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Notre Dame (football only discussion)

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BuckeyeNation27 said:
They did just get a little faster on D. Their second leading rusher from last year switched to LB :lol:
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Spoke over the weekend to one of our family's friends who is an ND alum and huge football fan, and typically a good barometer of what might happen in SB, IN. Here was his take, which I didn't believe would really come true. The answer is all the Freshmen - they are so much faster than last years roster that Charlie cannot avoid playing them, at least on the 2-deep, if not as starters.

Not my opinion, and certainly not CW's stated position on this either.
 
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http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060809/SPORTS06/608090307/1054

Bo belittles Fighting Irish
Schembechler wants U-M to stop playing Notre Dame; he doesn't understand why Ohio State is ranked No. 1
August 9, 2006

BY GEORGE SIPPLE
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

Bo Schembechler probably won't be speaking at Notre Dame commencement ceremonies any time soon.

The former Michigan football coach, feisty as ever, turned up at Lions practice Tuesday along with Jim Brandstatter, the Lions radio broadcaster who was an offensive lineman on Schembechler's first three U-M teams, 1969-71.

Asked whether Michigan should continue its series with Notre Dame, Schembechler said: "We don't need Notre Dame. They need us more than we need them.

"Hell, we're playing all these Big Ten teams. When Penn State came into the league, then we should do everything we can to get this Notre Dame series over with. Now that's the way I feel."

Schembechler, who compiled a 194-48-5 record in 21 seasons at Michigan, ending in 1989, added, "I would rather have an intersectional game than a midwest game. Play Southern Cal. I don't care. Play Texas... somebody like that. But not Notre Dame."

Schembechler-coached Michigan teams were 4-6 against Notre Dame in 10 games spanning 1978-89.

Responding to comments by current U-M coach Lloyd Carr, who in December said he supported a postseason playoff system -- "I think we should play the top 16 teams and do it on the field; I think that's only fair to the guys that play the game" -- Schembechler said:

"He's just talking. It sounds good. He doesn't want a playoff. I'll speak for him. He doesn't want a playoff."

Schembechler, 77, weighed in on other matters, as well:

# On how television has changed college football: "Can you believe what television has done to college football?... I used to say, 'Would you please tell those guys that we're going to tee the ball up at 1 o'clock in the afternoon. If they want to take pictures of it, c'mon out. But we're going to kick it off at 1 o'clock.' "

# On Ohio State being ranked No. 1 to start the season: "I find that hard to understand. What it tells you is the Big Ten is not as strong this year as it usually is because how can a team lose nine out of 11 starters on defense and be picked to win the national championship? I find that hard to believe."

# On coming to practice: "This is my life. This is what I did for a living. I love it. I tell you this, I'll make it back to Ann Arbor in time for practice this afternoon."
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One development that may grant Bo his wish is this, ND as I heard it wants to avoid having the Big 10 teams play them prior to the Big 10 conference play. I.e., unless a Big 10 team is willing to break apart the conference slate and schedule say in mid to late October then those series, MSU, scUM etc may become a thing of the past.
 
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I wish scUM would stop playing Notre Dame too because I think it's taking away from the OSU-UM rivalry which should be #1. It seems like most scUM fans would rather beat ND than us and that shouldn't be acceptable. Same with OSU fans.
 
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I wish scUM would stop playing Notre Dame too because I think it's taking away from the OSU-UM rivalry which should be #1. It seems like most scUM fans would rather beat ND than us and that shouldn't be acceptable. Same with OSU fans.
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Come now, Michigan would love nothing more than to beat ND every year, but theres no topping the UM vs. OSU game!
 
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Dispatch

8/13/06

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Special bond with Weis has helped Quinn to flourish

