We all know we are going to be good this year, but in 2010

[notredomer23]

I have counted 8 on offense and 9 on defense, but someone correct me if Im wrong, bolded will indicate returners from our starting lineup this season for next

Jimmy Clausen
Armando Allen
Golden Tate
Michael Floyd
Duval Kamara
Kyle Rudolph
Sam Young
Trevor Robinson
Eric Olsen
Chris Stewart(5th year)
Paul Duncan

Kapron Lewis Moore
Ethan Johnson
Ian Williams
Kerry Neal
Brian Smith
Filer or Flemming(dont see Scott Smith starting, depth chart says or)
Toryan Smith
Darrin Walls(5th year)
Robert Blanton
Harrison Smith
Kyle McCarthy

All I know were gonna be helluva good this year, 2010 should be even better minus the question marks on the Oline.

Say we finish top 10 this year, I know it deosnt mean anything but we should be ranked #1 to start the season the following year

 

[NDOM]

I have counted 8 on offense and 9 on defense, but someone correct me if Im wrong, bolded will indicate returners from our starting lineup this season for next

Jimmy Clausen
Armando Allen
Golden Tate
Michael Floyd
Duval Kamara
Kyle Rudolph
Sam Young
Trevor Robinson
Eric Olsen
Chris Stewart(5th year)
Paul Duncan

Kapron Lewis Moore
Ethan Johnson
Ian Williams
Kerry Neal
Brian Smith
Filer or Flemming(dont see Scott Smith starting, depth chart says or)
Toryan Smith
Darrin Walls(5th year)
Robert Blanton
Harrison Smith
Kyle McCarthy

All I know were gonna be helluva good this year, 2010 should be even better minus the question marks on the Oline.

Say we finish top 10 this year, I know it deosnt mean anything but we should be ranked #1 to start the season the following year

Good pick, I like that pick. I say we finish the year right around #10-#13. Next year we should be very good for sure but not good enough to start the season #1. I cant say that just yet and its too hard for me to make predictions without seeing the product on the field. I love your enthusiasm though bud.

 

[notredomer23]

Good pick, I like that pick. I say we finish the year right around #10-#13. Next year we should be very good for sure but not good enough to start the season #1. I cant say that just yet and its too hard for me to make predictions without seeing the product on the field. I love your enthusiasm though bud.

yeah its hard to say because we dont even know how this season is turning out yet. Lets just say hypothetically. 2007-3 wins. 2008-6 wins. 2009-9 wins, 2010-12 wins(regular season)

I think we win more than 9 this year but right now this is all hypothetical of what should be, but if we return 17 starters that are all gonna be juniors and seniors, we should destroy

 

[NDOM]

yeah its hard to say because we dont even know how this season is turning out yet. Lets just say hypothetically. 2007-3 wins. 2008-6 wins. 2009-9 wins, 2010-12 wins(regular season)

I think we win more than 9 this year but right now this is all hypothetical of what should be, but if we return 17 starters that are all gonna be juniors and seniors, we should destroy

Ah ha. I see a pattern. 3 wins 6 wins 9 wins then 12. I like your figures. I guess I can roll with that.

 

[BGIF]

... All I know were gonna be helluva good this year, 2010 should be even better minus the question marks on the Oline.

Say we finish top 10 this year, I know it deosnt mean anything but we should be ranked #1 to start the season the following year

One of the big question marks of '09 IS the OLine. Graduating both OTs and the new starting Center would be an immense hole to fill. With Young, Duncan, and Olsen gone the starting '10 OLine would look something like

LT Romine 23 minutes '08 PT
LG Stewart 242 '08 PT
C Wenger 379 '08 PT (beaten out by a guy who doesn't play his position)
RG Robinson 190 '08 PT
RT Dever 16 '08 PT or Clelland 0 minutes PT

Romine and Dever better get some serious minutes of PT in '09 to develop them for '10. There should be plenty of PT available considering the schedule and the potential for early leads in games.

HS OT's looking at ND's Depth Chart should be beating down the doors to get early PT. There's a potential to start ala Harris and Young.

