Weis: ND will win 9-12 games this year.

[chitownsparty86]

ND sucks. they will win 5 games at most.

[arfabe16]

They'll keep it close for a while, just because they seem to play well at Spartan Stadium, but in the end State will win by at least 10.

[Gnossos]

And ND will never again lose to MSU on his watch - yah, mm-hmm, sure.

[WCS]

Originally Posted by arfabe16

They'll keep it close for a while, just because they seem to play well at Spartan Stadium, but in the end State will win by at least 10.

That, my friend, qualifies for a Tier 1 Blowout.

[WCS]

Originally Posted by sprtnbrn

A lot of you guys are underestimating UNC. Butch has been pulling in a ton of talent lately. I think they'll beat ND in Chapel Hill. Hell, they could win their division in the ACC this year.

Interesting...What were his two recruiting classes rated?

[NMUCats]

Originally Posted by WCS

Interesting...What were his two recruiting classes rated?

Actually Bunting was a half decent recruiter before him as well. Their last 5 classes average 24th, compared to ND's 15th, so they certainly have talent.

2006 - 30
2007 - 17

Those are Butch's two classes.


As for ND, it is completely dependent on their line play. If they get really bad line play, it's 3-4 wins. If they get average line play, it's 5-6, and if they get good line play, the sky is the limit. They have a whole lot of young talent at the skill positions on offense, they just need time in the case of Clausen and his receivers, and holes in the case of their rbs, to really show what they have. I see a completely different Clausen this year, given he has time to operate and is not running from 4 defenders at once all the time.

[mentalstate]

I don't even think ND's line 'lacked talent,' I think they lacked any real coaching. Their technique was horrible, they whiffed on everybody, and it was like a dam breaking on most plays, as it would happen to 3-4 of the lineman as well. Look at Young- went from Frosh AA to joke of a tackle. Regression like that goes straight to the coaches- guess it took Jabba a year to erase all of Young's HS coaching...

[spartan80]

Originally Posted by coach_

Stock ND fan argument? They used to be good, so therefore they always should be good.

As funny as I thought it was to see them take a crap on the field last season, that team underachieved for as stacked as it should have been. This ND team has POTENTIAL to do fairly well, but then again, they did last year, too. As I see it, they could be anywhere from a 5 win to a 9 win team. They really don't have an excuse this year for not at least making a bowl game...and if they win 6, there's no doubt they'll make a BCS bowl. It's really going to depend on their O-Line. If they haven't gotten tougher and more physical, it's going to be a very very long season for Jimmy. My prediction is 7-5...disappointing if you're a Notre Dame fan, but not nearly as disappointing as 3-9.

As far as the stock ND fan/sports pundit argument goes, well there's nothing there! That was proven last season.

The two late wins vs hoops schools arguement = improvement is also empty. Compare that to MSU making a marginal gain and learning how to come back and close vs PU & PSU. That was real competition, and the first instance was on the road, yet I say it was marginal improvement because the team had been a short hair away all season, losing by 3 or 4 points to BT contenders, by 7 to the eventual winner, losing two in OT, etc. The team was on the cusp all season and got over the hump at PU.

ND, OTOH, was terrible all season against good competition and coaching, the two late wins were against patsies. Only, ND fans and other azz kissers would see that as anything other then a horrible team beating even worse teams.

[Keepfightingforit]

Originally Posted by Spartan4ever

ND's OL in 2007 consisted of one senior (center John Sullivan) two juniors (tackle Paul Duncan, guard Mike Turkovich) one sophomore (tackle Sam Young) and a RS freshman (guard Dan Wenger).

Two of ND's linemen were returning starters, Sullivan and Young. The others except for Wenger had seen some playing time during their careers. Young started as a true freshman in 2006, but in all honesty was not ready.

ND's OL last year suffered from a lack of talent more than experience. Improvement may be fourthcoming this year but I don't expect it to be to such a degree that it will compensate when matched against better teams.

I looked up their starting OL last year and I think everyone of those guys were 4-5 star athletes. They had talent, they just hadn't been developed by their coach.

[Sir Denis Eton-Hogg]

All of this being said, I am still rooting for bodybags and the domers against dR and the weasels.

[TX Sparty]

If ND sucks it up this year, will they still be able to blame Ty?

[HoopsJunkie]

Originally Posted by TX Sparty

If ND sucks it up this year, will they still be able to blame Ty?

Yes I expect to hear that excuse for another 3-4 years

[Spartan4ever]

Originally Posted by Keepfightingforit

I looked up their starting OL last year and I think everyone of those guys were 4-5 star athletes. They had talent, they just hadn't been developed by their coach.

Let's remember that the star ratings are only for the benefit of the fans and to stroke the ego of an 18 year old. College coaches don't rely on those rankings and that is why perform their own evaluation and assessment. Also remember that teams that are perennial contenders and single out recruits help these services determine the number of stars they are going to receive. Coaches such as Tressel, Saban, Brown, Carrol, and others have a history of getting in early on recruits who they are targeting, and these services closely monitor the interest level of these programs. A majority of the higher rated recruits in the 2009 class were identified at camps last year, before their junior years.

ND has routinely had classes filled with three-star or higher rated players. One reason was because of the historical success they have had. They had earned a reputation of recruiting only the most coveted athletes, and having a winning record every year did nothing to alter that reputation. The one thing that has become very noticeable over the last several coaching regimes that has contributed to their struggles is the quality of the coaching.

