2010 Record

[Rocket89]

This team will not lose more than 4 games in 2010.

I find it much more ridiculous to think that this team will go 6-6 or 7-5 as opposed to winning 10 games. This is a very, very dangerous and talented Notre Dame squad and there will be improvements nearly across the board.

Some of that improvement will be small, but some will be rather large.

The prediction that we may have a year similar to 1986 in Holtz' first year seems awfully pessimistic. That season we played five ranked teams and lost four game to teams ranked in the top ten!

While I'm not going to trash our schedule, we sure as shit aren't playing that kind of murderer's row.

I'm kind of confused with some who seem to be actively hoping for under ten wins, so that there aren't unrealistic expectations and hype and then everyone is going to make fun of us.

What?

We don't want a huge and successful season and having the players gain a ton of confidence and maybe pick up a few extra recruits in the process, because we're scarred from our recent past and we'll have to deal with the media and everyone lambasting us because "we've seen this all before" and it's just too darn hard to deal with as fans?

Screw that.

This team is talented and could do some serious damage. At some point we as fans are going to be set up for a potential fall, why not have it after year one?

We are completely psychologically damaged by the past, but like I said, I think that past is hindering our clear thinking more than any "homerism" or any sort of things like that.

We're staring at maybe the most talent on offense since the early 1990's and the defense is rightfully talented and hitting its peak with lots of juniors and sophomores with plenty of experience.

"I can't predict 10 wins because I'll get laughed at for being unrealistic."

Well we sure don't want to be laughed at now do we? I guess the point I'm making is that,

A.) Ten wins is not that unrealistic
B.) Saying we'll lose 5 or 6 games because of talent, inexperience, tough schedule, new system, etc. is fine but to say we will struggle because you don't want to be let down, or be made fun of, or be seen as unrealistic is lame as hell.

We're the fans! We have to be the ones that believe this program can be turned around. It's fine if you want to see the proof and all that, but you've gotta jump on the bandwagon at some point. Don't be afraid to stick your neck out there!

I'll leave you with Ben Mauk's statistics in Brian Kelly's first season at Cincinnati:

3,121 passing yards
31 TD's
9 INT's
61% completion
376 rushing yards
3 rushing TD's

Ben F-ing Mauk...a player who couldn't do a damn thing at Wake Forest and Kelly made him look like a friggin All-American in a matter of months.

Tell me that doesn't get you excited for this season, Crist's future, and the future of the program?

 

[NeuteredDoomer]

Well done Rocket89. Suit me up Coach!

 

[NDinL.A.]

From Irish Man3 on another thread (I couldn't figure out how to split his post without losing what he wrote on the other thread, and I didn't want to lose his predictions, so you're stuck with this):

I think Notre Dame finishes the regular season with a 9-3 record inside the top 15 in the nation but outside the six BCS slots. I expect a lot of elite teams to have multiple losses and no team to go undefeated. I see no real juggernaut in this field of teams for 2010.

I look for an improvement in two key areas.
1. Stamina and Conditioning. I think with the energy expected/required at these fall practices, coaches are setting our guys up to be in great condition. I look for that to really show up in the 4th quarter and give our team the edge late. I am very excited with some of the updates about players cutting body fat and maximizing power.
2. Mental Toughness. To many times last year players were forced to play out of position. I think mentally we lost at least two games last year late. This coaching staff should emphasize the mental toughness required to be successful and have key players in their natural positions.

For my step-up player of the year, I look towards Harrison Smith. We have a very thin secondary that has taken its share of critisism. With Kyle gone, I think Harrison really needs to step up as a leader in the secondary.

 

[GreatGolson]

It all hinges on 4 games in my mind. MSU PITT UTAH USC, we win 1/4 ok season, we win 2/4 good season, we win 3 or 4 of those and i am a happy camper.

