Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad Parker spoke with local beat writers Tuesday night ahead of Saturday's home game against Ohio State. Here is a transcript of that conversation. Questions may be paraphrased.
GERAD PARKER
Biggest difference in the ND offense getting ready to play Ohio State compared to last year?
"You have to go through some tough stuff to play a team like Ohio State...
I think so. Well we know so, right? And heck, there’s a lot of tough headed our way. You know what I mean? The thing for us is I think we really truly believe as a staff, these players, you grow in maturity. I think growth helps with success, for sure. It sure does, and then being in those fires and understanding the hard and going through what we did as a unit and group last year — all that stuff, I think — builds you to prepare you for games like this but also understanding that we’re gonna have to play in big games the rest of the year. So, I think it prepares you for these moments. And then you’ll take this one, learn from it and be ready for the next one. And that’s not just an answer. It’s just the facts. We’ve got of big games coming up. This is the most important one because it’s this week."
We saw new stuff from you last week. How much is incremental and how much is because of Sam Hartman and his experience?
"I think that it’s both. Our guys, as an offensive unit, they study so much, so you've got to be careful. You can give them a lot. So, they are committed to learning. Of course, it all starts with our quarterback. So, if he can handle it you’re able to build off of things, too. If you look at offenses and look at things as seasons grow, you hope you put on tape, for our group and our players put on tape, the ability to develop strong tendencies. Like, if we don’t have strong tendencies, that probably is not good. So, you want to keep building strong tendencies and then of course grow because of our tendencies and still make it hard enough for people to fit us properly, cover us properly and all those things it takes to get through a year successfully."
What do you see from the Ohio State defensive line?
"It’s very active. I mean, they’re a base four-down front and coached, of course, by a longtime veteran and great football coach that’s well known in coach [Larry] Johnson. So, they’re active. They love to generate a rush. They do a great job attacking you. They’ve got enough movement gains and internal movements and twists that give you trouble in picking it up, and they’re gifted and talented everywhere across the board — first level, second level and third level. So, it all shows up."
What kind of ball player is JT Tuimoloau?
"Well, he’s elite. You know, he’s elite. He can generate an elite pass rush."
Is he a first-round draft kind of guy?
"Yep. He’s elite. He’s elite. When he gets out, gets wide, puts both hands down and starts on his rush from a wide look, it’s a handful, and our guys know it. It’s a compliment to him what they’ve put on tape."
Will he move to both sides? Face both Alt and Fisher?
"Sure, sure, I think so. Yeah, those will be great matchups on both sides (with ND’s tackles)."
How well did you get to know Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles at Duke, and what are the tenets of his defense?
"Personally, I didn’t get to know him as well as you would want to in a year. It was a fast year when he was there and left, but at the same time you were certainly around him and his personality. The defensive staff, they had great camaraderie. He’s a great guy. Players love playing for him. He was physical. Lined up and committed to who he was. He was aggressive at Duke when he was there. Tip of the hat to him when he was at Oklahoma State. When he made his move, too, he kind of changed who he was in philosophy based off the league he was in and the players he had and became great there and then went over there [to Ohio State]. So, he’s, again, a storied career, phenomenal football coach, aggressive and lets his guys play, empowers them. You know, all the things that make him great. That’s what I remember of him."
With your offense and the way Hartman throws it deep, can you pass to set up the run?
"Yeah, I think that, of course, as the season grows you sure hope that you have the ability to have success both ways. I think that’s what you’re asking, and I would say that you hope you have the ability to do that. There’s going to be times certainly through a long year, you're going to have to be able to do it with pass first and then on the flip run. But certainly the personality of this place and our players and who our backs are lends us to making sure that we develop the line of scrimmage and find ways to make people fit us and win in the run game and then set up everything else."
Coach Golden mentioned a couple weeks ago that sometimes you can overanalyze too much at halftime in terms of what you want to change, because the defense is showing you something and maybe you take the bait. Is that a challenge when you have a veteran coordinator opposite you?
"Absolutely. Yeah, they’re going to do stuff they haven’t put on film, and that’s the cat-and-mouse game, certainly. And I think that it’s the thing, sometimes we try to coach too much. And those are the worst feelings, I think, throughout your career when you come off the field. You know this even over there in the youth stuff, right (laughs)? You’re held accountable, right? The times when it’s gone, where you remember, where you walk off and you’re like, ‘If we’d of just ran our base whatever this is, it would of went better’. And those are bad feelings. In a way, we got too smart. So, I think it’s enough of a blend to attack what you believe they’re gonna do and enough of having, hey guys...like one of our pillars of our offense is details. Make our plays work. That means that we’re going to have to call our base plays and figure out what they’re doing and just make ‘em go. ‘Cause you’re not always gonna be right. They’re not always gonna be the look that we try to give ‘em in practice. You've got tp make it go and figure it out and make plays."
The two linebackers, Eichenberg and Chambers, are veterans and reminiscent of what you face here. How could you describe their growth from last year to now?
"Those two guys play 80-some percent of their snaps. They have seen a lot of things. They’ve been attacked different ways. They’ve played in huge games and what more can you want from that? That's what you want out of a veteran defense or a veteran offense, whatever it is. Those guys have seen a lot of things at ‘em. They’ve seen how different guys have tried to attack ‘em different ways, schematically and physically. So, it shows up on tape. They’ve seen a lot. They know how to defend it, they know how to fit it, they know how to fix it. And it’s the reason it makes ‘em hard. "
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GERAD PARKER
Biggest difference in the ND offense getting ready to play Ohio State compared to last year?
