2025 Fall Practice Thread

[jprue24]

I’m just a 40-something alum who lives 900 miles from campus and has zero connections so wtf do I know. But I worry just a little that Carr might be wound too tight for this game.

That’s what I take from the warmup thing, the comment about how interceptions mess him up, even the fact that he comes from football royalty but played small-school ball in high school and never really got punched in the mouth. He has always been the chosen one, and that’s a lot of pressure. He seems to feel it.

Was getting ready to say a lot of this. I don't know anything and I'm only going off what I've seen/heard. I have the beginnings of concern for his mindset. Not just how he let out that overcoming negative results were impacting his mindset, but also describing himself as, "I don't love to sit there and stretch and my mind is racing...I feel like I'm ticking..."

The overthinking may become a problem if he can't get out of his own head when he needs too...

 

[Terry Jillery]

I’m not very critical of this staff but I did complain a lot at my TV last fall that Kenny should get some PT and reps over Steve. If he’s good enough to lead our team as the starting QB then I have to think he was good enough to be the backup 6 months ago. But I’m just an arm chair critic and I like our staff so whatever

 

[NDPhilly]

Steve performed the only time we actually needed him, the end of the first half against PSU. Idk how anyone can say Kenny should have been the backup after that.

 

[irishu]

People also forget that Steve was sacked I think twice and also fumbled the ball that had to be stripped out of a Penn State players hands lol

 

[MrNimbus]

Sorry but why are people bitching about a qb throwing a fucking football before the actual practice begins? I am in no way comparing myself to a d1 athlete, but I broke my wrist in the middle of a hockey season, and I did extra work before and after practice (after my cast came off) to make sure I was confident for contact. If he was nursing it I'd be worried. And I was a headcase too. My teammates would try to piss me off because I played better when I was angry. Some people get super focused when they want to prove people wrong. I just want the best for the team. Cj or Kenny. It's a good problem to have. I have faith in both. May the best notre dame man win.

 

[allenm5333]

Steve performed the only time we actually needed him, the end of the first half against PSU. Idk how anyone can say Kenny should have been the backup after that.

Steve was a great in game backup. If Leonard missed multiple games, the question would have been whether to put Mincheyin long term upside

 

[Rocketman84]

Sorry as much as I love this roster but I'm not ready to compare it to the Saban dynasty rosters (yet).

Not at all....year after year with a top 2 recruiting class is different in a time where Alabama was using NIL before it was a thing and SEC allowing 30 commits a season.

 

[irishandy]

Steve did what he was asked to do, I still think if Freeman put him in vs NIU ND wins the game.

 

[GrangerIrish24]

People also forget that Steve was sacked I think twice and also fumbled the ball that had to be stripped out of a Penn State players hands lol

Of course we do. We won the game.

 

[Rocketman84]

Steve did what he was asked to do, I still think if Freeman put him in vs NIU ND wins the game.

Absolutely

 

[Domina Nostra]

Regarding the stretching, the coaches are obviously aware so, not a team issue.

If he needs extra time to get his elbow warmed up because its still a bit stiff until its warm, whatever...

If it's nerves, I think that points to Minchey.

If its compulsive, that's fine if he backs it up.

 

[2013Irish]

I went back and watched both of them in the spring game last night. I don't think I'm stating anything earth shattering here, but Minchey definitely seems like more of a Denbrock QB and provides the smoothest transition from the offense we ran last year. He also has a lot cleaner footwork than Carr based off that small sample size.

I trust MF and Denbrock to make the right choice, whether that's CJ or Kenny. They're both no bullshit guys who have proven that they don't give jobs to guys who are supposed to win it.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

What's the latest with Stretchgate? Is or isn't it indicative of Freeman losing control of his team and/or an athlete being an obvious poor mental fit for the position? , I really need to know what each of you think about this concerning development. I could hardly sleep last night.

Please advise.

 

[2013Irish]

What's the latest with Stretchgate? Is or isn't it indicative of Freeman losing control of his team and/or an athlete being an obvious poor mental fit for the position? , I really need to know what each of you think about this concerning development. I could hardly sleep last night.

Please advise.

Guffaw.

 

[SWirishfan]

What's the latest with Stretchgate? Is or isn't it indicative of Freeman losing control of his team and/or an athlete being an obvious poor mental fit for the position? , I really need to know what each of you think about this concerning development. I could hardly sleep last night.

Please advise.

Is there practice today?
I am waiting, breathlessly, for the next Horka update.

