Positional Previews #8 - Defensive Line

We are continuing the Notre Dame Football 2009 Positional Previews by counting down 10 positions. You can read about the 10 positions and an explanation of the rankings here. In short, #10 is the position that I am least confident/most worried about heading into the season, while #1 is the position I am most confident/least worried about. Ability, depth, and intangibles all factor in.

Today we hit up #8 - the Defensive Line

Depth Chart - Here is a look at the very young and unproven defensive line depth chart as it currently stands:

Talent - Average, but good numbers and some upside. Kapron Lewis-Moore (4 star end from Texas, and draft day commitment in 2008 - pictured right) redshirted last season, but created quite a buzz on the scout team later in the year. Many felt he could have been starting at the end of last season, but a season of eligibility was preserved.

The most talented player on the defensive line, and possibly the entire defense, is Ethan Johnson (pictured below - incidentally wearing the same number 9 worn by fellow sophomore tight end Kyle Rudolph, featured yesterday). The true sophomore from Oregon was a top 50 player who narrowed his college choices down to USC or Notre Dame. He played defensive end last season while learning the defense, sacking the QB in both the USC and Hawaii games. He moves inside to the 3 technique DT, which is likely his best position. He is definitely a player that can play any position on the line, and will be asked to be on the field as much as possible.

Ian Williams (3 star) has shown spurts of being a very solid nose tackle, but has lacked the focus and stamina to be an every down player. He has had a great summer and fall camp, showing a renewed sense of urgency. Kerry Neal started out as a freshman making an impact, but has not turned the corner towards being an every down consistent player, being weak against the run.

Of the backups, the sophomores have been making huge strides. Brandon Newman (3 star), Sean Cwynar (4 star), and Hafis Williams (3 star) all have been pushing each other on the fluid depth chart for the DT and NT position (Hafis not listed but battling wih Cwynar for backup DT spot). The trio bodes well for depth and the future, but they are all totally green.

Changes - Coaching changes were huge this offseason. Randy Hart is the new Defensive Line coach, replacing Jappy Oliver. Bryant Young (former Irish All American, 1st rd draft, and 4 time NFL pro bowler) is the Defensive Line Graduate Assistant coach (read about all coaching changes here). Hart brings lots of experience and energy to the position, and has gotten great reviews early. Bryant definitely has the ears of the players, as he is only 2 years removed from a 14 year NFL career. Ethan Johnson played a lot of defensive end last season, largely out of need. This year, he will move more inside, which likely is his best position. Kerry Neal is going to have to hold down that other end spot to make this depth chart stick together. Otherwise Ethan shifts back to end and the chart is shaken up once again.

Depth - We finally have the bodies and the numbers. A healthy number of redshirt sophomores (Hafis Williams, Cwynar, and Brandon Newman) provide the inside positions 4 years of stability. Defensive End lacks a true playmaker, but KLM should be a solid upgrade over what we had at the position last year. Just as with the offensive lines, numbers don't necessarily mean quality. Now that the line a good number of bodies, the next level is to get 2 or 3 more Ethan Johnson NFL caliber talents in the mix. They are on the way recruiting wise, at lease via Chris Martin, #1 DE in the country in the 2010 class, who is already verbally commited to the Irish.

Goals - To increase sacks and more importantly, tackles for loss. 26 sacks last year was not bad - but unfortunately over 75% of them were "blitz sacks", where the offensive line was overloaded. Rarely did a defensive lineman beat his blocking in a regular 4 man rush and get to the QB. Ethan Johnson did it a few times, being the exception. Of the mere 60 tackles for a loss last season (our opponents having about 80 against the Irish), the defensive line only was responsible for a third of those. That must improve, both in total as a team and in the defensive line's favor. I would say 40 TFL is a very good goal for the DLine, whereas 25 sacks would be as well. I doubt we get to both, as 30 TFL and 20 sacks are almost going to be a necessity by the defensive line if the Irish want to go BCS-bowling.

Final Analysis - I have heard it said that the 2009 season will come down to 3rd and 1 - Can we get it on offense? Can we stop it on defense? Difficulty in answering those questions is why the offensive and defensive lines are so low on my confidence rankings. The story is the same for both the lines - some potential stars, finally plenty of solid bodies after years of not enough players, but no proven production. Which line will have the better year? I am betting with only the slightest lean to the defense, solely for the reason that with 2 stars (KLM and Johnson) comprising 50% of the 4 man line on the field for most downs, that's better than 2 out of 5 on the offensive line (Robinson and Young). Most people probably like the returning experience on the offensive line and favor them. This defensive line is largely new, whereas the offensive line was mostly around last year - thats the difference in my book.

