Notre Dame Off Season

Discussion in 'Sports Board' started by Terry O'Keefe, Feb 11, 2010.

  1. Sid

    Sid Well-Known Member

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    Terry,

    Who is Coach D? What is his background?
     
  2. Terry O'Keefe

    Terry O'Keefe Well-Known Member Administrator

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    Coach D is a guy who played DIII QB, and coached it as well. I don't know where he coached to tell you the truth. I get the feeling he's a pretty young guy, a lot of people like what he writes and some don't. His real name is Bryan Driskell.
     
  3. Sid

    Sid Well-Known Member

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    I appreciate the analysis. It looks good. I just didn't know who he was.

    His analysis of Eifert is interesting. My son, Brian, has a keen eye. He observed that Eifert did not block well on three plays. Looks like Coach D agrees.
     
  4. Tim Gentry

    Tim Gentry Well-Known Member

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    <t>Ben Koyack ESPN TOP 150 TE from Ohio just verballed to ND. Nice, very nice.</t>
     
  5. Terry O'Keefe

    Terry O'Keefe Well-Known Member Administrator

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    Ohio State and ND were the players for Koyak and I believe Ohio State took another highly rated TE out of Fla the other day so that made it easy for Koyack...or maybe he told OSU that ND was his leader and the kid from FLa was ready to go to OSU so they took him rather than take a chance on losing both guys.
     
  6. Tim Gentry

    Tim Gentry Well-Known Member

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    <t>Hell, this Kelly Guy can recruit! Think what he'll do when he wins a game!</t>
     
  7. Terry O'Keefe

    Terry O'Keefe Well-Known Member Administrator

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    He's picking up some good kids, I think this May evaluation period will be critical for him. There are rumours that the kid from Nashville Ensworth, Richardson an OL is heavily favoring ND right now. He goes to a very preppy expensive private school in Nashville where academics are very high....a good thing for the Irish.

    Looks good for Aaron Lynch as well, a post on Irish Illustrated said that another recruit said he was a silent, but once that got out his coach said it wasn't true and that while he favors ND he won't make a commit until his mom visits the campus.

    Bubba Starling, you are on the clock!! :)
     
  8. Terry O'Keefe

    Terry O'Keefe Well-Known Member Administrator

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    I like this quote from Koyaks coach.
    It'd be interesting to hear what J'OCo and Corey had to say about him playing short stop at that size.
     
  9. Tim Gentry

    Tim Gentry Well-Known Member

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    <t>Koyack had to like the way Kelly was using the TE's last sat in the Blue/Gold game.</t>
     
  10. George Krebs

    George Krebs Well-Known Member

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    http://www.blueandgold.com/content/?aid=9109

    April 27, 2010
    C4 Set To Explode
    by RYAN O'LEARY
    Assistant Editor

    [​IMG]

    One might have concluded that as a New Jersey native, sophomore linebacker Carlo Calabrese might have been among the players most upset by the firing of former head coach and fellow Garden Stater Charlie Weis.

    As it turns out, though, Calabrese is carrying on just fine. Of course, it didn’t hurt that he found a similar geographic bond with the new coaching staff as well.


    Calabrese asserted himself during the Blue-Gold Game with five tackles and an interception.

    “[Defensive coordinator Bob] Diaco’s a great guy,” noted the 6-foot-1, 245-pounder. “He’s from Jersey, too.”

    Calabrese didn’t see any playing time as a freshman in 2009, absorbing as much as he could as a reserve middle linebacker in the 4-3 defensive alignment. Though he would have liked being on the field, Calabrese understood his role and got the most out of it.

    “Last year was a good year to sit out and learn, learn the college speed and the plays and how much bigger the guys are,” he said.

    The coaching change, which brings with it a switch back to the 3-4 defense, has brought a little extra spark out of the guy who earned the nickname “C4” at Verona High School. Admittedly “a little overweight” this winter, Calabrese has streamlined his frame a bit, picking up some more speed in the process.

    “He worked out every day at his local training center, Sports University, lifting and running,” Calabrese’s father, Carlo Sr., told BlueandGold.com during an interview this spring. “He finished up his vacation on a Saturday before leaving on a Sunday with a two-hour workout with his friend, Joe Carini, owner of Carini’s House of Iron where he is the personal trainer for many Giants and other NFL players. Joe was very instrumental in extending Tiki Barber's career with the Giants. Joe said, ‘I love your son’s work ethic and his mental toughness that never tires or quits.’

