Some Irish Bloke
Five foot nothin', a hundred and nothin'
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With how dominant the DL can/should be this season, he might lean towards the latter...
2018 Fall Camp Thread
- Thread starter Irish#1
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With how dominant the DL can/should be this season, he might lean towards the latter...
fightingirish26
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FightingIrishLover7
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"I hope that Jafar is strong enough for running back" - me at beginning of camp
"Is Jafar #1 rb?" - me now
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He may also want to put the fear of God into a QB and bring the house hoping the QB wets his pants while trying to throw.
Pops Freshenmeyer
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He sure looks the part. I just hope he understands blocking assignments well enough to not get the QB killed.
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Seems like it’s moving in that direction.
Veritate Duce Progredi
A man gotta have a code
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I did the old freeze frame trick and went through that clip and it is Brandon Wimbush doing the handoff in that clip so it would seem he's getting first team reps. I like that he runs hard.
And I hope Lea is disciplined in his blitzing strategy. I don't want to be too cautious nor do I want to have the Tenuta/BVG shenanigans.
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Jafar has been getting a fair amount of 1st team reps in team action. Now some of that is because he needs the work and Jones doesn’t. But, its easy to deduce from various coaches comments, they realize how important he can be to this offense.
With that said, I doubt he’s the first RB out vs Michigan.
Circa
Conspire to keep It real
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Mike Elston talking about his alma mater Michigan and calls their (Michigan) helmet "funny" looking... I love It!
[URL="http<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gxpw19yT6I0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>"] [/URL]
[URL="http<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gxpw19yT6I0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>"] [/URL]
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Funny thing is... OSU AND MSU both had winged helmets before Michigan. So did Indiana, Georgetown and Princeton... where Coach Crisler was before he brought his helmet with him from there.
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There has been some talk about this team having the most overall depth/athleticism of any team Kelly has coached. I usually don't buy in to that type of hype talk, but for a point of contrast here's a comparison between this year and the team in 2014 at the end of season that lost 5 out of their last 6 and had serious depth issues --
DL: Utupo, Matuska, Rochelle, Okwara // Tillery, Bonner, Kareem, Okwara
LB: Martini, Jaylon Smith, Onwualu // Coney, Tranquill, Bilal
DB: Luke, Butler, Shumate, Redfield // Love, Pride, Gilman, Coleman
It's pretty clear that while the 2014 squad had some headliners like Jaylon Smith and Rochelle... there were holes everywhere. Greer Martini was a true freshman replacing Joe Schmidt of all people. The interior DL was a disaster after replacing both Sheldon Day and Jarron Jones... whereas this year the drop off from Bonner to someone like MTA or Hinish is probably negligible. CB had no depth at all, starting a true frosh who would not sniff this starting lineup in a moment of desperation given KVR's Frozen Five suspension and then the Cody Riggs injury.
In general, I think it's good that for once we have a legitimate 2-deep at virtually every position on both sides of the ball. OL is, rather surprisingly, probably the position with the biggest drop off to the "next guy up." And RB has the worst overall proven depth chart given Dexter William's limited availability. Beyond that, this team is really well rounded... there may not be any Jaylon Smith types but there also aren't any Joe Schmidts.
DL: Utupo, Matuska, Rochelle, Okwara // Tillery, Bonner, Kareem, Okwara
LB: Martini, Jaylon Smith, Onwualu // Coney, Tranquill, Bilal
DB: Luke, Butler, Shumate, Redfield // Love, Pride, Gilman, Coleman
It's pretty clear that while the 2014 squad had some headliners like Jaylon Smith and Rochelle... there were holes everywhere. Greer Martini was a true freshman replacing Joe Schmidt of all people. The interior DL was a disaster after replacing both Sheldon Day and Jarron Jones... whereas this year the drop off from Bonner to someone like MTA or Hinish is probably negligible. CB had no depth at all, starting a true frosh who would not sniff this starting lineup in a moment of desperation given KVR's Frozen Five suspension and then the Cody Riggs injury.
In general, I think it's good that for once we have a legitimate 2-deep at virtually every position on both sides of the ball. OL is, rather surprisingly, probably the position with the biggest drop off to the "next guy up." And RB has the worst overall proven depth chart given Dexter William's limited availability. Beyond that, this team is really well rounded... there may not be any Jaylon Smith types but there also aren't any Joe Schmidts.
