JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 26, 2021

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 26, 2021

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Eric Hansen

3:40

OK, that's going to do it for today. I have another work commitment coming up. Thanks for all the great questions and sorry for the ones I couldn't get to. We'll be back to do it all over again next Wednesday at noon ET.

3:37

John. I'm sorry about last week and you had a really good one. I remember, that I didn't see until it was too late. )And you just made it this week). ... I think all the coaches are on the same page with the messaging to recruits. I don't see that as an issue. Chad Bowden does a great job in that mix as well. If Botelho stays, he'll have a chance to compete for the starting vyper position next season, with Foskey and Justin Ademilola moving on. He does not fit well in what Golden wants to do with the linebackers. So he's definitely a D-linemen. Has been excellent on special teams.

John - Palmyra, PA

3:34

I was 0/2 last week with my questions. ?? How does what Marcus is telling the recruits and what Tommy/Al are doing with the recruits/youth mesh?? Please explain. Bothelo at LB, or is he also a xfer in the off-season? Thanks.

Eric Hansen

3:34

Thanks, Chuck. The Irish may lose Limar and still have two great RBs. Peyton Bowen is really interesting and has been. I think him visiting for the Clemson game is huge, and how he comes out of the weekend will be very telling. As I mentioned earlier, ND wants to and will still add more prospects. ... I think Marcus has handled the Marshall and Stanford losses well with recruits. So I think 6-6 or better won't change their thinking. I am encouraged by some subtle signs of growth I have seen in season from Marcus Freeman as well.

Chuck /Cleveland, O

3:30

Hi Eric. Another excellent job by you & Tyler on Monday. The word is that MF will improve his coaching ability with time ---agree. But, his Recruiting ability will compensate ---- agree to a certain extent. IMHO, this Recruiting Class will change dramatically by Signing Day. I cannot see current W/R Commits staying strong as they watch the W/R's "die on the vine" @ ND. Also, Oregon was electric on Saturday which had to impact Limar & Bowen. Oregon played fast, and energetic and creative --- vs ND boring performances lately. Got to be more fun playing in Oregon vs South Bend these days. Also, just read that ND might have the fastest recruiting class of 2023. IF....Commits stay true, MF is off and running in his coaching career. How do you see this unfolding up to December? Will a final record of 6-6, or worse, change/ alter this current Recruiting trajectory? I am "all in" for Marcus despite his inability to make significant and needed changes thus far! Thanks for listening!

Eric Hansen

“Some of that is schematic like, ‘Hey, let’s not show some things that are easy to pick, because people pick signals. Tempo’s usually can be picked. So let’s not show them in a game when you don’t need them.’ When you’re up like that you’re certainly not trying to accelerate it that way. Unless there was some short-yardage stuff we did that was good for us. I guess we scored two touchdowns on tempo calls. The one to Chris, the second touchdown, and then Audric’s first one, there was an injury, but that was an on-the-ball call. Maybe it didn’t look like tempo but it was.

“The ability to change it — we’ve gotten some feedback that on film and in-game we probably play faster than people prepare for. Which I don’t know what that means, but it is what it is. I think we have a blend right now of being able to huddle, being able to really play fast, and then somewhere in between.”

3:29

Rees was asked about tempo at the media availability Tuesday night. Here was his response:

“With regards to tempo, we’ve always felt like the ability to change tempo is the advantage. If you do one, teams know how to prepare for it. Let’s say we played 70 reps of football Saturday — it was a little bit more, but you take out the kneel and you take out some plays — I think we had 16 (quick) tempo. We huddled 20 times, maybe 18. Calling from the sidelines.

“We had 14 drives there before the kneel down, so that’s 14 more calls. And then the ones where we’re in-between tempos. So that’s about right. You’re probably going to look at it about 18-20 percent of what we do (is quick tempo). It’s week-to-week a little bit on the opponent. And then, to be perfectly transparent, when you’re up 30-7 at half, you’re not going to play with tempo just to play with tempo.

