Biggest concern after week one.

[lattedatte]

Well we've all had some time to process the GT/ND game. Want to get everyone's thoughts on what is their biggest concern going into the rest of the season?

Mine is easy. Say what you want about the field goal unit, my biggest concern is the d-line. The fact that we couldn't get pressure without blitzing is a huge concern with the likes of Morelli, Henne, Stanton and Booty on our schedule. Abi might be the most overated player in ND history. If we don't remedy this, we will not win a national championship this year. Bottom line.

Thoughts??

 

[scooper]

Well we've all had some time to process the GT/ND game. Want to get everyone's thoughts on what is their biggest concern going into the rest of the season?

Mine is easy. Say what you want about the field goal unit, my biggest concern is the d-line. The fact that we couldn't get pressure without blitzing is a huge concern with the likes of Morelli, Henne, Stanton and Booty on our schedule. Abi might be the most overated player in ND history. If we don't remedy this, we will not win a national championship this year. Bottom line.

Thoughts??

It's hard to say. We don't know what scheme the D-line was running. Sometimes against mobile QB's, teams scheme to not get too deep on the pass rush. We'll know more about them this week.

I'm more concerned about the linebackers. They were out of position a number of times and whiffed on a few tackles.

 

[Irish Envy]

It's hard to say. We don't know what scheme the D-line was running. Sometimes against mobile QB's, teams scheme to not get too deep on the pass rush. We'll know more about them this week.

I'm more concerned about the linebackers. They were out of position a number of times and whiffed on a few tackles.

All indiciations and opinions I have read point to this. They didn't want to take the rush too far upfield because it would have given Choice and Ball open running lanes. Considering they were often doubling Calvin Johnson, that would have spelled huge runs for GT.

 

[lattedatte]

It's hard to say. We don't know what scheme the D-line was running. Sometimes against mobile QB's, teams scheme to not get too deep on the pass rush. We'll know more about them this week.

Valid point. we don't. I guess I'm thinking last year this was my biggest beef with the D, not the secondary, and I saw nothing to ease my fears on this one.

 

[A2McGowan]

The kicking game will undoubtedly come into play/major factor in the next three weeks..........big concern.

 

[Irish Envy]

Valid point. we don't. I guess I'm thinking last year this was my biggest beef with the D, not the secondary, and I saw nothing to ease my fears on this one.

I think you need to rest easy. You will, however, have a right for concern if we don't get to Penn State's QB this upcoming weekend. He is a pocket passer by definition and their offensive line is below average considering they have four new starters.

 

[lattedatte]

I think you need to rest easy. You will, however, have a right for concern if we don't get to Penn State's QB this upcoming weekend. He is a pocket passer by definition and their offensive line is below average considering they have four new starters.

I wil not rest easy until January 9!

Go Irish..

 

[gipper2nd@yahoo.com]

To sum it up between lattedatte & scooper...I would say the front seven, ( right now), is a big concern. Those guys need to step it up.

 

[jiggafini19]

Field Goal Kicking.

Hands down and second concern is so distant I really don't even know.

 

[sblxdoc]

Field goal kicking might cost us the national championship this year. We all know that at least 1 game will come down to this. Let's just hope Goia (whatever the hell his name is) is on during that "kick".

Besides that, O-line made me a bit nervous.

 

[domerfor life]

I wasn't concerned about the D-line. On many of Reggie Ball's runs up the middle, our linebackers were getting killed. What troubles me is that Vernaglia nor Thomas played well. We played nickel almost the hole game. I think Michigan has the backs to exploit this. One of those two guys need to step up. I keep thinking about Travis Thomas' move to LB. For one of our LB's to not be able to beat him out concerned me and it still does. The reality of the matter is that before the move, none of the LB's (other than Crum) showed anything. LB is a weak spot for us and it showed. Crum is good. Thomas will get better. SAM is a big problem. Most of the problems on offense can be fixed. We will miss Fasano's blocking.

