Sharpley gets the nod

[SoCalDomer]

No I don't expect him to say negative things about the one he's not choosing.

Let me give you an example: In Princess Bride, the bald guy keeps saying "inconceivable" (with a lisp). After he says it a bunch of times and the thing he describes as "inconceivable" keeps happening, Enigo Montoya(sp?) says, "I do not think you understand the meaning of that word."

My point is, maybe Chaa-lee needs to learn some new phrases or to drop the cliches.

"I decided to start Evan Sharpley at quaterback based on what I saw in reviewing game film and based on Monday's practice. He's experienced, he's been in the offense the longest, and I know Jimmy Clausen is a bit banged up; no doubt a rest would do him good. Incidentally, it should also give Jimmy a chance to learn the game at a slower pace, from the sideline. The game speed is much different from the sideline than being in there."

How hard was that? Not putting any players down. Building up the positives and I didn't have to use the cliche, "He gives us the best chance to win."

 

[onenybrother]

In hindsight maybe Jimmy could of redshirted this year.

 

[kmoose]

No I don't expect him to say negative things about the one he's not choosing.

Let me give you an example: In Princess Bride, the bald guy keeps saying "inconceivable" (with a lisp). After he says it a bunch of times and the thing he describes as "inconceivable" keeps happening, Enigo Montoya(sp?) says, "I do not think you understand the meaning of that word."

My point is, maybe Chaa-lee needs to learn some new phrases or to drop the cliches.

"I decided to start Evan Sharpley at quaterback based on what I saw in reviewing game film and based on Monday's practice. He's experienced, he's been in the offense the longest, and I know Jimmy Clausen is a bit banged up; no doubt a rest would do him good. Incidentally, it should also give Jimmy a chance to learn the game at a slower pace, from the sideline. The game speed is much different from the sideline than being in there."

How hard was that? Not putting any players down. Building up the positives and I didn't have to use the cliche, "He gives us the best chance to win."

No offense, but I think Weis probably knows how to deal with the media a little better than you or I. And I doubt that taking clues from The Princess Bride is a good way to handle the situation.

 

[NDsuperfan09]

Anybody catch Charlies spiel on ESPNU? Seems to me unless Sharpley sets the world on fire, Clausen will be starting again by the end of the year.

 

[SouthieND04]

I suppose we'll all just have to wait and see, right? It would be hard to imagine that if we win against SC, Sharp would lose the starting job this season (and of course that's quite a big if). If we lose and looks serviceable, I think we stick with him. If we lose and he looks comparable to JC, it's anybody's guess what CW will do!

Here's hoping we clobber USC!!!

 

[quiksilver253]

Yes and no.

Yes - running the ball at the defense the entire game wears them down. Running the ball lends itself to more of a possession/control game; it keeps the clock running and generally takes longer to move the ball down the field. Even if the gains in the first half are small, IF we're wearing the defense down, the running game should pick-up by the end of the game. The compliments of a running game to the passing game are obvious too.

No - if we are behind (again) by significant amounts, losing the time of possession stat, and losing yards in the running game, then all of its benefits are not working.

Running the ball at them 15 times in a drive wears them down, running at them 3 times and then giving them 15-30 minute breaks between each try does not.

 

[Junkhead]

In hindsight maybe Jimmy could of redshirted this year.

I'm not 100%, but I think early-entries are NOT eligible for a 5th year.

 

[tripsdad]

Lets see some creative play calling...let AA throw one again....reverse on a kick off..someting to mix it up...How about Kerry Neal or Brian Smith as a lead blocker on 3 and short

Here's a trick play for Charlie: lateral to Zibby, who heaves it to a streaking Golden Tate. Yes, Zibby - last year during the pregame warmup for the Stanford game I saw Zibby throw a perfect spiral at least 50 yds. And that was when he was banged up!

 

[johnnd05]

super excited that Evan FINALLY got the starting job. Something that should've been done when the season started.

I don't see it. If Sharpley doesn't look good in practice, and that's all that Weis had to go on, then there was no reason to name him the starter. Until last week Clausen hadn't played poorly enough in a game to deserve to be replaced.

 

[Irishtat]

Anybody catch Charlies spiel on ESPNU? Seems to me unless Sharpley sets the world on fire, Clausen will be starting again by the end of the year.

that makes sense from what I gathered from the presser today... when did this air?

 

[WaveDomer]

Anybody catch Charlies spiel on ESPNU? Seems to me unless Sharpley sets the world on fire, Clausen will be starting again by the end of the year.

You know, if Weis had come out and said that Clausen was starting versus USC, I wouldn't have been surprised. So it wouldn't surprise me at all to see him finish the season starting. My feeling is that both QBs are pretty much operating on the same level right now. They have different areas where they play better, but the results are similar. That being said, Clausen was the top recruit in the country. He is considered, by many, to be the future of ND at QB. Weis is a molder of great QBs. It seems to me that he would want to mold Clausen into that great QB. I'm not arguing that he is doing it correctly or incorrectly, only that he has to be salivating to mold this kid. So unless somebody comes up and blows the doors off, I think the helm is Clausen's. Even if he gives it up for a week or two. Even if Sharpley finishes the season, I don't see Clausen leaving. He knows the opportunity in front of him and that's why he decided on ND.

