I don't know why so much fuss is made about Notre Dame's defense. Their defense is very good , not great but good enough. They have improved their speed and as long as the offense moves the ball, that defense will play well, and imho will compliment their offense. Got to agree with Corey, it was just the opposite of the PSU game, the D was out there too long. Michigan dominated the game, but it was their defense, not their offense that caused most of the problems. ND had too many 3 and outs, too many turnovers. UM shut down the heart and soul of the team. They took away ND's strength. That was the story of the game.
Ditto I agree with AJNJ and Corey. Michigan took away our best players and the things that they do the best. That's the whole idea of coaching defense and if you can do that, in any team sport, then the only way you lose is by luck, and the Irish were all out. Let's give some credit to UM's coaches and Carr who hired them. Their plan was outstanding and their players executed almost perfectly... re: Tommy Z He also failed to sell popcorn and programs or properly police the parking lot during the game. Why can't he stop the run and the pass and return the punts and do these things all at the same time?
I'm clearly in the minority here but I stand by my opinions of TZ as a free safety. Going back to last year I said that he would be better off playing LB because he is so aggressive against the run. You all laughed because of his size. Well, now he is as big as our LBs! The best DB on our team is Mike Richardson. NDukwe is a close second with TZ a poor third. TZ gets all the hype, mainly because of his boxing career which is an intersting human interest story. The play action fake was designed for guys like TZ who bite on it like a great white shark. That is a very bad habit for a free safety. When Wooden, Lambert, Walls or Richardson get burned down the sideline what is the one constant in very picture? It the back of #9's jersey as he frantically tries to get back into his coverage. He's got a boxer's nose and a nose for the loose ball. These traits have translated into a lot of press. but, in my opinion, he is out of position most of the time and as a safety could carry Ndukwe's jock.
8) Tommy never gets to play free safety. In the Penn State game, Mitchell Thomas, the supposed starting strong side LB played a grand total of 4 minutes... Because we had our nickle back, Terrail Lambert, in the entire game while Tommy played linebacker. He was often part of a two-LB set with Maurice Crum when we went to the dime package. I don't know what else he has to do. I wish we had 10 more just like him... .............JO'Co