2014 Spring Practice Thread

[Wild Bill]

This is where you lose me. This season, more than any, is a good reason that you need to watch film for yourself and not rely on star ratings. Trumbetti is as close to a 5-star DE as you can get. He was one of the 3 best pass rushers in this year's class. Reminds me a lot of Joey Bosa from O$U, except a little smaller, a little faster and more athletic. The other huge thing about this class, compared to 2011 is depth. The depth is HUGE, whereas in 2011, there was little of it. Not to mention that Tuitt had 1 great year, Ishaq has yet to show his potential and Lynch...next.

The biggest obstacle for freshman defensive lineman is getting used to playing against someone that is bigger and stronger than you. More than likely, Trumbetti physically out-matched every opponent he played against on every level. He's going to get out-matched physically, both size and strength. He'll be forced to adjust and he'll have some growing pains. Bosa is a physical freak for his age and didn't have to overcome any strength/size issues.

Don't get me wrong, I love Trumbetti and I think he'll play as a freshman. I just don't see him contributing as much as Bosa did as a freshman.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

The biggest obstacle for freshman defensive lineman is getting used to playing against someone that is bigger and stronger than you. More than likely, Trumbetti physically out-matched every opponent he played against on every level. He's going to get out-matched physically, both size and strength. He'll be forced to adjust and he'll have some growing pains. Bosa is a physical freak for his age and didn't have to overcome any strength/size issues.

Don't get me wrong, I love Trumbetti and I think he'll play as a freshman. I just don't see him contributing as much as Bosa did as a freshman.

I agree with your point. But this class has some still growing and physical freaks (in some aspect.) For example Peter Mokwuah is stonger that Hercules, and has a pretty good first and second step, Jay Hayes is beyond the curve. Then there are a bevvy of players grouped at defensive end. Bonner, Williams, and Blankenship came out of nowhere or developed greatly their senior years and just kept climbing. As guys that are that big and strong, being in the 4.6 and under 40 range, as at least two of them are, qualifies them as freakish, to me. How do you keep someone like that off the field. I mean at camp at Notre Dame last year Bonner was crushing the elite offensive linemen present, one after another. Is that experienced college linemen? No. Does logic tell you that someone capable of this, still growing, with direction may well explode?

 

[woolybug25]

OK, this is where you lose me. Tuitt, Lynch, and Ishaq were all 5 recruits by a service or two.

Cage and Mokwuah... Mokwuah is a project, Cage has limited upside but is probably more ready to play. Neither are rated near a 5 level. Hayes, Trumbetti, Bonner, Blankenship, Williams... none of those guys are ready to play 5 guys. Hayes and Trumbetti can both probably contribute, so can Blankenship maybe from a physical standpoint. Williams has epic upside but is way too lean right now, and Bonner is a question mark. Why are you listing Martini as a DE? You just got a hunch that's going to happen?

If we had signed Hand, Garrett, and Brown I'd agree with you. We didn't though. You're comparing...

Lynch - 99.5 rating, #9 overall composite, 5
Ishaq - 98.8 rating, #26 overall composite, 5
Tuitt - 98.1 rating, #32 overall composite, one spot removed from 5

to

Trumbetti - 93.5 rating, #143 overall composite, 4
Hayes - 90.6, #237 overall composite, 4

To me, that's a really big gap in rating/projection/instant impact ability.

That' a pretty slick way to portray them, by excluding Martini (we are talking front 7, not DE specifically. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had Ishaq either, as he was recruited as an OLB), using the '11 compositses and making it look like they were all consensus 5 stars (which they weren't). In my OP, I put their top three rankings for each, and while there was a gap, there wasn't nearly as much as you illustrate above. Furthermre, it still doesn't change that there is more experienced depth on this team than in '11.

We can have different opinions on this, no worries. Nothing I have seen so far changes my opinion. Our front 7 depth is not nearly as dire as many of you make out. That's just my opinion.

