OK...Abiamiri and video evidence...

[LOVEMYIRISH]

OK, I was WRONG about Abiamiri. I truly thought he was being double teamed, etc. The first time I saw him double-teamed: 8:58 in the 3rd quarter.

I was so wrong in my previous posts where I indicated he was better than his stats showed.

I just reviewed the ENTIRE game on NBC's site.

Abiamiri really had little/no impact for most of the game.

He got manhandled by #74 on Purdue's OL.

The first time he gets to the QB at all is at 13:08 in the 2nd quarter. The next time was 1:05 in the 2nd quarter.

Man, he bites on fakes to the RB. Check out 14:30 in the 3rd quarter...
13:57 in the 3rd quarter he gets in Painter's face.
7:58 in the 3rd quarter...completely unblocked...absolutely misses the runner.
6:38 in 3rd quarter...gets good pressure on QB.
:01 in 3rd quarter...he stops the rush and takes out the reciever. Good job.

14:39 in the 4th quarter...again misses the runner big time (completely unblocked too)
:47 in the 4th quarter, he breaks through coverage on a delayed rush.'

He was UTTERLY DOMINATED by #74 on Purdue's team...

SERIOUSLY, he was not a factor in this game. Wow...just wow. You have to watch the video to believe it. He simply got nowhere.

OK, let's just say this...he is getting held in check by 74 all damn day long...

I am a big enough man to admit when I was wrong...wow, was I ever wrong.

 

[jiggafini19]

"Victor was spent," Weis said. "Victor played a lot because it was predominately nickel and dime, and there were a lot of tired puppies in there.

Interesting note by Weis here.

Did the tape catch this by any chance?

 

[domerfor life]

Interesting note by Weis here.

Did the tape catch this by any chance?

Yeah, some of these posts are completely ridiculous. I'm not really knocking on this post that much. We're 4-1 and that's all I care about. Yet, we cheer these players on on Saturday. Monday morning....we go right back to criticism. It's so hypocritical. I will agree that I'm disappointed in the defense, but these guys have played 5 hard-fought games. Maybe they are tired. Yes, they have weaknesses and I wish they DL would get more sacks. However, I don't go as far as to review a video to back up criticism of a player. Totally ridiculous.... whatever makes you happy, man.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

Interesting note by Weis here.

Did the tape catch this by any chance?

He looked spent from the first gun.

Seriously, I have been a HUGE defender of his. But I JUST watched the WHOLE DAMN GAME on NBC Sports. (where you can watch it quickly)

Victor did not look that good.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

Yeah, some of these posts are completely ridiculous. I'm not really knocking on this post that much. We're 4-1 and that's all I care about. Yet, we cheer these players on on Saturday. Monday morning....we go right back to criticism. It's so hypocritical. I will agree that I'm disappointed in the defense, but these guys have played 5 hard-fought games. Maybe they are tired. Yes, they have weaknesses and I wish they DL would get more sacks. However, I don't go as far as to review a video to back up criticism of a player. Totally ridiculous.... whatever makes you happy, man.

I reviewed it because people were criticizing him and I was trying to defend him.

The tape proved me painfully wrong.

That's not hypocritical, nor is it ridiculous. I was trying to prove my point that Victor was getting double teamed and was truly a force to be reckoned with...wow, I was wrong.

 

[jiggafini19]

He looked spent from the first gun.

Is he out of shape?

 

[domerfor life]

I reviewed it because people were criticizing him and I was trying to defend him.

The tape proved me painfully wrong.

That's not hypocritical, nor is it ridiculous. I was trying to prove my point that Victor was getting double teamed and was truly a force to be reckoned with...wow, I was wrong.

I did say that I was not necessarily knocking your post. Doesn't he play like.....every down? However, I do notice that he has a tendency to get waaay out of position. I was watching him Saturday. He also needs to make his move quicker. Our front seven is leaving a lot to be desired. Our leading tacklers reside in the secondary. That's scary...real scary.

 

[scooper]

This thread brings up a good point. Rushing the passer is one of the most physically taxing activities on a football field. Defensive linemen in general exert more energy than most other positions. That's why you hear announcers talk about defenses wearing down, but you never hear them say the same thing about the offenses that are running the same amount of plays.

The most effective defensive lines are deep and bring players in waves. The great recent Miami defenses, for example, didn't really have a first string. They had 1A and 1B. The kept bringing fresh and talented linemen in to the game.

Our defense does not have this luxury. At the moment, there is nobody who can give quality minutes behind VA. Not to mention the lack of depth at DT. Having a quality second wave to throw against oppossing offenses would make this defense a lot more effective. Recruiting the D-line is very important to the future of the program.

 

[jiggafini19]

Defensive linemen in general exert more energy than most other positions.

Even more so when you're in nickel and dime sets.

 

[domerfor life]

Even more so when you're in nickel and dime sets.

