2021 Spring Practice

[Irish YJ]

There's an interview with Polian up today that I found worth watching. He's happy that most of his "core" special teamers are back. Looking for a few additions mentioned Bertrand, Brunelle and Estime as guys he wants to use. Interesting that he would mention Estime who isn't even there yet. He likes his "big body" and thinks he could be on all 4 units (i'm thinking that's punt and kickoff, both ways.)

At the end he goes into a lenghty defense of using guys who actually catch the ball as the punt return man. Sure to make some heads explode on various message boards. Said Tyree, Styles, and Keys will get a look to see if they can handle things.

I'm sure he'd like to change the position title to "punt catcher"....

 

[IrishLion]

Opponent wise, I’m weirdly excited to see what we throw out versus USC and UNC. It’s towards the second half and we get a bye and then the two “Air Raid” offenses back to back. Freeman will have a chance to cook something up for the pass happy offenses.

I'm pretty excited too. If I'm honest though, I still don't know what to expect of the new scheme. I read an article on Freeman's scheme (I think Luckylucci posted it), but need to go back an reread it lol. I'm wondering if we'll transition slow or fast. Seems like were moving to at least some elements pretty fast looking at position changes on the DL, and with some of the talk from players (about being simplified).

The unknown is always exciting. I know our D has been good, but seemed at least our secondary took a step back last year. Even before that, at least to me, our D seemed pretty conservative to me. Hoping for some fun and some aggression.

Depends almost entirely on how his corners and deep safeties are playing when asked to be in man coverage lol. He'll use the 3-3-5 with aggressive man coverage against the air-raid teams if he's got two corners that he can count on to play on an island. That's what he did at UC against UCF the last two years, and it gave UCF fits because they couldn't throw their timing stuff without Sauce Gardner making their lives miserable. When they tried to test the middle of the field, the safeties and coverage backers were ready.

If he isn't comfortable with his corners in press coverage that often, then we'll see the base 4-2-5 more often. He will use Hamilton or whoever the nickel is to disguise responsibilities and create confusion and late reads for the QB, rather than the tight coverage itself creating the issues.

 

[Irish YJ]

Depends almost entirely on how his corners and deep safeties are playing when asked to be in man coverage lol. He'll use the 3-3-5 with aggressive man coverage against the air-raid teams if he's got two corners that he can count on to play on an island. That's what he did at UC against UCF the last two years, and it gave UCF fits because they couldn't throw their timing stuff without Sauce Gardner making their lives miserable. When they tried to test the middle of the field, the safeties and coverage backers were ready.

If he isn't comfortable with his corners in press coverage that often, then we'll see the base 4-2-5 more often. He will use Hamilton or whoever the nickel is to disguise responsibilities and create confusion and late reads for the QB, rather than the tight coverage itself creating the issues.

Thanks Lion. Good info.
How much 4-3-4 did he play?

 

[dublinirish]

if Polian had to leave ND any time soon i'd be ok with that..

 

[IrishLion]

Thanks Lion. Good info.
How much 4-3-4 did he play?

Not a whole lot last year. Once he started to experiment with the 3-3-5, it seemed like it had become the mainstay. However, UC's defensive personnel was pretty versatile, so sometimes their 3-3-5 was more like a 4-2-5 depending on the sub package at OLB and pre-snap movement. And sometimes their 4-2-5 was like Lea's defense in that it's essentially a 4-3 depending on who the Rover is.

I know that's not helpful, and reminiscent of "all defenses are similar when you have tweeners on the edges," but it speaks to the versatility that everyone's been talking about and how he adapts the scheme to his personnel. It's not just the standard new-coach boilerplate stuff when it comes to Freeman... he really is going to deliver on the "aggressive" and "multiple" buzzwords that get thrown around when a defense makes a scheme change.