3:27

Hi Jim. I think sideline demeanor is overrated. Rarely do fans get to see the complete reprensentative range of it anyway. ... Fans tend to love sideline mannerisms that work. Case in point, Tyrone Willingham was pretty controlled on the sideline. When ND started the 2002 season on fire, people were quick to compliment that style. He was called cerebral, and like Buddah (seriously). But when they started to lose, he was too passive. He was thinking about his next golf game, allegedly. Same guy, same demeanor — but different results meant a different perception. (more)

Jim Tal, Valley Center, CA.

3:23

Hi Eric. Quite a year to be on the Irish beat to say the least. Hope the ride hasn't been too bumpy. I would like for you to give Marcus Freeman a letter grade for the job he has done thus far. Frankly, I have been pretty disappointed. Where to start? To begin with, Freeman's sideline demeanor is rather uninspiring and shows little fire. Plus, neither he nor his coordinators have shown much in the way of making in-game adjustments. Moreover, why doesn't Freeman insist on a more aggressive, creative and quicker tempo offense? He sees what is happening with too much predictability from OC Tommy Rees yet he allows a lot of mundane play calling to persist. He should demand a much more assertive approach.

Eric Hansen

3:23

Hi Scott, and thanks for the kind words. We asked Tom Lemming on our podcast about Angeli's ceiling. I do think it's higher than Pyne's but not in this moment. If Angeli were a junior with three years in the system and the command of the entire playbook, I'm with you. Because he's not, I think the offense would be less open. More handoffs, less creativity because of his EXPERIENCE-related limitations.

Guest

3:19

Scott from Augusta, GA. Eric, always appreciate your willingness to listen to our highly "insightful" input to the weekly chat. You can tell you're a Dad and Grandfather! Your patience is amazing. I have lots of questions and comments but I'll go easy on you since it's my first time submitting a question. Since the offense has become very predictable, the lack of a vertical passing game, stacking the line to stop the run, Mayer triple-teamed; why not give Angeli a few series and see if it opens up the offense? I was very hopeful that Pyne would answer the bell but I think he may have reached his ceiling. I'm curious about how high Angeli's may be. Be safe, and thanks much for all the information you bring to the ND faithful.

Eric Hansen

3:19

Persistence was identified as the most important. Obviously, there has to be athletic ability to go along with that. But those are the traits AgDiago measured in helping schools with their recruiting.

3:18

Hi Sean, when I was at the SB Tribune, I did a story on AgDiago. It's a sports technology company that incorporates behavioral science that 12 FBS schools — including Notre Dame — were using (at the time I did the story) in their recruiting to produce a higher “hit rate” with the prospects they do eventually sign. The five key areas they identified in prospects who made it vs. the busts were:
• Competitiveness
• Mastery (attention to detail, studying film, preparing for your opponent)
• Work Ethic
• Persistence (overcoming adversity, never giving up)
• Team Orientation

Sean, Portland OR

3:15

What are the most common reasons 4 and 5 star recruits don't pan out? I know it doesn't *just* happen at ND (TA&M seems to be the poster child of this right now). Is it lack of development? Their talent was misjudged? Bad "fit" in terms of coaches and scheme?

Eric Hansen

3:15

I'm all for you watching it on YouTube. That's a great tip. Thanks.

Guest

3:14

Eric, a comment that may prove helpful to your chatters that indulge in your and Tyler’s Monday Night Live spot. I was frequently frustrated watching Monday Night Live on your ND Rivals website as I could only watch about 5 to 8 minutes before it would “freeze” and start all over again, repeatedly. However if I watched on YouTube, I didn’t experience that frustration. Now it might have something to do with my particular 3 year old IPAD, but I suspect something else is the culprit.

Eric Hansen

3:14

So your ultimate question comes down to: Is Notre Dame staring down two to three years of progressive mediocrity. ... My sense is that the answer to your question is no. Now how quickly does Marcus get up to speed. I think we'll get that answer in January through April. ... How he goes about improving himself in the offseason. What staff changes will their be if any -- including adding analysts? How does the 2023 recruiting class finish out and does he continue the momentum he has with the No. 1-ranked (so far) 2024 class? Does he make the right decisions regarding the QB position for 2023? Can he evolve as the game changes around him? And is ND's NIL strategy sound? Keep an eye on all that, as I will. The let's revisit this in May.

