2015 PRE SEASON CAMP THREAD

[Irish2155]

They should at least bring Nyles in as a blitzer. He's twice as disruptive as Grace/Schmidt.

This I agree with...anything other he was lost last year.

Not giving up on the guy, just not surprised to see him three deep at this point in the season.

 

[woolybug25]

Who was the tailback that had tendinitis in his knee, and no one knew it until after the season, but everyone bitched all season long because he wasn't getting carries? Was it Bryant, maybe? Sometimes you just have to believe in the staff, and that they are not keeping one of their best 11 on the bench simply to piss the fans off.

If all we are ever supposed to do is "trust the staff", then what's even the point of a discussion board?

The big difference between Nyles situation and your Bryant analogy is that Nyles actually was a starter. He did actually perform. He showed that he could play.

 

[woolybug25]

Grace? I'm not saying he is that good either. I mean, who really knows at this point...just happy to see him healthy (for now). Mike is scary if we lose Schmidt again.

That is 3.5 tackles, great...the others, more than likely, happened well 5 - 15 yards pass the line of scrimmage.

My god... What's your point? I don't know if his other 54 tackles came between 5-15, nor does it matter.

I don't think it's even remotely the same situation if Schmidt goes down this year. We have two experienced Mike's, one of which, was playing pretty darn well as the starter at the end of last season.

 

[Irish2155]

My god... What's your point? I don't know if his other 54 tackles came between 5-15, nor does it matter.

I don't think it's even remotely the same situation if Schmidt goes down this year. We have two experienced Mike's, one of which, was playing pretty darn well as the starter at the end of last season.

My god, what do you mean what does it matter? A tackle 10 yards down the field counts in the stat book but looks like shit when watching USC's running back X scamper. Yet, it is still a tackle. My point.

We can choose to disagree, that is fine, but IMO he looked awfully bad last year. And (not IMO), Kelly has him outside the three deep.

 

[Rocket89]

Wait, I was told Morgan was "one of the 3 best linebackers" ever since the start of this calendar year and we needed to move all these guys around to get him to start?

Huh.

I kind of see what you're saying Wooly, although Morgan taking Schmidt's job seems really crazy to me. From what we've seen on the field so far, Morgan hasn't even come close to proving he should start. Being fast doesn't mean you should start.

That said, this feels like a patented attempt by Kelly to let Grace get some time in the sun before the season begins. I think the MIKE snaps will break out something like this:

Schmidt: 80%
Morgan: 15%
Grace: 5%

 

[Booslum31]

I'm pumped and pretty impressed that Grace fought his way back. I was very critical of his angles and his ability to react to the short dink and dunk pass plays...before he went down. All the heart in the world but I'm concerned if he gets meaniful PT. Probably an unpopular position...Hope I'm wrong.

 

[Meacon Irish]

Considering I've not been to a single practice, if Schmidt/Grace/Morgan is what the depth chart is, it's what the depth chart is. I had assumed Morgan would be #2 too, but maybe that means that Grace is back to his potential "werewolf" status from two years ago.

 

[aubeirish]

I'm anxious to see how Grace does. It's easy to pull for a kid like that. The thing I sense about him is that even though he might not be as fast as some of the other backers, he's kinda like coach on the field. He's very much like Joe in that department. We saw how important that was at the Mike LB position in this defense when Joe went down last year.

 

[woolybug25]

My god, what do you mean what does it matter? A tackle 10 yards down the field counts in the stat book but looks like shit when watching USC's running back X scamper. Yet, it is still a tackle. My point.

We can choose to disagree, that is fine, but IMO he looked awfully bad last year. And (not IMO), Kelly has him outside the three deep.

And you somehow know that is how he got his tackles and that Schmidt's and/or Grace's weren't? Give me a break, you don't know that. It's not like Schmidt doesn't also have flaws either. Your whole argument is a classic "moving the goal post" scenario where you're going to change the metric in order to not admit you're wrong. First you said that "all of his tackles were probably between 5-15", so I showed you that while I can't prove how many were, he certainly had more TFL than Grace. But here we still are... Just forget it, dude.