 

[tommyIRISH23]

Purdue-Win, and a big win. Close for 2 quarters before the irish start clicking.
Mich- ND will win by 3 or 4 scores. ND should have smashed them into embarrassment last season, that should not have been a game. We got coached out of a win.
MSU*- Win. Very Very Very tough game. this will be a early measuring stick for our team.
BC- I am predicting a hyped up Boston College team thats ranked who get crushed. If you look at Brian Kellys scores at Cinci...he is not afraid to beat down opponents and send messages to the world, which he will undoubtedly do with ND. If he can. He will blow teams out.
Pitt-Loss. Pitts good, very good. This is the first team that can exploit our secondary. If our secondary comes out and exceeds expectations then ND will have a chance.
W-Mich Win
Navy*- Win. Navy will run right into our strength. To beat Navy, a team has to be disciplined, and stay in there positions. We had no discipline with Charlie Weis as our coach. Penalties, missed assignments, and over pursuing was CW's trade mark. BK will have these kids whipped like a Holtz team.
Tulsa-W. Could be interesting though.
Utah*-Win this looks tough now, but I think Utah will cool off and not be too impressive.
Army- Win
USC-L. Not this year. Not yet, but it will be close. no more blowouts.

Bowl game win against VaTech or Texas.

I have been flip flopping with my predictions. 8-4 just doesnt seem logical. So my final prediction will be 10-2. But I would not be shocked with 11-1 or 9-3 either. MSU will be tough. MSU PITT SC are the question marks. MSU has been a thorn in ND's side for years, and I think BK wants that taken care of.

BC is just hated and the Irish nation wants them shut up with a punch to the mouth.

 

[tatoobaldman]

we will be a 10 win team this year.

 

[Irish Man3]

Purdue-Win, and a big win. Close for 2 quarters before the irish start clicking.
Mich- ND will win by 3 or 4 scores. ND should have smashed them into embarrassment last season, that should not have been a game. We got coached out of a win.
MSU*- Win. Very Very Very tough game. this will be a early measuring stick for our team.
BC- I am predicting a hyped up Boston College team thats ranked who get crushed. If you look at Brian Kellys scores at Cinci...he is not afraid to beat down opponents and send messages to the world, which he will undoubtedly do with ND. If he can. He will blow teams out.
Pitt-Loss. Pitts good, very good. This is the first team that can exploit our secondary. If our secondary comes out and exceeds expectations then ND will have a chance.
W-Mich Win
Navy*- Win. Navy will run right into our strength. To beat Navy, a team has to be disciplined, and stay in there positions. We had no discipline with Charlie Weis as our coach. Penalties, missed assignments, and over pursuing was CW's trade mark. BK will have these kids whipped like a Holtz team.
Tulsa-W. Could be interesting though.
Utah*-Win this looks tough now, but I think Utah will cool off and not be too impressive.
Army- Win
USC-L. Not this year. Not yet, but it will be close. no more blowouts.

Bowl game win against VaTech or Texas.

I have been flip flopping with my predictions. 8-4 just doesnt seem logical. So my final prediction will be 10-2. But I would not be shocked with 11-1 or 9-3 either. MSU will be tough. MSU PITT SC are the question marks. MSU has been a thorn in ND's side for years, and I think BK wants that taken care of.

BC is just hated and the Irish nation wants them shut up with a punch to the mouth.

Where is Stanford??

I agree with most of what you said but I have a question? Do you really think our biggest challenge against Pitt will be their ability to exploit our secondary and not their Heisman canidate half-back?

 

[GoingGreen]

Where is Stanford??

I agree with most of what you said but I have a question? Do you really think our biggest challenge against Pitt will be their ability to exploit our secondary and not their Heisman canidate half-back?

I have nightmares about facing Dion Lewis...

 

[IrishAlum1997]

Dion will be tough, but I do believe the improved conditioning will help us to hold our own. In the very recent past, we have stood up pretty well for a half or 3 quarters against premier college running backs. Gerhart got off to a pretty slow start in the first half last year, and Ringer was essentially shut down for 3 quarters in '08 before the defense wore down and he went off.

Key on the run, I'll take my chances with a new QB and Jonathan Baldwin.

 

[tankjeep]

9-3 is about right for me.

