Post Game Observations........

[Cackalacky]

There needs to be an IE Purgatory thread. LOL.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Our Week 3 Game Splits are below:

<table style="color: rgb(38, 38, 38); font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21.5938px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="542" height="108"><tbody><tr><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="left">Team</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="center">Wk
</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="left">Opponent</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="center">Final</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="center">NG Final</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">Off</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">Def</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">ST</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">Ex</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">FP</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">TO</td></tr><tr><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="left">Notre Dame</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="center">1</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="left">Temple</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="center">W 28-6</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="center">W 28-6</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">22.4</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">0.8</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">0.7</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">-1.9</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">-2.5</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">0.0</td></tr><tr><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="left">Notre Dame</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="center">2</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="left">Michigan</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="center">L 30-41</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="center">L 30-41</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">0.7</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">-17.0</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">3.5</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">1.9</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">8.1</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">-4.8</td></tr><tr><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="left">Notre Dame</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="center">3</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="left">Purdue</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="center">W 31-24</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="center">W 31-24</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">9.1</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">-1.8</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">-0.4</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">0.0</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">0.7</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">4.2</td></tr><tr><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="left">Total</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">32.2</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">-18.1</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">3.8</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">0.0</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">6.3</td><td style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" align="right">-0.6
</td></tr></tbody></table>

Bill Connelly's Football Study Hall on ND v. Purdue shows just how atrocious we were in the first half.

And best of all, OFD's Larz just published a great post regarding how he would go about game planning against the Irish, and how we can improve moving forward:

Final Thoughts

Are we at Defcon 1? No. This is closer to the Canadian version of Defcoun 1, which means Tim Horton's is running low on coffee. Not a great situation, but it's not time to panic either. Right now there are some pretty obvious trends on both sides of the ball for Notre Dame that make them relatively easy to game plan for. If the Irish can break some of these trends, I believe we'll see an immediate improvement. Typically as the year progresses we see schemes in all phases of the game become more complex. At the same time, I think it's fair to be concerned. There is little question the coaching staff needs to make some adjustments sooner rather than later. Purdue will not be the stiffest challenge we face all year. What are your thoughts, OFD readers, how would you game plan for the Irish and what should Notre Dame do to counter this game plan ?

 

[Fbolt]

Just improve every week

 

[BGIF]

There needs to be an IE Purgatory thread. LOL.

That's redundant.

Hug me, I'm Irish!

 

[T Town Tommy]

How fast we are to climb the ladder of inference when dealing with the teams we respectfully cheer for. Just my thoughts...

 

[TheSunIsRising]

How fast we are to climb the ladder of inference when dealing with the teams we respectfully cheer for. Just my thoughts...

Apparently we're not very fast at all.....because of Longo.

I would have put this in the "Fire Longo" thread, but since it is specifically about him, why the hell would I put it there???

 

[Old Man Mike]

I just watched the Michigan vs Akron game. Akron's defense looked both faster and more aggressive than ours. They also seemed to defend almost everything but Gardner better than we did... and, of course, that ultimately was what did them in. [this is NOT a comment negative to Longo. It can not be laid on him that our guys look hesitant and/or less aggressive to the whistle than they should]. I believe that Longo has us in good fourth quarter shape.

My apparently insane view is that our offense has been pretty good and has several ways that seem to be on the verge of becoming EXTREMELY good [if people like TJ and Watt can remain healthy].

Our defensive non-pressure and non-mid-range pass defense?... painful and a bit puzzling. I saw one play which might be trying to tell me something --- a full-out blitz in which Ishaq obviously didn't know which way to charge and stopped to watch Grace [who was acting with instant and firm commitment] run by before he stood and picked another gap. Damm, that brief Keystone Kop moment bothered me... these guys at least some of the time do not have blitz patterns and timing instinctively trained into them. Careless minds?, or not enough precise coaching?

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Our defensive non-pressure and non-mid-range pass defense?... painful and a bit puzzling. I saw one play which might be trying to tell me something --- a full-out blitz in which Ishaq obviously didn't know which way to charge and stopped to watch Grace [who was acting with instant and firm commitment] run by before he stood and picked another gap. Damm, that brief Keystone Kop moment bothered me... these guys at least some of the time do not have blitz patterns and timing instinctively trained into them. Careless minds?, or not enough precise coaching?

