For you recruiting junkies...
the initial Rivals 100 has been released. ND commitment Chris Martin is ranked 12th. Christian Lombard will probably be in the Rivals 250, with Daniel Smith a high 3 star (just guessing). We seem to have a better-than-average chance at Henderson (No. 1), Hurst (8), Prater (18), Barr (19), Fortt (22), Jefferson (42), McCay (43), Parker (49), Odighizuwa (50) and Hinder (76). We have offers out to many more players on the list, but their interest is either minimal or uncertain.
http://rivals100.rivals.com/viewrank.asp?SID=880&Year=2010&ra_key=2369
question on quarterback forecasting
It's been said that this isn't a great year for prep quarterbacks. Unfortunately, Charlie plans on signing two of them to fill out our depth.
My question is, do you think we can get away with not having a bona fide starter emerge from this class? Will we be able to bridge the gap by going straight from Crist to a 2011 recruit?
Back of the napkin: barring injury, Crist should start in 2011 and 2012 (or even a year earlier, if Clausen goes pro after this year), but be gone by 2013. So we need someone to take over in 2013. If we get 2 quarterbacks from this 'down' year, and neither pans out, we could still land someone in 2011 who could feasibly take over by 2013. That recruit will have had 2 years on the bench and come in as a junior, which I guess could work.
Edit: basically, though, we absolutely need to land a top flight guy this year or next.
QB is the one position that doesn't worry me
by Jeff (BGS) 
, A starter home in suburban Tempe, Wednesday, March 11, 2009, 18:25 (6347 days ago) @ Jay
I don't necessarily think that the data proves this, but I suspect that Weis could make a NC caliber QB out of a junior superstar or a second-tier senior/5th year. Wasn't Quinn something like the 10th best QB when he was recruited? If the player has enough basic talent and Weis pays some attention to him, Weis can mold him into a winner in 4 years.
It worries me
Alright, maybe I'm not entirely worried, but it's not a position where I am entirely confident we can win with anybody.
Weis' offense is all about the QB's ability to succeed. We have seen what has happened with mediocre QB's (Demetrius Jones, Evan Sharpley...go back to Charlie's Jets' days: Rick Mirer, Ray Lucas) and it ain't pretty.
I also think it should be a concern as long as Powlus is our QB Coach. In my opinion, as well as the opinion of people I know close to the program, he is cause for concern. I hope he can improve on that.
I tend to enjoy a few months off from recruiting (although that is getting tougher to do nowadays), so I definitely am not an expert, but I don't think this class is as talented at the QB position as year's past. That also worries me, as this year is a must for a capable QB. Hopefully we get one of our top picks...and soon would be nice!
I disagree about Weis' offenses
by Jeff (BGS) , A starter home in suburban Tempe, Thursday, March 12, 2009, 11:02 (6346 days ago) @ Rob (Rakes of Mallow)
At least in the pros, Weis has been much more successful by relying on the run, not on the pass. In his eight seasons as a coordinator, he made the playoffs four times. In his four playoff years his teams ran the ball just under half of the time (49%) but in his other four seasons, he ran the ball only 44% of the time.
With the Jets, Weis played .500 ball while starting Neil O'Donnell and Ray Lucas, but had one good season with Vinny Testaverde. In Testaverde's prior two seasons, he had QB ratings of 75 and 89. In his one season with Weis, he had a QB rating of 101 and the team went 12-4.
It is more difficult to analyze things with the Patriots, since his QB/RB didn't change much during his time there. But, I think it is fairly safe to say that Weis deserves at least some of the credit for developing a 6th round draft pick into an NFL superstar. And during his one season with Bledsoe, the team went 5-11 despite Bledsoe having a slightly better QB rating that the prior season (8-8).
about the only guy that didn't get better under CW was Mirer
I really don't count Jones as a failure of development for Charlie, seeing as he played only about a quarter and a half of one game.
And Mirer's numbers technically improved under Weis
by Jeff (BGS) , A starter home in suburban Tempe, Thursday, March 12, 2009, 12:56 (6346 days ago) @ Jay
Although there was no where to go but up. His QB ratings by year were:
1996 57 - Seahawks
1997 38 - Bears
1998 DNP - Packers
1999 60 - Jets (Weis)
Not asking for sources or anything...
by scriptcomesfirst , Thursday, March 12, 2009, 06:27 (6346 days ago) @ Rob (Rakes of Mallow)
but what, specifically, were the concerns about Powlus as a coach? I ask because I spent a great deal of time picking his brain at last year's clinic and observing him at the two practices. Admittedly, I'm no expert at the quarterback position, but I found him to be quite knowledgeable and his ability to communicate that knowledge pretty impressive. He's not the most dynamic personality, but I'm not sure that's a huge drawback in his position.
With all that said, I do not have a strong opinion either way, I'm just curious about how much of this concern is residual emotion from the past two difficult years (and groupthink caused by message boards), and how much of it is legitimate coaching deficiency. JC, clearly improved from year one to year two, though his decision making needs to be consistent. I'm not sure how much of that is coaching and how much of it is Jimmy's head.
