Spring Practice Thread 2012

[rtrn2glory]

i appreciate the updates from the guys that have access...thanks!!!

 

[Me2SouthBend]

Love Coach Diaco.

Diaco talks defense (and werewolfs) | Inside the Irish

 

[Me2SouthBend]

Coach Heistand doing work.

Move To Guard Has Lombard Looking For More

 

[Me2SouthBend]

From II

IrishIllustrated.com - Flattening the learning curve

 

[Jimmy3Putt]

Love Coach Diaco.

Diaco talks defense (and werewolfs) | Inside the Irish

I love it!
Instead of the "Black Shirts" or other team's defensive nicknames we're the "Werewolves"!
Didn't Diaco call Ben Counsell the same thing last spring?

 

[FLDomer]

Grace

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Jarett Grace.

 

[BGIF]

Coach Heistand doing work.

Move To Guard Has Lombard Looking For More

The Fighting Irish have only had five practices so far this spring, but the transition to guard seems to be going well for the 6’5 Lombard (somewhat towering by guard standards).

Wasn't Trevor Robinson 6-5 at OG?

6-5 isn't towering in the interior at ND, not since Devine walked the sidelines. Dave Huffman won a NC ring as a 6-5 center for Devine. It was quite common during the Holtz era. Lou wasn't shy about playing BIG guys at OG.

Some 6-5 or bigger ND guards Tim Huffman in the late 70's, Mike Shiner 6-8 in '81 (played next to a 6-9 RT), Tom Thayer and Neil Maune '82, Larry Williams 6-6 in '84, Heffern in '85 and '86, Mirko Jurkovic '90 and '91, Todd Norman 6-6, '92 and '93, Mark Zataveski 6-6 in '93, Jeremy Akers in '94, Dusty Zeigler and Ryan Leahy in '95, Akers 6-6 and Rosenthal 6-7 in '96, Jerry Wisne 6-7 and Rosie in '97, Tim Ridder 6-7 and Wisne in '98, Jordan Black 6-6 in '01 ... lots of 6-5 and over OG's for 30 years.

Phil Steele listed 60 Top Guards in his magazine last year. The #1 OG was 6-8 and 5 of the Top 6 were 6-5 or bigger. Of his 60 guards over a 1/3 were 6-5 or taller.

 

[rtrn2glory]

nice research..

regardless we're in the age that bigger is better for everything...especially football.

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

Notre Dame Spring Practice Report: Day Six

Whatever brand of coffee Diaco consumes every morning must be the strongest known to man. His enthusiasm and positive energy is impossible to ignore. As he launched balls into the air for the secondary to return, he raced out to the line of scrimmage with every group prior to the snap. Diaco praised senior inside linebacker Dan Fox and fifth-year senior safety Jamoris Slaughter for their communication.

During Friday morning’s practice, the sixth of 15 this spring, it was sophomore Conor Hanratty taking the snaps at right guard when the first unit came out in the skeletal drills, with Lombard shifting over to tackle. At 6-5, 305 ponds, Hanratty is easily the largest member among the five sophomore offensive linemen that include center Matt Hegarty (291), right guard Nick Martin (285), left tackle Jordan Prestwood (284) and guard Brad Carrico (290). That might give Hanratty a physical edge.

The quarterback demarcation remains with juniors Tommy Rees and Andrew Hendrix sharing the first offense during the skeletal drills — Rees takes the first several snaps while Hendrix finishes the drives — and then sophomore Everett Golson and freshman Gunner Kiel taking the reps with the second unit, similar to last Saturday’s scrimmage.

Junior Justin Utupo replaced Louis Nix on the defensive line presumably to add a little more speed to the pass rush in this personnel package. He lined up on the end and sophomore Stephon Tuitt slid down to the nose position next to Aaron Lynch. Sophomore Ishaq Williams took the first team reps at the cat position in Shembo's absence. Carlo Calabrese worked with the starters this morning. He has been splitting time with Dan Fox during the spring.

Notre Dame showed its nickel package with media on hand for the first time this year. Sophomore Jalen Brown played the fifth defensive back spot with the first team and his classmate Eilar Hardy worked behind him with the second group. Cornerback Josh Atkinson stood out during the pass drops (working as the second-team corner) and individual drills. He was attached to position coach Kerry Cook's hip when he wasn't on the field and looked fully engaged.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/r-OBXLMGwac" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[rtrn2glory]

thanks golden!!!