Hopefully both units are successful against 3rd and 1 - if both sides of the ball are, then we'll be playing in 2010 to cap off the season.

Position Previews - #9 Tight End

We are continuing the Notre Dame Football 2009 Positional Previews by counting down 10 positions. You can read about the 10 positions and an explanation of the rankings here. In short, #10 is the position that I am least confident/most worried about heading into the season, while #1 is the position I am most confident/least worried about. Ability, depth, and intangibles all factor in.

Today we hit up #9 - Tight Ends:

Depth Chart: First, lets go over the depth chart that was released last week at the beginning of fall camp:

Fast Facts:

• Tight End University - Notre Dame's last 2 starting Tight Ends were both early 2nd rd draft picks in the NFL (Anthony Fasano in 2006 and John Carlson in 2008). The tight end that came to campus the same year as Fasano as freshman? Greg Olsen, current Bears tight end and former first round pick after transferring to Miami from ND (his brother lost QB starting job to Brady Quinn, prompting both to transfer). Rudolph will almost assuredly be a first day NFL pick as well in a couple of years (all 6 foot 6 inches and 260 pounds of him.)
• Returning Starts - Rudolph (pictured) started every game last season, and performed well late especially. Good to have your frontline starter back for his sophomore season. Past Rudolph, there are zero returning starts at tight end.

Talent: The frontline talent is clearly there with Rudolph and the speedy Ragone. Both were top ranked tight ends (Rudolph a top 25 overall recruit, as well as top TE in the nation in 2008, earning 5 star status by Rivals), and bring protypical size and fantastic pass catching skills. Golic and Eifert have fared well thus far, but are a little "light in the seat" and need to gain about 30 pounds and mature physically. Eifert in particular has impressed, but he is likely a year away from contributing. Golic is likely a year from being a serviceable backup.

Changes: Last year at this time, Mike Ragone (pictured right) was the likely starter at Tight End. He then tore his ACL, forcing Kyle Rudolph into the lineup. Of course, Will Yeatman and Joseph Fauria were

both in the mix as well to be the starter after Ragone, both of which were 4 star and very talented players themselves. Yeatman was suspended after the Michigan St game for the entirety of the season and eventually transferred, while Fauria soon followed with a transfer this past spring, citing the administration's disciplining of Yeatman in the fall and himself for a rumored "streaking" incident during the spring. And of course, heralded 2006 recruit Konrad Reuland (4 star Californian) transferred in late summer 2008 after he was beaten out by Fauria and Yeatman in the spring. The departure of Will Yeatman was the biggest blow to the position in my opinion. Yeatman was the best blocker of the tight ends, whereas Ragone and Rudolph were better pass catchers. The 3 of them (Rudolph, Yeatman, & Ragone) would have made a mean combination - perfect for Weis's 2 and 3 tight end sets. All that said, losing 3 tight ends within the span of a year - all 4 stars or better - is tough for depth.

Depth: We finally understand why I ranked this unit at #9 - the lack of depth. Weis's affinity with using multiple tight end sets is a basic tenant and key to his offense. Weis uses relatively consistent and basic plays that can be run from every formation - thus keeping the defense from easily recognizing tendancies or plays via "formation confusion". Weis likely uses more or as many formations as any college offense. Obviously, you have to have talent to make this work. Flexibility with tight ends, running backs, and WR are all much more important than more consistent formation offenses like the spread or option. With only 2 fully ready and playable tight ends, the Irish are shorthanded at Weis's favorite position (formationally at least). The starting talent is fantastic, but after Rudolph, there is nothing but unproven youngsters or injury prone what ifs.

Goals: Stay healthy. Plain and simple. Ragone in particular needs to stay healthy and get past his mental issues due to his repaired knee. Ragone and Rudolph are very good receivers, and we are going to need both of them pulling some safety and linebacker attention to make way for Golden Tate and Michael Floyd. Rudolph is a beast and will begin to get major national attention this season. If (combined) these guys can catch 45 balls - that would be fantastic production and clearly indicate that the offense is functioning with the balance of the great New England teams - known for spreading the passes around to any and everyone.

Final Analysis: Rudolph is likely the next great Irish Tight End in the NFL. His frame, speed, and maturing body are on track to be another or even better version of Seattle Seahawks starter John Carlson. But can he get some support from Ragone, walk on Bobby Burger, and possibly freshman Eifert? Can all of the aforementioned stay healthy? If health were not a concern, this unit would be ranked in the top 5.

