Coming off a 2007 campaign that left much to be desired, the Irish have a lot to prove. To some extent, Fall (and Spring) practice can answer lingering questions about deficiencies the Irish failed to correct last season. However, uncertainty will inevitably remain until September 6 when the Irish face San Deigo State.
This Fall head coach Charlie Weis has issued a “Dive Right In” mentality, challenging them to bring a determined work ethic to practice. This bodes well for the Irish as it promotes good tempo, quality repetitions, and physical play. Practices have looked more intense, emotional, and fun. Weis has also issued an edict banning the team from discussing the 2007 season, another tactic aimed at getting Notre Dame off on the right foot in 2008.
The off-season saw quite a bit of change for Notre Dame with all the offensive linemen in the two deep tipping the scales at over 300 lbs. Additionally, the interior defensive linemen increased their squat to above 600 lbs and the running backs all upped their bench by 100 lbs. These measurables were off-season targets to address issues with poor physical offensive line play at the point of attack, insufficient run support from the front three on defense, and running backs frequently going down on first contact.
Many Fighting Irish fans were excited to see the impact of the freshmen. With Alabama’s recruiting class suffering from defections, academic ineligibilities, etc. Notre Dame’s incoming class of recruits is now the top in the country according to Rivals. Other than the defensive line, the Irish likely won’t need contributions from the youngsters, but some of them may be too talented to keep off the field. At other positions the freshmen will be counted on to build depth, driving competition and increasing the overall level of team play.
Notre Dame fans are also optimistic for the 2008 season, with many predicting eight or more wins. Generally speaking, the most player improvement occurs between the first and second seasons. With so many freshmen gaining valuable playing time in 2007 and a much more favorable schedule, expecting improvement isn’t unreasonable. But moving the win total from three to eight would be a significant achievement.
It should be noted that drawing meaningful conclusions from practice footage is a risky endeavor. The film typically includes relatively benign parts of practice: stretching, basic drills, etc. Additionally, many times it’s a half-full/half-empty proposition with one unit of the team looking good and casting doubt over the performance of the opposing unit. It is also typical for practice situations to create artificial advantages for certain positions. Finally, the camera angles are atrocious, not allowing much to be gleaned from the little video available.
With those disclaimers in hand, a summary of the Fighting Irish Fall practice camp and an outlook on the personnel heading into the 2008 season follows.
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2008 Fighting Irish Fall Practice Review
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5 comments Last one added 10 months ago — Leave a Comment
Jon Hunn 10 months ago
David Grimes is a hack. His hands are inconsistent at best. I can't tell you how many times I've cursed at the television because David Grimes had footballs hit him right in the chest piece and he dropped them. Then, he'd turn around and make an amazing catch as he's diving across the endzone. The guy gives me a headache to watch.
Also, I'm not so sure that Jonas Gray will play this season. He may see time at the end of the season towards the end of games. But, I remember both Weis and Haywood and Gray himself saying that he needs to improve his blitz pickup abilities before he'll see the field. And with as many sacks as we gave up last year, that is critical.
Overall, this is a great informative article. Very well done. Pick o' the day...
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Anthony Pilcher 10 months ago
Jon,
Gray may need to improve his blitz pickup and understanding of the offense but the kid is a true talent. With the ball in his hands he may be the most complete back on the team. I hope he doesn't see the field, it will mean the first three have done their job and Gray will preserve a year of elligibility. But he is very athletic and could be difficult to ignore.
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Trey Bradley 10 months ago
Great stuff... It will be weird to watch ND open at home against a cupcake. But it's about time.
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IRISHsubway FAN 10 months ago
Great article! MyPick, if you care. As far as what Jon said, I agree about Grimes, and I feel the same about Terrail Lambert. Lambert has great games, or gets beat all day. I hope he does great this year.
As far as the defensive backfield goes, I say it's a little vice-versa. You said there should be more interceptions due to the blitz happy Tenuta defense. I think it's the opposite. I believe the great coverage will get the blitz home more often. Besides that, I got nothin'. This article is incredivly informative and spun me up a little bit about things that I didn't know. Go Irish!
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Anthony Pilcher 10 months ago
IRISHsubway,
You may be right, the great coverage might let the blitz get to opposing quarterbacks more often. Either way, I'm happy with the outcome. It's a win-win for the Notre Dame defense.
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