Post Game Observations (Stanford)....

[gkIrish]

This post is going to get very real very quickly but I will try to keep my composure.

To the constant Pessimists/Kelly haters that annoy the hell out of me:

1. There is no one on our roster that is a better option at QB than Rees. STOP calling for Zaire to play. It's extremely ignorant and shows that you know nothing about college football. STOP blaming Kelly for losing Gunner, etc. Not his fault in any way and again, you sound dumb if you think it was.

2. Our team was absolutely riddled with injuries today and the rest of the season and we played a hell of a game overall. Lost by 7 to a team everyone in the country really respects and we had multiple chances to win. If you thought this team was going 12-0 or 11-1 again after Golson was suspended you have no grasp of reality whatsoever and should stop commenting on how bad the team is because we probably exceeded our expectations if you take into account all the injuries. Shouldn't have lost to Pitt or Michigan but shouldn't have beat ASU or MSU so it evens out.

3. We are way better off than we were under Weis. A Weis team would have been blown out today. No doubt in my mind. Kelly is the guy and even if he wasn't, no one better is coming. So stop with that nonsense.

To the constant Optimists/Kelly supporters that annoy the hell out of me:

1. For a guy that supposedly tries really hard, Tommy Rees is one of the strangest/frustrating players of all time. He makes the same mistakes all the time and needs to be held accountable for that. STOP THROWING OFF YOUR BACK FOOT ON DEEP ROUTES. I promise you that you will stop underthrowing your receivers if you do that. STOP ignoring your limitations and throwing into tight coverage when you don't have any pressure coming because your O-Line is doing there job. STOP checking into draw plays every time you are worried a blitz is coming. It's a fucking joke how much HE HAS NOT LEARNED.

2. For the love of all that is holy stop calling certain plays. Idk who the hell is deciding to run empty backfields on 3rd and short with a statue for a QB, but that's stupid. Idk who is deciding to roll out your statue QB, but that's stupid. Idk who the hell decides to ignore our stud TE all game, but that's stupid.

3. If we burn another timeout for absolute no reason ever again I might literally pull my hair out. I watch a shitload of college football and have never in my life seen any other team do it as often as Notre Dame since Kelly has been here. It's literally mind-boggling.

4. Matthias Farley playing so much is absurd. Dude literally waits for running backs and receivers to get to him and doesn't know how to tackle. I blame the staff 100% for anything he does wrong and for putting him on the field even though he has no clue what he is doing. YOU LITERALLY CANNOT PLAY WORSE FOOTBALL THAN HIM. No reason not to play Redfield as much as humanly possible today. Stop apologizing for his poor play.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

Ehhh, Nix was out, but we need to learn how to play without him because he will never play for ND again. I was hoping we could stop the run without him.

 

[returnofthemack]

i'd like to see us in a 4-3 as well, but i thought jones played pretty decent tonight he was in a good number of plays

Jones is good but it's too easy to get leverage on somebody that big. Nix is wide, which is perfect for a 3-4 NT. We have nobody that fits that description for next year.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

Next year: Okwara-Day-Jarron-Ishaq then Jaylon-Grace-Moore.

 

[Bluto]

Was at the game. It all came down to one player, Tommy. He under threw open receivers on the side line all night and his picks killed us. D did a good job all things considered. Tommy just couldn't get it done.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

Rees supporters, Rees bashers, we can all agree on one thing: Charlie Weis was drunk as fuck when he was recruiting QBs in 2009.

 

[returnofthemack]

Next year: Okwara-Day-Jarron-Ishaq then Jaylon-Grace-Moore.

Moore's not the right fit there - he's a thumper. I'd probably put Okwara at OLB, Rochell at DE. AND REDFIELD AT SAFETY.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

Oh cool I can say fuck now.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/w5iCKMkYKgs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[woolybug25]

i'd like to see us in a 4-3 as well, but i thought jones played pretty decent tonight he was in a good number of plays

He might have made a few tackles, but I think it is unquestionable that Gaffney gashed us up the middle all game long.