"You have to go through some tough stuff to play a team like Ohio State...
I think so. Well we know so, right? And heck, there’s a lot of tough headed our way. You know what I mean? The thing for us is I think we really truly believe as a staff, these players, you grow in maturity. I think growth helps with success, for sure. It sure does, and then being in those fires and understanding the hard and going through what we did as a unit and group last year — all that stuff, I think — builds you to prepare you for games like this but also understanding that we’re gonna have to play in big games the rest of the year. So, I think it prepares you for these moments. And then you’ll take this one, learn from it and be ready for the next one. And that’s not just an answer. It’s just the facts. We’ve got of big games coming up. This is the most important one because it’s this week."
We saw new stuff from you last week. How much is incremental and how much is because of Sam Hartman and his experience?
"I think that it’s both. Our guys, as an offensive unit, they study so much, so you've got to be careful. You can give them a lot. So, they are committed to learning. Of course, it all starts with our quarterback. So, if he can handle it you’re able to build off of things, too. If you look at offenses and look at things as seasons grow, you hope you put on tape, for our group and our players put on tape, the ability to develop strong tendencies. Like, if we don’t have strong tendencies, that probably is not good. So, you want to keep building strong tendencies and then of course grow because of our tendencies and still make it hard enough for people to fit us properly, cover us properly and all those things it takes to get through a year successfully."
What do you see from the Ohio State defensive line?
"It’s very active. I mean, they’re a base four-down front and coached, of course, by a longtime veteran and great football coach that’s well known in coach [Larry] Johnson. So, they’re active. They love to generate a rush. They do a great job attacking you. They’ve got enough movement gains and internal movements and twists that give you trouble in picking it up, and they’re gifted and talented everywhere across the board — first level, second level and third level. So, it all shows up."
What kind of ball player is JT Tuimoloau?
"Well, he’s elite. You know, he’s elite. He can generate an elite pass rush."
Is he a first-round draft kind of guy?
"Yep. He’s elite. He’s elite. When he gets out, gets wide, puts both hands down and starts on his rush from a wide look, it’s a handful, and our guys know it. It’s a compliment to him what they’ve put on tape."
Will he move to both sides? Face both Alt and Fisher?
"Sure, sure, I think so. Yeah, those will be great matchups on both sides (with ND’s tackles)."
How well did you get to know Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles at Duke, and what are the tenets of his defense?
"Personally, I didn’t get to know him as well as you would want to in a year. It was a fast year when he was there and left, but at the same time you were certainly around him and his personality. The defensive staff, they had great camaraderie. He’s a great guy. Players love playing for him. He was physical. Lined up and committed to who he was. He was aggressive at Duke when he was there. Tip of the hat to him when he was at Oklahoma State. When he made his move, too, he kind of changed who he was in philosophy based off the league he was in and the players he had and became great there and then went over there [to Ohio State]. So, he’s, again, a storied career, phenomenal football coach, aggressive and lets his guys play, empowers them. You know, all the things that make him great. That’s what I remember of him."
With your offense and the way Hartman throws it deep, can you pass to set up the run?
"Yeah, I think that, of course, as the season grows you sure hope that you have the ability to have success both ways. I think that’s what you’re asking, and I would say that you hope you have the ability to do that. There’s going to be times certainly through a long year, you're going to have to be able to do it with pass first and then on the flip run. But certainly the personality of this place and our players and who our backs are lends us to making sure that we develop the line of scrimmage and find ways to make people fit us and win in the run game and then set up everything else."
Coach Golden mentioned a couple weeks ago that sometimes you can overanalyze too much at halftime in terms of what you want to change, because the defense is showing you something and maybe you take the bait. Is that a challenge when you have a veteran coordinator opposite you?
"Absolutely. Yeah, they’re going to do stuff they haven’t put on film, and that’s the cat-and-mouse game, certainly. And I think that it’s the thing, sometimes we try to coach too much. And those are the worst feelings, I think, throughout your career when you come off the field. You know this even over there in the youth stuff, right (laughs)? You’re held accountable, right? The times when it’s gone, where you remember, where you walk off and you’re like, ‘If we’d of just ran our base whatever this is, it would of went better’. And those are bad feelings. In a way, we got too smart. So, I think it’s enough of a blend to attack what you believe they’re gonna do and enough of having, hey guys...like one of our pillars of our offense is details. Make our plays work. That means that we’re going to have to call our base plays and figure out what they’re doing and just make ‘em go. ‘Cause you’re not always gonna be right. They’re not always gonna be the look that we try to give ‘em in practice. You've got tp make it go and figure it out and make plays."
The two linebackers, Eichenberg and Chambers, are veterans and reminiscent of what you face here. How could you describe their growth from last year to now?
"Those two guys play 80-some percent of their snaps. They have seen a lot of things. They’ve been attacked different ways. They’ve played in huge games and what more can you want from that? That's what you want out of a veteran defense or a veteran offense, whatever it is. Those guys have seen a lot of things at ‘em. They’ve seen how different guys have tried to attack ‘em different ways, schematically and physically. So, it shows up on tape. They’ve seen a lot. They know how to defend it, they know how to fit it, they know how to fix it. And it’s the reason it makes ‘em hard. "
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