Was Bob Davie right? (for a change)

[solo]

If the rumors about Minter being gone are true, was Davie right when he said that there will be ramifications for the blowout losses?

Is Minter the first casualty?

Seriously, when assistant coaches start getting whacked, that is usally a sign of pressure from above

 

[weisbankaccount]

I think at ND its sort of a given when you get blown out consistently, heads roll quickly.

 

[goldenechoes]

If the rumors about Minter being gone are true, was Davie right when he said that there will be ramifications for the blowout losses?

Is Minter the first casualty?

Seriously, when assistant coaches start getting whacked, that is usally a sign of pressure from above

Who didnt know Minter would be gone?

 

[ACamp1900]

If the rumors about Minter being gone are true, was Davie right when he said that there will be ramifications for the blowout losses?

Is Minter the first casualty?

Seriously, when assistant coaches start getting whacked, that is usally a sign of pressure from above

I would say the first casulties may very well have been Ben Martin and Chris Donald... coaching wise? maybe, I have heard whispers that Minter worked the Sugar knowing he wasn't gonna be retained... and they aren't rumors, it's done

 

[solo]

Who didnt know Minter would be gone?

Maybe I am naive, but I didn't know. I really felt like we didn't have any defensive talent for him to work with. I thought for certain he would be given a chance to get the younger, more talented players on the field.

I don't mind the change, but it does surpise me.

 

[GREENJERSEYS'07]

I have heard whispers that Minter worked the Sugar knowing he wasn't gonna be retained.

would it have made any difference if he thought he still had a job?

 

[FleaFlicker]

I would say the first casulties may very well have been Ben Martin and Chris Donald... coaching wise? maybe, I have heard whispers that Minter worked the Sugar knowing he wasn't gonna be retained... and they aren't rumors, it's done

Donald apparently made his mind up about Tennessee a couple of months before the Sugar Bowl. Martin and him seemed to have gotten along real well at the AA game, so maybe that turned the tide for him. Not that the Sugar Bowl helped, but I doubt it pushed these guys the other way.

 

[goldenechoes]

Maybe I am naive, but I didn't know. I really felt like we didn't have any defensive talent for him to work with. I thought for certain he would be given a chance to get the younger, more talented players on the field.

I don't mind the change, but it does surpise me.

I felt that someone had to fall on the sword. It wasnt going to be Weis, so the next logical person would be Minter.

 

[FleaFlicker]

Maybe I am naive, but I didn't know. I really felt like we didn't have any defensive talent for him to work with. I thought for certain he would be given a chance to get the younger, more talented players on the field.

I don't mind the change, but it does surpise me.

We did have defensive talent, at least a lot more than the some of the teams that OSU and LSU played last year, yet both teams got more offensive yards against us, than any other team on their schedule.

We had quite a few four star guys last year, Abiamiri was a 5 star. A couple of 3 stars. But other teams do much better on defense with dramatically less talent.

 

[FleaFlicker]

I felt that someone had to fall on the sword. It wasnt going to be Weis, so the next logical person would be Minter.

617 and 577 yards in consecutive bowl games didn't help him either. It wasn't just someone taking the flack for losing a bowl game, it was the defensive coordinator taking the slack for giving LSU and OSU more yards than any other team they played that year. And I think him being let go was justified.

 

[ACamp1900]

Donald apparently made his mind up about Tennessee a couple of months before the Sugar Bowl. Martin and him seemed to have gotten along real well at the AA game, so maybe that turned the tide for him. Not that the Sugar Bowl helped, but I doubt it pushed these guys the other way.

that's one theory, the other has Martin and Donald slient to us the night before the AA game... and rethinking... depends on who you ask I guess...I tend to lean towards your thoughts more but just thought I'd put that out there

 

[luckofirish8]

If the rumors about Minter being gone are true, was Davie right when he said that there will be ramifications for the blowout losses?

Is Minter the first casualty?