Also, I'm inclined to think Powlus is charged more with physical aspects of Jimmy's game (which are generally quite good, except for his propensity to bail out of a pass rush with that wide, lumbering, turn-your-back-to-the-defense move), while Charlie is probably spearheading the mental aspects. I could be way off base in that assumption, obviously.
Thoughts?
The concerns
centered around the types of drills he was running in practice. Apparently all the quarterbacks did were dropback drills. Not much else. This comes from someone that would be in the position to know.
Now I am no coach or former quarterback, so I have no idea what that means. I do find it strange that Powlus has this going on with or without Charlie's blessings.
If you observed practice, maybe you will have a better idea regarding it.
I do know that they begin each QB portion of practice...
by scriptcomesfirst , Thursday, March 12, 2009, 10:03 (6346 days ago) @ Rob (Rakes of Mallow)
with a series of drills that include drop-back drills, but include much more. They actually showed a video of the drills during last year's clinic. They were fairly expansive, and the presentation indicated that they preceded more specific QB work. The drills covered footwork, arm position and motion, off-arm position and motion, as well as overall body positioning. The reason I remember it so clearly is that it was my primary focus to learn the coaching points of that area, since I was a TE/DE and am quite comfortable coaching those positions as well as OL. My intent was to immerse myself in QB, RB, & DB info.
I went to Powlus' session year before last
I agree with you, I thought he was a solid presenter who seemed to have a good grasp on the drills he was going through.
My concern with Powlus was more along the lines of opportunity cost. I think that because Charlie's offense is so quarterback-reliant, when Vaas left he should have hired another veteran tutor (as per the original plan: David Cutcliffe) instead of a guy who was two years out from being a sales rep.
On one level I was glad to see Powlus get a chance at redemption (I think I wrote a post about it at the time) but in hindsight, it was a missed opportunity to go back to the market and find an expert. Powlus, remember, was hired from within, going from an admin role (player development, I believe) to QB coach -- and he had never been a coach before at any level (to my knowledge).
Good points, Jay
by scriptcomesfirst , Thursday, March 12, 2009, 14:25 (6346 days ago) @ Jay
And to be clear, I would have preferred Cutcliffe had stayed on. Or someone like him. I was just wondering what part of Powlus' coaching was at issue. Clearly he has not recruited well, but maybe the move to Pennsylvania will help him in that regard.
Mike hinted on IE today that we might take only one QB
That the staff would prefer to take two, but that a commitment from any of the current offers would likely scare away the others and that ND wouldn't want to dip down to the next tier of players.
I think it seems increasingly likely that Montana will be our QB recruit this year. My guess is that being on campus for the spring game with his dad and his brother and all the other top recruits will seal the deal. For me, that would be the perfect outcome. Montana is the ultimate legacy who we'd all hate to see in another uniform. And he's good enough to have garnered offers from OSU, Alabama, FSU and Georgia (among others), but not so elite that he'd prevent us from attracting another top-flight prospect in the 2011 class. That way Montana and the 2011 kid (and the elder Montana, too, I suppose) could battle it out after Crist leaves, and may the best man win.
I haven't been following closely
by Spesh 
, Los Angeles, Wednesday, March 11, 2009, 17:47 (6347 days ago) @ BPH
I thought Montana wanted to blaze his own path. Is that not the case anymore?
Where is Austin Hinder ranked? By chance I looked at his film, and he just seemed to always make plays.
The recruiting grapevine...
suggests that ND has pulled ahead of Stanford, with OSU falling off the pace. I assumed the same as you regarding Nick's preferences, but apparently the pull of the school where his dad, two sisters and brother all went/go is proving too strong.
Hinder is ranked higher than Montana (he's 76th in the Rivals list), but I'd prefer the latter because of his name and because I think his upside is very high given that he has only started for one season.
the name is important?
by Spesh , Los Angeles, Wednesday, March 11, 2009, 19:57 (6347 days ago) @ BPH
I know it's Joe's son and all, but don't we want the best QB that's out there? Especially given our precarious QB depth?
That said, maybe if Nick will bring along some of his high school teammates, I'd forget his ranking compared to other QBs. Oaks christian is loaded.
It's a nice ancillary benefit
Besides, it's not like Montana is a fringe prospect like his brother. He has several outstanding offers. OSU basically gave Devin Gardner (the kid UM covets) the bird in favor of pursuing only Nick. Keep in mind he's started only one year. I think his improvement this season will be striking, and he'll shoot up all the lists as a result.
And I agree with you on the importance of the Oaks Christian pipeline. We'll probably end up offering three other 4-star kids from the school (RB/LB Malcolm Jones, OL Eric Kohler and DT Cassius Marsh).
Sounds like Marsh might jump on an offer.
by Bingo , Fort Wayne, IN, Thursday, March 12, 2009, 06:19 (6346 days ago) @ BPH
Good info on him over at IrishEyes.