Is this a "well coached" football team?

[Domer4ever]

Just wanted to get some general opinions on if people think this is a well coached football team?

To me I dont think they are. I think they have come out ill-prepared on occasions this year and I am not fully convinced Kelly and the coaching staff know what they are doing yet. Too many mental mistakes and look to lack confidence on occassion. I dont like what I have seen out of the Brian Kelly offense, which seems to want to go horizontal in the passing game and abandones the running game at inopportune times. Too tricky and cute. I have been unimpressed with Kelly as a playcaller and he does not appear to be this offensive genius he was sold as when he was hired. Is it strictly a QB issue or is the scheme of the offense the bigger problem? I cringe probably half a dozen times a game at plays called while the offense is on the field.

Defensively I dont like the 3-4, though they seem to be going with more 4-3 looks. Too many holes and confusion in the secondary and not enough pressure generated by the defensive front. Has forced very few turnovers this year. Not a big fan of "bend but dont break" mentality which is exactly what Diaco has ran all year long. It is a recipe for disaster against teams with legitimate QB's as we have seen.

To me the biggest thing is.....where is that signature, program changing victory where this team get's over on a team they are not supposed to beat? In my opinion they have yet to get one under Kelly. They beat USC without Barkley in the rain last year, and beat Michigan State at home this year, but are those program changing type victories? To me this team has yet to get that monkey off its back and I dont think it's a talent issue.

Thoughts?

 

[kmoose]

Teams that ND did NOT lose to, this year:

Air Force
Navy
Syracuse

I don't know if they are well coached, but they are certainly better coached than in some previous years.

 

[DillonHall]

Agree with kmoose. Better coached than in the past, but not great. Kelly needs to worry more about his team's performance, not the stadium atmosphere. A thousand jumbotrons wouldn't have made today's experience better.

 

[PADOMERNUT]

Is this serious? Only here would people question if we have had a program changing win after a win. Did we have the opportunity to have one before the game today? And if it isnt MSU, then who this year? Stanford? Last time I checked that game hasnt happened yet.

 

[mgriff]

Second year staff with many true freshmen playing key roles--I'll reserve judgement, but there is a marked improvement since Kelly took over. I would like to see a more attacking style defense, but again, it's year two. They are using what works to win while implementing their system. It's not immediate improvement where ND is concerned in comparison to other programs.

 

[phork]

I think the defense is light years ahead. I think the offense has regressed and the special teams is horrid.

 

[DillonHall]

Is this serious? Only here would people question if we have had a program changing win after a win. Did we have the opportunity to have one before the game today? And if it isnt MSU, then who this year? Stanford? Last time I checked that game hasnt happened yet.

One of the most important things I've learned in my life: If you want to be successful, you need to continue critiquing yourself, and it's easier to do so after successes rather than failures. This way, you're more logical and objective. As far as program-changing wins, MSU can't be counted as such (I don't think it really changed the program much, considering how inconsistent we've been following the game).

 

[irish1958]

With no running threat at QB, the defense can rush one or two and drop 9 or 10 in pass defense. Even if you can complete the pass into double or triple coverage, you get little or no YAC.
Holtz did the same thing to Florida in a bowl game and won.
As soon as the running back does not get the ball, everybody goes into pass defense.
The spread offense needs the running back-QB option to keep the defense honest. We are running the half-spread, and it is not very difficult to stop it.

 

[notredomer23]

I think the defense is light years ahead. I think the offense has regressed and the special teams is horrid.

How has the offense regressed? Never did weis have a running game like this. If Kelly had clausen or Quinn there is no doubt this offense would be top 5

 

[aubeirish]

Kelly didn't inherit national champions. It takes time to change the mentality and the work ethic of a football team. Also, there will be games like today where things are not going the way they are suppose to. They still found a way to win the game. To me, that is a sign of positive change. In the past, we would have lost that game. This is a well coached football team.

 

[PADOMERNUT]

One of the most important things I've learned in my life: If you want to be successful, you need to continue critiquing yourself, and it's easier to do so after successes rather than failures. This way, you're more logical and objective. As far as program-changing wins, MSU can't be counted as such (I don't think it really changed the program much, considering how inconsistent we've been following the game).

