Comments on: Wonder, Think & Know: Admiral Ackbar Edition

By: Don in LA

Don in LA — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 21:43:54 +0000

It’s a good sign of the health of ND football that everyone is bitching when we’re 6-0.

By: jdthom

jdthom — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 13:28:59 +0000

In reply to jdthom. That ended up being a lot more negative than I originally intended. I'll just add that I continue to be impressed with Golson's composure and will, especially late in games, to keep the team in the win column.

By: jdthom

jdthom — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 13:24:13 +0000

You may not respond given that it’s been a couple days but I just now read this piece.
I agree a win is not just a win. We should have scored 50 and I was pleased with our offense (though we could have scored 60). Turnovers are not all created equal. The interceptions do not bother me as much as Golson putting the ball on the ground. He is getting out of bounds when he can but still refuses to slide in the open field. Golson only has 4 INTs on the year to 16 TDs but it seems that the INTs were all bad reads, poor throws and in the worst possible spots on the field, which were all Tommy Rees problems. That causes me to wonder whether or not play-calling is a common factor.
The O-line is a problem but Golson not being able to run the option is a bigger reason this offense cannot run the ball. The jet sweeps with Prosise and Carlisle are helping but Golson is not a true threat on running plays, which neutralizes the whole rushing offensive scheme.
I would venture a guess that the punt blocking was poor because UNC was in 4th and short a lot and we were concerned about fakes.
All that said, but Defense is my biggest concern as BVG really had a problem getting the play calls in and substituting. This is 2014 and teams (outside the B1G) are going to play up tempo. Hopefully this was his 2011 Navy game and the adjustments will follow. In theory, the defense should be seeing this in practice as Kelly has promised an up tempo offense since he arrived but I don’t think it will ever happen.
I don’t know enough about FSU to know if they run up tempo or not but I do know they do not rely on Winston to run as much as UNC relied on Williams. But if they do we could get our doors blown off.

By: ND Chicago

ND Chicago — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 12:59:11 +0000

“But let me preemptively say something to everyone who frequents our NDN boards — the answer to “We won, isn’t that enough?” is always “No.” How you win is as important as whether or not you win, because it shows how likely you are to win more. And a team averaging 3+ turnovers a game like the Irish have the last three weeks is going to have a really hard time winning in Tallahassee.”

Amen. Successful ND football seasons are measured in NC’s or conversely how far away they are to competing for one. Yes, ND Football has been down a long time, but unless I missed the memo the goal is still the same as when ND was a perennial power. A sloppy, 7 point win at home against a team that gave up 70 to E. Carolina isn’t an indicator that this team was ready to play or compete against the nation’s elite teams. Last week Ole Miss beat Alabama at home, then goes on the road this week and destroys Texas A & M. I’m not saying they won’t lose along the way (and I hope they do), but that’s a team that was prepared to play coming off a big win. There is absolutely no excuse why 5 years into the program special teams are still so bad. Yes, winning is always better than the alternative, but when you see the same problems game after game for 5 years (inconsistent running game, time outs wasted because the play clock is about to expire, turnovers, penalties, etc.) that doesn’t inspire confidence that we’re getting closer to the ultimate goal. That’s not being negative, that’s being realistic.

By: Mike Coffey

Mike Coffey — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 01:38:40 +0000

In reply to canuck75. My position is based on the performance of the team thus far this season, not what the on-paper rankings said

By: canuck75

canuck75 — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 22:49:26 +0000

Although I agree with some of your comments, you come close to the classic uninformed opinion that all opponents suck etc. North Carolina was supposed to be a solid team. Clearly the qb is capable of good performances, and a couple of his passes were perfect. They are not a good team because of lack of consistency, but have the potential to play well, as they did.
I agree that the D had a bad day and were thrown off by pace.
But we will bounce back next week. I am not predicting a clear victory, but I certainly see it as a 28-24 game, maybe turning on one brilliant play by a qb. And my money is on EG.

By: mrm

mrm — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 12:59:39 +0000

Agree with your special team assessment. Our special teams (kick & punt return), have taken a giant step backwards from a promising start of the season,

By: Mike Coffey

Mike Coffey — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 05:17:22 +0000

In reply to ocmj. I figured he was

By: ocmj

ocmj — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 02:38:21 +0000

In reply to Moe. No disrespect to Mike, but I think you're referring to JVan's weekly pre and post game analyses.

By: Irish tool

Irish tool — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 02:31:57 +0000

I thought overall that the defense was prepared for up-tempo. One, maybe two snaps where the D wasn’t set. No major missed assignments in coverage (the QB, of course, was a different matter).

It didn’t feel like Chip Kelly putting the pressure on until mistakes were made. It just felt like Tate Forcier 2.0… Making an also-ran look like a Heisman candidate. We’ll see next week whether the D can fix things and make Winston look like 2014 Devin Gardner.