 

[rtrn2glory]

Lombard on Hiestand:

“He is much more of technician,” Lombard said of Hiestand. “I think that’s something I need, a lot of guys on the line needs. He’s redefined our techniques, so fundamentals will take care of everything. He is a guy we all get along with, so he is someone we are going to trust, and just do whatever he says, he has been in the league and he knows what he is talking about

pretty high praise/pretty hard knock on Warriner

differences between the two are becoming more and more apparent the more you hear from the players.

 

[PANDFAN]

Post-Practice Press Conference: Brian Kelly, Day 6


love to see the creativity of our offense!!! this is going to be exciting to watch!

 

[IrishLax]

Shembo has turf toe. In a boot for 2-3 days.

Turf toe can be REALLY bad or not so bad... hopefully this is the not so bad variety.

 

[BGIF]

Per Jason Sapp

On QB race, have gone back to zero and working on fundamentals. No one started ahead of anyone. When it is all said and done, it will be the guy that can be trusted and won't turn the football over.

Based on the game stats, practice stats, and absence of stats that would give Kiel a lock.

 

[dublinirish]

so thats Tommy gone then!

 

[Irishman77]

That would be good news. Rees and Golson transfer after this year and we ride with Kiel, Hendirx and Zaire. I would hate to lose Golson, but I am sure he feels he could start somewhere. I just can't wait to have clarity at QB!

 

[rtrn2glory]

That would be good news. Rees and Golson transfer after this year and we ride with Kiel, Hendirx and Zaire. I would hate to lose Golson, but I am sure he feels he could start somewhere. I just can't wait to have clarity at QB!

take it easy brah a long way to go here.

 

[IrishLax]

That would be good news. Rees and Golson transfer after this year and we ride with Kiel, Hendirx and Zaire. I would hate to lose Golson, but I am sure he feels he could start somewhere. I just can't wait to have clarity at QB!

Rees won't transfer even if he doesn't get the starting nod. Where would he go? A MAC school? And sit out a year? I bet no matter what he stays on-board and gets his degree.

 

[Irishman77]

I know. Had a cup of Diaco's coffee this morning...

 

[Meacon Irish]

I'm two days late, but when Kelly talked about taking away some on-field responsibilities from the quarterback, that more or less signified the end of Tommy's reign as starter for me.

A kid going into this third year (more or less) as starter in the system should at least maintain his amount of responsibilities. The way Kelly spoke about simplifying things made me think of the way he simplified things for Tommy during his freshman year.

Not sure who of the other three are in Kelly's "lead", if any at this point. But I can't help but think Rees is done, just by the vocabulary he chooses.

That is unless no one else steps up and takes charge. I'd imagine someone will grab the bull by the horns.

 

[STLDomer]

Per Jason Sapp

" Tight end position has become a multi-dimensional player that can fit in out of the backfield, on the line or flexed wide. Same goes for running back and slot receiver combo.

Ben Koyack is a young man that is continuing to understand what the staff expects of him as a blocker. Hasn't developed game enough yet as an in-blocker, and same can be said for Alex Welch.
Both pass catchers and Tyler Eifert already fills that role."

Leads me to believe that Niklas is our #2 TE aka our blocking TE/FB as I have publicly said we need

 

[rtrn2glory]

i think all four TE's should see significant time this year

 

[Veer option]

Leads me to believe that Niklas is our #2 TE aka our blocking TE/FB as I have publicly said we need

Full backs give me warm feeling in the nether regions.

i think all four TE's should see significant time this year

Aye.

 

[woolybug25]

Full backs give me warm feeling in the nether regions..

Is it warm? Or does it burn?

If it burns, I think that's caused from something else...

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Interesting to see Utopo sliding down to the d-line where he played in HS. Utopo was an excellent ST player last year.

 

[Chamellion]

I get a little irked at them calling Tommy and Andrew juniors. They're in my class, and certainly aren't juniors.

I know its eligibility wise, it just annoys me.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

I get a little irked at them calling Tommy and Andrew juniors. They're in my class, and certainly aren't juniors.

I know its eligibility wise, it just annoys me.

They will be juniors in a month and a half lol.

 

[BeauBenken]

I've been waiting for Utopo to slide back down to the d-line. I kinda expected to to be the NT though.

 

[NDBlood8]

And we'd be wrong. Just like how we were wrong about all of those kinds in the last class with "swag." You know exactly who I'm talking about.

It got me thinking "how the eff do you have swag as a 17 year old?" And the answer is that you don't. You just have a big ego, over-inflated confidence, and a large sense of entitlement.

How many guys on Stanford's team do you see talking about swag? I, frankly, want ZERO kids in this class tweeting about how they're going to be the best ever or **** like that. I want a whole bunch of tough, smart kids who want to be at NOTRE DAME.

Agree 100%!!!!