General team info

[koonja]

How was Memphis' passing rankings compared to their rushing rankings? I'd be interested in that.

If they're 98th in rushing yards, and 119th in passing yards, perhaps given the talent, he does get more out of the rushing game than he should. Or maybe he doesn't. But that's the data I'd want to see.

 

[NDRock]

Like many, the hope of a strong, consistent running game has had me optimistic.

Then a friend sent me this (I think it may be from a poster on ND Nation):

Memphis was 93rd in RZ efficiency last year (ND was 64th)
Memphis was 98th in Rushing Yards as a % of total yards
Memphis was 75th in Rushing Yards/Game
Memphis was 95th in Rushing Plays as a % of total plays

If true, it's demoralizing, as Kelly basically hired himself to call plays.

I really don't expect us to be a run-oriented team as long as Kelly is there. The guy likes to pass, it's who he is. I like him as a coach, I just don't believe his philosophy fits with what is needed at ND, to be consistently elite.

I do think we will run it more this year than Kelly's teams typically do.

 

[NDRock]

How was Memphis' passing rankings compared to their rushing rankings? I'd be interested in that.

If they're 98th in rushing yards, and 119th in passing yards, perhaps given the talent, he does get more out of the rushing game than he should. Or maybe he doesn't. But that's the data I'd want to see.

Memphis:

14th in Passing yards per game
27th in Passing attempts per game
84th in Rushing yards per game
88th in Rushing attempts per game

cfbstats.com - College Football Statistics

 

[koonja]

Memphis:

14th in Passing yards per game
27th in Passing attempts per game
84th in Rushing yards per game
88th in Rushing attempts per game

cfbstats.com - College Football Statistics

So their passing game by far surpasses their rushing game. So yeah, I see no reason to think we'll have a ground and pound offense.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

How was Memphis' passing rankings compared to their rushing rankings? I'd be interested in that.

If they're 98th in rushing yards, and 119th in passing yards, perhaps given the talent, he does get more out of the rushing game than he should. Or maybe he doesn't. But that's the data I'd want to see.

Their national ranks were as follows:

Scoring offense: 15th (ND - 53rd)
Rushing Offense: 84th (ND - 80th)
Passing Offense: 14th (ND - 48th)
Total Offense: 28th (ND - 62nd)

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

So their passing game by far surpasses their rushing game. So yeah, I see no reason to think we'll have a ground and pound offense.

That's assuming he runs his offense no matter personnel. I assume our personnel will dictate play calling and we'll favor the run 55-45 except where we are unable to create lanes/get a push.

The first game can't get here soon enough.

 

[woolybug25]

So their passing game by far surpasses their rushing game. So yeah, I see no reason to think we'll have a ground and pound offense.

I think it's kinda unfair to take one season of a man's career and extrapolate it to future efforts at an entirely different school. Memphis didn't have two first round offensive linemen. They didn't have three talented RB's.

That being said, the area I think we will see the biggest improvement with Chip is our TE play. This is a dude that has pretty much never not had talented TE's. He's developed some tremendous TE's and WR's out of not very highly recruited names. I'm looking forward with what he can do with our bevy of TE talent. If he is smart, he would find a way to have 2-3 on the field at a time. Which of course, should lead to more jumbo packages and off tackle runs. We shall see... but I always like looking back at this stat.

Three times in his career, Long played an integral role in developing an offense that finished among the nation's top-10 in scoring offense. Furthermore, a Long-associated offense has ranked among the nation's top-20 in scoring offense in seven of his 11 seasons as a collegiate coach.

If he can do that at the spots he's coached at, then why not at Notre Dame, where there is more talent than he's ever had previously.

 

[koonja]

I think it's kinda unfair to take one season of a man's career and extrapolate it to future efforts at an entirely different school. Memphis didn't have two first round offensive linemen. They didn't have three talented RB's.