 

[Irish YJ]

Not a whole lot last year. Once he started to experiment with the 3-3-5, it seemed like it had become the mainstay. However, UC's defensive personnel was pretty versatile, so sometimes their 3-3-5 was more like a 4-2-5 depending on the sub package at OLB and pre-snap movement. And sometimes their 4-2-5 was like Lea's defense in that it's essentially a 4-3 depending on who the Rover is.

I know that's not helpful, and reminiscent of "all defenses are similar when you have tweeners on the edges," but it speaks to the versatility that everyone's been talking about and how he adapts the scheme to his personnel. It's not just the standard new-coach boilerplate stuff when it comes to Freeman... he really is going to deliver on the "aggressive" and "multiple" buzzwords that get thrown around when a defense makes a scheme change.

I just hope it stands up better to the likes of Bama, OSU, and Clemson lol

I am pretty excited.

 

[BabyIrish]

I didn’t think I’d say this at all this year, but I’m ready for Drew Pyne to be quarterback. His throws are impressive.

Was watching Mike Singer react to the practice highlights today. He focused on the d line alignment on a couple of clips. I’m intrigued to see the defense this year. I think we’ll see shades of 2017 when we were making all kinds of huge plays.

 

[IrishLion]

Re-watching practice clips in order, I think Blake Fisher is the real deal. It's getting more common to see #54 road-grading against the DL (and as part of the group that is more consistently comprised of Coan and Kyren in the backfield... hmmmm).

He's gonna start immediately. The question is whether it's one of the OT spots, or if he's a one-year rental at guard. I'm thinking it will depend on how some other battles shake out, or perhaps depend more on Baker and Correll developing to an extent that the coaches feel comfortable with.

And even for the purposes of this exercise where I put the hypetrain in overdrive, and put Fisher in a group of guaranteed starters with Patterson and Lugg, there are still infinite combinations for how everything shakes out.

Exciting times!

 

[Irish#1]

Re-watching practice clips in order, I think Blake Fisher is the real deal. It's getting more common to see #54 road-grading against the DL (and as part of the group that is more consistently comprised of Coan and Kyren in the backfield... hmmmm).

He's gonna start immediately. The question is whether it's one of the OT spots, or if he's a one-year rental at guard. I'm thinking it will depend on how some other battles shake out, or perhaps depend more on Baker and Correll developing to an extent that the coaches feel comfortable with.

And even for the purposes of this exercise where I put the hypetrain in overdrive, and put Fisher in a group of guaranteed starters with Patterson and Lugg, there are still infinite combinations for how everything shakes out.

Exciting times!

That would be impressive for a freshman to start at tackle let alone start period. They typically lack the strength to get a starting spot. Technique and quickness can cover up some of that until the strength comes. Last guy was Sam Young, correct?

 

[zelezo vlk]

That would be impressive for a freshman to start at tackle let alone start period. They typically lack the strength to get a starting spot. Technique and quickness can cover up some of that until the strength comes. Last guy was Sam Young, correct?

Very undersized Hainsey platooned at RT in 2017 with Kraemer. Fisher may not be as technically advanced as Hainsey, but he's significantly better suited physically speaking.

 

[LincolnBlocks]

Blake Fisher will only be in South Bend for 3 seasons. Might as well start him while you have him. The guy is a powerhouse. Nelson like potential if he has the work ethic.

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

Seems our schedule isnt shaking out to be too difficult if you believe the prognosticators.

 

[Luckylucci]

I'm still somewhat baffled by what's going on with the OL. I'm very high on the talent but not the reps distribution or where those reps are occurring at. We'll have to see how this plays out.

 

[IrishLion]

I'm still somewhat baffled by what's going on with the OL. I'm very high on the talent but not the reps distribution or where those reps are occurring at. We'll have to see how this plays out.

What's got you baffled? I didn't make the effort to study the players at the guard positions last time through the practice clips, so I'm not sure what's going on there exactly.