 

[returnofthemack]

Rees supporters, Rees bashers, we can all agree on one thing: Charlie Weis was drunk as fuck when he was recruiting QBs in 2009.

Weis wanted to avoid a logjam at QB. He believed Dayne would be a stud and probably would have gone hard after a QB in '10. Obviously it didn't turn out well, but I can't say I love the impending QB logjam and inevitable transfers we have now.

 

[GoIrish41]

KMoose. Thanks for these threads all year. Always good to hear what people's impressions are after the game ... for the most part. lol. Anyway, great job. I really enjoy these threads.

 

[CarrollVermin]

Kelly and the staff did all they could. I'm usually critical...very critical...but I'm damn proud of our effort tonight.

Also saw a stat, Saban is 7-5 vs. FBS teams in November...tough to win at the end of the season.

 

[woolybug25]

Oh, and GK's post above is excellent. I won't quote it, as it's long, but damn is it on the money.

Rep that man!

 

[Irishman77]

Next year: Okwara-Day-Jarron-Ishaq then Jaylon-Grace-Moore.

Ishaq is slipping further down the depth chart. No emotion at all....Rochell will take his downs

 

[woolybug25]

Ishaq is slipping further down the depth chart. No emotion at all....Rochell will take his downs

I don't see that at all.

 

[KPENN]

Ishaq is slipping further down the depth chart. No emotion at all....Rochell will take his downs

I hate when people say shit like this.

 

[ACamp1900]

I don't see that at all.

Nor do I... He's been solid all year, few WOW plays, but few OUCH plays also...

 

[palinurus]

1. Tough loss tonight. You can really see how close ND is to being able to play with just about anyone. At times, ND clearly had the talent and execution to win this game. At other times, they looked like a middle of road ACC team.

2. Turnovers.............. I'd prefer that everyone use a little class when discussing this point, but Tommy really hurt our chances with two late INTs. But he also hung in to deliver a completion, on many plays in the first 3 quarters, that kept us close.

3. We obviously need to get better in the secondary. Tackling was poor, and coverage was spotty. But, just when you are about to scream about Farley or Jackson, they make an excellent play. Again.......... inconsistency.

4. We played to a draw, I think, on both sides of the line tonight. Neither team really dominated the LOS all night. They dominated in spurts, but not consistently.

5. This team played hard for 4 quarters. No one quit, and I bet that not a one of the starters has anything left in the tank right now. I think they truly left it all out there on the field.

6. Red Zone offense continues to baffle me. I get that we are missing a mobile QB who can make plays with his feet, but can we not find another way to keep the defense honest? Every pass play in the Red Zone goes into the End Zone. Why not run some crossing routes underneath, and try to get a WR running away from a LB or DB? Or how about a swing pass to the RB? Give me something other than a fade or a halfback dive.

This is my main point, and has been all year. I don't always understand the play selection given Tommy's limitations. BTW I thought Rees actually played pretty well most of the night and I thought the play calling was much better, but in crunch time, they went back to a critical play or two that expect too much of Tommy.

On first down, with 4 minutes left, they called the long pass to the left; it's badly underthrown and it's picked off. That pass is just not Tommy's strength; it's not that he can't do it; it's that he can't do it consistently, so why do it with the game on the line? You are just hoping. I'd love to see a break down and analysis of Tommy's INTs this year; I'd guess many to most are on passes longer than 30 yards. (Of course the endzone issues are something else.) That to me was the biggest problem, and even that was late.

I thought we were outmatched in the first half, but they played hard, got better, and really did themselves proud in terms of effort and spirit.

Good OL protection again; good line and LB play in the second half.

Good job by coaches getting undermanned squad to compete. Very high marks. I think our team is under a lot of scrutiny most of the time and expectations are high; this was a case where they weren't expected to do well, and so they actually played a strong, even "relaxed" (ie, not tight) game (unlike Michigan and Pitt, eg). I feel like our guys press too much; I'd really like to figure out how to avoid that.