That being said, the area I think we will see the biggest improvement with Chip is our TE play. This is a dude that has pretty much never not had talented TE's. He's developed some tremendous TE's and WR's out of not very highly recruited names. I'm looking forward with what he can do with our bevy of TE talent. If he is smart, he would find a way to have 2-3 on the field at a time. Which of course, should lead to more jumbo packages and off tackle runs. We shall see... but I always like looking back at this stat.



If he can do that at the spots he's coached at, then why not at Notre Dame, where there is more talent than he's ever had previously.

I like the 'overall all' total offense he has. But it's going to be interesting - yes I'm looking at 1 year of his OC'ing, but that's all the data we have to go on.

And he's way more successful passing in that year than running. And at ND in 2017, he's going to have underwhelming WRs (by NDs standards), and overwhelming talent in the backfield.

Maybe that works out perfectly as he pairs his strength (passing) with our weakness (WRs), and vice versa. Or perhaps it is a disaster. Either way, the data is interesting.

 

[Luckylucci]

I think we'd be foolish to not expect a group of 5 NFL OL, potentially, to be considered different than what he had at Memphis. How much of that was on Ferguson making the right reads? How much of that was on the OL not doing a good job upfront? How much of that was on how the defense played them?

 

[Ndaccountant]

I like the 'overall all' total offense he has. But it's going to be interesting - yes I'm looking at 1 year of his OC'ing, but that's all the data we have to go on.

And he's way more successful passing in that year than running. And at ND in 2017, he's going to have underwhelming WRs (by NDs standards), and overwhelming talent in the backfield.

Maybe that works out perfectly as he pairs his strength (passing) with our weakness (WRs), and vice versa. Or perhaps it is a disaster. Either way, the data is interesting.

I think you need to clarify that.

Yards per game were in favor of passing, but efficiency rankings in passing and running were basically identical.

 

[NDRock]

I think it's kinda unfair to take one season of a man's career and extrapolate it to future efforts at an entirely different school. Memphis didn't have two first round offensive linemen. They didn't have three talented RB's.

I agree, I base it off Kelly's first 7 years here. We'll throw the ball a lot this year. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[condoms SUCk]

I think it's kinda unfair to take one season of a man's career and extrapolate it to future efforts at an entirely different school. Memphis didn't have two first round offensive linemen. They didn't have three talented RB's.

That being said, the area I think we will see the biggest improvement with Chip is our TE play. This is a dude that has pretty much never not had talented TE's. He's developed some tremendous TE's and WR's out of not very highly recruited names. I'm looking forward with what he can do with our bevy of TE talent. If he is smart, he would find a way to have 2-3 on the field at a time. Which of course, should lead to more jumbo packages and off tackle runs. We shall see... but I always like looking back at this stat.



If he can do that at the spots he's coached at, then why not at Notre Dame, where there is more talent than he's ever had previously.

BINGO- Chip had to throw the ball b/c that's what worked for him. It shows me that he will leverage what he has and not bang his head against a wall.
I fully expect this offense to be a little more run heavy early on and expand the passing game as BW get more adjusted to the game.
In short, the offense we see against Temple will not be the offense we see against Stanford. Expecting this offense to stay the same the whole year is very shortsighted.

 

[Luckylucci]

I agree, I base it off Kelly's first 7 years here. We'll throw the ball a lot this year. Hope I'm wrong.

Well, I do think we'll throw the ball a lot as well, because we're going to be running a lot of plays. But that's not really the point. The point is, will we be balanced on offense? And I'd bet that we are. Loaded at OL and RB

 

[woolybug25]

I agree, I base it off Kelly's first 7 years here. We'll throw the ball a lot this year. Hope I'm wrong.

I assume you mean that BK will go back on his word of having Chip call the plays?

 

[NDRock]

I assume you mean that BK will go back on his word of having Chip call the plays?

Not at all, just think that Kelly will always have a big say in the offense and he wants to throw the ball. So, we'll throw the ball. Often.

 

[PANDFAN]

Not at all, just think that Kelly will always have a big say in the offense and he wants to throw the ball. So, we'll throw the ball. Often.

i think he was demoted from having that say at least that has been IMPLIED according to the way things have been worded

 

[koonja]

Did Chip have exceptional WRs last year at Memphis or something? Serious QU.

