To have swagger on the football field, you have to dominate your opponent, whether it be in a one-on-one sense or a team sense. It has been awhile since Notre Dame dominated anybody. The last time I saw team swagger was when the team came out and faced down Miami in the Lou Holtz era. The final score of that game wasn't dominating, but the message sent to Miami was that Notre Dame was not going to be intimidated by anyone.
Our best chance for team swagger appears to lie in our future. With the defensive commits that we are getting, Notre Dame's defense has the potential to be an intimidating force. It may have been overused this past year on IE, but Alice and Aaron Lynch's use of the word "beast" is the type of thinking our football team needs. Confident that you can dominate your opponent, but not boastful overconfidence.
In ten years, I hope to be looking back to the commitment of Manti Teo and Louis Nix as the turning point in our defensive swagger. The addition of Aaron Lynch, Stephon Tuitt, Ishaq Williams, Ben Councill, Anthony Rabasa, and the rest of the 2011 class coupled with Tee Shepard, Ronald Darby, Sheldon Day and the rest of the 2012 class leaves us with the potential to play dominating defense for years to come.
The coaches are recruiting the right players. When they begin to produce on the field, we can once again begin to think of Notre Dame's defense as having swagger.
The offense will follow the defense's example. Get some turn-overs, rack up some three-and-outs, and the offense will pile up the points. In other words, when the defense can dominate the flow of the game, the swagger will follow.
Our best chance for team swagger appears to lie in our future. With the defensive commits that we are getting, Notre Dame's defense has the potential to be an intimidating force. It may have been overused this past year on IE, but Alice and Aaron Lynch's use of the word "beast" is the type of thinking our football team needs. Confident that you can dominate your opponent, but not boastful overconfidence.
In ten years, I hope to be looking back to the commitment of Manti Teo and Louis Nix as the turning point in our defensive swagger. The addition of Aaron Lynch, Stephon Tuitt, Ishaq Williams, Ben Councill, Anthony Rabasa, and the rest of the 2011 class coupled with Tee Shepard, Ronald Darby, Sheldon Day and the rest of the 2012 class leaves us with the potential to play dominating defense for years to come.
The coaches are recruiting the right players. When they begin to produce on the field, we can once again begin to think of Notre Dame's defense as having swagger.
The offense will follow the defense's example. Get some turn-overs, rack up some three-and-outs, and the offense will pile up the points. In other words, when the defense can dominate the flow of the game, the swagger will follow.
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