2015 PRE SEASON CAMP THREAD

[IrishLion]

We're not young for the most part. We're deep and athletic. The schedule is challenging but manageable. "Playoff or bust" is a little ambitious but I think 10 wins is a reasonable expectation. Win one more and we're in the mix. But of course we could also go 8-5. It's college football.

Forget I used the word young, and this is basically where I'm at. I want to see 10+ wins, but 8 or 9 wouldn't surprise me, nor would 11 for that matter.

I'm just willing to be patient if we see 9 wins, because of how much returns again in '16, but I feel like IE will be a nuthouse of doom for anything less than 10.

 

[IrishLax]

14-0. Get on board, assholes.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

I will definitely not be taking my cue from that guy. I'd more concerned if he said we were the best team in the nation. Guy is an Fing idiot. Now, if we are going to look at pundits predictions for our feelings, lets go with Herbstreit who actually has some dignity to his career. He thinks that we're going to be alright.



Also, why do we have to be as good as the #1 team in the country right now anyways? Does anybody measure success with how good you look after a few weeks of training camp?



I posted this previously but are everybody's expectations that its win a championship or bust this year? I didn't view it that way 2 months ago and haven't seen anything to change my mind, so I don't



Nothing other than being better than OSU will justify success?



Well if so, thats on you and if it doesn't happen there is no reason to freak out as 10-11 wins will make me happy. Then Kanell saying we're not as good as OSU will be true and I won't give a flying F^C$.



This isn't directed just at you, I just see this going down a path that doesn't end well. Even though I think the season will be good.

I'm a big Jesse Palmer and Robert Smith fan. They are pretty fair in evaluating each team.


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[Circa]

14-0. Get on board, assholes.

True Dat!

 

[koonja]

I'm a big Jesse Palmer and Robert Smith fan. They are pretty fair in evaluating each team.


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Love Jesse Palmer. Going to be a great analyst and already one of my favs.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Love Jesse Palmer. Going to be a great analyst and already one of my favs.

Thing about Jesse is he is becoming a TV star, not sure how much more college football He will be doing now.


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[Cackalacky]

14-0. Get on board, assholes.

 

[phork]

14-0. Get on board, assholes.

This asshole is onboard.

 

[aubeirish]

Oh hell... You're all a bunch of pussies.

I endorse this. Fvck Cinnamon(Kanel). We are going all the way!

 

[Crazy Balki]

Considering O$U has nobody on the athletic spectrum of Jaylon Smith, I instantly know this guy is full of shit. We are at the very least close to as talented as Ohio State.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

This thread leaves me with one unanswered question : What would happen if I throw a piece of red meat into the pit?

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

Excited to see tOSU's offensive line. Decker must dwarf McGlinchey and Stanley.

 

[dublinirish]

its friday, sun's out, 14-0 coming fella's.

 

[IrishFanJMercy]

I look at OSU vs ND.
QB= advantage OSU
O-Line= Notre dame
WR= ND
RB's= OSU, but i think overall depth ND has more
TE= ND
D-line = OSU
LB= Notre Dame
Safeties = Tie
Corners= Notre dame
Thoughts?

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

I don't see how they can be THAT much bigger and athletic.. Maybe on the D-line (bigger). It's not like our'12 team watching Bama run through the tunnel.

Unless Urban is a proponent of the famed deer antler spray.

 

[Wingman Ray]

I agree on 9-3.

9-3 is absolutely mediocre for 18 out of 22 returning starters. ND should have been 9-3 last year easily if Golson wasnt such a flaming incompetent idiot and if we could have remotely kept anyone healthy all year. ND's schedule is tough being loaded with good but not excellent teams and we MAY play what 1-2 top 15 teams come the end of the year? ND may never again be this deep in returning starters. If ND doesnt do it or come real close this year, ND very well may never. Our recruiting is lower part of the top 10 each year which means consistently we are being beaten by teams like Bama and OSU for the tip top recruits.

There is zero reasons why ND cant go all the way this year. Clemson and USC are the big boys on our schedule. GT is traditionally a non factor in the national picture. Stanford is trending downward from its Luck years. Really, look at the schedule. Good but not great. Teams like Bama would crush everyone on our schedule with the exception of USC and Clemson which they would probably only beat by 10-14 pts.

Im not sold on OSU. I think they peaked at a great time but this is a B10 team that played exactly 1 ranked team all year (MSU). Played GREAT in the playoffs but definitely wasnt a worldbeater regular season. And of course, this year, they will play exactly 1 ranked team all year again (MSU) during their cakewalk to the playoffs.

At 9-3, you are stating loses to what USC, CLemson, and Gt or Stanford? So basically, any team on our schedule with a pulse you are claiming will beat ND? If that is the case, ND doesnt deserve remote mention of being a top tier program, much less potential playoff contender. Heck, might as well pack in and concentrate on academics alone if that is the best it can do with 18 of 22 starters back.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

I don't see how they can be THAT much bigger and athletic.. Maybe on the D-line (bigger). It's not like our'12 team watching Bama run through the tunnel.

