2015 Spring Practice Thread

[Wild Bill]

As of now it sits as

SDE: Rochell, Bonner
NT: Jones, Cage
DT: Day, Hayes
WDE: Okwara, Trumbetti,

With Tillery and Williams being the swing guys or what he calls 3rd and a half. Its early and even he mentions that Tillery, Williams or even Micah could become a 2nd guy.

Good news for Jarron and the defense, IMO. If we can get 25 quality reps out of Tillery and Cage, I think we can get 30-40 all american caliber reps out of Jarron.

 

[nsisk157]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Durham Smythe looks poised to finish spring practice as Notre Dame's No. 1 TE. <a href="http://t.co/gUzHvm46Tv">http://t.co/gUzHvm46Tv</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NotreDame247">@NotreDame247</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NDFB?src=hash">#NDFB</a></p>— Nick Ironside (@nironside247) <a href="https://twitter.com/nironside247/status/583702871759269888">April 2, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Fresh. Think he is gonna be a good one.

 

[Luckylucci]

I'd take that. Figure Trumbetti & Okwara basically split time. Hope Tillery pushes Hayes for minutes. And imagine what kind of rotational nastiness we could be putting up by November when the young guys get a few games under their belt.

More than Tillery pushing Hayes at 3 tech, I think it will be spelling Jones. Day won't be coming of the field very often as he is by far and away the best DL we have.

 

[Irish2155]

I don't necessarily disagree with this but it should be more nuanced than that. We were on our way to a 10-win season last year then the injury bug depleted our entire defense. There are some situations where I wouldn't blame Kelly but I do believe he must reach double digit wins with this cast of characters.

We have a game breaker at every offensive position. Have an offensive line for which most head coaches would trade their left testicle. The defense should, at the very least, be better than last year. Our corners should be the best we've had since Kelly arrived. The rest is debatable but I don't recall having this much line depth ever. We have one freak outside LB and Nyles Morgan has made a push for that adjective. Our safeties aren't new on the scene.

The most important thing Kelly has done is stocked the cupboards and developed a football culture that assesses/reassesses everything: recruiting, game planning, interaction with players, training table, conditioning, etc.

Now is the time to stop doing the hypothetical and start doing the incredible. Win 10+ games for multiple seasons and don't have a down year with recruiting. Keep developing the atmosphere for these young men to grow and develop on and off the field.

Sorry, for the late response...I'm just catching up. This post is fantastic!!

 

[Crazy Balki]

More than Tillery pushing Hayes at 3 tech, I think it will be spelling Jones. Day won't be coming of the field very often as he is by far and away the best DL we have.

That's what I originally thought, but now I don't really agree. I think Rochell and Jones, when he's on, are probably just as good, if not better than Day. Rochell is just a brick wall on run support and from what we're hearing he seems to be making stellar improvements in pass rushing. Jones is simply an unstoppable force...when he decides he wants to be, which is only like 1/3 of the time. Trumbetti is coming along very strongly as well, so I wouldn't be surprised to see him reach that level this year either.

 

[Wild Bill]

That's what I originally thought, but now I don't really agree. I think Rochell and Jones, when he's on, are probably just as good, if not better than Day. Rochell is just a brick wall on run support and from what we're hearing he seems to be making stellar improvements in pass rushing. Jones is simply an unstoppable force...when he decides he wants to be, which is only like 1/3 of the time. Trumbetti is coming along very strongly as well, so I wouldn't be surprised to see him reach that level this year either.

No chance. Day's first step and his ability to shed blocks is elite. He's an absolute nightmare to block when he's healthy. I like both Rochelle and Jones but they're not on the same level as Day.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

No chance. Day's first step and his ability to shed blocks is elite. He's an absolute nightmare to block when he's healthy. I like both Rochelle and Jones but they're not on the same level as Day.

Day is like lightening. Day plays three technique(almost exclusively).

Doesn't Jones play one technique? And Cage?

Rochell five sliding down to three occasionally?

Didn't they say Tillery can play all three?

Please lay this out again for a slow minded fan. THX in advance!

 

[pkt77242]

More than Tillery pushing Hayes at 3 tech, I think it will be spelling Jones. Day won't be coming of the field very often as he is by far and away the best DL we have.

I agree that Day is definitely our best DL, I think it is good to get him off the field a decent amount (less then everyone else but still a fair amount). I feel this way partly due to Day's injury history and partly because I think he has an amazing first step when he isn't tired that it behooves us to give him a decent amount of reps off.

