Season Optimism

[woolybug25]

Beano cook is on the podcast and Maisel asks him about ND. He says that vegas has us favored in every game but Stanford. He predicts 10 wins and a BCS bowl. Believes if we get through September undefeated we definitely make a BCS bowl, possibly a National Championship. He also says if we get to Stanford undefeated or with one loss we win. But to also not look past South Florida.

Gotta love Beano. That man may be entering into a new stage of crazy. The kind where you start wandering around the bad part of town asking strangers if you can wash their feet.

If we go into Stanford with 1 loss or undefeated we win, but we better watch out for South Florida?

Thanks for the synopsis.

 

[irishtrain]

When Charlie was here I was on board every year with the hype and predictions of 2 losses and a BCS bid. But with this guy and this team it feels different. Like Quiet confidence-they ARE going to start winning games -bigtime. I would be shocked this year if they lose 3 times. The first game is going to be huge for mo/and letting the nation see how things have changed.

 

[CarrollVermin]

Gotta love Beano. That man may be entering into a new stage of crazy. The kind where you start wandering around the bad part of town asking strangers if you can wash their feet.

If we go into Stanford with 1 loss or undefeated we win, but we better watch out for South Florida?
Thanks for the synopsis.

Beano sure has a way with words. I would tend to think that September is brutal...there are no cupcakes there...so its not just South Florida. Michigan at night, Sparty at home, Pitt will be tough on the road, and Purdue at night on the road.

 

[IrishLax]

My thought is if you'e worried about South Florida you better hunk down for a 6-6 season... because Air Force, USC, Stanford, Michigan, Michigan State, and Maryland are all NOTICEABLY better than USF.

If you don't think we will comfortably USF (i.e. you think it will be a close game) then you should be expecting us to lose the majority of the games I have listed above. I really don't understand the dichotomy here where people think we're a BCS caliber team but also think the USF game, Navy game, etc. are going to be dog fights.

Those opinions are mutually exclusive. We're either good enough to beat Big East teams with relative ease and compete with the tougher guys... or we're not good enough and both '11 and '12 will be nightmares. Pick one.

 

[CarrollVermin]

My thought is if you'e worried about South Florida you better hunk down for a 6-6 season... because Air Force, USC, Stanford, Michigan, Michigan State, and Maryland are all NOTICEABLY better than USF.

If you don't think we will comfortably USF (i.e. you think it will be a close game) then you should be expecting us to lose the majority of the games I have listed above. I really don't understand the dichotomy here where people think we're a BCS caliber team but also think the USF game, Navy game, etc. are going to be dog fights.

Those opinions are mutually exclusive. We're either good enough to beat Big East teams with relative ease and compete with the tougher guys... or we're not good enough and both '11 and '12 will be nightmares. Pick one.

I would agree with that perspective, but USF is in the top 30 in some of the early rankings. They have good leadership, a respectable playmaker at QB, and played solid defense last year. They are not going to come into South Bend and be intimidated. That being said, you should expect a dogfight against a solid football team.

You are right about Michigan (who some have winning 9 games), USC (some have winning 10 games), and MSU (who some have winning 9 games as well). I will take a wait and see on Stanford and Maryland as I do not know what coaching will do to those teams. Pitt is still a wild card for me as well.

 

[woolybug25]

^^^^ What Lax said.

If you think that we could struggle with USF, but win a BCS game, than you are in lala land. USF is not a very good team and any team that has BCS hopes should handle them easily.

If we lost to Purdue, I would tattoo a boilermaker onto my forehead. That game is as about as worrysome as the Blue and Gold game.

 

[woolybug25]

I would agree with that perspective, but USF is in the top 30 in some of the early rankings. They have good leadership, a respectable playmaker at QB, and played solid defense last year. They are not going to come into South Bend and be intimidated. That being said, you should expect a dogfight against a solid football team.

You are right about Michigan (who some have winning 9 games), USC (some have winning 10 games), and MSU (who some have winning 9 games as well). I will take a wait and see on Stanford and Maryland as I do not know what coaching will do to those teams. Pitt is still a wild card for me as well.

USF being a good team is a complete falacy. They were 101st in passing yards, 71st in rushing yards, and lost a ton of their contributors on both sides of the ball. They are not only young, but not vey talented (BJ Daniels aside). I dont want to take any team on our schedule for granted, but there is no excuse for not crushing USF.

Any team worth their weight in **** will beat them by two TD's this year.

