Notre Dame Coaching Changes

[Monk]

A freebie from BGI on the Sanford hire:

https://notredame.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1742839

Sanford:

Not going to lie that kind of got me fired up.

 

[Luckylucci]

In reading more about adding the 3 analysts, I think its definitely going to increase the efficacy of recruiting. In reading what Bama has their "analysts" do, if we use them in the same manner it will take some of the heavy lifting off of the assistants and they can be focused more on building relationships. Guys like Booker, Denson, Lyght, Elston and even Sanford will be able to be more focused on the recruits.

 

[ThePiombino]

Not going to lie that kind of got me fired up.

Hard not to be excited about the addition. I especially love the fact that Kelly brought him in to provide a fresh perspective. Best teams I've ever been a part of have always had a good point / counterpoint aspect to them.

 

[Fbolt]

Bogs, your killing me with your ability to take what wasn't said and create. Props to you.

I watched the interview a second time.

I think he was praising all staff members, present and past.

I think he was trying to distinguish this staff's difference on a whole other level. To me, this means that all his coaches were great coaches. He is trying to make 'teamwork' and 'desire' the difference with this iteration of the staff.

And he is right.

The only shot he took was to the a$$wipes that act like they know what they are talking about when they manifest their negativism in clichés based on truisms of the past. A lot of people are still beating their chest and crying about low pay for ND coaches.

The reason that you all should realize this wasn't a cut to anyone at ND or who had left, even recently, is that all these comments centered around BK's main press conference theme of how much Jack Swarbrick had done, and how many tools he had made available for this process.

When I saw Jack at the ND luncheon before the UM game in '12 all I said was, "Thank you!" He waited for more, including the expected advice, and I finally said. "You are [singlehandedly] making this program great again." (His selection process for Kelly, etc.) He is so much smarter than any of us, any other words were a waste of time.

And by the way, the assistant coach selection process this time smacks of Swarbrick. I think the other thing you saw from Kelly and his body language was just that!



I don't think anything was evidenced in any statement that decisions like that are more than our own early assumptions.

Seems to me (granted these are my assumptions) that Kelly is :

Turning his day to day offensive duties over to others (which he stated), including coaching quarterbacks.

Putting a young genius, best in the business in charge of run and pass coordination and integration (which he also stated), with that young guy having an emphasis on rejuvinating the running game.

Putting all the experience in its best position to help the program; Denbrock to oversee the offense, and Sanford for that matter; Elliot to over see him, (Kelly) which is a brilliant move; and an experience "coach consultant for every phase of the game.

In addition Lyght and Denson, have showed on little bits of film striking abilities with their position coaching. When you see guys like Folston, Farley, Bryant, and Redfield, shaking their heads (positively) and the "light bulb going off," already, you have to feel good.

Finally bringing Powlus in for the players, as well as the other guys whose names are being thrown around, really bodes well.

Others have seen a stronger attempt to get recruiting prospects on campus, earlier. All these guys can make a difference on campus. What a boost for recruiting on a big weekend or with a big event, having twice the staff involved!

 

[Fbolt]

Interestingly, I always thought Alford not being a Kelly grown coach was always in the backseat. Sounds to me like Sanford's right there next to the driver. Will it last?

 

[Whiskeyjack]

OFD's Brendan Reilly just published an article titled "What Does the Future Hold for Mike Elston?"

Why don't we have a better pass rush? Who has he signed, anyway? What is Kelly's fascination with this guy? Can we get rid of him and get a better guy in?" If you follow Notre Dame football, you know exactly who that hypothetical fan is asking about - assistant Mike Elston. Elston has taken a lot of internet grief (and probably offline grief, as well) from Irish fans over his coaching acumen and recruiting record. Brian Kelly obviously speaks glowingly of him and just gave him the recruiting coordinator title vacated by Tony Alford - but also shifted him from defensive line, where he has coached since arriving at Notre Dame, to linebackers. So what gives?

