'14 OH DT Daniel Cage (Notre Dame Signee)

[koonja]

I agree Koon. Not so much about your opinion on Longo as a whole but the relative speed of oue LB's. There were times last year when we couldn't stop the "dink and dunk" where apposing QBs were getting rid of the ball very quickly and our LB's were slowly chasing. Before Grace went out for instance he really struggled against the pass IMO. "Abuse in space" is something that will happen from time to time but faster/quicker LB's is what I'd like to see.

Yeah, I don't hate him. I just think he's Ok. He seems to do a good job with the OL and some of the DL, but I don't like his work with the LBs. Part of that's recruiting, but watching Carlo and Kendall be chubby for all 4 years, Councell never be the speedy LB he was expected to be, Grace be a great run stuffer but a liability outside of the box, etc, makes me wonder why they've always seemed a step behind.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

There are other teams that run a 3-4 and their defenses are more athletic. My biggest issue is that it seems our LBs for the most part have gotten abused in space while Longo has been here.

I won't get into this cause it upsets a lot of people that I don't love Longo. And I'm not saying he's terrible, but I don't love him like everyone else and would be A-Ok if he was replaced with new blood.

You may have some justification with the LB argument. But you can't really hate on a front 7 that has been very good over the last few years. Some of that LB "abuse in space" could be caused from lack of recruiting the right athlete to play said positions too. Not a lack of the S&C.

I'm not going to defend Longo to a fault, but I felt the need to comment on your post because there's literally no reason to be down on the front 7 over the last few years when they've been so good. They may not have been flashy and rack up the sack numbers, but they didn't get gashed in the run game either and I don't recall them giving up a ton of back-breaking big plays either (on a consistent basis). Diaco had a scheme and Longo molded those players to help fit that scheme and, imo, it worked out beautifully for the most part. BVG has his new scheme and I have little doubt that Longo will shape the current players to best suit what coach BK and BVG want to achieve (along with the staff recruiting a different type of player to fit those positions).

 

[ulukinatme]

There are other teams that run a 3-4 and their defenses are more athletic. My biggest issue is that it seems our LBs for the most part have gotten abused in space while Longo has been here.

I won't get into this cause it upsets a lot of people that I don't love Longo. And I'm not saying he's terrible, but I don't love him like everyone else and would be A-Ok if he was replaced with new blood.

I will say that the front 3 are not meant to be super agile in a 3-4. They're made to eat up double teams whenever possible to free up LBs to make plays.

However, you do have a point about our LBs. There were times they were too slow for the 3-4 and become a liability. I think that's part of the reason we've switched to the 4-3 recently...to make use of the athletic LBs and DE hybrids we've recently been bringing in. Of course, the main reason is the lack of recruiting a new, definitive NT, which is crucial for the 3-4.

 

[koonja]

You may have some justification with the LB argument. But you can't really hate on a front 7 that has been very good over the last few years. Some of that LB "abuse in space" could be caused from lack of recruiting the right athlete to play said positions too. Not a lack of the S&C.

I'm not going to defend Longo to a fault, but I felt the need to comment on your post because there's literally no reason to be down on the front 7 over the last few years when they've been so good. They may not have been flashy and rack up the sack numbers, but they didn't get gashed in the run game either and I don't recall them giving up a ton of back-breaking big plays either (on a consistent basis). Diaco had a scheme and Longo molded those players to help fit that scheme and, imo, it worked out beautifully for the most part. BVG has his new scheme and I have little doubt that Longo will shape the current players to best suit what coach BK and BVG want to achieve (along with the staff recruiting a different type of player to fit those positions).

I will say that the front 3 are not meant to be super agile in a 3-4. They're made to eat up double teams whenever possible to free up LBs to make plays.

However, you do have a point about our LBs. There were times they were too slow for the 3-4 and become a liability. I think that's part of the reason we've switched to the 4-3 recently...to make use of the athletic LBs and DE hybrids we've recently been bringing in. Of course, the main reason is the lack of recruiting a new, definitive NT, which is crucial for the 3-4.