I agree self critiquing is important. My main point was, would this thread even be made if we would have won by a couple scores. And how can we criticize this staff for not having a program changing win, when we havent played anyone where if we would beat them, it would change the program. That just doesnt make sense.

 

[Irish Houstonian]

The lines are certainly better coached than previously, and I would say they are "well-coached" as well.

That said, I definitely think we can improve our zone-blocking fundamentals, and anticipating QB running lanes on the d-line.

The complaint about Kelly in front of my mind is that whenever we seem to find something the D can't handle (e.g., running game) he tends to call the opposite on the next drive. Instead of trying to play one-step-ahead, how about we just run what works until they show they can stop it?

 

[PADOMERNUT]

Second year staff with many true freshmen playing key roles--I'll reserve judgement, but there is a marked improvement since Kelly took over. I would like to see a more attacking style defense, but again, it's year two. They are using what works to win while implementing their system. It's not immediate improvement where ND is concerned in comparison to other programs.

Agreed, but I thought we saw a little bit of that today. Seems like we blitzed more than we have all year. Lynch is just beastly and really liked what I saw out of Troy Niklas

 

[DillonHall]

I agree self critiquing is important. My main point was, would this thread even be made if we would have won by a couple scores. And how can we criticize this staff for not having a program changing win, when we havent played anyone where if we would beat them, it would change the program. That just doesnt make sense.

You've got to win your rivalry games.

 

[D-BOE34]

Punt return team - SUCKS! Them as a whole!

QB play - Average. Tommy has done alright but not what BK wants or needs for HIS offense. Yes that makes a difference.

Defense - beyond better but the pass defense still hurts

Turnovers - will kill anyone. (See OK State)

Alex Flanagan - Pound that mouth

Run Game - lacked when Jonas went down

BK - we are over .500 under him already = happy(ish)

BK RECRUITS = FUTURE!


I think we need to calm ourselves. BK has a plan and is sticking with it. Close games with BC or not. A win is a win to him. It is more about getting the team where they need to be day in and day out. He cares just as much about winning behind the scene as he does ON THE SCENE! We are on the right track. Time will tell guys. Stay positive.

That Jumbotron will tell USC and Kitty they suck. PROMISE!

 

[NDFANnSouthWest]

So i assume compared to Weis era? I think they are better coached ...however, here are two examples of easy adjusments that I don't see the staff making:

Pre snap is to easy to read for opposing D's you see the center look thru his legs and them bam, the ball is hiked. This is one of the most important things for opposing D's to key on...

When it is 4 and 1, instead of conceeding the punt...have Rees run a hard count and see if we can get the D to jump off sides. Worst case senerio is that we have a false start and kick from 5 yards back.

As you all know-- this game is a game of inches and small little things are the difference between a W or an L (eg. UM or USF game).

 

[Irish Houstonian]

To be fair, as a coach you can bring your horses to water, but you can't make them drink.

Being "flat" or lacking confidence, etc., IMO, is one of the few things the players have to own up to.

I mean, you're playing for ^@%# Notre Dame on national television for &^%# sake. If you can't get it up for that then...That's on you, not your coach.

 

[tadman95]

I think as a whole we're better coached, there's always room for improvement.

 

[D-BOE34]

To be fair, as a coach you can bring your horses to water, but you can't make them drink.

Being "flat" or lacking confidence, etc., IMO, is one of the few things the players have to own up to.

I mean, you're playing for ^@%# Notre Dame on national television for &^%# sake. If you can't get it up for that then...That's on you, not your coach.

HERRR DAT!

Also, I agree with SOUTHWEST. Some things are super easy to read. However, you must have missed that pathetic, yet first down, QB sneak we did. Lol ... kind of a joke. They did land on several blitzes from our count. I thought I was the only one who caught it.


As far as the players ... they have to be accountable for emotion on the field. If you say the player is responsible for personal fouls, hit after play, false starts, etc ... then you have to say they are responsible for playing with emotion for better or worse. Not the coaches.

 

[Irishpinoy]

Just wanted to get some general opinions on if people think this is a well coached football team?