Analyzing the Current State

Whether Brady Hoke was coming to South Bend or no, there was enough smoke around Kelly looking for a new defensive line coach that it was reasonable to assume it wouldn't be Elston's job in 2015. Speculation ran rampant, as it does in any information void, and many Irish fans assumed Elston was either leaving or being pushed out. Shifting forward to today, we now have more context around the move and it actually makes a lot of sense.

We now know that Bob Elliott is slated to step back from the intensity of an assistant coach's position, leaving outside linebackers without a position coach. The choice Kelly likely faced was either:

• To put a premium on continuity and make a straight one-for-one replacement of Elliott and Kerry Cooks by hiring an outside linebackers coach and a secondary coach, leaving Brian VanGorder with the inside linebackers;
• To split up the secondary by hiring a cornerbacks coach and a safeties coach while expanding VanGorder's positional responsibility to all linebackers, which perhaps is not ideal given the work he's still doing across the board to install his system;
• To take the opportunity to address soft spots by hiring a new secondary coach who would be supported by VanGorder, reassigning Elston to all linebackers, and hiring a proven defensive line coach.
• Elston has coached linebackers before, for two years as a grad assistant at Michigan and for one year with Kelly at Central Michigan, and he played linebacker at Michigan. Combine that with the availability of Todd Lyght and Keith Gilmore, and the move seems quite natural indeed.

As Sun Tzu said, a general "selects his men and they exploit the situation" - meaning that jobs are assigned in the moment based on the men's abilities. Don't use a hammer to turn a screw. Last year, Mike Elston was the best man available to coach our defensive line. This year Keith Gilmore is, but that doesn't mean Elston is a bad coach or doesn't fit on the staff. Even if Kelly were moving him for performance reasons, it seems kind of odd that a guy he thinks is underperforming would add the mission-critical recruiting coordinator responsibilities. This looks like a simple reassignment to bolster the gestalt of the staff.

Projecting the Future State

Let's say that everything works out swimmingly with Elston as a linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator. How long would he be willing to be "just" an assistant coach? Does he have any greater ambitions?

Reasons he might move on:

• He has been with Kelly for 11 years with an assortment of titles, but he has essentially always been a position coach.
• He just turned 40 in November, which is the later stage of the age range where you typically see guys try to move up. The clock is ticking.
• Despite common perception among Irish fans, he's a pretty good football coach who would have options if he wants them - for example, he deserves credit for the development of Kapron Lewis-Moore, Kona Schwenke, Louis Nix, Sheldon Day, and Jarron Jones, and for the immediate contributions of Andrew Trumbetti, Daniel Cage, and Grant Blankenship.
• He's a young, passionate guy who will be able to connect with players, families, administrative people, and fans, which would ease his transition to a new job.
• Reasons he might stay:
• He turned down Bob Diaco's offer of the defensive coordinator position at UConn last year and, depending on who you believe, may have politely declined inquiries from Central Michigan for their head job this year. So maybe he doesn't want to move up.
• He has been with Kelly for 11 years at three different schools - that in itself says something. Also, among his assorted titles were co-defensive coordinator at Central Michigan (2005) and assistant head coach at Cincinnati (2009). Maybe he had a taste of a bigger role and it wasn't for him.
• After a mixed bag in the first five years of Kelly's tenure, Notre Dame seems poised for a special 2015 season and perhaps an extended run of elite play. If he likes winning, it might be tough to leave that situation.
• He's a young, passionate guy who is able to connect with players, families, administrative people, and fans at Notre Dame. And maybe that's enough to get him out of bed in the morning.

Elston seems like a true company man who is willing to do whatever Kelly asks him to do. Given his age and ability I want to say he'll move on eventually, but I think the smart money is on him staying with Kelly. Now, whether Kelly will stay at Notre Dame or not, that's another story...

Miscellany

I had a couple of other thoughts while writing this up that don't fit into the present/future discussion above but are worth mentioning.

Coaching: There's some thought among football minds sharper than my own that Elston may be a more effective teacher of the two-gap defensive line play favored by Bob Diaco, than the more aggressive one-gap defensive line play espoused by VanGorder. Inuitively - and here I welcome the cognoscenti to chime in - it seems like one-gap play, which relies more on active defeat of the opponent than passive holding of ground, is best coached by someone well-versed in one-on-one defensive line technique. Enter Gilmore.