 

[Booslum31]

That's what I originally thought, but now I don't really agree. I think Rochell and Jones, when he's on, are probably just as good, if not better than Day. Rochell is just a brick wall on run support and from what we're hearing he seems to be making stellar improvements in pass rushing. Jones is simply an unstoppable force...when he decides he wants to be, which is only like 1/3 of the time. Trumbetti is coming along very strongly as well, so I wouldn't be surprised to see him reach that level this year either.

Day>>>Jones & Rochelle. All "day" long. if we are playing an up-tempo team there is no time to get him off the field. When we aren't playing an up-tempo team he gets a blow in between plays. Hate when I see him come off the field at all! Hope he stays healthy this year...he is a menace!

 

[Luckylucci]

That's what I originally thought, but now I don't really agree. I think Rochell and Jones, when he's on, are probably just as good, if not better than Day. Rochell is just a brick wall on run support and from what we're hearing he seems to be making stellar improvements in pass rushing. Jones is simply an unstoppable force...when he decides he wants to be, which is only like 1/3 of the time. Trumbetti is coming along very strongly as well, so I wouldn't be surprised to see him reach that level this year either.

Using Jones, unstoppable force, and being good 1/3 of the time in the same sentence is quite funny. If you are an unstoppable force, I would think you'd be better than being good 1/3 of the time. Being good 1/3 of the time is actually quite bad/terrible. Also, Jones isn't even in the same conversation as quality of Dlineman as Day. Like literally if they were graded out it's not even close. You don't hear Gilmore calling out Day for his poor performances at certain times. Greg Gabriel (ex NFL scout) graded out all potential ND NFL qualifiers last year, Jones was a non-issue. It's not about who has the best potential but who is the best right now.

Lastly, Rochell brings a lot of versatility to this DL which can't be overlooked. However, in terms of overall quality of play he's not at the same level as Day either. Put it this way, Day isn't taking a lot of reps this spring not because he isn't good it's because they believe he doesn't need to. They would rather rest him and get quality reps where as other players need more and more reps to get to his level.

 

[stlnd01]

The nice thing about having depth is that we don't need our top three to be every-down linemen to have an effective defensive front. Ideally six or eight guys are getting quality minutes, and we don't need to rely on Day like that.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

More than Tillery pushing Hayes at 3 tech, I think it will be spelling Jones. Day won't be coming of the field very often as he is by far and away the best DL we have.

Cage was put into the rotation because of need last year. Anyway he could red shirt this year to get his weight and conditioning under control. Thoughts?


Sent via tapatalk

 

[Luckylucci]

Cage was put into the rotation because of need last year. Anyway he could red shirt this year to get his weight and conditioning under control. Thoughts?


Sent via tapatalk

I don't know if that's actually being considered but I'd give serious consideration to sophomore RS's for Hill, Blankenship, and Cage.

 

[Old Man Mike]

I just have to add my opinion to the list: Sheldon Day is our All-American DT who almost always has to be blocked by two people. Jarron Jones SOMETIMES has to be blocked by two people, and it looks like Tillery MIGHT turn out to be one of those priceless gems as well. But right now Mighty Day needs to be on the field for as much time as he can stand up to the double-teams --- give him lots of good quality rest? Yes. Think that someone else is as good as him [unless it's Tillery Prodigy Surprise]? No.

 

[Crazy Balki]

Day>>>Jones & Rochelle. All "day" long. if we are playing an up-tempo team there is no time to get him off the field. When we aren't playing an up-tempo team he gets a blow in between plays. Hate when I see him come off the field at all! Hope he stays healthy this year...he is a menace!

No chance. Day's first step and his ability to shed blocks is elite. He's an absolute nightmare to block when he's healthy. I like both Rochelle and Jones but they're not on the same level as Day.

Using Jones, unstoppable force, and being good 1/3 of the time in the same sentence is quite funny. If you are an unstoppable force, I would think you'd be better than being good 1/3 of the time. Being good 1/3 of the time is actually quite bad/terrible. Also, Jones isn't even in the same conversation as quality of Dlineman as Day. Like literally if they were graded out it's not even close. You don't hear Gilmore calling out Day for his poor performances at certain times. Greg Gabriel (ex NFL scout) graded out all potential ND NFL qualifiers last year, Jones was a non-issue. It's not about who has the best potential but who is the best right now.

