2014 Spring Practice Thread

[PANDFAN]

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[dublinirish]

welp this has been one of the most boring press conferences i have ever retweeted....i guess they are done as there hasn't been action in a while...i guess there isn't a conclusion from the press..

i dont think it was a press conference per say rather two seperate interviews being conducted at once..

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Today's post-practice media is with coordinators Mike Denbrock and Brian VanGorder. Lots to talk about. <a href="http://t.co/BkLUUdBkpB">pic.twitter.com/BkLUUdBkpB</a></p>— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/NDFootball/statuses/448819972010045441">March 26, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Thanks for the posting of the tweets as always brah

 

[ulukinatme]

PANDFan is the man

 

[T Town Tommy]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Mike Denbrock also pleased with the interchangeability of Folston, McDaniel and Bryant. Offense won’t be “predictable” by back choice.</p>— Irish Illustrated (@NDatRivals) <a href="https://twitter.com/NDatRivals/statuses/448838639481401345">March 26, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>VanGorder says decision on defensive style start with cornerback play. "Can we hold up out there?" Wants to be aggressive and in control.</p>— Dan Murphy (@BGI_DanMurphy) <a href="https://twitter.com/BGI_DanMurphy/statuses/448838866024161280">March 26, 2014</a></blockquote>
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That's going to be the key to just how much BVG can do on defense. His CBs better get used to the idea that they won't have as much backside help because the safety is either blitzing or playing zone coverage on the other side of the field. That's why I think BVG uses more press coverage. Disrupt the receiver while he is bringing some heat. But man... the CB has to cover his guy.

 

[ulukinatme]

That's going to be the key to just how much BVG can do on defense. His CBs better get used to the idea that they won't have as much backside help because the safety is either blitzing or playing zone coverage on the other side of the field. That's why I think BVG uses more press coverage. Disrupt the receiver while he is bringing some heat. But man... the CB has to cover his guy.

Russell can definitely lock down whoever he's got. I guess the question will be who plays opposite him between Luke, Riggs, and Farley, and can they do a decent job.

 

[T Town Tommy]

Russell can definitely lock down whoever he's got. I guess the question will be who plays opposite him between Luke, Riggs, and Farley, and can they do a decent job.

Yeah... I expect Russell to get the lion's share of the man coverage. Still need someone else to step up on the other side however. The other team will pick that up quickly if Russell is always the one asked to man up. Maybe somebody emerges who can fill that other side effectively.

 

[Luckylucci]

That's going to be the key to just how much BVG can do on defense. His CBs better get used to the idea that they won't have as much backside help because the safety is either blitzing or playing zone coverage on the other side of the field. That's why I think BVG uses more press coverage. Disrupt the receiver while he is bringing some heat. But man... the CB has to cover his guy.

And the blitz or Dline has to hit home. If a good QB has time, somebody is going to get open. We play plenty of capable QB's that if we don't get there, we could get burned.

 

[Luckylucci]

Yeah... I expect Russell to get the lion's share of the man coverage. Still need someone else to step up on the other side however. The other team will pick that up quickly if Russell is always the one asked to man up. Maybe somebody emerges who can fill that other side effectively.

I like what Cole Luke's been doing so far. He seems to be learning fast which is needed. I think he'll be ready come fall and bringing in Riggs makes me feel better that if Luke isn't there somebody with experience will be.

 

[NDohio]

And the blitz or Dline has to hit home. If a good QB has time, somebody is going to get open. We play plenty of capable QB's that if we don't get there, we could get burned.

Yep - I am more confident in our CBs being able to cover for a short time period than I am in our front 7 to get to the QB Quickly. I hope the front 7 surprises me.

 

[PANDFAN]

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[PANDFAN]

not sure if they are the same as i haven't had a chance to watch

not sure if they are the same as i haven't had a chance to watch

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[IrishLax]

And the blitz or Dline has to hit home. If a good QB has time, somebody is going to get open. We play plenty of capable QB's that if we don't get there, we could get burned.

It's interesting because with all the sky is falling talk from some in the media about pass rush I'd be shocked if this wasn't our best year ever in the Kelly era in terms of pressure. Instead of relying on Stephon Tuitt and Prince Shembo to beat their man/double team every time if we want pressure... you've got:
-Day... who has an incredible first step... playing his natural position.
-Jones... who isn't nearly the double team commanding disruptive force that Nix was... but is quite athletic with much better pass rushing upside. You also have Rochelle as a potential player at DT or DE depending on what we're trying to do on a given down and distance.
-Ishaq... who may or may not be as talented as Tuitt as a pass rusher, and could never come close to Tuitt as an overall 3-4 DE, but will be playing his natural position.
-Okwara... I don't know. Can he be as good as Shembo? Can someone else step up?

