'14 WA DT Marcus Griffin

[irishfanjho15]

This kid is all day take. Period. We need bodies. Guys like this end up being the best player by far on middle of the road BCS teams. The size is there and he's close on athleticism, if the interest and academics are in line, he is a take.

 

[Irish2155]

No brainer, take him.

Ask if he has a buddy or two who wants to play too. Whatever it takes to field a 85 man roster, for a change.

 

[woolybug25]

Well, let's not exaggerate. We are at 78, so with the four 5Ys, even if we get nobody else in the 2014 class, we are at 82. I doubt we'll be below 80 ...

... but three days ago if you'd asked me how many guys we'd have on NSD I'd have said likely 86 or 87, with approximately 90 guys in play. With GAIII, Niklas and Dickerson all gone, 87 would represent stunning, improbable recruiting success. Everyone above 82 is a huge question mark, and you never know when the next unexpected departure will occur, so we could easily miss 85.

Very frustrating, but there is only so much you can do. The max we can take is 27, and that leaves zero EE spots for next year. We don't even want to take that many frosh, I don't think.

You're assuming Daniels comes back, we lose no other players to transfer or injury and our class stays intact. Improbable.

We lead for maybe 1 kid right now, btw.

 

[Irish2155]

You're assuming Daniels comes back, we lose no other players to transfer or injury and our class stays intact. Improbable.

We lead for maybe 1 kid right now, btw.

Exactly. And I wonder, who would maybe the 1 kid be? Having a tough time figuring that one.

The approach of holding out for the "better" player while keeping the other guy in the wings...then end up with neither isn't working.

 

[Rhode Irish]

How could this kid not have an offer yet?

 

[Irish#1]

hard to take Loy seriously after the week he's had

Isn't that the truth. Loy needs to go four for four and hit for the cycle to get some credibility back.

 

[Luckylucci]

Per TV, ND is wanting to get Griffin on campus first before the offer comes. Make sure that he is the listed height and weight that has been stated. However, Griffin would like an offer prior to said OV so he doesn't end up wasting an OV this late in the cycle for no reason. Should also have more clarity on the situation by the end of the week.

-We're looking to add two more DT's

 

[irishfanjho15]

Per TV, ND is wanting to get Griffin on campus first before the offer comes. Make sure that he is the listed height and weight that has been stated. However, Griffin would like an offer prior to said OV so he doesn't end up wasting an OV this late in the cycle for no reason. Should also have more clarity on the situation by the end of the week.

-We're looking to add two more DT's

I don't know how popular this will be, but I'd damn glad Diaco is gone. He obviously had too stringent standards on the physical profile of interior defensive linemen. There just isn't enough prototypes out there to be that selective.

I have always felt he was a head coach to be never quite that good of a game coach/coordinator. Great guy to get the 'buy in' you need to lead a team and his guys love him but I think he's a head coach type of guy through and through. He was groomed for the part for a long time.

 

[ACamp1900]

If we are looking to add two then why the hell did the staff wait this late to go after ANY other DT's??? Is it the DC change? I guess that would make sense but man from my standpoint the whole DT thing has been frustrating to watch.

 

[Luckylucci]

I don't know how popular this will be, but I'd damn glad Diaco is gone. He obviously had too stringent on the physical profile of interior defensive linemen. There just isn't enough prototypes out there to be that selective.

Bare in mind that when he left we had one on board named Dickerson. So losing one and now needing two isn't that far off. Now I think that your seeing a schematic change influence some of these offers but we wouldn't be taking two if Dickerson was still on board. Diaco was a very good DC. He brought this defense back to where it hadn't been in a long long time. Hopefully BVG continues to build on that.

 

[Kaneyoufeelit]

If we are looking to add two then why the hell did the staff wait this late to go after ANY other DT's??? Is it the DC change? I guess that would make sense but man from my standpoint the whole DT thing has been frustrating to watch.

That plus we had a DT decommit and two surprising declarations for the draft. We need to make up for Dickerson, a new scheme, and we have numbers to play with


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[irishfanjho15]

Bare in mind that when he left we had one on board named Dickerson. So losing one and now needing two isn't that far off. Now I think that your seeing a schematic change influence some of these offers but we wouldn't be taking two if Dickerson was still on board. Diaco was a very good DC. He brought this defense back to where it hadn't been in a long long time. Hopefully BVG continues to build on that.