Lastly, Rochell brings a lot of versatility to this DL which can't be overlooked. However, in terms of overall quality of play he's not at the same level as Day either. Put it this way, Day isn't taking a lot of reps this spring not because he isn't good it's because they believe he doesn't need to. They would rather rest him and get quality reps where as other players need more and more reps to get to his level.

I just have to add my opinion to the list: Sheldon Day is our All-American DT who almost always has to be blocked by two people. Jarron Jones SOMETIMES has to be blocked by two people, and it looks like Tillery MIGHT turn out to be one of those priceless gems as well. But right now Mighty Day needs to be on the field for as much time as he can stand up to the double-teams --- give him lots of good quality rest? Yes. Think that someone else is as good as him [unless it's Tillery Prodigy Surprise]? No.

Sorry, that's my opinion and I stick by it. Jones is inconsistent, wildly inconsistent, but has shown flashes of being our best DL. Coach D feels the same way, so I'm not alone in this thinking. Whether or not he does reach the level of consistency to be on Day's level is yet to be seen, because we need to see how he returns from his injury. He could fall into the same trap Tuitt fell into as a junior and gain a bunch of bad weight, and Jones wouldn't be able to get by as well as Tuitt did with it either. Rochell isn't anywhere near as big of a pass rusher as Day is, but he is definitely better in terms of stuffing the runner. It doesn't help that he isn't really in his preferred position. He's more of a 3T than a SDE. As for Trumbetti, if he makes the strides in the offseason that I and others believe he'll make, he's going to be dominant for us. In terms of consistency (assuming he's healthy) Day is our best, but there are guys who, given they can make strides in improving certain things (Jones consistency, Rochell and Trumbetti pass rushing technique) that could put them up there.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

I don't know if that's actually being considered but I'd give serious consideration to sophomore RS's for Hill, Blankenship, and Cage.

I don't think ND is deep enough at DE to not play Blankenship and Hill this year. Gilmore had high praise for Grant and Hill should be improved pass rush specialist.

But, ND does have depth at DT. So I wouldn't mind if Cage red shirted this year.


Sent via tapatalk

 

[Crazy Balki]

I don't think ND is deep enough at DE to not play Blankenship and Hill this year. Gilmore had high praise for Grant and Hill should be improved pass rush specialist.

But, ND does have depth at DT. So I wouldn't mind if Cage red shirted this year.


Sent via tapatalk

I thought Hill was working with LBs.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

I thought Hill was working with LBs.

He is. But let's face it, he will be a situational pass rusher for this team/


Sent via tapatalk

 

[Crazy Balki]

He is. But let's face it, he will be a situational pass rusher for this team/


Sent via tapatalk

True, I'm wondering if he'll be pass rushing from the LB position though, similar to how Eric Striker did for OU. He seems like he'd have trouble getting around much bigger OT's on the line due to his lack of size. He's a good pass rusher, but Carl Lawson he is not.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

True, I'm wondering if he'll be pass rushing from the LB position though, similar to how Eric Striker did for OU. He seems like he'd have trouble getting around much bigger OT's on the line due to his lack of size. He's a good pass rusher, but Carl Lawson he is not.

Fair question. And we won't know the answer till September most likely.


Sent via tapatalk

 

[NDokie13]

One name that doesn't seem to come up much in these DL discussions is Pete Mokwuah. Obviously he redshirted last year, but from the sound of it, it seems like he's not getting much attention for playing time next year from the coaches or the people on this board. Is this just a case of him being another year or two off in terms of conditioning, strength, etc., or is he at risk of getting lost in all the tremendous depth we've been talking about throughout his whole career? It sucks to think that a DT with the measurables he has might not see the field much, but on the other hand, I guess all the talent and depth ahead of him isn't exactly a bad problem to have.

 

[Luckylucci]

Sorry, that's my opinion and I stick by it. Jones is inconsistent, wildly inconsistent, but has shown flashes of being our best DL. Coach D feels the same way, so I'm not alone in this thinking. Whether or not he does reach the level of consistency to be on Day's level is yet to be seen, because we need to see how he returns from his injury. He could fall into the same trap Tuitt fell into as a junior and gain a bunch of bad weight, and Jones wouldn't be able to get by as well as Tuitt did with it either. Rochell isn't anywhere near as big of a pass rusher as Day is, but he is definitely better in terms of stuffing the runner. It doesn't help that he isn't really in his preferred position. He's more of a 3T than a SDE. As for Trumbetti, if he makes the strides in the offseason that I and others believe he'll make, he's going to be dominant for us. In terms of consistency (assuming he's healthy) Day is our best, but there are guys who, given they can make strides in improving certain things (Jones consistency, Rochell and Trumbetti pass rushing technique) that could put them up there.

