Freeman needs to go
- Thread starter theskibro
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I saw that after the NIU loss.
Said nothing regarding Freeman that day after the loss, and have maintained your support of Marcus Freeman.
All good.
And you lock top coaches in as soon as you are ready to give them a large guarantee
No high ankle sprain this year. He still stinks. Whats the excuse this year?
I hate these kinds of posts. I like Freeman, good guy but I have my worries about whether he's the right person for the job and if he can make very hard decisions when needed. I feel like we are very much in need of a QB change for starters. Personally, if Leonard does not play well this week against Louisville, that would be four games in a row where he has not looked good. If Freeman doesn't bench him at that point, my confidence in him as a coach will def plummet.
The other thing I have noticed. Game 1 against A&M, the intensity of freeman and what he appeared to instill in the team that night was unbelievable and something I really feel has been missing for many years. He and those guys were fired up. Then... all that seemingly went out the window since then. They just look flat. Freeman just calmly walks the sidelines, scribbling on his little notepad... no emotion.
The other thing I have noticed. Game 1 against A&M, the intensity of freeman and what he appeared to instill in the team that night was unbelievable and something I really feel has been missing for many years. He and those guys were fired up. Then... all that seemingly went out the window since then. They just look flat. Freeman just calmly walks the sidelines, scribbling on his little notepad... no emotion.
Crazy that this is a topic of disagreement. His record is absolutely 22-9. But if you’re honestly evaluating his tenure as head coach, then the Oklahoma St game doesn’t really factor into this. Regardless, 22-8 or 22-9 is not good enough for ND, and damn abysmal when you consider the quality of staff he has assembled. I’ve said from the time of his hire that I think you judge a new head coach by the results of year three. Still a ways to go.
Agreed about the A&M game, it was impressive, and noticeable. It was like we were Bama or something, and we came out ready to take care of business like badasses. And indeed all the air went out of the balloon after that night. Personally, I just feel like it's the offense, and that's everything. We don't have to have LSU of a year ago, but if our offense was quite a bit better, and pretty much that means solely the passing game, obviously we wouldn't have lost. But I just feel like the whole impression of the team would be very different. And a lot of the growing chorus of criticism of how the team seems flat, and we make dumb mistakes, they wouldn't be there. Your mind plays tricks on you. Everybody makes dumb mistakes. But when you're proficient and competent and above average in all phases of the game, ie pass game, run game, defense, the little bungles and lapses fade into the background. The true elephant in the room is the passing game. And if we stick with RL, and maybe that's the best option, I presume it will stay that way.
So if I'm MF that's what's on my mind. What do I do about the passing game?
His QBR against TX Am was 67. Purdue it was 94.6. Miami it was 83.4
So when you say he's played 4 bad games in a row, that is inaccurate
I agree with all of this except for the abysmal part. Especially when you see what he had in the QB room. A 73% winning pct isn't good enough, but far from abysmal
Leonard accounted for 212 total yards and 3 touchdowns in one half against Purdue. Then he accounted for 297 total yards and 3 touchdowns Saturday, after getting off to a sluggish start. Those aren't bad numbers. And we won the two games by a combined score of 94-10. So I disagree he should be benched at this point.
Louisville will be tougher, although they're probably less talented on defense than TX A&M. We'll see how that one goes.
I guess abysmal in the eye of the beholder. If you were to tell me we would win 73% of the rest of our games through Freeman’s contract period, I would argue that’s not acceptable and would opt out.
I think it is a simple as you stated it: RL and the passing game.
I'm no expert and even I see it.
I can only speculate on how to fix it...maybe a more varied running game, with short passing and occasional running by RL? Bringing in another QB, as RL cannot win with his arm?
One thing I am convinced of: MF doesn't really know how to fix things.
Yeah I would say unacceptable too. But not abysmal. That looks more like Florida FSU etc
And we're expecting more going forward. But I gave him a pass for 2022, because it was his first year as a head coach, and our QB room was severely lacking that year.