There is no way that our front 4 as currently configured is going to be worse at getting pressure than our DL the last couple seasons. It's virtually inconceivable barring injuries.

Then linebackers... you take away Fox and Carlo. You reassign Jaylon Smith to a position where he may rush the passer. It's too bad Councell isn't healthy because I think he could thrive situationally at either DE or OLB.

I'm far more worried about run defense than rushing the passer. I don't know how our ends will hold up against the run, and I don't know if we've got a ready-to-play MIKE. I think our pressure will be just fine if the backend steps up.

 

[koonja]

I thought Shembo wasn't that much of a factor last year. IMO he got swallowed up by a tackle too easily.

How long is Councell out and with what?

 

[PANDFAN]

VanGorder has coached eight different teams at the college and pro level since 2000. During that stretch he’s turned installing new terminology, schemes and philosophy into a science. Frequent mistakes, he said, are part of the process, and Notre Dame’s players are still just getting started on the uphill climb of the leaning curve.

“It’s typical of some places I’ve gone into,” VanGorder said when asked if the Irish are keeping pace with other teams he’s had recently. “I guess the thing that probably stands out here is our youth. We’re so young, really young in the front seven especially. We have to speed the process up and bring them along.”

Exactly what that defense will look like and who will play what role when all are caught up remains unsolved midway through the team’s spring workouts. The defense has lined up largely in a 4-3 alignment in practices open to the media, but VanGorder said he still plans to use a three-man defensive line and other formations when needed.

The basis of those decisions starts on the outer edges of the defense at cornerback. VanGorder wants his group to be as aggressive as its pass coverage will allow. He said he believes in dictating as much as possible defensively, and that starts with the ability to lock down receivers with man coverage.

Junior KeiVarae Russell is Notre Dame’s top returning cornerback and the most experience player on this year’s defense with 26 career starts. Russell has impressed his new coach so far, but still has mistakes to clean up in his approach. VanGorder said he hopes Russell and the rest of the team’s defensive backs will allow them to play press man coverage in the fall.

“I’d love to do that,” he said. “I think my mindset, especially in today’s game, is to take more and more control on defense by being aggressive. It starts out there. That’s where you start your decisions as a coach. Can we hold up out there?”

More aggression also means more speed, which was been a focus for VanGorder when shifting personnel into new positions in the first few weeks of spring practice. That change is most apparent at linebacker where sophomore Jaylon Smith, junior John Turner and senior Joe Schmidt currently comprise the starting lineup.

VanGorder singled out Schmidt and Turner as the two players that jumped out at him during the first six practices in March. Turner, a former safety, moved to outside linebacker and a dime linebacker to bring more athleticism to the position. Schmidt initially may have been thought of as a placeholder for senior Jarrett Grace, who is still rehabbing the leg he broke in October after starting three games for the 2013 defense. Schmidt’s ability to grasp the defensive concepts quickly is earning him points with the new coach.

“He’s way ahead of most of the guys in terms of the defense,” VanGorder said. “He’s really superior in the learning area. He’s got a good grasp of it already. He’s a good communicator. He’s a great standard and expectations guy. He’s got great pride in himself. That’s obvious with him. That kind of guy, a coach gets attached to that kind of player.”

Players like Grace, defensive lineman Tony Springmann and cornerback Devin Butler who will miss all of spring due to injuries will have a hard time playing catch-up in August, when they are expected to return to full health.

“It will be uphill. Each player is a little bit different, but they’re definitely going to be behind,” VanGorder said. “These are young players. You miss time, you miss repetitions, you miss experience, it slows the whole process down. There’s just no getting around it.”

VanGorder said he tries to chip away at the mountain of new knowledge a team has to gain during the next few months by breaking his scheme into situational chunks small enough for players to swallow. The team started with a heavy focus on third down and passing situations.

He said learning while playing an offense that has as many different formations and personnel groups as Notre Dame plans to use on offense doesn’t make learning new rules and reads any easier. The expectations set up by former coordinator Bob Diaco and the rest of the Irish staff give VanGorder and his players confidence that they will both be where they need to be when the season begins. He said the approach to daily practice has helped make the new installation a little easier.

