Let's talk about next year's D

[jiggafini19]

If you played any ball you had to be on the D.

AND YOU KNOW THIS.....MAN!!!

Give it time, guys. Once Weis and Minter get their guys in and have some depth, it's gonna be lights out.

Look at the kids they're recruiting this year on defense. Speed, speed, speed. They're bringing in ends that can pass rush, linebackers that can cover, and solid DB candidates that are also fast CB and safeties that hit like linebackers.

This defense will be special in a few years. In 2006, they need to be solid. The offense was always consistent, so no excuses this time. I've always thought if your offense puts up 24 points, you shouldn't lose.

 

[scooper]

This thread is very interesting and has generated a lot of discussion. It's always cool to get some idea of what's in store for next year. I wanted to do a bit more digging to see where the information came from. I clicked the original link, but it's dead. Luckily Google found it for me. It's at:

http://www.haloscan.com/comments/bluegraysky/115065069230036976/

Not really much more information than what's been posted, so for now we'll just have to wonder whether this is real or imagined.

I put more validity in his post after having it taken down than after he first put it up. I'm still not 100% it's not fiction, but it's a very interesting read none the less. Thanks.

 

[mlcspinner]

If the D line can put a little pressure on the QB and the safetys don't bite so hard on play-action this year I think our D is going to be just fine. Maybe you think I'm crazy but with our offense I think this could be a very special year.

 

[irish1137]

Why not make Lambert the weakside corner. Make Zibby apache and move Richardson to saftey?

 

[loweND]

Why not make Lambert the weakside corner. Make Zibby apache and move Richardson to saftey?

Richardson played really well for us last year at corner. Zibby is an all-american caliber safety. I think switching them to new positions in their last year would probably be a waste of their talent.

 

[scooper]

Zibby as a LB comes up from time to time. Did you see the fight? Zibby is filled out. He is about at his max weight. He is built like a solid safety. He is not a linebacker. Even a smaller one.

He'd get beat up a bit playing up on the line too much. Keep him at safety where he has room to wind up his punches, so to speak.

 

[jiggafini19]

A few things about Minter's 11:

1. This secondary is going to be better. It will be hard for them to be any worse. I see the 2005 strides Richardson made and think Ambrose Wooden will make those same strides in 2006. Duke and Zib are monster hitters at the safety spots. If they play back more and support the pass, dudes will get hurt.
Also, don't forget that Lambert, Herring and Bruton all performed well in spring. They can be counted on for nickel and dime scenarios. I expect both Herring and Bruton to start in 2007, with Herring moving from free to strong safety when Zib leaves. Leo Ferrine is in there too, though I'm not so much confident on him just yet. He has logged significant minutes, though, and I expect him to improve as well.

2. The D line looks nice, though not deep or especially great by any means. Call them solid. The main issue is the linebacking corps. I love Crum being in the middle, but Mitchell Thomas really impressed me at the Blue and Gold Game. Right now, I have to assume that Crum stays Apache, Thomas plays MIKE and Brockington WILL. I can see Mo Richardson working into the WILL mix soon. Moving Crum to the middle causes some major shuffling.

 

[Vince Young]

Richardson alone gives me hope. I thought he was pathetic in 2004, and when I saw that Weis was keeping him as a starter in '05, I remember thinking to myself, "You mean Charlie couldn't find anyone better than THAT guy? Geez, our defense is gonna be in trouble this year." But I have to give Richardson credit: he got burned far fewer times, and while he still has a ways to go, I liked the improvement I saw, especially over the course of the entire season. And if these coaches can get RICHARDSON to play better, they can get ANYONE to play better.

I still think our D this year is going to give up a lot of points and yards, but we will see an improvement. And considering how close the Michigan State and USC losses were, just a slight improvement on D would've turned both losses into wins. So even a slight improvement could make all the difference. We'll still find ourselves in a couple of shoot-outs, but this time we should be able to win those.

 

[KMac151993]

You gotta remember eventhough Ambrose Wooden was burned in that USC game on 4th down he was still right there and nearly made the play....this secondary isnt perfect by any means but they aren't as bad as people make them out to be; I think a lot of it is we still have players that don't really fit together well into the overall scheme and until we do we won't see Minter's dominanting defense.

 

[Irish Envy]

Give it time, guys. Once Weis and Minter get their guys in and have some depth, it's gonna be lights out.

I fully believe that depth is the single most important aspect to any top defense. Does anyone have any doubt that we wouldn't have stopped USC on 4th and 22 if we had a fresher secondary?

I don't... not in the slightest.

In almost every game of the season, our defense started out great but faded as the game progressed. As we continue to build quality depth at every position, I have no doubt in my mind that Minter's defensive philosophy will work. None.