I just know that Fisher seems to be working almost exclusively at LT based on the clips, which makes sense if they've got him and Tosh in a competition to see who starts opposite Patterson (or maybe to see if they can BOTH be OT's, sliding Patterson to guard or even back to center, which in turn depends on Correll's development as a center-only prospect).

 

[dublinirish]

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[Trait Expectations]

 

[clashmore_mike]

Looks like that video get deleted anyways, but if you want to embed a youtube video, grab the original url without embed in it, then use the "Insert Video" button in the reply box. Paste the url and you should be good to go.

 

[clashmore_mike]

 

[Trait Expectations]

Seems our schedule isnt shaking out to be too difficult if you believe the prognosticators.

Well, it looks like we'll be playing potentially 2 top 10 teams and 2 more inside the top 25. That's not murderer's row but the margins will be slim on some of these games. And we forgot what it was like to get a holding penalty last year. I don't think we'll be so lucky this year.

 

[dublinirish]

Spindler ear holing Botelho made me lol

 

[Dale]

Not entirely related (it’s Spring lol) but just jogged my memory, I do on the side a decent amount with Returning Production, most of the elite teams get their F7 Havoc (I use pressures, TFLs, FFs) largely from their 2nd string Rush OLB/DE. Botelho has the potential to be the same, may not be listed as a starter but he’s going to be in a lot of big plays this fall

 

[Irish YJ]

Not entirely related (it’s Spring lol) but just jogged my memory, I do on the side a decent amount with Returning Production, most of the elite teams get their F7 Havoc (I use pressures, TFLs, FFs) largely from their 2nd string Rush OLB/DE. Botelho has the potential to be the same, may not be listed as a starter but he’s going to be in a lot of big plays this fall

Not sure I totally understand our new D, but I think we'll send more LBs blitzing in general when in the 3-3-5. I could see a guy like Bauer also going downhill and firing into a gap.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

I'm still somewhat baffled by what's going on with the OL. I'm very high on the talent but not the reps distribution or where those reps are occurring at. We'll have to see how this plays out.

Because of the (somewhat puzzling) way BK and Co use the oline, Blake has pretty much the same "game time" experience as Tosh...So, from that regard, they're both (essentially) at 0.

 

[Trait Expectations]

Because of the (somewhat puzzling) way BK and Co use the oline, Blake has pretty much the same "game time" experience as Tosh...So, from that regard, they're both (essentially) at 0.

It would be nice if they got guys a series or two in our easier games to get them some experience but are we the exception? I'd assume most teams in competitive games don't mix n match their OL unless there is an injury/stinger. It just so happens we lost 4 OL at the same time, which is incredibly rare.

Does anyone follow this across CFB?

 

[Luckylucci]

What's got you baffled? I didn't make the effort to study the players at the guard positions last time through the practice clips, so I'm not sure what's going on there exactly.

I just know that Fisher seems to be working almost exclusively at LT based on the clips, which makes sense if they've got him and Tosh in a competition to see who starts opposite Patterson (or maybe to see if they can BOTH be OT's, sliding Patterson to guard or even back to center, which in turn depends on Correll's development as a center-only prospect).

In general my main criticism of Kelly over the years (I think everyone knows I've been on the Kelly bandwagon for the whole ride) is his general demeanor which seems to lack a sense of urgency at times. We've seen it in big game prep over the years, his progress with QB's, etc. It's this idea that all is well because he's the coach and he knows his players will respond. And, largely he's been really good at it but it's also backfired incredibly bad before.

For example, Matt Freeman at ISD speculated that Baker and Blake could be competing for the RT spot as Patterson may come back and play the LT spot. So why are neither taking reps at RT? Because we have to play our RG and RT for the Spring? Doesn't really make sense. If they are the top two healthy OT's they should be getting as many reps as they can handle and/or working on pushing those reps higher by playing at the same time, not splitting reps while a vet plays out of position.

