Thoughts next year??
On Offense- a "C+" - the Receivers should be OK; the backfield is a question (RB's and QB), the line has players but is a question with poor coaching.
On defense a "B+" - the DL looks really good, the LB's look really good, and the safeties/DB's look good.
Special teams a "B" - kicking looks good.
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Elaborate. This poor OL coaching meme is getting out of hand, followed by, if only we can get HH back, also a wish of many a Bears fan: Fire Harry Hiestand. I have no idea whether Quinn is adequate or not for ND's claimed championship ambitions, and I certainly hated the process of his hiring, which looked like giving cover for a predetermined crony hire. But Quinn developed Joe Staley and Jason Kelce and was a finalist as OC and OL coach at Cincinnati for the Broyles Award and the OL looked much better last year when Dexter Williams returned from suspension. The RB situation this year is embarrassing for a program like ND. There is no big play ability. If there is a hole, the backs don't have speed or quickness to get to it and if they do get in the open field, no elusiveness, no explosiveness. They prefer to try to run over defenders. It's unfair to hold Quinn accountable for this mess in these circumstances, especially with the OL injuries and inexperience. If things don't improve with the arrival, hopefully, of play making talent at RB, then I'll join the call for his removal.
not any OL coach or specific OL personnel...how many times have we seen talented OL members appear to be poor run blockers while in South Bend, but then they go to the NFL and perform just fine against bigger, faster, stronger....better NFL defenses. Kelly's default offensive philosophy is flawed and that makes any OC or OL coach under him a moot point.
Commitment to the running game is how you establish a solid rushing attack and develop capable run blocking OL. The only time Kelly consistently shows a commitment to the running game is when he is working with a QB he doesn't fully trust yet, and in those years we normally have pretty good rushing attack and more consistent overall offensive performance (weird right). But, as soon as he developed trust in his QB, he delegates the run game to an afterthought and the offense suffers...sure it looks pretty when clicking with all the big passing, but as soon as we face and opponent with good pass defense or face poor weather, our offense goes completely idle.
Kelly's lack of understanding regarding how much a steady run threat actually helps a QB be more effective in passing, or how stupid it is to expect your QB to throw the ball 30+ times effectively in monsoon conditions isn't really surprising considering offense wasn't his specialty...the offensive genius tab is a myth. The guy was a LB in HS and College, started his coaching career as LB coach, then DBs, then became a DC, then a HC...he cut his teeth on defense as a player and coach and didn't play or coach anything on offense until after he became a HC. He never served as an OC under another HC to be developed/molded there, he never had to try and find open receivers vs 8 man coverage against a D who knew you weren't going to run, and he never had to throw (or catch) a slick football in a game taking place in a monsoon. He doesn't have a great offensive base or a sound offensive philosophy, he just knows he likes passing the ball regardless of anything else and is perfectly willing to force feed the passing attack even when it's completely ineffective, but will typically abandon the run game at the slightest hint of adversity (and sometimes even when it's having success).
This is the cloud that OCs and OL coaches have to operate under as long as BK is the HC.
Against the four ranked Power 5 opponents that Notre Dame faced this season - ND averaged just 126 rushing yards. Notre Dame returned four starting offensive linemen in 2019. The two best teams Notre Dame faced this year were Georgia and Michigan - Notre Dame rushed for just 103 combined yards and averaged just 2.5 yards per rush.
Notre Dame didn’t even try to run the ball against Georgia, with the Irish backs carrying the ball just nine times. Notre Dame either had a lead, was tied, or was within one score for 50 minutes against the Bulldogs, but Notre Dame couldn't run the ball.
Michigan was another. There was a rain storm that night, which would seem like a great time to run the ball, but Notre Dame averaged just 2.0 yards per rush. Another big game where the run game was needed, and another game where Notre Dame failed to run the ball.
Not being able to run the ball effectively against top opponents has been a common problem the last two seasons. Notre Dame faced five Top 40 run defenses this season, and in those contests the Irish averaged just 100.0 yards per game and 3.5 yards per carry. The last two seasons are the worst during the Kelly tenure from a yards per carry standpoint. That level of production is unacceptable for an offense that can put the talent on the field that Notre Dame can. Notre Dame had the size, talent and experience to be a really good line this season, but from the beginning of the season the unit was far too erratic. It had some bright moments (USC, Duke), but for the most part it relied on being talented, with technique often lacking. It is also a far cry from where the unit was the previous two seasons. In 2016-17, Notre Dame averaged 184.0 rushing yards per game and 5.1 yards per rush against Top 40 run defenses.
There were far too many excuses made for the lack of production from the line the last two seasons. Inexperience is a poor excuse, as is using injuries. The 2019 line underachieved long before Tommy Kraemer and Robert Hainsey went down with injuries. Notre Dame lacks the talent at running back of other top teams, but the backfield is good enough for the run game to have been much better than it was this season. The inability to run the ball against the better defenses places the offense well behind other top programs that are competing for championships.
