Darius Walker

[Golden_Domer88]

Darius walker had a great season last year. But this year he is not running the ball at all. Hes great out of the back field, only if Quinn throws it to him. But I've said this many times before. Put Munir Prince in for the RB spot. Put walker in the slot position.

We need a runner that can hit the holes quick and turn the burners on. If anyone saw the practice video of Munir Prince brakeing the long runs, then you know he is a better running back than Walker.

I love having Charlie Weis as the coach, but he needs to give Prince a chance to show what he can contribute to the team.

 

[rontdtarchala]

agreeed

 

[marv81s]

i have backed walker up on these boards before, but i'm having a hard time right now. I don't think it is totally his fault, the o-line play has been very inconsistent, but when it is good, walker is running without confidence and east to west too much. I think he is a good all around back, but I would love to see Prince in the games more, and hopefully we'll get to see some of Aldridge against Purdue. But I agree with you Golden Domer, lets get Prince the ball more.

 

[nayers]

If anyone saw the practice video of Munir Prince brakeing the long runs, then you know he is a better running back than Walker.QUOTE]

whoa whoa whoa...lets not put the trailer before the horse. I like Prince, but he is unproven(practice is not the same as a game) he may be better eventually when his carrer is done, but Darius is a proven commodity and plays in the boundries of our offense very well

 

[Golden_Domer88]

yeah sorry, I got a little excited. But I want to see a burner with the #25 on his back making amazing plays.

 

[nayers]

yeah sorry, I got a little excited. But I want to see a burner with the #25 on his back making amazing plays.

ohh then why didnt you say so, just click the link and have fun lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaK2UqbK1vs

 

[Bubba]

There must be a reason we're not seeing Prince. For Darius not to get a breather every now and then (other than when no running back is in) can't be what Weis really wants to do. TTs move to LB is hurting us more on offense than we realize.

 

[irish4life99]

Darius walker had a great season last year. But this year he is not running the ball at all. Hes great out of the back field, only if Quinn throws it to him. But I've said this many times before. Put Munir Prince in for the RB spot. Put walker in the slot position.

We need a runner that can hit the holes quick and turn the burners on. If anyone saw the practice video of Munir Prince brakeing the long runs, then you know he is a better running back than Walker.

I love having Charlie Weis as the coach, but he needs to give Prince a chance to show what he can contribute to the team.

It's kind of hard to run 20-30 times a game when by the end of the first quarter you're down by three scores. Also, the OL has something to do with how effective you can run. Sorry, but I think Walker is a proven back, I just haven't seen many holes for him to jump into. That being said what was the number for Walker. I think it is around 11 carreis for 56 yards. That's almost 5 yards a carry. Sure he could have had a 150 yard night easy, but we would have lost too.

 

[leppycole]

C'mon - who was complaining against G.T. and PSU - I question if some of you know anything about football.

1. Mich and Mich St. forced ND into a one dimensional Passing team. Cannot make up three scores running the ball.

2. How did Ohio State and G.T. teach every one how to stop the Irish O - Bring the House and lock up 1 on 1 in the secondary. How do you think Darius can run when 7-8 guys coming hard from the other side of the ball?

3. Shwapp is out and ND has been running a single back offense - he has no lead block to follow - also ND cannot run to the right "Like the kids future" But the Frosh is getting thrown all over the place. Defensive cordinators have been playing strong to the left - watch the tape.

Don't throw Darius under the bus like some of you did to the entire team last week.

 

[NDgettysburg]

I kinds think that if CW thought Prince was the better runner, he'd have him in there. He's said many times that he has no problem playing a young guy if he earns it.

 

[luckofirish8]

C'mon - who was complaining against G.T. and PSU - I question if some of you know anything about football.

1. Mich and Mich St. forced ND into a one dimensional Passing team. Cannot make up three scores running the ball.

2. How did Ohio State and G.T. teach every one how to stop the Irish O - Bring the House and lock up 1 on 1 in the secondary. How do you think Darius can run when 7-8 guys coming hard from the other side of the ball?

3. Shwapp is out and ND has been running a single back offense - he has no lead block to follow - also ND cannot run to the right "Like the kids future" But the Frosh is getting thrown all over the place. Defensive cordinators have been playing strong to the left - watch the tape.

