Aldridge!!

[Clausen2Kamara]

It was nice that Charlie gave the kid some meaningful minutes today. I love the way he runs. He is a very good compliment to D Walk. He runs like a truck. I love it. He looked good yesterday from what I heard. He also makes D Walk's style much more effective and much more for the defense to think about. We will definetly need him against SC. I say Charlie gives him more like 15 carries next week against Army. That game will be over by half.

 

[Freeman Ara]

It was nice that Charlie gave the kid some meaningful minutes today. I love the way he runs. He is a very good compliment to D Walk. He runs like a truck. I love it. He looked good yesterday from what I heard. He also makes D Walk's style much more effective and much more for the defense to think about. We will definetly need him against SC. I say Charlie gives him more like 15 carries next week against Army. That game will be over by half.

Yeah Aldridge impressed me too yesterday, and is it just me or does Aldridge give you that he could break any run kind of excitement when he runs? From the few plays I have seen from him in the last few weeks it just seems that when he runs he looks like he could break ever play.

 

[irish4life99]

I think he will develop into a good back. I would expect to see him even more next week. Along with Prince, but I would like to see Prince get a few runs behind the starting OL too. Get his confidence up.

 

[KMac151993]

He runs hard and he runs North/South none of this dancing garbage. I can't wait till he and Prince are the featured backs. ND will once again have a running game.

 

[SIUIrish]

I wanna see Prince's speed that we've heard so much about. Put him in with the starters, give him a screen or swing pass anything to get him in space and let him run. We've seen what Aldridge can do, lets see Prince too.

 

[brecht]

ditto the aldrige praise. one thing i'd like to see james do is catch a pass. charlie claims he's got wonderful hands, and that would not let teams treat him as a run-only substitution.

 

[Famboo28]

Yeah, I was also very impressed with the way Aldridge ran, and like most of you have already said, it's a great mix with Darius Walker. Aldridge is the kind of back that when he gets the ball, he hits the hole going 100 mph and is strictly a North/South running who wants to steamroll people. I love it.

 

[dankus]

I'm curious how many reps he will get, if any, against USC.

I like the way he runs too, and has been pretty effective at running the ball, even in garbage time(except against Navy).

 

[tedwick]

He runs hard and he runs North/South none of this dancing garbage. I can't wait till he and Prince are the featured backs. ND will once again have a running game.

ummm.... question: when will darius walker be good enough for people to stop talking about how the freshmen should be featured? He had 153 on 15 carries yesterday for 10.2 yards per carry. add a touchdown on to that. and you're saying that we don't have a running game?
He's averaged over 4 yards per carry in all but three games this year. He's had four 100 yard games (almost 5... he had 99 at gtech), two (almost 3, one with 146) 150 yard games.
In Julius Jones' "draft" season, he had a bit over 1200 yards. Darius is on pace to get to 1100... Reminder: Jones is in the NFL now. I really don't understand what the fuss is about with Darius. He's a great blocker, great receiver, and a great runner. He was a 1000 yard rusher last year as a sophomore, he probably would have been a 1000 yard rusher his freshman year had he been playing the whole year and not splitting time with ryan grant, and he's going to be a 1000 yard rusher this year. Get over it. Darius is a good back.

 

[Pete]

ummm.... question: when will darius walker be good enough for people to stop talking about how the freshmen should be featured? He had 153 on 15 carries yesterday for 10.2 yards per carry. add a touchdown on to that. and you're saying that we don't have a running game?
He's averaged over 4 yards per carry in all but three games this year. He's had four 100 yard games (almost 5... he had 99 at gtech), two (almost 3, one with 146) 150 yard games.
In Julius Jones' "draft" season, he had a bit over 1200 yards. Darius is on pace to get to 1100... Reminder: Jones is in the NFL now. I really don't understand what the fuss is about with Darius. He's a great blocker, great receiver, and a great runner. He was a 1000 yard rusher last year as a sophomore, he probably would have been a 1000 yard rusher his freshman year had he been playing the whole year and not splitting time with ryan grant, and he's going to be a 1000 yard rusher this year. Get over it. Darius is a good back.

Obviously never, ND fans are a bunch of, the grass is always greenier people.

 

[Famboo28]

ummm.... question: when will darius walker be good enough for people to stop talking about how the freshmen should be featured? He had 153 on 15 carries yesterday for 10.2 yards per carry. add a touchdown on to that. and you're saying that we don't have a running game?
He's averaged over 4 yards per carry in all but three games this year. He's had four 100 yard games (almost 5... he had 99 at gtech), two (almost 3, one with 146) 150 yard games.
In Julius Jones' "draft" season, he had a bit over 1200 yards. Darius is on pace to get to 1100... Reminder: Jones is in the NFL now. I really don't understand what the fuss is about with Darius. He's a great blocker, great receiver, and a great runner. He was a 1000 yard rusher last year as a sophomore, he probably would have been a 1000 yard rusher his freshman year had he been playing the whole year and not splitting time with ryan grant, and he's going to be a 1000 yard rusher this year. Get over it. Darius is a good back.