 

[GreatGolson]

this has to do with records, but not NDs. would you rather see USC win every game and not go to the NC, or have them just have a mediocre season? I would rather have the later because then we would never hear the end of how "they were the best and never got to prove it"

 

[Riddickulous]

Dion will be tough, but I do believe the improved conditioning will help us to hold our own. In the very recent past, we have stood up pretty well for a half or 3 quarters against premier college running backs. Gerhart got off to a pretty slow start in the first half last year, and Ringer was essentially shut down for 3 quarters in '08 before the defense wore down and he went off.

Key on the run, I'll take my chances with a new QB and Jonathan Baldwin.

Our awful tackling helped to allow the opposing running backs to look like All-Americans. Vai Taua, Brandon Minor, Larry Caper, Chris Polk, Montel Harris, Dion Lewis, Navy FB guy, Dion Lewis, Jordan Toddman, and Toby Gerhart tore or run defense up last year. How many of those guys are elite running backs? Two? Three?

Brian Kelly knows about Dion Lewis. He carried 47 times in the impromptu Big East title game last season, finishing with 194 yards and 3 touchdowns. They relied so much on his running ability (they played in moderate snow) that it allowed Cincinatti to outscore them 35-13 from the 1:10 mark near the end of the second quarter.

Although I think we'll lose to Pittsburgh, you have to take into account that their offense revolves entirely around Lewis and Jonathan Baldwin. Double or triple team Baldwin and the passing game goes right out the window. Who else do they have? Lewis on screens? Ray Graham on a swing play?

 

[tommyIRISH23]

Where is Stanford??

I agree with most of what you said but I have a question? Do you really think our biggest challenge against Pitt will be their ability to exploit our secondary and not their Heisman canidate half-back?

Oh man. Sorry, I was rushing to get to work while I was typing this.

Stanford will be tough, but they lost their heismen contending running back. Andrew Luck will be good, but he will fade away as the seasons rolls on. Harbaugh will have them playing hard, but I think ND pulls out the win fairly easily.

No,ND's strength on defense will be our Dline and Linebackers. I dont think Dion will run for 175 yards and 3 TD's against us. Hell get his yards, but he won't be the one to beat us. I am afraid of Baldwin snagging a few big chunks of yardage through the air late in the game to sustain drives and 1 or 2 big scores.

I do not see ND getting blown out. I think theyll be in it to the end, and would not be shocked if they did win.

 

[tommyIRISH23]

I am so anxious to see the CB's. If they play up to there potential then the skys the limit for this team.

 

[Riddickulous]

I am so anxious to see the CB's. If they play up to there potential then the skys the limit for this team.

Yes.

Trying not to be a pessimist here, but if one or two goes down with an injury this season goes to hell.

 

[Irish Man3]

Oh man. Sorry, I was rushing to get to work while I was typing this.

Stanford will be tough, but they lost their heismen contending running back. Andrew Luck will be good, but he will fade away as the seasons rolls on. Harbaugh will have them playing hard, but I think ND pulls out the win fairly easily.

No,ND's strength on defense will be our Dline and Linebackers. I dont think Dion will run for 175 yards and 3 TD's against us. Hell get his yards, but he won't be the one to beat us. I am afraid of Baldwin snagging a few big chunks of yardage through the air late in the game to sustain drives and 1 or 2 big scores.

I do not see ND getting blown out. I think theyll be in it to the end, and would not be shocked if they did win.

For me, the best shot the Irish have to win this game is this situation:
Pitt will comeout and try and run Dion down our throat. I say that based on the fact that we havent stopped any running backs lately and he is amazing. With that said, running the ball takes a lot of time off the clock and doesnt always produce points. Cinci held them to 13 last year with far less talent than we have. I think our offense is going to be much improved and very high powered and quick striking. If we can come out and punch Pitt in the mouth early, our offense could be our best defense against Dion Lewis. We could take him out of the equation in the second half and force a virtually unproven qb to beat a defense that will then be able to sit back in coverage and blitz with greater effeciancy.

 

[NDinL.A.]

