notredomer23
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I am more just posting this to vent after last night, so if you don't want to read it, don't bother, you probably already know most the stuff.
Here are my thoughts on the state of the program.
There's a saying that I'm pretty sure Ronald Reagan used in his 1984 campaign and it was something to the effect of, "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" The question for Notre Dame football is 100% absolutely yes. 4 years ago we were in the 2008 season, had no rushing attack, a poor defense with an extreme lack of athletes, a horrible offensive line, and a young but extremely talented QB that would go on to start 6-2, but finish the regular season 6-6.
Now fast forward to the post season 2011 and look at the facets from the Weis regime that Kelly has improved. The rushing attack that was non-existent 4 years ago? We had a two headed monster this year that nearly combined for 2000 yards. A poor defense with lack of athletes in 2009 that gave up nearly 28 points a game if you take out the Nevada game? It has improved to a top 25 defense that only gave up 20 points a game. A horrible offensive line with almost no talent or depth? After this season we are going to have a 3 deep O-line for the first time in a long time, and it is extremely talented. Most importantly, I feel like Kelly is a closer. We started out 0-2, but didn't lose sight, and went on to win 8 of the next 10 including beating a top 15 MSU team. Weis would start out 6-2, then lose out in 2008 and 2009.
Kelly was a QB away from having this team being top 10. Going into 2012, I will be shocked if it is Rees. Kelly's offense needs a QB who can run, not a QB who can just pass, or a QB who is run first pass second. Sadly I feel like Hendrix is more of a run oriented QB, and I feel like we are going to see redshirt freshman Everett Golson start next year. Will there be growing pains? Maybe. Will it be better long term, and better for the team right away? Absolutely. Whomever Kelly picks to start, I will support that decision, even if it is Rees; however, I will be shocked if Golson doesn't at least get a chance at playing early and often.
Recruiting wise, while we may not be reeling in the #2 class how Weis did, we are still bringing in top 10 classes and talent, and these classes are much more complete. Weis's 2008 class was great, offensively, but if you look at the defensive side of the ball, there was an extreme deficiency of talent. The only players from that class that were big contributors this year were Slaughter, Flemming, Robert Blanton, and Johnson. Unfortunately KLM was hurt. These 2011 and 2012 classes are star studded on the defensive side of the ball and on the offensive line, two positions that Weis struggled big time to recruit or develop.
It may not be next year with yet another young QB and extremely inexperienced corners, but Brian Kelly will have Notre Dame back to the BCS within the next 3 years. If you don't see a rising program in Notre Dame, you weren't following it during the Weis era. Brian Kelly has saved Notre Dame football from being a 6-6, 7-5 team every year. Some of you may say well 8-4 isn't much better, but really, it is. It was an 8-4 with a few bounces away from being 10-2 or 11-1. I am extremely disappointed in this season, but this team would smack around the 2008 and 2009 teams by at least two touchdowns. We are improving, and next year will be a crucial year.
Our team looks strong next year, but QB is still a huge question mark. Our offensive line returns studs in Zach Martin, Chris Watt, and Braxton Cave. Christian Lombard was a 5* by some recruiting services and will step in nicely for Taylor Dever, and hopefully Hanratty or Hegarty step in for Robinson. That's a pretty strong O-line, with some solid backups. Something we never had under Charlie. RB might be a little thin, but solid with Weis and maybe Riddick or maybe Atkinson. I don't think they will both stay at RB with 4-5 pure RB's on the roster now, but one will. WR could deceptively be actually pretty decent. We saw Roby Toma make play after play late in the season, Tai-ler Jones played great at times as just a sophomore, and I am confident we will see a lot of Davaris Daniels or Deontay Greenberry. I am thinking Eiffert stays for another year, which will give us a pretty potent passing attack and rushing attack.
Defensively, we are looking at a stud defensive line in Nix and Tuitt, and Lynch and KLM.
Our LBers are going to be good with Te'o, Calabrese, Ishaq Williams, and Prince Shembo.
Our secondary looks strong at safety. Slaughter is a beast at whatever position Kelly decides to put him at, and Motta, as much as I disliked his play all season, actually played decent I thought yesterday. Our corners scare me though. Bennett Jackson I thought looked pretty good yesterday, and Lo Wood had that nice pic 6 this year, but they still scare me. I think we might see a lot of Tee and a lot of Darby(assuming they sign, I don't care what is going on with them, right now they are committed). That is a very good front 7, possibly elite front 7.
At first glance, it is a very tough schedule, but Navy, Purdue, Miami, BYU, Pittsburg, BC, and Wake should all be wins. Then comes Michigan State, Michigan, and Stanford as a group I think we should take 2 out of 3 from. Stanford without Luck and all those huge tight ends might not be too good. Then comes SC and Oklahoma. SC is going to be tough, as well as a game at Oklahoma, but neither are unbeatable. Lets say we beat one of them. I see 9-3 or 10-2 from this, and a lot of improvement. This is a very, very important year for Kelly. I hope he doesn't let us down.