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Article from the IndyStar on Balis and conditioning changes made this year.
https://www.indystar.com/story/spor...key-irish-improvement-brian-kelly/1016495002/
How Notre Dame football is preparing to not fold in November
Laken Litman, Indianapolis Star Published 2:21 p.m. ET Aug. 20, 2018
SOUTH BEND – The “Storm of the Warrior” lift was on a Friday last winter. Miles Boykin remembers it well.
“We started by running and I couldn’t even tell you how much we ran,” the senior wide receiver said. “Then we come into the weight room and we do squats, like two sets by 30 reps and then leg press — we did over 100 leg presses. I couldn’t feel my legs after.”
There were strobe lights, sirens, and music blaring from Ozzy’s Boneyard. The goal was to put Notre Dame through a “storm” that might mimic a chaotic game so they’d be ready. Ready for Miami Part II, or something similar, after what happened last year when the Irish weren’t ready. On a hot and humid night in South Florida, Notre Dame was bullied by a rowdy crowd and a Turnover Chain as it watched College Football Playoff aspirations disappear.
“Things like that (workout), you look back on it and it’s like wow, we really went through that. There’s nothing I’ll go through that’s harder than that,” Boykin said. “Every time I step on the field, I should be able to do it. And that’s what (strength coach Matt) Balis does. He just gets you ready to play.”
Balis does this with intensity, but does so in what Brian Kelly calls a "demanding but never demeaning" manner. In light of recent events at Maryland, where 19-year old Jordan McNair died from heatstroke after team conditioning workouts, Balis is careful not to push players too hard.
“They’re all your sons,” Balis said. “I have a son and you always keep that in the back of your mind. No matter what you’re doing, at the end of the day you love them, you respect them, you honor the guys, and you have to be careful."
Last November was a tough month for the Fighting Irish. Holding onto an 8-1 record, they lost two of their final three games before the Citrus Bowl. Brian Kelly was 10-1 in November during his first three seasons at Notre Dame, but has gone 9-12 in the month since. Notably, he’s 4-11 against Power 5 opponents in November during the past five seasons.
One way the Irish are trying to be better down the stretch is making mental and physical gains in the offseason. In January 2017, Kelly hired Balis as director of Football Performance and he might have been the most popular and important hire of the seven new assistant coaches at the time. Balis’ program shocked the system and was immediately transformative. Players got stronger, dropped body fat and posted photos of their leaner #BodiesByBalis on Instagram. They claimed the challenging workouts were the hardest they’d ever done.
View image on TwitterView image on Twitter
TC4️⃣
✔
@TevonConey
Trust in the process 🍀#BodyBuiltByBalis
Balis remembers his first day on the job, getting to know the players.
“Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson came sprinting into the weight room and got right in my face like, ‘Let’s go, bring it,’” Balis said. “I had to figure out real quick how serious they were and how important training was to them, how important being a champion was to them, and so I didn’t want to let them down. I wanted to bring my A game every single day. I wanted to bring as much energy and passion and competition and give them the absolute best that I could.”
In Year 2, players know what to expect and can handle more volume. Heading into the offseason following the bowl game, they knew workouts would be harder. It would be more of a test in physical and mental resolve.
To keep things fresh, Balis got creative. Players never knew what was coming when they’d wake up at 5 a.m. One day the team ran every step of Notre Dame Stadium. Another day they ran 3.5 miles through campus — "Even the offensive linemen,” said cornerback Julian Love. “That’s crazy.”
One hot day they went to St. Patrick’s County Park, just north of Notre Dame campus, where they ran some more. They ran up a hill several times with weighted vests and in bear crawl mode.
“Ah, Balis, he’s a tricky one,” Love said. “We thought we knew what to expect with him, but every single day it was something crazy. Something that really pushed us. Last spring lifts, we were like, 'It can’t get any harder than this, this is the maximum a person’s body can go.' On a normal Tuesday, which is lower body day, you’re walking out there just like, 'I can’t believe he just did that to us.' And were pushing it. He’s pushing us past our comfort zone.