 

[k1ssme1m1r1sh]

Why am I optimistic for ND this year? The better question should be...Why do "non-fans" care about Notre Dame, and WHY do they know so much about "the laughing stock of the NCAA, or their least favorite team." Anyone who is a non-fan who asks that question AND gives reason why we "fans" should NOT be optimistic is scared. Plain and simple. The non-fans and the haters (I realize they are two seperate people) are always looking around corners and under objects waiting for ND to pop up and bite them. Because we can be really bad when we're doing bad, but when we are doing good, we do really good, and the last thing they want is to have to say something half way decent about ND.

 

[IrishLax]

The guys on ISD seem to think they'll be much better on offense because they get some talented WRs back from injury and add some depth/talent at RB.

I don't buy that at all; but they seem pretty convinced.

 

[CarrollVermin]

The guys on ISD seem to think they'll be much better on offense because they get some talented WRs back from injury and add some depth/talent at RB.

I don't buy that at all; but they seem pretty convinced.

Yeah, WR should be their strength. They also added two transfers at the RB position Darrell Scott (Colorado) and Dontae Aycock (Auburn) which will help their backfield. They did lose a lot of players, and have some issues at the DL, but Giddens is expected to have a good season. Played a lot of close games last year as well.

 

[Blaise]

USF being a good team is a complete falacy. They were 101st in passing yards, 71st in rushing yards, and lost a ton of their contributors on both sides of the ball. They are not only young, but not vey talented (BJ Daniels aside). I dont want to take any team on our schedule for granted, but there is no excuse for not crushing USF.

Any team worth their weight in **** will beat them by two TD's this year.

They are 5-9 all time in road openers including 1-6 vs BCS schools...

They do to fear me at all.... Air Force does, but that has a lot to do with their scheme and their pass defense

 

[IrishLax]

Air Force is legit. One of my big trap games, along with Maryland. Both of those teams are surprisingly talented.

 

[woolybug25]

They are 5-9 all time in road openers including 1-6 vs BCS schools...

They do to fear me at all.... Air Force does, but that has a lot to do with their scheme and their pass defense

On another note, how in the hell did you send me a blue-colored rep?

Thanks.

Totally agree with you on Air Force.

 

[Rhode Irish]

My biggest concern about USF is that it is the opener. Once I see ND come out and pick up where they left off then a lot of my anxiety will subside. But openers can be tricky for a variety of reasons.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

My biggest concern about USF is that it is the opener. Once I see ND come out and pick up where they left off then a lot of my anxiety will subside. But openers can be tricky for a variety of reasons.

It being the opener for both teams probably hurts USF more than us. They're only returning 4/11 starters on one of the worst offenses in CFB, and they have to play their first game on the road against us.

I really don't see how USF hangs enough points on our defense to beat us. As others have said, if USF gives us problems, we're in for a long season.

 

[Domina Nostra]

When Charlie was here I was on board every year with the hype and predictions of 2 losses and a BCS bid. But with this guy and this team it feels different. Like Quiet confidence-they ARE going to start winning games -bigtime. I would be shocked this year if they lose 3 times. The first game is going to be huge for mo/and letting the nation see how things have changed.

My optimism with Charlie's 2006, 2008, and 2009 teams was always rooted in this logic:

- Our offense is so tlaented that it should score close to 30 ppg.
- If we can just hold other teams under 25, we could win every game except USC.
- Our defense should get a little better (it was so medicore)
- Therefore, we should win nine games.

We lost about 10 games in that period by 7 or less, so the thought process was not totally out there. But what I learned is that you cannot count on winning close games unless you have a solid defense. Every game was a toss-up.

This year seems different because I look at every position on the defense and think, "I'm happy with that starter." I truly believe that almost every starter could compete for playing time on any team in the country and our back-ups are raw but talented. Our weak points, back-up CBs and our our other MLBs, are absolutely nothing like the weakness that we had in 2006-2009. Our weaker MLBs would have been sure-fire starters during that period. The talent level on the defense is just totally different. And even though some of the names are the same, I don't think you can say that having a freshman EJ, KLM, or H. Smith is anything like having them play as 4th and 5th year seniors. Most of all, I think people are totally underestimating how big a difference Mr. Nix is going to make. Teams are going to have to collapse on him, and our other NTs are going to play like crazed dogs since they will be rested and fighting for playing time. No need to even mention Lynch...

The other big factor is having a CEO at the helm who has been around the block in college football, and a staff that coaches the basics and are on the same page. The atmosphere really allows people to maximize their potential.

So I think that if the QB situation stabilizes, this is going to be a great year. If it does not, we'll still be better than last year because a solid defense is more reliable than a solid offense.

 

[woolybug25]

indeed...