 

[IrishFaninTX]

I definitely think depth was an issue in 2010 and 2011. Weis did a really poor job of recruiting on the defensive side of the ball, particularly along the DL. I am worried about the depth behind our starting 4 but not to the extent that I was in 2010 and even 2011. We have had trouble recruiting the middle of the DL the last couple of years but we have a truckload of DE's and a lot of them have tremendous upside. But a lot of them are also not proven at this point. I think if Springman is healthy, then the depth in the middle becomes a little less problematic. That's a big if, though. I'm cautiously optimistic as long as the injury bug doesn't hit. But honestly, injury has played a major role in our defensive woes the last few years. 2011 was really bad as far as injuries go and last season was pretty bad, too.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

I think this set of kids are going to be much more productive relative to their ratings, (or irregardless for that matter) than the last were.

I think some goes to the direction of the program.

I think some has to do with the staff honing in better on the player they want physically and psychologically.

And I think some of it has to do with the momentum the program has taken. The program is "nearly built", and there is quite a paradigm of development, i.e., each year the kids come in more and more ready to play. Kelly has noted the same. So development is accelerating. Which allows for more development in the same amount of time . . .

On another note, has anyone heard about Marquis Dickerson? Is he going to ever play, or did he just fall into a hole?

And as far as Peter Mokwuah, calling him a "project" is a bit of a cop out in my opinion. Have you seen this kids highlights?

Peter Mokwuah Highlights - Hudl

I don't know he looks pretty fast and athletic. Pretty big too. These things can't be coached, but as far as the things that can, he appears to be a pretty smart and reactive football player for his lack of experience. I also note that in this video no one runs away from him. And most people bounce off.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

I think this set of kids are going to be much more productive relative to their ratings, (or irregardless for that matter) than the last were.

I think some goes to the direction of the program.

I think some has to do with the staff honing in better on the player they want physically and psychologically.

And I think some of it has to do with the momentum the program has taken. The program is "nearly built", and there is quite a paradigm of development, i.e., each year the kids come in more and more ready to play. Kelly has noted the same. So development is accelerating. Which allows for more development in the same amount of time . . .

On another note, has anyone heard about Marquis Dickerson? Is he going to ever play, or did he just fall into a hole?

And as far as Peter Mokwuah, calling him a "project" is a bit of a cop out in my opinion. Have you seen this kids highlights?

Peter Mokwuah Highlights - Hudl

I don't know he looks pretty fast and athletic. Pretty big too. These things can't be coached, but as far as the things that can, he appears to be a pretty smart and reactive football player for his lack of experience. I also note that in this video no one runs away from him. And most people bounce off.

irregardless is the improper word. Regardless conveys the message without trying to slip a double negative into the phraseology.

As to your point, I agree. I think we have more depth and more options along the line than any time since 2000. That was no small feat, slowly but surely, Kelly is building the program and is conscientiously involved in roster management.

Some of our options may be unproven, but the numbers are there. Every year, we expect some true freshman to step up and provide meaningful minutes:

2011 - Freshman - Lynch, Tuitt and Niklas - combined for 83 Tackles & 7.5 Sacks

2012 - Freshman - K. Russell was 5th on team with 58 Tackles & 2 INT and Sheldon Day threw in 23 Tackles & 2 sacks - combined 81 tackles, Tuitt also jumped up to 47 tackles and 12 sacks

2013 - Freshman - Jaylon Smith was 3rd on team with 67 tackles, 6.5 TFL and Jarron Jones had 20 tackles, 1 sack, 1 FF, 2 blocked FGs. (meanwhile Tuitt regressed to 49 tackles & 7.5 sacks)

2014 - Looking ahead, we should hope that 2 freshman are ready to give us some numbers, we should hope that new veterans emerge and we should hope that Jaylon Smith continues to dominate. He put those numbers up despite playing a position that wasn't funneling action his way. Danny Spond on our heralded 2012 defense had 39 Tackles and 1 TFL as a junior at the same position.

We have a lot to be excited about. We have more athleticism at our Safety and Corner positions and we have a lot of bodies trying to crack the two deep in our front seven. It will take care of itself.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

irregardless is the improper word. Regardless conveys the message without trying to slip a double negative into the phraseology.

