How can ND improve going forward?

[BGIF]

I'm intrigued by the prospect of bringing Jeff Quinn aboard, but just don't see how we can fit him in unless we get rid of Hiestand. And I'm not sure I'm willing at this point to get rid of Harry.

Did Quinn really call the plays while coaching under Kelly at GV and UC or was he just a figure head? Play calling at ND from '10 - '14 didn't seem to change much regardless of who had the OC title. It was more a function of the QBs than OCs but still seemed to be the Kelly Way.

 

[BGIF]

This. Clements' recruiting abilities were always questioned when he coached under Holtz. And Clements is notorious for having the personality of a toilet seat. Not sure where people come up with some of these notions.

For many years he was the darling of the conservative, traditionalist set. Think NDN crowd. Visions of yesteryear and Ara's classic games with Bear.

"Clements is an ND Man!", "Clements is a direct connection to Ara's Era!"

Layden was a Four Horsemen. Played for Rock. Put together a fine record. But he never won a NC and was replaced by Leahy who also played for Rock but won a bunch of NCs.

 

[Classic Irish]

Did Quinn really call the plays while coaching under Kelly at GV and UC or was he just a figure head? Play calling at ND from '10 - '14 didn't seem to change much regardless of who had the OC title. It was more a function of the QBs than OCs but still seemed to be the Kelly Way.

You know, I'm not really sure---but that's the conventional wisdom. Despite getting canned by Buffalo, Quinn did relatively well there, so I do think he'd be an asset. Again, I'm just not sure how we can bring him aboard.

 

[Classic Irish]

For many years he was the darling of the conservative, traditionalist set. Think NDN crowd. Visions of yesteryear and Ara's classic games with Bear.

"Clements is an ND Man!", "Clements is a direct connection to Ara's Era!"

Layden was a Four Horsemen. Played for Rock. Put together a fine record. But he never won a NC and was replaced by Leahy who also played for Rock but won a bunch of NCs.

Yep, and if it's something NDNation is in favor of, I find myself typically opposed. I'm convinced many of those clowns over there would prefer to see ND lose and Kelly fail just so they can say, "We told you so." They're the lunatic fringe of ND fans, with ACross being their equivalent of Rev. Jim Jones.

 

[BGIF]

Yep, and if it's something NDNation is in favor of, I find myself typically opposed. I'm convinced many of those clowns over there would prefer to see ND lose and Kelly fail just so they can say, "We told you so." They're the lunatic fringe of ND fans, with ACross being their equivalent of Rev. Jim Jones.

I used to be an moderator on the Irish Recruiting Journal, the ND board that preceeded NDN. I used to take pleasure in deleting Cross's posts for trolling. The NDN guys think he's special.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Im sorry for posting this, but Urban Myer is a straight stud coach top 2 coaches in the nation. He may be a sleaze ball, but I would love if he was the coach of ND. Look what he did with a third string QB.

Notre Dame had him as their coach, but he wanted ten academic recruit passes a year, he didn't get it and went to Florida.

In reality Notre Dame only has itself to blame.


Sent via tapatalk

 

[irish4ever]

Commit to a running game.

And put Golson 2nd on the depth chart!

 

[Classic Irish]

Im sorry for posting this, but Urban Myer is a straight stud coach top 2 coaches in the nation. He may be a sleaze ball, but I would love if he was the coach of ND. Look what he did with a third string QB.

Notre Dame had him as their coach, but he wanted ten academic recruit passes a year, he didn't get it and went to Florida.

In reality Notre Dame only has itself to blame.


Sent via tapatalk

Urban Meyer will never be the HC at ND (nor will Nick Saban). In my view, the sooner folks come to terms with that, the better.

 

[NDRock]

To expand on my previous answer:

Offense - I've stated this before but ND needs to quit trying to be elite by out-athleteiing other teams. My preferred offense would be more rush oriented with a heavy dose of multiple TE looks. I loved what Stanford did with Harbaugh and what the Patriots did with their multiple TEs. Our two easiest positions to recruit elite players is at OL and TE. If that's where we can get the elite players that is where our offense should focus. There is no reason we can't do what Stanford did during their run.

