Denard Robinson

[tadman95]

Denard got his bell rung in the first half, or at least his shoulder took a beating. I'm not sure what we saw was Denard or a slightly injured (hurting) Denard.

 

[no.1IrishFan]

We are not one of the best front 7's in the country. Very good, but tops? How? We have a GREAT LB, and then Fox, Shembo/Ishaq (unproven), and Councel (completely unproven). That's a very pedestrian 3 LBs outside of Manti.

Our front 7 has great run stoppers, but we lost our best pass rusher and haven't proven we can get after the QB like so many other great programs have. And the Navy game means nothing as far as rushing the passer (but he sure had all day to throw on the first possession of the 2nd half).

We can say that we have one of the best defenses at stopping the run, but rushing the passer is a MAJOR question mark. To say otherwise is simply homerism. If we give Denrad time, with our secondary, he'll still shew us up. Hopefully we can play like we did the first 3 quarters last year and stop him...

Idk, our secondary is very, very questionable, but I still like our chances with him throwing instead of running. I feel he'll get some decent throws in, but, I don't think he beats us with his arm. Stop him from running, and we can win.

 

[Grahambo]

Backside containment is crucial against a player like Robinson. You must stay disciplined in your backside assignment and not go chasing because he will cut it back in a heartbeat.

Last year Michigan opened up against Western Michigan. Didn't really help ND game plan against him.

2010 Michigan opened up against Connecticut before they played ND. Again, not really helping ND see a good opponent expose Michigan.

2009 They opened up against Western Michigan again. I think you get the point.

This season, they opened up against a real team in Alabama and 'Bama showed how to stop Michigan.

They also play 2 more games before they get to ND. Both at home so other then against 'Bama, they will not be used to a hostile environment.

ND gets Purdue home and then Michigan State on the road.

ND will be set up better to face Michigan then vice versa.

Will that lead to a W? Time will tell but backside containment and not forcing turnovers will win the game. Oh and turn around and look for the ball in the air every once in a while.

 

[irishfanjho15]

A couple of things to note:

First - Toussant will be back by our game as Anchorman noted above. The running game will be much more dynamic with him back and he is another playmaker in their backfield. The backups that played against Alabama are much less dangerous.

That backup that played last night was Michigan's starter over Toussaint this season prior to being injured.

 

[SaltyND24]

The funniest thing is the local radio show, and a lot of U of M fans around here, claimed they would beat Bama based on how comparable Robinson was to Cam Newton. I laughed every time I heard it. I agree he's better than last year at throwing, but seriously Cam Newton. Cam Newton was better in High School than Denard is as a Junior at U of M.

I was literally saying the same exact thing to my friends while watching the game...Let him get popped in the mouth a few good times and let him get happy feet. Manti just needs one clean shot on Denard!

 

[obi wan mahoney]

Backside containment is crucial against a player like Robinson. You must stay disciplined in your backside assignment and not go chasing because he will cut it back in a heartbeat.



Will that lead to a W? Time will tell but backside containment and not forcing turnovers will win the game. Oh and turn around and look for the ball in the air every once in a while.

That still kills me. I watched that game again over the summer..ouch.

 

[notredomer23]

What everyone is ignoring is how crappy Michigan's defense is. Their secondary isn't bad, but their front 7 is both not deep and not all that talented. The way we win this game is by out scoring them, not by stopping them. Going to need a big day from the OL and our RBs to set the tone... and then we just need Golson to hit a couple throws over the top. Alabama would've hung 50+ on Michigan if McCarron hadn't missed a couple throws by inches.

Their secondary just possibly became bad if Blake Countess is out. He was their best defensive back and he may be done for a while. I thought I read ACL but it is yet to be determined I guess.

 

[koonja]

Did Michigan have any injuries? I didn't watch the entire game, but my friend mentioned that their LT went down (or at least he thought).

 

[NDPhilly]

Starting CB Blake Countess went down and Potential AA LT Taylor Lewan went down. Won't know until Monday the extent of the injuries.

 

[IrishFBfanatic]

We are not one of the best front 7's in the country. Very good, but tops? How? We have a GREAT LB, and then Fox, Shembo/Ishaq (unproven), and Councel (completely unproven). That's a very pedestrian 3 LBs outside of Manti.