I think this is a big reason for the defense's growing pains thus far. Diaco is blitzing and using man-coverage far more this year than he has in the previous 3 (probably in the hopes of protecting his greatly weakened LB corps), but we're simply not very good at it yet. If they figure it out, we should see a dramatic improvement.

The alternative, of course, would be to continue with the conservative Cover-2 Shell Diaco ran for most of 2010- 2012, and one would think there was a strong bias toward that strategy for the sake of consistency and veteran comfort level. So how bad must our LBs look in zone coverage that Diaco has opted for this more aggressive solution?

 

[Emcee77]

I think this is a big reason for the defense's growing pains thus far. Diaco is blitzing and using man-coverage far more this year than he has in the previous 3 (probably in the hopes of protecting his greatly weakened LB corps), but we're simply not very good at it yet. If they figure it out, we should see a dramatic improvement.

Right, and I think they will. Eventually our guys will start timing blitzes better and blowing plays up.

The alternative, of course, would be to continue with the conservative Cover-2 Shell Diaco ran for most of 2010- 2012, and one would think there was a strong bias toward that strategy for the sake of consistency and veteran comfort level. So how bad must our LBs look in zone coverage that Diaco has opted for this more aggressive solution?

Maybe, but maybe not. Maybe Diaco always wanted to play more aggressively, but didn't feel he could trust his inexperienced DBs to hold down the back end, and maybe his increased trust in them is the real explanation for our different tactics.

Not that that would make me feel much better, because either way it isn't really working.

 

[T Town Tommy]

I think this is a big reason for the defense's growing pains thus far. Diaco is blitzing and using man-coverage far more this year than he has in the previous 3 (probably in the hopes of protecting his greatly weakened LB corps), but we're simply not very good at it yet. If they figure it out, we should see a dramatic improvement.

The alternative, of course, would be to continue with the conservative Cover-2 Shell Diaco ran for most of 2010- 2012, and one would think there was a strong bias toward that strategy for the sake of consistency and veteran comfort level. So how bad must our LBs look in zone coverage that Diaco has opted for this more aggressive solution?

Agree. As I watched the game the other night I was guessing he blitzed in some fashion well over 75-80% of the time. I thought to myself why so much. The only logical conclusion is the lack of ability in zone coverage.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Maybe, but maybe not. Maybe Diaco always wanted to play more aggressively, but didn't feel he could trust his inexperienced DBs to hold down the back end, and maybe his increased trust in them is the real explanation for our different tactics.

I don't see much evidence for that. The OFD film breakdowns have noted poor DB technique in man-coverage in every game we've played thus far-- mostly not aligning themselves properly pre-snap, which is consistently giving up the inside hot routes to counter our blitzing.

Diaco seems to have a clear preference for conservative defense, and when he has the LBs necessary to make it work (Te'o, Spond), it's very effective. But his preferred system unfortunately asks a lot of his LBs, and we simply don't have the experience or athleticism to do it anymore. So he's relying on our NFL-caliber pass-rushers and a more aggressive scheme instead, except they're not used to playing that type of defense after 3 years of uber-conservative line play.

 

[Wild Bill]

Agree. As I watched the game the other night I was guessing he blitzed in some fashion well over 75-80% of the time. I thought to myself why so much. The only logical conclusion is the lack of ability in zone coverage.

They can't get pressure rushing four. Last year the D lineman combined for 31 sacks (includes shembo). They have 2 through three games this year.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

They can't get pressure rushing four. Last year the D lineman combined for 31 sacks (includes shembo). They have 2 through three games this year.

That's not unrelated to pass coverage, though. Last year we were really good at (1) getting pressure with only 3-4 rushers; and (2) running Diaco's Cover 2 Shell. That combination resulted in a lot of coverage sacks.