“And we love it. It’s little things we weren’t doing before and so you’re hurting and feeling it early. It forces you to lock in and try to get through each rep one at a time. It’s getting in that mindset like alright, I was thrown a curve ball, but I’m still going to hit it and drive it.”
The goal is to make players just as uncomfortable running or benching or squatting as they will be playing Michigan in Week 1 and later against Florida State and USC in November.
In May, Maryland's McNair collapsed after running sprints during a workout, showing signs of extreme exhaustion and was unable to stand up straight. He died two weeks later. ESPN reported McNair died of heatstroke suffered during the workout and that he had a body temperature of 106 degrees after being taken to the hospital.
Terrapins strength and conditioning coach Rick Court resigned and coach DJ Durkin has been put on administrative leave in the wake of the report that detailed the verbally abusive and humiliating culture of the football program.
At Notre Dame, it’s clear players are seeing results they want and have a strong affinity for Balis and the culture Kelly has created. But when something tragic happens in the football community, how does Balis push the limits with his guys without going too far?
“I think the head coach and the strength coach are extremely important in developing a strong relationship on what you want accomplished,” Kelly said. “Everybody is interested in bigger, faster stronger; how do you get there? I still think you get there by being demanding, but never demeaning. I think that’s the line that’s out there.
“When (our players) come over from a day in the classroom, they want to come over here and get after it, if you will, and get after it in a positive environment where they’re pushed every single day, and there’s a demand on them to get bigger, faster, stronger, but never an environment that’s demeaning. I think that’s the line that all good coaches look to lay out.”
Balis echoed that sentiment.
“Yeah, strength and conditioning is hard because you have to push people and that’s what we’re all about," he said. "Guys here want to be pushed. They want to be the best. They want to be champions. But at the end of the day, coach Kelly sets the culture. It’s about trust and love and respect and pushing guys to be champions. Sometimes that’s hard, sometimes it’s OK. And that’s how you get in better shape.”
Because Balis doesn't have to rebuild players like he did in Year 1, he knows how to tailor workouts for each guy. For example, the main thing first-year starting left tackle Liam Eichenberg needed to do this summer was work on speed. Not running sprints, but moving weights fast. Balis placed an emphasis on dynamic workouts that involve speed squats at a higher rep count. In one exercise, he has two bands strapped on a back bar and has to jump up and explode. This helps him stay balanced and get out of his stance better in run blocking.
Defensive end Khalid Kareem needed to work on endurance since he’ll be getting more playing time — he admitted he paid more attention to conditioning this offseason. For him, running drills — and cutting out dairy — have made his body feel “totally different.” That’s important since the lean 265-pounder will have to go from 30 snaps per game last year to double this fall.
A guy wearing a gold shirt with the word “starving” on the back is ready for that kind of challenge (Kareem was recently). It represents the standard of Balis’ Effort Board in the weight room. Only players “obsessed with greatness” make it there and get a cool shirt, Balis said. By the end of summer workouts, 65 players were in "starving" territory. The rest were still fighting through the "hungry" or "satisfied" stages.
“We slipped up last year,” Kareem said. “What we’re doing now and a lot of what we have done is November, November, finishing in November.”
Notre Dame’s November struggles won’t all be fixed by Balis in the weight room, but it’s a start.
https://www.indystar.com/story/spor...key-irish-improvement-brian-kelly/1016495002/
How Notre Dame football is preparing to not fold in November
Laken Litman, Indianapolis Star Published 2:21 p.m. ET Aug. 20, 2018
SOUTH BEND – The “Storm of the Warrior” lift was on a Friday last winter. Miles Boykin remembers it well.
“We started by running and I couldn’t even tell you how much we ran,” the senior wide receiver said. “Then we come into the weight room and we do squats, like two sets by 30 reps and then leg press — we did over 100 leg presses. I couldn’t feel my legs after.”
There were strobe lights, sirens, and music blaring from Ozzy’s Boneyard. The goal was to put Notre Dame through a “storm” that might mimic a chaotic game so they’d be ready. Ready for Miami Part II, or something similar, after what happened last year when the Irish weren’t ready. On a hot and humid night in South Florida, Notre Dame was bullied by a rowdy crowd and a Turnover Chain as it watched College Football Playoff aspirations disappear.
