Chris "Belt To" Ash - Defensive Coordinator

[Bane]

Ash is much worse

For real, BVG was at least good for like 6 games. Ash has immediately turned us into UCLA on defense.

 

[Bane]

Why TF did we hire this guy? Seriously. Why? Someone give me one good reason.

He’s an OSU in group buddy, duh.

 

[jprue24]

Fire him tonight and promote Mickens. Ash doesn't deserve to rehab his image against a bunch of tin cans the rest of the season. You flunked your midterm and final 2 weeks into the season. Fuck off.

I don't know if the team I've watched wins next week.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

I can’t remember a more woefully inept out of the gate arrival.

BVG at least had a solid start to his tenure.

This guy literally rolled around in shit as he introduced himself and now is starting to eat it.

The only silver lining is he effectively removed any pressure from this team by week 3.

10-2 and 6-6 will get you to same destination now with the CFP.

I’d like to see younger players get more reps now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[NumbersGuy0520]

 

[LifelongFan]

Fuck Chris Ash and fuck his daddy for making him

 

[RocketIsmail25]

Back to the drawing board.

Let's start with basic fundamentals.

 

[NDMatt91]

Fuck Chris Ash and fuck his daddy for making him

That's a bit much, no? For all we know, Chris Ash is a kind and decent man. He's just not a good Defensive Coordinator. He shouldn't be here, but that's not his fault. He didn't put a gun to Freeman's head and demand a job.

 

[TNUtoNotreDame]

Ash ain’t it and that isn’t gonna change.

 

[IrishLax]

What is unsaid here is that they aren't executing because they are being asked to dumb shit and are overall poorly taught how to execute in certain situations. In other situations, like when Drayk Bowen is asked to cover 1v1 with no help for 5 seconds, I don't know why anyone is pretending it's realistic to expect him to "execute."

 

[Terry Jillery]

I asked ChatGPT to explain tackling to a bad DC…

You see that ball? When someone else has it, you want to give them a big, safe hug to stop them. First, you run with your feet fast-fast. Then, you open your arms like you’re about to catch your teddy bear. You wrap your arms around the other person tight like a big cuddle. Then you sit down on the grass together so they stop running. That’s called a tackle.

 

[BauerOutage]

Whatever coach last year said Al golden was the reason we were good is looking like a genius

 

[Bane]

If Chris Ash has 1M haters, I am one of them.
If Chris Ash has 100K haters, I am one of them.
If Chris Ash has 100 haters, I am one of them.
If Chris Ash has 1 hater, it is me.
If Chris Ash has 0 haters, I am dead.

 

[NumbersGuy0520]

What is unsaid here is that they aren't executing because they are being asked to dumb shit and are overall poorly taught how to execute in certain situations. In other situations, like when Drayk Bowen is asked to cover 1v1 with no help for 5 seconds, I don't know why anyone is pretending it's realistic to expect him to "execute."

Do we know why they changed it up so much going into this year? (new hire aside, obviously)

Considering that the defense was a huge strength last year and we retrained most of the unit, it feels idiotic not just in hindsight. Can’t be much better than they were last year. Given where they were, any big changes bring high probability of regression.

 

[IA4irish]

I think a lot of people wanted to compare golden to ash because they were both fired as head coaches. Golden still had a lot of success as a head coach. Ash was an absolute disaster in his time at Rutgers. Hindsight is obviously 20:20 but I had some big concerns in the spring with how he came off in interviews. That is coming to fruition. So much of coaching is getting the most out of your players and allowing them to play free. The regression out there is shocking

 

[GoldenToledo]

I think a lot of people wanted to compare golden to ash because they were both fired as head coaches. Golden still had a lot of success as a head coach. Ash was an absolute disaster in his time at Rutgers. Hindsight is obviously 20:20 but I had some big concerns in the spring with how he came off in interviews. That is coming to fruition. So much of coaching is getting the most out of your players and allowing them to play free. The regression out there is shocking

Completely agree. Did anyone else notice late in the game that it looked like Mickens was the only defensive coach in the huddle? Maybe it was just the angle, but I am curious if Marcus didn’t already start to make some changes in the second half…

 

[NotKoon]

What really bugs me is that Golden basically said leading up to the NC that Mickens was going to be a great DC and should be the heir apparent. Freeman has a long and good relationship with Mickens. Swarbrick went out on a limb and hired Freeman despite his lack of experience because he saw greatness (BK also had those comments about him being the next great black coach FWIW) in him. Freeman has the opportunity to do the same with his buddy Mickens and what does he do? Hire Chris Fucking Ash off the scrap heap. A guy who was unemployed and hasn't been associated with a good team in 10 years. When he was a CODC! It was an extremely retroactive hire and went completely against the progressive thinking that got ND to the best spot it's been in since the early 90's. Now we have to live with the results.

