irish4ever
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Anyone can make a bad throw now and then.
That's a pick 6 all day long!
Anyone can make a bad throw now and then.
Amen. Got to give props to Harry and the boys, but damn, that was some great football.
We're comparing two incomplete QBs, that's why it's difficult. Wimbush really needs a 7-10% increase in completion pcg and we're off to the races. Book just needs to be able to hit the deep ball and we're poised to win games with the talent we have.
I don't know if we can expect either of those things so I trust the coaches to make the most of the situation. Hopefully Brandon says, "fvck all the haters" and just starts playing with passionate intensity. Same with Book.
I hope they don't give two shits about what they hear from the fanbase. We're clueless assholes who project a ton on these kids. I just want them to take all of the teaching, try to stay focused and have fun.
Koon, I think you are overstating their praise for Book. He's been what they expected for the most part. An accurate QB that they believe can do the job but lacks the upside. At no point have they said he's "won" the job. At least not that I've seen.
They all agreed on the podcast that they wouldn't be making any rushed judgments to put Book in over Wimbush at this point. Jamie specifically mentioned that it was an overreaction on the board to abandon ship, so to speak. So, yea, if Wimbush played like he did on Saturday for the next 3 weeks, then Book is the guy. That's common sense. But not to make that assessment after just last Saturday.
This little back and forth banter brought a little tear to my eye as it stirred fond memories of Koon and Wooly's love/hate relationship.
I think our running game goes in the tank if BW isn't on the field. However, down two scores in the second half...bring in Book. I think this will happen at some point this year.
Notre Dame offensive line coach Jeff Quinn spoke on Wednesday about his position group.
On Tommy Kraemer and Robert Hainsey:
“Repetition is the mother of learning. The more you do it, the more years and time you put into it, eventually you’re going to become more and more comfortable with the fundamentals.
“They know who to block. Now it’s about how to block them. It’s not so much presnap but the postsnap when the play is underway. Things change, bodies move and what I like is they can handle the variations of the calls based on what defenses do.
“Our communication has been outstanding. Sam (Mustipher) has done an outstanding job along with our tackles. Tom and Rob going through that a year ago, they’ve been hitting every call I’ve asked them to make. It makes a big difference putting all five of those guys on the same page.”
On mental preparation:
“They aren’t playing against a second-rate defense. This is first-class defense. You’re playing against Daelin Hayes, Khalid Kareem and Jerry Tillery. They’re playing against the very best every day.
“We should have the confidence to play Michigan because we see a great defense each rep.”
On Jarrett Patterson:
“It’s a special feeling because you know deep down inside as a recruiter when you find someone that you’re looking for all those traits and level of play and you see it unfold in front of you in the first 10 or 11 practices.
“You can tell he’s been well-coached. He understands the game. He reminds me a lot of what we saw a year ago from Hainsey. He’s someone that comes in with the right mindset, and he’s eager to learn. He understands the different movement pieces that happen in the game and react appropriately.”
On depth on the line:
“In the spring, my goal in the spring was not to just get five guys to play but to get multiple guys ready to play. We’ve been able to do with Liam (Eichenberg), (Alex) Bars, Sam (Mustipher), Tom (Kraemer), (Robert) Hainsey but then you have (Josh) Lugg, Trevor Ruhland, Aaron Banks, Jarrett Patterson, Dillan Gibbons and even Colin Grunhard. We have some solid depth to make you feel good that you can move some guys around and give them a chance to compete at a high level.
“It keeps guys on their toes when they know someone is in the wings if they aren’t ready to go every day. It’s been a healthy fall camp, and I continue to believe it will go in that direction because of depth we have.”
On the right guard position if Hainsey is out:
“It’s been handled by both Trevor Ruhland and Josh Lugg when Tom goes out to right tackle. They’ve done a terrific job for us. I like where we are at with Josh and Trevor.”
On moving on from winning the Joe Moore Award:
“We erased that, and we started all new. The outcome of every game this season will be predicated on how we execute. Our focus is not about what happened last year. Our focus is where we are right now together as a unit.
“We need to strive for the same mindset and mentality to get the same production out of these five. What you did last year, whether you won it all or you didn’t, you have to start again. It’s a fresh season.”
On Liam Eichenberg’s development:
“Everyone is going to be presented with opportunity, but it’s not going to be there all the time. You have to come out with the right mindset and Liam has done that. I’ve challenged him and hung in there with him.
“He took more time and broke it down. We took it step by step.”
It was an overcast, but extremely humid day for Notre Dame practice. This was the first of the three practices that I’ve been to where the offense got the better of the defense, which is encouraging.
The quarterbacks and receivers had a very good day overall. The combination of impressive throws and great catches was maybe the best I have seen from a fall camp practice in the last four years.
