You're rightly Wrong. We aren't making the playoffs without multiple miracles... Why wouldn't we use real game time experience as practice??
I agree here - we’re not making the playoffs and the focus should be looking ahead.
Why wouldn’t we use game time experience as practice? Exhibit A: Mitchell Evans.
If the offense is significantly underperforming due to poor execution, I agree with you - let’s figure it out on the field even in a blowout.
But when the problem is Gerad Parker, I’m pretty certain that giving more touches to guys who have been performing well this season (Estime, Mitchell Evans) does little for us in a blowout and only puts them at risk. We know who they are.
If you dial up a few throws to Staes, give a few of Estime’s touches to Love, etc - you basically get the same effect while also getting valuable reps for next year.
And yes, I played football (d3, nowhere near the level of ND). But I also have a PhD and love weighing these things out.
And yeah, I do think of a lot of coaches get many of these things wrong - quite often. You literally have NFL coaches who make head scratching decisions every week (Josh McDaniels is a fraud). But that’s a different discussion.