Notre Dame Gameday...

[Lax Mouse]

It's an issue of coaching and senior leadership.

What's the standard you're holding everyone else to? That you're holding yourself to?

How are you handling the little moments in practice and treating everything like game day. Every moment in a game matters. Every moment in practice should too. You need constant focus. The talent is not the issue here. Wanting to win isn't enough.

Winning takes work. No one's going to hand you a championship because you feel like "it's your year".

The issue has been laid bare all season (and the last few seasons imo). Plain to see and easy to fix if you put in the work. But the sun is setting on this season and this senior class and the issues persist. Not sure if they've shown they can turn it around in the time they have left. I hope they do.

 

[DMVCuseLax]

I'm hoping we get away from the 2 middie lines getting equal runs. The lines aren't equals. It should be 2 for 1. In the fourth when we are down by 1 the 1st line needs to be in the game. The defense put their offense to sleep for a long stretch and the offense did nothing during that time. Quick shoots and turnovers seem to be the theme when the defense gets stops.

Defensively we are still struggling with communication on switches and picks. Bowen is going to have to step up with his physicality on ball. I still think that other than Chuck, Jake and Fig we are soft on ball and let guys get their hands free.

Does Dwan have the ability to get physical on ball? Haven't seen it. We will need someone that is physical on ball covering guys like Dom.

 

[SnazzyLunch]

It's an issue of coaching and senior leadership.

What's the standard you're holding everyone else to? That you're holding yourself to?

How are you handling the little moments in practice and treating everything like game day. Every moment in a game matters. Every moment in practice should too. You need constant focus. The talent is not the issue here. Wanting to win isn't enough.

Winning takes work. No one's going to hand you a championship because you feel like "it's your year".

The issue has been laid bare all season (and the last few seasons imo). Plain to see and easy to fix if you put in the work. But the sun is setting on this season and this senior class and the issues persist. Not sure if they've shown they can turn it around in the time they have left. I hope they do.

I don't think you can blame it all on the Senior leadership. They've brought the program back from the brink over the last 4 years. These guys literally have been starting since they were Freshman. That's where we were at.

I harp on this a lot, but this time of year is won by younger leadership stepping up. They're not going to do the brunt of the work, but those 2-3 goals that your Freshman and Sophmore class can get in May are what will win you dog fights.

Where is the guy on offense who wants this team to be HIS next year. Besides Anderson maybe, we haven't seen anyone yet.

 

[DMVCuseLax]

It's an issue of coaching and senior leadership.

What's the standard you're holding everyone else to? That you're holding yourself to?

How are you handling the little moments in practice and treating everything like game day. Every moment in a game matters. Every moment in practice should too. You need constant focus. The talent is not the issue here. Wanting to win isn't enough.

Winning takes work. No one's going to hand you a championship because you feel like "it's your year".

The issue has been laid bare all season (and the last few seasons imo). Plain to see and easy to fix if you put in the work. But the sun is setting on this season and this senior class and the issues persist. Not sure if they've shown they can turn it around in the time they have left. I hope they do.

These guys WORK and play through injury. They want to win as much as the fans.

 

[Lax Mouse]

I don't think you can blame it all on the Senior leadership. They've brought the program back from the brink over the last 4 years. These guys literally have been starting since they were Freshman. That's where we were at.

I harp on this a lot, but this time of year is won by younger leadership stepping up. They're not going to do the brunt of the work, but those 2-3 goals that your Freshman and Sophmore class can get in May are what will win you dog fights.

Where is the guy on offense who wants this team to be HIS next year. Besides Anderson maybe, we haven't seen anyone yet.

Certainly not blaming it all on senior leadership (there's a big "and coaching" right before it)

If anything, I will always blame coaching more than anything else. Coaches are adults and paid professionals. They should be able to push the team in the right direction, identify problems, and work to fix them. Really don't think that's happening here.

Players are just college kids.

But I do think as seniors, they're almost college graduates and should take some accountability. I hear you about the younger players, and they should find ways to step up. I do think it's hard to do when a senior class like this has such a large presence and prominent position on a team. Hard to ask an 18 or 19 year old kid to respectfully push a 22 year old who's been starting for 4 years to be better or different. Not that it can't happen, it's just hard.

The seniors set the tone. The younger players learn from them.

 

[Lax Mouse]

These guys WORK and play through injury. They want to win as much as the fans.

Of course, and at no point did I say they don't want to win. Obviously they do.

Just like they are obviously working hard. They wouldn't be on this team, and this team wouldn't be where it is, if they weren't working hard.

All I'm saying that the standard of work to win a national championship is insanely high. It will take a level of focus to win it all that the team has at times struggled with this season.

Turnovers and sloppy, careless play at times have been a topic of conversation on this board throughout the season by many, many posters. These will need to be cleaned up if they're to win the whole thing, and they still have some more work to put in to get that buttoned up.

This team has shown it has the talent and ability to win it all through some really incredible performances this season. But there's still room to get better and it's going to take more effort (beyond all the great work they've already done) to get there.

 

[DoctahLexus]

I really do not think some undisciplined moments are a sign that we have some next level kind of leadership problem. People zoom in on our sloppy moments and don't step back and realize that every team we play has guys making the exact same type of mistakes and undisciplined plays at a similar or higher rate than us. I am a broken record with this line, but it is hard as hell to play clean lacrosse for 4 quarters, and people here act like every other team has figured it out. If we had the amount of turnovers we had Saturday every game of the season, we would be a top 10 team in fewest turnovers per game. When one guy on our team flubs a pass, here it is an indictment of all our older leadership/staff and their mentality. Other teams do it and it is just some kind of fluke not worth reading into.

