Offensive Line Thread

[Irish#1]

Yeah that line the Colts have is abysmal. Very little talent, no top LT to protect a QB at all.

You need more than just a top LT to protect a QB. Castonzo was average for a few years, did he just fall off a cliff or something? You can survive with average, but the rest of their line has been awful (and Grigson did not remotely try to bring in enough talent either).

Gilbert was the Offensive Line coach at Indy but got demoted to Assistant Offensive Line coach. Not entirely thrilled with that option.

I don't think it's so much the coach as it has been Grigson screwing the pooch along with injuries.

Castanzo is a decent LT but not elite. He is better suited for RT IMO.
Ryan Kelly looks to be turning into a pretty good center, but injuries kept him out of the lineup most of this season.
Newhort has been out much of the last two season due to injuries.
Their pick of Kahled Holmes out of USC last year turned out to be a total bust.
Grigson also whiffed on several FA's.

 

[Irish#1]

It's not good that it's about NSD and guys like NPF and the California kid aren't going to come here. That sucks.

But in the field both next year and after, I don't expect a drop off for ND's OL performance from what would have been if Harry was the coach.

As great as he was, he didn't like recruiting, didn't cast a wide net, underperformed wildly against great defenses, and wore some kids out.

We're fine without Harry.

LOL.........Classic hindsight response by Koon.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

So you can only provide input with actual stats? Be pretty boring around here if we only could talk about Wimbush's 49% completion %.

Ha ha, you posted like this conversation has already been decided emphatically. "Sit down children" or:

But you haven't shown us anything so WhyTF are you acting like we know everything is going to be okay a week later when we still don't have a coach and we haven't seen any OL recruiting momentum?

Oh, b/c koon is always like:

 

[koonja]

Ha ha, you posted like this conversation has already been decided emphatically. "Sit down children" or:

But you haven't shown us anything so WhyTF are you acting like we know everything is going to be okay a week later when we still don't have a coach and we haven't seen any OL recruiting momentum?

Oh, b/c koon is always like:

I mean, I didn't have an algorithm or stats to tell you Longo sucked, Adams can't run against great defenses, or Wimbush is a pants sh!tter. Harry was really good, but had his flaws. ND is in a position to hire someone who will be just as good as Harry.

It's an opinion. It's all it can be. Get mad, add to it, argue against it, or ignore it.

ND will be just fine without Harry Hiestand.

 

[ab2cmiller]

I mean, I didn't have an algorithm or stats to tell you Longo sucked, Adams can't run against great defenses, or Wimbush is a pants sh!tter. Harry was really good, but had his flaws. ND is in a position to hire someone who will be just as good as Harry.

It's an opinion. It's all it can be. Get mad, add to it, argue against it, or ignore it.

ND will be just fine without Harry Hiestand.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

I mean, I didn't have an algorithm or stats to tell you Longo sucked, Adams can't run against great defenses, or Wimbush is a pants sh!tter. Harry was really good, but had his flaws. ND is in a position to hire someone who will be just as good as Harry.

It's an opinion. It's all it can be. Get mad, add to it, argue against it, or ignore it.

ND will be just fine without Harry Hiestand.

I'll choose none of the above because:

God bless you koon. It doesn't matter what I say, your response is always:

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

I mean, I didn't have an algorithm or stats to tell you Longo sucked, Adams can't run against great defenses, or Wimbush is a pants sh!tter. Harry was really good, but had his flaws. ND is in a position to hire someone who will be just as good as Harry.

It's an opinion. It's all it can be. Get mad, add to it, argue against it, or ignore it.

ND will be just fine without Harry Hiestand.

Get back from vacation, Kuehnja still going strong...

 

[Irish#1]

Get back from vacation, Kuehnja still going strong...

 

[ab2cmiller]

Interview with Quenton Nelson at the 27 minute mark and lasts about 10 minutes. They asked him which players will was easiest/fastest to break. He declined to mention any individual player. Interviewer immediately asked, could you say a team? Quenton's answer was USC.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Former Notre Dame lineman Quenton Nelson reveals which team he broke the fastest also Arky goes redass on Tebow. <a href="https://t.co/JB2tqn6GDc">https://t.co/JB2tqn6GDc</a></p>— #CubeShow (@CubeShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/CubeShow/status/955472441274351616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[KizerWilhelm]

It's official: Jeff Quinn https://247sports.com/college/notre...-promotes-Quinn-to-replace-Hiestand-114111696

ugh

 

[Meatloaf]

It's official: Jeff Quinn https://247sports.com/college/notre...-promotes-Quinn-to-replace-Hiestand-114111696

ugh

 

[indianamouse]

I'll take a wait and see approach. Not everyone was happy with Heistand's hire at first either.

 

[KizerWilhelm]

I'll take a wait and see approach. Not everyone was happy with Heistand's hire at first either.

Was Heistand the fourth choice?

When the 247 guys report "these are the three finalists" and that one of the coaches was reportedly even talking with our current lineman, you have to either assume:

1. Notre Dame wouldn't match their price (if so, lol, kill me)
2. They all passed.

You get the sense that it's number #2.

 

[koonja]

Good Fn God.

 

[zelezo vlk]

Wow

 

[ResLife Hero]

Can someone clear up why everyone (not just here, but most of Twitter) seems to be down on this hire? I don't know much about Quinn except that he has a lot of experience coaching the OL and has been involved with our offense for 3 years already in an off-the-field capacity. Doesn't seem like the worst option.

 

[tko]

Kelly cronyism is tolerated again after 10-3?

 

[Ndaccountant]

Ha. This is precisely what we needed.