 

[Brown]

I know that Robinson has the athleticism, size and skills to shift to tackle if need be. I think Watt takes over at G and Robinson moves to RT next season.

 

[irishtrain]

we all know

we all know

Charlie has stocked the shelves, the key here is such quality makes great practices and that producers gamers, these next few years practices are going to be a *&^@$

 

[OCIrish]

Don't forget Alex Bullard. One thing that I would point out is that they may not have that much expericance, but they will have been in the program for a few years, so they will be seasoned in the fact that they are not Frosh or RS Frosh. This is how the natural order of things should really flow, not the makeshift bullshit OL play that we've had the last few years because of the lack of depth that has been there. When you have Frosh either starting or backing up spots on tbe line that has transpired the last few years, it could only mean disaster at some point or another.

I'm not by any means giving them a free pass for their piss poor job at times last year. Wenger losing his job maybe a motivational tool by Verducci or it could be the fact that Dan gave up 15 tackles to a DL from lowly Syracuse making him look like an Outland Trophy winner.

 

[Riddickulous]

We have a much better shot at running the table this year than we do next year.

 

[Bubba]

We have a much better shot at running the table this year than we do next year.

Because we lose experience at the O-line positions?

 

[BGIF]

I know that Robinson has the athleticism, size and skills to shift to tackle if need be. I think Watt takes over at G and Robinson moves to RT next season.

Until I see Romine block better than Rudolph which he didn't do last year, Robinson's LT on my '10 Depth Chart.

 

[BGIF]

Charlie has stocked the shelves, the key here is such quality makes great practices and that producers gamers, these next few years practices are going to be a *&^@$

Charlie might have stocked the shelves at WR, CB, LB, QB, RB and OG but OT has had the worse success.

We have a serious shortage at OT and unless Henderson and Hurst have a change of heart we will freshmen who need 2 years of training and developing at #2 on the Depth Chart behind starters who should rightfully be #2s not starters.

 

[BGIF]

Don't forget Alex Bullard. One thing that I would point out is that they may not have that much expericance, but they will have been in the program for a few years, so they will be seasoned in the fact that they are not Frosh or RS Frosh. This is how the natural order of things should really flow, not the makeshift bullshit OL play that we've had the last few years because of the lack of depth that has been there. When you have Frosh either starting or backing up spots on tbe line that has transpired the last few years, it could only mean disaster at some point or another.

I didn't forget Bullard, Watt, or Martin. But regardless when they arrived on campus the '09 season will be their first college season. If they don't play in '09 they will be RS Frosh in the '10 season. The natural order of things is OLs get 2 years in the weight room and practice field. Then as Juniors, Seniors, and 5th year men they produce.

Also keep in mind Bullard and Watt are OGs not OTs at 6-3 they lack the size and wingspan necessary. 6-3 tackles may be adequate in a running offense but not for a pass oriented offense. Phil Steele list 65 Top Tackles in his 2009 College Football magazine. Only 3 of the 65 are 6-3. Another 8 are 6-4 which means 84% of the Top Div 1 OTs are 6-5 or taller. Martin is the only one from the '09 recruiting class to fit that size. Romine, Clelland, Dever, Nuss, Chris Stewart AND Trevor Robinson are also 6-5. By comparision Young is 6-8 and Duncan 6-7. Christian Lombard in the '10 class is also 6-5.

I'm not by any means giving them a free pass for their piss poor job at times last year. Wenger losing his job maybe a motivational tool by Verducci or it could be the fact that Dan gave up 15 tackles to a DL from lowly Syracuse making him look like an Outland Trophy winner.

If you look at replays last year Rudolph at TE and the center of the OLine seemed to be where most of the ineffectiveness was. I don't know if Wenger was injured (Weis doesn't reveal injuries) or if flat out is too slow. Since the rumor of Olsen to Center surfaced last Spring I expected it was a motivational tool to jack Wenger into a superior level of play. I'm starting to doubt that with Stewart's move to LG. If you're trying to light a fire under Wenger there's no need to move Stewart let Robinson play LG and keep Stewart where he is. I suspect right now that the move is genuine. Stewart was moved from RG to LG to put the more experienced G and more beef with the less experienced OT, Duncan. Likewise you put the lessor experienced OG next to Young.

