Rockne's Roundtable

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2 time POTW winner on some dates I can't remember from 2yrs ago at BNG, POTW: 1/3/11- 1/9/11, 6/20/11-6/26/11

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coachcft said...

Lou, there is 100% merit to this line of thinking. And while football is a team sport, basketball is more so on a pure level. The ultimate point being that an OLineman will not carry or pass or catch the ball. Their role is distinct(and so for that matter is a RB and WR or CB etc etc) and are not permitted to do certain things yet any basketball player can go get a rebound and take to the other end of the court and shoot all by himself.

Having said that, Im truly uncertain if Abro would have disrupted anything because he isnt really a "star". He's just the best player we have but not someone that can create his own offense thus his presence wouldnt much change the scheme. Plus, I dont really think the Bigeast is very good this year relative to other conferences and we are seeing that Mizzou is quite GOOD. With Abro, we'd have almost identical records IMO. Although we'll obviously never be able to know or prove it.

Floyd departure on the other hand(like Brown in 1987) IS going to impact us... positively. He was great, a FABULOUS blocker and solid pass catcher. Little to no make ya miss quality and average speed. Yet his 'production' will be made up for by, not other WRs but probably the QB and by committee. After Brown, we followed with Tony Brooks, Ricky Watters, Rocket, Derek Brown and T Rice as newcomers to go with an already Anthony Johnson and Braxton Banks. They spread out the carries nicely. I think we will see a similar type effect in 2012 amongst 2 or 3 TEs, 4 or 5 WRs, 2 RBs, and a 2 headed QB in EG/AH. Teams and their morale are just better when there is a feeling that more are involved, even if its a small role.

I may not be pretty, but I'm fast..... POTW 1/31/11 - 2/6/11

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Lou Somogyi said...

I post this favorite Ara Parseghian quote several times per year: "Adversity elicit talent which under prosperous conditions would have remained dormant."

Let me give a few examples with ND.

1. All-Big East and top player Tim Abromaitis goes down with an injury in November and there is a Chicken Little reaction that the season is over and ND won't even finish .500. Would this team have progressed as well as a true, hustling team if Abromaitis were around and he could be used as a crutch by the rest of his teammates.

2. A few years ago, ND was 6-8 in the Big East when All-American Luke Harangody was sidelined with an injury. The Irish then played their greatest basketball of the year, won five straight (most upsets) and received a six-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Team chemistry was "disrupted" when Harangody returned to the lineup. Prior to his injury, the team had a tendency to stand around and wait for him to do something.

3. In 1987, Tim Brown wins the Heisman during an 8-4 season, but in the end everything is forced to him. In 1988, sans Browns, everyone else on offense elevates his game on offense and it is a true, collective team en route to the national title. Would that have been the case if Brown were in the lineup again. Not picking on him, just talking about "team play."

4. Why not in 2012 in football without Michael Floyd?

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coachcft said...

Lou, there is 100% merit to this line of thinking. And while football is a team sport, basketball is more so on a pure level. The ultimate point being that an OLineman will not carry or pass or catch the ball. Their role is distinct(and so for that matter is a RB and WR or CB etc etc) and are not permitted to do certain things yet any basketball player can go get a rebound and take to the other end of the court and shoot all by himself.

Having said that, Im truly uncertain if Abro would have disrupted anything because he isnt really a "star". He's just the best player we have but not someone that can create his own offense thus his presence wouldnt much change the scheme. Plus, I dont really think the Bigeast is very good this year relative to other conferences and we are seeing that Mizzou is quite GOOD. With Abro, we'd have almost identical records IMO. Although we'll obviously never be able to know or prove it.

Floyd departure on the other hand(like Brown in 1987) IS going to impact us... positively. He was great, a FABULOUS blocker and solid pass catcher. Little to no make ya miss quality and average speed. Yet his 'production' will be made up for by, not other WRs but probably the QB and by committee. After Brown, we followed with Tony Brooks, Ricky Watters, Rocket, Derek Brown and T Rice as newcomers to go with an already Anthony Johnson and Braxton Banks. They spread out the carries nicely. I think we will see a similar type effect in 2012 amongst 2 or 3 TEs, 4 or 5 WRs, 2 RBs, and a 2 headed QB in EG/AH. Teams and their morale are just better when there is a feeling that more are involved, even if its a small role.