I doubt that our DL suddenly forgot how to stunt, loop, etc.; Day's likely a pass-rushing upgrade over KLM anyway. I think it has more to do with losing Te'o and Spond in coverage, which means opposing QBs are able to avoid our rush by exposing our LBs through quick throws over the middle.

 

[Wild Bill]

That's not unrelated to pass coverage, though. Last year we were really good at (1) getting pressure with only 3-4 rushers; and (2) running Diaco's Cover 2 Shell. That combination resulted in a lot of coverage sacks.

I doubt that our DL suddenly forgot how to stunt, loop, etc.; Day's likely a pass-rushing upgrade over KLM anyway. I think it has more to do with losing Te'o and Spond in coverage, which means opposing QBs are able to avoid our rush by exposing our LBs through quick throws over the middle.

I agree with you that it's obvious teams are trying to attack the backers with quick throws and it's not leaving much time for a rush. If they are releasing too quick, the best thing they can do is get off the block and get their hands in the air. If you can't bat it down, turn around and pursue. I'm not seeing this at all.

Day isn't on KLM's level yet, IMO. The talent is there and he's on his way, but he hasn't arrived yet.

Tuitt is the real disappointment, IMO. If you have time, re-watch the first half of the Purdue game and key in on him. Pay close attention to his backside pursuit, getting off the ball and his pass rush on five step drops (there were only a few). It's not pretty.

 

[Emcee77]

I don't see much evidence for that. The OFD film breakdowns have noted poor DB technique in man-coverage in every game we've played thus far-- mostly not aligning themselves properly pre-snap, which is consistently giving up the inside hot routes to counter our blitzing.

True. If Diaco changed tactics because he thought our DB play would be stronger, then he at least overestimated how much stronger it would be.

I think Kelly and Diaco are still just trying to figure out what they've got on defense. I found this question and answer from today's presser to be interesting:

Q. You appear to be putting quite a bit more pressure or attempting to put more pressure on the quarterback with linebackers, as opposed to last year. When you do that, what does that do to your secondary? What are the responsibilities of your corners, in particular, when you're putting more pressure up front and leaving them more exposed on the back end?

COACH KELLY: Well, I would say that if you track where we are, we're probably getting back to finding more about the personnel that we have on the field and what we can and can't do, more than percentage wise. You know, the personnel groupings we have on the field will dictate where we go defensively and as I said the first couple of weeks, we are still trying to find what those groupings are to maximize their potential.

I wouldn't necessarily draw any conclusions as to whether we are going to bring more pressure or not; it's still we are trying to evolve. The simple answer is, obviously if you bring more pressure, you're giving up some zones. So you either have to play some three under, three deep, which vacates some zones and you'd better get there, or you have to play simply some more man coverage; and within that man coverage there's a lot more technique that goes in, because it's not simply you line up wide. It's bunched formations; it's picks; it's fighting through all those complexities of playing man to man coverage.

So the easy answer is, probably what you already know; that when you bring pressure, you're either giving up some zones and zone pressure or you've got to play man to man. I guess what I was saying is that I still think we are not where we want to be defensively in terms of what that structure is going to be yet.

"[T]he personnel groupings we have on the field will dictate where we go defensively." Kelly often says stuff like this. We talk a lot about philosophy and identity on this board, and we take them to mean a commitment to a certain scheme, but I don't know if the staff looks at it that way. Kelly's comments in these pressers lead me to believe that he just wants to figure out who his best players are (not just individually but as a group), and then he'll employ the tactics that suit them best.

I mean, at the end of the presser, Kelly was asked about what it would take for his team to start formulating an identity, and his response was that "the identity that we want versus what we have is consistency." I take that to mean that he just wants the players to focus and execute the best of their ability so he knows what they can really do...once he knows that, he can determine how best to deploy their talents. So what's the "identity" of the team ... that's a protean concept in Kelly's world.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Daniels, Jackson and Kelly breakdown the big 4th Q plays against Purdue:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/HseBocxYPEQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Old Man Mike]

I liked the film on the two plays; what I don't like so much is why it has been taking us so long to decide to burn these crowding defenses with our superior fast athletic receivers. Let's threaten these guys a little more. Tommy CAN throw it long, so let's dump that crap-talk. I also don't understand why we aren't undercutting routes more. Sure, if you can't on some play, you don't; but the whole idea of the powerful up-front big men is to scare the QB into unloading it quicker. Can't we blitz five and still have a decent shell allowing some pirate behavior??