Seriously, when assistant coaches start getting whacked, that is usally a sign of pressure from above

Actually, if you believe some of the stories than no he would not be correct. Some of the stories lead you to believe that Minter was in fact fired before the bowl game. I.E. Rivals story about UCLA DC Walker.

 

[goirish#1]

Notre Dame has a great tradition and if they keep giving up that many poins you boosters will want to make a change. The defense takes the blame, if they don't have the talent to run that scheme they should come up with a different one. Do you really think they don't have the talent at Notre Dame? Come on! Obviously changes were going to be in store for the Irish, and it turned out to be on the defensive side this time.

 

[leprechaun4life]

Weis mentioned somewhere during his short tenure here, either at the beginning or this year that ND would be a revolving door for coaches. Coaches would be moving on for better or for worse. Minter had to go, Weis had no faith in the defense whatsoever, which is evident by the multiple fourth down tries and the fake punt against LSU. Giving up 500+ and 600+ is inexcusable, but giving up 250+ yards to a PU receiver is worse. Statistically, the Irish got better this year, but they did not look it. The defense looked lost the entire year, and if the seniors were looking bad, who could expect the Frosh to do any better.

 

[solo]

Notre Dame has a great tradition and if they keep giving up that many poins you boosters will want to make a change. The defense takes the blame, if they don't have the talent to run that scheme they should come up with a different one. Do you really think they don't have the talent at Notre Dame? Come on! Obviously changes were going to be in store for the Irish, and it turned out to be on the defensive side this time.

Actually, I don't think we have the talent at ND. Let's just take a quick peak at the last 3 NFL drafts.

Ohio State...26 players taken...8 1st rounders
Miami.........23 players taken...8 1st rounders
FSU...........22 players taken...6 1st rounder
USC...........20 players taken...5 1st rounders
OK.............20 players taken...4 1st rounders
ND.............10 players taken...0 ist rounders, mostly late round picks

So in fact, I don't think ND jas had talent for quite some time.

 

[Timugen]

Actually, I don't think we have the talent at ND. Let's just take a quick peak at the last 3 NFL drafts.

Ohio State...26 players taken...8 1st rounders
Miami.........23 players taken...8 1st rounders
FSU...........22 players taken...6 1st rounder
USC...........20 players taken...5 1st rounders
OK.............20 players taken...4 1st rounders
ND.............10 players taken...0 ist rounders, mostly late round picks

So in fact, I don't think ND jas had talent for quite some time.

While I agree with your basic conclusion that ND has average talent, I believe the stats you chose to look at are a little deceptive.

There is a distinction between a good/great college player and an NFL prospect. There could be teams that have had some NFL prospects (Purdue, UVA, Stan, SoCar,Fresno St in your sampling,) but didn't have a team full of studs. You could have a team full of mediocre college players and a couple/few NFL prospects annually and still have a crappy college team.

Your analysis is really rather misleading, as the overwhelming majority of college football players do not get drafted, and unless a coach is able to fill an entire lineup with NFL talent, the talent level of the team will be based on the talent of those not getting drafted.

This logic is tantalizingly misleading. It assumes that anything below NFL talent is subpar, neglecting the fact that there are exceptional college players out there who will never be drafted. As an example, you could have a team with a few (let's say 3-5) NFL prospects and the rest mediocre players playing against a team with maybe 1 or 0 NFL prospects and the rest above-average or excellent college players - I'd put my money on the second team. In this case, the draft status of a few players is an extremely misleading indicator of the talent level of the teams.

The analysis you made may be appealing to an elite HS recruit looking for a route to the NFL, but it is hardly indicative of the overall talent level of a program.

That being said, I'll once again state that I agree with your conclusion that we leave a bit to be desired in the talent department (but based on our last couple of recruiting classes I see that changing big time.)

GO IRISH!!!!!

Oh, and welcome to the family Chris Little. You and your classmates are among those that will make this discussion a moot point in the near future.