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Tom Coyne
ASSOCIATED PRESS

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Brady Quinn vividly remembers hearing coach Charlie Weis’ booming New Jersey accent at practice last year after the Notre Dame quarterback had trouble with his footwork, causing a pass to miss its mark.
"This is why you’re always going to be a 50-percent completion passer," Weis yelled.
The quip might not seem particularly insulting, but for Quinn — unhappy with his 50.8 percent rate over his first two seasons at Notre Dame — the remark stung.
"He just always makes little comments like that that kind of stick with you," Quinn, of Dublin, said. "That’s probably the one that has, I guess, more or less motivated me and stuck with me."
Under Weis, who helped groom New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady into one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, Quinn went from marginal to magnificent, completing 64.9 percent of his passes last season and setting nearly every school passing record.
Another season like that and Quinn could become the first Irish quarterback in 42 years to win the Heisman Trophy.
The change is the result of a special relationship between Weis and Quinn. The coach who was a mediocre high school lineman and the player most outspoken about the firing of Weis’ predecessor, Tyrone Willingham, have formed a partnership that has Irish fans dreaming again of a national championship.
Quinn already had the raw skills to be a topflight passer before Weis arrived. He just wasn’t able to pass with consistency, and most of his best games came in Irish losses.
Weis tweaked some small mechanical problems, such as the way Quinn awkwardly squatted before taking a snap, making it harder to drop back in the pocket properly.
Primarily, though, Weis changed the way Quinn thought, transforming him through Weis’ teaching, not-sogentle prodding and constant presence. Weis believes Quinn should be an extension of him on the field.
"He wants to be right there with you," Quinn said.
Quinn is looking forward to Weis giving him more responsibility in running the Irish offense. It’s part of Weis’ plan to challenge Quinn more. Weis said it’s no longer good enough for Quinn to simply run a play well.
"Sometimes when you look at a play in a game and it’s a completed pass, you say, ‘Oh, it’s a nice job.’ But I might be mad that he didn’t go to the guy he was supposed to," Weis said.
It’s not only Weis challenging Quinn, though. The quarterback keeps the coach on his toes, as well.
Weis has to be careful around Quinn because if he makes a mistake when he’s talking about a play, Quinn notices immediately.
"I can’t hide if I made a mistake with him. Because if I call a play and I call it a little bit wrong, he’ll say, ‘Do you mean this?’ He loves it, too — like, ‘Got yah,’ " Weis said. "I like this kind of challenge personally."
As tough as Weis can be, he tries to keep his digs to a minimum so they will have maximum impact. He already knows one thing Quinn is going to hear often from him when he slips up.
"Every time that Quinn throws an incomplete pass, he already knows it’s coming," Weis said. "You can ask him because he already knows: I will say, ‘Yeah, there’s my Heisman Trophy winner.’ " Irish fans are hoping Weis is saying that in New York on Dec. 9.
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Wake up the echoes

Debunking four myths about resurgent Notre Dame

Posted: Monday August 14, 2006 12:30PM;
Updated: Monday August 14, 2006 9:06PM

The e-mails first started pouring in nearly a year ago. They came from all parts of the country and across the globe, and they encompassed fans from Texas to Tennessee, Oklahoma to Ohio State. All revolved around the same theme: indignation over the media's perceived love affair with Notre Dame and coach Charlie Weis.
The furor started building at the beginning of last season, when in the span of two weeks the Fighting Irish jumped from unranked to 10th in the AP poll after beating soon-to-be-exposed Pittsburgh and Michigan. The voters wouldn't do that for any other team. It's ridiculous!
It grew louder when Weis' team didn't fall even a spot following its memorable last-second loss to USC. The media are treating the game as if Notre Dame won. It's absurd!
And it reached a fever pitch when the then 9-2 Irish, as expected, were granted a free pass to the Fiesta Bowl over arguably more deserving squads: Oregon (10-1), Auburn (9-2) and Virginia Tech (10-2). This is a travesty! Bowl bids shouldn't be based on how many times the movie Rudy is shown on television.
Heading into the 2006 season, that collective Notre Dame resentment -- an age-old staple of college football that had sat idle during the Irish's decade-long run of irrelevance -- is back out in the open. Fans of the nation's other glamour programs, having been subjected to a long summer's worth of Brady Quinn magazine covers, Jeff Samardzija baseball updates and Tom Zbikowski boxing stories, are practically bursting with ire over the fact that a team that gave up 617 yards of offense the last time it took the field is ranked in the preseason Top 3. How can anyone seriously believe Notre Dame is a national championship contender? The Irish have lost eight straight bowl games, for crying out loud!
The truth is, all of these points are valid. It's no secret that every little thing Notre Dame does gets magnified in the media simply because it's Notre Dame. Did the Irish get way more hype than they deserved last season? Absolutely. Is Weis getting far more credit than he's earned based on one promising season? No doubt.
Is Notre Dame, which returns 17 starters from last year's 9-3 team, really a legitimate contender for this year's national title? Actually, yes.
This opinion is not being offered in an attempt to sell magazines or bowl tickets. This writer has no vested interest in NBC's ratings. It is the simple, objective truth about the Irish's football squad, gleaned from watching their games, analyzing their roster and speaking with some of the coaches who have faced them.
After reading nearly a year's worth of e-mails on the subject, I can tell you that those who resent Notre Dame -- and Lord knows there are a lot of you -- tend to espouse four common critiques of the Irish. It's time to debunk them.
 