 

[ND Lifer]

It's really a combination of very poor LB's and abolutely lousy FG kicking. I think we should put Crum back at his old OLB position, insert Toryan Smith into the starting MLB position and put TT, or whoever is our best remaining LB, on the other OLB position.

As for FG kicking, Goia was terrible last year when Fitz got injured and he was terrible Saturday night. That's enough for me. Use Burkhart and see what he's got. Can't be any worse.

 

[maison bleu]

Field Goal Kicking.

Hands down and second concern is so distant I really don't even know.

Yep.

 

[domerfor life]

Field goal kicking will lose at least one game for us. Our offense will have to score touchdowns.....every drive. If we are anywhere inside the 30.......please go for it. Please

 

[BGIF]

Field Goal Kicking.

Hands down and second concern is so distant I really don't even know.

Then your blind. Turn in your whistle coach.

Gees. Enough with the FG Whine. This team shouldn't have to rely on FGs to win games against unranked opponents!

Let's review the place kicks:
The Snaps - Fine
The Holds - Fine
The Protection - Fine
The kicks were QUICK, HIGH and DEEP.

Carl Gioia got all his kicks off quickly, they rose rapidly and carried deep. The 42 yd attempt might have carried 60 yds. To listen to the posters on this thread you'd think he was spraying the ball all over the field and hitting the OLine's butts with line drives.

Weis has noted twice that Gioia planted his left foot in the wrong position prior to making the kick, causing the hook. It's mechanics. It's been identified by the coaches and dealt with.

The whine on kicking is disproportionate to the magnitude of the problems. Gioia was on the field 3 times. He executed once (The Extra Point is the same procedure) and failed to execute twice but that was it.

The Linebacking Corps and the OLine were on the field for 35 or 40 plays by each unit. Both units played inconsistently. Would you give a game ball to any LB or OLine based on their GT performance?

The LBs were expected to play that way and were an obvious concern preseason. AND THEY STILL ARE. And the problem isn't mechanics. ND played 5 DBs most of the game not just to negate the passing game but to get better athletes on the field.

I have to laugh at the naivete of the posts calling for Toryan Smith at MLB. Weis has stated several times that Crum was moved to the center because that's where the defensive QB plays. He calls the signals. "I want the guy in the middle reading the offense and setting the defense." You don't put a rookie adjusting to the speed of the Div 1 game in for 40 plays as your defensive QB!

I suspect part of the lack of a pass rush by the DLine was due to their focus on protecting the LBs as part of the game plan. The LBs will get better but will be the weakness of the defense all season.

The OLine started a true freshman at one tackle and had a rusty veteran that sat out most of preseason camp at the other tackle. The 3 guys in the middle, veterans all, looked like they were playing together for the first time in the first half. The chemistry wasn't there on the stunts and blitz pickups. That wasn't mechanics.

 

[ralphwaldoemerson]

The defense was on the field for 35 or 40 plays and allowed 10 points. Gioia was on the field for 3 plays and, essentially, allowed 6 points.

That's why it's a big deal.

 

[NDAlumSon]

Field Goal Kicking.

Hands down and second concern is so distant I really don't even know.

Nah. They'll be fine.
Everyone, and I mean everyone, f**ked up in there first game. Look around the country. Most everyone was ugly, sloppy and bad at some point.
Coordinators, position coaches, play callers, quarterbacks, cornerbacks and yes, even the waterboys ( I saw one slip and fall right on his face running out to the field during a timeout, hilarious). So the guy missed two kicks. OK, well struck kicks mind you, but misses nonetheless. Crucial potential points I know but,.....all of a sudden he's our albatross?? I haven't heard anything from Charlie to suggest that field goal kicking weighs on him more than any other position competency. I might be wrong but Brady missed three or four fairly easy 3rd down conversion opportunities. Should we call Sharpley in?