So who has the best front 7 in the country? Would you consider Bama as one of the best?
Nico Johnson is not better than Manti...let's all be honest.
DePriest, Hubbard, Dickson? Much more inexperienced and unproven than Fox and Shembo for sure...I'd say Ishaq has about as much experience and has proven as much as those guys.

Fox had 48 tackles last season, 1 sack, and one forced fumble

Those three Alabama linebackers 37 total tackles, and .5 sacks combined. If I throw Shembo and Ishaq's numbers in there too then ND's Linebackers would make bama's look amatuer...

Honestly, Alabama isn't proven and doesn't really even have much experience in their front seven. Going off of experience, how proven guys are, and stats from former years...ND has one heck of a front 7 compared to them...instead most people find it's OK to judge Bama by "potential" but ND must be judged by "facts"..

Sorry LA, most of that post wasn't pointed in your direction. You just brought up the point that ND isn't a top front 7, so I wanted to point out to the entire fan base that maybe ND isn't so lackluster comparing them to one of the supposed best in the country.

Who has the best front 7 in the country?

 

[no.1IrishFan]

2010 Michigan rushing stats for denard in losses:
MSU-84yds
Iowa-105yds
Penn St-191yds
Wisc-121yds
OSU-105yds
Miss St.-59yds

2011 rushing stats in losses:
Mich St.-42
Iowa-27

2012 rushing stats in losses(so far):
Bama-27



Anyone who thinks we should rush the passer, causing him to scramble is crazy! He's averaging 84.5yds per game when they lose. Keep him in the pocket and make his a$$ throw!
We rush him, he jukes, then tears off 25 at a time, and we lose.

 

[wakeuptheechoes]

First of all, Michigan did not look very good last night. I wonder why, they played the defending National Champions and a team that could very well repeat. We could let the hate of Michigan and Robinson cloud our objectivity. Never put stock in one game good or bad. How many of you think that LSU was that much better than ND, as to have beaten them 41-14 a few years back in the Sugar Bowl?
Perhaps, Michigan does suck and Alabama is only average. Perhaps, Michigan is a good team and Alabama made them look bad. Denard Robinson is a tremendous athlete, no doubt iI personally thought that Michigan should have tried to spread Alabama out and use him as a weapon in the 1st half. Instead, they kept him in the pocket and got behind after 4 failed possessions and dug themselves a tremendous hole. Look I hope we beat every team we face 50-10. Except, for USC which I would like to beat them 50-0. Michigan is a rivalry game they will be up for us, and so will Denard Robinson.

 

[phgreek]

... backside containment and not forcing turnovers will win the game. Oh and turn around and look for the ball in the air every once in a while.

KLM looked pretty solid...outside that, I just don't know on backside containment...I totally agree though...keys to victory for us are run all over their butts on O, and discipline and fundamentals on D....Denard will get loose here and there, but contain him on backside so no quick homeruns. When he throws the ball close and make a play on it. We all know we've rewarded his propensity for chucking it up over the years...time to make him pay with 2-3 ints.

 

[Grahambo]

KLM looked pretty solid...outside that, I just don't know on backside containment...I totally agree though...keys to victory for us are run all over their butts on O, and discipline and fundamentals on D....Denard will get loose here and there, but contain him on backside so no quick homeruns. When he throws the ball close and make a play on it. We all know we've rewarded his propensity for chucking it up over the years...time to make him pay with 2-3 ints.

Make him throw deep and force him to the middle of the field without surrendering your area of responsibility. Off the top of my head, I believe for three quarters last season, that is exactly what the defense did.

 

[NDinL.A.]

So who has the best front 7 in the country? Would you consider Bama as one of the best?
Nico Johnson is not better than Manti...let's all be honest.
DePriest, Hubbard, Dickson? Much more inexperienced and unproven than Fox and Shembo for sure...I'd say Ishaq has about as much experience and has proven as much as those guys.

Fox had 48 tackles last season, 1 sack, and one forced fumble

Those three Alabama linebackers 37 total tackles, and .5 sacks combined. If I throw Shembo and Ishaq's numbers in there too then ND's Linebackers would make bama's look amatuer...