Don't throw Darius under the bus like some of you did to the entire team last week.

AMEN, DWalk is a beast. He's just not flashy.

 

[marv81s]

I don't think people have a problem with Walker, I think what some of the fans on this site want is just a runner that brings something else to the table. A different kind of runner. I love DW and he's a perfect fit for this offense, I think we would just like to see a different kind of runner. Nothing against DW, I love him.

 

[TexasDomer]

It ain't just running, guys. It's also receiving and picking up blitzes--a key this year, given how the OL has been playing. I don't think Prince is in there because he isn't as good a receiver and because, like all Freshmen, he's learning how to pick up the blitzers.

If CW thought his chances of winning were higher with Prince, he'd be playing

 

[Vince Young]

Like C-Dub said in his presser today, the problem with the running game is not Darius. The problem is the team as a whole keeps falling WAY behind WAY too early, which forces C-Dub to skew his play-calling away from the run in an effort to pick up quick scores and claw back into it.

Darius looked solid to me against GT and Penn State, especially when he was paired with Travis Thomas or Asaph Schwapp as change-of-pace runners. But the Michigan game changed that: Asaph was injured and had to sit out, and the defense was out on the field way too much, which meant that T2 was probably too winded to help much on offense. And against Michigan State, once again Asaph was out, and once again the defense was stuck on the field too much for T2 to help on offense.

There were a LOT of one-back formations last night, with Darius being that sole back. And it's a lot easier for a defense to stop the run if they know which player is getting the ball. Run a 2-back formation with Darius and someone else, and suddenly the defense has to watch out for a lot more... is the halfback getting it, or the tailback? Will the halfback run a lead block? Will they split and go in different directions, and if so, who gets the ball? It makes defending against the run MUCH more difficult.

Case in point: the big 4th-down pass to Carlson. That was one of the night's rare 2-back formations, with D-Walk and T2 in an I-formation behind Quinn. Walker ran a sweep while Quinn pulled off that beautiful play-fake to T2, then nailed Carlson while the defense was still trying to figure out which running back had the ball. Try running that play with a 1-back formation without T2... whoever would've keyed on T2 would instead be free to key on Carlson, and he wouldn't have been open.

Having a dependable 2nd back makes a HUGE difference. And with Aldridge coming in for the Purdue game, I'm looking forward to an improved rushing game all around.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

AMEN, DWalk is a beast. He's just not flashy.

...or FAST...or really unable to run for more than 20 yards twice a season... (doesn't he only have 4 rushes over 20 in his career?)

But he can pick up a blitz EXTREMELY well and it is a solid receiver.

 

[Dannyboy Ayers]

i will take 3.4 per carry and wear down the defense versus getting big plays and putting our defense back on the feild. remember it is a marathon not sprint. tempo... tempo...tempo

 

[Indydomer]

We're down by three scores every game because we can't run the damn ball. I have defended Walker forever, but it is time for a change. Someone who can create a run. Walker can be effective if he has cutback lanes, but other than that he is running like a Pussy. Sorry Dwalk I've always had your back, but not today. That first game he played when he was a freshman was awesome. He ran tough and hard and made some good plays. Now he is just content with letting the play come to him. Sometimes we need him to create his own space and hit it. It's not all his fault, but partially I believe it is.

Give Prince and Aldrige a chance. That is why we have them.

 

[TexasDomer]

I doubt Prince or Aldrige would have found many holes that DW didn't in the first quarter. Our OL hasn't been very physical and hasn't opened up many good, gaping holes.

C'mon, Coach Latina, let's get these guys hitting people and opening holes!

 

[jiggafini19]

Is Munir Prince running on the first string D or second string D in practice?

Not that it really matters.

The front five has been putrid and ND has trailed most of the last two weeks. Combine those two things and Walker can't pile up rushing yards.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

i will take 3.4 per carry and wear down the defense versus getting big plays and putting our defense back on the feild. remember it is a marathon not sprint. tempo... tempo...tempo

You can have the 3.4 and wear people down.

I would rather have 5.5 per rush with a 61 yard long and 10 TDs. (Julis Jones 2003)

But that's just me.

