(Via the Roundup.)
A size-able advantage
Among the <a href="http://www.irishenvy.com/irishroundup/ripe-for-the-lickin" target="_blank">many reasons</a> why there is no excuse for the Irish offense to have anything short of an absolute break-out day against Navy tomorrow is the huge size differential that is on their side this week. Here's a quick comparison chart to get things going (only starters and co-starters are listed):
<iframe src="http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pxGUTlbeQLEPGPv7geEcICg&output=html&gid=0&single=true&range=a1:k11" frameborder="0" height="220" width="475"></iframe>
In other words, Notre Dame's starting offensive line outweighs Navy's defensive line by an average of over <em>44 pounds</em>, their starting offensive backfield of <strong>James Aldridge</strong> and <strong>Asaph Schwapp</strong> outweighs the average Navy <em>linebacker </em>by an average of just under 22 pounds, and the average Navy defensive back gives up almost <em>six inches</em> and <em>thirty pounds </em>to Notre Dame's starting wideouts.
Need more evidence that the Middies are undersized? Here's a position-by-position comparison of Navy's defense with those of Notre Dame's other 2007 opponents (note that I've generally used the most recent depth charts for these schools, rather than their starting lineups against ND - once again, only starters and co-starters are listed):
<iframe src="http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pxGUTlbeQLENRVkhOoLTnOw&output=html&gid=0&single=true&range=a1:m4" frameborder="0" height="90" width="475"></iframe>
With the exception of BC, then, Navy will have far and away the smallest defense that Notre Dame has played so far in 2007 - a trend that continues, though not to quite the same degree, over the next three weeks.
It's not all about size, of course: it's also about strength, skill, speed, execution, avoiding stupid mistakes, and having the drive to physically dominate your opponent. But once again, there's no reason to think that the first three of these factors are heavily on the side of the Irish as well: it's really the others <a href="http://www.irishenvy.com/irishroundup/taking-stock-part-i-19-reasons-why-notre-dames-offense-has-sucked-so-badly-in-2007" target="_blank">that have been holding them back all year</a>, and it's those things that one would hope the coaching staff was able to use the bye week to work on. This team isn't going to become <em>physically</em> different overnight - nor need they do that, when opponents like Navy, Air Force, and Duke are the ones rolling in to town. The big challenge is getting the players to <a href="http://" target="_blank">keep their heads in the game</a> after a 1-7 start, and that's just what <strong>Charlie Weis</strong> and his assistants are going to have to show that they're able to do.
There are no more excuses. In the month of November, pretty much every conceivable advantage - the home field, the bye week, the experience of the first two-thirds of the season, the level of talent on the roster - will be on the side of the Irish. Anything short of dominance will be a huge disappointment.