Recruiting: The recruiting coordinator position isn't a new thing for Elston - he held the same position at Eastern Michigan from 2002 to 2003 and at Cincinnati from 2007 to 2008. Mike Sanford has also held the title at Stanford and Yale, and Keith Gilmore has held it at Grand Valley State. So Elston has experience and support if needed.

As for his work on the recruiting trail, you might be a bit surprised: According to 247 Composite rankings, as the primary recruiter, Elston has secured Irish commitments from 2 five-stars, 8 four-stars, 9 three-stars, and 1 two-star. As the secondary recruiter, he's helped pull in another 5 four-stars and 4 three-stars. As a comparison, during the Kelly era Tony Alford brought in 9 four-stars (including Louis Nix) and 6 three-stars as a primary recruiter, and 2 four-stars as a secondary recruiter.

Does it mean that Elston is Alford's equal as a recruiter? No, not necessarily. Tony took on some of the toughest recruiting battles we had, so straight numbers and conversion rates aren't the fairest measures of his results. It does mean, though, that Elston did a lot more work than he tends to get credit for.

 

[PANDFAN]

The past few weeks have been a bit of a déjà vu experience for new defensive line coach Keith Gilmore.

He has been reunited with head coach Brian Kelly, associate head coach Mike Denbrock, defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder and strength and conditioning coach Paul Longo in South Bend after working with them at various stops throughout his coaching career.


BGI/Rivals.com

Keith Gilmore has worked with several members of the Irish staff during previous coaching stops.
This isn't even the first time that Irish recruiting coordinator Mike Elston has moved from coaching the defensive line to linebackers to accommodate the addition of Gilmore to a staff. It also happened on Kelly's 2006 staff at Central Michigan.

With a relatively young group of defensive line personnel, Gilmore hopes to prepare the Irish group for the NFL as he has in the past with former first-round picks Whitney Mercilus and Corey Liuget among other standouts.

Gilmore appreciates having Elston remain on staff after guiding the defensive line in past seasons.

"It will be very helpful in knowing some of the nuances and some of the communications that have taken place in the past," Gilmore said. "My learning curve won't be as tough because I've got him to lean on. Mike and I have gone through this transition before when we were at Central Michigan. He was the D-line coach and switched to linebackers when I came in. We've got this down pretty good."

Gilmore, who has been watching film to acquaint himself with the on-field traits of his players, says task No. 1 is to get to know each individual and develop trust and rapport.

"The old saying is they don't care about how much you know until they know how much you care," Gilmore said. "My first business is to make sure I create a positive relationship with my players so they know I have their best interests at heart. Then when they take the coaching a little better when you're correcting them, disciplining them, they know you're truly trying to help them accomplish their goals. That's kind of my approach."

It also doesn't hurt that Jarron Jones, currently recovering from a Lisfranc injury, and Sheldon Day are returning to the squad in 2015. Outside of that, the depth chart is stockpiled with freshmen and sophomores that Gilmore will need to mold.

"I'd have to say at some point I'm sure I have [had a more inexperienced group]," he said. "When you've been doing this as long as I have, I'm sure I've encountered a situation like this. That's what I pride myself on, on being able to develop young talent and teach them how to be men and student-athletes and all those things that go along with it. It's a great opportunity and a great challenge for me."

Gilmore noted that when he spoke with Kelly after National Signing Day about the vacant position in South Bend, the Irish coach sounded the same as he did years ago. Kelly is known for hiring assistants with whom he has worked in the past, but Gilmore is the only one of the four new additions to have served for him in the past.

"I'd like to point to Keith Gilmore," Kelly said. "Keith has been with me at Grand Valley State, Central Michigan, Cincinnati. He played college football with Brian VanGorder and Paul Longo. So there's great cohesiveness there. We know Keith very well.

"He's experienced. He has great experience in the collegiate level as a coach, as a teacher, as a mentor, as a recruiter, and he brings that great cohesiveness to our staff, as well."

