The Measuring Stick

[Who'saWildManNow]

This thread is simple & instead of acting butt hurt give it your honest opinion.. whats in your heart?

After our NC pounding BK said there was a gap he needed to fill... there was another level of football we needed to reach.

Are we any more talented or better prepared than the 42-14 Bama or 30-3 Clemson losses.

I love what BK has done but Im beginning to come to grips, after decades of deflection, that we at Notre Dame have a ceiling. A ceiling that just wont reach the heights of todays top teams.

We’re right there.. on the cusp.. we beat up the bad teams, most of the time.. and then we lay these games out there... moreso than the elite teams do.

I do think a franchise QB would give us our best shot but Kelly has simply NEVER had one.

Im not an angry fan but im also done making excuses.

 

[fightingirish26]

This thread is simple & instead of acting butt hurt give it your honest opinion.. whats in your heart?

After our NC pounding BK said there was a gap he needed to fill... there was another level of football we needed to reach.

Are we any more talented or better prepared than the 42-14 Bama or 30-3 Clemson losses.

I love what BK has done but Im beginning to come to grips, after decades of deflection, that we at Notre Dame have a ceiling. A ceiling that just wont reach the heights of todays top teams.

We’re right there.. on the cusp.. we beat up the bad teams, most of the time.. and then we lay these games out there... moreso than the elite teams do.

I do think a franchise QB would give us our best shot but Kelly has simply NEVER had one.

Im not an angry fan but im also done making excuses.

I think you said it towards the end. We have never had that guy at QB under Kelly.

 

[Wingman Ray]

I think you said it towards the end. We have never had that guy at QB under Kelly.

And it is 100% on Kelly. Auburn, frickin Auburn gets an elite, NFL caliber QB and rocks the game. Texas A&M. Texas. Yet ND cant get anyone to produce. All on BK here.

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

I was calling for BK to be gone a long time ago. I was pretty loud about it. Seeing what we have on the field now and the depth and the S&C improvements.... and keeping in mind these are kids in school and not paid pros,.... I am happy. 24-3 over last three years, elite OL, elite TEs and a consistent and vastly improved defense.... I’m ok with where we are at now. I can’t expect a NC every year but I do enjoy being in the top ten and being in the conversation as an elite team recently.

 

[pumpdog20]

This team is a better QB away from being elite, I think. BK has struck out mightily that regards. Either his evaluation or development needs to improve.

 

[tussin]

I was calling for BK to be gone a long time ago. I was pretty loud about it. Seeing what we have on the field now and the depth and the S&C improvements.... and keeping in mind these are kids in school and not paid pros,.... I am happy. 24-3 over last three years, elite OL, elite TEs and a consistent and vastly improved defense.... I’m ok with where we are at now. I can’t expect a NC every year but I do enjoy being in the top ten and being in the conversation as an elite team recently.

This is where I’m at. It’s easy to complain about Book but we have a great program (although boring to watch at times). I think next year and especially the year after, our Buchner offense will be very dynamic and we will have a championship contending team. BK is doing an impressive job recruiting the skill positions over the past 2 classes... we are a QB away.

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

This team is a better QB away from being elite, I think. BK has struck out mightily that regards. Either his evaluation or development needs to improve.

And that might just be it.. our D appears to be able to handle the competition it should but the offense is just so inconsistent.

I just see another year of hitting our head on the elite ceiling.,

Which is a luxury to complain about and i realize that.

 

[AKRowdy]

If we can get a grad transfer QB and Buchner lives up to potential, I believe it will gets us pass the ceiling. O/D line is there, RB is there, defense as a whole is there, get Austin and Johnson on the field together next year and we’re there. It all takes a QB who can stretch the field.

 

[AKRowdy]

Honestly even if we had a distributor like Tommy Rees we may be over the hump. At least Tommy would stand in the pocket and read defenses which it seems Book is lacking.

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

Honestly even if we had a distributor like Tommy Rees we may be over the hump. At least Tommy would stand in the pocket and read defenses which it seems Book is lacking.