Defending MAC champion, last year has ZERO to do with this year. Miami OH was 0-2 coming into South Bend with losses to Northwestern and Cincinnati.
Purdue is quite possibly the worst team in the BIG10.
Miami only lost to Northwestern 13-6, and to Cincinnati 27-16. So they were fairly competitive in both of those games. Cincinnati beat Houston 34-0 on Saturday.
Brian Kelly left for LSU with two years left on his contract while on a 44-6 run with two recent CFB playoff berths.
and he's still trying to win that elusive national championship, with none of the supposed restrictions he had ND.
Brian Kelly is not a championship level coach
Listen, I'm just trying to make the argument that our win Saturday was a decent performance, after a sluggish start. We'll need to keep improving going forward, and hopefully we'll play well Saturday.
Agree. ND won 28-3 after lots of mistakes and some lost possessions that were completely their own doing — muffed punt, botched FG snap, Shuler penalty.
One thing to consider I suppose, vis a vis MF's future, which is not in any real doubt at all, and we probably will go 10-2 or so this year, is were now in the playoff era. The 4 team playoff was nothing, that was bogus. It was illegitimate. And at least for me, speaking for myself, I want ND to be an annual playoff contender. I would hope ND institutionally would want the same thing. And it would behoove them perhaps to really embrace it because the playoff is going to be the gold standard. You don't have to be a near annual lock like a Bama or UGA would expect to be, but it can't be like every five six seven years or even longer between bids. ND has their reputation, and their station to consider. And I suppose just the money.
So there pressure's on is my point. A lot on MF's shoulders....
I understand. The Louiville game should be a good test. Louisville's defense is ranked 22nd. I'm not concerned with ND's defense, it's the offense, and how well they'll fare against their toughest defensive opponent to date.
Ryan Day, Lincoln Riley, James Franklin, Steve Sarkisian, Lane Kiffin.
None of these head coaches are championship level.
With no restrictions at their schools.
Still trying to win that elusive championship.
List the CFB head coaches who are championship level.
Aside from Kirby Smart, I struggle to think of anyone.
If you have to win a title to be a championship level head coach, the current list is short.
I think with better resources, Klieman, Leipold, Whittingham, and Gundy could all be championship coaches. Perhaps Jonathan Smith at MSU.
I suppose Day although he has a massive talent advantage.
I suppose Day although he has a massive talent advantage.
Well, with the departures of Harbaugh, Meyer, and the retirement of Saban, the list got thinner. Dabo won two. Others have won, that have since gotten fired, Jimbo, Orgeron. They've all accomplished what the others you listed couldn't. Yea the list is certainly thin, but they'll be new coaches that will rise to assume the mantle. I can see DeBoer winning a title. Just saying with BK, the odds are against him at this point, so I don't see it.
My issue to this point is these yards are mostly coming with his legs. That is his biggest threat. Aside from A&M, which if we were going to play them, game one is where we'd want to as both teams had rust to knock off, etc., he has not displayed any real threat in the passing game. We've played very pedestrian defenses at best since the A&M game. Sooner or later, he is going to have to throw the ball, a lot, to win. He needed to against NIU and did not look good at all. When we start playing defenses that have decent corners and safeties and they can stack the box to stop him and the rushing game.. we're in trouble. Honestly, if he remains the QB the rest of the season and there is not marked improvement in his passing game, I foresee two more losses this year, maybe a third. Hope i'm wrong about the kid.
You can't bench leonard now, Freeman went all in. The time to do it was half time vs NIU, and freeman did NOT. Now, if we lose again, freeman will still ride him because he feels he's the best QB to lead the team and has developed the offense to include significant QB running.
Angeli better be ready, as I expect Denbrock to run the crap out of Riley saturday going into a bye week.
They stopped running him because we had 120 yards on something like 30 carries in the game. NIU did an outstanding job of making them one dimensional and that other dimension (throwing the ball) was not good. Not saying its all on Leonard, the O line didn't do its part at times, but there was a ton of open receivers in the game that he either flat out missed or didn't see.
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