 

[Timugen]

Anybody catch Charlies spiel on ESPNU? Seems to me unless Sharpley sets the world on fire, Clausen will be starting again by the end of the year.

Relatively speaking, all he would need to do to "set the world on fire" is lead the offense to more 1st downs than 3-and-outs.

 

[johnnd05]

I think Sharpley would have to blow it for him to lose the job. Weis knows that consistency is what this team needs. That said, it's probably also true that the bar for what counts as "blowing it" in Sharpley's case is a bit lower than it is for Clausen.

 

[johnnd05]

A bunch of other personnel stuff, via the Roundup.

Personnel notes

<small><!-- by John --></small>

With the Southern Cal (yeah, that’s what I said) game just a few days away, there’s a bunch of news to cover regarding depth chart moves, injury updates, and the like. I’m going to run down the highlights position-by-position, but for the quick version, see the summary below:
​

• Running backs: First-string tailback James Aldridge suffered a high ankle sprain against BC and is officially listed as “doubtful” for Saturday’s game, and Michael Rothstein quotes Charlie Weis as saying that while Aldridge “intends to play this week,” “the odds of that happening aren’t that high.” Given that all season even players who have been described as “probable,” “game-time decisions,” or even “ready to go” haven’t ended up playing (think David Grimes, Dan Wenger, and Maurice Crum last week), I’d say there’s just about no chance that Aldridge ends up seeing the field, which is really bad news for the Irish. With the injury to Aldridge, former co-#2’s Travis Thomas, Armando Allen, Junior Jabbie, and Robert Hughes are now listed as co-#1’s on the new depth chart, with Aldridge’s name in italics. Here’s what Weis said about this in his Tuesday press conference: “Well, I think what we would not do this week, since this is USC, is just throw Robert (Hughes) in and Armando (Allen) in there right off the bat. I think that we would go a little heavier with Travis (Thomas) being involved in this mix, too, more than he has this year. I think that that would be part of that combination. I’m not saying by committee, but I think that he would probably take off some of the pressure of James, and obviously Robert and Armando would be much more involved.”
• Wide receivers: David Grimes didn’t play against BC, butWeis said in his Tuesday presser that it sounds like Grimes has “a legitimate chance of playing” in the Southern Cal game: he “was close to being able to go on Saturday (vs. Boston College), but it’s always tough when you haven’t practiced all week long to try to go when you haven’t had a meaningful rep in practice.” Meanwhile, as Rothstein notes in his excellent breakdown of this week’s depth chart changes, Grimes is now listed behind Robby Parris at the “Z” receiver slot, and fellow former #1 George West is now behind freshman Duval Kamara at “X” receiver. Golden Tate, meanwhile, is still listed as third string for the “Z” slot, and Weis make a helpful clarification in his presser as to why Tate didn’t play much on offense against BC, saying that it wasn’t because of injury: “That was because we were going to play a significant amount of no huddle in the game, and in the no huddle our outside receivers do not flip flop positions, so they need to know both outside positions both as the weak side receiver and the strong side receiver. And really at his experience level, you want him to be able to play one position. Not (put him in a position) where he has to know both the X and the F and know both right and left. That was not the type of game that you want a guy with very little experience to be involved in.”
• Offensive line: As I noted earlier, Dan Wenger sat out his fourth straight game last week with a leg injury. But when asked about Wenger’s health, Weis was unambiguous (for once): “He’s back. I think I would list Tom (Bemenderfer) down there [as the backup at right guard], but I think if I needed a backup inside, Danny (Wenger) would be the first backup inside at all three positions. I know I only list him at one. I list him (Wenger) as the backup center but he’d probably go in first at right guard and he’d probably go in first at left guard, as well.” On the new depth chart, Wenger is in fact listed as the backup to both John Sullivan at center and Eric Olsen at right guard, with Bemenderfer listed as Mike Turkovich’s backup at the left guard slot. Weis also noted that Chris Stewart, who saw the first game action of his career against BC, has been working both at right tackle and at right guard in practice, though the former position is his primary responsibility.
• Linebackers: I also noted that Maurice Crum sat out the BC game, because of a turf toe injury he suffered against UCLA. Weis also described Crum as having a “legitimate chance” of playing against SC, noting that he “is walking without a limp this week, and that’s a good thing.” But both Rothstein and Ben Ford note in their reports from Tuesday’s practice that Crum looked a bit slow, so it seems likely that his status may be up in the air. The new depth chart, meanwhile, lists Anthony Vernaglia, who had been a starter at outside linebacker until last week but saw time at ILB against UCLA as well as BC, as Crum’s backup, with freshman Brian Smith taking over Vernaglia’s position from last week as the backup to John Ryan, and Morrice Richardson now in Smith’s old position as the backup to Kerry Neal.
• Cornerbacks: Thankfully there’s no injury news to report here, but there has been a little bit of shifting on the depth chart: Darrin Walls is now listed as a co-#1 with Ambrose Wooden at the left cornerback spot, and at RCB, former tailback Munir Prince - who as I noted before the BC game has been seeing more playing time recently - is now listed as a co-#2 with Raeshon McNeil, behind Terrail Lambert.

