He's always been the same. You don't have to like him to think he's probably the best ND can get. He's a 9 win average coach, with an occasional 12-1 a season and an occasional losing season. This is not a 12 win season, and any moron knew that going in. We lost our best receiver, our best running back, two first round draft pick O-linemen, our best LB and our best defensive tackle (NG?).
Right now we just need to scrap for enough wins to keep a decent recruiting pipeline working. We'll hit another 12-win year at some point, but only if we keep grinding out 8, 9 and 10 win seasons.