As to your point, I agree. I think we have more depth and more options along the line than any time since 2000. That was no small feat, slowly but surely, Kelly is building the program and is conscientiously involved in roster management.

Some of our options may be unproven, but the numbers are there. Every year, we expect some true freshman to step up and provide meaningful minutes:

2011 - Freshman - Lynch, Tuitt and Niklas - combined for 83 Tackles & 7.5 Sacks

2012 - Freshman - K. Russell was 5th on team with 58 Tackles & 2 INT and Sheldon Day threw in 23 Tackles & 2 sacks - combined 81 tackles, Tuitt also jumped up to 47 tackles and 12 sacks

2013 - Freshman - Jaylon Smith was 3rd on team with 67 tackles, 6.5 TFL and Jarron Jones had 20 tackles, 1 sack, 1 FF, 2 blocked FGs. (meanwhile Tuitt regressed to 49 tackles & 7.5 sacks)

2014 - Looking ahead, we should hope that 2 freshman are ready to give us some numbers, we should hope that new veterans emerge and we should hope that Jaylon Smith continues to dominate. He put those numbers up despite playing a position that wasn't funneling action his way. Danny Spond on our heralded 2012 defense had 39 Tackles and 1 TFL as a junior at the same position.

We have a lot to be excited about. We have more athleticism at our Safety and Corner positions and we have a lot of bodies trying to crack the two deep in our front seven. It will take care of itself.

And this year I see more tackles (than about 80) coming from more freshman contributors. Irregardless. I think we will be fine!

The origin of irregardless is not known for certain, but the speculation among references is that it may be a blend, or portmanteau word, of irrespective and regardless, both of which are commonly accepted standard English words. By blending these words, a word is created whose meaning is not predictable from the meanings of its constituent morphemes. Since the prefix ir- means "not" (as it does with irrespective), and the suffix -less means "without", the word irregardless could therefore be expected to have the meaning "in regard to", instead of being merely a synonym of regardless. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), Irregardless was first acknowledged in 1912 by the Wentworth American Dialect Dictionary as originating from western Indiana,[2] though the word was in use in South Carolina before Indiana became a territory.[1] The usage dispute over irregardless was such that, in 1923, Literary Digest published an article titled "Is There Such a Word as Irregardless in the English Language?". The OED goes on to explain the word is primarily a North American colloquialism.[2]

As I explained in my rep to you, I was in fact trying to slip a double negative in to cloud my phraseology and confuse my actual meaning; we can't have anyone understanding what we really mean? What would that lead to?

 

[ND NYC]

i love (and wish i shared) the optimism here about the front 7, particlularly along the d-line.

me, i worry terribly about our d-line this season.

i'm just not wired to be optimistic there.

 

[Damion704]

i love (and wish i shared) the optimism here about the front 7, particlularly along the d-line.

me, i worry terribly about our d-line this season.

i'm just not wired to be optimistic there.

I was worried too until I remembered the last 4 games of 2011. That DLine and Defense as a whole isnt as talented as this one but they played well. That gives me hope.

 

[woolybug25]

2013 - Freshman - Jaylon Smith was 3rd on team with 67 tackles, 6.5 TFL and Jarron Jones had 20 tackles, 1 sack, 1 FF, 2 blocked FGs. (meanwhile Tuitt regressed to 49 tackles & 7.5 sacks)

We really take for granted the Beast Mode Nature of JSmith's freshman campaign. LB's typically stuggle their freshman year. It's a lot bigger role than a cornerback for instance. But Jaylon played pretty damn well and was a good player down the stretch. I'm excited to see what he grows into.

 

[Irishman77]

Let it go folks we are about to kick some ass!

We are ND!

The QB travesty is over and finally Kelly will put us back on TOP!

Edit

 

[Damion704]

Let it go folks we are about to kick some ass!

We are ND!

The QB travesty is over and finally Kelly will put us back on stop!

Totally agree with this!

 

[Luckylucci]

So not too many on here think Rochelle looks that good. He's moving very well for a guy +280.

 

[Irish Insanity]

Let it go folks we are about to kick some ass!