Yea the indecision on the step drop is incredibly frustrating.. I refuse to believe Louisville made every right move defensively..

12 points is inexcusable..

 

[IrishSteelhead]

The Measuring Stick

The one positive I have noticed is in games like today, ND used to lose about 75% of the time.

That percentage is down to like 25% now. They seem better prepared to finish ugly games without freaking out and losing them.


Today was a poor performance worthy of criticism and panic, but this season is going to prove to be the most wild one in recent memory. There will be MANY huge upsets, mark my words. Survive and advance.


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[Henges24]

Just need a QB. ND overall is the most consistent it has been in a decade. Is ND up there with Bama, OSU, LSU? I don’t think so. But they have established themselves as a tier 2, no doubt.

 

[phillyirish]

I don’t know. I think we’ve also lacked elite skill position players as well, but it looks like with this cycle and the last that may change.

It’s weird, it used to be that Notre Dame was always in the running for the top QB prospect in the country. I mean even Buckner, we all love him but he’s not even a consensus top 50 recruit.

Doesn’t help that overall, we’re a good recruiting team but not great. Last 5 classes are rankings was 18, 15, 10, 10, 15. This year we’re at 11, and unless something surprising happens we will probably settle a bit lower in the teens.

I think Kelly is a great coach and has brought much needed stability to the program. But with the way college football has been moving and keeps moving Notre Dame will always be fighting uphill.

 

[NDPhilly]

I think for 2020 it’s going to be hard to argue that the 4 best teams aren’t Clemson, OSU, Bama, and Georgia. Notre Dame may very well be the 5th best team. IMO they are in the same group as PSU and UF for tier 2A. I’d put A&M, Michigan, Wisconsin, Oregon, and UNC in Tier 2B.

 

[bkess8]

Just my opinions below so fry me if you want but...

- QB development and recruiting has been poor at best. BK is scared to throw a young kid in there and let him make mistakes and learn. PJ is my example here, he is producing at BC and we never gave him significant playing time to see what he really had.

- Kelly likes his guys when it comes to offensive play calling. They are always following specifically what he wants to do and it has become bland at best. No screen passes or creativity when it comes to the calls and we will run a dive play 3 times in a row and just punt and be happy about it.

- We have athletes all over the offensive side of the ball, get the ball in their hands by short crossing routes if you are getting blitzed or even a screen to the RB every once in a while.

Just some thoughts.

 

[Irish YJ]

I like BK. He's stable. His O skill position recruiting has sucked though, and QB development has been meh. Never was a fan of his O scheme.

 

[NDRock]

I like BK. He's stable. His O skill position recruiting has sucked though, and QB development has been meh. Never was a fan of his O scheme.

This. Not sure how anyone looked at the starting group of Book, Javon, and that dude from Northwestern and thought we had any chance of beating the elite teams in college football. I’m just glad our running backs aren’t the train wreck our WRs are. Hope the young guys develop. Sucks Phil won’t be around for the next two years.

 

[Irish YJ]

This. Not sure how anyone looked at the starting group of Book, Javon, and that dude from Northwestern and thought we had any chance of beating the elite teams in college football. I’m just glad our running backs aren’t the train wreck our WRs are. Hope the young guys develop. Sucks Phil won’t be around for the next two years.

Purely my opinion, but BK has always been conservative in who he plays. Rarely do young athletes get a chance. Williams, a soph, is a rock star....., and frosh Tyree and Mayer playing a bit is a breath of fresh air, but hasn't been the norm. The rest of our O-skill 2 deep are upper classman. All the other top teams have young O-skill guys regularly in the mix.

I'd add that our strongest and most consistent positions for recruiting success has been TE and OL. I still think TE is vastly underutilized in our O game plans. And IMO, our OL, while no doubt good, and with some great individuals, has been overrated for a while. Coaching? Scheme?

 

[phillyirish]

Book is done after this year as a Grad student, right? So next year it’ll be down to Clark or freshmen Buchner for QB?

