Coaching Upgrades

[stu4don]

A trying to stay positive and hopeful thread (sorry 'Ole Eeyore' Perse ; )

Just read the SBT article on Polian. Nice to have a coach who actually KNOWS special teams (kickers, punters, etc.) coaching special teams! He mentions Claypool and Fertitta as guys who have already caught his eye. ST needs a personality and attitude. Wouldn't it be nice to get back to Brindza's 64% tb percentage?

Coaching 2017:

Happy to have 'em back: Denson (RB), Hiestand (OL), Light (DB)
Upgrade: Polian (ST), Elko (D), Lea (LB), Elston (DL), Long (TE), Balis (S&C)
We'll Miss: Sanford (QB), Dembrock (WR!!!)

I do like the potential of: Rees and Alexander but I agree with IIO that Dembrock worked wonders with our receivers. I hope Kelly can share that knowledge with Alexander (and Rees) now that he says he won't be calling plays. Kelly always seemed to 'get' the WR/QB position.

So.... the biggest question mark is who will the new Kelly be? I like his off-season coaching moves a lot. Younger, smarter coaches, with real expertise in their specialty. I also like the way they all worked to pull together this recruiting class!

So I'm hopeful despite a killer schedule in 2017. Happy Super Bowl boys.

 

[Nocalirish]

Or it could be another 4-8 season and the death of the program. LOL.9

 

[57Patrick]

Are they coaching upgrades? The coaches that left all knew football. For whatever the reason, the chemistry was simply not there last year. That is my hope for the new coaching staff. My hope is they bring a renewed positive chemistry where it is fun to play for and watch ND football. Last year it wasn't.

 

[NDIRISH53]

Hate to say it but I don't like the hire of tommy Rees even though I respect him as a player. Sanford was a fanstastic recruiter. Rees better be on 2018 commit Jurkovec like flies on horse s**t

 

[Nocalirish]

Hate to say it but I don't like the hire of tommy Rees even though I respect him as a player. Sanford was a fanstastic recruiter. Rees better be on 2018 commit Jurkovec like flies on horse s**t

Kelly is QB coach regardless of what is on Tommy's business cards.

 

[NDIRISH53]

Kelly is QB coach regardless of what is on Tommy's business cards.

Unfortunately. Because we all know how quarterbacks get better over the years under Kelly's thumb

 

[theskibro]

Unfortunately. Because we all know how quarterbacks get better over the years under Kelly's thumb

Yes upgrades but not enough fire extinguisher to put out the dumpster fire that is Kelly
8-4. Maybe

 

[Baldomer]

Elston at DT coach is not an upgrade.
He is my biggest concern on the dfensive side of the ball.
Hiestand is my biggest concern on offense. Piss poor performance
by Oline in '16, and he missed on the real stud linemen ND wanted in
the '17 class.

 

[stu4don]

Elston at DT coach is not an upgrade.
He is my biggest concern on the dfensive side of the ball.
Hiestand is my biggest concern on offense. Piss poor performance
by Oline in '16, and he missed on the real stud linemen ND wanted in
the '17 class.

Totally disagree -- and the facts are in.

Elston was the defensive line coach in 2012 when our defense got our football team to the natty and a 12-1 record! Elston will be a big upgrade there.

I would also say that Hiestand has coached our best OLines since the Holtz era -- see also 2012 and 2015 (207 yards a game/6 per carry that year). And remember we lost three of our four starting linemen in 2015 and were going into this year ( without two to the NFL and one to Wall Street -- all three were NFL level players.)

I would agree with Dembrock and Sanford. Not Elston and Harry H!

 

[RowTheBoatND]

A trying to stay positive and hopeful thread (sorry 'Ole Eeyore' Perse ; )

Just read the SBT article on Polian. Nice to have a coach who actually KNOWS special teams (kickers, punters, etc.) coaching special teams! He mentions Claypool and Fertitta as guys who have already caught his eye. ST needs a personality and attitude. Wouldn't it be nice to get back to Brindza's 64% tb percentage?

Coaching 2017:

Happy to have 'em back: Denson (RB), Hiestand (OL), Light (DB)
Upgrade: Polian (ST), Elko (D), Lea (LB), Elston (DL), Long (TE), Balis (S&C)
We'll Miss: Sanford (QB), Dembrock (WR!!!)

I do like the potential of: Rees and Alexander but I agree with IIO that Dembrock worked wonders with our receivers. I hope Kelly can share that knowledge with Alexander (and Rees) now that he says he won't be calling plays. Kelly always seemed to 'get' the WR/QB position.

So.... the biggest question mark is who will the new Kelly be? I like his off-season coaching moves a lot. Younger, smarter coaches, with real expertise in their specialty. I also like the way they all worked to pull together this recruiting class!

So I'm hopeful despite a killer schedule in 2017. Happy Super Bowl boys.

Oh "Mr. Positive" is back! Yet you can't say anything positive about President Trump. Too funny.

 

[stu4don]

He was better than Arno on The Celebrity Apprentice.

 

[Bodizephax]

.

A trying to stay positive and hopeful thread (sorry 'Ole Eeyore' Perse ; )

Just read the SBT article on Polian. Nice to have a coach who actually KNOWS special teams (kickers, punters, etc.) coaching special teams! He mentions Claypool and Fertitta as guys who have already caught his eye. ST needs a personality and attitude. Wouldn't it be nice to get back to Brindza's 64% tb percentage?