But the thing which is beginning to bother me the most was alluded to in a post a couple of layers up: the repetitive talk about personnel groupings.

Purdue's talking about knowing what we're going to do offensively just by our personnel groupings on offense [it's a tribute to Kelly's systems and Tommy's fast-seeing and how good some of our players are, that we do well anyway.]

But worse was Coach's defensive oriented "personnel-groupings" comments. I find it impossible to read that stuff any way other than Diaco doesn't know what is going to happen when he sends some group onto the field, and we're in some kind of empirical trial-and-error mode. THAT DOESN'T INSPIRE ME. I cannot believe that many top DCs cannot send squads onto the field ALREADY KNOWING that they are going to be effective just on system and coaching alone. Sure, tweaking, fine. But still wondering what sorts of personnel packages will function?

This whole personnel packages thing may sound like a great idea to get your large numbers of high-quality athletes some meaningful reps, but the philosophy may not make anybody happy in the end. Like the analogy of alternating a quarterback or a pitcher every pitch --- not usually good. Especially if the batter knows that the one guy only throws curves and the other only fastballs. I feel the identical thing is happening too much with our one or two play and you're out carousel at runningback.

Can we please settle in a little and get really good at what we do??

 

[Seanthornton]

I think this is a big reason for the defense's growing pains thus far. Diaco is blitzing and using man-coverage far more this year than he has in the previous 3 (probably in the hopes of protecting his greatly weakened LB corps), but we're simply not very good at it yet. If they figure it out, we should see a dramatic improvement.

The alternative, of course, would be to continue with the conservative Cover-2 Shell Diaco ran for most of 2010- 2012, and one would think there was a strong bias toward that strategy for the sake of consistency and veteran comfort level. So how bad must our LBs look in zone coverage that Diaco has opted for this more aggressive solution?

Agreed on everything you said. The coverage on receivers is decent . Now all they have to do is read the Eyes of the receiver or take a look back for the ball. A lot of the passes caught over the pass 2 weeks should have been interceptions. ND's corners are getting it done to a point but they have to read the ball. It's work in progress. I hope it gets better.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Can't we blitz five and still have a decent shell allowing some pirate behavior??

I'm puzzled by that as well. The only explanation I can come up with for Diaco's new-found aggression is that our LBs and NB/DB must be very poor in zone coverage; that's the only way it would make sense to blitz 6-7 so often, particularly for a DC who has been so conservative over the last few years.

 

[IrishLax]

I'm puzzled by that as well. The only explanation I can come up with for Diaco's new-found aggression is that our LBs and NB/DB must be very poor in zone coverage; that's the only way it would make sense to blitz 6-7 so often, particularly for a DC who has been so conservative over the last few years.

Yeah, it's funny because I called for this as a potential solution to how bad our ILBs would be in coverage. Turns out blitzing gets us beat too, just in a different way. This team is just not well equipped to defend QBs who can extend plays... not a lot of speed at LB, not very athletic DL, not a lot of "cover" corners who can lock down a player for 3-4 seconds.

So my "solution" is getting used... and it's not working. Maybe we should just play tons of nickel/dime and go back to the zone coverage + rush 3? More delayed blitzes? More disguised blitzes? I don't know what the answer is. Maybe there isn't one.

 

[irishtrinity]

Offense Line need a bigger push and open holes for these running backs.

HATE!!! The screen passes they are not working. I'll take 3 yrds up the middle instead of that bs.

A wait then chase the ball defense, yes it stops big plays, but god I'm sick of watching these teams run routes of 3 yrds turn around and catch over and over. All day on all 3 games. TD for Butt at M, and Purdue did the same thing in the 4th.

Defensive line is doing work. Doubled teamed all day and still fighting not getting frustrated. LBs can we blitz on and keep one right at 5 yrds deep in the middle of the field.

