P.Richards68
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I thought it was funny, I got a laugh
atleast someone has a sense of humor. whens the last time purdue beat anyone...(ill hold my breath)
2013 Spring Practice Thread
- Thread starter rtrn2glory
- Start date
atleast someone has a sense of humor. whens the last time purdue beat anyone...(ill hold my breath)
dshans
They call me The Dribbler
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SaltyND24
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Oh please believe that I take what you say as a joke...If I didn't, you would see a negative rep from me...lmao
P.Richards68
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well since you asked nicely i will believe you. you can trust my word, because im not catholic
M
Me2SouthBend
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Trollololololol. Cherry Bombs all around.
Irish Insanity
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Your screen name should be changed to 'P.Sofshit'
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Bogtrotter07
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So, any news?
K
koonja
Guest
Yes, given Baratti's incredible, hulk-like size and athleticism, Barack has determined that we'll be air dropping him in North Korea to wipe out all evil.
On a serious note, I hope I didn't upset too many people with the Baratti argument. We'll see!
LoveThee
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I'm just pointing out that I don't think anybody believes Baratti to be a super freak Safety this year, just that he is a quality player contributing to the perceived logjam at that position.
Regardless, to the original point, its going to be interesting to see what position the players get placed in and how everyone is doing in the fall.
Go Irish!
Regardless, to the original point, its going to be interesting to see what position the players get placed in and how everyone is doing in the fall.
Go Irish!
PANDFAN
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247 free
247 free
Ishaq Williams Coming To Notre Dame’s ‘Four Front’
The nickel back who can play both safety or corner; the tight end who can be flexed out to a wide receiver’s position, a la 2012 John Mackey Award winner Tyler Eifert; the running back who can also be the slot receiver to create matchup problems …
In 2013, one of the top hybrid figures at Notre Dame might be junior Cat linebacker/defensive end Ishaq Williams.
Two years ago, Williams arrived with Florida’s Aaron Lynch and Georgia’s Stephon Tuitt as one of Notre Dame’s “Big Three” five-star, front-line/edge rushers that finally provided the Fighting Irish with “SEC-like” skills along that area of the defense.
Lynch became a Freshman All-American in 2011 before transferring to South Florida. Last year, Tuitt became the first sophomore defensive lineman ever at Notre Dame to earn first-team All-America honors (CBSSports.com, Sports Illustrated and ESPN), or even second-team Associated Press All-America notice.
For New York native Williams, the development has been taking a little more time while acclimating to a far higher level in big-time college football. He was a special teams regular as a 2011 freshman (six tackles) and he became a situational player in the nickel last season, finishing with 22 tackles (3.5 for lost yardage).
This year, he isn’t necessarily in line to become a starter, but Williams has a chance to earn starter minutes as both the top reserve behind senior Prince Shembo at Cat while also lining up at defensive end in situational packages, if not more. He can pretty much be categorized as the fourth lineman when not at outside linebacker.
“We can get him 15-20 more reps [per game], and he’s all for that,” head coach Brian Kelly said. “So he’ll still get his Cat work and he’ll play some defensive end as well.”
“Ishaq is too good a player to have him stand on the sidelines,” Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston said. “We’re trying to get him on the field, trying to get him prepared for that situation. Whether it’s at outside linebacker or end, he’s going to be one of the better guys.”
During spring ball, the listed 6-5, 261-pound Williams — who insists he is 255 — works primarily with defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Bob Diaco. However, on occasion he has been training with Elston at end, especially in the earlier sessions while Tuitt was recovering from offseason hernia surgery.
The Irish defense is almost 50-50 when it comes to how it aligns with three or four men up front, with the Cat serving as the wild card figure in both packages.
In nickel packages, Shembo — praised by Kelly as one of the consistently hardest-working and most productive players on the team — was a defensive end with his hand on the ground last year. He finished sixth in tackles (51), second in tackles for loss (10.5) and sacks (7.5), and first in quarterback hurries (12), despite not having the prototype size at 6-2, 250. In other situations, Shembo was an outside linebacker who could play in a stand-up position.
The rangier Williams has the agility to drop into pass coverage and the size and strength to rush the passer. His work at end is not about bulking up to the 280- to 300-pound range.
“I don’t want to get any heavier than this,” Williams said. “It’s a good weight for me, I feel like I move well, and it’s enough.”
It’s conceivable that in passing situations Shembo and Williams can be the bookends while on the field at the same time. Facing much bigger offensive tackles is part of the job description anyway for the Cat linebacker, so it’s not like Williams is making any dramatic position switch when he is stationed at end.
“The outside linebackers face those offensive tackles anyway,” Elston said. “I don’t see him getting overwhelmed with power or size because he’s so explosive and long and keeps those guys at arm’s length, and that helps him getting off blocks and making plays.