Unless Urban is a proponent of the famed deer antler spray.

They practice in white and gray, so on the "Woody" they look huge.

ND whisks around LaBar and (I almost autocorrected to labia) keeps moving in blue, gold, white, and red!~

 

[Irish#1]

Hey, we're undefeated right now. Why the scepticism?

 

[BleedBlueGold]

I think 10-3 (including bowl win) is the absolute acceptable floor with this team barring some sort of epic injury disaster like last year.

In each of BK's years at ND there has been the opportunity to rise up and exceed expectations but something got in the way every year but 2012.

2010: 8-5, QB, defense, AND coaching issues
2011: 8-5, QB issues, Turnover City
2012: 12-1
2013: 9-4, Golson suspended, Turnovers
2014: 8-5, Turnover City, Injury City

2015 will be determined by protecting the ball, defense, catching a break with injuries, and good coaching. BK has had that all fall into place only one time in his five years at ND, but even during his worst seasons the team managed 8 wins. A team of this caliber should win 8 games in their sleep. Again, barring any kind of massive injury plague, I truly believe the floor is set at 10 wins. Some may say that's putting too much pressure on Malik, but if BK protects him, there shouldn't be any issues with the offense. 10 wins minimum for me not to jump off a cliff, but you better believe I'm expecting even bigger things from this team in 2015.

 

[garyasher]

I look at OSU vs ND.
QB= advantage OSU
O-Line= Notre dame
WR= ND
RB's= OSU, but i think overall depth ND has more
TE= ND
D-line = OSU
LB= Notre Dame
Safeties = Tie
Corners= Notre dame
Thoughts?

Ok, ND's Oline is better then theirs. But will there Dline win more battles with our Oline then our Dline winning battles with their Oline? That is the first question.

2nd question, can Malik make as many plays as their Qb, whomever that might be?

Third, can Malik stay healthy? Then what?

4 Provem Qbs? we have 1, slightly proven. They know they can lose 2 qbs and still beat Bama.

5 They don't play Navy and Ga tech. We will rack up injuries. (I really wish we could find a way to really hurt a guy when he chop blocks, like running on his back, legs, arms and hands).

I am very happy that we have evolved to this point, but we need more DL monsters at a minimum who can stop the run and provide a pass rush. If we lose 1 more starter, we are in trouble again.

They are pretty proven, we are not. I am hoping we get a chance to see for ourselves though.

If we beat them to win a national title, these will be the things we talk about for years because we would be the huge under dog.

 

[GrangerIrish24]

Ohio St is a better a the linebacker spot than us. Take out Jaylon and we have a converted receiver, a walk on, and kid who has been rehabbing for over a year and a half. We have talent, but not there yet.

 

[NDinL.A.]

Considering O$U has nobody on the athletic spectrum of Jaylon Smith, I instantly know this guy is full of shit. We are at the very least close to as talented as Ohio State.

Sean, his quote is about the team as a whole, not just one player. Throwing out his quote based on your criteria is homerism at its finest; either that or you just didn't understand the quote.

And secondly, Jaylon Smith is absolutely a freak, but have you seen Ohio State play, like, ever? They kicked the crap out of Wisconsin, and then took it to Alabama and Oregon, two very athletic teams. They have PLENTY of talented athletes, and yes, a couple that are most definitely in Jaylon's spectrum.

I'm not a huge fan of Kanell's, but he has no reason to lie here. He saw what he saw and he gave his opinion...an opinion that disappoints me bc in my eyes our team is as talented and deep as we've had in a long time. To hear someone come out of both practices saying OSU is far ahead of us in terms of size and athleticism is disappointing. Then again, they are #1 for a reason, and like USC, will pretty much always be more athletic. ND has to be better coached and has to be tougher to beat those schools. It can happen.

 

[stlnd01]

Ohio St is a better a the linebacker spot than us. Take out Jaylon and we have a converted receiver, a walk on, and kid who has been rehabbing for over a year and a half. We have talent, but not there yet.

I think guys like Morgan and Coney will help close that gap right quick, but point taken.

I can't claim encyclopedic knowledge of OSU's two-deep, but I don't think it's an affront to Notre Dame to say they have more talent overall than we do. They just won a national championship. They've been recruiting incredibly well since Urban got to town. They're deep and tough.
None of which means we can't beat them in a football game, which is actually all that matters. I'm pretty sure we can.

