Kelly's comments after Friday's scrimmage

[Riddickulous]

Kelly's comments after today's scrimmage in relation to the team:

In today's scrimmage, the projected starters played very little. The "key backups" played most of the scrimmage.

- Jonas Gray looked good.

- "We were much more solid up front." Specifically mentioned Mike Golic at center as impressive.

- Dan Fox looked good, took reps at inside linebacker (WILL position).

- Likes the way Rees and Montana are battling. "The spread comes really easily to Tommy". "Nate has a really strong arm." Suprising, considering people knock on Montana often for his arm. Weight-lifting must have improved.

- Tuesday is last day to impress for depth chart spots.

- Will see how much the offensive line can handle and will scale back if they need it.

- "Sense of entitlement" statement during first press conference in December was a motivating tool used for the players to appreciate what they have at Notre Dame. It worked.

- Chris Watt is being "cross-trained" for both center and guard. Says he is "so strong".

- There may be competition between Smith, Neal and Filer for outside linebacker, but they are all going to play regardless of the starter. Neal is the current starter because he plays more physical.

- When asked about offensive line and how they have to adapt from the pro to the spread, Kelly says they needed to adjust to the tempo, altered pass protection and just the layout on the field. Says running game is very similar. Says tackle is the most important position.

 

[Junkhead]

I hope we see the backup QB all the time, but only to kill the clock in a blowout. After seeing Montana's stats as the community college though, I'm scared for a Crist injury (more than I should be). I have no problem with Neal being a starter, he has been misused for years.

 

[phork]

Community College or D1 College, if you have crappy coaches and players it doesn't matter who it is, they will look like crap.

 

[eNDzone]

I hope we see the backup QB all the time, but only to kill the clock in a blowout. After seeing Montana's stats as the community college though, I'm scared for a Crist injury (more than I should be). I have no problem with Neal being a starter, he has been misused for years.

I think our 2nd string should go in and not just kill the clock. I'd like to see what they are made of also.

 

[Irish_Angst]

I think our 2nd string should go in and not just kill the clock. I'd like to see what they are made of also.

I get the impression (but could be totally wrong) that during the season, Kelly will not be into large-scale substitutions (first team, second team, etc); but rather small-scale rotations of players to keep them fresh as the game wears on (particularly with the defense).

If true, I like that approach in that it obviously speeds up the development of non-starters and adding depth. It also puts that extra pressure on opponents who will already be gassed w/ Kelly's game tempo.

If that approach is as successful as I suspect it will be, then there will be a lot of happy players with ample opportunities to see the field.

 

[BGIF]

I think our 2nd string should go in and not just kill the clock. I'd like to see what they are made of also.

For most of the past 16 years there has been a sharp dropoff between the 1's and 2's. Rockne and Leahy used to be able to play an entire second team. For the past 16 years even our 1's haven't dominated. The last dominant OLine played in '93, Taylor, Ruddy, Norman, Leahy, and Zataveski. That was Vinny Cerrato's last group of recruits.

ND hasn't had the depth of great players, nor the great coaching to get the 2nd team meaningful minutes. In Holtz last season ND put up 54 points against Navy, 48 against BC, and 60 and 62 against Rutgers and Pit in a 4 successive games. (also put up 17 in a loss to AF and 20 in a loss to Southern Cal before that after that 4 game explosion). Under Davie ND put up 52 against BC his first year and didn't break 50 thereafter. Willingham hit 57 against Stanford in '03 and managed 40 points in only one other game. Weis who didn't run up the score never hit 50. In 4 OTs against Pit last year he totaled 22.

So realistically there hasn't been an abundance of games for the #2s to do much. Most of those blowouts came from Special Teams and Defensive scores turning games into routs rather than the Second String marching downfield.

With the exception of a few holes ND probably has more depth this years than in most seasons since '93. Kelly also tends to keep his foot on the pedal. He tends to rotate more players than his predecessors and fortunately has more talent to rotate than predecessors had. I expect to see fresh legs rotated in on both sides of the ball but I don't expect to see a lot of the #2 Offensive Units and #2 Defensive Units taking over. That depth isn't there yet.

 

[irishmarine]

While the depth isn't there yet, I think the roots are. Kelly developed players at every school he's been at. When he developes this class' under studies we will become dangerous again.

 

[irish1958]

I may be wrong, but I seem to remember that George Ratterman's second team outscored Lujack's first team in the 1946 national championship season. That is what I would call depth.

 

[Riddickulous]

I may be wrong, but I seem to remember that George Ratterman's second team outscored Lujack's first team in the 1946 national championship season. That is what I would call depth.

And for good reason. That 1946 team was probably the most dominant Irish team of all time.