I ask because you guys are saying he had poor rushing #s due to personnel. Well were his WRs exceptional or something?

 

[condoms SUCk]

I assume you mean that BK will go back on his word of having Chip call the plays?

I honestly think BK will try to be as hands off as possible. He knows he has screwed up w/ some coaching decisions in the past and I expect he is fully aware that he's on a short leash w/ JS.
I do recall a press conference back in the spring where BK was asked about Chip's offense and BK stated that it will still be "his" (BK's) offense but Chip will be able to add some flavor and call the plays.
BK used said something to the effect "if Chip leaves I still have to run an offense, so it will be my offense but Chip will be able to contribute and call the play" Don't quote me verbatim on that, but more or less that was the gist of his comments.
While I expect the offense to look a little different and be more run focused early on, I'm not expecting us to have a drastic move, a la spread to power o.

 

[NDRock]

Well, I do think we'll throw the ball a lot as well, because we're going to be running a lot of plays. But that's not really the point. The point is, will we be balanced on offense? And I'd bet that we are. Loaded at OL and RB

Balanced? If we're loaded at RB and OL, have a first year starter at QB, and have question marks at WR, why would we even want to be balanced? We should be a running team first and foremost who is also capable of passing. What balanced seems to mean in Kelly's offense is, we look at the defense and call a play based on their formation. They put an extra guy in the box, then we pass. I would prefer a 60/40 run/pass breakdown. We've never been a running team under Kelly (though we've had success running it) and doubt we'll start this year.

 

[NDRock]

i think he was demoted from having that say at least that has been IMPLIED according to the way things have been worded

Who was demoted? Kelly?

 

[PANDFAN]

Who was demoted? Kelly?

yes in terms of the play calling and being "hands off" and will allow his coaches to coach

 

[NDRock]

yes in terms of the play calling and being "hands off" and will allow his coaches to coach

Who demoted our Head Coach?

 

[condoms SUCk]

Who demoted our Head Coach?

JS- shape up or ship out. I'm assuming that's how the conversation went last year, hence all the offseason changes.

 

[PANDFAN]

Who demoted our Head Coach?

im talking about in terms of him having control of the offense, play calling etc
https://www.si.com/college-football/2017/03/08/brian-kelly-notre-dame-fighting-irish-changes
With spring practice starting Wednesday, the most significant changes at Notre Dame have come from Kelly himself. He’s divorced himself from the day-to-day running of the offensive staff—no small adjustment for an offensive guru—and gotten back into the daily lives of his players.

The hiring of Chip Long, a 33-year old offensive coordinator from Memphis, empowers Kelly to take on more of a CEO role. Allowing Long to call plays and run the day-to-day offense came down to comfort in letting go. Kelly watched film of Long’s offenses and saw the faster tempo he desires and a play-calling kindred spirit.

“I get all the hot seat stuff, but you don’t take the approach we took and the investment we made unless you believe you can succeed,” Swarbrick says. “And you know, Mike [Elko] doesn’t come here or Chip [Long] doesn’t come here. We believe very strongly that these changes will have a significant impact.”

“I want to win for Notre Dame. That’s why I did this and made the tough decisions that I made. If I wanted to call the offense, I would’ve just kept those guys and said, ‘Hey move over I’m coaching.’ I want to win for Notre Dame and that’s why I made these decisions.”

 

[NDRock]

JS- shape up or ship out. I'm assuming that's how the conversation went last year, hence all the offseason changes.

If that's the case, we're in worse shape than I thought. Is JS going to offensive meetings making sure Kelly doesn't get too involved? Will he be wearing a headset during games?

 

[NDRock]

im talking about in terms of him having control of the offense, play calling etc
https://www.si.com/college-football/2017/03/08/brian-kelly-notre-dame-fighting-irish-changes
With spring practice starting Wednesday, the most significant changes at Notre Dame have come from Kelly himself. He’s divorced himself from the day-to-day running of the offensive staff—no small adjustment for an offensive guru—and gotten back into the daily lives of his players.