 

[ThePiombino]

Book is done after this year as a Grad student, right? So next year it’ll be down to Clark or freshmen Buchner for QB?

No one burns eligibility this year, so technically Book could come back. I'm not sure I could watch though tbh. I'm so over this.

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[Circa]

Until we start grey shirting guys and accepting JUCO players that can’t read or write we’ll continue to have issues with our turnover of quality players. It’s tough, but it is what it is.

 

[GATTACA!]

Is Book the worst starter of the Kelly era? I think he might be.

He's just terrible. At least Tommy seemed to maximize his low floor. He didn't have the athleticism or arm you need to be a great college QB, but he rarely made big time mistakes and could read a defense like a motherfucker.

Book just seems incompetent in every aspect. He can't throw deep AT ALL. He panics and runs around after one read all the time. He fucked up the read option on one 3rd down so badly in the second half I was screaming at my TV. He's just not even close to what you need to be able to compete seriously with the top 10.

Until we stop recruiting munchkin top 50 QB prospects and land a legit, NFL blue chip 6'3+ 5 star stud we're never going to compete. We're never going to recruit well enough to be able to cover our glaring hole at QB. I love the optimism looking forward to Buchner, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Circa]

Today’s game was all in preparation for the meat and potatoes part of our season. We are still installing our offense if you really want to get down to it....

 

[Irish YJ]

Is Book the worst starter of the Kelly era? I think he might be.

He's just terrible. At least Tommy seemed to maximize his low floor. He didn't have the athleticism or arm you need to be a great college QB, but he rarely made big time mistakes and could read a defense like a motherfucker.

Book just seems incompetent in every aspect. He can't throw deep AT ALL. He panics and runs around after one read all the time. He fucked up the read option on one 3rd down so badly in the second half I was screaming at my TV. He's just not even close to what you need to be able to compete seriously with the top 10.

Until we stop recruiting munchkin top 50 QB prospects and land a legit, NFL blue chip 6'3+ 5 star stud we're never going to compete. We're never going to recruit well enough to be able to cover our glaring hole at QB. I love the optimism looking forward to Buchner, but I'm not holding my breath.

Probably, but I'd also say this is our worst starting WR group ever as well. Javon and Ben Skowronek aren't sniffing a starting spot for any other top team. AD, he's played so many positions, I just can't take him serious. The rest either can't seem to get it together, or BK simply prefers to be uber cautious.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Holly shit Holly shit Holly shit Holly shit Holly shit Holly shit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FSU is crushing North Carolina!


Seeing that score makes me feel so much better about Notre Dame’s performance today!


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[Cackalacky2.0]

Book is done after this year as a Grad student, right? So next year it’ll be down to Clark or freshmen Buchner for QB?

We need to talk .... you should sit down for this

 

[Circa]

Probably, but I'd also say this is our worst starting WR group ever as well. Javon and Ben Skowronek aren't sniffing a starting spot for any other top team. AD, he's played so many positions, I just can't take him serious. The rest either can't seem to get it together, or BK simply prefers to be uber cautious.

Watching Ben S gives me zero confidence in our receivers. The guy just looks outta rhythm

 

[TorontoGold]

Brendan Clark/Drew Pyne measuring stick games are probably just GaTech/Cuse/Wake? One of them is probably leaving after the yer right?

 

[Irish YJ]

Watching Ben S gives me zero confidence in our receivers. The guy just looks outta rhythm

Yea, Ben is a total hard on killer if you're expectation is a fun O.

I love Javon, but he's not dynamic at all. Great great great blocker though. I'd love to see him get snaps as a bully slot.

My only hope is that we see more of Austin. Still a bit in awe though that we can't find a solid option out of Lenzy/Keys/Wilkens. If not, give Johnson and Watts a shot.

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

Until we start grey shirting guys and accepting JUCO players that can’t read or write we’ll continue to have issues with our turnover of quality players. It’s tough, but it is what it is.

Lol this is the kind of honesty we need around here!