“When he comes over to end, he’s going to be asked to play how the ends play. In our other packages, it’s not. It’s, ‘Pin your ears back and go.’ He’s got to learn how to play some different things that he doesn’t learn over at the other positions.”
“It’s about giving me an opportunity and taking it,” summarized Williams, who said the Cat position is tailored to his skill sets. “I played a lot of nickel last year. I like dropping [into coverage], I have no problem with it. I like rushing the passer as well. I embrace the role, which is why I like both aspects of it.”
Working with Elston to learn the nuances as a defensive end in packages beyond just the nickel also has helped expand Williams’ football IQ.
“It helps me and forces me to understand the defense more as a whole,” he said. “I know what the Cat does, the nose, the open end … it gives me more opportunities to play.”
This summer, Williams will place a special emphasis on his pass-rushing skills while working with Shembo. Notre Dame finished tied for 22nd nationally in sacks per game (2.62) last year, but the one area on defense that did not rank among the nation’s best was tackles for loss (it was 78th with 5.38 per game).
“He’s one of my good friends,” Williams said of Shembo. “We always work out together, we work on our moves together. Pass rushing hasn’t been my game, and that’s what I want to work at this summer to get it better.”
If that area continues to progress with Williams the way it did with Shembo last season, then 2013 might be The Year of the Cat for the Irish defense.
247 free
Ishaq Williams Coming To Notre Dame’s ‘Four Front’
The nickel back who can play both safety or corner; the tight end who can be flexed out to a wide receiver’s position, a la 2012 John Mackey Award winner Tyler Eifert; the running back who can also be the slot receiver to create matchup problems …
In 2013, one of the top hybrid figures at Notre Dame might be junior Cat linebacker/defensive end Ishaq Williams.
Two years ago, Williams arrived with Florida’s Aaron Lynch and Georgia’s Stephon Tuitt as one of Notre Dame’s “Big Three” five-star, front-line/edge rushers that finally provided the Fighting Irish with “SEC-like” skills along that area of the defense.
Lynch became a Freshman All-American in 2011 before transferring to South Florida. Last year, Tuitt became the first sophomore defensive lineman ever at Notre Dame to earn first-team All-America honors (CBSSports.com, Sports Illustrated and ESPN), or even second-team Associated Press All-America notice.
For New York native Williams, the development has been taking a little more time while acclimating to a far higher level in big-time college football. He was a special teams regular as a 2011 freshman (six tackles) and he became a situational player in the nickel last season, finishing with 22 tackles (3.5 for lost yardage).
This year, he isn’t necessarily in line to become a starter, but Williams has a chance to earn starter minutes as both the top reserve behind senior Prince Shembo at Cat while also lining up at defensive end in situational packages, if not more. He can pretty much be categorized as the fourth lineman when not at outside linebacker.
“We can get him 15-20 more reps [per game], and he’s all for that,” head coach Brian Kelly said. “So he’ll still get his Cat work and he’ll play some defensive end as well.”
“Ishaq is too good a player to have him stand on the sidelines,” Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston said. “We’re trying to get him on the field, trying to get him prepared for that situation. Whether it’s at outside linebacker or end, he’s going to be one of the better guys.”
During spring ball, the listed 6-5, 261-pound Williams — who insists he is 255 — works primarily with defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Bob Diaco. However, on occasion he has been training with Elston at end, especially in the earlier sessions while Tuitt was recovering from offseason hernia surgery.
The Irish defense is almost 50-50 when it comes to how it aligns with three or four men up front, with the Cat serving as the wild card figure in both packages.
In nickel packages, Shembo — praised by Kelly as one of the consistently hardest-working and most productive players on the team — was a defensive end with his hand on the ground last year. He finished sixth in tackles (51), second in tackles for loss (10.5) and sacks (7.5), and first in quarterback hurries (12), despite not having the prototype size at 6-2, 250. In other situations, Shembo was an outside linebacker who could play in a stand-up position.
The rangier Williams has the agility to drop into pass coverage and the size and strength to rush the passer. His work at end is not about bulking up to the 280- to 300-pound range.
“I don’t want to get any heavier than this,” Williams said. “It’s a good weight for me, I feel like I move well, and it’s enough.”
It’s conceivable that in passing situations Shembo and Williams can be the bookends while on the field at the same time. Facing much bigger offensive tackles is part of the job description anyway for the Cat linebacker, so it’s not like Williams is making any dramatic position switch when he is stationed at end.
“The outside linebackers face those offensive tackles anyway,” Elston said. “I don’t see him getting overwhelmed with power or size because he’s so explosive and long and keeps those guys at arm’s length, and that helps him getting off blocks and making plays.
“When he comes over to end, he’s going to be asked to play how the ends play. In our other packages, it’s not. It’s, ‘Pin your ears back and go.’ He’s got to learn how to play some different things that he doesn’t learn over at the other positions.”