Positional Previews #10 - Offensive Line

We are kicking off the Notre Dame Football 2009 Positional Previews by counting down 10 positions. You can read about the 10 positions and an explanation of the rankings here. In short, #10 is the position that I am least confident/most worried about heading into the season, while #1 is the position I am most confident/least worried about. Ability, depth, and intangibles all factor in.

Today we start out with #10 - the Offensive Line.

Depth Chart: First, lets go over the depth chart that was released last week at the beginning of fall camp:

Fast Facts:

• 100 combined returning starts on the offensive line is the most in all of Division 1A football (tied with Virginia Tech)
• Avg recruiting star rating on Rivals of the starting unit: 4 stars. One 3 star (Duncan), one 5 star (Young), and the other 3 were 4 stars each.
• 2007 and 2008 were the two worst rushing years in Notre Dame history, based on YPC and total yards.
• Frank Verducci is the new Offensive Line coach, as well as "Run Game Coordinator". His background is as an Offensive Line coach in the NFL most recently, and before at the University of Iowa.

Talent: The talent is clearly there. Recruiting rankings aren't perfect, but on a larger level when applied to groups of players, they definitely can be a solid barometer of talent. Sam Young - all 6 ft 8 and 330 pounds of him - is listed as the #14th overall pick in Todd McShay's early 2010 mock NFL Draft. That would be the highest an ND player has been drafted in quite some time - higher than Brady Quinn even. Trevor Robinson could be the lineman with the most potential of all - including Sam Young. The Nebraskan has a mean streak and early reports of his fall camp work have been nothing short of glowing.

Changes: Frank Verducci - new Offensive Line coach - is known as a technician. He's been instructing

these linemen at a much more granular level of detail than they have been used to with John Latina. As opposed to the "Get tougher!!" constantly being yelled by Latina last year, Verducci might say, "Keep your inside arm closer to your body and weight shifted forward!". He is plenty tough but with more substance and detailed instruction. A change was definitely needed, and Weis even went as far to name Verducci the "Run Game Coordinator". That means Verducci will oversee the RB coach Tony Alford, and be the "run game guru". He will work closely with Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator Charlie Weis to make sure the run game is working and fits into Weis's plan. What's not to like about more focus and accountability for the run game amongst the coaches?

While 4 of our top lineman from last year return, there was a change in the starting lineup. Former 2 year starting center Dan Wenger has been pushed to 2nd string, being replaced by former LG Eric Olsen. Chris Stewart moves from starting RG to LG, and sophomore stud Trevor Robinson moves to starting RG spot. This is Verducci and Weis's move to get the best 5 linemen on the field at one time. The move came after lots of film study dissecting/grading the play of each lineman during the winter. So far the move has been positively received by the offense (except for Wenger I suppose).

Depth: Not ideal, but decent. There are unproven players waiting in the wings, but seemingly a solid number of guys with talent. Many of them have been injury prone, or have just been nowhere near the field. Ideally we get backup tackles Matt Romine and Taylor Dever some solid playing time this season, as we lose both starting tackles for next season (both guards will return).

Goals: During the offseason, Coach Weis did a statistical summary of the offenses of BCS caliber programs. The result was that every one of them was above 4.0 yards per carry. This stat is more important than total rushing yards, which can be skewed by play calling strategy,

etc. Can you get 4 yards running the ball on 3rd and short, or on 1st down? BCS programs can answer that question with confidence, while the Irish can't yet. Being in the 2.2YPC range in 2007, followed by 3.3 YPC in 2008, the question is in 2009, can we get to 4.0YPC? That is the magic number. If we can, BCS bowl is the destination. If we cannot, Gator Bowl or worse awaits us. I feel there will be no better indicator for our season than yards per carry.

Continued improvement in pass protection will also be key. With our passing game, we are going to make people spread out and defend our WRs before we run the ball, typically. In 2007, we gave up an NCAA record 58 sacks. In 2008, drastic improvement brought that number down to 22 sacks. This year, the Irish need to get to about 15, and we will be in great shape to protect Jimmy.

Final Analysis: Many people might be surprised that a unit with upper classmen and the most combined returning starts in the country would be ranked as the #10 in the position countdown. The problem is - are returning starters from the two most dismal rushing seasons good? I think the answer is a mixed bag. Experience always, undoubtedly helps. But what makes us think this unit can change this year? So I am pessimistically optimistic I guess . . . hopefully they will prove me wrong.

