Post Game Observations

[jason_h537]

Since no one else started it, I guess I will.

The Good:
Defense: Great, especially up front. Solid pressure and few running lanes all game.
Gray/Wood: Got a lil scared when Wood limped off. If they keep holding onto the ball they will make a great duo
Eifert: stepped up when needed
Ben Turn: Great game today

The Bad:
The D still struggled when the QB kept it
Too many holding calls on the o-line
Special Teams: Ruffer's miss and the penalty on the punt really hurt

The Ugly:
Tommy Rees: 2 more turnovers and keeps locking onto Floyd. Got to hold on to the ball and spread it around. I know he had a solid drive reminding everyone why he is starting, but against a better team he won't have that opportunity.

 

[koonja]

Since no one else started it, I guess I will.

The Good:
Defense: Great, especially up front. Solid pressure and few running lanes all game.
Gray/Wood: Got a lil scared when Wood limped off. If they keep holding onto the ball they will make a great duo
Eifert: stepped up when needed
Ben Turn: Great game today

The Bad:
The D still struggled when the QB kept it
Too many holding calls on the o-line
Special Teams: Ruffer's miss and the penalty on the punt really hurt

The Ugly:
Tommy Rees: 2 more turnovers and keeps locking onto Floyd. Got to hold on to the ball and spread it around. I know he had a solid drive reminding everyone why he is starting, but against a better team he won't have that opportunity.

The Good:

1) We won
2) Eifert is amazing
3) Flemming and Shembo showed why we're all so excited about them
4) Blanton is a baller
5) Cierre is consistently producing
6) Jonas Gray has played like an absolute man (I still think if he doesn't fumble that play Crist is our starting QB)
7) Theo came alive
8) Floyd, as always
9) Our defense as a whole
10) Tommy's last drive

The Bad:

1) O-line in run blocking. Jonas/Cierre were forced to bounce it out too many times.
2) Gary Gray still struggling to find the ball even though he's blanketing his man

The Ugly:

1) Our QB play. Going against the worst passing defense in CFB
2) Pitt's passing defense earned that worst-ranking against Buffalo, Maine, and Iowa
3) 9 TOs in 3.5 games by Rees
4) The fact that our defense has to play lights out in order for us to win
5) The fact that we needed a game winning TD in the final minutes in order to pull out a W.

 

[tko]

The Good:

1) We won
2) Eifert is amazing
3) Flemming and Shembo showed why we're all so excited about them
4) Blanton is a baller
5) Cierre is consistently producing
6) Jonas Gray has played like an absolute man (I still think if he doesn't fumble that play Crist is our starting QB)
7) Theo came alive
8) Floyd, as always
9) Our defense as a whole
10) Tommy's last drive

The Bad:

1) O-line in run blocking. Jonas/Cierre were forced to bounce it out too many times.
2) Gary Gray still struggling to find the ball even though he's blanketing his man

The Ugly:

1) Our QB play. Going against the worst passing defense in CFB
2) Pitt's passing defense earned that worst-ranking against Buffalo, Maine, and Iowa
3) 9 TOs in 3.5 games by Rees
4) The fact that our defense has to play lights out in order for us to win
5) The fact that we needed a game winning TD in the final minutes in order to pull out a W.

Bad: Fox being in the game

 

[koonja]

Bad: Fox being in the game

True that. And also, on the good, Hercules killed someone at the end of a KR. It was awesome.

 

[koonja]

Also, today was the first time I didn't want to try out for the ND punting position.

I thought he kicked the ball pretty well today.

 

[Ludzil#1]

This team need a TON of work. QB situation worries me.

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

This team need a TON of work. QB situation worries me.

Fear not, Young Ludzil.... All will be well. Now, go summon up my wenches, for I have worked a King's thirst and am need of a refill. Mutton and my finest swill for all on a day of victory...

 

[Whiskeyjack]

That was the worst game I've ever seen out of Jordan Cowart. Ruffer's missed FG was his fault, and he almost sailed a punt over Turk's head. Our problems on ST too frequently get blamed on the kicker and punter, but they go deeper than that.

Eifert was terrible for the first three quarters. That final drive redeemed him, but not enough to put him in the "Good" column.