“It’s about giving me an opportunity and taking it,” summarized Williams, who said the Cat position is tailored to his skill sets. “I played a lot of nickel last year. I like dropping [into coverage], I have no problem with it. I like rushing the passer as well. I embrace the role, which is why I like both aspects of it.”
Working with Elston to learn the nuances as a defensive end in packages beyond just the nickel also has helped expand Williams’ football IQ.
“It helps me and forces me to understand the defense more as a whole,” he said. “I know what the Cat does, the nose, the open end … it gives me more opportunities to play.”
This summer, Williams will place a special emphasis on his pass-rushing skills while working with Shembo. Notre Dame finished tied for 22nd nationally in sacks per game (2.62) last year, but the one area on defense that did not rank among the nation’s best was tackles for loss (it was 78th with 5.38 per game).
“He’s one of my good friends,” Williams said of Shembo. “We always work out together, we work on our moves together. Pass rushing hasn’t been my game, and that’s what I want to work at this summer to get it better.”
If that area continues to progress with Williams the way it did with Shembo last season, then 2013 might be The Year of the Cat for the Irish defense.
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PANDFAN
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Notre Dame makes special teams a point of emphasis
Guys like quarterback Everett Golson, left tackle Zack Martin, receiver TJ Jones and tight end Troy Niklas on offense, and linebackers Jarrett Grace and Ben Councell all earned high praise.
“Those are just pieces. I don’t have all 22 yet, feeling like we’ve got this thing together,” Kelly said.
Beyond the 22 is a question mark that’s been hovering over special teams for several years now, most notably in the punt return game. The Fighting Irish ranked 116th nationally in 2012 in that category, averaging a paltry 2.19 yards per return on 21 attempts. Success in that area doesn’t necessarily translate to overwhelming success in the win-loss column, with teams like Boston College (21.69), Nevada (15.13), Missouri (15.04), Duke (14.92) and North Carolina (14.17) all finishing in the top 10 in punt return but combining for only 28 victories. Boston College led the way nationally and went just 2-10 last year.
But it’s an aspect of the game that’s crucial for Notre Dame to retain its spot among the elite. Of the teams that finished among the top 10 in the final Associated Press poll, only Georgia (7.52) and Notre Dame averaged less than 10 yards per return, and only Notre Dame had fewer than 200 total return yards with 46. Five schools compiled 299 or more return yards.
“It’s a process just like offense and defense,” special teams coordinator Scott Booker said. “It’s ultimately going to come to a head whenever we go out there against Temple. We’re going to know who our punt returner is. It’s a process right now, so we’re going to go through everybody and put guys in situations where we’ll try to simulate as much as we can as a live, full-speed deal and see what they do.”
The cold weather this spring has forced the Irish indoors, but Booker said plenty of work as gotten done in determining candidates for that spot. Kelly went on record at the beginning of spring practices that his desire is to staff key special teams positions with frontline skill players. Booker said a number of guys are getting looks, including Jones, running back Amir Carlisle (before a collarbone injury), safety Austin Collinsworth (who returned punts in high school) and safety/receiver C.J. Prosise. There are others that weren’t mentioned publicly.
“I think that will be narrowed down when spring is over with, but we’re definitely putting guys out there to try and return punts,” Booker added.
The return game isn’t the only point of emphasis when it comes to special teams. Notre Dame’s looking for more momentum shifting plays across the board.
“Some of our special teams lacked the big plays last year,” Booker explained. “In punt, obviously, the game-changing play of getting the ball back. In the Alabama game, we did get the ball back but we got called for a penalty. We shouldn’t just concede every time you punt the ball that they’re going to get the ball. Let’s attack the ball, let’s tackle, let’s strip the ball and try to get the ball back.
“Also a game-changing play for the punt team is to down the ball inside the 5-yard line, because then you really give the defense an opportunity to score either a safety, sack-fumble, touchdown or anything like that. Those are the game changing plays I think coach is talking about in punt.”
Guys like quarterback Everett Golson, left tackle Zack Martin, receiver TJ Jones and tight end Troy Niklas on offense, and linebackers Jarrett Grace and Ben Councell all earned high praise.
“Those are just pieces. I don’t have all 22 yet, feeling like we’ve got this thing together,” Kelly said.
Beyond the 22 is a question mark that’s been hovering over special teams for several years now, most notably in the punt return game. The Fighting Irish ranked 116th nationally in 2012 in that category, averaging a paltry 2.19 yards per return on 21 attempts. Success in that area doesn’t necessarily translate to overwhelming success in the win-loss column, with teams like Boston College (21.69), Nevada (15.13), Missouri (15.04), Duke (14.92) and North Carolina (14.17) all finishing in the top 10 in punt return but combining for only 28 victories. Boston College led the way nationally and went just 2-10 last year.