 

[Irish2155]

And you somehow know that is how he got his tackles and that Schmidt's and/or Grace's weren't? Give me a break, you don't know that. It's not like Schmidt doesn't also have flaws either. Your whole argument is a classic "moving the goal post" scenario where you're going to change the metric in order to not admit you're wrong. First you said that "all of his tackles were probably between 5-15", so I showed you that while I can't prove how many were, he certainly had more TFL than Grace. But here we still are... Just forget it, dude.

Not sure what you don't get or what you watched but it certainly wasn't NM playing very well at middle linebacker last year (hope not for your sake). Granted, as stated, he was a true Frosh playing on a depleted defense...that is a fair excuse for the young man. Why is that so hard to see for you? Go back and watch USC and ASU if you need a reminder. Tell me how far down the field he made tackles in those games. I'll be waiting.

He is definitely a better athlete than a lot of players on the team, including Schmidt. And I hope he pulls it all together but I am certainly not surprised seeing him sit #3 on the Mike depth chart.

I have no idea about Grace and what he has to offer. Who knows?

Alright dude, now forgot. We both can agree that we want to see Morgan succeed at ND.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

My god people. Morgan will be starting Mike next year. I doubt Grace sees the field much, because I don't see Schmidt ever going off the field.


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[Old Man Mike]

I'll say nothing about Morgan, but it seems as if Jarrett Grace is getting swiped at much too much here, perhaps subconsciously in the mind's desire to make a case for Morgan.

The Jarrett Grace that I saw was a FAR better football player than I see him being described. When he came to ND we had a certain middle linebacker that would [rightly] dominate snaps through 2012. That left Jarrett 2013 as his first opportunity to shine [he basically played kick coverage before, and played well.]

In 2013, Diaco wanted to start his veterans [a mistake generally as that kept Jarrett out] and we began the season with Fox [OK] and Calabreese [not so OK] at Diaco's twin middles. By the 4th game, Diaco finally woke up and started Grace. This was because of his ten tackles vs Purdue even as a non-starter. The three games that he then got to start were not against cupcakes [Michigan State, 8 tackles, led team; Oklahoma, 9 tackles; Arizona State 3 tackles and a broken leg.] Grace was a wrecking crew when he got the chance to play. He played three and a fraction games basically, and was leading our team in tackles when he got hurt.

Jarrett Grace was always a natural MIKE but we had a guy named Teo. He always from high school had natural MIKE instincts, which is how he got the "werewolf" nickname. He is a quick reactor to the play, plus he knows what the whole defense is doing. He is a natural leader as Kelly has said several times this camp. This guy can play. Coach SMILES every time he talks about him being back. If Morgan's better, great. But please stop dissing Jarrett Grace, fellas.

 

[koonja]

Putting this here because I'm 100% against player thread bumps this time of year. This kid is weird and unique and I love it and think it's in great form.

https://twitter.com/LuckyLefty8/status/637065680513331201

 

[Cackalacky]

I have ben openly not optimistic about Jarrett's return from that injury. I stand fully in awe now that he has made it all the way back. It's no slight at Nyles IMO and the season is long. I bet we will see Nyles this year as well. It will also take some pressure off the young man to have veterans to watch.

Super proud of you Jarrett!!

 

[BeauBenken]

Remember when Diaco called Grace a werewolf?

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

I really like Nyles and his athleticism but I never saw him play "great" last year. I did see him make very poor reads or crash into the pulling linemen only to open a monster lane for a RB to gash us.

I'm pretty sure he did that a couple times against LSU. If Grace is ahead of Nyles, it's because he still hasn't figured out how to make the reads. I'm pulling for Nyles to step it up and force his way in by having a mental breakthrough.

He would certainly provide the most athletic option but that means d1ck when he athletically hits the wrong hole and blows his assignment.

 

[Irish2155]

I have ben openly not optimistic about Jarrett's return from that injury. I stand fully in awe now that he has made it all the way back. It's no slight at Nyles IMO and the season is long. I bet we will see Nyles this year as well. It will also take some pressure off the young man to have veterans to watch.

Super proud of you Jarrett!!

Niles will see plenty of time on the field this year. He is our best athlete at the position...really has that going for him. This year, I hope, the game slows down for him a bit...especially with a defense at full strength.