I'm beginning to think that our defense is schematically disadvantaged against mobile QBs. I wonder how hard it would be to shift into a 4-2-5 against the Spread. It's basically like a permanent Nickel package, and TCU has used it very effectively to stuff Spread offenses.

The defense as a whole played extremely well. Pitt was only in that game because Sunseri played his best game of the season, and because Ray Graham was a beast. Most of their successful plays involved Graham juking 1-2 players to turn what should have been nothing into something significant. Can't say I really hold that against our D; Graham's an NFL prospect.

 

[BeatSC]

Since no one else started it, I guess I will.

The Good:
Defense: Great, especially up front. Solid pressure and few running lanes all game.
Gray/Wood: Got a lil scared when Wood limped off. If they keep holding onto the ball they will make a great duo
Eifert: stepped up when needed
Ben Turn: Great game today

The Bad:
The D still struggled when the QB kept it
Too many holding calls on the o-line
Special Teams: Ruffer's miss and the penalty on the punt really hurt

The Ugly:
Tommy Rees: 2 more turnovers and keeps locking onto Floyd. Got to hold on to the ball and spread it around. I know he had a solid drive reminding everyone why he is starting, but against a better team he won't have that opportunity.

Good:

Ben Turk (hope this is theme from now on)
Wood & Gray
Effiert
D-Line
O-line most of the time (one sack allowed) and a good push on 4th downs
Michael Floyd blocking
Lucky we didn't have more Tommy turnovers
No TO's from the rest of the team
Overall team defense especially the D-line
Secondary, some of tose sacks were coverage sacks
last 2 drives when we needed it
Found a way to win and closed out the game with our defensive stand and then a critical
4th down short yardage conversion (that the refs tried to screw us on the spot).

Bad:

QB Play
Playcalling
Too many missed tackles on critical plays
Too many penalties (especially the roughing the punter-bad call)
Punt returns
FG kicking
Dan Fox could have played better and should get a haircut

 

[Riddickulous]

* Tommy Rees is a below average quarterback, at best.

* We have a very good running back duo.

* Michael Floyd was completely silent today.

* Nobody really noticed, but Theo Riddick had a nice game today. 6 catches, 52 yards.

* Tyler Eifert is awesome. So clutch. Amazing hands.

* Pass blocking was eh. Run blocking was slightly less eh.

* Taylor Dever is a mediocre player.

* Our run defense is awesome. Aside from one big 45 yard run, Ray Graham didn't do anything.

* Much better pass rush than in previous weeks. 5 sacks.

* Darius Fleming made some huge plays. The beautiful play inside the five where he kept contain and forced Graham out of bounds for a loss, the two sacks.

* Our linebackers are awful in pass coverage.

* Gary Gray usually has good coverage, but he's just useless with the ball in the air.

* Robert Blanton played well again.

* Zeke Motta is a horrible player. He's just too slow.

* Ben Turk actually had a decent game.

* Atkinson is our kick returner. Nearly broke another one today.

* Kelly was outcoached today.

* Jonas Gray continues to prove everyone wrong. Averaging almost 70 yards per game over the last three weeks.

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

* Tommy Rees is a below average quarterback, at best.

* We have a very good running back duo.

* Michael Floyd was completely silent today.

* Nobody really noticed, but Theo Riddick had a nice game today. 6 catches, 52 yards.

* Tyler Eifert is awesome. So clutch. Amazing hands.

* Pass blocking was eh. Run blocking was slightly less eh.

* Taylor Dever is a mediocre player.

* Our run defense is awesome. Aside from one big 45 yard run, Ray Graham didn't do anything.

* Much better pass rush than in previous weeks. 5 sacks.

* Darius Fleming made some huge plays. The beautiful play inside the five where he kept contain and forced Graham out of bounds for a loss, the two sacks.

* Our linebackers are awful in pass coverage.

* Gary Gray usually has good coverage, but he's just useless with the ball in the air.

* Robert Blanton played well again.

* Zeke Motta is a horrible player. He's just too slow.

* Ben Turk actually had a decent game.

* Atkinson is our kick returner. Nearly broke another one today.

* Kelly was outcoached today.

* Jonas Gray continues to prove everyone wrong. Averaging almost 70 yards per game over the last three weeks.