I agree with both of you that the scheme change will help this. Plus we're simply recruiting better LBs now than before.

And you're right about the DL in a 3-4 needing to be big. It just bothered me that with over a year, Tuitt was never able to lose the weight to get down to his sophomore Tuitt level, and Nix leaves the program and miraculously drops like 20 pounds in two months.

Maybe they wanted Nix that big, and maybe Tuitt really couldn't help it because of the injury at the end of 2012, but I'm skeptical. I would say overally he's done a good job with the DL and a great job with the OL.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

Yeah, I don't hate him. I just think he's Ok. He seems to do a good job with the OL and some of the DL, but I don't like his work with the LBs. Part of that's recruiting, but watching Carlo and Kendall be chubby for all 4 years, Councell never be the speedy LB he was expected to be, Grace be a great run stuffer but a liability outside of the box, etc, makes me wonder why they've always seemed a step behind.

I'm with Bleed on the front 7, they did what they were supposed to do. If you recall, they held Oklahoma to something ridiculous, like 1 YPC in the 2012 game.

I believe our "slow" LBs are a result of two things: Bigger athletes who don't necessarily have the range of a Jaylon Smith @ 220-230. Every other starting linebacker we've fielded was in the 240+ and not as highly touted. Even Manti wasn't the fastest guy but he was fearless and had great instincts when it came to sniffing out screen plays.

I think the other reason our LBs looked slows was because of Diaco's scheme. And I don't hate on the scheme. We were a top 10 scoring defense over the last 4 years, that is damn impressive when you think about what they inherited.

Every philosophy has it's limitations. Bend don't break allowed us to keep plays in front of us and hopefully frustrate the offense. BVGs will be very different: we'll be jumping routes, creating more turnovers and putting up bigger defensive numbers: passes defenced, sacks, TFL, interceptions, fumbles, etc.

BUT... we are also going to give up many more big plays. Unless our team outperforms even the highest expectations, we'll see the long ball and long run in every game. It's impossible to be a hybrid of those two philosophies, because when you are 1/2 one philosophy and half another, you are a whole nothing.

Seriously, BVG will be able to play it safe and back the defense off at critical times but I expect him to keep the defense moving and playing aggressively 90% of the time. You want to excel at your gameplan, not try and do a little of this & that.

This year will be different in regards to our LBs for two reasons: scheme and size. If Onwualu, Turner and Tranquil are competing for an OLB, we will be faster sideline to sideline but can we take on the heavy package from Stanford? Will we be able to stop counters and misdirections? Can our LBs take on guards pulling?

Our old frustrations will melt away and new ones will appear. Let's just hope everybody is getting dialed in because this team can be special!

 

[ulukinatme]

I agree with both of you that the scheme change will help this. Plus we're simply recruiting better LBs now than before.

And you're right about the DL in a 3-4 needing to be big. It just bothered me that with over a year, Tuitt was never able to lose the weight to get down to his sophomore Tuitt level, and Nix leaves the program and miraculously drops like 20 pounds in two months.

Maybe they wanted Nix that big, and maybe Tuitt really couldn't help it because of the injury at the end of 2012, but I'm skeptical. I would say overally he's done a good job with the DL and a great job with the OL.

Tuitt definitely had bad weight his Junior year, and I do think he tried to get rid of some of it after the hernia surgery, but there wasn't enough time to recover and still go to classes and fulfill his other responsibilities. Nix probably could have lost weight, but frankly I don't think it was required of him to do so and he was damn good at his weight when he was healthy. It should also be noted that NFL teams seemed to want him at a lower weight which prompted his decision to sign up for a training program to get in shape. For Nix it was never an issue with Longo, and frankly I think he would have been less effective in a 3-4 if he played closer to 300. So, I would say that Longo did a perfect job with both Tuitt and Nix for a 3-4 scheme...however Tuitt's injury greatly impacted his ability to stay fit in 2013 and for Nix it was never an issue as he was perfectly fine given his role.

