Break out stories --

[continually35forever]

It appears from all reports and coaches comments that Hunter - Jones + StBrown are not just good but high level impact guys . In addition it is assumed by almost everyone that the OL will be an upgrade over last yr .

Given these factors along with the return of Russell, Schmidt and grace along with the addition of Tillery being added to the defense I think we are looking at at least an 11 win season . Kelly is already scheming Jones and Weistar into 2 TE sets which will be a match up nightmare for opponents ( there is not a LB in the country who will match up w Jones ) . Hunter may be the most dangerous of all our receivers given his hands , speed and football IQ ( Denrock said he was the best receiver in camp ) . Having three additional weapons on a par with Fuller is kinda scary .
St Brown is the closet we have gotten to Randy Moss since well...... Randy Moss --6'5" speedster w awesome hands and a high IQ for route running .

Hats off to Kelly in the talent evaluation dept + LANDING these kids

It appears he has brought in three kids that are game changers at the skill positions ( Jones - St Brown - Hunter )

Throw in Sanders and we are looking at BY FAR the best crop of Notre Dame receivers we have had at one time in my lifetime -- actually it isnt even close .

Kudos to Kelly and staff . Texas may have their hands full in a couple week .

Lastly Kizer from all reports is stone cold legit -- exciting stuff

Beat Texas !!

 

[pumpbeef]

Let's not count our chickens before their hatched,,,,,,just a small reminder,,,,

 

[Quest4Twelve]

Let's not count our chickens before their hatched,,,,,,just a small reminder,,,,

I think all continually is trying to say is there is A LOT to be excited for this upcoming season. I share his excitement and enthusiasm, but last year is a great reminder how fast it can go downhill. Going into last season I thought the offense would put 40 points on anyone they faced. Well ill-timed play calls and turnovers played a part in hampering the offense. We won't talk about the defense. With the added weapons, staff and hopefully dedication to the run game I think this offense can truly average 35-40 points/game.

 

[continually35forever]

I'm basing my opinion on what coaches are saying about these kids . Coaches don't build expectations typically unless there is something tangible to base their expectations on . I'm pretty good at interpreting what coaches are inferring when they talk and Denrock , Sanford , Kelly are pretty dead certain that Jones, STBrown and Hunter are locks to be big time college players .

I base all my opinions on what the coaches have to say -- if I wanted a n opinion on Tiger Woods golf game I would listen to Tiger . If I wanted an opinion on a ND player I would pay attention to the guys coaching them .


BTW Twelve if defense stayed healthy and golson did even a decent job of holding onto the football we go 11-1 last yr - including a win @ Fl St

 

[stu4don]

Given how much we lost in the off-season before last year I was not nearly as optimistic. We lost valuable players/leaders in Martin, Watt, (Half our OL!) Tuitt, Nix, (our starting DL!) Niklas, TJ Jones and (in addition to seniors like Carlo and Fox.) So I was already thinking it would be a down year. Then we lost our best projected playmaker (Davaris Daniels) and maybe our best defensive player (2nd?) in Russell. (Also some sorely needed linebacking help in Moore, our best rusher in Isaaq.) I was fearing the worst.

Schedule, the play of Golson and Schmidt and Folston (he is flying under the radar this year and I was so impressed last) and FULLER surprised us all and we made a great first half run with a very very young and inexperienced team. When injuries hit and we started to play better teams... well it fell apart.

That said, this year's team is a giant leap forward in experience, leadership and proven talent. The only question mark I have is Zaire -- I believe he will be a great one -- and I'm hopeful he can lead us to the final four... But with only five quarters under his belt we'll have to see.

Despite Wall Street these days, I'm buying

 

[Telx1]

As said above, there are lots of reasons to be excited about this year, and the unexpected view from Kelly that these guys are ready to contribute this season is just more fuel for the enthusiastic belly fire we are all feeling a few weeks before the season begins. Hate the two significant season ending injuries to date, but this team is loaded on offense and the defense will prove to be very good in my opinion. Just reading defense player comments about how they understand their roles and those of others in the broader defensive schemes, and how they feel confident about just playing instead of being slowed with think first play, is exactly what this defense needs.

 

[continually35forever]

I'm basing my opinion on what coaches are saying about these kids . Coaches don't build expectations typically unless there is something tangible to base their expectations on . I'm pretty good at interpreting what coaches are inferring when they talk and Denrock , Sanford , Kelly are pretty dead certain that Jones, STBrown and Hunter are locks to be big time college players .

I base all my opinions on what the coaches have to say -- if I wanted a n opinion on Tiger Woods golf game I would listen to Tiger . If I wanted an opinion on a ND player I would pay attention to the guys coaching them .


BTW Twelve if defense stayed healthy and golson did even a decent job of holding onto the football we go 11-1 last yr - including a win @ Fl St

I agree - Zaire is the X factor - good news is if he is having a bad day throwing the ball he can kill you with his feet . My take on him is he must be legit or Golson's job would never have been at risk this past spring . Golson knows what he was looking at and decided he probably wasn't going to beat him out this season .