6-1

 

[BabyIrish]

I agree with most of the observations, except for Tommy Rees locking on Floyd. Floyd had all of his catches except for one in the 1st Quarter. I thought he did a fine job of spreading the ball around.
My question is how has Longo not improved his arm strength during the off season? Or does it have to do with his mechanics?

 

[BeatSC]

* Tommy Rees is a below average quarterback, at best.

* We have a very good running back duo.

* Michael Floyd was completely silent today.

* Nobody really noticed, but Theo Riddick had a nice game today. 6 catches, 52 yards.

* Tyler Eifert is awesome. So clutch. Amazing hands.

* Pass blocking was eh. Run blocking was slightly less eh.

* Taylor Dever is a mediocre player.

* Our run defense is awesome. Aside from one big 45 yard run, Ray Graham didn't do anything.

* Much better pass rush than in previous weeks. 5 sacks.

* Darius Fleming made some huge plays. The beautiful play inside the five where he kept contain and forced Graham out of bounds for a loss, the two sacks.

* Our linebackers are awful in pass coverage.

* Gary Gray usually has good coverage, but he's just useless with the ball in the air.

* Robert Blanton played well again.

* Zeke Motta is a horrible player. He's just too slow.

* Ben Turk actually had a decent game.

* Atkinson is our kick returner. Nearly broke another one today.

* Kelly was outcoached today.

* Jonas Gray continues to prove everyone wrong. Averaging almost 70 yards per game over the last three weeks.

All dead on

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

It has nothing to do with mechanics or arm strength. Tommy's head was swimming today. I give Pitt credit, they disguised coverages extremely well and caught Tommy off guard which put him into uncomfortable situations. He'll learn from this and move on....He has to, or we're screwed. The kids obviously aren't ready and Dayne isn't the answer either. That said, the kid put the team on his shoulders at the end of the game and got us a victory.

6-1

 

[DillonHall]

I agree with most of the observations, except for Tommy Rees locking on Floyd. Floyd had all of his catches except for one in the 1st Quarter. I thought he did a fine job of spreading the ball around.
My question is how has Longo not improved his arm strength during the off season? Or does it have to do with his mechanics?

I think when it comes to arm strength, you either have it or you don't.

 

[IrishinSyria]

I agree with most of the observations, except for Tommy Rees locking on Floyd. Floyd had all of his catches except for one in the 1st Quarter. I thought he did a fine job of spreading the ball around.
My question is how has Longo not improved his arm strength during the off season? Or does it have to do with his mechanics?

It's my understanding that arm strength is not really a thing you can dramatically improve through lifting. It's a mix of mechanics and natural god-given ability.

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

What does arm strength have to do with today's outcome??? You people are reaching....and it's completely missing the mark.

 

[Riddickulous]

I think when it comes to arm strength, you either have it or you don't.

This.

 

[BabyIrish]

I'm not saying he struggled today just because of his arm strength, but it's very clear that his arm strength is terrible. We have limited ability to stretch the field which hurts are offense tremendously.
I'm asking why this is a problem? Is he maxed out and can't build any more arm strength or is it his mechanics?

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

I'm not saying he struggled today just because of his arm strength, but it's very clear that his arm strength is terrible. We have limited ability to stretch the field which hurts are offense tremendously.
I'm asking why this is a problem? Is he maxed out and can't build any more arm strength or is it his mechanics?

We couldn't stretch the field because he had less than two seconds to evaluate the field, got a case of happy feet because of it, and, that's the rest of the story...

 

[BabyIrish]

What does arm strength have to do with today's outcome??? You people are reaching....and it's completely missing the mark.

With all due respect, what game were you watching? We scored 15 pts on a bad defense. Why could we not score? Why could we not move the ball? This was our lowest offensive output of the season against the worst defense we have faced this season. I like Tommy, I want him to start over the other guys. But I'm asking a simple question about his arm strength which is clearly lacking.

 

[bjohnmwc]

Rees has a severe case of tunnel vision....as BK said at the end of the game, however, he's young. I really liked the commentary about how the QB situation needs to get ironed out b/c the team has a TON of talent. Stating the obvious, but it was sort of nice to hear a rather fresh perspective -- wonder what Urban Meyer was really thinking throughout the game!

