take a step back and and put everything into perspective

[bbirish73]

Did we even think at the beginning of the year ND would still be in contention of the playoffs at this point in the season?

Didn't we think the defense would suck this year?

Did we even see ourselves being this good with 5 suspended players? (one of the best corners in college)

I know we have high expectations right now but this has been a great year so far and I'm pleased with the on the field results minus North Carolina. This team hasn't even come close to how good they are going to be by the end of the year and next year. It is good to be an Irish fan right now and should continue that way for a while

 

[jjc2009]

Did we even think at the beginning of the year ND would still be in contention of the playoffs at this point in the season?

Didn't we think the defense would suck this year?

Did we even see ourselves being this good with 5 suspended players? (one of the best corners in college)

I know we have high expectations right now but this has been a great year so far and I'm pleased with the on the field results minus North Carolina. This team hasn't even come close to how good they are going to be by the end of the year and next year. It is good to be an Irish fan right now and should continue that way for a while

#1 No.

#2 Somewhat, yes. There were a lot of questions about the front seven except for Sheldon Day (if he could stay healthy), but the secondary, even with the loss of Russell was deep and talented.

#3 I think Cole Luke has played very well in Russell's absence. Kelly's right, you don't replace a guy like Keivarae Russell, but you can come pretty damn close with Luke. I think Devin Butler has done well when he's had to come in for Riggs too. I think Ishaq was not missed as much because he hasn't shown as much, but any injuries happen and he will be missed for depth purposes. There's a lot of depth at WR too, so it wasn't soul crushing that Davaris Daniels was out either. Definitely talented, and had good chemistry with Golson, but I wasn't really panicking when he was out.

#4 I think they have definitely raised the bar this season. I think the pressure was more on Kelly to perform now in year 5, despite the loss of several key defensive players and despite the suspension of five players, 3 of which were important players. At the start of the season, I didn't think they stood a chance against FSU, Stanford, and would struggle mightily against Mich., Louisville, UNC, Az St. and USC. Hell, I even thought Northwestern would give them a fight and still do, thinking that its an important game for Chicago area bragging rights (I am sure Fitzgerald will have them up for this game more than any other, given where they are at this season). But having come this far, they are definitely capable of not just making the playoffs, but making a run in the playoffs.

All that said, they can still crap the bed in a game or two the rest of the way and revert back to those expectations. My hope is that the chip on their shoulder just got bigger, and woe for Navy and the rest of the teams on the schedule.