2014 Fall Camp Thread

[Whiskeyjack]

You're looking for so many things when it comes to a Mike - size, instincts, quickness, speed, power, balance, intelligence, leadership etc. If a Mike is undersized but has elite quickness, instincts and power, he's probably still the man for the job. It's hard to rank Schmidt in these categories. I think it's fair to say he may have elite intangibles but he does not have elite physical ability. Is he talented enough to compensate for his lack of size? Who the hell knows? I hope so but I have my doubts.

No one has called for an All-American season out of him. But an experienced MLB with elite intangibles, adequate size, and average athleticism makes our 2014 LB corps a lot more formidable than an undersized former walk-on would have.

 

[Irish YJ]

As far as those two are concerned, they may simply have been technically (in Farley's case) or athletically (in Collinsworth's case) outmatched by our freakish WR corps.



Our WRs aren't having to adapt to a brand new scheme, so we should expert them to have a significant advantage this early in fall camp.

I'd also add that this is probably the quickest/fastest crop of WR's we've ever had. I'm not the pro historian like a lot of folks, but I don't remember having anywhere close to the number of burners we have now going down to 3rd on the depth chart.

 

[Big23Head]

Yes that's Springmann with Williams. I knew Williams would be a steal but did not expect him to he ready this year like it appears. At 6'4 252, he put on 22 pounds this summer.

O'Malley at Scout has repeatedly said he looks like a sophomore and not at all like a freshman.

 

[NDdomer2]

I'm still worried about Stanford just attacking Joe up the middle all game.

 

[fightingirish26]

I'm still worried about Stanford just attacking Joe up the middle all game.

It would be this type of game that grace and councell would see a lot of time

 

[Irishokie]

So what I've got from fall camp so far is we have an entire roster of Heisman winners and we're going to set the single season record for most Pass Interference calls on D. Have I missed anything else?

 

[irishog77]

So what I've got from fall camp so far is we have an entire roster of Heisman winners and we're going to set the single season record for most Pass Interference calls on D. Have I missed anything else?

Some players have nice legs too.

 

[Ndaccountant]

Some players have nice legs too.

Combine those legs with Elam's tits and you have one sexy thang

 

[T Town Tommy]

No one has called for an All-American season out of him. But an experienced MLB with elite intangibles, adequate size, and average athleticism makes our 2014 LB corps a lot more formidable than an undersized former walk-on would have.

Do you think we see a lot more of the Tampa 2 style defense since Schmidt seems to be getting a lot of praise for his ability to grasp the complex defensive strategies of BVG? I think the early reports from the spring was that BVG was utilizing Smith in that role as it was mentioned that he was moving into the Mike position in practice quite a bit on passing downs. I don't remember reading anyone post out about the Tampa 2 however. If Schmidt can hold his own there, it will be a big boost as that keeps Jaylon freed up. Of course things change up when you face your more traditional power run teams and Grace would be relied on more heavily. And with that, has there been anything mentioned about he is progressing? Both with his injury and his ability to comprehend the new defense? With the LB corp being so important to the new defense, these two players - Schmidt and Grace are crucial to the success. Maybe that's why I am thinking it through - or maybe just overthinking it.

 

[Wild Bill]

No one has called for an All-American season out of him. But an experienced MLB with elite intangibles, adequate size, and average athleticism makes our 2014 LB corps a lot more formidable than an undersized former walk-on would have.

True. We'll find out after the Michigan game. Hoke's fat ass is rolling into town looking to run the ball and he's going to target Schmidt. He needs a big game.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Do you think we see a lot more of the Tampa 2 style defense since Schmidt seems to be getting a lot of praise for his ability to grasp the complex defensive strategies of BVG?

Yes. And with his increased bulk, I think he's got a legitimate shot at being an every-down starter for us. At least against the bulk of our schedule, which won't be relying on a power rushing attack.

I think the early reports from the spring was that BVG was utilizing Smith in that role as it was mentioned that he was moving into the Mike position in practice quite a bit on passing downs.

That was based on a few very truncated portions of Spring Practice that the media were allowed in for. My intuition is that those were mostly Nickel and Dime packages. Moving Smith inside would neutralize many of the advantages his freakish athleticism offers on the edge of the defense. I'd bet his role in our base formation remains WLB, and I expect him to be one of the only players who never leaves the field.

I don't remember reading anyone post out about the Tampa 2 however.

Nothing official, but it wouldn't surprise me one bit.

Of course things change up when you face your more traditional power run teams and Grace would be relied on more heavily. And with that, has there been anything mentioned about he is progressing? Both with his injury and his ability to comprehend the new defense?

Reportedly no contact yet, but he's been moving very well in agility drills and such. No idea on how he's picking up the new scheme. His injury must have given Schmidt a decent head-start in that category, which is partly why I don't expect Schmidt to get passed soon (except vs. power rushing opponents).