Okay, that’s all. Here’s a quick summary for anyone who might have been overwhelmed by all that text:

• James Aldridge is injured and probably won’t play against Southern Cal. Travis Thomas will play a key role backing him up, together with freshmen Robert Hughes and Armando Allen.
• David Grimes will probably be back for the SC game, though he is now listed at second-string behind Robby Parris. George West has also been bumped to second-string, by freshman Duval Kamara. Golden Tate is not injured.
• Dan Wenger is back on the offensive line, and listed as a backup at two positions (center and right guard). Tom Bemenderfer is the backup at the other guard position.
• Maurice Crum has reportedly looked a little slow in practice, so it’s fair to say that his status for Saturday is up in the air. Anthony Vernaglia is now his backup, with Brian Smith taking over Vernaglia’s spot from last week as the backup to John Ryan and Morrice Richardson taking Smith’s spot as the backup to Kerry Neal.
• Ambrose Wooden is now listed as a co-#1 with Darrin Walls at one cornerback slot, and Munir Prince as the co-#2 with Raeshon McNeil at the other.

That’s it! I’ll be back tomorrow with some analysis of the team’s depth along the offensive line, pre- and post- the departure of Matt Carufel.

 

[GoIrish41]

I doubt that taking clues from The Princess Bride is a good way to handle the situation.

I'm going to have to disagree with you there.

 

[SoCalDomer]

No offense, but I think Weis probably knows how to deal with the media a little better than you or I. And I doubt that taking clues from The Princess Bride is a good way to handle the situation.

Your argument is flawed for a number of reasons. 1) You don't know what I do for a living, therefore it is incorrect to conclude that I know less about communicating than Mr. Weis; 2) Saying someone else is more qualified because of their credentials commits the falacy of appeal to authority; 3) If you can't follow an analogy, I don't think I can help you.

 

[kmoose]

Your argument is flawed for a number of reasons. 1) You don't know what I do for a living, therefore it is incorrect to conclude that I know less about communicating than Mr. Weis; 2) Saying someone else is more qualified because of their credentials commits the falacy of appeal to authority; 3) If you can't follow an analogy, I don't think I can help you.

Look, SoCal, I'm not trying to pick a fight with you. I just agree with Weis..........you play the guy that gives you the best chance to win the game. What's wrong with being honest about it?

Plus, think of it this way...............you wouldn't have to hear Weis saying it so much, if the media would quit trying to ferret out some kind of "real scoop" on the QB situation. How many times have you heard a reporter ask Weis why Clausen is the starter, Weis say "Because he gives us the best chance to win.", then have the reporter press him about the answer, and not in a football way? The reporters are trying to get Weis to say something "bad" about either Clausen or Sharpley. He's not taking the bait. I'm sure he is as sick of saying it, as you are of hearing it.

 

[SoCalDomer]

Look, SoCal, I'm not trying to pick a fight with you. I just agree with Weis..........you play the guy that gives you the best chance to win the game. What's wrong with being honest about it?

Plus, think of it this way...............you wouldn't have to hear Weis saying it so much, if the media would quit trying to ferret out some kind of "real scoop" on the QB situation. How many times have you heard a reporter ask Weis why Clausen is the starter, Weis say "Because he gives us the best chance to win.", then have the reporter press him about the answer, and not in a football way? The reporters are trying to get Weis to say something "bad" about either Clausen or Sharpley. He's not taking the bait. I'm sure he is as sick of saying it, as you are of hearing it.

I'm not trying to fight either. I agree with your point that the media loves to fuel non-stories. Hopefully, we win (or at least get competitive) then there won't be any issue about who gives us the best chance to win.

 

[WaveDomer]

I'm sure he is as sick of saying it, as you are of hearing it.

"Anybody want a peanut?"

 

[SoCalDomer]

"Anybody want a peanut?"

"If there are, we'll all be dead."

 

[Wham]

Are there rocks ahead?

 

[kjones]

Are there rocks ahead?

DAHHH!!!

 

[KamaraPolice]

Are there rocks ahead?

We need to help get you back to the green side.

 

[kjones]

I think he kinda likes it on the dark side though. We should rename him "Darth Wham"

:starwars:

We could even neg rep him for good posts just to build his red power. He could have one apprentice, but only one, because that is the way of the Sith.





















Honestly, isn't that the best use of that smiley you've ever seen? Man, I'm awesome.

 

[Wham]

kjones - you know me too well...Son.

kamara - thanks for the thought my brother, but kindly replace the lil red dot. I miss it.