Time will tell how this plays out.

 

[BGIF]

We have a much better shot at running the table this year than we do next year.

Damn right we do!

 

[BGIF]

Because we lose experience at the O-line positions?

Yeah, after the '09 season we graduate both Starting OT's and the new Starting Center. That's a lot of experience, maturity, size, aggressiveness, leadership, strength, and technique.

Take a look at the '93 OLine with Taylor, Norman, Ruddy, Leahy, and Zataveski, the last dominant OLine ND has had. Only Leahy returned in '94, when he started along with Clevenger, Zeigler, Akers, and Doughty. All lettered the year before, all where more highly regarded as recruits than the recent guys, and the '94 OLine was porous. Without the upperclassmen OLine ND dropped from 11-1 to 6-5-1. I was at the BYU game that year. The guys from the WAC had track meets but no defenses. BYU lived in ND's backfield the whole game. ND lost 21-14 and Defensive Coordinators followed suit throughout that season.

 

[notredomer23]

We have a much better shot at running the table this year than we do next year.

Personally I disagree because even if our offense goes down a little in production, our defense will be among the best in the country.

Now that I think about it, the offense will be fine. With Stewart at LG, I think Robinson will move to LT, and have Cave start at RG. And we all know Cave is a beast. We will be fine

 

[Riddickulous]

It's tough to replace the experience on this offensive line.

 

[jason_h537]

keep in mind Bullard and Martin are OGs not OTs .

Martin is a tackle Watt is a Gaurd

If you look at replays last year Rudolph at TE and the center of the OLine seemed to be where most of the ineffectiveness was. I don't know if Wenger was injured (Weis doesn't reveal injuries) or if flat out is too slow. Since the rumor of Olsen to Center surfaced last Spring I expected it was a motivational tool to jack Wenger into a superior level of play. I'm starting to doubt that with Stewart's move to LG. If you're trying to light a fire under Wenger there's no need to move Stewart let Robinson play LG and keep Stewart where he is. I suspect right now that the move is genuine. Stewart was moved from RG to LG to put the more experienced G and more beef with the less experienced OT, Duncan. Likewise you put the lessor experienced OG next to Young.

Wenger has had alot of nagging injuries his first two season which is why he hasn't been able to fully commit to the weightroom until this year. Same with Romine who appears to have the athleticism to play LT but was pushed around.

 

[BGIF]

Personally I disagree because even if our offense goes down a little in production, our defense will be among the best in the country.

Now that I think about it, the offense will be fine. With Stewart at LG, I think Robinson will move to LT, and have Cave start at RG. And we all know Cave is a beast. We will be fine

Are you going to play anyone at RT?

Young is gone as well.



As for Cave being a beast, I recall that exact word being used for 4 straight years to describe Schwapp.

It was also applied to former ND OG Jim Jones who also benched 500 pounds. Jones was a weight lifting workaholic. Unfortunately football players need flexiibility as well.

Strongest man on the team doesn't necessarily guarantee a good OL.

 

[IrishAlum1997]

Yeah, after the '09 season we graduate both Starting OT's and the new Starting Center. That's a lot of experience, maturity, size, aggressiveness, leadership, strength, and technique.

Take a look at the '93 OLine with Taylor, Norman, Ruddy, Leahy, and Zataveski, the last dominant OLine ND has had. Only Leahy returned in '94, when he started along with Clevenger, Zeigler, Akers, and Doughty. All lettered the year before, all where more highly regarded as recruits than the recent guys, and the '94 OLine was porous. Without the upperclassmen OLine ND dropped from 11-1 to 6-5-1. I was at the BYU game that year. The guys from the WAC had track meets but no defenses. BYU lived in ND's backfield the whole game. ND lost 21-14 and Defensive Coordinators followed suit throughout that season.

Almost got by ass beat by Doughty in '93, and Clevenger in '94. Funny stories. At least in my mind. PM me if you want to hear them.