 

[beryirish]

Can someone clear up why everyone (not just here, but most of Twitter) seems to be down on this hire? I don't know much about Quinn except that he has a lot of experience coaching the OL and has been involved with our offense for 3 years already in an off-the-field capacity. Doesn't seem like the worst option.

My thought is that he's just not the shiny new toy type of hire. If he's good, he's good. If not, well shit.

 

[koonja]

Can someone clear up why everyone (not just here, but most of Twitter) seems to be down on this hire? I don't know much about Quinn except that he has a lot of experience coaching the OL and has been involved with our offense for 3 years already in an off-the-field capacity. Doesn't seem like the worst option.

I know very little, other than all of ISD staff didn't want this to happen. If that's unanimous among those guys, that tells me all I need to know about this hire.

I do know he recruits about as hard as Longo lifts.

 

[CraigKrenzel]

Can someone clear up why everyone (not just here, but most of Twitter) seems to be down on this hire? I don't know much about Quinn except that he has a lot of experience coaching the OL and has been involved with our offense for 3 years already in an off-the-field capacity. Doesn't seem like the worst option.

Agreed. I was intrigued by the other names being floated, and I'm willing to be upset about this, but "he's coached with Kelly in the past" doesn't do it for me.

 

[ab2cmiller]

Given the timing of HH's departure, would you want to be the OL coach that has to come in after ND wins the Joe Moore award and have Nelson and McGlinchchey leave for the NFL?

We had guys pissing and moaning on this board about OL play this year. What will it be like next year? People will likely be calling for the head of the OL coach regardless of who it is.

 

[connor_in]

I thought we were being told this would be a home run hire and who wouldn't want to take this job with the reputation built in and the kids already here and so forth and such like

 

[IrishLax]

Can someone clear up why everyone (not just here, but most of Twitter) seems to be down on this hire? I don't know much about Quinn except that he has a lot of experience coaching the OL and has been involved with our offense for 3 years already in an off-the-field capacity. Doesn't seem like the worst option.

I'm not sure, seems like a solid (if unexciting) hire. He obviously doesn't do a lot to "move the needle" but is good for continuity and has a good track record as a coach. It seems perfectly acceptable.

 

[Ndaccountant]

I'm now fully aboard the anti Kelly train. This was the last straw. Let's go back to the friend well, since that has worked wonders in the past.

 

[PANDFAN]

Was Heistand the fourth choice?

When the 247 guys report "these are the three finalists" and that one of the coaches was reportedly even talking with our current lineman, you have to either assume:

1. Notre Dame wouldn't match their price (if so, lol, kill me)
2. They all passed.

You get the sense that it's number #2.

we have NO idea from the outside and of course there are people w/ connections who could possibly know more but just from this update we can't assume the possible 1 guy who chatted w/ the oline turned it down....maybe it was the conversation with him that the oline thought that person wouldn't be a good fit? idk and many other don't know either but it's not so cut and dry from the update this is what happened by your scenarios.

 

[NDMIA]

Jeff Quinn - 55yrs old - Offensive Analyst ND
-Hometown: Woodridge, Illinois
-Alumni: Elmhurst
-Position Played: Offensive Lineman
-NFL Coaching Experience: None
-NFL Alumni: Mike Sheldon, Eric Ghiaciuc, Joe Staley, Jeffrey Linkenbach, Jason Kelce
-College Experience: 24 Seasons OL Coach, 5 Seasons HC

I think Bob Bostad, Justin Frye, and Joe Gilbert were very awesome candidates. Having said that, I think this is a pretty awesome hire for a few reasons. Having spent 24 seasons as an OL coach, Jeff Quinn has amazing amounts of experience. He has also identified lower end recruits and developed them into legit NFL players (Joe Staley & Jason Kelce). He is a former head coach which I think is always a nice thing to have on a coaching staff with now having Brian Kelly, Bill Polian, and Jeff Quinn there. The negatives are definitely there too...I haven't seen any evidence of Jeff Quinn recruiting big time talent at any of his previous stops so I haven't any idea if he's a good recruiter against the big boys. Also, there's the stigma of being Brian Kelly's friend and having worked alongside him for 20+ years which people seem to find as a huge negative (BVG & Paul Longo). Overall, I don't know how he'll be as a coach, but I think it will work out as a nice hire for Brian Kelly. Welcome Jeff!

 

[PigtownIrish]

This is a terrible hire, no way around it. Clear step down from HH in all aspects when good candidates were out there. Just another of many signs that this program is stagnant under Brian Kelly/Swarbrick. 10-3 is the ceiling. Every day that Brian Kelly is the coach is an affirmation that the administration doesn't care about competing for a national championship.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Can someone clear up why everyone (not just here, but most of Twitter) seems to be down on this hire? I don't know much about Quinn except that he has a lot of experience coaching the OL and has been involved with our offense for 3 years already in an off-the-field capacity. Doesn't seem like the worst option.

I think it's a combination of: (1) Hiestand having left some huge shoes to fill; and (2) many (most?) of our past hires from Kelly's coaching tree having been disastrous for ND.

I doubt Quinn will be a failure. But it seems even less likely that he'll build on Harry's success. We'll probably see a moderate drop off in OL recruiting and development; so we'll still be pretty good in that department (Big Uglies tend to favor ND for a lot of reasons), but this is bad news for those of us who were hoping to continue rebuilding the program along the lines that Harbaugh and Shaw employed at Stanford.

 

[beryirish]

I know very little, other than all of ISD staff didn't want this to happen. If that's unanimous among those guys, that tells me all I need to know about this hire.

I do know he recruits about as hard as Longo lifts.

He's an analyst - don't believe they are allowed to recruit.

Unless you know something about his time in previous stops.