Reevaluation
Reevaluation
At this point, a sober reevaluation is required. It's quite obvious that Michigan has revealed what many probably already suspected based on simple observation: this ND team has the potential to be good, but not great-- at least not this year. CW is still playing catchup and far too many deficiencies still remain for him to correct things in just a year. As some have suggested, perhaps other defensive coordinators are starting to understand and adjust to Weis' complex and shifting offensive schemes. But I think that may have played only a very small part in what we witnessed today.
Many of our problems seem to stem from a lack of talented interior d-linemen who are physical enough to plug the middle and collapse the pocket against talented o-lines, such as Michigan's. Compounding the problem, of course, is the scheme that Minter uses. I've never been a fan of his, even during his days under Holtz, and I doubt that he can build the type of dominating defense that is required to be a perennial contender for the national championship-- although I hope I'm wrong on that point. That may seem harsh, given that all the talent needed to build such a defense may not yet have arrived on campus. Once that talent arrives, only then will we be able to evaluate his performance fairly.
Given past disappointments, the team's recent successes have led to rather inflated, unrealistic expectations. If this team can rebound, win 9 or 10 games, and defeat a creditable opponent in the Gator Bowl, that's progress. Maybe not as much as we hoped for this season, but just think back to the days of Willingham and Davie if you require an infusion of optimism.