 

[theskibro]

I agree - Zaire is the X factor - good news is if he is having a bad day throwing the ball he can kill you with his feet . My take on him is he must be legit or Golson's job would never have been at risk this past spring . Golson knows what he was looking at and decided he probably wasn't going to beat him out this season .

Wow was I disappointed with Golson. Thought he would be a great one. Clearly missing some leadership and football smarts. I never criticize a ab for his height. Golson is the exception. He has more batted balls than any qb in recent memory. Enough Now this team should contend in playoffs. They are that good. If we don't, it will be wrong game plan. I expect Kelly to step it up to a higher level this year and not lose focus on game planning. He knows how good a team he has and a year like this is an opportunity that can't be wasted

 

[TeddyOH]

Let's just take it all in and think about what the OP is really saying. Kelly has brought ND football back in a big way. We have the talent to compete with anyone. Does that mean we should expect a National Title? Hell no! It is damn hard to win it all. So much goes into it, and it is a lot more than just talent.

Coaching
The staff has to assemble a solid gameplan. Then, you've gotta have guys on the sidelines and in the pressbox that can read the game and make the adjustments. Holtz was the best I've ever seen at gameplanning and adjustments. We've got a LOT of turnover on this staff. It's a big question mark. Heck, even at the top, I can't say Kelly has ever pulled a rabbit out of his hat and pulled off a shocker. Maybe thumping Oklahoma in Norman in 2012? He has got to show us that.

Schedule
Our schedule isn't doing us any favors this year. Landmines everywhere you look. Then at the end, we have to hope Stanford is ranked. No conference title game for us.

Playoff Committee
Even if we win 11 games, we have to put our fate in the hands of a committee. I'll say it: more often than not, we will lose this beauty pageant.

Luck
Just plain luck is maybe the biggest thing we need to win a title. We have to avoid injuries. We need to recover a timely turnover here and there. An opponent's FG to sail just wide. We need a few balls to bounce our way, and a few calls to go our way. It's just that simple. So many times I've seen games decided on the smallest lucky detail.

Should ALL of that come together, sure we can win it. Yes, daunting. But at least we have the team to pull it off. That's all you can ask for in college football.

 

[continually35forever]

If the DL and Grace Schmidt stay healthy buckle up folks - were goin for a ride

re luck/injuries totally agree - Tiger often has said it takes a degree of luck to win a golf tournament -same goes for winning a national title .

 

[continually35forever]

If the DL and Grace Schmidt stay healthy buckle up folks - were goin for a ride

re luck/injuries totally agree - Tiger often has said it takes a degree of luck to win a golf tournament -same goes for winning a national title .

re; game planning the only thing that jumps out at me heading into this yr is Van Gorder's use or lack thereof of using Jaylon Smith as a hybrid DE - see lawrence taylor

we have all been bemoaning our possible lack of pass rush out of this group -- for the life of me I see no way a team could scheme against Smith getting to the QB - keep it simple VG you may have the best pass rusher in college football in #9 . Call his number and cut him loose early and often

PASS RUSH SOLVED

 

[Telx1]

Continually, I believe we have stumbled across an opinion that you and Perse share regarding how to best utilize Smith!

 

[HRC08]

I'll believe when I see it. Until then, I'll mark Brian Kelly's Notre Dame down for 8.5 wins.

 

[TurnoverMachine]

Every year it's the same talk. Kelly goes 8-4. Then people make excuses about why he chokes under pressure. He's cost this program nine games since he's been here.

MSU
Mich X 2
Tulsa
USF
Florida State X 2
Pitt
Northwestern

Maybe this year this all talk no results contingent will finally see how in over his head CBK is. Should've been 10-win seasons every year he has been so far. Instead, ND is struggling to get big time recruits this cycle because of the constant mediocrity. ND could be in a special place right now if it had hired a good coach. Now we are left with the media still questioning if ND can ever get back? That takes its toll on recruiting.

 

[TurnoverMachine]

re; game planning the only thing that jumps out at me heading into this yr is Van Gorder's use or lack thereof of using Jaylon Smith as a hybrid DE - see lawrence taylor

we have all been bemoaning our possible lack of pass rush out of this group -- for the life of me I see no way a team could scheme against Smith getting to the QB - keep it simple VG you may have the best pass rusher in college football in #9 . Call his number and cut him loose early and often

PASS RUSH SOLVED

The only time ND's had a pass rush was with Aaron Lynch. Not expecting one again.

 

[TurnoverMachine]

If the DL and Grace Schmidt stay healthy buckle up folks - were goin for a ride

re luck/injuries totally agree - Tiger often has said it takes a degree of luck to win a golf tournament -same goes for winning a national title .

Outside of Malik Zaire, Jones was the worst possible injury that could happen. Your DL health bit is already under water.

 

[continually35forever]

Continually, I believe we have stumbled across an opinion that you and Perse share regarding how to best utilize Smith!

Tex - LOL

Re Zaire I watched the highlight film posted earlier and the blue gold games and LSU - what jumped out at me was his natural instincts to take off with the ball . I was a large Golson guy but he didn't have the instincts or athleticism this kid does running the football. If he is careful not to throw careless / ill advised passes he will be a real solid QB - which given our talent level is all we need