Yeah. I agree. These guys need a break. Depth gives you the luxury of being able to go hard, because you know you have a capable sub. If you get tired, you can come out. Vic can't come out, because he's the only capable guy we have. That's why our offense can't afford as many 3 and outs as we've been witnessing. They have to sustain drives, because we don't have the depth on defense that will allow our defense to play all day and still be effective. We don't have that luxury. Plus, we've had 5 hard fought games where the starters have played the whole game. Meanwhile, everyone else in the Top 10 is loading up on cupcakes and resting their starters in the 3rd quarter. We need to establish ourselves early, so that we can rest our starters and develop our depth. That's why I was so pissed off with that late TD at the end of the 1st half. We go in at halftime up 28-7 and then come out and stop them. We then go on to score again and now the score is 35-7. Game, set, match. Game over and now you can rest the starters. Didn't happen.

 

[NDAlumSon]

Va

Va

Victor is one of our studs. I have no qualms about his performance.
I will say that he has a tendency to rely strictly on "bull" rushing whereas
a lot of top flight DE's will vary their rush using speed and fakes along with pure power to get into the backfield. It's both effective and less tiring if you don't engage the DT or TE on every play.

 

[scooper]

That's why our offense can't afford as many 3 and outs as we've been witnessing. They have to sustain drives, because we don't have the depth on defense that will allow our defense to play all day and still be effective.

Never was this more evident than the Michigan game.

 

[lattedatte]

Victor is one of our studs. I have no qualms about his performance.
I will say that he has a tendency to rely strictly on "bull" rushing whereas
a lot of top flight DE's will vary their rush using speed and fakes along with pure power to get into the backfield. It's both effective and less tiring if you don't engage the DT or TE on every play.

I wan't to say TY to the person that started this thread. I watch ABI 90% of every snap of every game since this is the position I played in college. I did play a 3/4 so it was a little different becuase I dropped some. Rushing the QB is NO more taxing than defending the run, in fact it might be LESS taxing. You don't have resist the tackle or TE and shed him to make the tackle. All you have to do is make a move and go get the QB(which is hard too). Then if you look at the PSU and Purdue games. We forced them into obvious passing downs by the second quarter. This makes it especially easier for the defense becuase its just pinning you ears back and rushing the passer.

I'm not trying to say I know it all but coming from a guy that played the position, he is just not performing. And other than the last drive against Stanford last year when he got 3 sacks he really has never performed.

He has two sacks in 5 games, that is just not good.

 

[bigdon]

Is he out of shape?

Jiggs, LAST SEASON I posted that Abimiri was a total dissapointment and I was admonished by many on this site. I watched him in high school and he was awesome. When he came to ND I thought our rush end position was going to be maned by an All American. How wrong I was!!!

Granted he has been injured for much of his time at ND but not this year. He was supposed to be in the best of shape after the winter schedule. How come HE was tired when the PU line was strong til the end?

This guy does not have the toughness necessary to play at the required level. He is overmatched in almost every game.

God help us next year when graduation will ruin what little talent there is in this defense!

 

[BGIF]

...

God help us next year when graduation will ruin what little talent there is in this defense!

Amen to that!

Good to see you posting don!

 

[jiggafini19]

A couple more top ten recruiting classes and they'll be in business Don.

 

[bigdon]

A couple more top ten recruiting classes and they'll be in business Don.

If that's the case they better start with about four interior DL. Remember last year when we were saying it was critical to get a couple of DL? We did not get them and so far this year we havn't gotten any.

I would like to know who next year is going to stop the run up the middle and put some pressure on the QB? This D is so weak they had to put their second running back in at LB!

Faith, Hope, Optomism, Wishing are all nice but they fly in the face of Reality.

 

[domerfor life]

I think it's safe to say that if we don't get at least 3 AA DTs in this class, we are in for a world of hurt next year. We need at least 2 studs who can step in right away. I'm talking bonafide 300 lb DT's. Not the ones you have to bulk up.

 

[scooper]

I think it's safe to say that if we don't get at least 3 AA DTs in this class, we are in for a world of hurt next year. We need at least 2 studs who can step in right away. I'm talking bonafide 300 lb DT's. Not the ones you have to bulk up.

I think two is the minimum. But it has to be two guys who are ready to step in and contribute. Three would be optimal, you are correct. If they take three DT, the third can be more of a project guy. As long as two of them are DT's and a couple of the ends are an athletic upgrade, I'd be happy with 5 overall DL. They have a great start at DE so far. I think we are going to love Trattau.

Keep in mind that Laws could (and should) return. I'm hoping as Hand gets healthy, we see some out of him this season. That would certainly help our DT depth moving forward.

As for the bonafide, 300 pounders, it would be nice, but I would not place that weight as a neccessity. Off the top of my head, I picked out a handful of defenses that have either impressed me or perform consistantly at a high level defensively. I thought up 7. Out of 14 starting spots, only three are filled with 300+ pound guys and two of them are on the same team. A few others fell only a few pounds short. But the bottom line is, guys that are 280+ and can play are plenty big enough. Here are the teams with the starters' weights, FYI:

Florida State: 286-264
Auburn: 295-287
Ohio St.: 285-295
Michigan: 305-330
Georgia Tech: 285-280
Miami: 300-280
Oklahoma: 291-277

 

[jiggafini19]

Speed at LB is key and is on the way.

