2016 Spring Practice Thread

[Bogtrotter07]

Martini has quick feet, great lateral movement and is a hell of a load. With his reach he could be stunning at MLB.

Let Morgan play weak, it's much easier, scheme wise. Also, blitz him. He could be devastating.

The offensive line looks to me to take another step forward in overall talent.

• Stanley is gone, true. But McGlinchey graded out higher all season.
• Martin is gone, but Mustipher and Hodge both have a higher ceiling, and are much stronger, and probably better athletes.
• Everyone complained about Elmer last year. It was awful, but Elmer wasn't. But any way you look at it from the guy who loses the center competition to a couple of freshmen coming in in the summer, this position will get better fast.
• The only positon that may not be as good or better than last year is right tackle; unless Bars turns out to be the " best young lineman in twenty-five years," as Kelly stated.
• Tight end development this year will make a huge impact on the whole line play. Last year with Jones playing more with Smythe out, when Luatua came in, it told the defenses all they needed to know. I expect to have three competent tight ends at blocking this year.

 

[Luckylucci]

Martini has quick feet, great lateral movement and is a hell of a load. With his reach he could be stunning at MLB.

Let Morgan play weak, it's much easier, scheme wise. Also, blitz him. He could be devastating.
The offensive line looks to me to take another step forward in overall talent.

• Stanley is gone, true. But McGlinchey graded out higher all season.
• Martin is gone, but Mustipher and Hodge both have a higher ceiling, and are much stronger, and probably better athletes.
• Everyone complained about Elmer last year. It was awful, but Elmer wasn't. But any way you look at it from the guy who loses the center competition to a couple of freshmen coming in in the summer, this position will get better fast.
• The only positon that may not be as good or better than last year is right tackle; unless Bars turns out to be the " best young lineman in twenty-five years," as Kelly stated.
• Tight end development this year will make a huge impact on the whole line play. Last year with Jones playing more with Smythe out, when Luatua came in, it told the defenses all they needed to know. I expect to have three competent tight ends at blocking this year.

I've become quite the Martini fan myself, he just seems to make plays and my impression is that he does understand the scheme better than most, which would make him a likely candidate for MLB. However, Driskell at BGI brought up a good point. Morgan seems perfectly suited for what BVG had Schmidt doing quite a bit last year, which was blitz and stuff gaps/eat blockers. He just has to hit the right gaps, which as we saw from his freshman year, can be easier said than done. While Martini could play Will and provide the clean up roll that Jaylon was. I really like JO but I think Martini needs to be on the field in some capacity, whether that's at SAM, WILL, or MIKE. So, maybe JO is the one left out and has a Mathias Farley esque role with team 128.

Side note, Driskell's sources have been saying that Morgan is taking quite the leadership role with offseason workouts and LB meetings. Sounds like he's preparing to have significant role.

I think that Morgan, Coney, and Martini give us the best upside. Might have some growing pains but that might be the best collective talent we've had in quite some time.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Pete Samson told me that moving Martini in the middle was under (serious) consideration by the staff.

 

[GoIrish41]

Pete Samson told me that moving Martini in the middle was under (serious) consideration by the staff.

The staff just seems to want Morgan on the bench. I don't get it.

 

[Luckylucci]

Pete Samson told me that moving Martini in the middle was under (serious) consideration by the staff.

Couldn't the term middle mean Will as well. They used the term moving Jaylon to the "middle" when putting him at Will.

 

[IrishLax]

The staff just seems to want Morgan on the bench. I don't get it.

Because he's terrible. If you watch the game film from when Morgan and Martini were both true frosh and got reps at MIKE, Martini was quite decent and Morgan was one of the worst linebackers I've ever seen.

Now, you can develop over time. But it seems quite clear that he's not. I hope I eat those words and he puts it all together, but it is very hard to teach instincts for that position.

 

[Luckylucci]

Because he's terrible. If you watch the game film from when Morgan and Martini were both true frosh and got reps at MIKE, Martini was quite decent and Morgan was one of the worst linebackers I've ever seen.

Now, you can develop over time. But it seems quite clear that he's not. I hope I eat those words and he puts it all together, but it is very hard to teach instincts for that position.

I think this is a bit of an exaggeration. He missed quite a few gaps and blew quite a few assignments but he also made quite a few plays. Those plays weren't being made by standing there. For as little as he played that year, he had a lot of impact on the stat line. Does that tell the whole story, absolutely not. And what you say has some merit to it, but very much an exaggeration to call him one of the worst LB's and terrible.