The problem with the Pitt game, besides the fact that they are very talented and if we were to play today they'd be favored, is that we play them as our 6th straight game - no byes - with all of those games against REAL opponents. There are no patsies in there, Purdue included (they beat OSU last year at OSU, and OSU won the Rose Bowl). Look at that schedule...it's a brutal 6 game stretch to start the season! And with the way we practice all out, and our lack of depth/inexperience at a couple key spots, we could be burned out by that game.

If we can get out of that stretch 4-2, I consider it a victory for sure. Purdue, Michigan (rivalry), then 3 VERY physical teams in a row - MSU, Stanford, and BC - before going into perhaps the best team we'll play all year. Looking at each game individually and we're fine. But look at them in totality, and it's a TOUGH opening stretch, as tough as anyone's in the country I would surmise. There's a reason Phil Steele has our schedule as #17 in the country...

 

[ACamp1900]

I agree with LAs first paragrpah totally... the first half of the season will be a challenge... I do not see us getting through it without at least two loses... but if our boys CAN get through it undefeated or even 5-1... this will be a very good season

 

[tommyIRISH23]

For me, the best shot the Irish have to win this game is this situation:
Pitt will comeout and try and run Dion down our throat. I say that based on the fact that we havent stopped any running backs lately and he is amazing. With that said, running the ball takes a lot of time off the clock and doesnt always produce points. Cinci held them to 13 last year with far less talent than we have. I think our offense is going to be much improved and very high powered and quick striking. If we can come out and punch Pitt in the mouth early, our offense could be our best defense against Dion Lewis. We could take him out of the equation in the second half and force a virtually unproven qb to beat a defense that will then be able to sit back in coverage and blitz with greater effeciancy.

I totally agree.

I think we will need a strategy that is do or die, and executed without error. And, obviously, we can't hurt ourselves with undisiplined play...penalties, dropped balls, blown coverages, and other mental mistakes.

I agree Pitt's approach is going to be attack us with there bread and butter, Dion Lewis. I personally do not think Wannstead is that great of a coach, and do not think he will be able to adjust properly if his game plan breaks down.

I am obviously not a coach, and my strategy may be the furthest thing from being right, but here is what I would do.

1. Gamble, and think run first. And do what you have to do to stop the run early. Try to anticipate Pitts play calling down by down. Watch all film that there is on Wannstead and figure out his tendencies when calling plays. The best way would be to break it down in groups of 4 or 5 plays and try to have a 65-75% success rate in anticipating his calls. Also, defer to the second half on the coin toss if possible.

2. Hopefully this works, and the irish get a few stops limiting pit to at most 3 pts. When the Irish get the ball, score fast and quick and try to use the big play. ND can not afford mental errors, and they can not afford missed oppurtunities. 7 points is the must on each drive.

3. If the team is scoring well, and in the lead by 7 + towards the end of the 2nd quarter, only the next TD go for 2. That will make the score a odd differential, and pyscologically give the irish the lead. My feeling is that this will take Pitt out of there plan mentally, they will start to throw the ball more.

4. Come out, and score quick in the 2nd half. Score fast, and quickly until the end of the 3rd. If the team has say a 9/11 point lead going into the 4th. Pitt will be off balance and erratic with there play calling. Give the DB's help and make sure Baldin does not kill us.

5. Now, if ND is up by 9/11 + at the end of the 3rd/beginning of fourth. Slow down the offense to eat the clock. I am not talking about running the ball, not CW style of handing the opposition the ball after 4 downs. Do quick screens, 5 yard hooks/slants, outs, mixed with running the ball. Eat the clock some then go for the kill to Mike Floyd.

ND has to beat this team in the first half, and take Pitt out of their element. I don't see them winning a shootout...pitt will pull away towards the end.

