Chris "Belt To" Ash - Defensive Coordinator

[NDFAN2008]

At this rate Obrien and Adams gotta be licking their chops both should be playing right away next year

 

[FU BK]

Like why not just give it to Mickens? If you wanted everything to remain the same and keep the continuity with the players, why would you give it to this asshole?

Its Monday and I'm still fucking livid. Literally all of the hype, all of the new found expectations. Gone.

Freaking shitshow. Chris Ash is certainly to blame, but if rumblings are true about spring issues and players blaming Ash, How does MF just sit there and let it happen?

Ahh...its already water under the bridge for me. Unfortunately, same shit, different year. Last year was a nice surprise for all of us. I had a feeling losing Al was going to hurt, just not this much. At 47, I've had to learn to become less invested even though we all thought that finally we had busted down the proverbial wall we've been up against. Ash is a clown, his defense sucks, and why he still has a job today is beyond me. However the are still more bass tournaments on Saturdays in northern Indiana, and Ill get to take part in them.

 

[NDFAN2008]

That same insider on 247 said players are complaining because Ash changed everything post-camp. In other words they look completely lost on the field because they are completely lost.

Isn't this where Freeman should step in then? I mean come on? If that's the case he needs to sit Ash down and be like either you are running what we did last year or see ya.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

I'm not millionaire DC

But if there's one freaking thing I've learned over the years, the good DCs let great talent play in a system that allows them to play confidently

 

[Dale]

These are all the same insiders that said Minchey would start and the defense was gonna be dominant, correct?

I mean all the 247 board insider got taken to the woodshed a month ago. We did this whole thing remember?

 

[Free Manera]

These are all the same insiders that said Minchey would start and the defense was gonna be dominant, correct?

I mean all the 247 board insider got taken to the woodshed a month ago. We did this whole thing remember?

Yeah this guy was wrong about Minchey but he has also been right about lots of stuff. He’s one of the posters that 247 staff has confirmed is connected.

 

[NDFAN2008]

@Merck
We need Merck to chime in here I'm curious what his thoughts are.

 

[Dale]

 

[Dale]

 

[Dale]

I think the conversation on Cover 1 is an interesting one because, without looking up stats, I feel like we have gotten quite burned on it, but would Watts even make a difference on some of these? Like on this key play:


They have Hobbs playing way off of Craver in the slot and giving up inside leverage. The idea is to have Bowen come underneath the route.

1. Why is Bowen on the field as your worst coverage safety? Same thing can be asked for leaving him 1v1 with the tight end on 4th and 11.
2. When Bowen doesn't get there, Hobbs has NO PRAYER of being able to cover Craver. That is an impossible ask.
3. Even if Bowen had undercut the route, without any pressure Reed could wait for it to uncover and you still get the big gain. So given all of the above taken together I don't see how this play isn't going for a 30+ yard completion given how ND lines up.

So Tae Johnson is playing centerfield and not in position to make a play on the ball, he is being asked to cover an insane amount of grass. Would Watts change anything? Should they be having Hobbs play that differently and Tae Johnson shade differently?

What I would've done... as a worthless hypothetical with the value of hindsight... is probably rush 3, give yourself two safeties. Shade one to the trips side and one to the side with Carver. Have Hobbs come up and play with inside leverage, give up the short throw to the flat. Anything down the field is taken away by the safety.

 

[MacIrish75]

“Freeman said Notre Dame needs to look at which bad habits it tolerates in practice.”

To which I would argue that NONE of them are tolerable.

 

[slick7410]

I hate Ash, but from row 57 - they were put in position to intercept 5 passes, got 1 . Make a fucking play.

Outside of Moore and athletically Tae Johnson, none of the guys that played in the secondary could hold up against that group of WR for long enough in some of the schemes.

Freeman's right on with the front and back working together - if they can't hold up without the pressure (not that many, if any, can against a good WR group in college).

 

[NDFAN2008]

If Mickens doesn't get the job we should go poach Tony White from FSU.

 

[KMac151993]

This is Freemans doing...so if he is Chris Ass then it is Marcass. This was HIS guy.

From the outside it looks like a player and coach mutiny at this point.

 

[IRISHDODGER]

Elko naming his buddy, Jay Bateman; DC last season was panned as a bad hire. Especially, when it was made public that Bateman would be calling the plays. They absolutely collapsed the last 5 games of the season. This season, he remained DC in title but was going to work more w/ a position group while Elko called the plays.

I don’t expect MF to do anything until he reevaluates 2025 going into next season.

 

[2013Irish]

You're not going to attract a good hire if you can Ash a few games in. Guys want job security at the end of the day. Have to give him a season to find his groove. Every DC in recent memory has been afforded that luxury. Freeman and Golden got off to pretty inauspicious starts. Granted, I think those units had considerably less talent.

 

[IrishLax]

That same insider on 247 said players are complaining because Ash changed everything post-camp. In other words they look completely lost on the field because they are completely lost.

Does not pass the sniff test and seems over-exaggerated.