Huge difference between potential and the current player. Glad we agree that my OP was right.

 

[Rocknes Ghost]

He SHOULD be able to figure it out, but I'm not holding my breath. It seems that some QBs have a good feel on whether they need to hand it off or not, and others struggle with the concept. Dayne couldn't do it, Tommy didn't run it, Hendrix was awful at it, and Golson hasn't been great either when we have tried to employ it. Based on the guys we've had under Kelly none of them have been capable of consistently reading the edge until Zaire, that's why many are excited to see if Malik can contribute to the run game.

Golson was a point guard too. It really is surprising that a guy who played that position can't run read option.

 

[zelezo vlk]

One name that doesn't seem to come up much in these DL discussions is Pete Mokwuah. Obviously he redshirted last year, but from the sound of it, it seems like he's not getting much attention for playing time next year from the coaches or the people on this board. Is this just a case of him being another year or two off in terms of conditioning, strength, etc., or is he at risk of getting lost in all the tremendous depth we've been talking about throughout his whole career? It sucks to think that a DT with the measurables he has might not see the field much, but on the other hand, I guess all the talent and depth ahead of him isn't exactly a bad problem to have.

Mokwuah was badly in need of weight room training and reshaping his body. He also had little to no technique coming in IIRC, and he now only has one year in the program. Assuming all are healthy, he has Jarron Jones, Daniel Cage, maybe Tillery, and you could still argue IR is in front of him too. He's got a lot of guys ahead of him on the depth chart, but don't confuse that for him having no shot or not putting in the effort; he just had a lot of work to put in.

 

[Luckylucci]

I think another aspect of what we've heard so far this spring is a lot of focus has been placed on pass rush. Cage and Momwuah will never really be those guys. However, that doesn't mean they don't have a place or can't help out.

 

[NDokie13]

That makes sense. It's just hard to tell sometimes with depth guys like him if no news is good news in terms of him progressing steadily or not. I'm just hoping when guys like Jarron and Isaac graduate and his window of opportunity is there, he'll be ready to play. If so, he should be fun to watch. Guess we'll just have to wait and see, though.

 

[Crazy Balki]

Huge difference between potential and the current player. Glad we agree that my OP was right.

Not necessarily. Just as Jones might not kick his consistency habits or Trumbetti/Rochell don't reach their potential, Day could, heaven forbid, get plagued with injuries again. All this is speculation, whether we're talking about potential or current status, because even current status means next to nothing right now, since it's April.

 

[Crazy Balki]

One name that doesn't seem to come up much in these DL discussions is Pete Mokwuah. Obviously he redshirted last year, but from the sound of it, it seems like he's not getting much attention for playing time next year from the coaches or the people on this board. Is this just a case of him being another year or two off in terms of conditioning, strength, etc., or is he at risk of getting lost in all the tremendous depth we've been talking about throughout his whole career? It sucks to think that a DT with the measurables he has might not see the field much, but on the other hand, I guess all the talent and depth ahead of him isn't exactly a bad problem to have.

Like a few guys have already said, it's not because Mokwuah isn't doing well. Actually from what I've heard, he's actually coming along quite nicely. But there are just several guys right now that have stepped up and added to their arsenal. Cage has the experience and ruthless tenacity you like and is a little farther ahead technique wise, MDT has hit the ground running despite being overshadowed by Tillery (who of course is tearing sh*t up himself). Not to mention he's still quite raw both physically and technically. Brandon Tiassum will probably have to overcome similar hurdles to Mokwuah when he arrives.

 

[stlnd01]

Mokwuah always seemed like a bit of a project. That's OK. Sometimes projects turn out to be major contributors. But given what's in front of him, it might take a little time before he cracks the rotation. He's got plenty of time.

 

[Luckylucci]

Not necessarily. Just as Jones might not kick his consistency habits or Trumbetti/Rochell don't reach their potential, Day could, heaven forbid, get plagued with injuries again. All this is speculation, whether we're talking about potential or current status, because even current status means next to nothing right now, since it's April.

There really is no speculation in what I'm saying. Day is the best Dlineman we currently have. Fact and convo over.