Offensive Line Key For Notre Dame Football Success
If you believe a good offense starts with the line, you'll agree that replacing three stalwart lineman from last year's team is a priority for 2010 Notre Dame football.
Frank Verducci, Charlie Weis' offensive line coach, is gone. Head coach Brian Kelly brought in Ed Warinner to replace him, and his first job will be to fill the holes in the line.
Verducci and Weis took a lot of heat for an offensive line that was characterized as underachieving. Explaining their inconsistencies was difficult, because the talent was there—at least that's what the NFL thought.
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Offensive tackle Sam Young was drafted in the sixth round by Dallas, center Eric Olsen was drafted in the sixth round by Denver, and offensive tackle Paul Duncan was signed as a free agent by Denver.
The Irish rushed for a total of 1,539 yards last year. That was only an increase of 113 yards from the year before. The Irish were no better at converting crucial third down opportunities, and last year's line failed to protect quarterback Jimmy Clausen.
It's not hard to understand why Clausen left for the NFL after his junior year. In 2009, Clausen was sacked 24 times and was forced to scramble far too much. Clausen was sacked more than he was in 2008, and if he returned, he likely would have reached the century mark for career sacks.
The offensive line can't be blamed for everything that went wrong last year—the defense had a lot to do with it. The defense allowed 30 points per game in Notre Dame's last three games (losses to Pitt, UConn, and Stanford).
The Sporting News says this year's line is solid and is "a collection of skilled players that could be the best line at Notre Dame in years." But can they eliminate the lapses from a year ago and perform better?
Some insiders believe Zach Martin (6'4", 280 lbs.) will return at left tackle, and Braxton Cave (6'3", 309 lbs) will return at center. Others will tell you that Chris Stewart (6'5", 344 lbs) and Trevor Robinson (6'5", 300) have just as much of a chance at starting.
All four have enough experience but Kelly is going to require a different skill level than Weis did. Nothing is finalized at this time.
Andrew Nuss (6'5", 303) got playing time at guard last year, but he might be competing for the center spot in 2010. Chris Watt (6'5", 344lbs), who didn't play last year, was a Parade All-American out of high school, and will get a look, and senior Dan Wenger (6'4" 297lbs) could also be in the mix.
Notre Dame brings in two freshman offensive lineman this year: Christian Lombard, who's listed as the no. 2 guard in the country, and Tate Nichols from Union, Kentucky. Nichols (6'7", 240) looks like a red shirt who'll spend time in the weight room, but Kelly probably won't make any decisions on red shirts until after preseason.
Offensive line coach Ed Warinner arrives in South Bend with a brilliant resume. From 2007-09 he served as the Offensive Coordinator for Kansas, and turned that offense into one to the best in college football.
Last year Warinner was a finalist for the American Football Coaches Association's National Assistant Coach of the Year award. Can he fix the problems the Irish have had up front on offense? I'd say he's the man to try.
In 2010, Notre Dame is going to need better production from the running backs. The offensive line has to open more holes, but the running backs also have to do more.
In 2009, Armando Allen improved one half yard per carry from 2008, but the Irish need him to have a bigger and more productive 2010.
Allen totaled 382 yards on the ground in 2008, and 697 last year. If he wants to become high-profile running back, he has to get closer to 1,000 yards. He also has to put the ball in the end zone more. Allen scored just three touchdowns in 2008, and 2009.
Robert Hughes' numbers went up in 2009 also. But Hughes (5'11", 245 lbs) has to be more of a banger and get those tough yards on third down, or inside the red zone.
Phil Steele picked the Irish No. 16 in his 2010 preseason poll. That could be a stretch after picking them No. 7 last year, and No. 19 in 2008.
College Football News (Scout) picks the Irish to finish No. 64. They feel that Kelly's program is not a "five minute plan." They think the Irish are far away from a BCS game.
College Football News talks about a "muddled quarterback situation," and a schedule that guarantees at least four losses.
The Sporting News doesn't think the quarterback situation is muddled. In a recent interview with Dane Crist, the quarterback spoke about his torn ACL from last year. Crist said "It was a clean tear, a non-contact injury."
The magazine described Crist's recovery as quick, and mentioned an even quicker "assimilation into new coach Brian Kelly's spread offense."
It's hard to tell how the Irish will finish in 2010. Even if Crist is 100 percent healthy, and has a solid year, they're going to need the offensive line to step up.
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