Nagel, Paskorz along with Wilson and Donald would be instant upgrades. The roster is filled with run stuffers that can't move.

I like the future at DE and DT is still up in the air. Barksdale and Blackwell would be quite a haul, then you add Nuss.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

Is he out of shape?

Call me a homer...but I can't imagine ANYONE on the team being out of shape...at the very least they will not get ANY playing time.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

I wan't to say TY to the person that started this thread. ...

I'm not trying to say I know it all but coming from a guy that played the position, he is just not performing. And other than the last drive against Stanford last year when he got 3 sacks he really has never performed.

He has two sacks in 5 games, that is just not good.

I agree. I was surprised to find how far off my assessment was...but then I was going on other people's words. Once I saw the game with my own eyes, my opinion changed a bit.

Sometime in the next few days I will look at the previous games and see if he had more influence. It could be he met a tough match up this time around.

 

[NDAlumSon]

Victor Abiamiri detractors

Victor Abiamiri detractors

He looked spent from the first gun. Seriously, I have been a HUGE defender of his. But I JUST watched the WHOLE DAMN GAME on NBC Sports.
Victor did not look that good.

And now...?

Victor is one of our studs. I have no qualms about his performance.
I will say that he has a tendency to rely strictly on "bull" rushing whereas
a lot of top flight DE's will vary their rush using speed and fakes along with pure power to get into the backfield. It's both effective and less tiring if you don't engage the DT or TE on every play.

Varied his rush technique to great effect Saturday. Excellent game.

You don't have resist the tackle or TE and shed him to make the tackle. All you have to do is make a move and go get the QB(which is hard too).

Varied his rush technique to great effect Saturday. Excellent game.

I'm not trying to say I know it all but coming from a guy that played the position, he is just not performing. And other than the last drive against Stanford last year when he got 3 sacks he really has never performed.

He has two sacks in 5 games, that is just not good.

And now he has 5 1/2 in 6 games. Is that good enough?

 

[lattedatte]

And now...?



Varied his rush technique to great effect Saturday. Excellent game.



Varied his rush technique to great effect Saturday. Excellent game.




And now he has 5 1/2 in 6 games. Is that good enough?

I give credit where credit is due, he had a nice GAME. But one game, against arguably your easiest opponent, doesn't change my mind about him. Too be honest I'm really not sure he could change my mind at this point. He has dug toooo deep of a hole. Every time he plays against a half way descent opponent he disappears. Go back and watch film from whatever big game you choose in the last two years, you would not call this guy an all american. Don't forget I never said he was a bad player just overated.

 

[NDAlumSon]

Go back and watch film from whatever big game you choose in the last two years, you would not call this guy an all american. Don't forget I never said he was a bad player just overated.

He's certainly NOT an All American, no question about it.
He is one of ND's better defenders though.
He's still overcoming the poor coaching he got from the previous regime.
You think Ty had Victor watching tapes of Michael Strahan. I don't think so.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

And now...?
...
Varied his rush technique to great effect Saturday. Excellent game.
...
Varied his rush technique to great effect Saturday. Excellent game.
...
And now he has 5 1/2 in 6 games. Is that good enough?

Stanford has given up 26 sacks this season.
http://gostanford.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2006-2007/teamgbg.html
3 to Oregon
0 to San Jose State
3 to Navy
8 to Washington
7 to UCLA
5 to Notre Dame

Abi got 3.5 yesterday. Sounds good on paper...but then you see just how bad Stanford is.

I am happy for him, but yesterday proved little to me, given just HOW BAD Stanford is at preventing/avoiding the sack.

Sorry, not trying to be a jerk here...but let's keep it in perspective. I think Abiamiri is a great guy...but I don't see him outperforming other teams' players.

One thing to note in his favor... I did see him beat a few double teams yesterday. He will play in the NFL, but he's no Justin Tuck.

 

[NDAlumSon]

Sorry, not trying to be a jerk here.
One thing to note in his favor... I did see him beat a few double teams yesterday. He will play in the NFL, but he's no Justin Tuck.

No one said you were being a jerk...as far as you know. (Just kidding. Caddyshack humor)
We should check back on this one again at the end of the season.
I basically agree with you. He's not elite. But, IMO, he's solid.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

I basically agree with you. He's not elite. But, IMO, he's solid.

On that we do agree. I don't think he sucks. He's better than most of our other guys on the line. He really is.

But considering he was a 5-star recruit, I just don't see the level of performance on the field.

I am NOT so sure he got crappy coaching though. Baer may not have been a great DC, but cmon the D-Line coach was Greg Mattison. He is NOT known for being a crappy D-Line coach. We had a better Pass Rush under Mattison for a number of years than we have had this year.

 

[ShivaIrish]

You think Ty had Victor watching tapes of Michael Strahan. I don't think so.

I"m hoping this coaching staff does more things different than Willingham than just putting a tape into a VCR.

 

[BGIF]

...He's still overcoming the poor coaching he got from the previous regime. You think Ty had Victor watching tapes of Michael Strahan. I don't think so.

I don't think so either. He had them focused on the metronome.