I understand all that. We've had a number of cycles since Big Lou came on board. It's a problem that should have been actively explored in relation to changes/replacement/back up plans. I don't think he didn't recruit well, I think he was far too selective with his physical profile for DTs/NTs. I don't agree that he was a very good DC, but I respect your opinion. I feel he was an experienced DC with much better talent than he had ever sniffed. He was a much better figure head (as I alluded to in my OG post) of the defensive efforts. I think he was very vanilla, predictable, and heavily reliant on talent (instead of scheme) for such a complicated defensive system as he ran.

Do keep in mind, this is merely my personal opinion.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

I understand all that. We've had a number of cycles since Big Lou came on board. It's a problem that should have been actively explored in relation to changes/replacement/back up plans. I don't think he didn't recruit well, I think he was far too selective with his physical profile for DTs/NTs. I don't agree that he was a very good DC, but I respect your opinion. I feel he was an experienced DC with much better talent than he had ever sniffed. He was a much better figure head (as I alluded to in my OG post) of the defensive efforts. I think he was very vanilla, predictable, and heavily reliant on talent (instead of scheme) for such a complicated defensive system as he ran.

Do keep in mind, this is merely my personal opinion.

I agree. He was the same way with ILB iirc.

 

[ulukinatme]

Get Griffin or Sawyers or neither. BUT UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE SHOULD WE TAKE TWO DTS!!!

 

[connor_in]

^ = MOAR

 

[Bogtrotter07]

I don't know how popular this will be, but I'd damn glad Diaco is gone. He obviously had too stringent standards on the physical profile of interior defensive linemen. There just isn't enough prototypes out there to be that selective.

I have always felt he was a head coach to be never quite that good of a game coach/coordinator. Great guy to get the 'buy in' you need to lead a team and his guys love him but I think he's a head coach type of guy through and through. He was groomed for the part for a long time.

Pretty popular.

I understand all that. We've had a number of cycles since Big Lou came on board. It's a problem that should have been actively explored in relation to changes/replacement/back up plans. I don't think he didn't recruit well, I think he was far too selective with his physical profile for DTs/NTs. I don't agree that he was a very good DC, but I respect your opinion. I feel he was an experienced DC with much better talent than he had ever sniffed. He was a much better figure head (as I alluded to in my OG post) of the defensive efforts. I think he was very vanilla, predictable, and heavily reliant on talent (instead of scheme) for such a complicated defensive system as he ran.

Do keep in mind, this is merely my personal opinion.

Don't forget the wait for Navy to chop block you in a two point stance before you react, even if they see that and zone block the crap out of you.

(Look at schools like Navy that have to out strategize you to see how your coaches' coaching stacks up!)

 

[wizards8507]

 

[irishfanjho15]

Pretty popular.



Don't forget the wait for Navy to chop block you in a two point stance before you react, even if they see that and zone block the crap out of you.

(Look at schools like Navy that have to out strategize you to see how your coaches' coaching stacks up!)

Worst triple option defensive plans ever. Aside from Slaughter being an absolute beast Disco was a sh*Tshow plan wise against the option.

 

[Ndaccountant]

Seems to me Griffin knows the condition of the visit/offer and if he isn't the right size, he isn't going to visit. If he was, it really would be a no brainer.

 

[Domina Nostra]

Worst triple option defensive plans ever. Aside from Slaughter being an absolute beast Disco was a sh*Tshow plan wise against the option.

I wouldn't blame it all on Diaco... From what I remember, we got crushed by Navy in an absolute embarassment of a game (in which the Navy coach admitted using a completely different offense for just that one game), then crushed 4 tripple option teams in a row, before reverting this year.

The reason we reverted seemed to me: (1) no dominant MLB or S to stop thing in the backfield; (2) tenative DLmen, and (3) inability of the offense to capitalize in the Red Zone early.

He was clearly not good against the option, but there was a lot workign against him this year.

 

[Grahambo]

Don't mean to add to the topic getting off course BUT Diaco was DC when ND went to the title game and the players really seemed to like him.