I couldn't agree with you more Ted, but I think the problem that most people have with Darius Walker is how patient he is as a runner. He waits for his blocks to develop and then hit the hole, where people would much rather have a back that hits the hole hard. I also think one of the huge factors that is missing from Darius is the ability to break a run open. If he got a bit faster, he could break some of the runs he has for 20 yards into 40, 50, and 60 yard runs.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

I couldn't agree with you more Ted, but I think the problem that most people have with Darius Walker is how patient he is as a runner. He waits for his blocks to develop and then hit the hole, where people would much rather have a back that hits the hole hard. I also think one of the huge factors that is missing from Darius is the ability to break a run open. If he got a bit faster, he could break some of the runs he has for 20 yards into 40, 50, and 60 yard runs.

It's not about the patience...patience is fine.

It's that he is slow and cannot break off a big run. It's also that he goes down easier than some.

I was watching the tOSU game a bit yesterday (I was at a Sports Bar with two big screens...ND and OSU).

I watched Pittman run smack into the line, then spin off and run right around the end for the TD. Something Darius is unable to do.

Aldridge did not out perform Darius yesterday, he did show us a different style though...one we have been missing. He's fast and he hits the whole like a freight train. He delivers punishment when you try to tackle him. It is VERY different than Walker.

 

[Clotho]

Aldridge is a better running back as a true freshman than Darius is as a junior. And I like Darius. But that's just the way it is. He'd better be implemented against USC. That's kind of been the whole point of getting him into these games.

 

[onenybrother]

He runs hard and he runs North/South none of this dancing garbage. I can't wait till he and Prince are the featured backs. ND will once again have a running game.

Can't wait until we are a ball control offense again.

 

[notdam4]

Aldridge is a better running back as a true freshman than Darius is as a junior. And I like Darius. But that's just the way it is. He'd better be implemented against USC. That's kind of been the whole point of getting him into these games.

Wow.. that's a very bold statement to make. I wonder why he's not starting??

 

[tedwick]

Wow.. that's a very bold statement to make. I wonder why he's not starting??

Because Charlie Weis is clearly an idiot.

Really. Patience is GOOD in a runner. If we had a better O-line, walker would be one of the better all-around backs in the nation. scratch that, he already is.

For those saying that aldridge is better than walker... i'd love to see aldridge pick up the blitz or be a threat in the passing game. but he's not there yet. yes, aldridge is a great runner. Probably a better flat out runner than darius (again, darius can pick up 4 yards a carry pretty regularly, but doesn't have many quick, long runs). however, he's not a great BACK yet. In Weis' offense, you have to have the whole package, blocking, receiving, AND running. Aldridge will certainly get there. But he's not there right now, and he won't be by the USC game.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

For those saying that aldridge is better than walker... i'd love to see aldridge pick up the blitz or be a threat in the passing game. but he's not there yet. yes, aldridge is a great runner. Probably a better flat out runner than darius (again, darius can pick up 4 yards a carry pretty regularly, but doesn't have many quick, long runs). however, he's not a great BACK yet. In Weis' offense, you have to have the whole package, blocking, receiving, AND running. Aldridge will certainly get there. But he's not there right now, and he won't be by the USC game.

Yeah, that is the spot on summary. I love Aldridge's ability to lower a shoulder and gets an extra yard or two...

But there are so many aspects of a RBs development in the Weis system that I find it difficult to believe he is ready to master them all. It's not an easy job to say the very least.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

Aldridge is a better running back as a true freshman than Darius is as a junior. And I like Darius. But that's just the way it is. He'd better be implemented against USC. That's kind of been the whole point of getting him into these games.

Well, he's the better runner...not so sure he's the better all around back.

 

[KMac151993]

ummm.... question: when will darius walker be good enough for people to stop talking about how the freshmen should be featured? He had 153 on 15 carries yesterday for 10.2 yards per carry. add a touchdown on to that. and you're saying that we don't have a running game?
He's averaged over 4 yards per carry in all but three games this year. He's had four 100 yard games (almost 5... he had 99 at gtech), two (almost 3, one with 146) 150 yard games.
In Julius Jones' "draft" season, he had a bit over 1200 yards. Darius is on pace to get to 1100... Reminder: Jones is in the NFL now. I really don't understand what the fuss is about with Darius. He's a great blocker, great receiver, and a great runner. He was a 1000 yard rusher last year as a sophomore, he probably would have been a 1000 yard rusher his freshman year had he been playing the whole year and not splitting time with ryan grant, and he's going to be a 1000 yard rusher this year. Get over it. Darius is a good back.

