Finishing up a holiday weekend with part three of the mailbag.
uptheera44: What’s your overall prediction for the defense for next year? I think we have a relatively good idea of the offense’s potential based on the highs of this season (the question there really seems to be about consistency) — but the defense is much more of a wildcard — potential aside, how good do you think this defense will actually be come the Texas opener?
That’s the million dollar question.
To me, Brian VanGorder needs to find two very key solutions this offseason. First, slowing down a team that moves up-tempo. And second, doing a better job stopping the option.
Last season, up-tempo attacks killed the Irish. Sure, it was after some injuries started piling up, but every coach has now seen a season of VanGorder’s scheme. And they’ll now force him to do things his group showed it wasn’t capable of doing last year, mostly moving with tempo and keeping the Irish’s impressive third-down packages off the field.
With Georgia Tech joining Navy on the schedule, that brings two very talented option trigger men up against the Irish defense, with Paul Johnson and Ken Niumatalolo both getting chances to knock off the Irish with talented quarterbacks Justin Thomas and Keenan Reynolds.
Both quarterbacks ran for over 1,000 yards last season. Reynolds scored an insane 23 rushing touchdowns. Johnson threw 18 touchdowns against just six interceptions. And both coaches would love nothing more than to beat Notre Dame.
Ultimately, the Irish defense still needs a few breaks when it comes to health. I think the experience some of the young guys got will pay great dividends in 2015. But to be a dominant group, the Irish’s frontline players need to stay on the field and VanGorder needs to find a solution for hurry-up teams and the option.
irish46327: I know it’s still a few months away yet, but any inklings as to what’s going on with the Blue and Gold game? Hoping like others it’ll still be on campus but I’ve heard Soldier Field as a potential host due to construction.
Anna Hickey of Irish Illustrated reported that the Blue-Gold game was going to be played in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium. It’s not the on-campus solution that Brian Kelly wanted, but I’m not sure what other option there is -- unless you’re getting really, really creative.
It doesn’t sound like Soldier Field is going to be the answer, especially with the natural surface and lack of roof on the stadium. It’d be a much more fun location, but logistically it sounds pretty difficult to pull off.
Is game day on the LaBar Practice field optimal? No. But if you bring in enough temporary seating maybe that’s the solution if you are dead set on holding it on campus.
Otherwise is it Arlotta Field, the lacrosse stadium with a max capacity of 4,500 people? This could be tricky.
grammarnazi69: Does Ishaq Williams finally live up to his potential on the field? Do we finally get to see him play at a 5 star level?
I don’t think a 5-star level is happening. But I think Williams can play well enough to get himself drafted and be an impact player in this defense.
Listening to Kelly on Signing Day, it sounded like Ishaq has some work to do to make it back to campus still. But if he gets it done, he’ll be very useful along the defensive line, especially if he’s able to play both defensive end positions and potential shift inside as well.
That means finally displaying some pass rush ability. It also means being disruptive at the point of attack. There’s certainly some urgency now. And the time away from the game likely lit a fuse that serves as an all-important reminder that the clock is ticking.
danirish: Cam McDaniel – does he get a shot at the NFL?
Only if he can manage to run something in the high 4.5s at Pro Day. I’ve been all over the place on how I view Cam as a football player. But while the comparisons come by the bushel, he’s not Danny Woodhead, who ran a 4.33 at the combine.
But McDaniel is a useful football player who played out of type (he’s not a goal line runner) at Notre Dame. If he wants it, he’ll likely get a camp invite and sign with a team. Whether he makes that roster depends on if he can play on every special team.
ndlv: What players do you expect to show the biggest improvement from 2014 to 2015? For example, last year you predicted a big jump in production for Fuller – are you confident in making any early predictions for next year?
Man, I don’t have a guy that I feel as good about as I did Will Fuller. (Knocked that one out of the park, if I do say so myself.)
Usually I need spring practice to get a feel for this, so I might defer until after the Blue-Gold game. But a few candidates I’ll be watching:
Max Redfield
Isaac Rochell (or Andrew Trumbetti)
Durham Smythe
Mike McGlinchey
Jhonny Williams
Greg Bryant
Ask me about this in May and I’ll have a better idea. But with so few players graduating, it’s going to be tough sledding to surprise me -- or it’s going to be a guy many expected big things from last year and they delivered a season late. (That always seems to happen to me in fantasy football.)
jude1128:
Keith,
I know Notre Dame and film are two great interests of yours.
The Sundance Film Festival has called “The Hunting Ground” an “exposé of rape culture on campuses.” The father of Lizzy Seeberg, the St. Mary’s student who committed suicide after being allegedly assaulted by a ND football player, is reportedly one of the voices in the film.
Since the film is being released both theatrically and then airing on CNN, what effect do you think the film may have on the viewers’ perception of Notre Dame, its administration and its football program?
I haven’t seen the documentary, though I have done some reading on it. And knowing the filmmakers’ previous work, I suspect this will be an excellent film and also an important one.
The Lizzy Seeberg case was a tragedy and one that is still incredibly polarizing. While some have written more prolifically about the situation, I haven’t. People come here for Notre Dame football coverage, not my commentary on important political or societal issues.
That being said, it’s worth pointing out that Seeberg wasn’t raped, nor did she accuse anyone of rape. So from a far, while the name Notre Dame and the Seeberg tragedy is likely mentioned, without knowing the context I have no clue as to if it’ll have an effect on viewers perception of the university.
(The above paragraph isn’t to say that Notre Dame, or the university’s security and police department, handled the situation correctly.)
Sadly, there is no shortage of material for a documentary on sexual assaults on college campuses. It’s a frightening epidemic and one that isn’t new. So while this might be a difficult watch for football fans of any number of schools, I think it should be required viewing.
After it’s on CNN I’ll likely have a more formed opinion, but it won’t be one that you’ll be reading about here.