I think we were obviously elite last season... But that it takes more than one year of RESULTS to be considered a year in year out top tier...

Either way, love Bars!!!

 

[arrowryan]

Alabama was elite. Then there were 4-5 other teams that were just really good

 

[Luckylucci]

As to Buster's point of ND being an elite team: each to their own, but I'm with him on this. We're a top-10 last year; legitimately top-5. To me that's elite.

We have all the signs of being top-10/ top-5 again this year. To me that's double elite.

We did this without a particularly dependable quarterback nor one side of the offensive line. That QB situation is an arrow pointing upwards. That OLine, with Elmer, Bivin et al, followed by Alex and his brothers, is an arrow rocketing into the stratosphere. Elite "forever"?

Give me another Louis Nix and I'll move the world......

If Josh Frazier knew what he means to our future defense, he would commit on the spot.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>@<a href="https://twitter.com/alex_bars70">alex_bars70</a> thrilled to have you in the <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23GoldenArmy">#GoldenArmy</a> best OL in the country @<a href="https://twitter.com/iamfivetwo">iamfivetwo</a> @<a href="https://twitter.com/jimbo_slice76">jimbo_slice76</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Hiestand">#Hiestand</a></p>— Quenton Nelson (@BigQ56) <a href="https://twitter.com/BigQ56/status/335501534014103552">May 17, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[koonja]

His offer list says it all for me. It's longer than listed on his profile here, BTW.

 

[gkIrish]

Welcome, Alex!

 

[Fbolt]

Awesome!

 

[connor_in]

All your elite OL are become mine

 

[irishff1014]

Welcome aboard Bars.

 

[Irish Houstonian]

I honestly think we really need to consider adjusting the scheme to these big uglies in a few years. The world is going faster and smaller, and if we can go Power-Run a la Stanford/Mich. St./Alabama I think we'll really bust some heads.

You have to fit the scheme to the players you have, and right now we have a glut of killer hogs.

 

[greyhammer90]

I honestly think we really need to consider adjusting the scheme to these big uglies in a few years. The world is going faster and smaller, and if we can go Power-Run a la Stanford/Mich. St./Alabama I think we'll really bust some heads.

You have to fit the scheme to the players you have, and right now we have a glut of killer hogs.

It's really funny to me that BK (a "spread guy") is bringing in exactly the linemen that CW always pretended he had at his disposal when he would play-call. Our line last year (with Mike freakin' Golic as a starter) could and would have pushed around any of CW's O-lines past '05 with ease.

 

[Irish Houstonian]

It's really funny to me that BK (a "spread guy") is bringing in exactly the linemen that CW always pretended he had at his disposal when he would play-call. Our line last year (with Mike freakin' Golic as a starter) could and would have pushed around any of CW's O-lines past '05 with ease.

Very true, although I feel like that was partly a development issue.

Sam Young likes this

 

[greyhammer90]

Very true, although I feel like that was partly a development issue.

Sam Young likes this

No doubt. How you f up development like they did with Young still baffles me.

He had the size and arm length to go toe to toe with anyone in the country, and we lost to Navy because he couldn't block their DEs.

 

[magogian]

Awesome!!!! Welcome!

 

[Ultimate Penn St. Hater]

So happy about this. Welcome Alex! Congrats!

 

[Booslum31]

There is going to be great competition on the O-Line. This is going to be fantastic to watch.

 

[phork]

Alabama was elite. Then there were 4-5 other teams that were just really good

Yah we were elite looking until Bama stomped a mud hole into us.

 

[Riddickulous]

DAT O-LINE

 

[Rhode Irish]

Look, Alabama does their thing. What we can do is stack three or four, or someday five, top-10 classes together. Let the cream rise, coach the **** out of them, and see what happens.

In the 'Ship, we played our worst game, and they played their best. I watched both teams all year. If they played their worst game and we played our best, we'd have won convincingly. Stick to the script. As long as we schedule properly, we're in good shape.

 

[ThePiombino]

Look, Alabama does their thing. What we can do is stack three or four, or someday five, top-10 classes together. Let the cream rise, coach the **** out of them, and see what happens.

In the 'Ship, we played our worst game, and they played their best. I watched both teams all year. If they played their worst game and we played our best, we'd have won convincingly. Stick to the script. As long as we schedule properly, we're in good shape.

I have to agree with all of this.

 

[military_irish]

Great get, welcome aboard.

 

[Brown]

Yah we were elite looking until Bama stomped a mud hole into us.

I don't agree.

We had some big wins for sure, but the timing on a lot of them was very fortunate for us.

We faced a Barkley-less USC. A Hogan-less Stanford. A down Oklahoma, a down MSU, a down Miami, a down Navy, etc.

I think we were a top 10 team for sure, but not elite.

I thought teams like: Alabama, Oregon, Stanford, Texas A&M, and maybe even Georgia were a notch better/more complete teams.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I honestly think we really need to consider adjusting the scheme to these big uglies in a few years. The world is going faster and smaller, and if we can go Power-Run a la Stanford/Mich. St./Alabama I think we'll really bust some heads.

There's more than one way to run over people. You don't have to rush out of pro-style sets with a Fullback to get the most out of a beastly OL.