We are ND!

The QB travesty is over and finally Kelly will put us back on stop!

Totally agree with this!

I think I agree too. But what the fuck does 'back on stop' mean?

 

[Irishman77]

I think I agree too. But what the fuck does 'back on stop' mean?

Yikes! Edited....

 

[Irish Insanity]

Yikes! Edited....

I probably have more errors on here than anyone. But I actually lol'd when he said he agreed to being back on stop.

 

[Cackalacky]

I am pretty excited about reading that Turner and Onwualu will be playing on passing downs as a hybrid LB/DB.

 

[rocket66]

We really take for granted the Beast Mode Nature of JSmith's freshman campaign. LB's typically stuggle their freshman year. It's a lot bigger role than a cornerback for instance. But Jaylon played pretty damn well and was a good player down the stretch. I'm excited to see what he grows into.

Yeah he was snubbed big time for the frosh awards. Easily put up good enough numbers to get frosh AA. He'll be an absolute freak this season. Everyone will be talking about him.

 

[Redbar]

So not too many on here think Rochelle looks that good. He's moving very well for a guy +280.

I think a lot of people, most notably, Jake, are sleeping on Mr Rochell. I think he has the potential to be better than KLM and Ethan Johnson, yes he is only a sophomore (eligibility wise) and yes we are talking about the "p" word, but if he continues to get stronger, buy into the system, and stay hungry, I think he will become someone you have to account for if your on offense. He played at a small high school IIRC, that was not a powerhouse program and came in and gave some meaningful minutes to his team as a frosh. I think some people are being hyper critical of the young man. I expect big things.

 

[koonja]

I think a lot of people, most notably, Jake, are sleeping on Mr Rochell. I think he has the potential to be better than KLM and Ethan Johnson, yes he is only a sophomore (eligibility wise) and yes we are talking about the "p" word, but if he continues to get stronger, buy into the system, and stay hungry, I think he will become someone you have to account for if your on offense. He played at a small high school IIRC, that was not a powerhouse program and came in and gave some meaningful minutes to his team as a frosh. I think some people are being hyper critical of the young man. I expect big things.

I won't be surprised if he turns out to be great, but everyone seems to love him because he's 280 LBs and from Georgia. That's great, but there were no signs of him being able to win 1 on 1s last year against the OL, and I think I've seen every practice video of the spring and I honestly haven't noticed him.

So will he be great? Maybe, who knows. But I haven't seen him show that he's ready to dominate a 1 on 1 matchups with the quality OL we have on our schedule.

 

[Cackalacky]

I won't be surprised if he turns out to be great, but everyone seems to love him because he's 280 LBs and from Georgia. That's great, but there were no signs of him being able to win 1 on 1s last year against the OL, and I think I've seen every practice video of the spring and I honestly haven't noticed him.

So will he be great? Maybe, who knows. But I haven't seen him show that he's ready to dominate a 1 on 1 matchups with the quality OL we have on our schedule.

He does not need to dominate. He needs to do what he is supposed to. If the last half of the season is any indication, I expect Day, Rochelle, Jones and Ishaq to be very influential in a 4 man front. Particularly if BVG is going to be using Jaylon all over the place like he said.

 

[Crazy Balki]

I agree Trumbetti has 5-star potential, but he's still only 250 LBs. I know Lynch performed like a madman his freshman year, and has always been unusually light, but his ability to produce at that weight is very a-typical IMO.

I'm pretty sure that weight isn't accurate. From what I heard, he was at least 260 during the UA AA game.

 

[pkt77242]

I'm pretty sure that weight isn't accurate. From what I heard, he was at least 260 during the UA AA game.

UND lists him at 250. Not to say that they are perfect but you would think that they would be rather up to date. Official Football Roster - UND.COM - University of Notre Dame Official Athletic Site

 

[NDdomer2]

I won't be surprised if he turns out to be great, but everyone seems to love him because he's 280 LBs and from Georgia. That's great, but there were no signs of him being able to win 1 on 1s last year against the OL, and I think I've seen every practice video of the spring and I honestly haven't noticed him.