Bottom line.....we won. Live to fight another day.

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

With all due respect, what game were you watching? We scored 15 pts on a bad defense. Why could we not score? Why could we not move the ball? This was our lowest offensive output of the season against the worst defense we have faced this season. I like Tommy, I want him to start over the other guys. But I'm asking a simple question about his arm strength which is clearly lacking.

And I'll answer simply... Arm strength has nothing to do with accuracy when your head is swimming and getting pressured like mad every time you drop back. Example: Derek Anderson who played for the Browns and I think is in Arizona now, but that guy could throw a feather through a brick wall, but was extremely inaccurate at times....well, most times. He was an interception machine too, but also couldn't through a simple dump off pass to his back in the flat. Translation, arm strength is nice, but not the end-all, be-all of this situation. Tommy was incredibly inaccurate today, no doubt about it, but it had NOTHING to do with his arm strength.

 

[BabyIrish]

On a differnt note, it brought a lot of joy to my heart to see Flemming make some big plays today. Two sacks. Just think, if he doesn't keep Graham out of the endzone you add four points and it would have been a loss.

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

With all due respect, what game were you watching? We scored 15 pts on a bad defense. Why could we not score? Why could we not move the ball? This was our lowest offensive output of the season against the worst defense we have faced this season. I like Tommy, I want him to start over the other guys. But I'm asking a simple question about his arm strength which is clearly lacking.

And another thing, that defense was not as bad as advertised. Those kids played hard, they flew to the ball and played a big game against big, bad Notre Dame. I give them a ton of credit for the way they played and for their game plan. They were very well prepared for this tilt.

 

[Riddickulous]

On a differnt note, it brought a lot of joy to my heart to see Flemming make some big plays today. Two sacks. Just think, if he doesn't keep Graham out of the endzone you add four points and it would have been a loss.

Not to mention a beautiful play where he got contain on Graham and forced him out of bounds.

 

[BabyIrish]

And I'll answer simply... Arm strength has nothing to do with accuracy when your head is swimming and getting pressured like mad every time you drop back. Example: Derek Anderson who played for the Browns and I think is in Arizona now, but that guy could throw a feather through a brick wall, but was extremely inaccurate at times....well, most times. He was an interception machine too, but also couldn't through a simple dump off pass to his back in the flat. Translation, arm strength is nice, but not the end-all, be-all of this situation. Tommy was incredibly inaccurate today, no doubt about it, but it had NOTHING to do with his arm strength.

I agree with you, but I also am not saying that was the be all end all of his problems today. But the offense only scored 15 pts today against the worst defense we have faced this year. Did Pitt have a good game plan? Sure. They brought pressure all day. Why? Because they were not afraid to bring pressure when they know Tommy can't stretch the field. It's not the only issue, but it is an issue, because it limits are offense. I simply wanted to hear if it is possible for your arm strenght to be improved, which others have chimed in on. You want to take a crack at my actual question?

 

[BabyIrish]

Not to mention a beautiful play where he got contain on Graham and forced him out of bounds.

That's the play I was referring to. If he doesn't keep contain, they score a TD instead of a FG and you can add four points to their total, which would mean a loss for us. He was huge in this game.

 

[GoldenDomer87]

Shembo is NOT a dog. He doesn't seem to have the speed to cover ground. I would like to see Spond there, when he is healthy, and I thought Niklas played well.

However, his passing rushing skills are very good. I would like to see him rush the QB more often. because he brings it.

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

I agree with you, but I also am not saying that was the be all end all of his problems today. But the offense only scored 15 pts today against the worst defense we have faced this year. Did Pitt have a good game plan? Sure. They brought pressure all day. Why? Because they were not afraid to bring pressure when they know Tommy can't stretch the field. It's not the only issue, but it is an issue, because it limits are offense. I simply wanted to hear if it is possible for your arm strenght to be improved, which others have chimed in on. You want to take a crack at my actual question?

Your question was what game was I watching. I was watching ND v. Pitt. How's that?

That said, no. Your overall arm strength cannot be improved. It's a God-Given ability to sling it. It's what you have upstairs plus intangibles which make a quarterback.