 

[zelezo vlk]

Tuitt definitely had bad weight his Junior year, and I do think he tried to get rid of some of it after the hernia surgery, but there wasn't enough time to recover and still go to classes and fulfill his other responsibilities. Nix probably could have lost weight, but frankly I don't think it was required of him to do so and he was damn good at his weight when he was healthy. It should also be noted that NFL teams seemed to want him at a lower weight which prompted his decision to sign up for a training program to get in shape. For Nix it was never an issue with Longo, and frankly I think he would have been less effective in a 3-4 if he played closer to 300. So, I would say that Longo did a perfect job with both Tuitt and Nix for a 3-4 scheme...however Tuitt's injury greatly impacted his ability to stay fit in 2013 and for Nix it was never an issue as he was perfectly fine given his role.

Beat me to it. It's funny what a couple million dollars can motivate one to do, like eating salads to be "sexier" (Nix's words).

 

[irish o'phile]

Just watched the game again. He is a big boy.

 

[ResLife Hero]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Freshman defensive tackle Daniel Cage said he reported at 345 pounds. Now down to 315 and "I'm still losing."</p>— Irish Illustrated (@NDatRivals) <a href="https://twitter.com/NDatRivals/status/512352552113819648">September 17, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[EuropeanDomer]

@D_Farmer
Asked freshman DL Daniel Cage what has surprised him most at #NotreDame. His answer: "The good-looking girls.

 

[Cali_domer]

@D_Farmer
Asked freshman DL Daniel Cage what has surprised him most at #NotreDame. His answer: "The good-looking girls.

Lol, surprised ND has them?

 

[Luckylucci]

@D_Farmer
Asked freshman DL Daniel Cage what has surprised him most at #NotreDame. His answer: "The good-looking girls.

For a guy thats over 300 lbs. they're all good looking, lol.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

For a guy thats over 300 lbs. they're all good looking, lol.

Is that a fat joke?


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[johnnycando]

For a guy thats over 300 lbs. they're all good looking, lol.

Hahahaha

 

[Luckylucci]

Is that a fat joke?


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Should've had italics

 

[ulukinatme]

@D_Farmer
Asked freshman DL Daniel Cage what has surprised him most at #NotreDame. His answer: "The good-looking girls.

He was clearly joking as there's nothing above a 7 on campus.

 

[GBdomer]

For a guy thats over 300 lbs. they're all good looking, lol.

hhahaahhah this post wins

 

[PLACforever]

#BigLouTwo

 

[dublinirish]

For a guy thats over 300 lbs. they're all good looking, lol.

hey now the big ladies need lovin' too

 

[Big23Head]

Good Scout article: Losing weight, Gaining ground

 

[Luckylucci]

If these kids are as competitive as they are right now and Kelly is as good as we believe at developing talent, this will be fun to watch.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

If these kids are as competitive as they are right now and Kelly is as good as we believe at developing talent, this will be fun to watch.

I don't think there is a doubt that Kelly is good at developing talent. He did it at Central Michigan, Cincy and currently at ND.


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[Bogtrotter07]

Love both of the late pulls in the middle, by BVG.

 

[dublinirish]

Just rewatching the game today in the 3rd quarter on 4th an 1 when Syracuse went for it on the QB sneak Cage absolutely blew up the Center and killed the sneak. Great play from him, that's no mean feat for a true frosh NT.

 

[Ironman8]

Thank BVG (and Elston) for getting in on and reeling this kid in so late. Really hard to do in a game where relationships are key, especially for a kid that had other good options (MSU and Louisville).

For all the crap Elston gets, he has done a very good job turning a young, patchwork DL into a stout front so far. We haven't faced a massive test yet, but their play has been extremely encouraging. I just wish we taught pass rushing moves a little better, but I do admit Romeo has looked more advanced there so far this year as well.

Very interested to see how Cage (and the other frosh DL) hold up against Stanford. Need these guys to grow up fast against Peat and Co.