 

[KMac151993]

You gotta remember also too that we really stopped USC's offense dead in its tracks Leinhart, Jarrett, White were all held in check we just got run over by the best player in over a decade in college football...but who didn't even Texas's mighty D couldn't stop Bush.

 

[mirertobrooks]

Michigan St did not suck last year, they sucked the second half of the season after they blew the field goal before half against Ohio St. They are very good on offense. But you guys are probably right, we won't have a D like the 85 Bears so we probably have no chance.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

You gotta remember eventhough Ambrose Wooden was burned in that USC game on 4th down he was still right there and nearly made the play....this secondary isnt perfect by any means but they aren't as bad as people make them out to be;

If you watch the play a few times, you will see its almost undefendable. It was a perfect fade.

Now, if you look at the secondary they were that bad in the sense that they got caught out of a position more than a couple of times and still have not learned to play cohesively.

That's not due to a lack of individual talent though, its due to being green.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

Michigan St did not suck last year, they sucked the second half of the season after they blew the field goal before half against Ohio St.

MSU was horrible last year. Go look at who they played when they did not look bad. Then go look at who they played when they lost.

Of course they looked good early on...their schedule was weaker than stone soup.

First 4 games (4-0) they start with 3 pansies and ND:
Kent State (49-14)
Hawaii (42-14)
ND (44-41)
Illinois (61-14)

Next 7 games (1-6) they play in the Big Ten schedule:
UM - 31-34
OSU - 24-35
NW - 14-49
IU - 46-15
Purdue - 21-28
UMinn - 18-41
PennSt - 22-31

They were HORRIBLE.

No amount of saying "Well, they were on fire when they beat Kent State & Hawaii" can make our loss better.

We lost to a 5-6 team...a crappy one.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

But you guys are probably right, we won't have a D like the 85 Bears so we probably have no chance.

We don't have a D that's even average... God bless them if they are better this year, I do expect they will improve. But if they don't get their act together, they can kiss the National Title goodbye.

 

[ant80]

I have to say I disagree LoveMyIrish. MSU was really good last year. They pushed UM to the brink and lost because their field goal kicker wasn't good. Against OSU, they literally dissected our defense for most of the game. I know, I was at the game. Sure the OSU game's final score seemed lopsided, but we were really worried the first half. That final play in the first half, instead of MSU being up by 13, they were up by 3, a difference of 10. The UM and OSU games showcased MSU's talent last year. However, they did fall apart after that last play of the 1st half against us, especially with John L. Smith yelling at the coaches.

 

[KMac151993]

Michigan State was average to poor at best and to get this thread back on topic our defense is a reaction defense we aren't an attacking defense yet and until we are we won't be that dominanting defense that everyone so desires....hopefully this year with all 4 guys in the secondary returning and pretty much the same guys in the front 4 having 9 of the 11 back starting again they can work better together and have much better results.

 

[mirertobrooks]

Ok guys I'm sorry for all the Mich St crap and the sarcasm. They just piss me off so much, I mean they play 1 big game every year, AGAINST US. They are the reason I don't sleep well at night, they are the reason I won't travel to Michigan, wear the color green, watch movies involving gladitor type war scenarios, they are my #1 on my you know what list. Actually they are 1a behind BC. But Ok back to the D, alot of this makes sense and you guys are kinda right, maybe I'm just trying to convince myself they will improve. Oh well. So I'm curious to know what your opinions are on where are major weaknesses are. Let's not just sight the Fiesta Bowl because we know everything was bad that day. Including our incoming class and all other intangibles, where do you all think we must improve the most, and where are our strengths, with the emphasis on the discussion being next year? What teams pose the biggest threat to us? and do we stick with the experienced horses, or test out the young colts?

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

I have to say I disagree LoveMyIrish. MSU was really good last year.

Really good as defined by what? Seriously...they were lousy all year.

Sure they took UM to the wire. Did you happen to notice that UM had only 7 wins?

With the exception of us, they lost to every decent team they played.

 

[irishfan81]

How come I didn't see Darrin Walls and Raeshon McNeill from what I saw at the Blue and Gold game and from last year and some buddies of mine Ambrose or Richardson are still "Pumpfake" Wooden and "Can't Cover" Richardson. I hope both Walls and McNeill show the 2 of them up in practice to get playing time and maybe start after Weis has enough of the big plays and stuff like that or maybe sooner. Them 2 are gonna be the real deal for the next 4 years.
________
Honda CBR1000RR

 

[scooper]

How come I didn't see Darrin Walls and Raeshon McNeill from what I saw at the Blue and Gold game and from last year and some buddies of mine Ambrose or Richardson are still "Pumpfake" Wooden and "Can't Cover" Richardson. I hope both Walls and McNeill show the 2 of them up in practice to get playing time and maybe start after Weis has enough of the big plays and stuff like that or maybe sooner. Them 2 are gonna be the real deal for the next 4 years.