With a young new offensive coordinator and a pair of former Irish players returning to Notre Dame, Gilmore can at times be forgotten among the new hirings. That's just fine for a grizzled veteran that has been in the industry for 30 years.

"[Familiarity] was a big part of it," Gilmore said. "Just the comfort level of knowing the people you're around was important to me. The biggest thing was that every time I've won a championship, I've been with Coach Kelly and I like winning. So that opportunity to get back with him and know people that are here and share their philosophies was important to me."

What will ultimately prove Gilmore's stint at Notre Dame as successful or not is whether he can churn out professional talent like he has at previous stops.

"One, good players," Gilmore said simply when asked for the key to developing NFL talent. "Just the fundamentals and the technique and learning how to execute and practice on a daily basis. A lot of people can be good sporadically, but to be good day in and day out and to understand that part of it is the message that I've tried to get across to those guys. Just making sure that they are sound fundamentally.

"Nothing beats getting off the football and using your hands and turning and running … just the things that it takes on a day-to-day basis and paying attention to those details every day."

After 30 years, Gilmore knows those details like the back of his hand - or better yet, as well as he knows the coaches he is reuniting with at Notre Dame.
https://notredame.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1743505

 

[PANDFAN]

Notre Dame’s running backs entered last season in a three-man rotation.


Sophomore Greg Bryant only took 15 of the final 137 handoffs last season. (Photo: Brian Spurlock, USA TODAY Sports)
The Irish ground game would run through senior Cam McDaniel, with sophomores Greg Bryant and Tarean Folston splitting carries alongside him. Head coach Brian Kelly said the Irish would play all three and ride the hot hand depending on the particular game.

The carries leaned heavily in Folston’s direction after he ran for 98 yards and two scores in Notre Dame’s sixth game of the season against North Carolina. From that point on, he was the Irish’s No. 1 running back. Folston was given 75 percent of the carries in the final eight games of 2014.

Newly hired running backs coach Autry Denson inherits Folston, Bryant and two incoming freshmen: Dexter Williams and Josh Adams. In Denson’s mind, Notre Dame’s plan last fall can be successfully carried out this year in a two or three-back rotation. But in order to do so, he needs the backs to believe what he preaches to them.

“I think first of all it starts with that they have to trust you,” Denson said when asked how a rotation can work. “They have to buy into it that it’s the best thing for them.”

Part of what Denson wants his players to understand is the amount of wear and tear too many carries puts on a running back’s body. He doesn’t want the likes of Folston or Bryant burning out.

“The game has changed so much that it is,” he said. “You really can’t get by with one guy nowadays for a couple of reasons. One, you’re pretty much going to have two guys, possibly three guys, but two guys that are really rotating. What you’ve got to realize and I want to make sure they understand this when I say the trust, is I don’t want them to leave their best carries in college.”

Denson carried the ball 854 times in his four seasons at Notre Dame. He rushed for a school record 4,318 yards and 43 touchdowns. In a four-year NFL career, Denson ran the ball 62 times total.

“So you want to make sure and that’s where the spread offense helps a lot, because you can get the ball to a young man and it’s not just between the tackles. So the first thing you want to do is make sure that you’re putting them in enough positions where they can show off what they can do, so they have trust in that.”

Folston and Bryant averaged 5.14 yards per carry combined last season.

Denson’s Background Relatable To Players

Former Irish wide receiver Joey Getherall described Denson as “easygoing,” and said he would always seek out Denson for advice.

If Notre Dame’s running backs need to speak with someone who can relate to the struggles of balancing school and football, or understands homesickness, Denson will be able to relate directly to those problems.

“When you talk about being able to relate to guys, I mean, I’m asking young men, from a running back standpoint, there’s nothing they’re going to do that I haven’t done,” Denson said. “Now when you add in the factor of relating to Tarean and Greg and Dexter, OK, who better to mentor them on the adjustments from Florida to Notre Dame, not just on the field but the off the field stuff.

“So, again I’ve talked about it again a lot as a parent. Discipline, 90 percent of it, is about being proactive, not just reactive. So I’m able to cut off and hit some stuff like I’m able to do with my own boys with him and also with Josh, because I know what it is to be a Notre Dame running back. That’s a lot more than just on the field. There’s a lot of other things that go into that that’s going to allow them to develop to their full potential.”