Honestly, Alabama isn't proven and doesn't really even have much experience in their front seven. Going off of experience, how proven guys are, and stats from former years...ND has one heck of a front 7 compared to them...instead most people find it's OK to judge Bama by "potential" but ND must be judged by "facts"..

Sorry LA, most of that post wasn't pointed in your direction. You just brought up the point that ND isn't a top front 7, so I wanted to point out to the entire fan base that maybe ND isn't so lackluster comparing them to one of the supposed best in the country.

Who has the best front 7 in the country?

You can't just base it off of stats, you have to look at talent as well. And those Alabama kids might not have started last year, but they were playing behind 7 (7!!!!) players that got drafted last year, and they all got time because of blowouts. And those dudes are extremely talented. So no, not a lot of experience, but light years ahead talent-wise than Fox and Shembo, who have the experience but both had average to sub-par years last year. Ishaq looked good against Navy, while their players looked good against Michigan and Denard, a far different breed than Navy. And Councell is a complete unknown who has never played in a game before.

And anyway, the eyeball test tells you how great Alabama's front 7 looked last night. They stopped the run and rushed the passer. We still haven't proven we can rush the passer consistently, while Bama has done it for years.

If you want to talk about the best front 7's in the nation, look no further than the SEC (sadly, cause I hate that conference). Bama, LSU, South Carolina, and probably Georgia to name a few. Also, MSU's defensive front is nasty, and that game will be a war between our O-line and their front 7. FSU and FL - straight sick.

Like I said, we are very close to being elite against the run. But until we can get after the passer, we are not one of the top front 7's in the nation. Too weak at 2 of the 4 LB spots last year, and unknown/unproven at 3 of those positions this year...

 

[Bluto]

ND, I agree on most those other teams but Florida's D didn't set the world on fire against Bowling Green yesterday. Bama on the other hand looked insane. I'd say were on par with Michigan St. on D. We shall see.

 

[k1ssme1m1r1sh]

Hey I have a great idea. Let's call Brian Kelly and tell him to cancel the game against Michigan since y'all are so scared. How can any of you seriously watch the same games as the rest of football fans and still find so much crap to nit pick? Lil Wayne is still as lame as he was last year. He didn't run because Brady Hoke was scare to death he'd get taken out at the knees. So he was able to complete 10 of 25 passes. ND will have everyone back from Suspension by the time this game rolls around. We BEAT Michigan just fine till we gave up and let them come back. With this 2012 squad I am not scared. Michigan is not walking away with a W from South Bend this year. Put the goose down and relax.

 

[irishff1014]

Hey I have a great idea. Let's call Brian Kelly and tell him to cancel the game against Michigan since y'all are so scared. How can any of you seriously watch the same games as the rest of football fans and still find so much crap to nit pick? Lil Wayne is still as lame as he was last year. He didn't run because Brady Hoke was scare to death he'd get taken out at the knees. So he was able to complete 10 of 25 passes. ND will have everyone back from Suspension by the time this game rolls around. We BEAT Michigan just fine till we gave up and let them come back. With this 2012 squad I am not scared. Michigan is not walking away with a W from South Bend this year. Put the goose down and relax.

I agree with this. Let the big guys get him and throw him around. I think they win have a a good game plan against Mich.

 

[IrishFBfanatic]

You can't just base it off of stats, you have to look at talent as well. And those Alabama kids might not have started last year, but they were playing behind 7 (7!!!!) players that got drafted last year, and they all got time because of blowouts. And those dudes are extremely talented. So no, not a lot of experience, but light years ahead talent-wise than Fox and Shembo, who have the experience but both had average to sub-par years last year. Ishaq looked good against Navy, while their players looked good against Michigan and Denard, a far different breed than Navy. And Councell is a complete unknown who has never played in a game before.

And anyway, the eyeball test tells you how great Alabama's front 7 looked last night. They stopped the run and rushed the passer. We still haven't proven we can rush the passer consistently, while Bama has done it for years.

