So what? Communication & Accuracy 10.5.2008
Posted 10-03-2008 at 09:08 PM by so44
So what? 10.3.2008
Beating Purdue is always a happy experience. With it, Notre Dame has matched its wins for all of 2007 in one month. Not bad. Another thing working for ND is both of their previous opponents won their games. Let’s hope that becomes a trend.
Emergence of the running game has been the talk of the week. Deservedly so. Weis’ job appears to be safe, for at least another week (for the record, Skip Holtz lost). Granted, Purdue isn’t a run stopping defense. But ND needed that experience and confidence. They should have it now and I expect looking to prove it is no fluke against Stanford.
Coming out after halftime and driving down the field right to the end zone awesome! It helped deflate PU as well. Plus, Special Team kicked some royal butt! PU, the number one kick return team. Says who? I learned that if you double cover Mike Anello, you only have to worry about David Bruton and Steve Quinn. Go ahead opponent, pick your poison.
Running game. Special Teams, including a long awaited field goal by Brandon Walker, were impressive. There was something else impressive too…
So what’s the item? Glad you didn’t ask! I found myself dumbfounded at the accuracy of Jimmy Clausen coupled with his and the receivers understanding of what needs to happen during a pass play.
Yes, the win was a team effort that deserves to be celebrated as such. But remember how Brady Quinn and Jeff Samardzija just seemed be on the same page and made things happen. I saw that last Saturday. Three plays come to mind.
First, was the long sideline pass to Michael Floyd. The defender was on Floyd’s left, but Floyd knew the ball was not coming to that side. He jumped, got the ball at a high point, turned away from the defender. Complete!!! It looked too easy.
Second was the TD pass in the end zone to Golden Tate. With the defender in front of Tate, the pass was high and under the defender. Tate caught it high and at a point that it could not be defended. He made it look easy.
But the jaw dropping throw was one that arguable never should have been thrown. There is a phrase in reference to optimism. A pessimist sees the green between two sand traps, while the pessimist see two sand traps around the green. Clausen saw all 5’10” of David Grimes between two defends on a sideline route. I really think Pat Hayden could not understand how it was even possible? But Grimes did not have to do anything – force the defender off the ball, a discreet hold, push off, leap – to catch the Clausen pass. Grimes met the ball. He made it look easy.
Grimes and Clausen weren’t done. On 4th & 7 deep in PU territory, Clausen threw to Grimes one of the prettiest touch down passes I’ve seen in years. Grimes beat his defender and met the pass in perfect position. If he could have had the ball more accurately in his body, it could only have been a running play.
While Quinn and Samardzija seemed like a perfect combination, with Stovall, and McKnight as compliments, Clausen is showing signs that he can “connect” with all his receivers. The Grimes TD will be known as the “cover zero” now. But during the Michigan game, Clausen and Tate did the same thing. Against PU, there was a pass to Floyd in which Clausen was scrambling, Floyd broke pattern and came up. Clausen threw a complete pass on what most would have thought was an out-of-bounds attempt. It wasn’t. He and his receiver knew what to do.
Clausen’s accuracy and his non-verbal communication with his receivers, by season end, could be down right scary. I sure as heck hope so! They will need to prove it again and again. However, there appears to be plenty of evidence that it exists and it is for real.
Now it is time for Stanford. They played ND tough last year. It is fair to expect them to be better this year. It is also fair to understand ND is as well. If the team can feed off the momentum they have developed with the running game and the passing game getting in synch, Stanford may have their work cut out for them Saturday.
Beating Purdue is always a happy experience. With it, Notre Dame has matched its wins for all of 2007 in one month. Not bad. Another thing working for ND is both of their previous opponents won their games. Let’s hope that becomes a trend.
Emergence of the running game has been the talk of the week. Deservedly so. Weis’ job appears to be safe, for at least another week (for the record, Skip Holtz lost). Granted, Purdue isn’t a run stopping defense. But ND needed that experience and confidence. They should have it now and I expect looking to prove it is no fluke against Stanford.
Coming out after halftime and driving down the field right to the end zone awesome! It helped deflate PU as well. Plus, Special Team kicked some royal butt! PU, the number one kick return team. Says who? I learned that if you double cover Mike Anello, you only have to worry about David Bruton and Steve Quinn. Go ahead opponent, pick your poison.
Running game. Special Teams, including a long awaited field goal by Brandon Walker, were impressive. There was something else impressive too…
So what’s the item? Glad you didn’t ask! I found myself dumbfounded at the accuracy of Jimmy Clausen coupled with his and the receivers understanding of what needs to happen during a pass play.
Yes, the win was a team effort that deserves to be celebrated as such. But remember how Brady Quinn and Jeff Samardzija just seemed be on the same page and made things happen. I saw that last Saturday. Three plays come to mind.
First, was the long sideline pass to Michael Floyd. The defender was on Floyd’s left, but Floyd knew the ball was not coming to that side. He jumped, got the ball at a high point, turned away from the defender. Complete!!! It looked too easy.
Second was the TD pass in the end zone to Golden Tate. With the defender in front of Tate, the pass was high and under the defender. Tate caught it high and at a point that it could not be defended. He made it look easy.
But the jaw dropping throw was one that arguable never should have been thrown. There is a phrase in reference to optimism. A pessimist sees the green between two sand traps, while the pessimist see two sand traps around the green. Clausen saw all 5’10” of David Grimes between two defends on a sideline route. I really think Pat Hayden could not understand how it was even possible? But Grimes did not have to do anything – force the defender off the ball, a discreet hold, push off, leap – to catch the Clausen pass. Grimes met the ball. He made it look easy.
Grimes and Clausen weren’t done. On 4th & 7 deep in PU territory, Clausen threw to Grimes one of the prettiest touch down passes I’ve seen in years. Grimes beat his defender and met the pass in perfect position. If he could have had the ball more accurately in his body, it could only have been a running play.
While Quinn and Samardzija seemed like a perfect combination, with Stovall, and McKnight as compliments, Clausen is showing signs that he can “connect” with all his receivers. The Grimes TD will be known as the “cover zero” now. But during the Michigan game, Clausen and Tate did the same thing. Against PU, there was a pass to Floyd in which Clausen was scrambling, Floyd broke pattern and came up. Clausen threw a complete pass on what most would have thought was an out-of-bounds attempt. It wasn’t. He and his receiver knew what to do.
Clausen’s accuracy and his non-verbal communication with his receivers, by season end, could be down right scary. I sure as heck hope so! They will need to prove it again and again. However, there appears to be plenty of evidence that it exists and it is for real.
Now it is time for Stanford. They played ND tough last year. It is fair to expect them to be better this year. It is also fair to understand ND is as well. If the team can feed off the momentum they have developed with the running game and the passing game getting in synch, Stanford may have their work cut out for them Saturday.
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