    “Needless to say Carlo got back on the plane that Sunday at 245 pounds with a determined mindset to challenge and push his fellow teammates for a starting position at middle linebacker. He has gotten bigger, faster, stronger as a division one player over the past season. I believe he will be hard to stop from achieving his goal.”

    That speed is a necessary trait in Diaco’s system – “if you can’t run, you can’t play,” as Calabrese put it. Despite all of the adjustments that the sophomore has had to make during the offseason, though, he’s a big fan of his current situation.

    “This system’s great,” he said. “The middle linebackers just run downhill, banging into people, and that’s what I like to do.”

    Calabrese put his added zest for the sport on display during Saturday’s Blue-Gold Game, collecting five tackles (including one for loss) and an interception.

    His performance, which came despite some heavy limitations on what the defense could actually do during the scrimmage, was just one example of what Calabrese believes will be an enormously improved unit across the board in 2010.

    “Last year is in the past,” he stated. “This year is this year, and we’re concentrating on this year. When I’m looking at practice, the defense is making plays...knocking the ball down, making good plays.”

    For now, Calabrese says his primary individual goal is to earn a starting job – which would most likely put him next to classmate Manti Te’o on the inside of the defense. Whether he achieves that goal or not, it’s clear that he’s in the mix to at least pick up some quality playing time, and that knowledge has brought a noticeable lift to his already pleasant demeanor.

    “I’m really excited now,” said Calabrese. “I’m just excited to play football and hit somebody.”
     
  11. Tim Gentry

    Tim Gentry Well-Known Member

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    <t>I like what we're hearing out of Carlo. I'm hoping he's a big part of the defensive resurgence the Irish need this coming season.</t>
     
  12. George Krebs

    George Krebs Well-Known Member

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  13. Terry O'Keefe

    Terry O'Keefe Well-Known Member Administrator

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    Wow Matt Hegarty commited to ND. This guy is a stud OL, and with Prestwood and Hanratty onboard the OL group is looking excellent. Who said Kelly couldn't recruit!! :)

    Who do you guys want for that 4th OL? I'm thinking I'd like that Richardson kid from Tenn, or maybe the Austin kid from Colorado.
     
  14. Tim Gentry

    Tim Gentry Well-Known Member

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    <r>Terry,<br/>
    <br/>
    Wow, another ESPN top 150 kid too! Amazing. I honestly didn't expect to see players of this caliber coming until Kelly and the boys had some wins under their belts later this year possibly! <br/>
    <br/>
    If anyone tells me again how meaningless Notre Dames' past is too the kids who are playing now....well we see again that the right coach and staff can still bring elite players to the Dome. Again, WOW! Wish the season started Sat. <E>:D</E> <E>:D</E> <E>:D</E> <E>:D</E> <E>:D</E> <E>:D</E> <E>:D</E> <E>:D</E> <E>:D</E> <E>:D</E> <E>:D</E> <E>:D</E> <E>:D</E> <E>:D</E> <E>:D</E> <E>:D</E> <E>:D</E> <E>:D</E> <E>:D</E></r>
     
  15. Terry O'Keefe

    Terry O'Keefe Well-Known Member Administrator

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    Mike Frank is pretty pumped about how Kelly and Staff are doing right now.

    Mike Franks Blog
     
  16. Tim Gentry

    Tim Gentry Well-Known Member

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  17. Terry O'Keefe

    Terry O'Keefe Well-Known Member Administrator

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    Inside ND

    You'll like this video on ND football.
     
  18. gipper

    gipper Well-Known Member

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    Doc
    That video was on Sportscenter this AM.
     
  19. ndfan77

    ndfan77 New Member

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    How many times did each guy here watch Terry's new profile flick? Ha was hoping the next time it would be unzipped completely.
     
  20. Tim Gentry

    Tim Gentry Well-Known Member

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    <t>Yeah, I must have watched it a thousand times thinking...next time...next time.... next time she will take it all the way off! What a pair of bodacious ta tas!</t>