The question to me seems to be in order for ND to have won a championship this year was whether or not they needed 3-4 more superior athletic football players or that Kelly simply isn't good enough to get us the title. At this point going into year 7, I think it's very difficult to say.
On special teams, I think we can all agree the talent is there on an annual basis. It's never been great nor has it been bad, but there is always room for improvement. I've always wondered why ND coaches don't just look for the best special teams coach out there and pay him to come to ND. I don't like the idea of a position coach also coaching special teams. I don't know if there needs to be a change in coaching or a change in delegation of special teams responsibilities to other coaches who assist with special teams.
On defense, our biggest weakness from a talent/depth perspective was defensive end, as Okwara was the only true pass rushing threat and even he was just OK in my opinion. Rochell while dependable is really more of a DT, in my opinion. Tumbetti and Blakenship did not blossom, as some of us had hoped this year. As we all know D-Line has been the most challenging area to recruit. Linebackers; never in my opinon should a walk on be the starting MLB for the Irish. Schmidt God bless him was not a guy who should be starting when ND is trying to win the title. J. Owanulau was a former WR turned LB and it showed big time, as I think his athleticism, while not superior is still good enough, but mentally/instincts were very poor. I do like the future here at LB in terms of talent with Morgan, Coney, Bilal, Barajas, and Hayes. Corners, this year I think we had the talent, but inconsistent production. I think the talent will continue to be there. Strong safety was a plus this year with Shumate finally reaching his potential. Lastly, the free safety position. Two years in a row ND basically only has had one true free safety and while the talent, speed, and athleticism is there, Redfield has just not been able to put it together and be a every down safety making plays. Really would have been nice to have a 4 or 5 star FS behind him to pick up the slack. Redfield has one more year to get it right.
Offense had talent to enough to keep up with anybody in the country, IMO. They had the quality and depth at every position. Obviously injuries hurt us there and likely hampered production, but ND was still able to compete regardless.
Coaching wise, we all know about the problems on defense; too complicated, players are thinking too much, poor fundamental tackling, etc. I don't think this defense however, was as bad as everyone said it was, but there's certainly room for improvement. In just about every game there was about 4-6 plays that ND really screwed up on defensively. They have to focus on eliminating those errors whether they be fundamental errors or mental errors.
Coaching on offense, for the most part was very good. Incredibly explosive. So many big passes and long runs. The biggest letdown was the red zone offense. ND really should have scored 52-56 points against Stanford and 31-35 against Clemson(that was more the turnovers, not red zone issues). Part of the reason why ND rarely thumps inferior opponents is because of ND's troubles in the red zone. Kicking FGs always keeps the opponent in the game.
So in conclusion, special teams need a change in coaching or coaching assignments. Defensively, I do think there needs to be slight improvement on recruiting on defense. I really like the guys they got for DE and DBs, but I think we need 1-2 more quality LBs, which we are in the mix for and I really wish we were getting a dominant DT. I think not getting one will hurt ND down the road. On a separate note, I wish ND would strongly consider going after 1-2 JUCO kids to make up for the lack of recruits at any given position. Academics may get in the way of that and for a JUCO kid to make an immediate impact, they likely need to transfer in time for spring ball, which may be challenging. Even Saban and Meyer will occasionally take a JUCO kid. This would have been a perfect time to take a quality DT from a JUCO school. As for coaching, defense really needs to get back to the basics; basic coverage skills, read and react skills, and tackling skills. That's on the coaches to make sure of that. As for offense, the recruiting has been fantastic and if ND gets D. Robertson, I'm going nuts! I'm expecting them to be very good next year regardless of who starts at QB. They may not be as explosive with the loss of Procise and Fuller, but the important thing is that they work on the red zone. I'd assign Jeff Quinn with the responsibility of researching, going to clinics, and coming up with red zone packages for Kelly to work with.
The leadership, vision, and accountability of the program from the coaches and players is there. It seems like ND is so close to being elite, but what's most frustrating is Kelly is going into year 7 and still looking for a his big win and big playoff/bowl win. That's where the doubt for Kelly comes into play. I'm really hoping ND closes this class out strong, ND stays healthy next year and ultimately turns the corner by at least getting a playoff win or a new year's six bowl win against an elite opponent. I think anything less than that is unacceptable.