“It’s a process that can be sped up based on our overall culture, which starts with high standards and expectations,” he said. “I feel good about that here. They expect to learn it, they expect to succeed at it and that idea of succeeding is obviously the best motivation in respects to new scheme, new language, learning all of that.

 

[Luckylucci]

It's interesting because with all the sky is falling talk from some in the media about pass rush I'd be shocked if this wasn't our best year ever in the Kelly era in terms of pressure. Instead of relying on Stephon Tuitt and Prince Shembo to beat their man/double team every time if we want pressure... you've got:
-Day... who has an incredible first step... playing his natural position.
-Jones... who isn't nearly the double team commanding disruptive force that Nix was... but is quite athletic with much better pass rushing upside. You also have Rochelle as a potential player at DT or DE depending on what we're trying to do on a given down and distance.
-Ishaq... who may or may not be as talented as Tuitt as a pass rusher, and could never come close to Tuitt as an overall 3-4 DE, but will be playing his natural position.
-Okwara... I don't know. Can he be as good as Shembo? Can someone else step up?

There is no way that our front 4 as currently configured is going to be worse at getting pressure than our DL the last couple seasons. It's virtually inconceivable barring injuries.

Then linebackers... you take away Fox and Carlo. You reassign Jaylon Smith to a position where he may rush the passer. It's too bad Councell isn't healthy because I think he could thrive situationally at either DE or OLB.

I'm far more worried about run defense than rushing the passer. I don't know how our ends will hold up against the run, and I don't know if we've got a ready-to-play MIKE. I think our pressure will be just fine if the backend steps up.

Its an interesting conversation because I agree as a collective unit but I don't see any two guys combining for 19.5 sacks like Tuitt (12) and Shembo (7.5) did in 2012 as of right now. Its going to be a pressure by committee situation.

I agree with this as well.

I'll add that 2012 was a pretty good year for sacks and TFL we had 70 TFL's and 34 sacks. The real drop off was last year. 64 TFl's and 21 sacks.

 

[Luckylucci]

I hate to be that guy but we need a clean up. This will continue to be a very active thread for the next week or two so its probably in the threads best interest to remove some of this. Just a thought.

 

[PANDFAN]

With 90 offensive plays run in the 29-16 victory over Rutgers, Notre Dame used the Pinstripe Bowl as a sort of appetizer for the 2014 main course. More plays, Denbrock and Kelly hope, will lead to a higher total in points as well.

“We knew going into this year that there were going to be some tweaks to what we did offensively because of the quarterbacks we were going to have and our ability to do that,” Denbrock said Wednesday. “We wanted to implement a game plan in the bowl game I think that kind of gave us a quick sneak peek of some of the possibilities we had and that was the general thought headed into that game in particular.”

With five offensive starters from the season-ending bowl win not at spring practice, Denbrock has used the opportunity to implement a number of packages that will carry over to the fall with a new quarterback under center.

“I really like the attention to detail that the guys are trying to go about. We’re nowhere near where we’re going to be or where we’re going,” Denbrock said. “All those things that you like to see when you’re trying to incorporate some nuances to the offense, some changes to the offense. You’ve got a number of very talented young players to do it with.

“The defense is doing a number of different things which is exciting for all of us. It gives our guys exposure to a number of different schemes, different looks. … As it comes together and fits together and when guys are doing things correctly and the way they’re coached to do, this offense has got an opportunity to be incredible explosive and be the type of offense that can put points on the board.”

The makeover is driven by the presence of two versatile quarterbacks in senior Everett Golson and sophomore Malik Zaire, as well as a desire from Kelly and Denbrock to adjust.

“Having the versatility we do at the quarterback position opens up a whole assortment of nuances and subtleties to some of the schemes that we were already running in a lot of situations,” Denbrock said. “Putting defenses in a position where if they do want to put another defender in the box, you can account for him with the quarterback running the football for instance. … Just those opportunities to get the quarterbacks with their athletic ability out in space and threaten the defense a little bit more.”

Denbrock said his various experiences, as well as those of Kelly and the rest of the offensive staff, have prompted the schematic tweaks.
“We all have input into tweaking our scheme and have an idea of where we’re going,” Denbrock said. “It’s absolutely driven by Coach Kelly as the leader of the offensive unit. He’s the guy who’s obviously going to be calling the plays, so he’s going to have the most influence on what we’re doing.