 

[NCIrish24]

It’s incredibly concerning how poorly the defense is tackling. They’re not even taking good angles to the ball, Shuler is a shell of himself. That’s on the DC, that’s the only things that’s changed since last year.

 

[IrishLax]

Do we know why they changed it up so much going into this year? (new hire aside, obviously)

Considering that the defense was a huge strength last year and we retrained most of the unit, it feels idiotic not just in hindsight. Can’t be much better than they were last year. Given where they were, any big changes bring high probability of regression.

Ash came highly recommended from people Freeman trusts, and Freeman was looking for someone with experience. These are the same people who recommended guys like Golden so there isn't a reason not to trust them when they got that one right. Pickings were slim because Golden left in late January. We whiffed on Knowles and made a huge offer there.

Ash basically said he would run the same stuff, mix in more zone coverage, and lean on Mickens/Washington. Considering our inability to play zone well was a large part of struggling to stop Ohio State in the National Championship Game, that's not a bad pitch. In reality, his shit is totally whack -> he doesn't like to blitz as much as Golden -> and he fundamentally changed a lot of how the guys were taught to play. We blitzed a lot more in the second half (I think) and the results were overall better. But in crunch time we still got bit in the ass by putting Hobbs 1v1 with Craver and then on 4th & 11 putting Bowen 1v1 with their TE. What Golden did better than anyone is be aggressive *without* giving up explosive plays and I can't think of a single time last year that he did something as stupid as putting Bowen in a situation like that on a critical down.

 

[MacIrish75]

BVG 2.0

BVG at least had Michigan.

Ash doesn’t have shit.

 

[BabyIrish]

It’s incredibly concerning how poorly the defense is tackling. They’re not even taking good angles to the ball, Shuler is a shell of himself. That’s on the DC, that’s the only things that’s changed since last year.

On the play where Zackary got burnt with poor technique, the safety took another poor angle similar to Shuler in Miami. How many times did we see Hobbs asking Moore for clarification right before the ball was snapped. It’s insane how poor are fundamentals are right now.

 

[Dale]

Secondary: Here we go. First, Devonta Smith was ruled out. I’m gonna say this loud, THE CONCEPT OF ZONE IS NOT WRONG, THEY JUST SUCK AT IT. The safeties, the corners, the linebackers they are all bad at zone coverage. So where I find issue with Ash is you can’t call it, particularly zone blitzes, if you’ve had how many weeks to realize they can’t play it.

So the next thing is the things everyone loves, Al Golden’s man to man and Mike Mickens. Well Karson Hobbs is awful and gets consistently toasted in man to man. Gray is also average at best. Reed just didn’t throw near Moore after the INT. They struck out on Stroman in the portal, he’s a box safety and you already had Talich. The safety play including Shuler is basically non-existent against the pass. They didn’t portal a CB3 so you have zero depth for a second straight year. Mike Mickens is 1/3 along with Ash and Freeman that have to answer for all of the above. And really something is to be said for the majority of it to fall on Mickens.

So someone is gonna have to answer what the play caller is supposed to do with the above? Everyone blaming both the zone coverage and the play of Karson Hobbs (and Gray) in man on Ash’s ability to call plays needs to somehow explain how to reconcile both of those things.

The game adjustment seemed to be play man and have Tae be a deep safety. Hobbs still got beat. Gray still got beat. Reed probably missed at least 5 more big explosives. This setup should overall work against not tiny WRs (that are an awful matchup for us) + when Smith returns. I would ride with it as your standard defense.

- Portion from other thread

 

[Plankton]

BVG at least had Michigan.

Ash doesn’t have shit.

Well, that explains the look of constant constipation.

 

[greyhammer90]

I'm assuming Lax with clutch title change?

 

[irishff1014]

 

[FU BK]

Fuck Chris Ash and fuck his daddy for making him

If only his mom would of swallowed

 

[Rudy89]

Fuck this guy…that’s all fuck him.

 

[NumbersGuy0520]

Time heals all wounds.

…but not yet, still irrationally angry at how this guy has just completely derailed a potential national championship caliber season.

 

[Rudy89]

Time heals all wounds.

…but not yet, still irrationally angry at how this guy has just completely derailed a potential national championship caliber season.

10-2 will heal this wound. But at this point I’m upset that Chris Ash is getting paid human monies for coaching my favorite football team. He should be selling me beer.

 

[Irish2155]

I hate it when my 88 y/o Grams is telling me - “told you”.

Funny world we live in. Shit happens, I suppose