Those are my few gripes. Got to say I am proud of our team and they have been playing lights out for us. So get behind our boys, and get ready for some better wins. Go Irish beat Spartans

 

[PANDFAN]

I'm puzzled by that as well. The only explanation I can come up with for Diaco's new-found aggression is that our LBs and NB/DB must be very poor in zone coverage; that's the only way it would make sense to blitz 6-7 so often, particularly for a DC who has been so conservative over the last few years.

Yeah, it's funny because I called for this as a potential solution to how bad our ILBs would be in coverage. Turns out blitzing gets us beat too, just in a different way. This team is just not well equipped to defend QBs who can extend plays... not a lot of speed at LB, not very athletic DL, not a lot of "cover" corners who can lock down a player for 3-4 seconds.

So my "solution" is getting used... and it's not working. Maybe we should just play tons of nickel/dime and go back to the zone coverage + rush 3? More delayed blitzes? More disguised blitzes? I don't know what the answer is. Maybe there isn't one.

the issue i have seen from my couch w/ many beers has been the all out blitz is sooo telegraphed; that the qb calls the check, wr's hot route it and since all lb's are coming in the middle is completely wide open which has been the achilies heal...it's how temple had success in the beginning, gallon became an all-american and purdue found a fortune in it...high risk/high reward...more times than not, its been high risk..i can remember specifically tuitt/shembo creating some reward from temple and tuitt specifically on a critical 3rd down on a swing pass that because of rush, was hurried and thrown too far ahead of rb but all 3 teams have sufficiently moved the ball on this philosophy of telegraphing...have not seen 1 cb blitz yet...i know collinsworth from the safety position has several times

 

[PANDFAN]

ahhh BK shares my sentiment as well..just posted from keith:
After watching the Irish get burned in man coverage when they brought heat after Devin Gardner, Kelly spoke candidly about the balance of manufacturing pressure on the quarterback.

“The easy answer is probably what you already know. That when you bring pressure, you’re either giving up some zones and zone pressure or you’ve got to play man‑to‑man,” Kelly explained. ”I still think we are not where we want to be defensively in terms of what that structure is going to be yet.”

Structurally, the battle appears to be between three and four man fronts. To get the team’s best players on the field, Kelly often shifts to a four man front, engaging Prince Shembo or Ishaq Williams as a down linemen, while sending four or five rushers to get after the quarterback.

But those blitzes put more pressure on a group of players that aren’t quite as experienced. Having Danny Spond as a field side linebacker in coverage is a lot different than Jaylon Smith or Ben Councell, two guys who are seeing things for the first time. Losing Manti Te’o from the Irish’s zone coverage underneath is like losing a centerfielder that plays daringly shallow. That’s been painfully obvious as opponents have beaten the Irish on screens and picked apart their underneath coverage.

“If you bring more pressure, you’re giving up some zones,” Kelly explained. “So you either have to play some three‑under, three‑deep, which vacates some zones and you’d better get there, or you have to play simply some more man coverage.

“Within that man coverage there’s a lot more technique that goes in, because it’s not simply you line up wide. It’s bunched formations; it’s picks; it’s fighting through all those complexities of playing man‑to‑man coverage.”

We’ve seen those complexities not quite grasped, with Elijah Shumate and Cole Luke learning the hard way in coverage. Even starters KeiVarae Russell, Bennett Jackson and Matthias Farley haven’t logged a lot of minutes, leading to a situation that’s almost counterintuitive: Playing to the Irish’s strength up front might expose one of their bigger weaknesses.

 

[Emcee77]

ahhh BK shares my sentiment as well..just posted from keith:
After watching the Irish get burned in man coverage when they brought heat after Devin Gardner, Kelly spoke candidly about the balance of manufacturing pressure on the quarterback.

“The easy answer is probably what you already know. That when you bring pressure, you’re either giving up some zones and zone pressure or you’ve got to play man‑to‑man,” Kelly explained. ”I still think we are not where we want to be defensively in terms of what that structure is going to be yet.”