But it’s an aspect of the game that’s crucial for Notre Dame to retain its spot among the elite. Of the teams that finished among the top 10 in the final Associated Press poll, only Georgia (7.52) and Notre Dame averaged less than 10 yards per return, and only Notre Dame had fewer than 200 total return yards with 46. Five schools compiled 299 or more return yards.
“It’s a process just like offense and defense,” special teams coordinator Scott Booker said. “It’s ultimately going to come to a head whenever we go out there against Temple. We’re going to know who our punt returner is. It’s a process right now, so we’re going to go through everybody and put guys in situations where we’ll try to simulate as much as we can as a live, full-speed deal and see what they do.”
The cold weather this spring has forced the Irish indoors, but Booker said plenty of work as gotten done in determining candidates for that spot. Kelly went on record at the beginning of spring practices that his desire is to staff key special teams positions with frontline skill players. Booker said a number of guys are getting looks, including Jones, running back Amir Carlisle (before a collarbone injury), safety Austin Collinsworth (who returned punts in high school) and safety/receiver C.J. Prosise. There are others that weren’t mentioned publicly.
“I think that will be narrowed down when spring is over with, but we’re definitely putting guys out there to try and return punts,” Booker added.
The return game isn’t the only point of emphasis when it comes to special teams. Notre Dame’s looking for more momentum shifting plays across the board.
“Some of our special teams lacked the big plays last year,” Booker explained. “In punt, obviously, the game-changing play of getting the ball back. In the Alabama game, we did get the ball back but we got called for a penalty. We shouldn’t just concede every time you punt the ball that they’re going to get the ball. Let’s attack the ball, let’s tackle, let’s strip the ball and try to get the ball back.
“Also a game-changing play for the punt team is to down the ball inside the 5-yard line, because then you really give the defense an opportunity to score either a safety, sack-fumble, touchdown or anything like that. Those are the game changing plays I think coach is talking about in punt.”
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Redbar
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That must be his signature move, he hooked me up in another thread when he felt my opinion was unsolicited. Like his "superstar" move or his mic drop before he gets a leave of absence.
Old Man Mike
Fast as Lightning!
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the Teaser was fun.... great to see the guys like little kids, and great to see them trying to haze big Steve Elmer about not getting a gold hat. He took it perfectly --- and everytime I see him, my subconscious says: All-American on the way.
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Agreed, its fun to see them act their age sometimes. I think we forget that some of them are still just teenagers having fun. On Elmer I agree as well. I still remember reading early in the process a statement that Sampson on II made about Elmer. It was something to the effect that he had graded out higher as a OT prospect than any OT prospect since Kelly's staff has been at ND.
B
Bogtrotter07
Guest
Agreed! And every other time I see him, I notice how shockingly lankey he is and how much growth potential he has!
Who'saWildManNow
Bald Prick
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Jarrett Grace is gong to melt faces. That is all.
Cali_domer
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Irish Houstonian
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Funny, all mine ever says is "you hate your mother".
JughedJones
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Who'saWildManNow
Bald Prick
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Like this?
Or this
2nd one for sure.
BleedBlueGold
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<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/63899005" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>
Ironman8
Jaqen H'ghar
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Very impressed with center Nick Martin during Friday morning's practice. Coaches at the clinic buzzing about his athleticism.</p>— Irish Illustrated (@NDatRivals) <a href="https://twitter.com/NDatRivals/status/322719606085128192">April 12, 2013</a></blockquote>
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Who'saWildManNow
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Things I noticed..
- Lou just looks like 300+ lbs of steel... Expectations are through the roof.
- Like seeing Romeo taking reps off the edge. He's next level when it comes to versatility and athleticism.
- Corey Robinson is already a monster freshman.. I can't imagine the freak he will be in a few years.
- Lou just looks like 300+ lbs of steel... Expectations are through the roof.
- Like seeing Romeo taking reps off the edge. He's next level when it comes to versatility and athleticism.
- Corey Robinson is already a monster freshman.. I can't imagine the freak he will be in a few years.
dublinirish
Everestt Gholstonson
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the 2nd team offense is all sneakily exciting: Robinson, Heuerman, Prosise, Onawalu, Run CMC, Elmer, Heggie and Tommy Rees.
You could not select a better IrishEnvy hype lineup.
You could not select a better IrishEnvy hype lineup.
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Buster Bluth
Guest
Who would have thought, during the Weis Era, that Notre Dame would ever have two 1st-team All-American DLs in the same season?
It's about to happen.
Plus I'd say Shembo plays at a "1st-team all-conference" level, and Spond and Fox at a 2nd-team level. It's a damn fine front seven.
It's about to happen.
Plus I'd say Shembo plays at a "1st-team all-conference" level, and Spond and Fox at a 2nd-team level. It's a damn fine front seven.