With the LB corp being so important to the new defense, these two players - Schmidt and Grace are crucial to the success. Maybe that's why I am thinking it through - or maybe just overthinking it.

Couldn't agree more. LB was my #1 concern heading into Fall Practice. Schmidt's added bulk and the speedy recovery of both Grace and Councell have me feeling much better now.

 

[Wild Bill]

Do you think we see a lot more of the Tampa 2 style defense since Schmidt seems to be getting a lot of praise for his ability to grasp the complex defensive strategies of BVG?

I think the defensive line will dictate how much Tampa 2 we'll run. If they can get consistent pressure with a four man rush, we may see it often. Can't run that defensive without pressure from the front four.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I think the defensive line will dictate how much Tampa 2 we'll run. If they can get consistent pressure with a four man rush, we may see it often. Can't run that defensive without pressure from the front four.

I don't think we're going to have any issues creating pressure this year. If our front-seven struggles, it's going to be with power rushing teams.

 

[T Town Tommy]

I think the defensive line will dictate how much Tampa 2 we'll run. If they can get consistent pressure with a four man rush, we may see it often. Can't run that defensive without pressure from the front four.

Would be great if they get that push up front. It would help give the DBs some cushion and some over the top help in the Tampa 2 if so. And Jaylon could clean up if it all falls in to place.

 

[T Town Tommy]

Couldn't agree more. LB was my #1 concern heading into Fall Practice. Schmidt's added bulk and the speedy recovery of both Grace and Councell have me feeling much better now.

Thanks for the insight as always whiskey. Or we could see if Kevin Mentor is available. LOL

 

[pkt77242]

I don't think we're going to have any issues creating pressure this year. If our front-seven struggles, it's going to be with power rushing teams.

Outside of Day who has proven that they can consistently get pressure? We are hoping that Williams and Okwara can but I don't know if I would call either of them proven at getting consistent pressure. Am I missing something?

 

[WakeUpEchoes]

Outside of Day who has proven that they can consistently get pressure? We are hoping that Williams and Okwara can but I don't know if I would call either of them proven at getting consistent pressure. Am I missing something?

I'm with you. No one has proven to be an elite pass rusher on this team. Yeah, you can send the house and get pressure. But you need at least one dominant pass rusher or else you will get beat over the top eventually and give up the big play.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Outside of Day who has proven that they can consistently get pressure? We are hoping that Williams and Okwara can but I don't know if I would call either of them proven at getting consistent pressure. Am I missing something?

Day's the only one who can do it consistently from the inside. On the outside, between Okwara, Ishaq, and all the athletic freshman we have on campus now, I'm cautiously optimistic that at least one of them will be a reliable pass-rushing threat.

But you're skepticism is justifiable if we're looking at just the DL-- which, if you were responding to Irish19's comment about the Tampa-2, makes total sense. My optimism about our ability to generate pressure takes the LBs and DBs into account as well. Jaylon, Russell, and Collinsworth (probably Riggs as well) should all be able to blitz effectively in BvG's defense.

We've got more speed at the back end than we've had in a long long time. That, combined with the new scheme, should allow us to generate pressure a lot more successfully than in years past.

 

[T Town Tommy]

Outside of Day who has proven that they can consistently get pressure? We are hoping that Williams and Okwara can but I don't know if I would call either of them proven at getting consistent pressure. Am I missing something?

I would agree at the moment. But you gotta hope somewhere within the DL there will be those two or three that can get enough pressure. Maybe not a lot of sacks but just enough pressure. I think the Tampa 2 will be just one of many sets BVG uses. The zone blitz would be another - especially if KVR can hold his own on the outside. Any push from the line opens up all kinds of possibilities. Hopefully for the Irish they find the right mix and then that allows BVG to get more creative. His system is so complex it is going to take all defensive subsets doing their part.

 

[pkt77242]

Day's the only one who can do it consistently from the inside. On the outside, between Okwara, Ishaq, and all the athletic freshman we have on campus now, I'm cautiously optimistic that at least one of them will be a reliable pass-rushing threat.

But you're skepticism is justifiable if we're looking at just the DL-- which, if you were responding to Irish19's comment about the Tampa-2, makes total sense. My optimism about our ability to generate pressure takes the LBs and DBs into account as well. Jaylon, Russell, and Collinsworth (probably Riggs as well) should all be able to blitz effectively in the new scheme.