Denson: Irish Backs Need To Trust Rotation

 

[Whiskeyjack]

This isn't even the first time that Irish recruiting coordinator Mike Elston has moved from coaching the defensive line to linebackers to accommodate the addition of Gilmore to a staff. It also happened on Kelly's 2006 staff at Central Michigan.

 

[PANDFAN]

The defensive approach of football teams is different now than it was in the days Todd Lyght spent on the field as a national champion at Notre Dame or in his 12-year NFL career.


Notre Dame's new secondary coach believes Max Redfield must grasp the defensive scheme in order to become more consistent. (Photo: Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports)
Lyght recognized the differences when he returned to the sport in 2009 as an assistant coach at Bishop Gorman (Nev.) High School.

“I think that when you look at defensive coordinators now, especially with the way the game is played now…back when we were playing, everything was coached from the front to the second level to the back,” Lyght said. “Now you have to go in reverse with the spread offense and your ability to contain explosive plays.”

He’s noticed some holes in the tape he’s watched of the 2014 Notre Dame defense. Opponents scored nearly 30 points per game against the Irish last fall, and beat up the defense for more than 400 yards per game.

Ten of the 23 touchdowns Notre Dame allowed through the air were plays of 20 or more yards – the explosive plays defenses have to focus on even more with the evolution on the offensive side of the ball.

It’s one of the areas Lyght’s identified as an area where improvement’s needed this fall.

“Last year we gave up too many explosive plays,” Lyght said. “I think that we have to have a better understanding of the defensive structure, how we fit into that defensive structure, where our help is and how to play to it. I think we have to improve our football IQ and I think we have to improve our effort across the board.”

The former Super Bowl champion corner back said he admires the aggression involved in defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder’s game plans.

“I think that his ability to coach from all three spectrums, and his ability to coach the 4-3, the 3-4, and I love the fact that he’s all over the board,” said Lyght. “He’s very proactive. He’s not reactive as a coach. He wants to attack defensively and I really like that style of coaching.”

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly believes Lyght fits the bill in what a secondary coach needs in VanGorder’s scheme that relies on man-to-man coverage.

“We love the skill set that he brings in particular,” said Kelly. “We were looking for somebody that was experienced in coaching man to man techniques and (he) really has a strong background and skill set there.”

Lyght met with one of his new defensive backs the other day in fifth-year transfer Avery Sebastian. He hasn’t watched the California graduate’s tape yet but said he was impressed with the size of the new Notre Dame safety.

One player whose tape he’s zeroed in on is that of rising junior Max Redfield. The Mission Viejo (Calif.) native was a highly rated prospect out of high school but hasn’t turned translated his physical skillset into success on the field.

Fourteen of Redfield’s 68 tackles came in the Music City Bowl. The rising junior didn’t appear tentative as he did throughout most of the season before losing his starting role late in the season.

His new position coach thinks grasping the defensive concepts of VanGorder’s defense is where Redfield needs to improve the most before the fall.

“I’ve seen a player who can get the job done, but there’s been a little bit of inconsistency,” Lyght said of Redfield. “I think that with his development, just kind of understanding the scheme, and just trying to develop his fundamentals and technique I think that he’s a player who has relied on his athletic ability and that’s gotten him by."

“But as he moves up the ranks, becoming a junior, becoming a senior, and then eventually maybe playing in the NFL, he’s going to have to improve on his fundamentals and technique if he wants to play at a high level and the next level.”

Todd Lyght Seeks to Limit Explosive Plays

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Interestingly, I always thought Alford not being a Kelly grown coach was always in the backseat. Sounds to me like Sanford's right there next to the driver. Will it last?

I don't think anyone was in the back seat with Kelly. I think there were just some coaches that never were getting their temps.

A lot of people have had problems with Mike Elston, I don't see why. Alford did great things, particularly in some recruiting cases. But I didn't see an overwhelming body of evidence to suggest he was a crackerjack Running back coach, let alone OC material. Same with Cooks. I think this staff (new members) have set themselves apart, at this early date.