“I think we all try to collectively, as we sit down and go through this and developing exactly what our scheme’s going to look like heading into the fall, ‘How have you done it? How have you seen it?’ We really have the ability as an offensive staff to talk through those things and get the finer details down and put our guys in the best position to help them.”

Quick hits
• Denbrock praised the work of the three scholarship running backs, sophomores Tarean Folston and Greg Bryant and senior Cam McDaniel. He said the three players are very similar and that none are pigeonholed by a certain ability.

“I don’t look at them and see major weaknesses in their games where you would say, ‘Greg Bryant can’t get to the edge. He’s more of an inside runner or Tarean’s more of an outside runner.’ I don’t see those differences and if there are differences I think they’re subtle enough that they’re not necessarily weaknesses,” he said. “I love the versatility of those three guys in particular because I don’t think we have to be predictable with who’s in the game and what type of scheme we’re playing.”

• Wide receiver — perhaps the most wide-open competition this spring with DaVaris Daniels suspended — has impressed Denbrock.

“I love the work that [sophomore] Corey Robinson has been doing,” he said. “[Senior] Amir Carlisle I think is coming along. He’s got a lot to learn as a lot of those guys do. [Sophomore] Torii Hunter Jr. shows flashes of incredible explosiveness. He’s as green as the grass. Well, not as green as the grass is around here this time of year. He’s just young and the same with [sophomore] Will Fuller who played some football for us last year.

“All the receivers right now are, beyond [junior] Chris Brown, who’s been the steadiest force day in and day out as far as understanding assignments and responsibilities because he’s got the most experience and played the most football. If you look at those other guys, it’s still new to them.”

Denbrock added that early enrollee Justin Brent has all the physical tools and is still learning some of the defensive approaches for which high school could not have prepared him.

• Notre Dame’s 53.3 percent red zone touchdown percentage in 2013 ranked 100th in the nation. Denbrock said improving that figure has been a point of emphasis this spring, and that simply the change in versatility at quarterback should make a difference.

“We’re digging into all of it,” Denbrock said. “As we move forward here — we worked a bit on it last Saturday — through the next three or four practices if I remember my schedule correctly, we’re going to be emphasizing that a lot more. … Some of the nuances we’re really kind of concentrating on will help there as well. We’re anxious to get down there and do some work.”

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Hey, PA-ND-F-A-N, you are okay in my book. Thanks for your effort. I lost track at a half dozen reps.

 

[T Town Tommy]

And the blitz or Dline has to hit home. If a good QB has time, somebody is going to get open. We play plenty of capable QB's that if we don't get there, we could get burned.

Agree. Plus, if the defense tips their hand (which I think they won't under BVG) then the QB will simply throw a short hitter to the receiver. That's why the man press will be important... just as the LB cheating into the passing lane. Can't wait to see the whole thing in action. When it all works it is truly a thing of beauty. When someone blows their assignment... they get to have a nice "chat" with BVG. That's why I think he is so animated in practice sessions right now. He knows that the margin for error on an aggressive defense is very slim. And now through fall practice is the time to learn it.

 

[GDomer09]

Me & my brothers usually buy tickets online, but have decided to just show up this year. Is there any chance of a sell out spring game keeping us out? Last time we went there were tons of empty seats.

 

[Emcee77]

Me & my brothers usually buy tickets online, but have decided to just show up this year. Is there any chance of a sell out spring game keeping us out? Last time we went there were tons of empty seats.

There is no chance, unless things have changed dramatically since the last time I went.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

The best crowd ever was the year Clausen enrolled early, at 51,000. I think 25,000 would be a generous average.

Also, I heard both coordinators speak of a paradigm shift : Anyone care to place a value on the offense practicing against such a sophisticated, multifaceted defense every day? And BVG commented on the things the offense was showing the defense with looks, formations, and routes.

 

[Irish8248]

Me & my brothers usually buy tickets online, but have decided to just show up this year. Is there any chance of a sell out spring game keeping us out? Last time we went there were tons of empty seats.

youre good -- never close to a packed house

 

[Irish#1]

VanGorder has coached eight different teams at the college and pro level since 2000. During that stretch he’s turned installing new terminology, schemes and philosophy into a science. Frequent mistakes, he said, are part of the process, and Notre Dame’s players are still just getting started on the uphill climb of the leaning curve.