Position Previews

As training camp is nearing the end of the first week, its time to start digging into the initial depth chart and practice reports and determine the positional strengths and weaknesses of this team. Vatican Smoke is going to dissect and rank 10 different positional groupings. Each will be ranked as to their relative strength/weakness compared to each other, as well as previewed, over the next 3 weeks.

Here are the 10 positional groupings:

• Offensive Line
• Running Backs
• Wide Receivers
• Tight Ends
• Quarterbacks
• Defensive Line
• Linebacker (Freshman 5 star LB Manti Te'o pictured below)
• Safety
• Cornerback
• Kickers

I have ranked each of these positions as to the level of strength and certainty compared to each other, #1-10. #1 is the unit that Coach Weis is most comfortable with heading into the season, and also the one that the Irish have the most talent relative to the rest of college football. I'll be doing a backwards countdown, starting with #10 (the wea

kest) position tomorrow. In addition to the ranking, each post will discuss the likely depth chart of the position, as well as what likely has improved/weakened at the position since last year.

The rankings are not based on importance (Quarterback and line play are always critical), but how comfortable Coach Weis and company are about each position with regards to our opponents and the rest of college football. Skill, depth, experience, and intangibles all factor in.

Most fans will either have a strong opinion on this list, or no opinion - just a casual fan that does not get into player specific details. I intend to give a basic overview that will be at a high enough level for the casual fan to enjoy, but also detailed enough to be dangerous. I will articulate an opinion based on observations from numerous sources - both pro-ND and anti-ND.

Look for the #10 position preview post tomorrow, Friday August 14th. As always, we love to hear your opinion via email or in the comments. And definitely feel free to send our blog along to the next reader. All via the links below each post.

Sabbatical Over: 2009 Season Nears

VaticanSmoke is firing back up after a few months off. Why have I taken time off? Largely because Notre Dame athletics, particularly football, are dormant during the late spring and early summer. The fact that Charlie Weis is on Twitter has definitely been entertaining. Certainly I have been Twittering a decent bit also (my Twitter page here). And I have been doing meth with Jeremy Mayfield.

The timetable for ND Football between now and the opening kickoff on Saturday September 5th at 2:30pm central standard time in South Bend vs. Nevada is pretty simple. Currently, players are all on campus taking summer school. Freshman arrived on June 21st, while the upperclassmen arrived June 22nd. In addition to summer school, the players are working out both in the weight room and on the practice field. Coaches are not allowed to supervise these workouts, which typically include 7 on 7 drills. Then comes August 8th - the first practice of fall camp.

In my mind, summer - the most relaxing and dullest time of the sports year (coincidence?) - begins after July 4th. Each year about this time a few days after the all star game, I come to the realization that the only thing I am really looking forward to in the world of sports is the Irish kicking off in early September. Since kickoff is still 7 weeks and 2 days away, this final quiet before the storm always seems excruciatingly long. Once practice starts in early August, however, the daily practice reports, injury updates, and countless national articles will begin flowing all over the interwebs, getting me my "fix" just like Jeremy Mayfield does in his RV before races.

We'll get into the specifics and predictions for the coming season later. My only current observation is that it's absolutely amazing what a convincing bowl victory can do for a program. I can vouch for this particularly since the Irish last bowl win preceding the 2007 Hawaii Bowl was the 1994 Cotton Bowl(!). The bowl game performance has provided 7 months of fuel for growing confidence and optimism - which more often than not are key ingredients leading up to any successful season. Imagine how much worse we'd feel if the Irish hadn't had such a convincing performance in Hawaii? The pressure and criticism of Weis and the coming season would be much more unbearable than it already is. The bowl game victory has alleviated quite a bit of that pressure, at least until September 5th.

I realize that lots of teams are optimistic in July! And I've been wrongly optimistic before, certainly. However, the key question that must be answered this fall by every college football team that dares to be good is simple: How will your team handle adversity? The answer is something the Irish have lacked the past two years - Maturity. Maturity is the act of merging in game experience and mental fortitude, while having grounded confidence. The Irish have #1, appear to have #3. Do they have #2? Certainly taking your coach to the brink of losing his job over the past two seasons provides the Irish players with experience in tough situations. Whether they have learned from the past two seasons' lessons will tell the story of this 2009 season.

So check back more often, as I plan to post a bit more frequently than quarterly :)