 

[Fbolt]

“I think that his ability to coach from all three spectrums, and his ability to coach the 4-3, the 3-4, and I love the fact that he’s all over the board,” said Lyght. “He’s very proactive. He’s not reactive as a coach. He wants to attack defensively and I really like that style of coaching.”

May just be me, but I seem to recall VG being reactive in the UNC game.

 

[Crazy Balki]

“I think that his ability to coach from all three spectrums, and his ability to coach the 4-3, the 3-4, and I love the fact that he’s all over the board,” said Lyght. “He’s very proactive. He’s not reactive as a coach. He wants to attack defensively and I really like that style of coaching.”

May just be me, but I seem to recall VG being reactive in the UNC game.

To be fair, Golson practically gave up half of the points UNC scored in that one.

 

[PANDFAN]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Great time in-studio filming <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NDLive?src=hash">#NDLive</a> with current <a href="https://twitter.com/NotreDame">@NotreDame</a> student & future <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter">@SportsCenter</a> star <a href="https://twitter.com/JacCollinsworth">@JacCollinsworth</a> <a href="https://t.co/O03nEtEpLP">https://t.co/O03nEtEpLP</a></p>— Coach Mike Sanford (@CoachSanfordND) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachSanfordND/status/573691270801027073">March 6, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[PANDFAN]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>New DL coach <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachGilmoreND">@CoachGilmoreND</a> is striking people as a cool, yet serious customer.</p>— Irish Sports Daily (@ISDUpdate) <a href="https://twitter.com/ISDUpdate/status/573845275120287745">March 6, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>New RB coach <a href="https://twitter.com/autrydenson">@autrydenson</a> isn’t afraid to battle w/ the nation’s best programs for the nation’s best prospects.</p>— Irish Sports Daily (@ISDUpdate) <a href="https://twitter.com/ISDUpdate/status/573845126050512896">March 6, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>New OC <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachSanfordND">@CoachSanfordND</a> is quickly showing high school coaches the respect that will pay dividends for years to come.</p>— Irish Sports Daily (@ISDUpdate) <a href="https://twitter.com/ISDUpdate/status/573845219675783169">March 6, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[greyhammer90]

To be fair, Golson practically gave up half of the points UNC scored in that one.

To be fair, that's a lie.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

To be fair, that's a lie.

Agreed. All I remember from that game was UNC marching quickly up and down the field, I don't see how Golson is responsible for that. Defenses are supposed to stand strong, not whither because the offense put them in a bad position.

We can agree to say the whole program was to blame and despite that, we still won.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

To be fair, that's a lie.

To be fair, it may or may not be a lie, but you are correct. If I remember, EG had three turnovers, and even if UNC scored a TD on each occasion, that would only have accounted for 21 of their 43 points.

I will let you all argue about the rest.

 

[NewBrunswickIrish]

To be fair, it may or may not be a lie, but you are correct. If I remember, EG had three turnovers, and even if UNC scored a TD on each occasion, that would only have accounted for 21 of their 43 points.

I will let you all argue about the rest.

They did score on every drive coming off of an EG turnover, I think they only had to go 60 yards combined to score all three (one was a pick 6 so no yards factored in).

 

[kmoose]

-- Golson fumbled on the first series of the game; NC took over at the ND 37 and took 3 plays to put it in the end zone.

-- Golson threw a pick 6 on the third series of the game.

-- Golson fumbled in the 3rd quarter. NC took over at the ND 23. It took NC one play to put it in the end zone.

3 Turnovers, 60 yards, 21 points.

 

[NDRock]

-- Golson fumbled on the first series of the game; NC took over at the ND 37 and took 3 plays to put it in the end zone.

-- Golson threw a pick 6 on the third series of the game.

-- Golson fumbled in the 3rd quarter. NC took over at the ND 23. It took NC one play to put it in the end zone.

3 Turnovers, 60 yards, 21 points.

Godson definitely put the D in some bad places but a good D would have held NC out of the end zone on at least one of those two drives. 4 plays for 60 yards and 2 TDs was a pretty bad effort. There will be a lot riding on BVG's D this year, hope he comes up big.