What people are looking for is not some guy who rushes 10 times and breaks one rush. What we want is a guy who gets 5 yards per carry not 3.4. And wears the other team down.

Here's a list of the top50 rushers in the NCAA. Only the QB at Navy rushes for under 4 yards per carry.

3.4 is lousy. HOWEVER, I do not blame DW for this completely. Let's face it, the line has some issues they need to resolve in a BIG way...but DW simply cannot turn the corner like we need when the center lanes close up.

MY STATEMENT ON THE MATTER:
I will take Darius Walker if he's the best we have...I can only hope that he finds some jets or someone else on the team can step up.

 

[BigIrish]

assuming that we can actually handle the next several teams the way that we've been projected to handle them, i expect to see both prince and aldrige get some serious reps. the only thing that will keep aldridge out is his knee.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

C'mon, Coach Latina, let's get these guys hitting people and opening holes!

Amen.

 

[Irish52]

Darious is a great back and performs as well as the offensive line..when the line plays a mediocre game, Darious does the same. Darious would be a super back if we had a super offensive line...but we don't. What we don't know is how well Aldridge and Munir can play with our offensive line. Hopefully, Charlie will evaluate their "game" performance when we play a team on which we have a 3 touchdown lead. Otherwise, all the talk now is just that.."talk" based on nothing! Brady can still win the Heisman...like I said before, get 400 yards and 4 touchdowns in the remaining games. Go Irish.

 

[Dannyboy Ayers]

You can have the 3.4 and wear people down.

I would rather have 5.5 per rush with a 61 yard long and 10 TDs. (Julis Jones 2003)

But that's just me.

What people are looking for is not some guy who rushes 10 times and breaks one rush. What we want is a guy who gets 5 yards per carry not 3.4. And wears the other team down.

Here's a list of the top50 rushers in the NCAA. Only the QB at Navy rushes for under 4 yards per carry.

3.4 is lousy. HOWEVER, I do not blame DW for this completely. Let's face it, the line has some issues they need to resolve in a BIG way...but DW simply cannot turn the corner like we need when the center lanes close up.

MY STATEMENT ON THE MATTER:
I will take Darius Walker if he's the best we have...I can only hope that he finds some jets or someone else on the team can step up.

3.4 times 3 equals a first down! do I want him to only have 3 and 4 yard runs no, but Darius has never been, nor will he be the guy who breaks the 75 yarders every game. I am content with wearing the D down and him breaking 15 and 20 yard runs at the end of the game to put the nail in the coffen. People allways think that if a RB dosn't break the big runs and have constant highlight reals than he is a bad back. Another Question is how many games has Darius missed because of injury? And he is not the biggest back out there!

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

3.4 times 3 equals a first down!

That's mighty simplistic. If it were that easy, then Northern Illinoi would be the #1 team in the land. Or at least in the top5.

Check this kid out. He rushed for 6.6 yards/carry against the BUCKEYES.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=138215

Here's the list of rushing yards per game. The top 117 carriers in NCAA DivI-A
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/sortables?stat=rush&group=80&year=2006&sort=ypc

do I want him to only have 3 and 4 yard runs no, but Darius has never been, nor will he be the guy who breaks the 75 yarders every game. I am content with wearing the D down and him breaking 15 and 20 yard runs at the end of the game to put the nail in the coffen. People allways think that if a RB dosn't break the big runs and have constant highlight reals than he is a bad back.

I am content with it, if we win and rushing helped. So far Darius (and the running game in general) influenced the GT win.

Another Question is how many games has Darius missed because of injury? And he is not the biggest back out there!

Yup...that kid is durable as hell.

NOW
Let's not hang our rushing woes on his shoulders entirely. Our O-line carries the heaviest of burdens here. If you review tape you see they are simply not opening wide enough lanes.

Darius is slow and is not as "dynamic" as a top back, but he is quite possibly the most well rounded back in college ball. Blocking, receiving, durability, etc.

That's why I say, until we have a better back, he should play...

I just want the best man on our team for the job. We can wish for a Reggie Bush all we want, but we need to live and excel with what we have now. DW is the man, until CW says otherwise.