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ND recruiting ready to make noise


ERIC HANSEN
Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- The silence is hardly deafening. In fact, recruiting analyst Tom Lemming says it is to be expected.

It was the last week in June when Ashburn, Va., offensive lineman Andrew Nuss made the most recent splash into Notre Dame's recruiting pool, becoming the eighth commitment in a class that will sign letters-of-intent in February of 2007.

The Irish are still sitting on eight commitments, but hardly standing still, according to CSTV's Lemming.

"I think you'll see them starting to pop again in September, when Notre Dame starts hosting official visits for the Penn State (Sept. 9) and Michigan (Sept. 16) games," Lemming said. "If there are any verbal commitments before that, it'd be something on the spur of the moment.

"But just because they're at eight commitments, doesn't mean they're not doing well. When it comes to getting involved with a lot of kids, Notre Dame is getting it done. They're right up there with Florida, USC and Texas. It's guaranteed to be a very good year, but if the right guys come around, it could be a great year."

A lot of the "right guys" happen to be defensive linemen, perhaps ND's biggest area of need in the current recruiting cycle. The Irish have two commitments from defensive linemen -- Kerry Neal and Justin Trattou -- among their eight verbals thus far. But ND coach Charlie Weis wants to load up.

His top five targets, according to Lemming are:

Marvin Austin, a 6-foot-2, 291-pound defensive tackle from Ballou High School in Washington, D.C.


Joseph Barksdale, a 6-6, 323-pound defensive tackle from Cass Tech High School in Detroit.


Will Blackwell, a 6-4, 296-pound defensive tackle from West Monroe, La.


Ben Martin, a 6-5, 230-pound defensive end from LaSalle High in Cincinnati, Ohio.


Martez Wilson, a 6-4, 230-pound defensive end from Simeon High in Chicago.


All five are rated among the 100 college prospects regardless of position, with Austin, Barksdale and Wilson all ranked in the top 25. Austin, in fact, is the top defensive player in the nation, according to rivals.com, ranked only behind quarterback and ND commit Jimmy Clausen in the top 100.

"It's hard to tell if any of them will end up at Notre Dame," Lemming said, "but the Irish are in the middle of it with all of them. I think a lot of it will have to do with how the defense does this year. Is it improved? Is it an exciting defense? A lot of the guys in this group are going to wait and see."

Oh to be Young

Freshman Sam Young, the highest rated recruit (No. 10) in ND's current freshman class, has caused quite a buzz among his teammates in fall camp as he battles fifth-year senior Brian Mattes for the starting right tackle spot.

"To be honest, all of our freshmen on the offensive line are good," junior defensive end Ronald Talley said of the 6-7, 292-pounder from Coral Springs, Fla. "But Sam's taller with real long arms. That gives him a pretty good advantage."

"I remember when I was a freshman, people called me a manchild," said ND senior defensive end Victor Abiamiri. "Now I know what people are talking about. But physically he is more developed than I was, better equipped than I was. He doesn't look any different than a fifth-year senior. The sky's the limit if he keeps working hard."

Lightening up

Senior safety Chinedum Ndukwe shed more than 20 pounds this offseason to get down to 210, per Weis' orders. And it's made a world of difference, according to defensive coordinator Rick Minter.

"Charlie was right," Minter said. "Who was the last guy he did that to? Maurice Stovall. And just look at him now. Charlie wasn't born yesterday.

"I think the guy has done wonders. There wasn't much wrong with (Ndukwe's) speed. He could run very well, but now he's lost the body fat and trimmed down and he's one of the positives in our fall camp.

"He's taken his game to a different level. He's in great spirits. He's in great condition. I'm very pleased with him."
 
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