Mike Denbrock's 4yr/$9M contract not looking good right now
- Thread starter chaseball
- Start date
I watched a few USC games, including the loss to MI.
I think so far they look better than ND. They've got some issues, but I don't think coaching is a as fundamental an issue with the Trojans and Irish.
Again, I hope to be wrong...something which will play out the rest of the season.
I give some slack for the OL...but I still have seen too many poor calls made by Denbrock. Like I said boy MF, I think Denbrock produces less than the sum of the parts.
I took your other post to mean more that you don’t think ND is really in the same area regarding the quality of USC and Michigan. Maybe that’s not what you meant. I haven’t seen much of the two teams other than USC/LSU, but I think their résumés are similar between the three schools.
I do think we as fans, myself included, tend to read too much into every mistake or issue that arises. A neutral fan watching the same game would probably be less critical. Then the NIU game stings more.
I’m not dismissing that there are issues. There certainly are. I see you commented on Denbrock’s playcalling in the next post. I’m not saying your opinions are wrong, but two people can have drastically different views of playcalling and execution. So hopefully that provides some hope for you.
I think the team finishes 10-2 with 11-1 very possible. 9-3 is about as likely as 11-1 unfortunately.
If our OL was only half as good as last year maybe we can make a better assessment
You are an idiot. First of all this scenario would never happen, because no one in this lifetime would ask you to be a football coach, because you know NOTHING about football. But, imagine your an OC, at the highest level of college football, with 3 starters out on the OL, a position group that was already your most questionable unit coming out of camp.
Try calling plays when your OL cannot consistently dip their pads and move people in the run game and then to make matters worse they struggle protecting the passer especially the left side, which is Riley's blind side. Then take in consideration your WR corp has no standouts, and your QB strugglse with consistency and accuracy throwing the football inside and outside the pocket
Denbrock deserves a raise for what he is doing, cobbling together an offense, and generating points. With the game on the line, MD kept a great pass play, and then a great screen play in his pocket then he dialed them up to give ND a 31-17 lead. That is big time play calling, and big time OC work. Not that you would know because you are F- dope
Try calling plays when your OL cannot consistently dip their pads and move people in the run game and then to make matters worse they struggle protecting the passer especially the left side, which is Riley's blind side. Then take in consideration your WR corp has no standouts, and your QB strugglse with consistency and accuracy throwing the football inside and outside the pocket
Denbrock deserves a raise for what he is doing, cobbling together an offense, and generating points. With the game on the line, MD kept a great pass play, and then a great screen play in his pocket then he dialed them up to give ND a 31-17 lead. That is big time play calling, and big time OC work. Not that you would know because you are F- dope
Coming into the season, the offense was projected to be the 10th best in the country (granted before all of the injuries on the offensive line).
The CJ loss at LT was big, but the interior offensive linemen were more of a 1A/1B situation (not a huge drop-off from the starters to the backups who are currently starting). And the OL is the deepest/best recruited position group on the team best able to withstand attrition and injuries.
The QB, WRs, and RBs have remained healthy for the most part.
Last season ND produced a top 15 offense with an internal promotion offensive coordinator (Gerad Parker), and this year their offense is ranked 25th through 5 games while $9M in the hole for the privilege.
LSU has the #1 offense this year (they haven't missed a beat after Denbrock's departure).
Through 5 games, its looking like the Denbrock hire is a bad one, and hes being paid like one of the best OCs in the league.
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I don't know. I do think denbrock is really good, but i'm not sure he's doing great right now. Example, to start second half our D forces louisville into their only 3 and out and ND has a shot to really put this game away. We get the ball with great field position, then ND goes 3 and out. D stop them again, ND goes 3 and out, d stop them again, we get the ball back and are putting a good drive together. But on 4th and 2, we ran a QB power into 11 in the box. You must have a better play for short yardage 1-3 yard situations then that. That was a good play for 4th and 1, not 4th and 2-3.
Denbrock has to be part of the bad play criticism. We have WRs a lot of times open. Oline banged up, i'll definitely give you that. He had a great first quarter plan to move the pocket. Louisville adjusted and dominated our offense the 2nd and third quarter. Denbrock made two great calls later in the fourth. It took him a long time to adjust to louisville line/lbs slanting to the obvious side we would be rolling or running riley too. We kept running plays into their pressure.
That's what I kind of think. I feel like saying Denbrock's been pretty masterfully, or at least effectively orchestrating this offense. RL really does seem like a poor passer for real. And yet we manage to squeeze a fair bit out of him, and when he does throw he's given plays that are more makable and ends up with a good completion %. I'd give him an A-. But I don't know much about play calling either.
I agree the OL is a problem, however that doesn't excuse the weak arm/accuracy passing issues. Hes just not a good thrower, as a runner top notch
I guess I'll go with the majority wisdom on Denbrock's capability. I'm not sold on him at all, but I have no illusions that I'm not an expert...and maybe it's really personnel issues? OL is important, possibly the explanation for an offense not playing very well.
I still feel he and MF, sorry to repeat this claim, have ND < the sum of the parts.
It will be interesting and fun following this the rest of the season. If you force me to predict, I say 2 more losses...probably no playoff.
One thing is for sure: ND just isn't there yet. Again, let's see if the Irish can get there...all eyes on MF, Denbrock, and the arm of RL.
I still feel he and MF, sorry to repeat this claim, have ND < the sum of the parts.
It will be interesting and fun following this the rest of the season. If you force me to predict, I say 2 more losses...probably no playoff.
One thing is for sure: ND just isn't there yet. Again, let's see if the Irish can get there...all eyes on MF, Denbrock, and the arm of RL.
Well to be fair there was never any particularly strong grounds for thinking our offense was going to be that great. It was really the defense and a lot of hope. And RL is not really as advertised. He's almost a better runner, but definitely a shittier passer. And so we're just slogging through. To me it feels like the offensive play calling is pretty effective, all things considered. Of course you'd expect them to endeavor to cater to RL's shortcomings and failings, and they are. But can you hide them well enough, and keep the offense credible enough? So far so good, with one exception. And there could be more to come, as you allude to.
You seem to be the only one defending Leonard’s passing. You also defended Buchner passing. So your assessment skills are not going to get respect. I think you are accurate assessing most things but you are flat out wrong on Leonard
He is not a passer. He is an athlete who can be decent passing. The Louisville qb is a passer. That guy threaded throws between coverage and had exceptional touch on long balls. Leonard cannot do that. And Leonard can’t find the open man unless the play is designed to get a guy open like the gresthouse n Harrison plays
No there's many people defending his play. Just read.
He can throw when he has time to throw. The line has been bad and it is effecting the entire passing game