 

[Luckylucci]

Don't mean to add to the topic getting off course BUT Diaco was DC when ND went to the title game and the players really seemed to like him.

He was the DC of the best defense in CFB during 2012's regular season. If we have a healthy defense this year it would have been different.

 

[Grahambo]

He was the DC of the best defense in CFB during 2012's regular season. If we have a healthy defense this year it would have been different.

Yep. I don't understand the Diaco hate all of a sudden.

Or I could be misinterpreting.

 

[GoIrish41]

I wouldn't blame it all on Diaco... From what I remember, we got crushed by Navy in an absolute embarassment of a game (in which the Navy coach admitted using a completely different offense for just that one game), then crushed 4 tripple option teams in a row, before reverting this year.

The reason we reverted seemed to me: (1) no dominant MLB or S to stop thing in the backfield; (2) tenative DLmen, and (3) inability of the offense to capitalize in the Red Zone early.

He was clearly not good against the option, but there was a lot workign against him this year.

I thought the Navy coach bragged after the game that he didn't change his game plan at all from the prior year and that ND didn't make any adjustments. On top of that, Diaco made some ill advised comments about not having any tricks left in the bag to stop them. Am I thinking of the wrong year?

 

[rtrn2glory]

can't blame the kid for wanting an offer before the official...staff can visit him and figure out if he's worth offering before the official if they want him bad enough

 

[Irish YJ]

Time will tell with Diaco, but I think we can all agree he was the beneficiary of A1 talent during out 2012 season. I do believe the front seven, and specifically 3 or 4 players who really made the D was it is, and masked several deficiencies at DB.

I don't think Diaco was a great play caller, nor do I think he was especially good at surprise. For the most part we relied on our front 7 to do what they did, and they did it. Pretty bland overall.

Healthy or not, this year I think was more true to form with a Diaco D. Yes, we would have been a bit better if healthy, but not by much.

Purely my opinion, but I don't see him as the second coming like a lot of people. Yes he did have great hair, but I'm happy to have BVG and see it as an upgrade. Time will tell with BVG as well, but I think you will see an uptick in DL recruiting, and a new sense of swag from our D as a whole.

BVG come on down.

 

[Luckylucci]

This will be my last piece on this. In the last 3 seasons at ND our defense gave up on average of 18.63pts/game. If BVG does that over the next 3 years I will be ecstatic.

 

[Ndaccountant]

This will be my last piece on this. In the last 3 seasons at ND our defense gave up on average of 18.63pts/game. If BVG does that over the next 3 years I will be ecstatic.

Yes, I would agree. However, can you agree that a defense that averages 21 ppg against but has 1.5 more takeaways per game is better if the offense averages 3.75 points per possession (30 ppg / 8 possessions per game)?

The name of the game is scoring more points than the opposition, not just preventing points and sometimes the more aggressive D is better. I am greedy and would like to have both, but I would be willing to sacrifice a FG more per game if it meant more TO's.

 

[Luckylucci]

Yes, I would agree. However, can you agree that a defense that averages 21 ppg against but has 1.5 more takeaways per game is better if the offense averages 3.75 points per possession (30 ppg / 8 possessions per game)?

The name of the game is scoring more points than the opposition, not just preventing points and sometimes the more aggressive D is better. I am greedy and would like to have both, but I would be willing to sacrifice a FG more per game if it meant more TO's.

Its just a difference in philosophy and both can be right. The goal of Diaco's system was to stop the run, keep everything in front of us, hold them to FG's, and therefore keep down the points. We did that and if we look at the statistics it backs that up. If mistakes are made trying to create turnovers thats when big plays happen. You are very rarely out of the game if the points remain low. Is an aggressive defense more fun to watch, of course, but it can also lead to some high scores.

I'll add that the more confident Bk becomes in his offense the more you'll see risks being taken on D and I think this hire is step 1 in that direction.

 

[Irish YJ]

This will be my last piece on this. In the last 3 seasons at ND our defense gave up on average of 18.63pts/game. If BVG does that over the next 3 years I will be ecstatic.

Huge skew from 2012 FWIW. Dropped out of the top 30 (D - YPG) this year. I think we were also out side of the top 30 on O-YPG.