3:08

George, there are a lot of deep, philosphical questions this week — and darn fascinating ones — like yours that I'm not sure I can do justice in the chat format without suchj a long pause that people would be wondering if I've fallen and can't get up. ... I'm going to take a stab at yours. So please forgive the oversimplification due to brevity. I don't think the Gerry Faust comparison is valid. Marcus, at the very least, is a young, bright defensive mind. Faust not only was over his head. He didn't have the capacity or the potential to really change that. He did recruit well, like Marcus did, but he lacked a lot of necessary qualities that Marcus does have. (more)

George from El Segundo

3:04

Hi Eric: thank you for continuing to provide the voice of experience and reason in a cacophony of disappointment this season! Now, please talk me off the ledge (again). As a long-time ND fan, Coach Freeman and this season remind me painfully of the Gerry Faust years, when all of us rooted very hard for a very nice man to succeed, when it was becoming more and more obvious that he was in over his head. I understand that any team would be hampered by the loss of a starting QB, an experienced linebacker, and the inevitable growing pains of a new coach taking over a classic program. But there have been simply too many time this year when the play calling, the "execution," and the errors are indefensible and inexplicable. Notre Dame should NEVER lose to Marshall and a terrible Stanford team, at home. Are we simply staring down 2 or 3 years of progressive mediocrity, or is there truly light at the end of this tunnel. Thank you.

Eric Hansen

3:03

Hi Jason, Buchner's timeline is mid-January for recovery, but I will check on that Thursday to see of there have been any changes.

Jason from Grand Rapids, MI

3:02

Good afternoon and thanks for that chat. I'd love to see Buchner make it back to see game action in the bowl game. I feel like Pyne is the guy every team needs, but can't afford to start every game. I'm not sold on a transfer (but then again Hooker has had a Heisman season for a resurgent Tennessee). Just thoughts and no question. Have a great week.

Eric Hansen

3:02

There are initiatives for the academic side of ND to find some middle ground with portal hopefuls. They're not going to bend on GPA, etc,. but there's some potential wiggle room with the hard line on transferring credits.

3:00

Hi Mike. There have been times ND has gotten its bye week to sync up with midterm week. This was not one of those season. I've heard both Charlie Weis and Brian Kelly at times talk about the challenge of prepping during midterm week. I'd have to research it (and can't at this moment without stalling the chat) to find a patterm. ... As far as the should-have QBs, if Tyler Buchner does not get injured, are we asking that question? The portal matches are difficult for ND unless they're grad transfers. But there were roughly 90 QBs in the portal last cycle, and ND could have gotten one if the Irish had wanted one. But remember, if ND had wanted to bring one for the spring semester, December was a pretty chaotic time with finishing the recruiting cycle, prepping for the bowl and hiring assistant coaches. (more)

Mike, Gilbert,AZ

2:54

Eric, I wanted to ask you about the Stanford game. Most everyone said the ND players were flat with no energy. Hate to make excuses but do you think the fact that it was mid term week has any direct correlation with coming out flat? I think these players do not play their best during mid terms. I’d love to know ND’s record the last 15-20 years during mid terms. IMO, it would be a great week to have no game and/or have the coach back off on practice that week. Also, the USC transfers do not seem any better than what ND has currently. Is there any portal QB that ND should have gone after? I know you said that a ton of these kids simply can not be accepted at ND. So do you think ND should ease restrictions with the transfer portal going forward? Thanks for the chats. Go IRISH!