The hiring of Chip Long, a 33-year old offensive coordinator from Memphis, empowers Kelly to take on more of a CEO role. Allowing Long to call plays and run the day-to-day offense came down to comfort in letting go. Kelly watched film of Long’s offenses and saw the faster tempo he desires and a play-calling kindred spirit.

“I get all the hot seat stuff, but you don’t take the approach we took and the investment we made unless you believe you can succeed,” Swarbrick says. “And you know, Mike [Elko] doesn’t come here or Chip [Long] doesn’t come here. We believe very strongly that these changes will have a significant impact.”

“I want to win for Notre Dame. That’s why I did this and made the tough decisions that I made. If I wanted to call the offense, I would’ve just kept those guys and said, ‘Hey move over I’m coaching.’ I want to win for Notre Dame and that’s why I made these decisions.”

I read that, reminded me of what Weis did/said when he let the OC call plays so he could be more involved in the whole team. That's different than being demoted by the AD, which is what has been indicated in other posts.

 

[Luckylucci]

Balanced? If we're loaded at RB and OL, have a first year starter at QB, and have question marks at WR, why would we even want to be balanced? We should be a running team first and foremost who is also capable of passing. What balanced seems to mean in Kelly's offense is, we look at the defense and call a play based on their formation. They put an extra guy in the box, then we pass. I would prefer a 60/40 run/pass breakdown. We've never been a running team under Kelly (though we've had success running it) and doubt we'll start this year.

Yea, I don't care about preference, I care about success. In most cases balance will be the right approach. I certainly don't want to see us start out games slow on offense and losing valuable drives, because we are stubbornly running into 8/9 man boxes. Being a "running" team means very little. Being able to effectively run the ball should be what is valued.

 

[condoms SUCk]

If that's the case, we're in worse shape than I thought. Is JS going to offensive meetings making sure Kelly doesn't get too involved? Will he be wearing a headset during games?

I sure he will, just to keep a pulse on the way the game is getting called and will have some input when half time adjustments needs to be made. But I doubt he will be overriding plays that Chip calls, unless it's something catastrophic, in that case he should just call a time out.

 

[PANDFAN]

I read that, reminded me of what Weis did/said when he let the OC call plays so he could be more involved in the whole team. That's different than being demoted by the AD, which is what has been indicated in other posts.

i don't know how much more clearly it can be put that it isn't BK just giving up the reigns it's a WE approach(Jack is making it with BK agreeing because he had no choice)

“I get all the hot seat stuff, but you don’t take the approach we took and the investment we made unless you believe you can succeed,” Swarbrick says. “And you know, Mike [Elko] doesn’t come here or Chip [Long] doesn’t come here. We believe very strongly that these changes will have a significant impact.”


another article: Swarbrick sees long game with Kelly
“I’m more optimistic that we’ve hit it this year than I am ever before, but our goal has been to get him in a CEO role where he can look over the whole program, because that’s among his greatest strengths,” Swarbrick said. “He can contribute across the board over the entire thing if he doesn’t get pulled into one area.

 

[NDRock]

i don't know how much more clearly it can be put that it isn't BK just giving up the reigns it's a WE approach(Jack is making it with BK agreeing because he had no choice)

“I get all the hot seat stuff, but you don’t take the approach we took and the investment we made unless you believe you can succeed,” Swarbrick says. “And you know, Mike [Elko] doesn’t come here or Chip [Long] doesn’t come here. We believe very strongly that these changes will have a significant impact.”


another article: Swarbrick sees long game with Kelly
“I’m more optimistic that we’ve hit it this year than I am ever before, but our goal has been to get him in a CEO role where he can look over the whole program, because that’s among his greatest strengths,” Swarbrick said. “He can contribute across the board over the entire thing if he doesn’t get pulled into one area.

That's fine. Let me ask you this, if Kelly wants to take over play calling duties halfway through game 3 of the season, is JS going to stop him? Because that is what you're indicating.