While its admirable that Notre Dame’s offensive line protected relatively well in the pass game this season, good coaches get their lines to play well in both areas. Notre Dame’s run game struggles this season weren’t about talent, they were about a line that doesn’t play with the necessary force or technique needed. Far too often the Irish line looked unprepared to handle the line games that defenses were throwing at the unit, and rarely were they able to adjust on the fly. Instead of using their size and talent to their advantage, far too frequently the line caught defenders instead of coming off the ball with force. Combo blocks often struggled to get to the second level in those games, another technique issue, and the offside penalties were ridiculous.
A good chunk of Notre Dame’s rushing yards also came from quarterback scrambles in the pass game. Against Stanford, for example, There was a lot of smoke and mirrors to the run game success this season, and those types of runs rarely work against better run defenses, which explains why the offense failed to move the ball on the ground against the better teams on the schedule.
Simply put, Notre Dame’s run game needs to get a lot better. For that to happen, the play of the offensive line must get a lot better. For that to happen, the unit must be coached much better than it has the last two seasons. Until changes are made, changes beyond just "coaching a little better" or "playing a little harder," the Irish will continue to fall short of how good it should be on offense. Notre Dame will return all five starting linemen in 2020, and it will have plenty of skill talent coming back, If the line plays to its potential the 2020 offense could be elite, but if the line doesn't play to its potential the Irish will once again fall short.
In ND's 3 losses (all to Top 50 rush defenses) in 2017, ND rushed 37 times for 55 yds against Georgia at home (1.5 yds/rush); rushed for 109 yds on 36 carries vs Miami (3 yds/r); and rushed for 154 yds on 44 attempts against Stanford (3.5 yds/r): 308 yds on 117 attemps (2.7 yds/r) and that was with Nelson, McGlinchey, Adams and Wimbush running a lot of zone option -- not to mention the huge chunks Wimbush often got from QB scrambles -- rather than the RPO, as a running game staple.
If your an offensive staff and your goal is to get explosive (chunk) plays and you don't have RBs who can get them between the tackles and don't have the speed to get outside (it was painful watching the ND offense trying to run outside with Jones at Michigan; why they even tried I have no clue since they usually rely on jet sweeps to try to get explosive plays outside in the running game), then what are you going to spend your time practicing?
I don't blame the OL for the false starts at Georgia. Take those away and it's not good but it's not a great problem.
move the los in short yardage. not all falls on quinn but something aint right on the OL
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Sorry fell asleep for a second and was obviously dreaming. But with Biff on the sidelines I see another almost good enough to get to the final four, but not. And if I’m wrong Kelly will be tarred and feathered by just about anyone in the final four. As usual.
they cd be a playoff contender
OL has to get better.
QB play has to get better.
Does Lenzy continue to climb? He could be a major problem for teams.
What's the truth about Austin? Everyone says he's the best WR on the team in practice right now. We've heard stuff like this before. If true, and Lenzy continues developing, then ND has something.
Can the CB's step up? I am excited about the defense everywhere but there. If they can plug that hole, ND will have a really good defense again.
I think the DBackfield will be OK - I’ve heard he’s done - but Crawford would make a huge difference
10-2 would be a lock in my opinion but 9-3 with a let down with GT or Wake is a possibility. I think next year is as good a year as any to finally come together and beat Clemson. UW will be a downgrade from this year offensively, so should be able to be a 1-2 pt favorite in that game in my opinion.
With book, I think they could go 11-1.
this year as well as home-run potential in the run game. I believe Chris Tyree, a healthy Jafar Armstrong, and growth from the younger RB's will give us a very credible run game and we can finally achieve a balanced offense. I like the receivers and hopefully Kmet returns. Defense should be good (hopefully cornerbacks can play at a serviceable level). I expect QB play to be better with greater competition. I also believe we can beat Clemson at home. Go Irish!
https://irish.nbcsports.com/2019/11/13/kmet-eichenberg-declare-plans-to-return-to-notre-dame-for-final-seasons-in-2020/
The schedule says 11 and 1. In the past, we'd cough one or two up to a lesser team. Barring injuries, we may have overcome that tendency.
Assuming Book is back as a 5th year Sr and playing like he has down the stretch. Yeah, they loose Claypool but Lenzy, Keys and Austin have a lot of big play ability. The line has struggled this year but they will have a lot back and should only improve. Hopefully Kmet is back. He's a huge asset for Book. Tremble has shown he can catch the ball.
I do agree on RB. Need to be significantly better at that position.
.....and I can imagine us attacking that world and crushing it because they would never be expecting it.
(Credit Jack Handey).
ND recruiting annual in the top 5, of
Because that would be nice...
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He'd still be a top 5 draft pick. Wishful thinking on my part, though...