Again, there's no argument that he was terrible in 2013. But what are your thoughts on his performance in 2012? And how do you account for the regression? That's what matters here.
I thought he was good enough to not be noticed as a liability, meaning, the strength around him hid any deficiencies.
Do you think that Shumate should ride the pine as well? The guy came in as a high 4
recruit and reportedly hasn't locked down a starting role yet--even as a Junior--because he hasn't yet grasped the mental aspect of the game.
I think, like all things, every factor should be looked at. Shumate appears to have far more athleticism with a smaller grasp of the defensive game plan. He can equally be a liability so I hope the coaches put him in a position to make plays using his athleticism without thinking.
I don't think Farley possesses that type of athleticism so I don't know how the coaches can put him in a position to succeed if he can't handle the mental load. It slowed him down to the point of incapacitation last year
And, assuming you give Shumate a pass, to what standard should we be holding Farley, a 3
recruit who had only played two years of football before signing his NLOI?
I think there is but one standard for Notre Dame football: Those who can help us win at the highest level while maintaining the standards put forth by the University should be on the field. If a player has enough athleticism to do that despite being bereft of the PhD needed to direct traffic on the backend of the defense, then I believe they should play.
(a) Who else was capable of QBing the DBs after Collinsworth went down?
(b) That's apparently not an option, since Collinsworth will be starting in front of several much more athletic players.
This is for the coaches to figure out. If you can't put a player in position to succeed because either: they aren't athletic enough or they aren't capable of being in the right position, then they must find a way to make a call and let each defender be only responsible for their assignment and trust that everyone else is on the same page. The players can talk if they recognize something but that job shouldn't be put on a player's shoulders if it reduces them to the point of inept play.
I can recognize that there is a composite score on our safeties: Athleticism + Knowledge of play book = total talent
Some players, by virtue of athleticism could still be on the field despite not knowing what they are doing. Take Kelly's most recent presser where he mentions N. Morgan.
Others, by virtue of their knowledge, are able to bypass more athletic players because they are capable of being a "coach on the field". Collinsworth has done that.
I believe Farley falls somewhere behind Collinsworht in knowledge and somewhere near Collinsworth in athleticism so I'm guessing players like Shumate will still rank higher on pure athletic talent.
And I'll continue to pray that Shumate and Redfield make the jump in understanding to be a tandem this year (most likely not occurring until 15).
