JessN: Notre Dame preview: On paper, a balanced – but mostly untested – Irish team

[JessN]

Notre Dame preview: On paper, a balanced – but mostly untested – Irish team
By Jess Nicholas, TideFans.com Editor-In-Chief

Before we get into a review of Notre Dame’s season-as-whole, we’ll address the obvious, meaning the two games against Clemson that Notre Dame split: Yes, Notre Dame played the hands-down No. 2 team in the country and beat them once. But if the rest of the season is any indication, no one really knows if the Fighting Irish are really good or not.

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• Projected Depth Chart for Alabama vs. Notre Dame

 

[B1GTide]

Gave RBs to Notre Dame.

 

[Jkl0802]

Not fair giving running back edge to ND just because Bama throws more and uses running backs less...and therefore doesn’t need to rotate RBs as much. BRob runs very hard...Roman Harper believes he will be playing in the NFL. ND uses more RBs than Bama but they don’t have an advantage,...saying they have an advantage with depth is a bit misleading.

 

[crimsonaudio]

Gave RBs to Notre Dame.

LOL, and ND only averaged slightly better YPC than Bama (5.13 vs 5.04) against VASTLY inferior teams. I don't get it.

 

[81usaf92]

LOL, and ND only averaged slightly better YPC than Bama (5.13 vs 5.04) against VASTLY inferior teams. I don't get it.

The ACC couldn’t even win the Duke’s Mayo Bowl after being spotted 14 points by Wisconsin.

ACC= best conference ***blue***

I just seriously don’t get giving ND the edge in that category even though it really doesn’t matter at the end of the day.

 

[imauafan]

IMHO Bama leads in all six categories and it isn't close at RB. I didn't realize that former Bama player Howard Cross has a son that plays for Notre Dame.

 

[BamaNation]

 

[JDCrimson]

Jess, also just defaults to the other team having better special teams than us. We have a Groza award finalist kicking, a Heisman finalist returning punts, a TE for good sales returning KOs, and a serviceable punter. Yet the ND ST group is superior? Give me a break.

I would have give us this group and gave ND the advantage in LB play. Imo, Moses has been a liability all season and simply cannot cover a TE or RB out the backfield.

 

[B1GTide]

FWIW, ESPN's FPI calculation has Alabama special teams ranked #27 while Notre Dame is ranked #96.

 

[DrollTide]

Jess always calls 'em like he sees 'em. I read a carefully balanced review given the unusual extent of the unknowns this year.

 

[Jkl0802]

Jess always calls 'em like he sees 'em. I read a carefully balanced review given the unusual extent of the unknowns this year.

Which Alabama RBs would you trade for a ND running back?

 

[JayBama_in_PCOLA]

RBs is a head scratcher but still good stuff from Jess. 21 points though?!

 

[Isaiah 63:1]

Any doubt that Alabama has the most dyspeptic fan base must surely be dispelled by the comments so far in this thread...

 

[TideEngineer08]

All of the details may not make sense, but I think he's pretty much on target with the final score.

Roll Tide, JessN.

 

[crimsonaudio]

Any doubt that Alabama has the most dyspeptic fan base must surely be dispelled by the comments so far in this thread...

Care to elaborate? Some facts would help if you wish to disprove the thought that Jess missed with the RB assesment.

 

[bamadwain]

Jess was spot on, especially running backs, he is saying they have better depth, fresher legs. They use three backs generously were we use 2 sometimes.nowhat im saying....

 

[bamacon]

Jess was spot on, especially running backs, he is saying they have better depth, fresher legs. They use three backs generously were we use 2 sometimes.nowhat im saying....

If you want to be honest with the ND rushing attack and JUST focus on RBs then you take away Book’s 430 yards. Then you have a team that features the Run that has less yards than Bama. They don’t even reach 2,000 yards as a team. Bama has almost 4,000 yards passing and their RBs still have more yards.

 

[Isaiah 63:1]

Care to elaborate? Some facts would help if you wish to disprove the thought that Jess missed with the RB assesment.

It's not so much that he missed it or not - reasonable people can disagree on the facts which are, to a degree, subjective - but the tenor of the reaction that I was responding to...

 

[crimsonaudio]

It's not so much that he missed it or not - reasonable people can disagree on the facts which are, to a degree, subjective - but the tenor of the reaction that I was responding to...

I had to go back and re-read them as I assumed I had missed some drama, whining, etc. I did not miss anything.

I've no idea what you are perceiving, but we're simply disagreeing with his assessment. It *is* possible to disagree with Jess, you know.

 

[Isaiah 63:1]

...I've no idea what you are perceiving...

I'm perceiving these:

Gave RBs to Notre Dame.

Not fair giving running back edge to ND...

Jess, also just defaults to the other team having better special teams than us...Give me a break...

As for this:

... It *is* possible to disagree with Jess, you know.

I said as much already in this thread

It's not so much that he missed it or not - reasonable people can disagree on the facts which are, to a degree, subjective...

It's not the disagreement, but the tenor (as I interpreted it, anyway). I'll pause here, because any elaboration from this point should be assumed to be in the voice and with all the sensitivity to others' feelings of Dr. Perry Cox