 

[Bluto]

Thank BVG (and Elston) for getting in on and reeling this kid in so late. Really hard to do in a game where relationships are key, especially for a kid that had other good options (MSU and Louisville).

For all the crap Elston gets, he has done a very good job turning a young, patchwork DL into a stout front so far. We haven't faced a massive test yet, but their play has been extremely encouraging. I just wish we taught pass rushing moves a little better, but I do admit Romeo has looked more advanced there so far this year as well.

Very interested to see how Cage (and the other frosh DL) hold up against Stanford. Need these guys to grow up fast against Peat and Co.

Elston has been getting solid play out of the d line from day 1.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

Just rewatching the game today in the 3rd quarter on 4th an 1 when Syracuse went for it on the QB sneak Cage absolutely blew up the Center and killed the sneak. Great play from him, that's no mean feat for a true frosh NT.

This late season pull was integral to our success for the next 4 seasons (barring injury). Cage will likely continue his development, ready to take over for Jones after next year. Very excited about this DL haul. I hope we are now able to find a couple players that can contribute DE minutes as true freshman next year. (Gustin, Cowart, etc)

 

[IrishFanJMercy]

Looking at our schedule next year Texas, USC, Stanford and Clemson look like the only tough games we have all the rest should be pretty easy. Just imagine what are defense is going to look like next year? No doubt in my mind I think Day stays for his last year because he knows this team is going to be special next year. We should be 10-11 deep on the DL allowing us to redshirt every guy we end up taking in the 2015 class. Linebackers we will have Smith, Joe Schmidt will be asked back no doubt, Morgan, Onuwula, Turner, Deeb, Randolph, we will have an abundance of depth their, at corner we will a little shaky but I think we will be just fine and at Safety we will have everyone back except Collinsworth. Offense not worried at all.

 

[dublinirish]

This late season pull was integral to our success for the next 4 seasons (barring injury). Cage will likely continue his development, ready to take over for Jones after next year. Very excited about this DL haul. I hope we are now able to find a couple players that can contribute DE minutes as true freshman next year. (Gustin, Cowart, etc)

Not sure if Cage will ever be an every down 4-3 DT but he's going to be special on short yardage in a 0 tech over the center.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

Looking at our schedule next year Texas, USC, Stanford and Clemson look like the only tough games we have all the rest should be pretty easy. Just imagine what are defense is going to look like next year? No doubt in my mind I think Day stays for his last year because he knows this team is going to be special next year. We should be 10-11 deep on the DL allowing us to redshirt every guy we end up taking in the 2015 class. Linebackers we will have Smith, Joe Schmidt will be asked back no doubt, Morgan, Onuwula, Turner, Deeb, Randolph, we will have an abundance of depth their, at corner we will a little shaky but I think we will be just fine and at Safety we will have everyone back except Collinsworth. Offense not worried at all.

Why will we be a little shaky? The loss of Riggs? Who most thought was slotted as nickleback? Or the loss KVR? Who hasn't played yet and we've had pretty good play. I won't be so bold to guess that we'll be better but a year of seasoning for Cole Luke, Devin Butler, Redfield, Shumate, Farley and Watkins makes me think we'll continue to develop. Not to mention that we are looking to bring in a massive secondary class that should help bolster competition and we're likely going to find at least 1-2 who can provide minutes as true frosh.

Not sure if Cage will ever be an every down 4-3 DT but he's going to be special on short yardage in a 0 tech over the center.

Too early to tell for me. You don't think he can develop that type of work volume with his body type? Or you simply don't think he fits an every down DT?

I hope you are wrong because I'd love to see his volume go up and his presence continue to be felt. Even if he could hit 30 snaps/game, I think we found an absolute steal. Give him another year of development and training table and who knows where we'll be. Louis Nix didn't do anything his freshman year and turned into a wrecking ball, Cage is showing better at a younger age. (No, I'm not predicting he'll be better than LNIII but I'm hoping for it!).