Eric Hansen

2:54

Hi Len, I have not seeh tne picture you asked about. ..Yes I recall coach Elliott and his contributions vs. the option. Some of those concepts were with ND as of last season. ... I believe ND thinks it has something as impactful as what performance consultant Amber Selking provided. I hope to chat with Marcus Freeman about that at some point. I'm not sure the role of analyst would bring players along faster, at last not directly. That's no an on-field coaching position. I do think, however, they can indirectly do that by making the coaches better. And when I asked Marcus last week about adding more, he was open to the idea of whateve would help the program.

Len from the Jersey Shore

2:49

Hi Eric, The season seems to be moving along quickly. I know you have written about ND & analysts. Have you seen the picture of Nick Saban's meeting with the infield (coaches and grd asst's) and the outfield (analysts)? pretty crazy to have two dozen analysts as part of the outfield. As for ND I seem to remember after the Navy Fiasco at the meadowlands where Diaco stated he had no other adjustments that he had practiced that could be made, coach Kelly using Coach Eliott as an analyst to design a defense against the option and protocols on how to practice leading up to that game. Do you recall that? it worked Do you think Coach Freeman will add some analysts? He would need to be a good CEO. Maybe someone to replace Amber? And maybe analysts can devise a way to bring along young players faster. I envision backups leaving with degress more often if they are not playing as much as that want. Your thoughts as always are appreciated.

Eric Hansen

2:48

I don't think Notre Dame has a shot at Vizzina. The best option -- and in no way is it a slam dunk -- would be flipping Kansas State commit Avery Johnson. ... Outside of that head coaching changes could contribute to a few more options closer to signing day. But time is running out.

Dave ponte vedra fl

2:46

This is a recruiting question, hope you don’t mind. After watching Clemson’s 5 star freshman QB take over last week I have to wonder why Vizzina would continue to commit. I understand he was interested in ND until the Irish put all its eggs in the Moore basket. What are the chances ND can steal him (or anyone else) away?

Eric Hansen

2:45

Noelle, this is an excellent question, but probably better answered in story form to give you the answer you deserve (including researching other teams). Thanks for asking and for the idea I plan to pursue.

Guest

2:44

Noelle,New Oxford Pa. Long time reader,first time question,I enjoy your work,I've been reading alot about ND's scan offense and was wondering how this works.Seems to me that when ND goes to the line of scrimmage,no one ever seems to know what is going on until they look to the sideline which takes alot of time which in turn,slows down up-tempo.If the play takes that long to get in,it has to take time for the players to understand their assignments,why not just call the play and depend on your QB to change if needed? I don't see alot of other top teams doing this,correct me if I am wrong.Also,what is the percentage of top college teams running the scan offense? Thanks for taking my question.

Jerry Dallas, Tx

2:37

Jerry from Dallas. Eric, what are chances that ND will find a Jack Coan for the 2023 class? Coan may not have been a scrambler, but his passing accuracy would have ND 6-1 right now. Also, hopefully, ND will try to get other QBs for 2023 and even 2024. Until he shows up and puts on ND uniform, we can't afford to, once again, put all of our eggs in one basket.

Eric Hansen

2:36

To me, it's about maximizing what Pyne can do well and acknoledging his limitations. Last year, the coaching staff stumbled upon in the Va Tech game that Jack Coan was way better playing uptempo than not, so there was a push to put him in those situations, and he became a much better QB because of it. Had they not, it's possible Buchner would have overtaken him. Marie, I don't think there's too much on his plate, but constantly asking the question: is there a better way to get the most out of him? is reasonable.

2:31

Hi Marie and thank you. We asked Al Golden about the red zone defense last night. It's not like they've been a sieve in the red zone, but as he's pointed out, they've not been effective on the money downs (third and fourth). They also need to force more turnovers in the red zone (and everywhere else). ... I think it's fair to question the scan offense and whether more RPOs is the answer. However, I mentioned this when Pyne took over. It was going to get more difficult when team's started scouting him, making him part of their game plan and plotted how to make him play to his weaknesses. Now he's facing by far the best two defenses he's been matchup up with this season. (more)

Marie from Atlanta

2:24

Hi Eric, I hope you’re having a great week. What an unsatisfying win this past weekend but a win none the less. Overall I think the play of the defense has been decent this year but red zone defense has been atrocious, what do you think The defense needs to do to improve in the red zone? Changing gears entirely to Offense, Pine seems like a great kid but clearly he’s limited. It seems He has a lot on his plate with the scan offense and then looking to the sideline to change the play maybe it’s too much to think about and that is why he is not playing well. Do you think they should simplify and do something like run a lot more RPO‘s, those seem to be successful for just about anybody and I’m sure he’s been running them since he was in junior high, Maybe if he didn’t have to think so much his level of play would go up. As always, thanks for hosting the chats and all the great insights.