Let’s get right into it…
- I know everyone wants to hear about Brandon Wimbush so might as well get it out of the way first.
It was more good than bad in my opinion. He had a couple of bad decisions in team and didn’t look sharp in red zone one on ones. He threw a pick to Alohi Gilman in one on ones and threw it right to Shayne Simon in team for his pick. (A third almost pick by Nicco Fertitta would have never been thrown in a game as it would have been a sack.)
Aside from that, I liked what I saw from him. He made quicker decisions in the pocket. His ball placement on perimeter throws was so much better than it has been. I think part of that was going tempo in an early team period where Wimbush looked very comfortable.
In the red zone skelly near the end of practice, he went three for three with a touchdown to Alize Mack, Miles Boykin, and Chris Finke. The throws to Boykin and Finke were both fantastic. For whatever reason, he has looked so much better in the red zone in these situations than he has throwing ball at other times. I don’t know if it’s focus or what it might be, but it’s at a different level. Almost like a batter being able to hit better with runners in scoring position than when no one is on base.
- Generally the quarterbacks all looked good today. Ian Book made a great throw up the seam to Finke in team and had a perfect throw to Joe Wilkins to finish off red zone skelly with a touchdown.
Phil Jurkovec dropped a dime to George Takacs over Devin Studstill in red zone skelly as well.
- The offense didn’t have much success running the ball inside, but they did create a few big runs on the perimeter. Jafar Armstrong broke a jet sweep for a long gain and Avery Davis did the same where the defense failed to set the edge on a later run.
Armstrong and Davis were players that the Irish needed to show out during camp and both have done so as runners and receivers. They went tempo and threw the ball to Davis three times in a row and any he made a really tough catch on a wheel from the slot when he held on through contact with Studstill.
- There are too many receivers who made great catches to name. I’ve mentioned some above, but Finke was the one who had the best day. Brian Kelly mentioned that Finke has worked on being more explosive and he looks it.
Boykin and Kevin Austin continue to impress as well. Austin beat Julian Love deep in one on ones on a great deep ball from Jurkovec. Can definitely picture those two connecting a lot in the future.
- This was the first time I noticed George Takacs in the three practices I have seen with that over the shoulder catch in the red zone and another play in skelly where he shook Simon after the catch. On a lot of other teams he’d probably get a lot more chances to shine in camp. It was nice to see him take advantage of his opportunities today.
- I feel a lot better about Liam Eichenberg today than I did in the spring. He has taken a nice step and is playing well, specifically in pass protection aside from getting beat on one play that jumped out to me.
- I know Josh Lugg has received some praise stepping in at right guard with Robert Hainsey out and Tommy Kraemer shifted to tackle, but I saw Lugg get beat for a couple of sacks today. The first was by Khalid Kareem and the second was by Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa.
Those are two pretty good players that are having good camps, but I do think it’s worth mentioning.
- Kareem has been the best end for the Irish in camp. He is in the backfield a lot and has looked very quick. He would have had sacks on consecutive plays beating Lugg and Eichenberg. Kareem sure looks like he is primed for a big season.
- Ade Ogundeji really jumped out to me today with his motor and his ability to get off blocks and get in on tackles in the run game. If he keeps playing like that then him and Kareem might see some time on the field at the same time.
- WIth Daelin Hayes out for the day, it was interesting to see Justin Ademilola get the nod with twos at Drop rather than Jamir Jones. Ademilola had some nice flashes. He looked comfortable dropping in coverage and had a sack against Jarrett Patterson during team.
Later on he got pancaked by Aaron Banks where it kind of brought him back to do earth as a freshman, but the pass rush presence could mean he could get into the mix with an injury.
- Hit of the day went to Asmar Bilal who flew from the other side of the formation to fill against Armstrong on an outside run. There hasn’t been any red flags with Bilal yet so if anyone is waiting for Simon to overtake him, it doesn’t look like that is going to happen.
I always thought Bilal was never around the football enough in previous years and that isn’t the case anymore.
- It’s a broken record with the cornerbacks with them in one on ones so I won’t praise them again, but I do feel it’s necessary to mention that there were a couple of breakdowns in the secondary that led to big plays. It’s impossible for me to say whether it was the fault of the safeties or the corners, but a couple of guys were running wide open today and we didn't see that in the other practices.
When the Irish started tackling, Alohi Gilman is the one constant at safety on almost every play. He just has a nose for the ball.
- Houston Griffith is getting healthier and participated today. He didn’t make much of a splash during team (and actually missed a tackle on Finke in the open field), but his anticipation in man coverage is fantastic. He locked up Braden Lenzy in one on ones a couple of times.
- Isaiah Robertson going from Buck to wide receiver is quite the transition, but it might not be a bad one in the long run. It was going to be tough for him to see time at linebacker and even though the depth chart is equally as crowded at receiver, he was a better receiver in high school than a defender. I don’t see any downside in giving it a shot.