If you want to talk about the best front 7's in the nation, look no further than the SEC (sadly, cause I hate that conference). Bama, LSU, South Carolina, and probably Georgia to name a few. Also, MSU's defensive front is nasty, and that game will be a war between our O-line and their front 7. FSU and FL - straight sick.

Like I said, we are very close to being elite against the run. But until we can get after the passer, we are not one of the top front 7's in the nation. Too weak at 2 of the 4 LB spots last year, and unknown/unproven at 3 of those positions this year...

I base it off stats and experience, while you base it on the history of the program and "potential". I'm in no way saying Alabama is not great...because you're right about the eye ball test. They looked dominant! My question is: how can we say that ND is NOT a top front seven when they also dominated in their game and also pass the "eye ball" test. Not only that, but they are more experienced and field the BEST linebacker in america. I just find it completely unfair to crown teams with pure potential as the best of the country, but can't even recognize that our own guys could actually be up in that class for once in a very long time!

I agree, though. We do need to prove we can rush the passer...showed great signs vs. navy, but it's Navy and hard to get a true feel for our defense in that game. We should know A LOT more after this Saturday vs Purdue

 

[Bogtrotter07]

We are not one of the best front 7's in the country. Very good, but tops? How? We have a GREAT LB, and then Fox, Shembo/Ishaq (unproven), and Councel (completely unproven). That's a very pedestrian 3 LBs outside of Manti.

Our front 7 has great run stoppers, but we lost our best pass rusher and haven't proven we can get after the QB like so many other great programs have. And the Navy game means nothing as far as rushing the passer (but he sure had all day to throw on the first possession of the 2nd half).

We can say that we have one of the best defenses at stopping the run, but rushing the passer is a MAJOR question mark. To say otherwise is simply homerism. If we give Denrad time, with our secondary, he'll still shew us up. Hopefully we can play like we did the first 3 quarters last year and stop him...

Who is denrad and what has happened to everyone's equipment? I thought this was a football site. And I thought some of you had an oz of masculinity. Denard was totally exposed yesterday.

If Notre Dame does not have a top defense at lease eveyone else have the courtesy of not asking Denard for a reacharound when you bend over for him.

I fully expect this post to be deleted, but I am really getting tired of everybody showing their "wisdom" by making assinine statements and acting like God never gave them a set. Our guys are going to be so motivated that I will bet my last vbuck that the Irish punish him worse than the Tide.

The smartest post on this thread tonight was that we need to score more points than our opponents if we want to win.

Edit: This obviously was not intended to relflect what I saw in ND's post other than the comment about the quality of our defense. And the pass rusher(s) this year will be better than anything we have seen in the greater part of the last decade, (since Bryant to Tuck years, I have run out of fingers to figure how long ago that all was.)

 

[returnofthemack]

Who is denrad and what has happened to everyone's equipment? I thought this was a football site. And I thought some of you had an oz of masculinity. Denard was totally exposed yesterday.

If Notre Dame does not have a top defense at lease eveyone else have the courtesy of not asking Denard for a reacharound when you bend over for him.

I fully expect this post to be deleted, but I am really getting tired of everybody showing their "wisdom" by making assinine statements and acting like God never gave them a set. Our guys are going to be so motivated that I will bet my last vbuck that the Irish punish him worse than the Tide.

The smartest post on this thread tonight was that we need to score more points than our opponents if we want to win.

I have no idea what motivates this team. I would think the first 4-point loss would be enough motivation, or the second. Let's hope third times the charm. All I'm saying is that Denard isn't as awful a passer as he was last year. He's still bad, but all that needs to happen is Gallon making a double move, losing Keivarae, and we know Motta won't be able to stop him. Even Denard can hit somebody that's wide open at least once out of every three times. Not to mention they'll have to be prepared to contain his runs. Also, Toussaint will be back, so that's another dimension. This team finds ways to lose, and until they prove otherwise, I'm not going to hold my breath. They'll never have as good an opportunity as the Michigan game. scUM will still be Top 25 and it's a primetime game.

 

[phgreek]

Who is denrad and what has happened to everyone's equipment? I thought this was a football site. And I thought some of you had an oz of masculinity. Denard was totally exposed yesterday.

If Notre Dame does not have a top defense at lease eveyone else have the courtesy of not asking Denard for a reacharound when you bend over for him.