Eric Hansen

2:23

Hi Rapid-fire Matt. 1) The part about showcases Patterson at guard is fiction. He was asked to move there and did so willingly. 2. Not sure anyone undersestimated Davis and his potential impact. Well respected player. I think coming back for a seventh season is not realistic. 3. I've hot the QB question many times. Misread/misplayed the Dante Moore situation with no Plan B. NIL was definitely a factor. 4, Captains are Foskey, Lugg, Patterson, Bertrand and two players out for the year -- Davis and Bauer. 5. Evans, Kollie and Morrison.

Matt (KC)

2:15

Do you think this team performs better if Jarret Patterson were at C but we agreed to showcase him at G if he came back? 2. Is it possible we underestimated just how important Avery Davis was to our offensive make up and is there any chance he could get a waiver for another season? 3. Why haven't we landed a QB in this cycle (especially a top of the line guy), is it all NIL? Yes I say NIL with disgust in my eyes. I am surprised kids even have to go to class anymore (cough cough). 4. Who is the leader of this team on the field, I am not sure I know and that would seem to be a problem? 5. Tell me something small you have seen on the field you are really encouraged by, I need good news.

Eric Hansen

2:15

Sean, Peacock is grateful for your $4.99, I'm sure. Thanks for the compliments. ... To your question, I think Tommy Rees has a lot of autonomy, more than a lot of offensive coordinators. That can be a good thing and a bad thing for anyone in that position. Sometimes it's great to have more ideas, more people to bounce concepts off of. Sometimes the other people kind of get in the way. In this instance, I think Marcus does a good job of communication the big-picture principles he wants for the season and within each game. He doesn't overextend himself and meddle unnecessarily. He tries to be a complementary piece. Sean, I guess my question to you is what does challenging Ress throughout the week look like? How does that make Notre Dame better? I'm not against that concept, I just need to knoe what it looks like and what it's supposed to accomplish.

Sean-Schaumburg, Il

2:09

Eric, Oh no! ND was on Peacock. I didn't miss watching the game. Another drab performance with several opportunities to put up 50+ on a bad UNLV team(I read myriad postgame reports). This is on Rees. I'd like to see 13 personnel used more. Mayer out wide as a receiver. Meriweather as the lone WR. I think Freeman is using this season to evaluate Rees. Is Freeman's career on the D side of the ball causing him to be reluctant on challenging Rees to adjust in-game? Challenge him throughout the week in game prep. Your insight is great. Your professionalism is great. Thank you for your time. Go Irish!!

Eric Hansen

2:09

Not ever portal QB transfers because he's not playing. Sometimes they want to play on a bigger stage ... or other reasons. So once the portal starts to fill up in December, that would be a good time to talk about potential matches ... if indeed ND is going to pursue one.

2:07

Hi Aaron. I am doing well. Until today, we've had a run of weather in the 70s. I've hit on general themes regarding the defense's lapses, both in this chat and in previous ones, but in the UNLV game specifically, there were some attrition issues due to injury and ND kind of being forced into playing nickel when it didn't want to be in that defense that often. Foskey surging, though, is a good sign. ... I don't like to get into transfer speculation on specific players for a few reasons: 1) Lots of players consider it when life gets hard. Most push through those feelings. 2) Unless something's in the works, it's unfair to that player. 3) Circumstances can change quickly. ... So far it hasn't affected recruiting, and that's why I asked Marcus Freeman about how he handled that issue on the trail on Monday. (more)

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