Notre Dame opened practice on Wednesday with a little ACDC this morning. The big news was Isaiah Robertson made the move from linebacker to receiver and defensive end Daelin Hayes was a limited as he was dealing with tendonitis.
PARTICIPATION
First Team Offense
QB - Brandon Wimbush
RB - Tony Jones Jr.
WR - Miles Boykin
WR - Chase Claypool
WR - Chris Finke
TE - Cole Kmet
OL - Liam Eichenberg
OL - Alex Bars
OL - Sam Mustipher
OL - Josh Lugg
OL - Tommy Kraemer
Second-Team Offense
QB - Ian Book
RB - Jafar Armstrong
WR - Avery Davis
WR - Kevin Austin Jr.
WR - Michael Young
TE - Alizè Mack
OL - Jarrett Patterson
OL - Dillan Gibbons
OL - Colin Grunhard
OL - Trevor Ruhland
OL - Aaron Banks
Third-Team Offense
QB - Phil Jurkovec
RB - C’Bo Flemister
WR - Lawrence Keys III
WR - Javon McKinley
WR - Braden Lenzy
TE - George Takacs/Tommy Tremble OL - Cole Mabry
OL - Logan Plantz
OL - Luke Jones
OL - John Dirksen
First-Team Defense
DE - Khalid Kareem
DT - Jon Bonner
DT - Jerry Tillery
DE - Julian Okwara
LB - Te’von Coney
LB - Drue Tranquill
R - Asmar Bilal
CB - Troy Pride Jr.
CB - Julian Love
S - Alohi Gilman
S - Nick Coleman
Second-Team Defense
DE - Ade Ogundeji
DT - Micah Dew-Treadway/Kurt Hinish
DT Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa DE - Justin Ademilola/Kofi Wardlow
LB - Jonathan Jones
LB - Jordan Genmark Heath
R - Shayne Simon
CB - Donte Vaughn
CB - Shaun Crawford
S - Jalen Elliott/Nicco Fertitta
S - Devin Studstill/Houston Griffith
Notes
LB Drew White - Out
DE Daelin Hayes - In pads but limited
OL Robert Hainsey - Out
LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah - Limited
PLAY OF THE DAY
There were several highlights from the offense on Wednesday, but one play stuck out to me, and it happened in 1-on-1s. Freshman quarterback Phil Jurkovec unleashed about a 50-yard bomb for a touchdown to freshman receiver Kevin Austin Jr. as he blew by Julian Love.
Observations
- Quarterback Brandon Wimbush was much better on Wednesday and made some big-time throws. He did throw a bad INT to Shayne Simon in 7-on-7 but was also incredibly sharp in the red zone as he went three-for-three with three touchdowns. Wimbush did also throw an INT in 1-on-1s to Alohi Gilman in the red zone, and it was an impressive break by Gilman.
- Ian Book started 1-on-1s off as Wimbush was working with the offensive line, but he started 8-for-10 in the 1-on-1s. He was throwing the ball well and accurate.
- Phil Jurkovec stole the show in 1-on-1s with a bomb to Kevin Austin Jr. for a long touchdown over Julian Love.
- Josh Lugg was working at right guard with the first team offense today after Aaron Banks worked with the first unit on Tuesday.
- Isaiah Robertson looked comfortable in his first day at receiver but had a couple of drops in skelly and drill work as it was clear he was lost at times.
- Chris Finke and Shaun Crawford were fielding punts.
- Tyler Newsome was unleashing bombs today. He had back-to-back punts with over a 4.53 hang time.
- Aaron Banks continues to impress. He gave DE Justin Ademilola a “Welcome to College” moment in 11-on-11s as he blocked him 10 yards downfield before pancaking him.
- Jurkovec made a big-time throw to the corner of the end zone that Joe Wilkins came down with for a touchdown over a defender.
- Jayson and Justin Ademilola got some quality work today with the second unit.
- Braden Lenzy got a lot of work today.
- Asmar Bilal had a really nice day. Big hits and aggressive. Got beat deep by Miles Boykin but that was expected.
- Notre Dame’s receivers really dominated Notre Dame’s secondary in red zone work today but it’s not because the defense was bad. There several Top 10 plays made and that was very encouraging to see.
11-on-11 Observations (Thud)
Wimbush
Completed screen to Chris Finke for a short gain
Tony Jones Jr. short run
Completed screen to Miles Boykin for a short gain
Completed screen to Chris Finke
Completed to Kevin Austin Jr. on a check down but would have likely been a sack
Completed check down to Tony Jones. In a game, would have been a 20-yard run from Wimbush
Tony Jones Jr. run
Incomplete to Michael Young. Troy Pride Jr. PBU.