 

[irishtrain]

My optimism with Charlie's 2006, 2008, and 2009 teams was always rooted in this logic:

- Our offense is so tlaented that it should score close to 30 ppg.
- If we can just hold other teams under 25, we could win every game except USC.
- Our defense should get a little better (it was so medicore)
- Therefore, we should win nine games.

We lost about 10 games in that period by 7 or less, so the thought process was not totally out there. But what I learned is that you cannot count on winning close games unless you have a solid defense. Every game was a toss-up.

This year seems different because I look at every position on the defense and think, "I'm happy with that starter." I truly believe that almost every starter could compete for playing time on any team in the country and our back-ups are raw but talented. Our weak points, back-up CBs and our our other MLBs, are absolutely nothing like the weakness that we had in 2006-2009. Our weaker MLBs would have been sure-fire starters during that period. The talent level on the defense is just totally different. And even though some of the names are the same, I don't think you can say that having a freshman EJ, KLM, or H. Smith is anything like having them play as 4th and 5th year seniors. Most of all, I think people are totally underestimating how big a difference Mr. Nix is going to make. Teams are going to have to collapse on him, and our other NTs are going to play like crazed dogs since they will be rested and fighting for playing time. No need to even mention Lynch...

The other big factor is having a CEO at the helm who has been around the block in college football, and a staff that coaches the basics and are on the same page. The atmosphere really allows people to maximize their potential.

So I think that if the QB situation stabilizes, this is going to be a great year. If it does not, we'll still be better than last year because a solid defense is more reliable than a solid offense.

Couldnt have said it better-the secret sauce is the D-fense and the coach (CEO). Like I said I will be shocked if they lose more than 3 games including the bowl game. What I think we will see for the first time in a while in South Bend is tough guys playing rough. We may finally see NASTY. The new freshman d-lineman/Teo/Carlo/Smith/the whole D-line- they may be very good.

 

[beryirish]

ESPN

NOTRE DAME MAILBAG
3:40PM ET
By Brian Bennett

Hello and welcome to another Notre Dame mailbag. I know it's been a while since we last chatted, but with me trying to learn the Big Ten and the Irish keeping things pretty quiet -- mostly -- during the summer, we took a little hiatus. There are only so many "Who do you think will start at quarterback" questions I can answer in an offseason.

But we're getting ever closer to the season, and things are starting to pick up. Keep sending in your questions about the Golden Domers:

Kollin B. from Weatherford, Okla., writes: Brian, what's the percentage that Michael Floyd will get to play this year? I'm hoping they're just making it a long process to reinstate him because it's the right thing to do but, at the end they should reinstate him, right?

Brian Bennett: Kollin, I'd put the chances at 99 percent. The 1 percent remains because Floyd could mess up and get in trouble between now and September (although given his track record, perhaps that should be higher). Every indication is that Floyd will return. He's already working out with teammates this summer, and he had his DUI charge adjudicated on Wednesday. I'd be shocked at this point if he's not in the lineup for the opener.


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Jay G. from Los Angeles writes: Which BK will we see this year? The fiery screamer BK that we saw during last season's first half, or BK the patient teacher in the latter half?

Brian Bennett: Having covered Brian Kelly at Cincinnati, I can tell you that he is always going to be intense on the sidelines. Quarterbacks usually bear the brunt of his harsh words, though he can also be quick to offer encouragement. I think Kelly knew better than to berate Tommy Rees, a true freshman who was thrown into the fire, and Rees played relatively well anyway. If I'm Rees or Dayne Crist this season, I would expect to get chewed out if I do something dumb in a game. But the Irish should be used to Kelly's approach by now.


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Roy B. from Columbus, Ohio, writes: With all the returning starters on both sides of the ball, and a defense that may have finally passed the offense, what are ND's chances of actually competting for a national championship? Realistically, they have to beat Michigan in Ann Arbor, USC at home and Stanford on the road in the season finale. If they get off to a good fast start, I think ND has a chance to run the table. But the key is getting off to a 3-0 start. What do you think?

Brian Bennett: Well, I'd say the key to running the table is winning all your games, but I'm no mathematician. I don't see this as a national championship club. The overall depth and talent just isn't to that level yet. But I do think the Irish have a very realistic chance of getting to a BCS game. A strong start is almost always important, given the makeup of their schedule. The Michigan/Michigan State games are big swing games. And don't overlook South Florida in the opener.


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Ted A. from Essex, Md., writes: Do the Irish offensive and defensive lines look like they can be a strong point this year?

