Time to Make the List
I wish it were time to make the donuts instead.
I love donuts.
Well, it’s time to make a list of everything we’d like to see improved next year. A wish-list, if you will. And no. “A new HC” will not get added to the list. He’s not going to be fired after this year. I don’t think he should be. It would be a dumb thing to do. If you’ve got a problem with that, bite me.
So, please ignore that I’m being a lazy, somewhat depressed blogger for a moment and toss your ideas into the list via the comments for this post. I’ll take all reasonable ideas* and add them to a list later this season/year/next year so we’ve got something to look at for a measurement of “discernible progress” in 2008.
*All unreasonable ideas will be mocked with less mercy than the Cobra Kai would show at an All Valley Karate Tournament and then deleted.
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20 Comments
Number 1 overall improvement should come with no suprise… OFFENSIVE LINE.
Number 2 would be outside containment with the defense.
Number 3 would be route running by the receivers.
Number 4 would be the overall special teams play to include the kicking game (sucks).
If a coach was to be replaced, it should be Latina. I know he is a highly touted offensive line coach, but the players have not shown shit since he started coaching the o-line at Notre Dame. They need someone young and fundamentality sound.
When you hit somebody before he gets to the first down marker, DON’T LET HIM GET PAST THE FIRST DOWN MARKER.
Oh, and stop shuffling out of the damn tunnel. Emerge like you mean it.
A few more:
- Downfield blocking by the wide receivers, to turn some of those 5-10 yard gains into gamebreakers.
- Get some frigging push in short yardage situations.
- Would it kill Weis to call for a slant route now and then?
- Stewart and Romine: IN. Duncan and Turkovich: OUT.
- Clausen’s got happy feet. I’m sure the o-line’s suckitude doesn’t help, but his pass presence has got to improve.
- Stop being so damn tentative, especially on kick returns. You’ve got the ball. You’ve got the speed. Now GO.
- Another #1 recruiting class would be nice, too. And so would NOT COMPLETELY SUCKING, and WINNING SOME DAMN GAMES.
A much improved O-line, Clausen gets hit less and also stays healthy (not that he didn’t this year, but he did get banged up a lot and I don’t want that to happen to him again), and no defections from the team (at least, none from any starters). And, although I think most ND fans have shown a lot of restraint and patience this season, continued patience from those of us who have it and more patience from those among us who don’t. Regardless of how you feel about Willingham, I think everyone can agree that getting in the habit of dumping coaches every 3 - 4 years is a bad idea, and unlikely to create positive momentum in the long term. The recruiting classes are a positive development, and as long as he keeps that up, we actually have the luxury to give him more time to turn things around, because we know the talent base will be there in the long run regardless.
Someone on the staff realizing that just because your starting fullback can bench 900 pounds that does not, in turn, qualify him as a good blocker. Or, for that matter, an adequate ball carrier.
* I meant “pocket presence”, not “pass presence”.
For the team:
1. O-line improvement. As a unit, master one of the following: A) Pass blocking. B) Run blocking. Be reasonably competent at whichever one you don’t master. Be prepared to master both in 2009.
2. Defense. Learn how to tackle so that the guy not only falls down, but feels it. Omahadomer said this on NDNation, but when we play option teams, dedicate one guy to nail the QB no matter what. That’ll really limit the option.
3. Receivers. Catch the ball.
For the coaches:
1. Put the best team on the field. I’m sorry, but I’m not buying Grimes and Parris (Parrish? I don’t care to look at the moment) are the two best receivers we have. There is no reason Kamara shouldn’t be on the field every play.
2. If something - say, the run - is working, don’t feel obliged to go away from it.
I don’t care if Latina is a Virginia Tech guy and people feel sorry for him, but he’s gotta go.
I’ve seen the French army create more holes than our 0-line.
Bobby, our O-Line has created a ton of holes. How else do you think the LBs get to the QB so easily?
1. Addressing ForeverFaust’s point: not just O-line; overall improvement in the fundamentals of the game. I think we’ve recognized that the biggest problem with this year was the lack of early emphasis on those fundamentals. We need to go back to the basics.
2. Latina and Mendoza both need evaluations. Not sure where more blame belongs there, but we’ve been physically outmatched and mentally beaten on the line all year.
3. Keep the recruits. We have to hold onto this class. I think things can be turned around, and I believe Weis can be the agent there, but first he has to get and keep the talent level high.
I don’t think ND has been physically out-matched. I think they’ve made a lot of dumb mistakes and weren’t very physically aggressive early on. Mendoza can’t turn a sophomore into a junior in terms of strength. Nobody can. The work Mendoza has done for the 05/06 squads indicates some excellent work (with the exception of a few here and there).
1) Kermit to post more. He’s funny about 30% of the time, which is 3X better than MQ.
2) Clausen to have better vision of the field. The kid can throw, but he misses reads often.
3) O-line to create holes when needed, and to just MOVE people backwards when needed (cough cough, 4th-and-1 against dudes 40 lbs lighter cough)
4) Consistency. 10-12 plays in a row from the offense before a major mistake, rather than 3-4. Or how about this? No major mistakes!
5) Fire. Anger. Meanness. Nastiness. This is the one thing I haven’t seen at all this year. Isn’t anyone angry? Doesn’t someone want to to just destroy someone? I hope so. I do.
That’s 10X funnier than I thought you’d credit to me.
I’d post more FNL recaps to piss you off, Biscuit, but my damn DVR wiped all the episodes I hadn’t watched. Now, I have to watch it online, which I hate.
At least I no longer have to watch Prison Break.
You want something we can improve upon?
How about our attitude?
I don’t even care about playing inspired football (They don’t all have to be Trevor Laws and Pat Kuntz.) However, can we have at least 80% of the team LOOK like they want to play football.
And something the fans can improve on…for God’s sake stand up once and a while, and no one should ever shout at someone who is willing to stand up.
Heres one: Group of guys that care more for the university than they do their own NFL careers. You think Brady Quinn was thinking #1 draft pick as a soph? No way. Get it together, JC, I know you’ve got the skills, show me your heart. That goes for you too, James A, Armando and the rest!
1) How about some leadership on the offense to bring some fire to the sidelines during games? Brady Quinn was that guy, now someone on next year’s offense HAS to step up and be the one. It’s a shame none of the 5th year guys could do that this year, and they were “captains”. Total joke. Defense should be good with Crum, Bruton and Kuntz next season — thanks to Corwin Brown, too.
2) The team should show some sort of emotion during the pep rallies. Don’t just sit there and act like the fans are privileged to see you. Talk about looking bored. (Laws, Kuntz and Stephenson are exempt from that this year with their dance moves!)
3) Get Rocket to help out with the team in some way — locker room pre-game speeches, half-time speeches . . . anything to motivate the team.
I’d like to see more Erin Andrews.
JVH, we’re ND. We don’t need Andrews. We’ve got Flannagan.
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