Book
Completed check down to Jafar Armstrong
Complete to Avery Davis off RPO for a big play
Completed to Avery Davis
Armstrong run
Complete to Davis for a screen
Armstrong run
Completed to Javon McKinley. Would have been offensive PI
Avery Davis drop
11-on-11 LIVE
Wimbush
Jafar Armstrong end around for a nice gain
Complete for a gain of 40+ yards to Chris Finke on a deep ball.
Wimbush run for a short gain
Wimbush run for no gain
Book
Complete to Finke for a gain of 40 yards down the seam
Incomplete. Braden Lenzy dropped a slant
Tony Jones Jr. run and Asmar Bilal laid a massive hit on him
Complete to Miles Boykin for 30+ yards. Bilal on the coverage
Ade Ogundeji sack
Avery Davis run
Wimbush
Avery Davis run
Tony Jones Jr. run
C’Bo Flemister run. Bilal another big hit.
Incomplete. Nicco Fertitta with a PBU. Justin Ademilola probably would have been credited with a sack as well.
Book
Complete to Nic Weishar, who gained about 15 yards before trucking Derrik Allen
C’Bo Flemister short gain. Aaron Banks blocked Justin Ademilola about 10 yards downfield before pancaking him.
Sampson and Freeman both praising Bilal, Finke and Davis. The listing of Bilal makes me the most happy!
So if I am drafting my college Fantasy team, I should be taking Cole over Alize huh....
I would have taken Everett Golson over Tommy Rees any day of the week. Golson was dynamic enough to start us out 7-0 and we had FSU on the brink. Then we saw the other side of the equation with Golson the rest of the way. He had his ups and downs.
With Rees, we knew what we had. An 8-9 win football team, max. He was good, not great, not dynamic enough to play against Oklahoma or in Tallahassee and expect to win. At least with Golson, if he played well, we knew we had a better shot.
I think you have the same thing here. If Wimbush plays well, with his athletic upside, we have the ability to be dynamic. If Book plays, I don't think we have the offensive fire power to expect a playoff caliber team.
I'll take the riskier option with the higher ceiling every time. We are shooting for the playoffs, after all, not a consistent 9 win regular season.
Our defense will be stout, and with defenses having to respect Wimbush's legs, he will have opportunities to beat teams with his arm. Let's give him that chance, and let's explore that higher ceiling, before we talk about how great our backup QB is (like ND fans typically do), and call for the hook.
Just one man's opinion.
Last year the Fighting Irish safeties — the starters being Coleman and Jalen Elliott — didn’t record a single interception for the first time since Ara Parseghian’s first season in 1964. The group finished the season with just five pass breakups, zero forced fumbles and no fumble recoveries. Not great.
The position was coached by former defensive coordinator Mike Elko, now at Texas A&M.
Looking at that depth chart, Javon McKinley is never going to see meaningful playing time for Notre Dame, is he? Too bad.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Watch and learn: What Notre Dame showed in its final open practice as Ian Book and Brandon Wimbush both flashed. <a href="https://t.co/G4WpWBSmp5">https://t.co/G4WpWBSmp5</a></p>— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_/status/1029852232857071617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 15, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
At this point I never believe in any skill player from California.
I, like several posters on here, have hypothesized that uptempo offense would be best for Brandon. It fits not only helps with his confidence/over-thinking, it also just fits his skill set... Dude is an athlete, let him move quick, quickly.
I, like several posters on here, have hypothesized that uptempo offense would be best for Brandon. It fits not only helps with his confidence/over-thinking, it also just fits his skill set... Dude is an athlete, let him move quick, quickly.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Not sure I’d call him ascending or whatever surprise term you prefer, but notable how much C’Bo Flemister came up on media day with coaches. <br><br>The freshman back hasn’t been mentioned much in practice reports (mine included), but appears he’s caught the eye of multiple coaches.</p>— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_/status/1030113975990722561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Not sure I’d call him ascending or whatever surprise term you prefer, but notable how much C’Bo Flemister came up on media day with coaches. <br><br>The freshman back hasn’t been mentioned much in practice reports (mine included), but appears he’s caught the eye of multiple coaches.</p>— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_/status/1030113975990722561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Goes back to the team's most complete and well-rounded performance last year: Michigan State.
The USC and NC State games were nice, but the team was operating full-tilt against Sparty. They had everything working, including the accurate quick throws underneath from Wimbush.
Probably not coincidentally, they were operating with a very fast tempo for the first few drives.
How is this possible!?!?!?! He was a low 3 star! The rankings are never wrong!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Not sure I’d call him ascending or whatever surprise term you prefer, but notable how much C’Bo Flemister came up on media day with coaches. <br><br>The freshman back hasn’t been mentioned much in practice reports (mine included), but appears he’s caught the eye of multiple coaches.</p>— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_/status/1030113975990722561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
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