 

[IrishinSyria]

That's why it makes no sense to play this read and react zone. We don't have the guy's up front to do that. Golden knew that. We have a shut down corner in Moore, you can leave him on an island and you roll the fs to grays side which they did all the time. Those crossers don't work when you play robber because you have ss playing that middle, but we have to figure out nickel that's a huge weak spot that hasn't been one since freeman took over

For what it's worth I don't think Moore was 100% after the knee thing.

 

[NumbersGuy0520]

For what it's worth I don't think Moore was 100% after the knee thing.

Maybe that’s why we immediately sent him on a blitz. To test it.

 

[GATTACA!]

that would be hilarious
Play Al Golden's D all camp

"alright. we got our starters, now lets learn what I want to do!"

 

[PolishDomer]

 

[The Backer]

Unpopular take -- Ash is failing moreso as a leader and teacher than anything else. Let's put it this way, if Golden were still the DC and ND was succeeding on defense, it'd be because he figured something out at Nickle.

 

[GrangerIrish24]

No. I’m not going to blindly praise someone because he “is the coach.” If you suck, you suck. This was as awful hire and I called it then.

Here we are…three weeks in, 0-2, with the 83rd ranked defense.

Sorry. Waiting 8 months to respond makes this post invalid. The ability to quote me is null and void after 30 days.

 

[Irish#1]

That same insider on 247 said players are complaining because Ash changed everything post-camp. In other words they look completely lost on the field because they are completely lost.

I don't know how reliable this poster is, but changing the D with just two weeks to learn before the first game seems extreme. I can't imagine MF would have signed off on that.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I don't know how reliable this poster is, but changing the D with just two weeks to learn before the first game seems extreme. I can't imagine MF would have signed off on that.

Exactly. People are pulling shit from everywhere trying to explain the poor start.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Freeman said (several times) during his press conference a set of words which seem vague at first hearing but I don't think so. He said that he needs to evaluate what he is willing to put up with in practice (his words didn't come down quite that hard, but, those WERE the words, and for me, that seemed clearly like what he meant.) A few of his examples fit right into that (one of them: if a DB gets beat by speed, are "we" not working him enough with opposing speed during practice that he understands how much he needs to be ready for opponent speed given the particular technique/positioning he's playing at the moment --- for instance the taking the wrong route pre-pass type of thing.) I cannot read these remarks in any other way than that he feels his coaching staff {some of them} have been slacking on coaching fine details, and thereby not preparing the players. He was obviously not happy at all about this slack coaching.

When asked whether he might spend more time over there on that side, he of course hedged, but said maybe. ... AND I believe that one addendum to that is that he is unhappy with some of his staff's "willing to put up with" in their (insufficiently rigorous) practice coaching behavior (that is, he came pretty close to calling the staff out, not just himself.) My feeling was that his thinly disguised anger is directed in large majority at his defensive coaches. Most "examples" seemed aimed there. ... I can be way off here ... it was a vibe.

 

[IRISHDODGER]

Did Josh Burnham play? Devontae Smith? Anyone know what’s going on with those guys?

Even the most novice of fan can tell we are playing passive because we don’t know what we are doing. There is confusion all over the place.

We are running some really unsound defense. Blitzing Moore? Bowen in coverage? KVA not in on the last play? Ash is living up to my worst fears. Washed up, unemployed coach who can’t teach his coaches or players.

IIRC, Burnham played a paltry three plays. Not sure if he was hobbled or got injured in the game but would love to know why only a few snaps if he is healthy.

Smith hurt his ankle.

 

[Hautian Domer]

I know it's Purdue week, but is anyone as worried about Arkansas as I am? They're going to be juiced up with a QB with a ton of experience. Petrino will coach circles around Ass.

 

[PutuporShutup]

Freeman said (several times) during his press conference a set of words which seem vague at first hearing but I don't think so. He said that he needs to evaluate what he is willing to put up with in practice (his words didn't come down quite that hard, but, those WERE the words, and for me, that seemed clearly like what he meant.) A few of his examples fit right into that (one of them: if a DB gets beat by speed, are "we" not working him enough with opposing speed during practice that he understands how much he needs to be ready for opponent speed given the particular technique/positioning he's playing at the moment --- for instance the taking the wrong route pre-pass type of thing.) I cannot read these remarks in any other way than that he feels his coaching staff {some of them} have been slacking on coaching fine details, and thereby not preparing the players. He was obviously not happy at all about this slack coaching.

When asked whether he might spend more time over there on that side, he of course hedged, but said maybe. ... AND I believe that one addendum to that is that he is unhappy with some of his staff's "willing to put up with" in their (insufficiently rigorous) practice coaching behavior (that is, he came pretty close to calling the staff out, not just himself.) My feeling was that his thinly disguised anger is directed in large majority at his defensive coaches. Most "examples" seemed aimed there. ... I can be way off here ... it was a vibe.

He also stated the Dline wasn't playing with the same velocity and violence that he saw on fall camp, and they need to get back to that. He said the Dline is far too talented to not be getting it done.

He's always PC, but it's pretty clear he doesn't like the way they are practicing, and he doesn't like that the Defense is asking people to do things they can't consistently do. You put a competent safety in place of Bowen on passing downs and it's a different game.

 

[IrishLax]