Clemson's offense is an uptempo power spread with lots of combo options. I think we'll see that long before we see Kelly go to "3 yards and a cloud of dust".

 

[Pachuco]

I don't agree.

We had some big wins for sure, but the timing on a lot of them was very fortunate for us.

We faced a Barkley-less USC. A Hogan-less Stanford. A down Oklahoma, a down MSU, a down Miami, a down Navy, etc.

I think we were a top 10 team for sure, but not elite.

I thought teams like: Alabama, Oregon, Stanford, Texas A&M, and maybe even Georgia were a notch better/more complete teams.

I agree with the idea that we weren't quite elite, but not necessarily based on the disadvantages of the competition we faced. If anything, I think we played up (or above preseason expectations) in many instances, and overcame inexperience in key position groups. I also think we had players that didn't live up to high expectations (for one reason or another), and ultimately we had to rely on pure grit to will our way through games we should have lost.

With Alex, we continue to make big strides towards being truly elite. Congratulations, Alex!

 

[BGIF]

Our OLine is looking like Vinny Cerrato did the talent evaluation.

Alex is a fine addition!

 

[clashmore_mike]

Anyone still questioning the staff not offering Reilly Gibbons??

 

[Bogtrotter07]

There's more than one way to run over people. You don't have to rush out of pro-style sets with a Fullback to get the most out of a beastly OL.

Clemson's offense is an uptempo power spread with lots of combo options. I think we'll see that long before we see Kelly go to "3 yards and a cloud of dust".

You can also distribute the ball to a glut of big-bodied receivers, and running backs that can catch the ball, run 4.5 forties and carry over 220 lbs. Comes in handy having tall, long, fast, interchangeable linemen to protect a mobile quarterback with a quick release and good arm strength. Man I wish we could do that at ND someday!

 

[Cackalacky]

It's really funny to me that BK (a "spread guy") is bringing in exactly the linemen that CW always pretended he had at his disposal when he would play-call. Our line last year (with Mike freakin' Golic as a starter) could and would have pushed around any of CW's O-lines past '05 with ease.

I agree. Last night I decided to watch all the 2013 youtube ND Signing day videos for our class. All I kept hearing was how HH was gushing about the OL but I kept hearing how certain he was of their capabilities and how they may have played tackle in high school but they were gonna move this one inside, move this one outside once they got to ND. How Matuska played all kids of positions and was a beast on the OL but he was going to play DL. I also listened to Alford say that they kept trying to find athletes and they were less concerned with positions and more concerned with bad habits they would have to stomp out. They want leaders and athletes ready to learn and be molded. He specifically said this about Butler and Russell I believe. They had no bad habits coming in (which is why KVR progressed so fast).

IMO, Weis went after the position and not any of the above. I see the fault in this is like trying to evaluate NFL players. Rarely is a WR drafted and converted to another position.

Also I can't remember who it was that said it but one of the coaches was talking about the WR position and that basically what whiskey said, the z position is gonna go to a bigger bodied player moving forward. They said that defensive players in general are getting bigger and they need bigger bodies out there or they wanted that spot available for the Rb to slide out. I don't think we are going to see a Toma like body out there anymore. This may be one reason Neal transferred.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

I don't agree.

We had some big wins for sure, but the timing on a lot of them was very fortunate for us.

We faced a Barkley-less USC. A Hogan-less Stanford. A down Oklahoma, a down MSU, a down Miami, a down Navy, etc.

I think we were a top 10 team for sure, but not elite.

I thought teams like: Alabama, Oregon, Stanford, Texas A&M, and maybe even Georgia were a notch better/more complete teams.

The most irrelevant conversation is whether we were elite last year or not; we played in the NC game! So that is in the past. I can tell you I enjoyed the shiit out of every game but the NC.

But lets take a look point by point at our shortcomings last year versus this year: Well USC is going to be Barlley-less this year too, and we have the best talent advantage (numbers) over USC in maybe a decade and a half; with Hogan, Stanford still needs to develop a receiver corp, and replace two of the best tight ends and a solid running back; What about Texas A&M? I would have rather played them than Bama, especially early in the season.

Georgia? GEORGIA? All they had was a better margin of loss than we did. If ND played Bama during the season it would have been a closer game. I can hardly think of one aspect of the game, especially this year, that I would trade with Georgia. All I can see is how gassed the entire Bulldog d was in the third and fourth quarter. I guess that comment about Georgia was what really motivated me to comment here. The thing is when you make a comment about a team, being better "overall", I have to tell you, to me that includes coaches, trainers, etc. Georgia's coaching staff cannot hold a candle to the Irish staff!

Also I can't remember who it was that said it but one of the coaches was talking about the WR position and that basically what whiskey said, the z position is gonna go to a bigger bodied player moving forward. They said that defensive players in general are getting bigger and they need bigger bodies out there or they wanted that spot available for the Rb to slide out. I don't think we are going to see a Toma like body out there anymore. This may be one reason Neal transferred.

Cack, bro. I have been on this in multiple thread, including Ben Koyak's just recently. Martin, Elston, Booker and Kelly have all said it in interviews this spring. People that have watched practices have seen it.