The O had a couple crucial turnovers in the second half that put a tired defense on the ropes. Yes those were frustrating as hell, yes you cannot afford that in the playoffs, but the main problem was still an atrocious day on the defensive end against a team that has struggled all season to put the ball in the cage. ND has only gone above 11 goals twice all year against non-scrubs and we were lucky they did not drop 20! That is insanely bad D from us compared to peer programs! We get nowhere without a 180 turnaround on that end in the upcoming games. Meanwhile UVA at home is the only other offense to put up 11 goals on this team all year! UNC and Duke just put up 11 goals on their D combined! I do not know how people watch our guys get cooked off the dodge left and right/slide all over the place and the chatter here is almost entirely about leadership coaching and discipline, with focus if anything on the other end of the field. Our lacking depth of athleticism at D, ssdm, and wing play is larger than any leadership issue IMO.

 

[wgdsr]

I really do not think some undisciplined moments are a sign that we have some next level kind of leadership problem. People zoom in on our sloppy moments and don't step back and realize that every team we play has guys making the exact same type of mistakes and undisciplined plays at a similar or higher rate than us. I am a broken record with this line, but it is hard as hell to play clean lacrosse for 4 quarters, and people here act like every other team has figured it out. If we had the amount of turnovers we had Saturday every game of the season, we would be a top 10 team in fewest turnovers per game. When one guy on our team flubs a pass, here it is an indictment of all our older leadership/staff and their mentality. Other teams do it and it is just some kind of fluke not worth reading into.

The O had a couple crucial turnovers in the second half that put a tired defense on the ropes. Yes those were frustrating as hell, yes you cannot afford that in the playoffs, but the main problem was still an atrocious day on the defensive end against a team that has struggled all season to put the ball in the cage. ND has only gone above 11 goals twice all year against non-scrubs and we were lucky they did not drop 20! That is insanely bad D from us compared to peer programs! We get nowhere without a 180 turnaround on that end in the upcoming games. Meanwhile UVA at home is the only other offense to put up 11 goals on this team all year! UNC and Duke just put up 11 goals on their D combined! I do not know how people watch our guys get cooked off the dodge left and right/slide all over the place and the chatter here is almost entirely about leadership coaching and discipline, with focus if anything on the other end of the field. Our lacking depth of athleticism at D, ssdm, and wing play is larger than any leadership issue IMO.

what's ironic is the defense was carrying the team in the 1st half of the season. on the internets anyway, the uva fanbase also can't help but point to turnovers committed as the flash point that needs correction.
- we proceeded to have 2 of our lowest turnover days and lost both games.
- years that the hoos' won championships in 2019 and 2021? highest turnover rate since tiffany arrived.
- it has been consistently between 14-16 per game since he got there. i don't suspect it'll change.

what uva lacrosse is doing, maybe different than 'cuse or others -- is trying to get teams to play that type of game. get them sped up. get them to be taking the bait a la loyola marymount basketball years ago. and the straight opposite of uva basketball under bennett. strangling games and taking care of the ball. it was very effective overall in his time.

what does that sound like? well, it sounds like b1g 10 lacrosse! what has worked in winning championships since the shot clock came on the scene? well, low scoring teams have need not apply.

so i'm past the turnovers. i get what we're doing. lars' obsession with causing cto's on the 6 v 6 d end has ramped up it seems, and that gives me some heartache. they don't seem able to or instructed to delineate at all and needlessly put themselves out of position and create offense. but it can be enough of an outlier for an opponent to face (just like uva hoops) that it can be effective on the right day.

notre dame will know what's coming, come nc$$ time i'm hoping for a fresh new opponent if they get there.

 

[cuselaxss26]

The defense seems to be playing way too conservative imo. Meaning their more trying not to give up ground or just staying with their guy rather then forcing their men into where they want them or where goalie would like to see shots from. Where the defense go that played vs maryland where they were aggressive n just all over them. They were all on their guy so there wasn’t outlets to pass to n guy with ball got winded from trying get away n ended up forcing something that resulted in To.

Why we are playing this super soft D like they’re so worried bout each other instead of trusting each other. Dwan for how big he is should be all over his guy but he just trots with his man never making much contact or get into the body. As said seems their just trying not to make a mistake n playing so soft they end up making more mistake cause their overly worried. Not to mention also possible playing this style to limit the penalties rhey gotten early on. But can’t just go total end of spectrum have to least find somewhere in middle of aggressive n also not getting flagged. Rather then this wet toilet paper D rhey have been playing.

They give up on gbs possibly could her then again could be cause know they struggle with it n worry getting beat or given up something if go out to try. They need to want it bad n have to play that way. Like leo after some of his piss poor TO does he ride hard to get it back ? No he doesn’t just jogs or fastly walks with barely any effort. Either way if this entire team don’t start playing like they wanna earn it then they will be cooked in first round.

Talent will only get ya so far n when going against teams who are just as talented or even little more talented (unc, ND, princeton) you need to want it more n take it. You also have to play nearly perfect to overcome those more talented teams by out hustling them n wanting it more. It’s not gonna be given it will be earned.

 

[cuselaxss26]

Also as many of us have stated you need other guys than the main ones to step up. Look at how many diff scorers in that ND game ? You need least say 6-7 diff scorers during playoffs or big games. Your first two lines have to contribute. First line should do a lot of it but need your second line to least produce say every third time on field. So not every other but just under it. We just arnt getting ton from 2nd line.