I wasn't concerned about the D-line. On many of Reggie Ball's runs up the middle, our linebackers were getting killed. What troubles me is that Vernaglia nor Thomas played well. We played nickel almost the hole game. I think Michigan has the backs to exploit this. One of those two guys need to step up. I keep thinking about Travis Thomas' move to LB. For one of our LB's to not be able to beat him out concerned me and it still does. The reality of the matter is that before the move, none of the LB's (other than Crum) showed anything. LB is a weak spot for us and it showed. Crum is good. Thomas will get better. SAM is a big problem. Most of the problems on offense can be fixed. We will miss Fasano's blocking.

I'm more in line with your thinking Domer. Linebacking is the biggest concern right now.
Size is down. Recognition and reaction is slow. Zero engagement. Watch them...they barely engage before they're off into their pursuit angles. And by that time....they need pursuit angles to help Tommy Z bring somebody down.
Linebacking is a concern.

 

[ralphwaldoemerson]

The difference, obviously, is that Quinn has a body of work, so that when he struggles you know it's an aberration. Gioia is bad. He's so bad that against Stanford last year, with Fitzpatrick injured and unable to make a kick if his life depended on it, Weis kept sending him out there, even after Gioia had made an extra point (or was it a FG?) filling in for him. That's no faith. Then he brings in Burkhart. No faith. Gioia just can't kick. He cannot make field goals. His leg seems fine. That's irrelevant. The ball has to go through the goal posts. His kicks don't.

And Weis doesn't mention it a lot because what can he do about it? You can't scheme differently to make a kicker suddenly not suck.

 

[VictorsValiant]

A bad kicking game isn't going to kill you (though it doesn't help either). Championship teams have had below average special teams for years, but they've still won.

However, spoken from someone who's seen many, many missed tackles the last few years, I can tell you (almost as fact), that missed tackles kills a team, not simply a defense. Missed tackles lead to long drives and big plays; it puts the defense on the field too long, and doesn't allow the offense to establish rhythm. I also think it has a psychological effect on the players watching from the bench. This is especially pronounced with a Charlie Weis type offense. I hate to hammer this point home again, but it underscores the fact that defense wins championships. If you have to make compromises on defense because of inferior players, then sooner or later it's going to catch up to you. You can win 8,9, even 10 games with an average defense, but you can't win it all. I am actually looking forward to the Michigan offense vs. Notre Dame defense showdown. It will be interesting to see who responds, because I think effort will be the key.

 

[jiggafini19]

I see fine, whistle stays.

He makes those two kicks, it is 20-10, that's a two possession game folks and the score looks aestetically better to the point that maybe a ten point win (they would have beat the spread) on the road wouldn't have everyone in such a tizzy for the last three days about a four point win and drop in the polls.

I'm going back to the end of last season, the spring game and Saturday. This is more than just one game, this is Goia pretty much the last couple of times I've seen him attempt to DO HIS JOB. I considered this a concern after the Spring Game and so far after one game, I haven't changed my mind. Charlie and Brady aren't going to find the end zone every time. They'll need a realiable kicker when they don't.

Let's see Goia actually make a kick before the "whine" ends. Until Goia makes a few field goals. Maybe when he knocks a few in, I'll feel better. Not seeing it now, so I wait with hope and faith. I think he can and I think he will, but the sample we've gotten has yet to show us that yet.

Special teams come into play in close games. They can decide outcomes late in games. I like the punting situation a great deal and have since the Blue and Gold Game. I havent' seen much out of the field goal kicking yet, thus it is a concern until someone actually starts to show results.

I'm not nearly as worried about the O line or the defensive line. The d line wasn't scheming to rush the passer.

 

[jiggafini19]

The first item Weis pointed out was the defense made only two mental errors all evening, a feat he called “unbelievable.”

Weis also pointed out that of the team’s 11 penalties, nine came on offense, two on special teams and none on defense. Furthermore, Georgia Tech was 0-for-4 on third downs in the second half and wide receiver Calvin Johnson was limited to two catches for 16 yards after the intermission.