Defense - Our issues often seem recruiting based. We rarely have depth and get exposed when injuries occur. I like what we did this year regarding DL, get bodies who you can develop. Of course we still need some studs in there. Just like offense, our defensive philosopy should focus on being a physical unit. I hate to keep bringing up Stanford but they are the model that we can copy. I loved watching them punch teams like Oregon in the face. That is what ND used to do under Holtz.

Special Teams - We must do a better job here. This is an area where we can make up on the more talented programs (we need every edge we can get). Kelly has always seem disinterested in Special Teams, almost a necessary evil.

Recruiting - Obviously I would love to see us get more elite guys. Besides that we need to manage our roster better. This has been discussed but we need to make sure we are at 85 (or close) every year. Quit trying to hit the number in February and instead get there when we need to (August 1st). There are ways to do this that have been discussed.

 

[tadman95]

I don't believe there's one "silver bullet" here but I'll pick one. I'm going to give the defense a pass for now due to injuries and the scheme change, again for now.

I think we still need a quarterback. I believe that after Crist and Rees, we were lulled into a false sense of "happy" with Golson. I like Golson but let's face it, he's an elite athlete playing QB. His size limits the game plan that other teams have figured out. He's great when the play breaks down, great in the open field. BUT, how many times can you realistically expect to win when you rely on that?

Kelly's offense (which I admittedly can't grasp very well) seems to call for a quarterback that has (1) a good arm, (2) good ability to see and interpret a defense, and (3) the physical traits and athleticism to execute the demands of the QB position in his offense.

Golson has (1), seems limited on (2) and is limited on (3). I liked some of what I saw with Zaire but that was a pretty limited exposure and his height is nothing to write home about either. Kizer, is he the future? Maybe Kizer steps up in the spring.

Regardless, I think we end up with a good ol' fashion QB controversy going forward, which tells me we still need a QB.

 

[irishandy]

1) Leadership
2) Get the running game going
3) Let Everett play somewhere else next year. If he wants to make it in the NFL he'll have to go to a school with lower expectations (like a MAC school) and tear it up. I don't see him doing that at ND.

 

[Rack Em]

Somebody brought this up last week but BK needs to figure out why his last 3 starting QBs have shit the bed. Like now. His system is 100% QB driven yet he has squandered a 5 talent, failed to develop a competent back up in Hendrix, and has a turnover-prone QB in Golson who can't get the offense in the right place. Crist, Hendrix, and Golson have all been ruined by Kelly. At the very least he failed to get any productivity out of Hendrix.

Again, why can he not get any productivity out of his upperclassmen QBs who have been the better fits for whatever he believes his system is? Why do they all have deer in the headlights looks and at some point in their careers they've all looked extremely dejected? If it was just Crist, so be it. But it's been 3 quarterbacks. That's 1000% on our "QB Guru" of a coach.

Its time that Kelly figures out how to game prep a QB at a high level. Either that or leave for the NFL so he can go belly up there. I don't want to hear about Tony Pike or Zach Collaros at Cincy as examples of his getting QBs ready. That was against inferior talent and an inferior schedule. He's had several guys at ND who could have been the next Pike or Collaros (or wayyy better) and they all end up picking splinters out of their asses because BK can't manage a single QB.

Pick an offensive identity.
Get your QBs ready and make them leaders. If you can't so that, then let the freaking QB coach who you hired do it!
Be able to adapt your identity if a QB needs it.
Stop giving bullshit coach-speak answers to every question.
Sac up and win some games.

 

[NDohio]

Watching games yesterday, the one thing I saw that was consistent with the better teams was their energy level. Players were loose, were having fun and didn't seem afraid to make mistakes.

The only game this season where we showed more energy and excitement than the opposition was Michigan.

Football should be fun - I don't think it's fun for the ND players - even when winning.

 

[dshans]

... Sac up and win some games.

What does the Strategic Air Command have to do with this???



On the other hand, perhaps stealing a page or two from their Training, Preparation and Execution manual might help ...

 

[GoldenDome]

Here is my full proof plan to fixing this team.