 

[Luckylucci]

Golson did the D no favors in that game but they still gave up 516 yards of offense. Marquise Williams balled out on our D. They avg. 429yds/game for the season and that is against some pretty poor defenses. Again he didn't play extremely well against UL or NW but those games were also on the D.

 

[Fbolt]

Derailing this thread. My point was that VG was not proactive in that game. Regardless, the statement in the article was not an absolute and hope that after a year of experiencing the variety of O's ND faces will better prepare him.

One constant with BK's teams is the attention to detail (which may be a blanket statement) mantra he preaches and the failure of the players to execute that detail. The increase in coaching numbers should be a positive benefit to dealing with this.

 

[Irish#1]

Whiskey, thanks for posting the article. BK is evolving. He sees what needs to change and isn't afraid to make the changes.

Some observations:
1. It's okay not to be a "yes" man and disagree. It's all about how you disagree that makes the difference.
2. Maybe Elston is happy being an assistant. Why does everyone assume all coaches have the aspiration to be a HC?
3. You can't have all thoroughbreds on your staff. You need some plow horses that keep getting the job done. You need balance so everyone isn't fighting for the AHC job, which can create dissension.
4. BK has proven to be a pretty good recruiter. If Sanford is as good as advertised given that Urban Liar and others wanted him, then BK may have pulled off the biggest recruitment of his career.

 

[vmgsf]

Sanford's decision to come to Notre Dame gives me GUARDED optimism for next season. He was a very hot and very highly coveted coach. He could have stayed at Boise State and comfortably prepared for a great opportunity some where else.

I think he carefully looked at Notre Dame's offense for next year and said to himself they can be very good. I do not think he came to Notre Dame because he though the offense would be mediocre.

Guarded optimism because you never know what off season problems will come up because Notre Dame holds their football players to the same standards they hold every other student. They are STUDENT-athletes. If you do not get the STUDENT part taken care of you do not have to worry about the athlete part. You will not be playing.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

To sum up the malaise in this thread.

Offensive problems. Coordinator in the booth, old staff incapable of getting play in in timely fashion (including Kelly having to discuss too much); and, packages too predictable.

Defensive problems. BVG even said without his sub packages the defense was dead last year, that he had few if any every down players that could be difference makers. UNC figured out how to keep BVG's packages off the field, and that was all it took. The rest is sad history. Especially after losing JS! I expect that the coaching will be a bit more rounded this year, and that two years of BVG's defense will make a huge difference. There was that same phenomena at Georgia.

 

[ResLife Hero]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Wrote a piece on new ND DL coach Keith Gilmore and his success developing pass rushers at new schools for <a href="https://twitter.com/ISDUpdate">@ISDUpdate</a> <a href="http://t.co/bcRlRot3qD">http://t.co/bcRlRot3qD</a></p>— Jamie Uyeyama (@jamieuyeyama) <a href="https://twitter.com/jamieuyeyama/status/604282230010052608">May 29, 2015</a></blockquote>
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[PANDFAN]

from COACH D re:gilmore

from COACH D re:gilmore

change has been very positive. You can see the players starting to incorporate more moves. The light hasn't gone off just yet, but you can see the foundation being laid. Once the players get more comfortable with what he is teaching they will take off.

As a recruiter I think he'll do well if he works at it. I'm not saying he isn't working, I'm just making a general statement. Gilmore has a real charming, midwestern twang and he is very personable. He relates to kids well but also doesn't stoop down to their level, which I like. Once he gets his feet wet I think he'll do well. He has already gotten a few Midwestern DE's interested that I'm not sure would have been overly interested otherwise.

 

[PANDFAN]

Mo Crum is leaving for a full time coaching job expecting to be at indiana st. with mike sanford's dad--rivals

 

[BeauBenken]

Mike Sanford has really been putting his connections to good work and helping people out. Aside from being liked by the fanbase, I would assume he is loved inside the program. Thanks for helping our boy, Mo Crum, out, Sanford!