Rockne's Roundtable

I realize that Alabama has its pick of recruits, however, I don't believe almost all of their line recruits start out bigger than most other schools. They may have a few more bigger guys enter as freshmen than most because of their recent success, but only a few.

a&m has 34 committed recruits
SEC wont regulate it, cbs and espn wont report it, so oversigning continues in the the SEC

LSU had them- AM whipped them- could it be we just dont have the size and talent yet... I still think we had one of those years where we got all the breaks and were a bit fooled by the talent discrepancy until we got into the TIDE- they just have been building superior talent for years and geogrpahics and all the other SEC qualities make it easier- plus they have the BEST COACH IN CFB

Back in the late eighties and early nineties PED testing was extremely limited. The NCAA tested athletes, but for rec drugs. Oh they had the guy in the stall with you pissing and everything, but it was not for PED. They only tested for that if there was a serious accusation or unusual improvement in the sport (say extra 10 feet in the shot put) bc PED testing was so dang expensive. Now that has been twenty years ago...

This will sound like sour grapes...it's not.
On my high school team years and years ago...we had good athletes ...one went to a major sec school and few to Mac teams...I am not kidding when I say this ...the sec player was a functional idiot. He barely made it out of high school with very easy classes and tutoring.

He was a physical specimen and worked out constantly. We ran into each other over the years ...his comments about school experience were full of smiles and winks about classes and tests...but dead serious about how tough workouts and practices were...he did graduate only lord knows how.

But the answer is this to how we get huge polished players...

if you work out all day...go to multiple practices...and few if any classes..and are a grey shirt that "miraculously" appears as a huge "sophomore" with all kinds of " natural" knowledge of system and scheme .because instead of a major you are enrolled in physical education and coaching classes that have players and grad assistants in them that "amazingly" have film and run skeleton drills and last, create a place where a separate culture away from the eyes of the student body and administration allows these chosen few to live and eat and take exams and park cars beyond reasonable affordability in private secure lots, then you have a monster team at every level and depth that overcomes injury and nfl transfers...

Frankly given these disparities it's amazing ND got back to bcs at all and no mystery that the fla, lsu, bama and aub. keep winning . They have all of the above.

Further, Kelly and co have been around the landscape long enough now to see the gap and wonder... if this is what it takes to win..can nd admin and board swallow these types of changes? Is it still ND if those are the types of fundamental changes are necessary?

When u here saban and Meyer say its about prep and execution...prep and execution...what they are saying is lots of time and repetition with coaching supervision...way more than twenty hours a week..is how you get huge fast on point prepared players that dominate opposition.

Does that sound like sour grapes? Sorry.

I think this is more reasonable and more difficult to dispute. Start talking about 'roids, and it just sounds like sour grapes. Bama players are going on to the NFL and doing pretty well; so, I think the difference between ND and Bama is that one has student-athletes, and the other just has athletes.

And don't talk to me about Barret Jones. There are always exceptions to the rule, but the rule is that not much is expected or required of SEC football players...in the classroom. ND should be proud of that distinction, even if it makes for an uneven playing field.

I had a thread on this and it was deleted.
No way that offensive line approves that much in 38 days.
They got to be on the juice. It will come out eventually.

Alabama's offensive line size each year reminds me of the Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds era when they were hitting 60 plus homers a year. It defied logic. Bama having some magic knowledge that other teams strength programs and training tables are unaware of defies logic also..

Bunch of cry babies on this site. Notre Dame's 1st string match up size wise to Alabama. The depth is the issue.
Tuitt, Nix, Lewis Moore- all over 300 pounds. ND offensive line all over or close to 300 pounds. ND lost to a better prepared team with better depth across the board.

Exactly my point.
Thanks for making it.
A ton better in 38 days.
Quite remarkable don't you think?

Bama players have more time to devote to football. While ND Players are in study hall. Bama players are hitting the gym.

You ever notice ND has more guys with decent ND careers who really underachieved at ND.

Sullivan, Grant, Sergio Brown, etc.