Clarification and clarvoyance
Clarification and clarvoyance
With Fall Camp starting Monday, I thought I would resuscitate this thread and clear up a few things and start a fun little repository for those that wanted to swing out whether green Kool-Aid, or bad Karma induced, with final preseason predictions.
I have been accused of all kind of things including being an inaccurate poster and saying wild-@ss off the wall things. In the past I have made the following predictions;
Dayne Crist would emerge as a starting quarterback.
Harrison Smith would be a star.
In '11, I predicted the ND defense would be "Best in America" as HS chanted; I predicted top ten defense.
This year I stated the following;
The defense would be better than last year.
Danny Spond would be the starting Dog.
ND would have eight elite players between down linemen and OS linebacker. (That total included the prospect of EV playing with balls and being Irish.)
The wide receiver corps would play like "radio-active" zombie killers and really break out.
And that the Irish staff brought back quick distribution "stuff" from Foxboro, as well as some special teams stuff and some defensive gold, including some related to disguising tendencies, and changing pressures.
I am not interested in discussing or rehashing any of the verbiage of this or that. That is moronic and a bit unbalanced of course; but I will be responsible for the accuracy or inaccuracy of my predictions! But here are a few more for the season.
More people will contribute on offense this year than anyone thought possible. Position groups and formations are going to disguise a lot of offensive intent. The offense has over twenty regular contributors (maybe 25), including five true freshmen.
At least seven offensive linemen contribute regularly. I know many feel that doesn't work. But I played on one years ago that did. And it will this year for ND.
Onwualu and Robinson will contribute greatly, as well as someone that is thought of as a defensive player.
On defense before they are done both Jarron Jones and Isaac Rochelle will outshine Eddie Vanderdos.
ND's defense will be better this year than last.
The overall linebacker corps is deeper and wider. There are more that can play and the outsides have improved. Losing Manti would normally set any defense way back, but if Diaco can bring Jaylon Smith inside for passing downs, (of which there will be many), OMG, Becky! . . . Seriously, that linebacker corps with Shembo and Okwara at one end and Spond and Councell at the other, with Fox, Calabrese, Moore and Grace in the middle, and Jaylon Smith able to play anywhere, It joins the D-line as an Über-talented group.