ND has to come out strong, disiplined, and kind of gamble by playing a Chess Match.
Dion Lewis will get his carries. ND has to put pitt into a unbalanced position where the team can guess a positive probabible outcome of the play benefiting them. This game is going to take a TON of preperation.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Whether we're 6-6, 8-4, 10-2 etc will depend upon whether we rapidly develop into an elite run-stopping defense [and of course maintain the health of our soon-to-be fabulous quarterback]. Some large part of this lands upon who is standing next to Manti in the middle. If that guy can take on and shed guards and light up running backs, the rest of the pieces for that elite run-stuffing defense seem in place. [or close to it]. There are a motherload of opponents on our schedule who REALLY want to lean on their running games. The best of these is Pitt as many people have noted. But we're going to be better than Cincinnati was on defense last year and maybe LOTS better. And, being generally from the Pittsburgh area, I have witnessed that Wannstedt is a coach who tends to go conservative and actually blow games here and there. I don't see Kelly that way--unless we think he might be such a high-flying offensive wildman that he might blow one for the opposite reason. My feeling is that we'd beat Pitt easily this year except for the thing that hasn't been mentioned much about them---they have some monster play-makers on defense. If we keep the monsters away from Crist and don't fumble, we'll win that game if our D is anything like the run-stoppers I'm hoping for. Manti and "mr.X" light them up, Crist stays upright, Pitt monsters get tired because the ball's away too quickly, Allen and Wood blitz them out of the spread and don't put it on the ground, Wannstedt gets confused because old-fashioned Chicago Bears football isn't working, and Kelly smiles.

 

[Riddickulous]

1. Gamble, and think run first. And do what you have to do to stop the run early. Try to anticipate Pitts play calling down by down. Watch all film that there is on Wannstead and figure out his tendencies when calling plays. The best way would be to break it down in groups of 4 or 5 plays and try to have a 65-75% success rate in anticipating his calls. Also, defer to the second half on the coin toss if possible.

2. Hopefully this works, and the irish get a few stops limiting pit to at most 3 pts. When the Irish get the ball, score fast and quick and try to use the big play. ND can not afford mental errors, and they can not afford missed oppurtunities. 7 points is the must on each drive.

3. If the team is scoring well, and in the lead by 7 + towards the end of the 2nd quarter, only the next TD go for 2. That will make the score a odd differential, and pyscologically give the irish the lead. My feeling is that this will take Pitt out of there plan mentally, they will start to throw the ball more.

4. Come out, and score quick in the 2nd half. Score fast, and quickly until the end of the 3rd. If the team has say a 9/11 point lead going into the 4th. Pitt will be off balance and erratic with there play calling. Give the DB's help and make sure Baldin does not kill us.

5. Now, if ND is up by 9/11 + at the end of the 3rd/beginning of fourth. Slow down the offense to eat the clock. I am not talking about running the ball, not CW style of handing the opposition the ball after 4 downs. Do quick screens, 5 yard hooks/slants, outs, mixed with running the ball. Eat the clock some then go for the kill to Mike Floyd.

ND has to beat this team in the first half, and take Pitt out of their element. I don't see them winning a shootout...pitt will pull away towards the end.

ND has to come out strong, disiplined, and kind of gamble by playing a Chess Match.
Dion Lewis will get his carries. ND has to put pitt into a unbalanced position where the team can guess a positive probabible outcome of the play benefiting them. This game is going to take a TON of preperation.

1. It's not much of a gamble to assume that they're going to run...a lot. Basically, their offense can be described in three words: Lewis and Baldwin. Stop one and they run out of options quickly. Stop both and you stop the offense.

2. While scoring 7 points on every drive as a goal is a given, allowing 3 points per Pitt drive is not a good strategy. The strategy should be zero.

3. There is no way we'd ever go for two in the second quarter. This is not a Weis team.

4. Double Baldwin is the easiest pass defense we have.

5. I agree with this.

Whether we're 6-6, 8-4, 10-2 etc will depend upon whether we rapidly develop into an elite run-stopping defense [and of course maintain the health of our soon-to-be fabulous quarterback]. Some large part of this lands upon who is standing next to Manti in the middle. If that guy can take on and shed guards and light up running backs, the rest of the pieces for that elite run-stuffing defense seem in place. [or close to it]. There are a motherload of opponents on our schedule who REALLY want to lean on their running games. The best of these is Pitt as many people have noted. But we're going to be better than Cincinnati was on defense last year and maybe LOTS better. And, being generally from the Pittsburgh area, I have witnessed that Wannstedt is a coach who tends to go conservative and actually blow games here and there. I don't see Kelly that way--unless we think he might be such a high-flying offensive wildman that he might blow one for the opposite reason. My feeling is that we'd beat Pitt easily this year except for the thing that hasn't been mentioned much about them---they have some monster play-makers on defense. If we keep the monsters away from Crist and don't fumble, we'll win that game if our D is anything like the run-stoppers I'm hoping for. Manti and "mr.X" light them up, Crist stays upright, Pitt monsters get tired because the ball's away too quickly, Allen and Wood blitz them out of the spread and don't put it on the ground, Wannstedt gets confused because old-fashioned Chicago Bears football isn't working, and Kelly smiles.

