January 3, 201016 yr I was watching the UC/UF game and even before hand, I knew Florida would destroy the Bearcats. With that said, I don't think just losing a coach would have mattered. Kelly or not, Cincinnati had not seen a team like that all season. Like the old saying goes, offense wins games - defense wins championships. Will Kelly be able to implement a defense to help his offense at ND?
January 3, 201016 yr I was watching the UC/UF game and even before hand, I knew Florida would destroy the Bearcats. With that said, I don't think just losing a coach would have mattered. Kelly or not, Cincinnati had not seen a team like that all season. Like the old saying goes, offense wins games - defense wins championships. Will Kelly be able to implement a defense to help his offense at ND? BK is going to bring DC Bob Diaco with him from UC, so a lot remains to be seen on that side of the ball...
January 3, 201016 yr Notre Dame hasn't recruited well, defensively, in the last 10-15 years. You need the Jimmy's and Joe's to make any scheme work, but the right athletes are vitally important to defenses at the highest level, IMO.
January 3, 201016 yr BK is going to bring DC Bob Diaco with him from UC, so a lot remains to be seen on that side of the ball... Interesting that he would bring him with him because I can not think of another college that runs the 3-4 scheme that he does. Of course, that is why BK brought him in.
January 3, 201016 yr Author BK is going to bring DC Bob Diaco with him from UC, so a lot remains to be seen on that side of the ball... I thought he might make a change there. He'll probably win a lot of games, especially against that watered down schedule ND usually has. But I can see a lot of failure in the bowl games, unless they face another team that has a gimmicky scheme. You can recruit big-time talent to ND, on either side of the ball. Perhaps Kelly should have stepped out and brought a coordinator from a good SEC/Big12 team.
January 3, 201016 yr Interesting that he would bring him with him because I can not think of another college that runs the 3-4 scheme that he does. Of course, that is why BK brought him in. The main reason for the 3-4 switch was 2 fold. 1) The type of talent that UC can land in the trenches was better suited in the 3-4 because a large number of the available prospects were more of a DE/LB or DT/DE hybrid. To cater to the talent pool he felt it was best to switch to a system that better utilized those type of talents. Where it proved to be flawed is at the other 3 LB spots where you have to provide both solid run support and the ability to drop and cover. UC simply didn't have the talent in place to pull it off yet. 2. He felt the 4-3 zone ststem didn't provide enough pressure, and it would be increased by a 3-4 zone blitz. The problem is Diaco learned the system under Al Groh who learned it from Parcells. It's a far cry for the LeBeau style that calls for mixed looks and bringing anyone at any time. Diaco showed a little of that early against Rutgers and Oregon State but as the D was failing to stop anyone in the last month it was a soft zone that didn't get a ton of pressure with 3 and 4 rushers and LBs that were below average in coverage. It's easy to say that at ND the talent level increases so the concerns should be easily erased, but recruiting on that side of the ball was not something Front Butt did exceedingly well, and while there is more raw talent than at UC, it hasn't been developed well and now must learn an entirely new system. BK feels Diaco is a rising star in the coaching ranks, and I really liked how he handled the players in his one season here, but from a pure production stand point it is a very risky move. Throw in losing the two offensive coaches that have played the biggest role in devising the game plan every week for 20 years not joining him, and his 2 best players heading to the NFL early and it will be very interesting to see how his first season or two go in South Bend...
January 3, 201016 yr Author gametime - I don't know how much you follow the football recruiting standpoint, but how much of a splash has the Kelly/ND thing made? Is it something that makes a bunch of kids jump on board?
January 3, 201016 yr gametime - I don't know how much you follow the football recruiting standpoint, but how much of a splash has the Kelly/ND thing made? Is it something that makes a bunch of kids jump on board? So far it has hardly been a ripple. Collinsworth is a nice get, but it will be very interesting to watch that recruiting class fold or unfold over the next month...
January 3, 201016 yr Author So far it has hardly been a ripple. Collinsworth is a nice get, but it will be very interesting to watch that recruiting class fold or unfold over the next month... I was curious as to how it was going. Although the caliber wasn't what we thought (hindsight is 20/20), many players jumped on the Gillispie + UK bandwagon fairly quick. I was watching the UnderArmour All-American Game and a lot of kids are still on the Florida bandwagon - with or without Meyer.
January 3, 201016 yr I was curious as to how it was going. Although the caliber wasn't what we thought (hindsight is 20/20), many players jumped on the Gillispie + UK bandwagon fairly quick. I was watching the UnderArmour All-American Game and a lot of kids are still on the Florida bandwagon - with or without Meyer. BK was certainly one of the hottest names in the coaching world, but he is still far from a national presence, and he doesn't seem to be bringing in anyone with that reputation when it comes to recruiting on a national level. Coach Molnar has a lot of pull on the East Coast (mainly the New Jersey hot bed) so that will help there and the rest are mostly guys that have focused on mainly Michigan and Ohio...
January 4, 201016 yr Not next year but if the defense improves greatly they could make a BCS run the year after, after that year the may be atleast a one year let down at QB which can obviously greatly effect the team. All in all I dont see ND really competeing for an NC until about four years.
January 4, 201016 yr ^They are going to need an athletic overhaul IMO. SEC elite, Texas and teams like that are much more athletically gifted. I don't know that ND could fare much better than UC did against UF.
January 4, 201016 yr ^They are going to need an athletic overhaul IMO. SEC elite, Texas and teams like that are much more athletically gifted. I don't know that ND could fare much better than UC did against UF. I think they are definetly athletic enough on offense but that has not been their problem as of late. Defense on the other hand does need an athletic overhaull
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