The Fighting Irish practiced for the fourth time on Monday but the session was closed to the media. Luckily for those of us that are jonesing for some Notre Dame Football the one and only Jack Nolan came through with 7 minutes and 18 seconds of video footage that focused on the running backs and slot receivers. As you know the combined positions are now being coached by Tony Alford who was mic'd up for the session.
Comments after the jump.
A few assorted observations from the video
This is most likely a case of what one might refer to as "March Goggles" but Theo Riddick looks like he has an improved burst. Then again it might just be that I haven't watched him take very many handoffs out of the running back position in the last couple of years.
Cameron Roberson sighting! He definitely doesn't look like he's full speed but it is good to see him running around out there.
Random shot of Stephon Tuitt rocking the Tuck facemask. Awesome.
I enjoy Tony Alford quite a bit. "Put the ball on the ground you won't play." Oh Riddick, right after I was starting to get excited about you too.....
I also like the fact that Alford had Wood and Riddick paired up to work against one another in the drills. 1s vs 1s, makes you get better. I also like the competitive aspect of the pairing.
Do you all think we'll actually see Robby Toma taking any handoffs this fall? I do.
GAIII has the potential to be a real homerun threat. I really hope that Chuck Martin finds a way to get him plenty of touches this fall. On that note...
Things to discuss
After watching the video I just sat here for a minute looking at the roster and a thinking about the direction that this offense might be headed with Chuck Martin at the helm.
With the exception of Tyler Eifert the vast majority of our playmakers with any experience are really in this Running Back/ Slot Receiver group coached by Tony Alford.
We have young quarterback/s in Goldrix and another Quarterback that doesn't exactly specialize in stretching the field with Rees. With Goldrix you get the added dimension of the running Quarterback. Right now I'm assuming that Kiel will redshirt. Regardless of how the QB derby shakes out I don't expect to see a lot of deep balls thrown, especially not early in the season.
We have a Jimmy Graham style rock star tight end in Tyler Eifert that can line up just about anywhere and hurt you. He is a matchup problem all over the field that will draw plenty of attention. Despite this he will still get his touches and cause problems. He owns the seam. We also have a linebacker turned manster blocking tight end in Niklas.
We have a pretty inexperienced group of Wide Receivers. T.J Jones, and John Goodman are the only outside receivers with any real game experience. Will DaVaris Daniels emerge as a difference maker on the outside?
With that lineup will we see a run first offense that utilizes more option elements and misdirection to get Wood/ Riddick/ GA III and Toma the football on handoffs and quick passes with some room to run?
Will we ultimately see a faster pace?
Things to ponder.
What else is there to talk about in March?