 

[Irish#1]

Because he's terrible. If you watch the game film from when Morgan and Martini were both true frosh and got reps at MIKE, Martini was quite decent and Morgan was one of the worst linebackers I've ever seen.

Now, you can develop over time. But it seems quite clear that he's not. I hope I eat those words and he puts it all together, but it is very hard to teach instincts for that position.

Morgan was either hot or cold as a frosh. I attribute that to simply being a freshman and having to learn on the fly.

 

[Luckylucci]

Granted these are highlights so to Lax's point there are definitely some lowlights that are not on here but it definitely illustrates that he's not terrible and can make some really good plays.

<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/156523379" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/156523379">Nyles Morgan Highlights</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/blueandgold">BlueAndGold.com</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

 

[T Town Tommy]

Wonder how much of the fact that Morgan was recruited by Diaco and Martin plays in to BVG's decisionmaking regarding him. He has shown the ability to make plays but he also took himself out of so many plays as well. Unlike Coney - who I thought showed really good instincts but overran the play often - it seems Morgan's instincts are a step below. And that is a tough spot to be in given the position he plays.

 

[NDdomer2]

i hope some day i have a kid who is so terrible he earns freshman AA honors at ND.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

The staff just seems to want Morgan on the bench. I don't get it.

Couldn't the term middle mean Will as well. They used the term moving Jaylon to the "middle" when putting him at Will.

I was talking to Pete on the phone so I may have missed a bit, with non-verbal's, and al, but I am pretty sure he said Martini was being specifically considered at Mike. That was what I was asking, and he gave me an affirmative response, then followed with detail.

I think the staff likes Morgan just fine. They are looking at a way of maximizing on his strengths, and minimizing his weaknesses. I think there is quite a bit going around about him being a devastating pass rusher.

Did someone say Justin Brent was 6'4"? If true he must have grown close to three inches in the last year. Because he was just over 6'1" from the Opening to last year in camp.

I can see the two-twenty, two-thirty, or even a little more, but is there any reason we should believe he can hit?

 

[zelezo vlk]

Wonder how much of the fact that Morgan was recruited by Diaco and Martin plays in to BVG's decisionmaking regarding him. He has shown the ability to make plays but he also took himself out of so many plays as well. Unlike Coney - who I thought showed really good instincts but overran the play often - it seems Morgan's instincts are a step below. And that is a tough spot to be in given the position he plays.

Morgan was actually not recruited by Diaco. In fact, he would not even be at ND if BK had not overruled Diaco and personally recruited the kid. He also committed around the time that BVG was announced to be the new coordinator.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Morgan was actually not recruited by Diaco. In fact, he would not even be at ND if BK had not overruled Diaco and personally recruited the kid. He also committed around the time that BVG was announced to be the new coordinator.

You know, there are a few things to remember about Morgan :

• He is fast, and quick; you can't coach that.
• He can wrap, stick, and deliver a hell of a blow. There was one play where Smith and Morgan sandwiched a runner, and I thought the runner was going to be dead!
• Remember, Bob Crable, came to ND as all-world, and was lost as a freshman. By his sophomore year people were shaking their heads. Somewhere in the second half of that season the light switched on. In a week he went from bad to badass. It really happens quite often.

I am telling you as a third down pass rush specialist, he would kill it. He never overruns the quarterback, or ball carrier. And he gets there yesterday.

 

[ResLife Hero]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Those position-by-position spring previews keep coming. Today, what we'll see from the Irish at CB: <a href="https://t.co/i9Y2t8x7rM">https://t.co/i9Y2t8x7rM</a></p>— One Foot Down (@OneFootDown) <a href="https://twitter.com/OneFootDown/status/709502935382667264">March 14, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Who's in need of a big spring on the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NotreDame?src=hash">#NotreDame</a> defense? Where to start... <a href="https://t.co/ASI0eOxuUL">https://t.co/ASI0eOxuUL</a> <a href="https://t.co/HTCLW0PrzS">pic.twitter.com/HTCLW0PrzS</a></p>— Irish247 (@NotreDame247) <a href="https://twitter.com/NotreDame247/status/709436236012736512">March 14, 2016</a></blockquote>
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[zelezo vlk]

You know, there are a few things to remember about Morgan :

• He is fast, and quick; you can't coach that.
• He can wrap, stick, and deliver a hell of a blow. There was one play where Smith and Morgan sandwiched a runner, and I thought the runner was going to be dead!
• Remember, Bob Crable, came to ND as all-world, and was lost as a freshman. By his sophomore year people were shaking their heads. Somewhere in the second half of that season the light switched on. In a week he went from bad to badass. It really happens quite often.