So will he be great? Maybe, who knows. But I haven't seen him show that he's ready to dominate a 1 on 1 matchups with the quality OL we have on our schedule.

LOL

 

[Luckylucci]

I won't be surprised if he turns out to be great, but everyone seems to love him because he's 280 LBs and from Georgia. That's great, but there were no signs of him being able to win 1 on 1s last year against the OL, and I think I've seen every practice video of the spring and I honestly haven't noticed him.

So will he be great? Maybe, who knows. But I haven't seen him show that he's ready to dominate a 1 on 1 matchups with the quality OL we have on our schedule.

We never recruited him as a LB. Secondly, II just did videos where they broke down every practice rep and he beat two guys in 1 on 1's in two of the videos.

 

[Luckylucci]

Coon, either your trolling or you have no idea what your watching. Sorry buddy but I can't take you seriously when you say LB and Rochelle in the same sentence. Then mention he hasn't beat anybody in 1 on 1's when I just watched it.

 

[rocket66]

Coon, either your trolling or you have no idea what your watching. Sorry buddy but I can't take you seriously when you say LB and Rochelle in the same sentence. Then mention he hasn't beat anybody in 1 on 1's when I just watched it.

He heard it from a crazy/sexy/cool ND ticket guy.

 

[zelezo vlk]

Guys I'm fairly certain that Coon used the abbreviation for pounds.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2

 

[TheTurningPoint]

Couple of things.

1. I am not sure how one can make a judgement and say that Rochelle hasnt made plays or has shown nothing. ND has shown about 3mins of actual practice in the videos from 6 hours of actual practice and they werent in pads for 4 of those hours. Second point, Rochelle played as a freshman, and you didnt notice him, which is a good thing...aka USC 2011 where they ran down Lynch's throat the entire game. Just bc someone isnt making the play on the ball doesnt mean they arent making the play on the field, and that is most definitely the case in a scheme such as the one Diaco ran. Rochelle getting PT from Game 1 shows that he is talented, bc there was a lot of talent on the Dline from last year. (before the injuries happened)

2. Hounshell isnt physically imposing? I am not sure what you think football players actually look like or are supposed to look like. He also played as a true frosh and did quite well. His shoulder is def a concern, but there is plenty of talent and athleticism there.

3. I agree with you Koon when you say the offense will have to carry the team but I also think the defense will be a lot better than last year. They do have a lot of inexperience on the field, but each guy brings something different to the table. All the pieces fit into the puzzle and compliment each other. ND is going to play mind games on the defensive line and attack. I dont think there will be much straight up the field stuff like Diaco, but tons of stunts/etc. I will guarantee you that ND is better against the run this year than any year under Diaco.

4. Someone mentioned something about Onwualu andTurner, I wouldnt put much stock in that with the roster in turnover right now.

5. Im torn on Trumbetti. He is talented and had a great week at the UnderArmour game, but can he play the run? I see Chase Gardner/AJ Tarpley in him. But that is one thing I will be watching today is his strength. We all know he lives in the weight room, but Im not sure he has the strength needed yet to hold the point of attack.

6. I think the biggest thing here is that this is college football, its not the NFL. Size and speed are somewhat overrated in college. Talent wins the majority of the time in college. Obviously scheme and kids executing that is huge, but having a DEs that arent 300lbs arent a must. 2012 ND was more talented than every team other than Bama and it showed. If it was about how kids look getting off the bus or the roster on paper, ND beats Bama.

 

[koonja]

We never recruited him as a LB. Secondly, II just did videos where they broke down every practice rep and he beat two guys in 1 on 1's in two of the videos.

Coon, either your trolling or you have no idea what your watching. Sorry buddy but I can't take you seriously when you say LB and Rochelle in the same sentence. Then mention he hasn't beat anybody in 1 on 1's when I just watched it.

Lol. LBs= pounds. IDK how you read it that way, because I haven't mentioned linebackers once and my uncertainty is obviously about DL (defensive lineman to te layperson - said in Harry Dunn voice from Dumb and Dumber), but I'm sorry for the confusion.

What video were you watching?