Notre Dame played a lot more five defensive back sets, partly because Georgia Tech ran a one back, three receiver, one tight end base, but also because there is a lot more confidence in the secondary depth and talent this year.

The defense had to find a happy medium between double-covering Johnson and loading up on the run.

“I thought our team was in exceptional condition, and it showed in the second half,” Weis said.

“We had a lot of gas in our (defensive) tank,” said Weis. “I felt the defense started controlling the game. How our defense was playing allowed me to keep on doing what we did (on offense) and keep nickel and diming them.”

Some interesting thoughts from Weis. Care of Blue and Gold Illustrated.

Read these and then decide if you still want to toss the defense/front four/pass rush under the bus.

 

[DeeRock]

Being Frank

Being Frank

To be "Frank"- a lot has to shore up- struggling against a second-tier ACC team, isn't what I would call "national contender ready"......However, I feel that ALL PHASES needs improvement, starting with QUINN all the way down the line...

 

[domerfor life]

To be "Frank"- a lot has to shore up- struggling against a second-tier ACC team, isn't what I would call "national contender ready"......However, I feel that ALL PHASES needs improvement, starting with QUINN all the way down the line...

There have been many top-tier teams who have struggled with a lesser opponents. I think they call it.....sports. Yeah, that's what they call it. It happens to the best of teams. Notre Dame's no different. Does Quinn need improvement, or do we make sure he doesn't get hit 10 times in the first 20 minutes? We're going to have to improve our blocking. We will seem the same thing week-in and week-out until we stop it.

 

[pappy]

For me, biggest concerns are the O-Line protecting Brady, so he can stand tall in the pocket, and the linebackers making plays.

 

[NDAlumSon]

I'm going back to the end of last season, the spring game and Saturday. This is more than just one game, this is Goia pretty much the last couple of times I've seen him attempt to DO HIS JOB.

And yet he WON the starting job. Either he's pretty good or he's the least bad of the three.
Let's hope it's the former.

Maybe when he knocks a few in, I'll feel better. Not seeing it now, so I wait with hope and faith. I think he can and I think he will....

This is the attitude I'm taking.

 

[jiggafini19]

And yet he WON the starting job. Either he's pretty good or he's the least bad of the three.

Kinda makes you itchy, doesn't it?

 

[NDAlumSon]

Kinda makes you itchy, doesn't it?

Yeah, I hear ya brother. Like freakin' poison ivy.
I'm just not convinced it's our BIGGEST concern.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

Mine is easy. Say what you want about the field goal unit...

OK...Field Goal unit is my biggest concern.

Why? Because against top teams we will need every point we can muster.

Gioa gave up 6 points to a mid-tier ACC team. What happens when the game is on the line with PSU, UM, UCLA, USC, or MSU? Will he choke and cost us the game?

I am not saying that anyone else is a better kicker than him... I am saying it's my biggest concern.

Another reason it's my biggest concern is that FG units are much harder to make successful adjustments in...

 

[rontdtarchala]

Hopefully he will get his kicking game together...I don't care what charlie said on tv in magazines or whatever...I know the game enough to tell when they are missing assignments not getting pressure on the QB and tackling like crap....they all played well at times but they all sucked at times. The dline, linebackers, and oline played subpar far too often....period!!!!!!

Jigga and Svo you know what high regard I have for your opinions, and yes it was the first game....but those area's must be handled quickly and I think they will.........

 

[NDAlumSon]

OK...Field Goal unit is my biggest concern.
Why? Because against top teams we will need every point we can muster.

Implicit in this statement, which I don't think you realize, is YOUR belief that either the offense can't score with the top teams in the country or our defense can't stop them.
Or both.
Either way offensive capability or defensive ineptitude is really you primary concern.
Your field goal kicking concern is an excuse.