Structurally, the battle appears to be between three and four man fronts. To get the team’s best players on the field, Kelly often shifts to a four man front, engaging Prince Shembo or Ishaq Williams as a down linemen, while sending four or five rushers to get after the quarterback.

But those blitzes put more pressure on a group of players that aren’t quite as experienced. Having Danny Spond as a field side linebacker in coverage is a lot different than Jaylon Smith or Ben Councell, two guys who are seeing things for the first time. Losing Manti Te’o from the Irish’s zone coverage underneath is like losing a centerfielder that plays daringly shallow. That’s been painfully obvious as opponents have beaten the Irish on screens and picked apart their underneath coverage.

“If you bring more pressure, you’re giving up some zones,” Kelly explained. “So you either have to play some three‑under, three‑deep, which vacates some zones and you’d better get there, or you have to play simply some more man coverage.

“Within that man coverage there’s a lot more technique that goes in, because it’s not simply you line up wide. It’s bunched formations; it’s picks; it’s fighting through all those complexities of playing man‑to‑man coverage.”

We’ve seen those complexities not quite grasped, with Elijah Shumate and Cole Luke learning the hard way in coverage. Even starters KeiVarae Russell, Bennett Jackson and Matthias Farley haven’t logged a lot of minutes, leading to a situation that’s almost counterintuitive: Playing to the Irish’s strength up front might expose one of their bigger weaknesses.

Ha, so funny. I found this question and answer fascinating too. I posted the full question and answer 8 or 10 posts up.

 

[Junkhead]

The ND coaching staff obviously knows way more than us. If they are struggling to get the team going, there is no hope for us "armchair QBs" Unless you are Mbeckha.

 

[tko]

The ND coaching staff obviously knows way more than us. If they are struggling to get the team going, there is no hope for us "armchair QBs" Unless you are Mbeckha.

Can a mod email him and welcome him back to the site? We need his insight regarding Longo!!!!!!!!

 

[T Town Tommy]

What about the dbs lining up to the inside shoulder of the receivers to try to take away the hot route inside due to blitzing so much? It seems the opposing QB reads the blitz - which isn't too hard especially with the Irish doing it so much and tipping it off - and takes the hot read receiver every time. Or, maybe the Irish show blitz, back off, and crowd the passing lane. I will be honest, I haven't watched the Purdue game to really study it but it appeared the Irish showed the qb exactly what they were going to do on defense and he just took what he could get and moved on.

 

[Ndaccountant]

What about the dbs lining up to the inside shoulder of the receivers to try to take away the hot route inside due to blitzing so much? It seems the opposing QB reads the blitz - which isn't too hard especially with the Irish doing it so much and tipping it off - and takes the hot read receiver every time. Or, maybe the Irish show blitz, back off, and crowd the passing lane. I will be honest, I haven't watched the Purdue game to really study it but it appeared the Irish showed the qb exactly what they were going to do on defense and he just took what he could get and moved on.

agree 100% and I would go so far as to say with the athletic DE's we have in the rush package, we could drop them off into a zone blitz scheme. Would really confuse the QB IMO.

 

[Irish#1]

What about the dbs lining up to the inside shoulder of the receivers to try to take away the hot route inside due to blitzing so much? It seems the opposing QB reads the blitz - which isn't too hard especially with the Irish doing it so much and tipping it off - and takes the hot read receiver every time. Or, maybe the Irish show blitz, back off, and crowd the passing lane. I will be honest, I haven't watched the Purdue game to really study it but it appeared the Irish showed the qb exactly what they were going to do on defense and he just took what he could get and moved on.

We always telegraph the blitz. We never hide it.

 

[kmoose]

What about the dbs lining up to the inside shoulder of the receivers to try to take away the hot route inside due to blitzing so much? It seems the opposing QB reads the blitz - which isn't too hard especially with the Irish doing it so much and tipping it off - and takes the hot read receiver every time. Or, maybe the Irish show blitz, back off, and crowd the passing lane. I will be honest, I haven't watched the Purdue game to really study it but it appeared the Irish showed the qb exactly what they were going to do on defense and he just took what he could get and moved on.

Because then the throw just goes to the outside........... and usually much deeper.