1) own both lines of scrimmage
2) don't turn the ball over
3) build quality depth
4) run North-South

It's that easy. Number one is the most important. Number two is very important as well.

 

[tadman95]

What does the Strategic Air Command have to do with this???



On the other hand, perhaps stealing a page or two from their Training, Preparation and Execution manual might help ...

They also cheat......... but I get your drift.

 

[dshans]

They also cheat......... but I get your drift.

They also serve who only stand and ... wise crack.

 

[GTO Slayer]

Ways to improve.

Ways to improve.

Offense: At the least we have our health. We had a #1 receiver emerge, though I would like him to drop the ball less. Folston established himself as a dependable RB. Golson put a load of points on the board. Conversely, our offensive line never seemed to "gel" and it looked as though they were lost at times. The fix...? Lombard will be gone next year and I believe McGlinchey will be an upgrade. Elmer just needs to stay put and improve. Martin should be brought back for his 5th year and returned to center. With Hoge on board and an EE do we need to bring back Hegarty? Left guard will have to work it self out with Mustipher, McGovern, Montelus, Bivin, Byrne, and Harrel all fighting to get on the field, right? Any of them should be an improvement, physically, over Hegarty. Hopefully Stanley will return and LT will be sewn up and backed by Nelson, Bars, and Tillery. With all this their zone blocking needs to improve next year. Help should be on the way with a generous dose of two tight end sets featuring Luatua as an inline blocker and Smythe or Heuerman as the release. 2012 showed how effective this could be. QB: Golson or Zaire? 29 touchdowns says Golson should remain our starter. 21 turnovers makes me flinch hard. Golson is a passing quarterback with excellent mobility. This would explain why he carries the ball as he does. He seems to be looking for some one to pass to right until he crosses the line of scrimmage. This does not however excuse the fumbles, those are all on him. The fix...? Tuck the ball Mr. Golson. I think Kelly could help this young man immensely with a healthy dose of two tight end and two back sets. This would help to negate the blitzes we so obviously struggled with this year. It also would give Golson a quick release target should they fail to pick up the blitz. As Golson is not able to run the zone read as well as Zaire I think some series "every" game should be set aside for Zaire. This will only help in the long run. I don't feel there is any drop off in playing Zaire. He needs the game time. Zaire in a zone read, two back set with Folston and Bryant would be a nightmare to game plan for and could be used to shatter any persistent blitz packages our opponents wish to deploy. WR: I loved what I saw this year at receiver and have confidence moving forward that the talent level is high. The question that will need to be answered next year...do we need to bring back Carlisle and Daniels for their fifth years? Hunter, Procise, and Sanders should fill the slot nicely. Fuller, Robinson, and Brown all played well. Add Brent, Holmes, Guyton, and Boykin and we should be deep and talented. Our offense should be really strong next year and with some clean play from the quarterback position we could dominate.

 

[IrishLax]

Tom Clements an ace recruiter on offense, since when? I followed recruiting back then and don't recall his input much less as an ace. The drop off in recruiting after Cerrato's last class in '90 was the reason for the program decline in '94 after Cerrato's last class graduation following the '93 season. Weren't you about 6 or 7 years old then? Refresh me about Clements recruiting success. Working in the NFL doesn't equate to ace success on the college recruiting trail. Clements will also be 62 when the '15 season starts and has never served as a head coach anywhere. ND is not the place for OJT. Clements will really relate to recruiting 17 year olds. "Sup, I'm played for ND in the last millenium back before your parents were born. Yeah, I'm older than your grandfather but I love hip hop and I can tweet with both thumbs!"

Clements was at ND from '92-'95 as the QB coach. Mirer, Failla, and McDougal were already on the team when Clements was training them for Holtz's Triple Option. Powlus and Krug came in '93 to play in Holtz Blarney Offense, the transition from the Option to a Pro Passing game. Clements was not the O.C. Clements was part of the problem in developing Powlus. Powlus didn't have an OC or QB coach at ND that fit his passing skill set. He had two head coaches and multiple QB coaches and OCs.

Kind of wasted a lot of finger energy, BGIF.

I said WOULD be an ace recruiter. What does he have now that he didn't 20 years ago?