Overall, hard to lose, when we could have won but kudos to coaches and kids for playing a good team, on the road, and playing mostly very well, and to the end -- and in a way they kept decent momentum for the program. No shame in that game.

 

[arrowryan]

We need a back like that Gaffney kid.

 

[woolybug25]

We need a back like that Gaffney kid.

We have one in Folston. He's just younger and sharing carries.

 

[ACamp1900]

We need a back like that Gaffney kid.

We had one, but he flipped to UNC... We may or may not have one in Bryant... We will see where he is this time next year...

Though, I'm loving Folston... Just need play callers ready to use him to his full potential.

 

[Irishman77]

I hate when people say shit like this.

Ishaq is solid ..I just feel he has had 3 years and their is little or no separation from him and Romeo, Rochell etc. I hope he tears it up but I am more excited to see the younger guys

 

[arrowryan]

We have one in Folston. He's just younger and sharing carries.

George is pretty much the exact same size as Gaffney, except George runs like a puss.

I think Folston is much more shiftier than Gaffney though

 

[CanadalovesND]

Sounds like Tommy was one of the players who had/has the flu..

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Kelly said Tommy Rees was in university hospital St. Liam’s on Friday getting an IV.</p>— Andrew Owens (@BGI_AndrewOwens) <a href="https://twitter.com/BGI_AndrewOwens/statuses/406993356342837249">December 1, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

The team was supposed to have a big Thanksgiving meal Thursday afternoon but didn't eat until midnight. Rees was in the kitchen audibling every recipe when they were about to cook. Ended up with the same meal they were going to have in the first place.

 

[KPENN]

George is pretty much the exact same size as Gaffney, except George runs like a puss.

I think Folston is much more shiftier than Gaffney though

Good god your obsession with GA is just odd.

 

[kmoose]

We had one, but he flipped to UNC... We may or may not have one in Bryant... We will see where he is this time next year...

Though, I'm loving Folston... Just need play callers ready to use him to his full potential.

Folston still has to earn a few things, though. There was a play tonight, where we ran play action..... Rees almost got his head taken off, right after the fake, by the blitzing OLB. An experienced back sees that coming, and adjusts his "route" on the fake to meet the blitzer, thereby saving his QB. He runs pretty well, though. And those little things will come with more experience.

 

[woolybug25]

George is pretty much the exact same size as Gaffney, except George runs like a puss.

I think Folston is much more shiftier than Gaffney though

I've always said that "shiftiness" has little to do with RB success. Vision is the #1 attribute imo.

While I think Gaffney doesn't have Folston's "shiftiness", he is better because of his "vision". Folston will get that over time. If he does, he already has the speed, shiftiness and "push forward" that a RB needs to be successful. I'm really high on the kid. I've said for weeks that we shouldn't be giving carries to anybody but Folston and McDaniel. Thunder and lightning.

 

[N_D_Fighting_Irish]

Very disappointing loss.

1. Our defense played basically 9 vs Stanford's 11. Our safeties were useless. They either lacked the athleticism or toughness to contribute anything meaningful. It was embarrassing. I have never seen a safety cower when an opposing RB is coming at him. Why is he playing?

2. Our offense played relatively well, but when it counted it was disappointing to watch.

3. Tommy Rees played up to his abilities. Nothing more to say.

4. Playcalling. No complaints...except for the FUCKIN ROLLOUTS. WHY? The audibles? I have never seen a QB other than Manning that checks and audibles or what the fuck he does before every single f'ing snap.

5. Special Teams. What an embarrassment!

Wasted year.

 

[Black Irish]

Sounds like Tommy was one of the players who had/has the flu..

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Kelly said Tommy Rees was in university hospital St. Liam’s on Friday getting an IV.</p>— Andrew Owens (@BGI_AndrewOwens) <a href="https://twitter.com/BGI_AndrewOwens/statuses/406993356342837249">December 1, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

AFAIK there is not a Saint Liam.