Why becuase everytime Julius touched the ball I knew he could hit the home run as he showed it. Walker while a great back at picking up blitzs and being patient does not have any explosion what so ever. I love guys that run North/South not East/West. How many times have we been stopped short because Walker runs laterally instead of putting his head down and going forward. To me Walker is a good fit for Weis's system with Quinn, as he is a good "3rd Down" back.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

Why becuase everytime Julius touched the ball I knew he could hit the home run as he showed it. Walker while a great back at picking up blitzs and being patient does not have any explosion what so ever. I love guys that run North/South not East/West. How many times have we been stopped short because Walker runs laterally instead of putting his head down and going forward. To me Walker is a good fit for Weis's system with Quinn, as he is a good "3rd Down" back.

Case in point during the AF game. Walker bust through a whole....the field is completely open ahead of him. 3 guys converge on him from BEHIND HIM!!!

They ALL caught him.

This is Air Force too...we are not talking speed demons from USC here.

 

[irishfan]

Aldridge is a better running back as a true freshman than Darius is as a junior. And I like Darius. But that's just the way it is. He'd better be implemented against USC. That's kind of been the whole point of getting him into these games.

The whole point of him getting a few carries against teams like Air Force, Navy, and Stanford is so he can take away Walker's starting spot for the biggest game of the year?

 

[Clausen2Kamara]

I never said Walker wasn't a good back he is. He does all of the little things well. He picks up blitzes, cateches the ball, and most importantly never fumbles. What I'm saying is that James doesn't wait around for holes to open up, he opens them up himself. With the way our o-line is playing this year, I don't think we beniefit from a patient runner. We need a guy a goes north/south. D Walk is a good back but by no way can you compare him to Julius Jones. Aldridge breaks tackles and doesn't go down without a fight. Walker goes down if the wind blows too hard. Aldridge and Walker should split carries it would make each of them much more effective.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

I never said Walker wasn't a good back he is. He does all of the little things well. He picks up blitzes, cateches the ball, and most importantly never fumbles. What I'm saying is that James doesn't wait around for holes to open up, he opens them up himself. With the way our o-line is playing this year, I don't think we beniefit from a patient runner. We need a guy a goes north/south. D Walk is a good back but by no way can you compare him to Julius Jones. Aldridge breaks tackles and doesn't go down without a fight. Walker goes down if the wind blows too hard. Aldridge and Walker should split carries it would make each of them much more effective.

You are right...Walker is not comparable to Jones.

I like the idea of a 1-2 punch with these two. But DW in on draws and pass coverage. Throw Aldrgidge on the field when you want to run hard or open things up a bit.

 

[tommy]

james is a stronger runner but he is in no way a better rb then walker that is just a stupid thing to say

 

[Clotho]

The whole point of him getting a few carries against teams like Air Force, Navy, and Stanford is so he can take away Walker's starting spot for the biggest game of the year?

Uh, does "implemented" mean "given the starting spot"? Are you dense? And how is it a "stupid thing to say" that a 5 star running back is better than a 3 star running back? It may be correct, or not, but to say a 5 star freshman back in college is better than a junior who was a 3 star back (and who has been good but has not exactly been a world beater in his 3 years) is hardly a "stupid" opinion.

As for asking "Oh yea well if he's so good why isn't he starting huh why isn't he starting if he's so good you big idiot!", now THAT is stupid. It's also disingenuous, to act like Weis thinks Walker is clearly the better back, and that's why he's starting. It's not. Aldridge, for one, is a freshman, which makes it difficult to unseat a two-year starting upperclassman who's had back to back 1000 yard seasons. I know, I know. "Weis will always play the better guy!" That looks good in the press conferences, but it's a little harder to tell your workhorse junior running back to move over, you've just brought in a better player. More importantly, Aldridge was hurt. If he hadn't been hurt, honestly, he might be starting by now, or "as good as" starting, which means featured in a 50/50 split backfield. It's not an accident that he's been out there more and more, and earlier and earlier in games. He was in against AF, what, second series? That's not for nothing. The kid is legitimately good. He was our biggest recruit last year other than Sam Young, who's starting. And next year he'll either be starting or splitting carries. Of course I expect next year to be more ball control, whoever the QB is.

 

[Irish1]

james is a stronger runner but he is in no way a better rb then walker that is just a stupid thing to say

walker lacks break away speed. something aldridge and prince have so once these two see the field more, darius will be in the dust.

 

[tommy]

hey they might have more upside and when they have d dubs experiance there is no doubt james will be better but as of now experiance over takes ability

 

[tommy]

how many rushing yards did walker have ohh 153. how many did james have ohh i dont even know but he didnt have a hundred yard day. how can you say a guy that has very very little experiance is better then a guy that has rush for a 1000 yards and broke the nd record for rb reciveing that is very stupid .

 

[Clotho]

No, it's not. Walker's "experience" has been the experience of being good, not great. I like him a lot, but I think Aldridge is better than he is.

As for Prince, he hasn't shown a thing. Not a thing. Where is the speed? He's been getting fewer and fewer appearances. He might have to go back in the microwave for a bit.

 

[tommy]

well i can agree that james has more ability and may be a "better" back in the near future but he is not the better back as of now and i agree that prince has done little to nothing