Even if the plan is for Patterson to play RT and there is this battle at LT, Lugg playing RT might be one of the more cavalier decisions. Lugg wasn't a good enough RG to beat out Kraemer who is a fringe NFL guard or any of our other OL over the last 4 years. Now, that was hard to do, I get that. But, that should be the point. Fielding an top 5 OL unit every year. And Lugg wasn't good enough to be part of that unit last year, I don't see how he would be now without added work. OL is about reps. Simply put, Lugg needs work at whatever position he's going to play. I actually think it's kind of wild I even have to post that, lol.

I also really dislike the idea of Patterson being locked in to one of the OT spots. He hasn't played OT in multiple years and in a year where OL turnover is going to be heavy, we're moving him to a premium position without playing it. How many Fall practices will he have? 18-20. So we're going to go into '21 with a first time starter at one OT spot in Baker or Blake and our other OT will have 18 practices, or so, at that position in the last 3 years? Or you have Blake and Baker as our LT and RT and one of them will have 18 practices to play RT for probably the first time in, probably, their lives.

What would make sense is if it was a 3 person battle for OT between the 3 mentioned above. But again, in that event, Blake and Baker should be practicing at RT and Lugg should be at RG. If Blake is that good and he's your LT then is it better to have Baker at RT and Patterson at LG or Patterson at RT and Gibbons at LG? It just doesn't have a lot of rhyme or reason. It's more like hey, we got all these talented guys and they'll be ready to go wherever we put them.

 

[Luckylucci]

Not sure I totally understand our new D, but I think we'll send more LBs blitzing in general when in the 3-3-5. I could see a guy like Bauer also going downhill and firing into a gap.

Yea, I think we're going to see LB's blitzing, crowding the LOS, etc. I expect to see what appears to be chaos. Hopefully, it's control chaos, lol.

I expect that we'll continue see Botelho lining up all over the place and we know Foskey needs to be on the field. So, I would expect them to be a significant part of the Nickel and Dime packages together. Freeman is all about getting his best players on the field and I think Botelho will be one of those disruptive guys. I also think it will look different at times but Foskey could line up in a traditional ROLB role while Botelho is moved around anywhere from the opposite edge to interior gaps. I also think you could see him remove an ILB in place of Botelho at times to crowd the LOS even in running situations. Botelho moves very well in space as we've seen on ST's. I think he'll be an integral part of what they do.

Now this is more of a want but it wouldn't surprise me if we play more 'Bear' fronts especially in Nickel/Dime situations. Lea did this a little bit and it worked really well. Having both Foskey and Botelho as your edge guys makes a lot of sense to me. You can lineup MTA and Jayson and their natural 3T positions and let those 4 guys work edges of their particular man.

 

[Dizzyphil]

Reading through all these posts on the Spring practices - makes me really want the schools to go to a Spring-game with another team instead of the Spring ritual of playing against your own offense/defense...

 

[Trait Expectations]

In general my main criticism of Kelly over the years (I think everyone knows I've been on the Kelly bandwagon for the whole ride) is his general demeanor which seems to lack a sense of urgency at times. We've seen it in big game prep over the years, his progress with QB's, etc. It's this idea that all is well because he's the coach and he knows his players will respond. And, largely he's been really good at it but it's also backfired incredibly bad before.

For example, Matt Freeman at ISD speculated that Baker and Blake could be competing for the RT spot as Patterson may come back and play the LT spot. So why are neither taking reps at RT? Because we have to play our RG and RT for the Spring? Doesn't really make sense. If they are the top two healthy OT's they should be getting as many reps as they can handle and/or working on pushing those reps higher by playing at the same time, not splitting reps while a vet plays out of position.