I fully expect this post to be deleted, but I am really getting tired of everybody showing their "wisdom" by making assinine statements and acting like God never gave them a set. Our guys are going to be so motivated that I will bet my last vbuck that the Irish punish him worse than the Tide.

The smartest post on this thread tonight was that we need to score more points than our opponents if we want to win.

...that was just about as funny a post as I've read in a bit....

the pictures of scantily clad dudes and talk of reach arounds...thats a little disconcerting...be gay if thats who you are, but give a brother a break with the imagery...

 

[pumpdog20]

Denard getting beat up by 3 teams rather than 1 is also going to help us. Because of his style, he takes a lot of hits. The past couple of years, he has looked like a Heisman front-runner, then he plays a physical team like MSU and Iowa, and he slows down considerably.

He'll still give us fits, and I think Gardner will get more comfortable in his new role. He dropped some easy catches against Bama. With that said, I like this ND team and think we will win going away.

 

[Old Man Mike]

I am willing to admit that my thoughts are opinionated nonsense, but they are:

1). we stuff Michigan with our defense this year. And we corral The Denard 95% of the time --- he's too good for it to be 100%.

2). we do this because Diaco has had a year to think about this and he will be ready. Hoke on the other hand will not be. This is because, though talented, Michigan is FAR less flexible than we are. They will not be able to adjust the offense with good effect.

3). we beat them last year anyway. Everett Golson is not going to give up turnovers; Braxton and the boys are going to make giant gaps in that MikeMartin-less D-Line, and the offense will score --- putting pressure on The Denard to do things he cannot do.

4). we're faster now [except for losing Harrison] than a year ago, and Diaco knows how to use the pieces that he has. Shembo/Ishaq will create as much or more of a mess than Te'o will. Fox is better and just showed it. Ben Counsell, though untried, is REALLY fast --- he will close ground. Even Stephon showed something about the new fast. And he didn't even look like he was breathing hard.

5). which brings me to a last point: we are in great 4 quarter shape, and we have actual vocal leadership on this team to rouse that energy and power. We will hit and we will roar all four quarters to the gun. Our guys are REALLY tired of losing to Michigan. We have the extra motivation; they don't.


There is only one thing that gives me anxiety at all --- Michigan State. I've said that I think that this is going to be a bang blasting bloodletting. Two proud lines whaling away at one another. If we get out of there without injury, we will beat Michigan and wonder why exactly we worried so much about it.

 

[PLACforever]

I was always under the impression we were going to have to outscore them to win.

Lol reps - redundant thread is redundant

 

[no.1IrishFan]

Why are you ladies getting so damn butt-hurt over several of us voicing a few concerns we have with DR. The title of the thread is 'Denard Robinson'.

I have all the faith in the world in the Irish. Just voicing some reasonable concerns about DR......in a Denard Robinson thread.......

 

[Riddickulous]

Denard will run around the edge like the last two years for huge yardage. Navy did it.

 

[BurningRiver]

Honestly, Denard doesn't worry me as much as he has in the past. I know he improved during the offseason and allegedly is poised for a Heisman run, but I think he more or less plays to our strengths. Our run defense ranges from good to great, and our defensive line and linebackers have more speed than we've had there in the past decade. Robinson, despite Musberger and Gameday's drooling about his improved passing, still is a sub-par quarterback. An incredible athlete who happens to play quarterback and scares the shiit out of defenses, but not an incredible quarterback. Most of the throws he beat us with last year were horrible throws, jump balls that were caught because of blown coverage or poor mechanics by our corners (Gary Gray, I'm looking at you).

I know he'll hurt us with some big plays, but if we can even partially contain him the way I know we can I'm not that worried about what the rest of Michigan's team can do. Their D-Line is suspect, so we should theoretically have our way in the running game, leaving no need to focus on passing, which is good because Michigan's pass defense is pretty good.

 

[NDinFL]

Bama gave us the blueprint, now let's just go out there and execute.

For 4 fcking quarters.

 

[pkt77242]

Bama gave us the blueprint, now let's just go out there and execute.

For 4 fcking quarters.

And OT if needed.