 

[IrishLion]

For anyone interested (which is probably no one), but here's what I was trying to get across last night when I said I was preparing for a 9-3 regular season, and that I could live with it because of how "young" we are ("young" was a poor word choice; "potential for return" would have been more accurate):

QB
Malik - Returns
DeShone - Returns
Brandon - Returns

RB
Folston - Probably returns
Prosise - Returns
Adams - Returns
Williams - Returns

TE
Smythe - Returns
Luatua - Returns
Weishar - Returns
Jones - Returns

WR
Fuller - ?
Brown - Gone
Robinson - Returns
Carlisle - Gone
Hunter - Returns
Holmes - Returns
ESB - Returns
Sanders - Returns
Brent - Returns (but maybe as a RB still)

OL
Stanley - Gone
Nelson/Bars - Return
Martin - Gone
Elmer - Returns
McGlinchey - Returns

DE
Okwara - Gone
Rochelle - Returns
Trumbetti - Returns
Blankenship - Returns

DT
Day - Gone
Jones - Returns
Tillery - Returns
Cage - Returns
Hayes - Returns

LB
Jaylon - ?
Schmidt - Gone
Grace - Gone
Morgan - Returns
Onwualu - Returns
Coney - Returns
Martini - Returns

CB
KVR - Gone
Luke - Returns
Watkins - Returns
Coleman - Returns
Butler - Returns

S
Redfield - ?
Shumate - Gone
Sebastian - Gone
Tranquill - Returns
Williams - Returns

Heading into '16, this team returns less starters than '15 obviously, but won't be hurting for returning starters or depth players. I didn't even list some of the freshmen/sophomores that could end up on the 2-deep this year, which would in turn give me even more optimism going into the future.

ND will be hurting at safety after this season, and potentially linebacker depending on how Morgan and Coney progress. But everywhere else simply reloads in '16, and it should be another year where depth is once again improved.

So I want '15 to be a big year, and I think it will. But I'll probably be more patient than most if we were to only see 9 wins because of how this program continues to build with depth and experience in '16.

 

[GrangerIrish24]

I think guys like Morgan and Coney will help close that gap right quick, but point taken.

I can't claim encyclopedic knowledge of OSU's two-deep, but I don't think it's an affront to Notre Dame to say they have more talent overall than we do. They just won a national championship. They've been recruiting incredibly well since Urban got to town. They're deep and tough.
None of which means we can't beat them in a football game, which is actually all that matters. I'm pretty sure we can.

We have done better at closing the gap. They are just at a different level right now.

 

[Ndaccountant]

All along we have known that ND's major strength as a team is going to be the OL. It is nearly impossible to gauge OL play in a practice scenario if you are only watching one or two. I am less concerned about the "athletes" and more concerned about whether or not the OL can generate enough push to pick up 3rd and 2 (which we have seemingly had problems with that in the past, sans 2012). On D, we know the CB play should be good, Jalyon is boss, Day needs to stay healthy and that we should be better than last year. But being better than last year isn't a great comparison. ND will not have a shut down D. Simple as that. Instead, ND needs to win by controlling the LOS on offense and trying to force 3rd and longs to allow the D to be aggressive.

ND doesn't need to have the best athletes, pretty sure LSU had more athletes than ND last December. I am also confident in saying ND was not the most talented nor the most athletic team in the country in 2012.

 

[rocket66]

2015 PRE SEASON CAMP THREAD

The problem with Kanell's comments are that he saw two completely different types of practices, which I think skewed his thinking. He saw a loose practice on osu's campus with music blaring and a lot of local excitement. His experience for ND was Culver academy in the middle of nowhere in a day where the coaches were working the kids hard and seriously. I watched that day and you could tell Kanell even appeared bored to be out there after a fun day in Columbus.

We all know ND has the "loose" type practices as well, and I just think Kanell didn't get a great inside view of ND's program that day. It was just one experience he had, imo. The size thing, however, is laughable to me. What does that even mean? Osu has bigger players? I mean ND has recruited great over the past 4 years with plenty of huge kids.


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[Luckylucci]

Sean, his quote is about the team as a whole, not just one player. Throwing out his quote based on your criteria is homerism at its finest; either that or you just didn't understand the quote.

And secondly, Jaylon Smith is absolutely a freak, but have you seen Ohio State play, like, ever? They kicked the crap out of Wisconsin, and then took it to Alabama and Oregon, two very athletic teams. They have PLENTY of talented athletes, and yes, a couple that are most definitely in Jaylon's spectrum.

I'm not a huge fan of Kanell's, but he has no reason to lie here. He saw what he saw and he gave his opinion...an opinion that disappoints me bc in my eyes our team is as talented and deep as we've had in a long time. To hear someone come out of both practices saying OSU is far ahead of us in terms of size and athleticism is disappointing. Then again, they are #1 for a reason, and like USC, will pretty much always be more athletic. ND has to be better coached and has to be tougher to beat those schools. It can happen.

I have to disagree with the Kanell has no reason to lie part. The guy makes the most outlandish and stupid comments all the time. Part of that has become his "schtik" (sp). So I personally do not think that this has to be truthful at all. It might make more controversy and good TV moments but it doesn't have to be truthful.

 

[kmoose]

a brutal 7-game stretch to open the season.

I'm not sure about your definition of "brutal". 3 of our first 4 opponents had losing records last year.

 

[wizards8507]

I'm not sure about your definition of "brutal". 3 of our first 4 opponents had losing records last year.

Yeah our FPI chance of winning each of our first seven games is 77%, 83%, 76%, 98%, 56%, 96%, 61%. We're an underdog a total of zero times and only two of them are particularly close. And this if from SECSPN.

A lot of people like to talk up how hard our schedule is but this ain't the year to do it. We only have the 61st toughest schedule in the nation according to Phil Steele.