Even if the plan is for Patterson to play RT and there is this battle at LT, Lugg playing RT might be one of the more cavalier decisions. Lugg wasn't a good enough RG to beat out Kraemer who is a fringe NFL guard or any of our other OL over the last 4 years. Now, that was hard to do, I get that. But, that should be the point. Fielding an top 5 OL unit every year. And Lugg wasn't good enough to be part of that unit last year, I don't see how he would be now without added work. OL is about reps. Simply put, Lugg needs work at whatever position he's going to play. I actually think it's kind of wild I even have to post that, lol.

I also really dislike the idea of Patterson being locked in to one of the OT spots. He hasn't played OT in multiple years and in a year where OL turnover is going to be heavy, we're moving him to a premium position without playing it. How many Fall practices will he have? 18-20. So we're going to go into '21 with a first time starter at one OT spot in Baker or Blake and our other OT will have 18 practices, or so, at that position in the last 3 years? Or you have Blake and Baker as our LT and RT and one of them will have 18 practices to play RT for probably the first time in, probably, their lives.

What would make sense is if it was a 3 person battle for OT between the 3 mentioned above. But again, in that event, Blake and Baker should be practicing at RT and Lugg should be at RG. If Blake is that good and he's your LT then is it better to have Baker at RT and Patterson at LG or Patterson at RT and Gibbons at LG? It just doesn't have a lot of rhyme or reason. It's more like hey, we got all these talented guys and they'll be ready to go wherever we put them.

I disagree with all of this. It's assuming you know the actual distribution of snaps based on 3 minute snippets over 8ish practices. It assumes the staff doesn't understand the intricacies of getting players snaps at their likely fall position and it assumes you know better where each of these players belongs along the line.

But, this is a message board so.... thanks for your opinion on the OL.

I think it's going to be tough to not compare last year's line to this year's because it will most definitely be at least a step below what we've grown accustomed to. Prior to last year, people complained that Quinn couldn't coach up an OL and he was Kelly's "Buddy". In 2017, I think, people thought Hiestand's best days were behind him. If the OL play plots as a wave over time and we're trying to minimize the amplitude, this will most likely be a "trough year".

I trust the staff to get the best 5-7 best OL out there and in the correct positions.

 

[Irish YJ]

Yea, I think we're going to see LB's blitzing, crowding the LOS, etc. I expect to see what appears to be chaos. Hopefully, it's control chaos, lol.

I expect that we'll continue see Botelho lining up all over the place and we know Foskey needs to be on the field. So, I would expect them to be a significant part of the Nickel and Dime packages together. Freeman is all about getting his best players on the field and I think Botelho will be one of those disruptive guys. I also think it will look different at times but Foskey could line up in a traditional ROLB role while Botelho is moved around anywhere from the opposite edge to interior gaps. I also think you could see him remove an ILB in place of Botelho at times to crowd the LOS even in running situations. Botelho moves very well in space as we've seen on ST's. I think he'll be an integral part of what they do.

Now this is more of a want but it wouldn't surprise me if we play more 'Bear' fronts especially in Nickel/Dime situations. Lea did this a little bit and it worked really well. Having both Foskey and Botelho as your edge guys makes a lot of sense to me. You can lineup MTA and Jayson and their natural 3T positions and let those 4 guys work edges of their particular man.

Hey LL, was it you that posted a link on Freeman's D? If so, can you repost when you have time. TIA.

I posted a article on Elston's comments this last week (DL thread). Sounds like they are hip to lining up both Botelho and Foskey all over the place. I'm with you on the chaos, and I too hope it's controlled lol.

The article had a good portion about Botelho in terms of sending him home, gained maturity, and how Elston is proud of him for turning the corner.

I love the though of Foskey and Botelho as both on opposite edges. Elston's comments about MTA leaning up also exciting.

 

[Irish YJ]

Reading through all these posts on the Spring practices - makes me really want the schools to go to a Spring-game with another team instead of the Spring ritual of playing against your own offense/defense...

Yup. I've always wished spring games were actual games/scrimmages. Wish we'd pick Purdue or IU, or rotate, and scrimmage them every spring. Not sure what the NCAA rules say.