1. A Super Bowl ring as a coach.
2. Hours of Packers film.

He'd be able to sign QBs/WRs/TEs to play in that offense with ease.

 

[Grahambo]

Kind of wasted a lot of finger energy, BGIF.



I said WOULD be an ace recruiter. What does he have now that he didn't 20 years ago?



1. A Super Bowl ring as a coach.

2. Hours of Packers film.



He'd be able to sign QBs/WRs/TEs to play in that offense with ease.

Is Clements a real option or are we in dreamland?

 

[Nick Setta]

Is Clements a real option or are we in dreamland?

Are we going to have an open seat.

 

[FDNYIrish1]

A little off topic but when talking coaches, how come nobody here ever mentions Kill from Minnesota. Other than seizure issue, guy is a stud.

 

[irish1958]

1). Allow real red shirting. Allow five years to obtain a degree as almost every other university in the world does.
2). Allow JUCO transfers if qualified. This allows gray-shirting. This is allowed by almost every other university in the world (of college football). We could be in the mix for a lot of borderline athletes. If we want to compete with the SEC and PAC ?12 we can't limit ourselves to 85 recruits while they have over 100 every year.
3). Have a down and out with the administration about the importance of football at Notre Dame. The recent screw-up by the administration with the eligibility of our athletes is unacceptable. The lack of real red shirting is not acceptable. If winning football is massively obstructed by the administration, we should petition the Ivy League for admission and go all out for academic excellence.
4). All quarterback recruits must be at least 6'4" and 220 pounds. A five-nine quarterback trying to see over six-nine defensive linemen hasn't worked and won't in the future. That is especially true if you want a pocket passer on a quarterback whose greatest asset is rolling out and escapability. The spread works best if it includes the read-option. Having a fragile quarterback who can't run this and is prone to fumble is last decades football.

 

[MJ12666]

Urban Meyer will never be the HC at ND (nor will Nick Saban). In my view, the sooner folks come to terms with that, the better.

This is absolutely correct and also the reason why ND will not realistically compete for a NC anytime soon. Big time coaches will not come to ND knowing that they are handicapped by a reduced recruiting pool and they are certainly more interested in winning football games versus graduating players.

Anyway, back to the original question, ND can make pretty much immediate improvement by allocating more time to the weight room and film study versus the classroom and library.

 

[Huntr]

Here is my full proof plan to fixing this team.

1) own both lines of scrimmage
2) don't turn the ball over
3) build quality depth
4) run North-South

It's that easy. Number one is the most important. Number two is very important as well.

 

[irish1958]

And we need a 240 pound back who can get us one yard when we need it insteading to have to throw for it.

 

[blackirish]

BK needs to realize that a spread offense actually includes a running game (see Oregon, Auburn, tOSU, Arizona, Miss St, etc). He doesn't have to go to a dead T formation but at least emphasize the run...for the sake of the OL. It's obvious that it affects their aggressiveness b/c when ND needs that short yardage, they tended to spit the bit this season.

On defense, if BVG's schemes require more time than the NCAA allows for the 1st & 2nd teams to master, then dumb it down. Learn from this season & keep it simple or at least feasible.

I agree with both of these assesments but there were a great deal of plays from scrimmage were both the offense and the defense were in position to make the plays and they did because the execution just broke down, well that isn't on the CS, per say,that's on the players. You have to finish the play and I saw that way too many times this year and last year,and I also will say this giving up damner 38-40 points a game ( win or lose) will already have your team 2nd guessing themselves, but when somebody drops a double nickel on your defense like ASU did then that's hard to stay positive and focus on any game after that. I'm not being apologetic, I'm being real honest. These kids were never in that USC game from the start.

 

[blackirish]

Downgrade.

Really ? How so ?

 

[blackirish]

Seems like it's easier said than done when it gets to us.

 

[blackirish]

Yep, and if it's something NDNation is in favor of, I find myself typically opposed. I'm convinced many of those clowns over there would prefer to see ND lose and Kelly fail just so they can say, "We told you so." They're the lunatic fringe of ND fans, with ACross being their equivalent of Rev. Jim Jones.

WOW !