GO IRISH!
On special teams, I think we can all agree the talent is there on an annual basis. It's never been great nor has it been bad, but there is always room for improvement. I've always wondered why ND coaches don't just look for the best special teams coach out there and pay him to come to ND. I don't like the idea of a position coach also coaching special teams. I don't know if there needs to be a change in coaching or a change in delegation of special teams responsibilities to other coaches who assist with special teams.
On defense, our biggest weakness from a talent/depth perspective was defensive end, as Okwara was the only true pass rushing threat and even he was just OK in my opinion. Rochell while dependable is really more of a DT, in my opinion. Tumbetti and Blakenship did not blossom, as some of us had hoped this year. As we all know D-Line has been the most challenging area to recruit. Linebackers; never in my opinon should a walk on be the starting MLB for the Irish. Schmidt God bless him was not a guy who should be starting when ND is trying to win the title. J. Owanulau was a former WR turned LB and it showed big time, as I think his athleticism, while not superior is still good enough, but mentally/instincts were very poor. I do like the future here at LB in terms of talent with Morgan, Coney, Bilal, Barajas, and Hayes. Corners, this year I think we had the talent, but inconsistent production. I think the talent will continue to be there. Strong safety was a plus this year with Shumate finally reaching his potential. Lastly, the free safety position. Two years in a row ND basically only has had one true free safety and while the talent, speed, and athleticism is there, Redfield has just not been able to put it together and be a every down safety making plays. Really would have been nice to have a 4 or 5 star FS behind him to pick up the slack. Redfield has one more year to get it right.
Offense had talent to enough to keep up with anybody in the country, IMO. They had the quality and depth at every position. Obviously injuries hurt us there and likely hampered production, but ND was still able to compete regardless.
Coaching wise, we all know about the problems on defense; too complicated, players are thinking too much, poor fundamental tackling, etc. I don't think this defense however, was as bad as everyone said it was, but there's certainly room for improvement. In just about every game there was about 4-6 plays that ND really screwed up on defensively. They have to focus on eliminating those errors whether they be fundamental errors or mental errors.
Coaching on offense, for the most part was very good. Incredibly explosive. So many big passes and long runs. The biggest letdown was the red zone offense. ND really should have scored 52-56 points against Stanford and 31-35 against Clemson(that was more the turnovers, not red zone issues). Part of the reason why ND rarely thumps inferior opponents is because of ND's troubles in the red zone. Kicking FGs always keeps the opponent in the game.
So in conclusion, special teams need a change in coaching or coaching assignments. Defensively, I do think there needs to be slight improvement on recruiting on defense. I really like the guys they got for DE and DBs, but I think we need 1-2 more quality LBs, which we are in the mix for and I really wish we were getting a dominant DT. I think not getting one will hurt ND down the road. On a separate note, I wish ND would strongly consider going after 1-2 JUCO kids to make up for the lack of recruits at any given position. Academics may get in the way of that and for a JUCO kid to make an immediate impact, they likely need to transfer in time for spring ball, which may be challenging. Even Saban and Meyer will occasionally take a JUCO kid. This would have been a perfect time to take a quality DT from a JUCO school. As for coaching, defense really needs to get back to the basics; basic coverage skills, read and react skills, and tackling skills. That's on the coaches to make sure of that. As for offense, the recruiting has been fantastic and if ND gets D. Robertson, I'm going nuts! I'm expecting them to be very good next year regardless of who starts at QB. They may not be as explosive with the loss of Procise and Fuller, but the important thing is that they work on the red zone. I'd assign Jeff Quinn with the responsibility of researching, going to clinics, and coming up with red zone packages for Kelly to work with.
The leadership, vision, and accountability of the program from the coaches and players is there. It seems like ND is so close to being elite, but what's most frustrating is Kelly is going into year 7 and still looking for a his big win and big playoff/bowl win. That's where the doubt for Kelly comes into play. I'm really hoping ND closes this class out strong, ND stays healthy next year and ultimately turns the corner by at least getting a playoff win or a new year's six bowl win against an elite opponent. I think anything less than that is unacceptable.
GO IRISH!
Last edited:
