Field Goals

[ND Lifer]

I don't get Charlie's thinking on letting D. J. Fitzpatrick continue to try for field goals in the game. It almost cost us the game and a BCS bid. Goia didn't look that bad when he made the one field goal. I don't get it???????

 

[AlbuquerqueIrishFan]

It's easy for us to second guess Charlie and I was thinking the same thing, but he's out coach and he knows best. But I tell you what, that dam Fitzpatrick really made me pissed off. He single handedly tried to lose the game for us and nearly suceeded.

 

[Vince Young]

Whoa, whoa, let's not play "blame the kicker" here. Fitzpatrick was injured late in last week's game. Fitzpatrick didn't exactly aim a gun at Weis's head and force his way on to the field tonight. He made 2 PATs, then missed a field goal and another PAT, and Charlie Weis pulled him, then put him back in for the final miss. That's the coach's call, and obviously Weis felt better putting a high-pressure kick on DJ's shoulders rather than on a rookie kicker who's kicked exactly 2 field goals in his college career.

Personally, I didn't like that decision either. Fitzpatrick was obviously off tonight because of that injury, and Charlie should've sat him for that reason alone. But when Charlie called DJ's number on that last kick, what was DJ supposed to do? Sit there and refuse to play?

Blame the coach on this one. Even Prince Charles can blow a call now and then.

 

[absoluteirish59]

To be honest with you guys, i'm not upset with the kickers as much as i am with charlies play calling there late in the fourth. We hated ty because the team was too conservative and not aggressive enough. We had first and goal on the 8yard line and ran three straight times up the middle. I know charlie wanted to make stanford use up their timeouts and the irish were rushing the ball pretty well late in the game, BUT we should have gone for the kill there. ND has been unbelievably successful on playaction passes in the redzone this year and we definitely would have been able to score in my opinion because stanford had 9 in the box. They knew we were running. We threw jump balls to our recievers all night long. Why not there? I know it was probably the "smart" thing to do to run, but our kicking game clearly was a problem and no sure thing. I'm sure alot of you wont agree, but i would have thrown the ball on that series. That's how we got to where we are, the pass. I know darius is good ,but our main weapon is brady's arm. Anyway thats just my opinion. I'm aggressive. I hate conservative coaches, they never win.

 

[bigdon]

It is interesting that Weis is being questioned about his decision to let Fitzpatrick kick and his play calling in the 4th quarter. We all think Weis is great but he makes mistakes just like every other human.

If Fitzpatrick makes the FG's Weis looks super. As it is, it looks like he made a mistake. Coaches live and die on these decisions. (some even get fired).

I think Weis will be questioned on this and I am anxious to hear his post game press conf.

 

[irish4life99]

I agree with the play calling late when we really could have put it way. But that has been an exception rather than the rule. If CW has had the oppritunity, he usually goes through the throat. Not sure what he was thinking last night. But the O got it done, and that's what counts.

 

[gingtoad]

Has anyone noticed? CW always has these "Crap Plays" that everyone is thinking, "What the hell?" Just like the Michigan State game. Some of the play calling was questionable, but when the game is on the line, CW saves his best plays for when he absolutley needs them. The final drive against The Cardinal was awesome. Maybe you can blame it on the prevent defense, but I think the play calling had something to do with it as well. CW has a plan, he knows what he is doing.

 

[irishnd31]

Fellas, C-Dub is huge on using the guys that got us there. Fitzy is one of those guys that got us there. Hell, in that situation, I would have done the same thing that C-Dub did. Play the senior that got us there. The kid is hurt and put forth his best effort. Let's not get too down on Fitzy. We have a huge bowl game coming and we will need Fitzy there. By the time the game rolls around, I'm sure Fitz will have his kinks worked out!!!!

FEAR NOT MY FELLOW IRISH BRETHREN, FITZPATRICK WILL BE 100% COME THE BOWL GAME.

HERE COME THE IRISH!!!!

 

[Aerosmith777]

I've said this before, and I'll say it again, I will not miss D.J. when he's gone. I know he was injured last night, but I didn't like him a whole lot before he got injured either. He's missed kicks in high pressure situations a couple of times this year (see the USC game). I'm not sure if this whole kicker/punter thing works either. I really am starting to think you should just have a specialist for each. I know it means an extra spot on the roster, but after a missed extra point and 2 missed field goals last night, I think that spot it worth it. Bring on Ryan Burkhart.

 

[Slingsup]

Bring on Ryan Burkhart.

I agree. I read an article about him in the South Bend Tribune today. His school won the 3A state championship in Indiana. You have to be excited about a guy that is relatively unknown but was the best kicker in some camp in Indy...and is a champion...and believes Notre Dame is his "dream school."

http://www.southbendtribune.com/app...Sports06/511270519/-1/HSSPORTS/CAT=HSSports06

 

[jiggafini19]

Weis had his first bad game of the year from a coaching standpoint. But the play calling on the final drive saved him big time.

Fitzpatrick hasn't been that good when healthy. He missed an extra point. That should have been the sign there he wasn't 100%. The other kid nailed his FG and he trots Fitzpatrick back out there to miss another?

Weis made a bad decision.

 

[Vince Young]

Here's the thing to keep in mind. As I said before, even Prince Charlie can blow a call now and then. That said, I'm also confident that he is capable of learning from his mistakes.

I really only see two downsides to Charlie, looking back on the season as a whole. He has a tendency to get "cute" with his playcalling (going for it on 4th and 17 and what-not, though he makes it work a lot, doesn't he?), and he's still trying to get a handle on the difference in emotional state between the pro adults he's used to working with and the college kids he's had to work with this year.

I think the second one came into play in the Michigan State game when he overrelied so much on the completely green Schwapp, resulting in some bad runs and key fumbles. Weis learned from that and has kept Schwapp under much less pressure throughout the rest of the season, and as a result he's really come into his own back there at fullback.

But he took that lesson a little too far last night. He remembered what happened the last time he much too much on a freshman's shoulders, and when it came time for a high-pressure field goal, he went with the injured but battle-tested veteran DJ Fitzpatrick. Right lesson, wrong time. But Charlie will learn from that too.

No coach is perfect, and Weis will be the first to admit that. But what makes this coach different from the previous one is that when he screws up, he adjusts, he improves, and he learns.

Plus, hey, he won the game in the end. Can't complain too much about that.

 

[Irish Envy]

I agree. I read an article about him in the South Bend Tribune today. His school won the 3A state championship in Indiana. You have to be excited about a guy that is relatively unknown but was the best kicker in some camp in Indy...and is a champion...and believes Notre Dame is his "dream school."

http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051127/HSSports06/511270519/-1/HSSPORTS/CAT=HSSports06

They defeated the defending state champion, too. It was very impressive.

 

[Domer95]

It's easy for us to second guess Charlie and I was thinking the same thing, but he's out coach and he knows best. But I tell you what, that dam Fitzpatrick really made me pissed off. He single handedly tried to lose the game for us and nearly suceeded.

AIF,
LIGHTEN UP!!! Fitz didn't 'try to lose the game'. It's not like he plays for Northwestern or ASU and is trying to shave points.....

If you didn't notice, he was wearing a knee brace on his KICKING LEG. Fitz also didn't play poor coverage or miss a tackle on a kickoff return either. IT'S A TEAM GAME. Oh, and btw, with his first PAT, he broke Craig Hentrick's record with 50 straight PATs.

AGAIN, IT'S A TEAM GAME.

 

[Irish Envy]

AGAIN, IT'S A TEAM GAME.

Had our DBs stayed within 20 yards of their receivers it would have been a 56-0 blowout.

 

[jiggafini19]

It is safe to say that with the first regular season under his belt, CW has revamped the offense in ways we had never dreamed.

The defense and special teams still need lots of work. I think special teams has been addressed via recruiting. The class still needs DTs and linebackers.

I don't like Rick Minter's scheme at all. The safeties are too close to the line and the corners get beat deep way too much because of it. Richardson and Wooden, correct me if I'm wrong, were both offensive players in high school. They haven't been at this very long and it shows.

 

[NDgettysburg]

If you didn't notice, he was wearing a knee brace on his KICKING LEG.

This, to me, is why he shouldn't have gotten another chance after missing the PAT and previous FG, especially since our backup hit the next FG. I don't blame DJ too much, how can you kick with a brace on your leg, ESPECIALLY the kicking leg? I can't imagine what CW was thinking.

 

[jiggafini19]

It is interesting that Weis is being questioned about his decision to let Fitzpatrick kick and his play calling in the 4th quarter. We all think Weis is great but he makes mistakes just like every other human.
If Fitzpatrick makes the FG's Weis looks super. As it is, it looks like he made a mistake. Coaches live and die on these decisions. (some even get fired).
I think Weis will be questioned on this and I am anxious to hear his post game press conf.

He had a bad game. Simple as that.

That's not to say that he should be canned or have some stupid website put up to get him out. I just don't get why he used Fitzpatrick when the guy has a brace on his leg.

The missed XP and FG could have proved FATAL. I don't like kickers. To me, they have two purposes: kicking extra points after touchdowns and kicking off after touchdowns. That is the only time I want to see them. Too many times, coaches put these guys in big time situations to take kicks they have no chance of making...and they don't make them.

Sunday, I watched the guy on Tampa miss a 29 yarder against the Bears. 29 yards....

SEC coaches are famous for trotting these below average kickers out on the field for 40+ yarders. I can't recall how many times I saw SEC games where a kicker missed 3, 4 or even 5 in one game.

Leaving the outcome of the game in the hands of these kickers makes me very uneasy. And purposely playing for field goals is the dumbest strategy in the world. Score 6 if you can!!