Or maybe, as very often happens, the current players who do have the speed, improve and mature. It does happen.

I'm excited about the guys coming in. But relying right away on a bunch of freshman is not very smart.

 

[jiggafini19]

Darrin Walls has already said he isn't physically ready. He will need to get stronger to be more physical.

No one on the 2005 team improved more than Mike Richardson did. His performance was overshadowed by the gaudy offensive stats that were registered. You will see Ambrose Wooden make those kind of strides in 2006. Keep in mind that Ndukewe was playing Apache LB in spring of 2005 as well.

Bottom line is this: Minter's 11 does not need to be dominant, but they cannot be an opportunistic unit either. They need to be reliable and consistent. I think they can be and will be. The second year of being in a system is always easier. 2004 to 2005 showed little to no improvement on defense whatsoever after Pitt and Michigan.

This team will be better, but it all starts up front. Hopefully Minter uses blitzing as a calculated risk and isn't reckless with it. The secondary, dare I say it, will be the strength of this unit.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

This team will be better, but it all starts up front. Hopefully Minter uses blitzing as a calculated risk and isn't reckless with it. The secondary, dare I say it, will be the strength of this unit.

Now that prediction takes stones!!!

But I like it.

Honestly, the secondary is my biggest concern...but I hope that they can hold and that our pass rush improves. If the pass rush improves the secondary will be that much better, since they won't be hung out to dry for so long.

 

[jiggafini19]

The linebackers and anyone on the D Line who ISN'T a starter worry me.

I'm not much of a Minter fan, but I'm a huge defense fan. And I think he will get these guys closer to where they need to be to contend for a title.

 

[KMac151993]

I have always put my faith in Minter...he isn't flashy or great but just seems to get the job done with what he is given.

 

[knute]

I lived in Pittsburgh for the past 5 years while Charlie Weis's boys were handing it to Bettis and the Steelers every year (until Charlie left and the Steelers finally put it together). What I remember about the Patriots defense is that they never seemed to take a lot of chances and they didn't blitz much.

They covered well, they tackled well and they collapsed the pocket putting pressure on the quarterback. I'd love to see Notre Dame take a page from that book. Nothing flashy, just get the job done.

 

[loweND]

I got to thinking today and I think that the loss we suffered to Ohio State last year might have been the best thing that could have happened to us. You can tell that it really affected Charlie. It seems like he went away from that game and asked himself how he was going to fix the defense.

The rumours are pretty aggressive. A defense with 5 dbs on the field most plays, converting an integral part of his offense to defense (T.Thomas)... You have to hand it to Charlie if this stuff is true. He sees a problem and he takes a stab at fixing it instead of just hoping things will slowly improve.

 

[jiggafini19]

converting an integral part of his offense to defense (T.Thomas)

There is no way this is going to happen. If he had gotten any reps with the D this past spring, someone would have written about it.

Thomas and Walker are the only two backs on the roster with letters. I'm not buying this for one second.

 

[irishnd31]

How come I didn't see Darrin Walls and Raeshon McNeill from what I saw at the Blue and Gold game and from last year and some buddies of mine Ambrose or Richardson are still "Pumpfake" Wooden and "Can't Cover" Richardson. I hope both Walls and McNeill show the 2 of them up in practice to get playing time and maybe start after Weis has enough of the big plays and stuff like that or maybe sooner. Them 2 are gonna be the real deal for the next 4 years.

I didn't think that Wooden and Richardson played that badly at the Spring Game.

 

[jiggafini19]

I didn't think that Wooden and Richardson played that badly at the Spring Game.

Interestingly enough, Mike Richardson did not play at all. Not sure what that guy was watching.

Ambrose Wooden had an interception off of that gimmick play where Samardzija threw a pass.

Here is who participated in the game:

Gold: 4-VERNAGLIA, 7-BRAGG, 9-ZBIKOWSKI, 11-GRIMES, 13-SHARPLEY, 14-WOLKE, 17-PRICE, 18-NDUKWE, 20-LAMBERT, 22-WOODEN,
26-THOMAS, T., 35-McCONNELL, 38-POSSLEY, 45-GIOIA, 47-THOMAS, M., 48-QUINN, S., 60-CULLEN, 66-LANDRI, 87-FREEMAN, 98-LAWS,
99-TALLEY.

Blue: 2B-IAMS, 2A-WILLIAMS, 3-WALKER, 5-McKNIGHT, 6-HERRING, 9A-KUNTZ, 10-QUINN, B., 15-FERRINE, 17-PRICE, 27-BRUTON, 41-SMITH,
42-WASHINGTON, 44-SCHWAPP, 45-GIOIA, 56-BORSETI, 57-STEPHENSON JR., 59-STEWART, 69-KENNEDY, 83-SAMARDZIJA, 89-CARLSON, 92-HAND,
94-BROWN.