To me I dont think they are. I think they have come out ill-prepared on occasions this year and I am not fully convinced Kelly and the coaching staff know what they are doing yet. Too many mental mistakes and look to lack confidence on occassion. I dont like what I have seen out of the Brian Kelly offense, which seems to want to go horizontal in the passing game and abandones the running game at inopportune times. Too tricky and cute. I have been unimpressed with Kelly as a playcaller and he does not appear to be this offensive genius he was sold as when he was hired. Is it strictly a QB issue or is the scheme of the offense the bigger problem? I cringe probably half a dozen times a game at plays called while the offense is on the field.

Defensively I dont like the 3-4, though they seem to be going with more 4-3 looks. Too many holes and confusion in the secondary and not enough pressure generated by the defensive front. Has forced very few turnovers this year. Not a big fan of "bend but dont break" mentality which is exactly what Diaco has ran all year long. It is a recipe for disaster against teams with legitimate QB's as we have seen.

To me the biggest thing is.....where is that signature, program changing victory where this team get's over on a team they are not supposed to beat? In my opinion they have yet to get one under Kelly. They beat USC without Barkley in the rain last year, and beat Michigan State at home this year, but are those program changing type victories? To me this team has yet to get that monkey off its back and I dont think it's a talent issue.

Thoughts?

Can't tell if the offense is well-coached because of an average QB at the helm. You can tell how limited Tommy is. The defense is much improved with freshmen in the line up. I'm really excited for this bunch next yr. Overall the team is much better than previous years.

 

[MacIrish75]

Jonas Gray.

There's your evidence that there is good coaching and player development occurring on this team.

 

[ShamrockOnHelmet]

I don't think the gameday coaching is fantastic. Whats happening from Sunday to Friday is light years ahead of the Weis era. Its going to take time for everything to come together, and some patience is needed.

It takes good players a few years to really learn to play a 3-4. Our D isn't packed with good players yet. Getting there, and I expect 2 years from now, the D will look like it is really well coached, but it will simply be a function of some really good players knowing what to do out there.

On offense, they should be much better, but I am inclined to think, in a QB driven system (which Kelly's is), if you don't have an OUTSTANDING QB, the rest of the offense suffers. And in case you haven't noticed, our QB play is shaky at best. We need a new QB next year.

So, no, I don't think the coaching is awesome, but its in the top half of major college football.

 

[PADOMERNUT]

You've got to win your rivalry games.

Thank you. You still did not answer my question.

 

[50milesSE ND]

I think the coaching is truly better. You can see development of the players that has been lacking. We can get all the high caliber in the world, but if the coaches can't improve them than no we aren't progressing, but that is not the case here. They didn't play lights out for sure. This was an emotional game, a rivalry game, basically a bc bowl game since they suck, and to walk away with a win im not going to complain..... I try to only complain about stupid losses so be happy this could have been a trap game.

 

[DillonHall]

Thank you. You still did not answer my question.

Yeah, I did. But let me spell it out for you: Michigan on the road in the first night game at UM is a huge game. A night game at home against your biggest rival USC with many of the best recruits watching is another huge game. We've had chances to take this program to the next level.

 

[returnofthemack]

I think they're well-coached. Every team has bad days, and it's nice to see that we can still win on our bad days. BC comes out hard against us. No other school we play has as much of an inferiority complex as they do, and their team plays that way. Sure, the offense was pretty bad, but our defense stepped up in a major way. I'm really proud of them.

That said, the area where ND is horribly coached is special teams. How many times did Brindza kick out of bounds? And if we're not going to return the punt, can we at least try to block it? Twice today, the ND player rushing from the edge could have blocked the punt if he dove. I understand that we don't want a roughing the kicker penalty but this game showed how badly the absolute lack of a punt return game hurts us.

 

[returnofthemack]

Jonas Gray.

There's your evidence that there is good coaching and player development occurring on this team.

So true. I went from cursing Jonas Gray for his fumbles the past 3 years and against USF to being on the verge of tears when I saw him hear that he had a torn ACL. I hope he has a great life in the NFL and beyond.

 

[Ultimate Penn St. Hater]

There is no doubt in my mind that this a very well coached team. It would be damn near impossible to have the record we have (8-3) without good coaching.

 

[IrishJayhawk]

Wow. I've got to take a break from this board.

We're well coached, boys. Later.

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

Wow. I've got to take a break from this board.

We're well coached, boys. Later.

Late brah... It's all good. Enjoy your siesta, and I don't blame you one bit.