“It’s typical of some places I’ve gone into,” VanGorder said when asked if the Irish are keeping pace with other teams he’s had recently. “I guess the thing that probably stands out here is our youth. We’re so young, really young in the front seven especially. We have to speed the process up and bring them along.”

Exactly what that defense will look like and who will play what role when all are caught up remains unsolved midway through the team’s spring workouts. The defense has lined up largely in a 4-3 alignment in practices open to the media, but VanGorder said he still plans to use a three-man defensive line and other formations when needed.

The basis of those decisions starts on the outer edges of the defense at cornerback. VanGorder wants his group to be as aggressive as its pass coverage will allow. He said he believes in dictating as much as possible defensively, and that starts with the ability to lock down receivers with man coverage.

Junior KeiVarae Russell is Notre Dame’s top returning cornerback and the most experience player on this year’s defense with 26 career starts. Russell has impressed his new coach so far, but still has mistakes to clean up in his approach. VanGorder said he hopes Russell and the rest of the team’s defensive backs will allow them to play press man coverage in the fall.

“I’d love to do that,” he said. “I think my mindset, especially in today’s game, is to take more and more control on defense by being aggressive. It starts out there. That’s where you start your decisions as a coach. Can we hold up out there?”

More aggression also means more speed, which was been a focus for VanGorder when shifting personnel into new positions in the first few weeks of spring practice. That change is most apparent at linebacker where sophomore Jaylon Smith, junior John Turner and senior Joe Schmidt currently comprise the starting lineup.

VanGorder singled out Schmidt and Turner as the two players that jumped out at him during the first six practices in March. Turner, a former safety, moved to outside linebacker and a dime linebacker to bring more athleticism to the position. Schmidt initially may have been thought of as a placeholder for senior Jarrett Grace, who is still rehabbing the leg he broke in October after starting three games for the 2013 defense. Schmidt’s ability to grasp the defensive concepts quickly is earning him points with the new coach.

“He’s way ahead of most of the guys in terms of the defense,” VanGorder said. “He’s really superior in the learning area. He’s got a good grasp of it already. He’s a good communicator. He’s a great standard and expectations guy. He’s got great pride in himself. That’s obvious with him. That kind of guy, a coach gets attached to that kind of player.”

Players like Grace, defensive lineman Tony Springmann and cornerback Devin Butler who will miss all of spring due to injuries will have a hard time playing catch-up in August, when they are expected to return to full health.

“It will be uphill. Each player is a little bit different, but they’re definitely going to be behind,” VanGorder said. “These are young players. You miss time, you miss repetitions, you miss experience, it slows the whole process down. There’s just no getting around it.”

VanGorder said he tries to chip away at the mountain of new knowledge a team has to gain during the next few months by breaking his scheme into situational chunks small enough for players to swallow. The team started with a heavy focus on third down and passing situations.

He said learning while playing an offense that has as many different formations and personnel groups as Notre Dame plans to use on offense doesn’t make learning new rules and reads any easier. The expectations set up by former coordinator Bob Diaco and the rest of the Irish staff give VanGorder and his players confidence that they will both be where they need to be when the season begins. He said the approach to daily practice has helped make the new installation a little easier.

“It’s a process that can be sped up based on our overall culture, which starts with high standards and expectations,” he said. “I feel good about that here. They expect to learn it, they expect to succeed at it and that idea of succeeding is obviously the best motivation in respects to new scheme, new language, learning all of that.

If you do the math BVG will be gone after the 2015 season.

 

[koonja]

If you do the math BVG will be gone after the 2015 season.

Could possibly be our next HC if he does well, too.

Edit: I wouldn't have guessed, but he was born in 1959, and Kelly in 1961. Didn't think he was actually older than BK.

 

[arrowryan]

Notre Dame football's elder statesman, Russell ready for new role - South Bend Tribune: Football

 

[BeauBenken]

Cleaned up the thread a bit. No such thing as a sick day in the moderating world.

 

[NDdomer2]

man coverage scares me with teams like Stanford. Outside will run streaks to clear out then play action pass to the sideline underneath.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

3.26.14 SPring Practice Report

Looks like a very fast offense

 

[Ironman8]

Practice Report:

<iframe width="640" height="390" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/XxITUJrxb9U" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


Bonus Coaches Look:

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