Pittsburgh's defensive monsters are two defensive ends, Greg Romeus and Jabaal Sheard. Sheard threw someone through a glass door this summer without punishment, which is complete bull and shows that Wanny is desperate to keep his job. The strategy will likely be the same strategy that Weis used against Basped and Moch last year against Nevada: call a ton of plays early right at them to throw off their confidence. This means bubble screens, runs, swing passes, etc.

Mr. X? I'm hoping it's Prince Shembo. If he's the best, play him. It gives us three to four years of solid interior linebacker play.

 

[Rocket89]

Hey we did shut down Montel Harris last year from BC.

But then Shinskie turned into Dan Marino on us....

 

[NDTH91]

Who knows is exactly right... Realistically we could lose to any team on the schedule (a couple of those would be embarrassing but if we recall Syracuse a few years back...) That being said we could also beat any team on the schedule.

So that puts us at anywhere from 0-12 to 12-0... My guess is a mildly disappointing 8-4 but with a bright future! (but I'm still hoping for 12-0) should be a fun year to watch!

 

[Dizzyphil]

Being from Memphis, I follow Conference USA somewhat. Tulsa can score and no one should ever consider anyone on the schedule an easy or guaranteed win. Tulsa can score and they can hang. Last year they were exactly like us in some respects - up and down when you least expect it. They lost big to Oklahoma, but hung in with Boise State and Houston. They can score quickly and have a pretty good O-line. They scored a total of 220 points last year.

I hope to see 9 wins, 10 would be awesome. Reality sets in and I see 8.

Ready for Saturdays in the Fall!!!!

Dizzy

 

[Riddickulous]

Being from Memphis, I follow Conference USA somewhat. Tulsa can score and no one should ever consider anyone on the schedule an easy or guaranteed win. Tulsa can score and they can hang. Last year they were exactly like us in some respects - up and down when you least expect it. They lost big to Oklahoma, but hung in with Boise State and Houston. They can score quickly and have a pretty good O-line. They scored a total of 220 points last year.

I hope to see 9 wins, 10 would be awesome. Reality sets in and I see 8.

Ready for Saturdays in the Fall!!!!

Dizzy

There is an incredible talent gap between Oklahoma and the latter two schools.

 

[Dizzyphil]

There is an incredible talent gap between Oklahoma and the latter two schools.

You are right, but one of the latter schools is 44 - 4, in the last four years, 2 undefeated seasons and beat Oklahoma in a bowl....

you missed my point, don't over-estimate anyone.... Even Tulsa, Syracuse, UCONN, UNC, Navy, Air Force..........

 

[IrishInColumbus]

There are no patsies in there, Purdue included (they beat OSU last year at OSU, and OSU won the Rose Bowl).

Not that I don't agree with you or anything, but I go to Ohio State. That game was not played at Ohio State.

There is an incredible talent gap between Oklahoma and the latter two schools.

There is an incredible drop in program strength between Oklahoma and Notre Dame. The game isn't a guaranteed victory with Notre Dame's defense until they prove otherwise.

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

Not that I don't agree with you or anything, but I go to Ohio State. That game was not played at Ohio State.



There is an incredible drop in program strength between Oklahoma and Notre Dame. The game isn't a guaranteed victory with Notre Dame's defense until they prove otherwise.

Or the Buckeye's Quarterback play.... That moron couldn't hit water if he fell off the deck of the Titanic.... (Did you see what I did right there???)

(Pulls out Troll-o-meter....measures up room....Locks in on Columbus Boi....)