Here are my thoughts on the state of the program.
There's a saying that I'm pretty sure Ronald Reagan used in his 1984 campaign and it was something to the effect of, "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" The question for Notre Dame football is 100% absolutely yes. 4 years ago we were in the 2008 season, had no rushing attack, a poor defense with an extreme lack of athletes, a horrible offensive line, and a young but extremely talented QB that would go on to start 6-2, but finish the regular season 6-6.
Now fast forward to the post season 2011 and look at the facets from the Weis regime that Kelly has improved. The rushing attack that was non-existent 4 years ago? We had a two headed monster this year that nearly combined for 2000 yards. A poor defense with lack of athletes in 2009 that gave up nearly 28 points a game if you take out the Nevada game? It has improved to a top 25 defense that only gave up 20 points a game. A horrible offensive line with almost no talent or depth? After this season we are going to have a 3 deep O-line for the first time in a long time, and it is extremely talented. Most importantly, I feel like Kelly is a closer. We started out 0-2, but didn't lose sight, and went on to win 8 of the next 10 including beating a top 15 MSU team. Weis would start out 6-2, then lose out in 2008 and 2009.
Kelly was a QB away from having this team being top 10. Going into 2012, I will be shocked if it is Rees. Kelly's offense needs a QB who can run, not a QB who can just pass, or a QB who is run first pass second. Sadly I feel like Hendrix is more of a run oriented QB, and I feel like we are going to see redshirt freshman Everett Golson start next year. Will there be growing pains? Maybe. Will it be better long term, and better for the team right away? Absolutely. Whomever Kelly picks to start, I will support that decision, even if it is Rees; however, I will be shocked if Golson doesn't at least get a chance at playing early and often.
Recruiting wise, while we may not be reeling in the #2 class how Weis did, we are still bringing in top 10 classes and talent, and these classes are much more complete. Weis's 2008 class was great, offensively, but if you look at the defensive side of the ball, there was an extreme deficiency of talent. The only players from that class that were big contributors this year were Slaughter, Flemming, Robert Blanton, and Johnson. Unfortunately KLM was hurt. These 2011 and 2012 classes are star studded on the defensive side of the ball and on the offensive line, two positions that Weis struggled big time to recruit or develop.
It may not be next year with yet another young QB and extremely inexperienced corners, but Brian Kelly will have Notre Dame back to the BCS within the next 3 years. If you don't see a rising program in Notre Dame, you weren't following it during the Weis era. Brian Kelly has saved Notre Dame football from being a 6-6, 7-5 team every year. Some of you may say well 8-4 isn't much better, but really, it is. It was an 8-4 with a few bounces away from being 10-2 or 11-1. I am extremely disappointed in this season, but this team would smack around the 2008 and 2009 teams by at least two touchdowns. We are improving, and next year will be a crucial year.
Our team looks strong next year, but QB is still a huge question mark. Our offensive line returns studs in Zach Martin, Chris Watt, and Braxton Cave. Christian Lombard was a 5* by some recruiting services and will step in nicely for Taylor Dever, and hopefully Hanratty or Hegarty step in for Robinson. That's a pretty strong O-line, with some solid backups. Something we never had under Charlie. RB might be a little thin, but solid with Weis and maybe Riddick or maybe Atkinson. I don't think they will both stay at RB with 4-5 pure RB's on the roster now, but one will. WR could deceptively be actually pretty decent. We saw Roby Toma make play after play late in the season, Tai-ler Jones played great at times as just a sophomore, and I am confident we will see a lot of Davaris Daniels or Deontay Greenberry. I am thinking Eiffert stays for another year, which will give us a pretty potent passing attack and rushing attack.
Defensively, we are looking at a stud defensive line in Nix and Tuitt, and Lynch and KLM.
Our LBers are going to be good with Te'o, Calabrese, Ishaq Williams, and Prince Shembo.
Our secondary looks strong at safety. Slaughter is a beast at whatever position Kelly decides to put him at, and Motta, as much as I disliked his play all season, actually played decent I thought yesterday. Our corners scare me though. Bennett Jackson I thought looked pretty good yesterday, and Lo Wood had that nice pic 6 this year, but they still scare me. I think we might see a lot of Tee and a lot of Darby(assuming they sign, I don't care what is going on with them, right now they are committed). That is a very good front 7, possibly elite front 7.
At first glance, it is a very tough schedule, but Navy, Purdue, Miami, BYU, Pittsburg, BC, and Wake should all be wins. Then comes Michigan State, Michigan, and Stanford as a group I think we should take 2 out of 3 from. Stanford without Luck and all those huge tight ends might not be too good. Then comes SC and Oklahoma. SC is going to be tough, as well as a game at Oklahoma, but neither are unbeatable. Lets say we beat one of them. I see 9-3 or 10-2 from this, and a lot of improvement. This is a very, very important year for Kelly. I hope he doesn't let us down.
