Hard to believe we are one quarter thru the season already. I was expecting us to be 3-0 at this point, but not really dissapointed with the 2-1. Here are some things we have found out regarding ND and others.
Offense:
*Jimmy Clausen is THE REAL DEAL!! Nothing else to be said. If it were not for several drops his completion rate would be absolutely sick. He has shown much more pocket presence.
*Armando Allen is running much harder and showing the ability to break tackles.
*O-Line has performed really well. They are protecting JC and opening running lanes.
*Rudolph is probably the best TE in college football. Enjoy him while he is here, because next season as a Junior is his last. NFL first round
*Floyd is just a complete weapon. He will be missed big time. I did not expect him to stay 4 years in college and these injuries will make him want to go pro even faster. NFL and $$$$ are waiting for him.
*Tate has performed great, but his drops remind me of a guy named Rhema, who caught the tough and dropped the easy.
Overall our offense is among the elite in college football. We can run when we need and have/had multiple weapons. Floyd is a GIGANTIC loss. With him we beat USC, without I am not thinking so.
Defense:
*I quietly worried about the DL all off-season. Well, I was completely right in my concerns. Starting a Red-shirt Freshman(KLM), Sophmore(Ethan), Junior(Ian) and another DE that is trying but not talented at all, Ryan. These guys are just not able to get any push on their own which means others are having to help. The scary thing is that all the back-ups are freshmen or sophmores. DL is not a position for underclassmen.
*LB's Brian Smith is good, but Toryan is woefully slow and is struggling big time. T'eo is starting to get more time, but he needs to learn the system. The LB's are getting killed because the DL is not able to stop the OL.
*CB's they have to be getting tired of being left on islands all night. I hear peopled bashing them, but realize they are all alone because we are rushing 7 and still not getting to the QB. This is not fun for a DB. They are being told to keep the WR's in front of them.
*Safeties. Is McCarthy just freaking a blue collar get it done kind of guy? If his brother is as good as him, we are fortunate.
Overall, our D is being killed by a young and undertalented DL. Next season we will be much better on D with these guys gettting a year to grow and mature.
Special Teams: Our punter is about as average as average can be. Finally, I saw a couple kick offs that almost reached the end zone. The most exciting thing to me is our FG kicking. Our kicker nailed a 47-yard kick with plenty left for 50 yards.
Final Analysis of ND: Our offense will score points on every team on our schedule. Most will not even slow us down. The loss of Floyd takes us from a Top 5 elite O to a very good O. My most proud part of the O is the ability to run when the D knows we are running. Our Defense will continue to struggle against versitile offenses. Don't blame the DB's for some of the passing issues, they are protecting the big play. With all this said, we are a team capable of winning 10 games and going to a bowl, but not sure if we can beat a BCS team with our D and no Floyd. As for CW, you "Fire Charlie" people better look around long and hard at some of the other teams struggle because we are becoming a great "PROGRAM" again but you want him gone.
Other team thoughts:
UM - Much better than anyone thought
Washington - Scare me to death now with how mobile Locker, which our D struggles with
USC - Pete is showing just how AVERAGE a coach he is. He has lived on 5* talent for years, but when that is struggling he really is not a scheme guy. Would not trade CW for Pete ever. Pete is in the second hottest talent pool, next to Florida, in the country and that is why his teams do so well.
BC - This is the year we put them in their place.
GO IRISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Offense:
*Jimmy Clausen is THE REAL DEAL!! Nothing else to be said. If it were not for several drops his completion rate would be absolutely sick. He has shown much more pocket presence.
*Armando Allen is running much harder and showing the ability to break tackles.
*O-Line has performed really well. They are protecting JC and opening running lanes.
*Rudolph is probably the best TE in college football. Enjoy him while he is here, because next season as a Junior is his last. NFL first round
*Floyd is just a complete weapon. He will be missed big time. I did not expect him to stay 4 years in college and these injuries will make him want to go pro even faster. NFL and $$$$ are waiting for him.
*Tate has performed great, but his drops remind me of a guy named Rhema, who caught the tough and dropped the easy.
Overall our offense is among the elite in college football. We can run when we need and have/had multiple weapons. Floyd is a GIGANTIC loss. With him we beat USC, without I am not thinking so.
Defense:
*I quietly worried about the DL all off-season. Well, I was completely right in my concerns. Starting a Red-shirt Freshman(KLM), Sophmore(Ethan), Junior(Ian) and another DE that is trying but not talented at all, Ryan. These guys are just not able to get any push on their own which means others are having to help. The scary thing is that all the back-ups are freshmen or sophmores. DL is not a position for underclassmen.
*LB's Brian Smith is good, but Toryan is woefully slow and is struggling big time. T'eo is starting to get more time, but he needs to learn the system. The LB's are getting killed because the DL is not able to stop the OL.
*CB's they have to be getting tired of being left on islands all night. I hear peopled bashing them, but realize they are all alone because we are rushing 7 and still not getting to the QB. This is not fun for a DB. They are being told to keep the WR's in front of them.
*Safeties. Is McCarthy just freaking a blue collar get it done kind of guy? If his brother is as good as him, we are fortunate.
Overall, our D is being killed by a young and undertalented DL. Next season we will be much better on D with these guys gettting a year to grow and mature.
Special Teams: Our punter is about as average as average can be. Finally, I saw a couple kick offs that almost reached the end zone. The most exciting thing to me is our FG kicking. Our kicker nailed a 47-yard kick with plenty left for 50 yards.
Final Analysis of ND: Our offense will score points on every team on our schedule. Most will not even slow us down. The loss of Floyd takes us from a Top 5 elite O to a very good O. My most proud part of the O is the ability to run when the D knows we are running. Our Defense will continue to struggle against versitile offenses. Don't blame the DB's for some of the passing issues, they are protecting the big play. With all this said, we are a team capable of winning 10 games and going to a bowl, but not sure if we can beat a BCS team with our D and no Floyd. As for CW, you "Fire Charlie" people better look around long and hard at some of the other teams struggle because we are becoming a great "PROGRAM" again but you want him gone.
Other team thoughts:
UM - Much better than anyone thought
Washington - Scare me to death now with how mobile Locker, which our D struggles with
USC - Pete is showing just how AVERAGE a coach he is. He has lived on 5* talent for years, but when that is struggling he really is not a scheme guy. Would not trade CW for Pete ever. Pete is in the second hottest talent pool, next to Florida, in the country and that is why his teams do so well.
BC - This is the year we put them in their place.
GO IRISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