Coaching 2017:

Happy to have 'em back: Denson (RB), Hiestand (OL), Light (DB)
Upgrade: Polian (ST), Elko (D), Lea (LB), Elston (DL), Long (TE), Balis (S&C)
We'll Miss: Sanford (QB), Dembrock (WR!!!)

I do like the potential of: Rees and Alexander but I agree with IIO that Dembrock worked wonders with our receivers. I hope Kelly can share that knowledge with Alexander (and Rees) now that he says he won't be calling plays. Kelly always seemed to 'get' the WR/QB position.

So.... the biggest question mark is who will the new Kelly be? I like his off-season coaching moves a lot. Younger, smarter coaches, with real expertise in their specialty. I also like the way they all worked to pull together this recruiting class!

So I'm hopeful despite a killer schedule in 2017. Happy Super Bowl boys.

Great post Brother Stu !!

 

[Telx1]

Stu, agree with your OP. Kelly made changes to all the areas we collectively bitched about, and I think he made some really good hires in the process. I was so sick of watching our defense and ST play with such poor fundamentals, I can't wait to see the impact of these hires and watch a well conditioned hard playing hard tackling physical ND team on the field. I want ND to win every game of course, but I also want to be proud of the way our guys play and compete, something we sorely lacked last year in particular, and each year with BVG as our DC in general. I would have preferred a new HC to start anew, but absent that, I am optimistic that Kelly made a lot of decisions that will pay immediate dividends. Good post.

 

[Kelso86]

Stu, agree with your OP. Kelly made changes to all the areas we collectively bitched about, and I think he made some really good hires in the process. I was so sick of watching our defense and ST play with such poor fundamentals, I can't wait to see the impact of these hires and watch a well conditioned hard playing hard tackling physical ND team on the field. I want ND to win every game of course, but I also want to be proud of the way our guys play and compete, something we sorely lacked last year in particular, and each year with BVG as our DC in general. I would have preferred a new HC to start anew, but absent that, I am optimistic that Kelly made a lot of decisions that will pay immediate dividends. Good post.

"I was so sick of watching our defense and ST play with such poor fundamentals"

Tackling over the past few years just seemed to be an after-thought. I seem to recallin Kelly's 1st few years, his teams were fresh in the 4th quarter of games, and when it was tight, they seemed ready (win or lose) -- last year in particular, this team just seemed to wilt when it got to the 4th -- similar to when CW was at ND.

 

[Telx1]

Kelso, agree...which makes this whole decline frustrating. I recall Kelly arriving at ND and quickly becoming critical of the entitled attitude of the players and lack of football toughness. Talked about the need for a cultural change and top to bottom program changes, and getting players with the right attitude and level of commitment, etc... thus the infamous offensive statement about his guys versus Weis guys that Manti and others took exception to. Here we are seven years later, and seems we are back to where we started with Kelly. I do think Kelly got complacent and lost the fire in his belly, and last years pathetic performance after all the preseason hype and predictions seems to have energized Kelly to look and sound like his first couple years at ND.

 

[Nocalirish]

Very interested in the spring game to see what the new coaches have to work with and what the new systems look like. Realize that this team will look different on 9-1-17. If Kelly goes 5-0 he will get the credit, but if he goes 0-4 as I fear will you Kelly backers finally agree he needs to go?

 

[NDIRISH53]

Big question about the strength program. One positive from last season was the lack of serious injuries. 2014 and 15 were littered with HUGE season ending and nagging injuries. I can only think of Shaun Crawford off the top of my head. Anyway, last offseason they did some type of weird body measuring or whatever i vaguely remember and BK said it was to help with the injuries and it seemed to help. Any word on if they do this again this offseason?

 

[Kelso86]

Big question about the strength program. One positive from last season was the lack of serious injuries. 2014 and 15 were littered with HUGE season ending and nagging injuries. I can only think of Shaun Crawford off the top of my head. Anyway, last offseason they did some type of weird body measuring or whatever i vaguely remember and BK said it was to help with the injuries and it seemed to help. Any word on if they do this again this offseason?

I read an article on Balis (I think that is name) -- he program is designed to fit the person and the position they are playing (similar to the guy at Stanford) -- I wish I could recall more, but it seems like this guy knows how to prepare athletes, and keeping injuries to a minimum. Hope the article helps.

http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/011917aah.html

 

[Tru2Irish]

I read an article on Balis (I think that is name) -- he program is designed to fit the person and the position they are playing (similar to the guy at Stanford) -- I wish I could recall more, but it seems like this guy knows how to prepare athletes, and keeping injuries to a minimum. Hope the article helps.

http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/011917aah.html

I think you are going to see a team that has worked in the weight room and developed. They are going to play with a chip on their shoulder plus young guys who played now have experience. the key is will Kelly allow the coaches to coach and adjust on game day. He is a control freak.It will all center on his attitude.

 

[Telx1]

Very interested in the spring game to see what the new coaches have to work with and what the new systems look like. Realize that this team will look different on 9-1-17. If Kelly goes 5-0 he will get the credit, but if he goes 0-4 as I fear will you Kelly backers finally agree he needs to go?

Most of the Kelly backers as you reference wanted Kelly gone after last season, myself included. Didn't happen, and many of us accept this and want him to succeed, which means the team succeeds. If we start 5-0, Kelly deserves credit, just as he deserves blame if we start 0-4. If the later, yes...we will all be back here clamoring for his firing. If the former, will you be on here agreeing he needs to stay?