I am slightly confused my the Tampa 2 references, as I didn't see that as BVG's defense. I thought we were going more man-press, while Tampa 2 is more Zone-press, and Tampa 2 isn't built on tons of blitezes, it is more about having lots of team speed and very good pass rushers in your front 4 (you need good pass rushing DT's to make it work) to create pressure. The MLB drops deep with the corners pressing and the OLB filling in the middle area with 2 safeties playing deep halves. So what am I missing? Tampa 2 doesn't seem to fit BVG's defense at all.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I am slightly confused my the Tampa 2 references, as I didn't see that as BVG's defense. I thought we were going more man-press, while Tampa 2 is more Zone-press, and Tampa 2 isn't built on tons of blitezes, it is more about having lots of team speed and very good pass rushers in your front 4 (you need good pass rushing DT's to make it work) to create pressure. The MLB drops deep with the corners pressing and the OLB filling in the middle area with 2 safeties playing deep halves. So what am I missing? Tampa 2 doesn't seem to fit BVG's defense at all.

I think BvG would use it if the DL can generate enough pressure on their own. It also requires a MLB who's got the smarts and coverage ability to drop deep (which Schmidt seems to have). If Ishaq gets his shit together, and Trumbetti (or Hill, Bonner, etc.) is as good as advertised, I could easily see BvG utilizing some Tampa-2 concepts against a potent passing offense like ASU's.

But I don't expect it to be part of our base defense. As you mentioned, that should be much more man-press, which will allow us to utilize our LBs and DBs in blitzing packages much more heavily.

 

[pkt77242]

I think BvG would use it if the DL can generate enough pressure on their own. It also requires a MLB who's got the smarts and coverage ability to drop deep (which Schmidt seems to have). If Ishaq gets his shit together, and Trumbetti (or Hill, Bonner, etc.) is as good as advertised, I could easily see BvG utilizing some Tampa-2 concepts against a potent passing offense like ASU's.

But I don't expect it to be part of our base defense. As you mentioned, that should be much more man-press, which will allow us to utilize our LBs and DBs in blitzing packages much more heavily.

I was imagining a defense more like the Seahawks, lots of press-man coverage with a LB or S blitzing (or both or 2 LBs) leaving the CBs more on islands (saying our DBs are up to it).

 

[T Town Tommy]

I think BvG would use it if the DL can generate enough pressure on their own. It also requires a MLB who's got the smarts and coverage ability to drop deep (which Schmidt seems to have). If Ishaq gets his shit together, and Trumbetti (or Hill, Bonner, etc.) is as good as advertised, I could easily see BvG utilizing some Tampa-2 concepts against a potent passing offense like ASU's.

But I don't expect it to be part of our base defense. As you mentioned, that should be much more man-press, which will allow us to utilize our LBs and DBs in blitzing packages much more heavily.

I think that's what is gonna get the Irish faithful pumped up about their defense. I would suspect BVG will utilize a lot of different sets, agressively attacking based on matchup advantages, and relying on his secondary to make the plays when needed. It will take a while, but they will get there. Seeing the defensive formation change and change and change again presnap will be fun to watch. That's gonna be so different than the Diaco style defense of the recent past.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I was imagining a defense more like the Seahawks, lots of press-man coverage with a LB or S blitzing (or both or 2 LBs) leaving the CBs more on islands (saying our DBs are up to it).

To the best of my knowledge, that's accurate. The Tampa-2 would simply be a defensive change-up for use against dangerous spread offenses. Schmidt appears to have the skillset for it, and we might have the DL horses for it as well. Pure speculation at this point, though, and since it wouldn't likely be anything but a situational wrinkle, it's probably not worth arguing about either.

 

[ACamp1900]

Gonna be a change, should see more pressure, will naturally get beaten deep more than the past few years... hopefully the end result is the same, quality defense.

 

[T Town Tommy]

I was imagining a defense more like the Seahawks, lots of press-man coverage with a LB or S blitzing (or both or 2 LBs) leaving the CBs more on islands (saying our DBs are up to it).

I think that will be the overriding defensive philosophy, and the philosophy PC uses in Seattle to build his complex sub packages from.

Who’s Laughing Now? «

 

[SoIll]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Some nice options there RT <a href="https://twitter.com/NDfidm">@NDfidm</a>: Our first 'position profile' of camp focuses on the group of talented cornerbacks <a href="http://t.co/lfGZyDLXLz">http://t.co/lfGZyDLXLz</a></p>— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/NDFootball/statuses/497161390025478144">August 6, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Bogtrotter07]

From Keith's analysis of day two :

He’s been forgotten in the chaos that was triggered by Blake Barnett’s recruitment, but DeShone Kizer (14) looks the part of a young stud quarterback.

 

[woolybug25]

I was imagining a defense more like the Seahawks, lots of press-man coverage with a LB or S blitzing (or both or 2 LBs) leaving the CBs more on islands (saying our DBs are up to it).

Man, I hope so. That's how I envision it being designed. With our talented secondary, we might even be able to pull it off. If so, that's gonna be fun to watch. Love that style of play.

 

[Irish#1]

Gonna be a change, should see more pressure, will naturally get beaten deep more than the past few years... hopefully the end result is the same, quality defense.

Rice burns us deep on their first possession. IE goes into full apocalyptic mode.