Weis made the statement when he was first asked about how he was going to handle recruiting something to the effect that all he needed to recruit was his Super Bowl rings. When I read that comment I made the remark on this site that I didn't believe Weis would be the savior the ND faithful were hoping for. I stated that I didn't think he would last five years because of his arrogant attitude. I believed his "Pro" mentality would eventually cost him.

Weis was used to getting what I consider "finished players" when he coached at the pro level. Players who get drafted in the NFL have already had four years of coaching of proper technique and fundamentals. His job as a pro coach was to tweak those players and not actually teach them the basics, as typically has to be done at the college level. It almost appears that this is a foreign concept to Weis. From my perspective he and his staff have failed miserably at developing talent because of a proper instruction in technique.

The hiring of Jon Tenuta I believe is a step in the right direction, as he truly understands what it means to be a college coach. This may be a last ditch effort by Weis to save his job. He is no longer talking as boldly as he did on the day he was named the Irish coach, and his subjugating much of his authority to his assistance is a sign that he realizes coaching the college game is a whole different animal than the NFL.

[DTD1982]

Originally Posted by StatsETC

11-0 going into the USC game?!?!?

Weis expecting 9-12 wins?

What the heck did you expect him to say "We'll suck again!"?

How would you feel if Dantonio said publicly what he REALLY thinks his team is capable of?

[HoopsJunkie]

Originally Posted by DTD1982

What the heck did you expect him to say "We'll suck again!"?

How would you feel if Dantonio said publicly what he REALLY thinks his team is capable of?

Considering we won 7-games last year, and would have won at least 9 if we finished games, I don't think is answer would be that ridiculous or shocking

[mentalstate]

Dantonio has said publicly what he said, with his latest comments about this upcoming season being "remember, we're still rebuilding."

Jabba is the most publicly arrogant coach I have ever seen.

As for his NFL success, first, the NFL is more like playing Madden in comparison to college, as you are mainly talking about play calling and scheme vs. building talent and coaching to/around your talent. He was given players ready to be plugged into the schemes they ran, players who could study the playbook and understand the terminology, timing and what was expected of them. That is what college is about... with upperclassmen. Who, funny enough, are what carried Jabba in his first seasons...

[Sir Denis Eton-Hogg]

would probably say what we all feel. MSU can win every game they play this year. Whether that will be the result is the discussion.

[IGGcitable]

Originally Posted by Spartan4ever

Let's remember that the star ratings are only for the benefit of the fans and to stroke the ego of an 18 year old. College coaches don't rely on those rankings and that is why perform their own evaluation and assessment. Also remember that teams that are perennial contenders and single out recruits help these services determine the number of stars they are going to receive. Coaches such as Tressel, Saban, Brown, Carrol, and others have a history of getting in early on recruits who they are targeting, and these services closely monitor the interest level of these programs. A majority of the higher rated recruits in the 2009 class were identified at camps last year, before their junior years.

ND has routinely had classes filled with three-star or higher rated players. One reason was because of the historical success they have had. They had earned a reputation of recruiting only the most coveted athletes, and having a winning record every year did nothing to alter that reputation. The one thing that has become very noticeable over the last several coaching regimes that has contributed to their struggles is the quality of the coaching.

Weis made the statement when he was first asked about how he was going to handle recruiting something to the effect that all he needed to recruit was his Super Bowl rings. When I read that comment I made the remark on this site that I didn't believe Weis would be the savior the ND faithful were hoping for. I stated that I didn't think he would last five years because of his arrogant attitude. I believed his "Pro" mentality would eventually cost him.

Weis was used to getting what I consider "finished players" when he coached at the pro level. Players who get drafted in the NFL have already had four years of coaching of proper technique and fundamentals. His job as a pro coach was to tweak those players and not actually teach them the basics, as typically has to be done at the college level. It almost appears that this is a foreign concept to Weis. From my perspective he and his staff have failed miserably at developing talent because of a proper instruction in technique.

How much can a fatass who never set foot on the field, even in high school, know a goddamn thing about technique?

Stud HS football players are elite athletes (certainly compared to you and me).

They generally have a very dismissive attitude toward people in terrible physical shape. This can be overcome of the players know the guy was a good athlete decades ago or was a good player despite being a lardbucket. But stud football players see a gut-bucket like Weis, who never played anything beyond HS gym class, and their first subconscious instinct is, "this guy doesn't have a freaking clue what it's like to be world-class fast or world-class strong or a world class athlete in anything. Why the hell should I listen to him on how to save steps on pass routes, how to shed blockers, how to use leverage in tackles, etc etc. How the hell would he know?"

So the players will stand there and nod their heads, "Yep, yup, you betcha, yessir," as Weis goes into his spiel. But the second --- the instant -- things start coming apart on the field, the players think, "Mmmm hmmmm. I knew it."

[DTD1982]

Originally Posted by Sir Denis Eton-Hogg

would probably say what we all feel. MSU can win every game they play this year. Whether that will be the result is the discussion.

My point exactly!

[coach_]

This is just a hypothesis, and I don't really put a whole lot of stock in it, but ever since ND v. Michigan, I've been wondering...

We all know that Jimmy Clausen came in with a chip on his shoulder. Just look at the picture of him at the College Football Hall of Fame with his frosted flakes hair and limp wrist showing off his rings. Could it be that the lack of success of ND's O-Line wasn't completely unintentional? At points, it almost seemed like the o-line was letting opposing defenses have their way with Jimmy. It could be me, but I sort of think they got satisfaction watching Jimmy eat dirt.