Brian Bennett: Absolutely. I'd say Notre Dame has more questions at running back, quarterback, receiver outside of Floyd and cornerback depth than in the trenches, where the team is deep and talented. And when was the last time we could say that about Notre Dame?


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John from Reston, Va., writes: Suppose you have a crystal ball and you know the Irish only drop two this year. Who are they? MSU? Stanford?

Brian Bennett: Well, first of all, I'd use that crystal ball to find out the Powerball numbers. But after I won that and was lounging on my private island, I'd take a look at the Notre Dame schedule. I think the Irish will beat Michigan State; the game is at home this season, and the Spartans might not be quite as good as last season. The Stanford game looks awfully tough, though I don't expect the Cardinal to be as strong as they were in 2010, either. If I had to pick two losses, I'd say Stanford and then something off the board, as Notre Dame of late has seemed to drop at least one unexpected game per season. Just for fun, let's go with Pittsburgh.

Here is the link so you guys can see the comments posted about the article

Notre Dame mailbag - College Football Nation Blog - ESPN

 

[woolybug25]

I'm shocked that Benett knew what the word, "adjudicated" meant. It must have been on his word of the day calender on his desk.

Reading ESPN user comments drops your IQ significantly.

 

[beryirish]

I'm shocked that Benett knew what the word, "adjudicated" meant. It must have been on his word of the day calender on his desk.

Reading ESPN user comments drops your IQ significantly.

OR makes you realize how low some are....

 

[jdailey1981]

Reports show ND will be ranked about #6, so I have high hopes for this season. A national championship? Doubtful, but a good bowl game against a good SEC team or Big Ten team.

 

[Domina Nostra]

If we run the table this year, it will be a big surprise. I think he summed it up pretty well:

"I don't see this as a national championship club. The overall depth and talent just isn't to that level yet. But I do think the Irish have a very realistic chance of getting to a BCS game. . . Notre Dame has more questions at running back, quarterback, receiver outside of Floyd and cornerback depth than in the trenches, where the team is deep and talented."

Last year we played without Crist, Allen, Rudy, Gray, Riddick, and Williams for long stretches. That is reality (although last year was extreme). To run the gammit you need at least one of three things: (1) a dominant superstar (Auburn, Texas), (2) excellent depth (Alabama, Florida, USC), or (3) Luck. If we get there it will be because everything clicks, things roll our way, and either everyone stays healthy or back-ups have break-out years.

 

[Rhode Irish]

If we run the table this year, it will be a big surprise. I think he summed it up pretty well:

"I don't see this as a national championship club. The overall depth and talent just isn't to that level yet. But I do think the Irish have a very realistic chance of getting to a BCS game. . . Notre Dame has more questions at running back, quarterback, receiver outside of Floyd and cornerback depth than in the trenches, where the team is deep and talented."

Last year we played without Crist, Allen, Rudy, Gray, Riddick, and Williams for long stretches. That is reality (although last year was extreme). To run the gammit you need at least one of three things: (1) a dominant superstar (Auburn, Texas), (2) excellent depth (Alabama, Florida, USC), or (3) Luck. If we get there it will be because everything clicks, things roll our way, and either everyone stays healthy or back-ups have break-out years.

Double entendre?

 

[Domina Nostra]

Double entendre?

Unintentional! Actually, you can count me in the group of people that thinks Stanford won't be as good as expected this year. I saw Harbaugh as a big, big part of their success. The first year he coached we beat them, but they had become a noticably dirty team- like they had pride (if not any bite). Three years in, they just looked plain tough. I think they mirrored their coach. I guess a lot of that mean streak could roll over to this year, but my guess is that there 2011 looks like our 2006.

 

[NeuteredDoomer]

I kinda got a kick out of this: "Brian Bennett: Well, I'd say the key to running the table is winning all your games, but I'm no mathematician."

No s.hit Sherlock. lol.

 

[kmoose]

Brian Bennett: Well, first of all, I'd use that crystal ball to find out the Powerball numbers. But after I won that and was lounging on my private island, I'd take a look at the Notre Dame schedule. I think the Irish will beat Michigan State; the game is at home this season, and the Spartans might not be quite as good as last season. The Stanford game looks awfully tough, though I don't expect the Cardinal to be as strong as they were in 2010, either. If I had to pick two losses, I'd say Stanford and then something off the board, as Notre Dame of late has seemed to drop at least one unexpected game per season. Just for fun, let's go with Pittsburgh.

Bennett is assigned to cover ND, isn't he? Has he watched any games in the past decade or so?

ND is 1-6 against Michigan State, in their last 7 games played in South Bend.

I think we should beat Michigan State, but it has NOTHING to do with the game being in South Bend.