“Things like that (workout), you look back on it and it’s like wow, we really went through that. There’s nothing I’ll go through that’s harder than that,” Boykin said. “Every time I step on the field, I should be able to do it. And that’s what (strength coach Matt) Balis does. He just gets you ready to play.”
Balis does this with intensity, but does so in what Brian Kelly calls a "demanding but never demeaning" manner. In light of recent events at Maryland, where 19-year old Jordan McNair died from heatstroke after team conditioning workouts, Balis is careful not to push players too hard.
“They’re all your sons,” Balis said. “I have a son and you always keep that in the back of your mind. No matter what you’re doing, at the end of the day you love them, you respect them, you honor the guys, and you have to be careful."
Last November was a tough month for the Fighting Irish. Holding onto an 8-1 record, they lost two of their final three games before the Citrus Bowl. Brian Kelly was 10-1 in November during his first three seasons at Notre Dame, but has gone 9-12 in the month since. Notably, he’s 4-11 against Power 5 opponents in November during the past five seasons.
One way the Irish are trying to be better down the stretch is making mental and physical gains in the offseason. In January 2017, Kelly hired Balis as director of Football Performance and he might have been the most popular and important hire of the seven new assistant coaches at the time. Balis’ program shocked the system and was immediately transformative. Players got stronger, dropped body fat and posted photos of their leaner #BodiesByBalis on Instagram. They claimed the challenging workouts were the hardest they’d ever done.
View image on TwitterView image on Twitter
TC4️⃣
✔
@TevonConey
Trust in the process 🍀#BodyBuiltByBalis
Balis remembers his first day on the job, getting to know the players.
“Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson came sprinting into the weight room and got right in my face like, ‘Let’s go, bring it,’” Balis said. “I had to figure out real quick how serious they were and how important training was to them, how important being a champion was to them, and so I didn’t want to let them down. I wanted to bring my A game every single day. I wanted to bring as much energy and passion and competition and give them the absolute best that I could.”
In Year 2, players know what to expect and can handle more volume. Heading into the offseason following the bowl game, they knew workouts would be harder. It would be more of a test in physical and mental resolve.
To keep things fresh, Balis got creative. Players never knew what was coming when they’d wake up at 5 a.m. One day the team ran every step of Notre Dame Stadium. Another day they ran 3.5 miles through campus — "Even the offensive linemen,” said cornerback Julian Love. “That’s crazy.”
One hot day they went to St. Patrick’s County Park, just north of Notre Dame campus, where they ran some more. They ran up a hill several times with weighted vests and in bear crawl mode.
“Ah, Balis, he’s a tricky one,” Love said. “We thought we knew what to expect with him, but every single day it was something crazy. Something that really pushed us. Last spring lifts, we were like, 'It can’t get any harder than this, this is the maximum a person’s body can go.' On a normal Tuesday, which is lower body day, you’re walking out there just like, 'I can’t believe he just did that to us.' And were pushing it. He’s pushing us past our comfort zone.
“And we love it. It’s little things we weren’t doing before and so you’re hurting and feeling it early. It forces you to lock in and try to get through each rep one at a time. It’s getting in that mindset like alright, I was thrown a curve ball, but I’m still going to hit it and drive it.”
The goal is to make players just as uncomfortable running or benching or squatting as they will be playing Michigan in Week 1 and later against Florida State and USC in November.
In May, Maryland's McNair collapsed after running sprints during a workout, showing signs of extreme exhaustion and was unable to stand up straight. He died two weeks later. ESPN reported McNair died of heatstroke suffered during the workout and that he had a body temperature of 106 degrees after being taken to the hospital.
Terrapins strength and conditioning coach Rick Court resigned and coach DJ Durkin has been put on administrative leave in the wake of the report that detailed the verbally abusive and humiliating culture of the football program.
At Notre Dame, it’s clear players are seeing results they want and have a strong affinity for Balis and the culture Kelly has created. But when something tragic happens in the football community, how does Balis push the limits with his guys without going too far?
“I think the head coach and the strength coach are extremely important in developing a strong relationship on what you want accomplished,” Kelly said. “Everybody is interested in bigger, faster stronger; how do you get there? I still think you get there by being demanding, but never demeaning. I think that’s the line that’s out there.