I am telling you as a third down pass rush specialist, he would kill it. He never overruns the quarterback, or ball carrier. And he gets there yesterday.

Ah Bogs, I hope you did not misunderstand me. I did not mean to say that Morgan should not have been recruited, only that Diaco refused to recruit him. I was as excited as anybody that morgan would turn out well; he certainly looks the part physically. However, the recurring theme leaked to the press has always been that Nyles was not ready mentally, and we certainly saw that in his limited action in 2014. I certainly hope that he turns it around, or at the least that BVG can scheme him into the plans.

 

[IrishLax]

I think this is a bit of an exaggeration. He missed quite a few gaps and blew quite a few assignments but he also made quite a few plays. Those plays weren't being made by standing there. For as little as he played that year, he had a lot of impact on the stat line. Does that tell the whole story, absolutely not. And what you say has some merit to it, but very much an exaggeration to call him one of the worst LB's and terrible.

The Arizona State game was literally... and I mean that... the worst game of MIKE linebacker play I can remember from a Notre Dame player. It wasn't just bad, it was other-worldly bad. But I haven't been watching ND football (closely) for that long.

The thing is, he clearly has the physical tools to be very good if not elite at MIKE. And we don't know how much he's advanced, because we haven't seen enough of him since he was a true frosh at one of the hardest positions for a true frosh to play. So when I say "he's terrible" I mean "his body of work on film is not good."

Martini, on the other hand, has flashed superior instincts. They've played him at 3 different linebacker positions and he has gotten it right at each spot. He was good as a fill in for Schmidt at MIKE (and passed up Morgan because Morgan wasn't getting it done on the field) as a true frosh before he got hurt... last year, he played limited reps in multiple roles and was quite good (especially against the option).

I think the best chance for this defense to not implode is to put a heady player like Martini at MIKE.

 

[GoIrish41]

The Arizona State game was literally... and I mean that... the worst game of MIKE linebacker play I can remember from a Notre Dame player. It wasn't just bad, it was other-worldly bad. But I haven't been watching ND football (closely) for that long.

The thing is, he clearly has the physical tools to be very good if not elite at MIKE. And we don't know how much he's advanced, because we haven't seen enough of him since he was a true frosh at one of the hardest positions for a true frosh to play. So when I say "he's terrible" I mean "his body of work on film is not good."

Martini, on the other hand, has flashed superior instincts. They've played him at 3 different linebacker positions and he has gotten it right at each spot. He was good as a fill in for Schmidt at MIKE (and passed up Morgan because Morgan wasn't getting it done on the field) as a true frosh before he got hurt... last year, he played limited reps in multiple roles and was quite good (especially against the option).

I think the best chance for this defense to not implode is to put a heady player like Martini at MIKE.

If we are looking at 1 game, he had a 10 tackle game against Navy, I think. He wasn't other worldly or anything, but if memory serves he had a really solid game. Looked a little like a future stud. I would argue that his body of work is mixed. I think someone mentioned above that he was selected as a freshman AA so "terrible" is not a word if use to describe his play.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

The Arizona State game was literally... and I mean that... the worst game of MIKE linebacker play I can remember from a Notre Dame player. It wasn't just bad, it was other-worldly bad. But I haven't been watching ND football (closely) for that long.

The thing is, he clearly has the physical tools to be very good if not elite at MIKE. And we don't know how much he's advanced, because we haven't seen enough of him since he was a true frosh at one of the hardest positions for a true frosh to play. So when I say "he's terrible" I mean "his body of work on film is not good."

Martini, on the other hand, has flashed superior instincts. They've played him at 3 different linebacker positions and he has gotten it right at each spot. He was good as a fill in for Schmidt at MIKE (and passed up Morgan because Morgan wasn't getting it done on the field) as a true frosh before he got hurt... last year, he played limited reps in multiple roles and was quite good (especially against the option).

I think the best chance for this defense to not implode is to put a heady player like Martini at MIKE.

Agreed. 200%. Now, lets see what the coaches think!

If we are looking at 1 game, he had a 10 tackle game against Navy, I think. He wasn't other worldly or anything, but if memory serves he had a really solid game. Looked a little like a future stud. I would argue that his body of work is mixed. I think someone mentioned above that he was selected as a freshman AA so "terrible" is not a word if use to describe his play.