 

[calvegas04]

Is there practice today?
I am waiting, breathlessly, for the next Horka update.

 

[Irish#1]

People also forget that Steve was sacked I think twice and also fumbled the ball that had to be stripped out of a Penn State players hands lol

Always a ray of hope. TY

 

[GrangerIrish24]

What's the latest with Stretchgate? Is or isn't it indicative of Freeman losing control of his team and/or an athlete being an obvious poor mental fit for the position? , I really need to know what each of you think about this concerning development. I could hardly sleep last night.

Please advise.

I’m currently protesting in his culdesac

 

[Old Man Mike]

Jagusah is thicker and more powerful looking out of pads than the guys in pads.

Please get back SOON!!! so we can Release The Kraken.

 

[Katzenboyer]

B Young is really starting to fill out. He’s gonna be a problem.

Bothelho participating in individual drills again. Can't be anything but a positive sign re: his recovery.

 

[CallahanAutoParts]

I haven’t finished QB on Netflix but initial impressions definitely give some serial killer vibes…

 

[CallahanAutoParts]

II basically confirming the secondary is a bunch of aliens

Man it’s insane how talented the secondary is. And 5 years ago I thought ND never had a chance to have a high performing secondary across all positions.

 

[IrishLax]

I went back and watched both of them in the spring game last night. I don't think I'm stating anything earth shattering here, but Minchey definitely seems like more of a Denbrock QB and provides the smoothest transition from the offense we ran last year. He also has a lot cleaner footwork than Carr based off that small sample size.

I trust MF and Denbrock to make the right choice, whether that's CJ or Kenny. They're both no bullshit guys who have proven that they don't give jobs to guys who are supposed to win it.

tbh I thought the spring game showed that CJ has clearly the best ability as a passer and it isn't particularly close... so the only path Minchey has is if the gap in athleticism is so large that Denbrock thinks he's the best fit for what he wants to do.

Bottom line is that if the OL stays healthy we are clearly a run first team on paper because you have the best RB in the country running behind a top 5 OL in the country. And an athletic QB helps with the run game.

 

[allenm5333]

tbh I thought the spring game showed that CJ has clearly the best ability as a passer and it isn't particularly close... so the only path Minchey has is if the gap in athleticism is so large that Denbrock thinks he's the best fit for what he wants to do.

Bottom line is that if the OL stays healthy we are clearly a run first team on paper because you have the best RB in the country running behind a top 5 OL in the country. And an athletic QB helps with the run game.

Agree on a lot of this. And if Carr and the WRs can do enough to exploit 1 high coverages then we could cook. Then if defense play 2 high, the RBs feast.

 

[MacIrish75]

CJ has to be something like -1000 to start on 8/31. I really don’t think it’s that close.

 

[arrowryan]

CJ has to be something like -1000 to start on 8/31. I really don’t think it’s that close.

The only way he’s not the starter is if he can’t figure out his reads and coverages

 

[rtrn2glory]

We aren't in the business of having the luxury of not hurting a QBs feelings. They have to get it right cuz the schedule early isn't forgiving and I'm not interested in picking CJ simply cuz you don't want to lose him

 

[MacIrish75]

We aren't in the business of having the luxury of not hurting a QBs feelings. They have to get it right cuz the schedule early isn't forgiving and I'm not interested in picking CJ simply cuz you don't want to lose him

Losing him is honestly irrelevant in modern CFB. We can buy a new QB at a similar skill level if he were to walk. Like @IrishLax said, he placed some balls at the spring game that I haven’t seen an Irish QB do since James Clausen.

 

[Sunshine]

I really like Kenny and think he’d be a fine starter and would win a bunch of games here. Having said that, he doesn’t have NFL starter upside and the rest of the team would need to be so good (DC Ash included) to have a real shot to win the natty.

The best version of CJ - which we could definitely get after 12+ games experience - is talented enough to cover up holes and push our ceiling to where the rest of the team doesn’t need to be perfect. Just don’t ask him to do too much early on and ride the OL and RB room in games 1 and 2 and we’ll be golden.

 

[NDFAN2008]

- Golden and Zackery weren’t here in the spring. The alternative was rep Chance Tucker there.

- He was #2 Field and Nickel.

- He was #1 Nickel down the stretch because Smith sat out, not playing the Field. All the talk all spring and summer was he seems to have a good future at Nickel.

- Even if that was the case, that still doesn’t change that nothing Hobbs has done has proven he’s so entrenched as the #3 outside CB that he doesn’t need every single rep possible.

Surprised Tucker didn’t transfer