“When (our players) come over from a day in the classroom, they want to come over here and get after it, if you will, and get after it in a positive environment where they’re pushed every single day, and there’s a demand on them to get bigger, faster, stronger, but never an environment that’s demeaning. I think that’s the line that all good coaches look to lay out.”
Balis echoed that sentiment.
“Yeah, strength and conditioning is hard because you have to push people and that’s what we’re all about," he said. "Guys here want to be pushed. They want to be the best. They want to be champions. But at the end of the day, coach Kelly sets the culture. It’s about trust and love and respect and pushing guys to be champions. Sometimes that’s hard, sometimes it’s OK. And that’s how you get in better shape.”
Because Balis doesn't have to rebuild players like he did in Year 1, he knows how to tailor workouts for each guy. For example, the main thing first-year starting left tackle Liam Eichenberg needed to do this summer was work on speed. Not running sprints, but moving weights fast. Balis placed an emphasis on dynamic workouts that involve speed squats at a higher rep count. In one exercise, he has two bands strapped on a back bar and has to jump up and explode. This helps him stay balanced and get out of his stance better in run blocking.
Defensive end Khalid Kareem needed to work on endurance since he’ll be getting more playing time — he admitted he paid more attention to conditioning this offseason. For him, running drills — and cutting out dairy — have made his body feel “totally different.” That’s important since the lean 265-pounder will have to go from 30 snaps per game last year to double this fall.
A guy wearing a gold shirt with the word “starving” on the back is ready for that kind of challenge (Kareem was recently). It represents the standard of Balis’ Effort Board in the weight room. Only players “obsessed with greatness” make it there and get a cool shirt, Balis said. By the end of summer workouts, 65 players were in "starving" territory. The rest were still fighting through the "hungry" or "satisfied" stages.
“We slipped up last year,” Kareem said. “What we’re doing now and a lot of what we have done is November, November, finishing in November.”
Notre Dame’s November struggles won’t all be fixed by Balis in the weight room, but it’s a start.
EvilleIrish
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Wasn't sure where to post this....Sagarin rankings out and he has ND 20. Michigan at 15.
Old Man Mike
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Liked the piece on Balis quite a lot. My main reason: the emphasis on squats and speed lifting. Those are the things that my US National Olympic Weightlifting coach brother (Tim Swords) has been trying to preach to the S&C coaching community for decades. These things produce explosiveness. Do them on your feet (not lying on your back) and they produce game-effective explosiveness.
K
koonja
Guest
I get they couldn't watch...
But has any media at all confirmed Hainsey was a full participant in yesterday's practice?
Because that's a pretty freaking big deal.
But has any media at all confirmed Hainsey was a full participant in yesterday's practice?
Because that's a pretty freaking big deal.
zelezo vlk
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Thought he was supposed to be back Tuesday?
Tuesday was an off day
zelezo vlk
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Shows how closely I'm paying attention
Irish Man3
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He was a non contact participant according to the fuzz
T Town Tommy
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No news out of fall camp is sometimes the best news. Otherwise, it is typically a bunch of fluff pieces written by reporters on how so and so looks great, this one is faster than last year, and how that one moves well in certain drills. Of course most of these reporters have been coaching for years so they know exactly what to look for in their 10 minute press evaluation periods.
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Tommy, random question, how many guys on this Notre Dame team do you think would start for Bama? I'm having a hard time thinking of a single one... maybe TE? Maybe some of our OL?
calvegas04
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Ian Book
Some Irish Bloke
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Sherm Sticky
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Really?
I don’t know Bama roster at all. But I would think Tillery, Kareem, Coney and Love would start. Same with Bars and Mustipher.
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stlnd01
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Alize Mack, because he would have lived up to his potential.
Alohi Gilman, because he’s the sort of three star who becomes an All-American at Bama.
K
koonja
Guest
I remember in 2012 this same question was asked. And we listed like 8 guys that would start.
No way was that close to accurate. Teo wasn't even the best MLB on the field, IMO.
stlnd01
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I love Kareem, but wasn’t he committed to Bama until they cooled on him? And I thought Coney, but Bama backers are just so good.