Remember, sometimes playing a lesser team, especially when it is slower and smaller, gives an athlete with superior physical traits time to make up for mental errors. I cannot say automatically, footage against SC versus footage against Navy, is a 'mixed' body of work.

I look for kids that are new to the college ranks playing up to the better competition. We have not seen that from Morgan, yet.

But we have seen the speed and uncanny ability to move his body, and enough elite lateral movement, that he looks like a cheetah hunting down its prey!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V8vejjVgIHg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Redbar]

If I am not mistaken, the ASU game was literally his first start. As Joe got injured at Navy. A very difficult opponent for a young guy, in fact for the whole team. I would be inclined not to read too much into that one game.

 

[dublinirish]

If I am not mistaken, the ASU game was literally his first start. As Joe got injured at Navy. A very difficult opponent for a young guy, in fact for the whole team. I would be inclined not to read too much into that one game.

i wouldn't blame anyone on the defence in that game. EG threw that game away with his immature play.

 

[Shamrock Theories]

The Arizona State game was literally... and I mean that... the worst game of MIKE linebacker play I can remember from a Notre Dame player. It wasn't just bad, it was other-worldly bad. But I haven't been watching ND football (closely) for that long.

The thing is, he clearly has the physical tools to be very good if not elite at MIKE. And we don't know how much he's advanced, because we haven't seen enough of him since he was a true frosh at one of the hardest positions for a true frosh to play. So when I say "he's terrible" I mean "his body of work on film is not good."

Martini, on the other hand, has flashed superior instincts. They've played him at 3 different linebacker positions and he has gotten it right at each spot. He was good as a fill in for Schmidt at MIKE (and passed up Morgan because Morgan wasn't getting it done on the field) as a true frosh before he got hurt... last year, he played limited reps in multiple roles and was quite good (especially against the option).

I think the best chance for this defense to not implode is to put a heady player like Martini at MIKE.

Good post.

I think as long as Nyles is just attacking downhill on every play (like vs a Navy) we are in good shape lol. I'm assuming he stinks in coverage which I'm sure is a big no-no for BVG

 

[dublinirish]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Awaiting the start of Brian Kelly's noon press conference to talk about practice. And quarterbacks. Probably. <a href="https://t.co/LggX45zQ9r">pic.twitter.com/LggX45zQ9r</a></p>— Irish Illustrated (@PeteSampson_) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_/status/709762711232630784">March 15, 2016</a></blockquote>
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LEGGOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

[dublinirish]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Brian Kelly opens <a href="https://twitter.com/NDFootball">@NDFootball</a> spring ball at Noon ET.<br><br>WATCH LIVE: <a href="https://t.co/fYKGs3P2Dv">https://t.co/fYKGs3P2Dv</a><br><br>Spring roster below… <a href="https://t.co/mtjch8b6lr">pic.twitter.com/mtjch8b6lr</a></p>— Michael Bertsch (@NDsidBertschy) <a href="https://twitter.com/NDsidBertschy/status/709767899112669184">March 15, 2016</a></blockquote>
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[dublinirish]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Notre Dame's spring roster is out, and it's official: Jacob Matuska will move from defensive line to tight end.</p>— Mike Vorel (@mikevorel) <a href="https://twitter.com/mikevorel/status/709769094170542080">March 15, 2016</a></blockquote>
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[dublinirish]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Spring roster notes:<br><br>- Jacob Matuska at tight end<br>- Ashton White at safety<br>- John Montelus at defensive line<br>- Justin Brent still at RB</p>— Andrew Owens (@BGI_AndrewOwens) <a href="https://twitter.com/BGI_AndrewOwens/status/709769722213044227">March 15, 2016</a></blockquote>
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[dublinirish]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Nicky Baratti, Jalen Guyton and John Turner no longer on the roster.</p>— Andrew Owens (@BGI_AndrewOwens) <a href="https://twitter.com/BGI_AndrewOwens/status/709770504224292864">March 15, 2016</a></blockquote>
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no Doug Randolph + Chase Hounshell (as confirmed weeks back) either

 

[Luckylucci]

So they have Kareem at 6'4 270.

He didn't even look close to 270 at Semper Fi.

Also, Perry at 6'2 204 those are very solid numbers for him to get some early PT.

 

[dublinirish]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mark Harrell remains on the roster as a potential fifth-year senior, along with Avery Sebastian, Jarron Jones and Scott Daly.</p>— Irish Illustrated (@PeteSampson_) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_/status/709770653897986048">March 15, 2016</a></blockquote>
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[IrishLion]

Let's hope Daelin Hayes lives up to the jersey.