Take a deep breath, read and react...let your ability take care of the rest.

 

[Irish2155]

I really like Nyles and his athleticism but I never saw him play "great" last year. I did see him make very poor reads or crash into the pulling linemen only to open a monster lane for a RB to gash us.

I'm pretty sure he did that a couple times against LSU. If Grace is ahead of Nyles, it's because he still hasn't figured out how to make the reads. I'm pulling for Nyles to step it up and force his way in by having a mental breakthrough.

He would certainly provide the most athletic option but that means d1ck when he athletically hits the wrong hole and blows his assignment.

You said it much better than I. Thank you.

 

[NDdomer2]

Couple things from latest round of tweets.

1. The Daniel Cage talk seems to have the same vibe as Darrin walls summer camp positivity.

2. Wimbush the first 3 to stay with varsity? Kelly must see something he really likes.

3. Our pass catchers are in good shape for the foreseeable future.

4. For a kid who said himself he has to be perfect. Half a step behind doesn't sound like a good thing.

5. I'm scared about our safety play.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Who won left guard? Q?


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[Cackalacky]

Anyone else pick up on Adams doing work blocking? Love it. I think some were knocking his frame and such (IDK how much he has filled in) but glad to see he is handling business in the backfield.

 

[Cackalacky]

Who won left guard? Q?


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IIRC its been Nelson followed by Bars.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Anyone else pick up on Adams doing work blocking? Love it. I think some were knocking his frame and such (IDK how much he has filled in) but glad to see he is handling business in the backfield.

I don't think anyone was knocking his frame, as people wanted him to play LB.


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[Sherm Sticky]

IIRC its been Nelson followed by Bars.

Yes. Nelson aka Q


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[Veritate Duce Progredi]

Anyone else pick up on Adams doing work blocking? Love it. I think some were knocking his frame and such (IDK how much he has filled in) but glad to see he is handling business in the backfield.

That tells me they believe he will take snaps from the first game onward. It'll likely be Folston with 50% of the carries and Prosise/Adams splitting 25% per the rest of the way, or see who has the hot hand and ride them.

We are a week away from CFB season officially starting and I have cable after a 2 year respite.

 

[Cackalacky]

I don't think anyone was knocking his frame, as people wanted him to play LB.


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It's quite possible I don't what hell I am talking about.

 

[Cackalacky]

Yes. Nelson aka Q


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Concur. Also doing business as BigQ

 

[Cackalacky]

That tells me they believe he will take snaps from the first game onward. It'll likely be Folston with 50% of the carries and Prosise/Adams splitting 25% per the rest of the way, or see who has the hot hand and ride them.

We are a week away from CFB season officially starting and I have cable after a 2 year respite.

Yep. I think you are on the right path. Not sure where Brent is in all this but I think it bodes well for Josh regardless.

 

[PANDFAN]

I don't think anyone was knocking his frame, as people wanted him to play LB.


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when pics of the freshman came out at start of camp, there were several posters chiming in saying how much smaller he looked than they thought he would...i think that is what was being referenced

WOOLYBUG
“Nyles would get in the mix there if we got into a situation where we’re trying to move a lot of people in and out of the game,” Kelly said. “And then you’ve got to understand that we have different situations that we would move Jaylon around, and that could get another player on the field.”

247

 

[IrishLion]

Question: Why can't Morgan play SAM?

I've got nothing against Onwualu at all (aside from the fact that he should be a safety, but that's not on him), but he was one of those guys whose name you didn't hear hardly at all last year. I understand the defense is almost primarily a base nickle, and so his reps were limited, but even in the time he got, we didn't hear/see much. He had a couple bone-crushing tackles, but that's all I really remember.

Why can't Nyles play SAM in those situations? He's got speed like Onwualu, and he'd be playing alongside Joe/Jaylon, so he wouldn't need to worry about over-thinking things.

Maybe he's still too young and out-of-control when he's flying around? I remember that clip of CJ Sander's amazing run... Morgan came flying through the hole and should have had a huge tackle for loss, but he whiffed big time instead, and that kind of seems like carryover from last year a bit.