JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 6, 2021

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 6, 2021

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Marie from Atlanta

2:31

Hi Eric, I Hope your week is looking up after the disappointing weekend. Why do our receivers have such a difficult time getting off the press? Is this a technique/coaching issue? A very positive finish to this season would be in ND could get to a NY6 bowl and actually win the game, for that to happen obviously a lot of things need to improve, did you see any improvements in the game on Saturday that will bode well for the rest of the year? Although the O line is still a huge problem, I thought the pass protection was the best it had been so far this season, not good mind you, but better. Anything else you saw that will give the fans a glimmer of hope? Thanks for all your great insights.

Eric Hansen

2:31

The point is Brian Kelly has been asked about his record vs. top 10 teams. I've asked that question before. I know the answer. I'm not getting anything new. I've written EXTENSIVELY about that being one of the final stages of his evolution as a coach and how he gets there. I think if you ask the other people on here who are familiar with my work, I am not afraid of asking tough questions. But I try to do so with fairness and context so that I get the answer that helps bring clarity for the reader. It’s really that simple.

2:28

Matt, thanks for the compliment and the question. Let's start with the halftime comments. 1. The media in the stadium (in general) isn't watching that TV broadcast. We wouldn't know about it. Even if we did, how does questioning it provide valuable info for the reader? What if we don't agree that it's over the top? Over the years when the team loses a big game, people ask me why a certain question wasn't asked. They already know the answer. It's just they think by asking the question, I would be shaming the coach into changing his behavior. Press conference questions don't work that way. Now you can write columns about those kinds of topics. (more)

Matt ,Atlanta

2:27

Hey Eric enjoy your Podcasts and you are very informative . my question is why is it that none of the reporters ask Coach Kelly what I consider to be a key question which is why do you think you are 3–10 against top 10 teams? Also curious as to why nobody questioned him about The scathing portion of his halftime speech showing on NBC where he tells the players all of them will be evaluated and if they don’t play up to the Notre Dame standard they will not be playing ?This seems pretty out of line to me especially since it was clear the coaches did not have them ready to play nor did the coaches make good in game decisions such as when to put Pyne in. I heard his comment that he would like a bronze out Side the stadium but he must realize what Holtz and Parseghian did against top 10 teams – while his 106 victories is impressive his record against better than average teams is very unimpressive and I realize any reporter asking that question is going to encourage his wrath– I appreciate your comments.

Eric Hansen

2:19

Hi Tom. What you see in a press conference and what reality is don't always sync up. The fire has been lit. ... Let me be clear on Jeff Quinn. My position earlier in the season was that we needed to give it time in order to give a fair evaluation. On top of that, I think there's a bias against Quinn, because he and Kelly had previously worked together and some perceived Quinn's hiring as doing a buddy a favor. I don't think that's fair. But after five weeks, I think Jeff Quinn has been put in a difficult situation that frankly he should be handling better. Does Jack Coan give ND the best chance to win? Not given his and the offensive line's limitations. No. Is he a good guy to have on your roster and under different circumstances would be more effective? I believe so.

Tom from Grand Rapids thru Dowagiac

2:14

Eric, has the point come where a fire is/should be lit under the offensive coaches A$$e$…. I know you have suggested that the ‘mob’ going after coach Quinn has been unfair. However with the amount of time most of the starters have been in ‘his’ system, the results are dismal. I saw T. Priester’s article about the Oline, but what happened to the mantra of next man up? Also what happened to making practices so difficult that games are a walk in the park. Also in your humble opinion does #17 give ND the best chance to win?????

Eric Hansen

2:13

Hi Alex. He wants to win more than he wants to be right. Even if ND makes it to a New Year's Six bowl, everything needs to be on the table in terms of evaluation. Nick Saban made changes when nothing was broken and it made him even more invincible. If BK wants to win a national title -- and he does -- then fixing things before they break needs to be part of that equation.

Alex from Jackson

2:11

With the possibility of a different starter this season, I have to wonder why it is so difficult for ND to get it right at the most important position? Cons appears to have nervous feet due to the line’s play, and who could blame him? This appears to be a pattern of behavior mentally. Crist, Golson, Wimbush, Book not wanting to take shots downfield, and now Coan. Kelly is a good coach. No argument here. But he is the common denominator with all of them. Is he doing something to create lack of confidence at the position? Any chance he ever realizes that pattern and does something like after the 2016 season to fix it? I honestly don’t know what that fix is, but he has to see it and realize it is keeping him from his ultimate goal.

Eric Hansen

2:10

Tyler, as I've mentioned in some other questions, chemistry, cohesion and continuity... Actually, that should be on a T-shirt or a collectible plate. If ND was going to go with Rocco, it would have been easier to commit to him out of the gate than making that switch now. I've been asked about him enough that I need to do some more digging. But it's clear the coaching staff feels Kristofic is the best non-starting option among the interior guys at this point. ... You mentioned the "next Quenton Nelson." Quenton did not play as a true freshman. In fact, in 50 years of freshman eligibility, there have been a combined NINE starts by freshman offensive guards in those five decades. None of them at left guard. Tyler, I'm thinking the same way you are. Rocco is intriguing. I know he has a bright future. but you have to play the players who are least likely to make mistakes now.

Tyler - Cleveland OH

2:04

Thanks for the chats! I mean no disrespect to Zeke Correll but his play has been subpar. It’s tough for me to imagine Rocco Spindler being that much worse to not get any playing time. Given ND recruited Spindler as the next Quenton Nelson. What’s the hesitation with giving him a shot? Does the instability at LT play in to it? He’d at least have experience to his right with Patterson. Wont solve all the problems either but why not give it a try. What’s the downside?

Eric Hansen

2:03

Hi Eamonn. Thanks for being part of the chats. I don't think it's a deal breaker, and I suppose there are ways to spin it. I would imagine it beats having a stadium that's half full. The USC game (Oct. 23) is going to be the biggest recruiting weekend of the year. Especially for the 2022 kids who are splitting hairs among some really good options, the stadium needs to be electric that night.

Eamonn from Portland OR

1:59

Eric! Always look forward to Wednesday, thanks again for doing these chats and giving us fans valuable insight! I’m sure there are tons of questions this week. I’d like to throw one in the queue about Cincinnati’s fan base and impact on recruiting. From what I read, a loss doesn’t seem to really impact a recruit’s decision. But what about the visiting team occupying a large chunk of the home team’s stadium and almost making it a home game for them? How does that influence a recruit’s perception of the home team’s fan base? (Please note, I did not attend the game. I only saw what was on TV and read Ridder’s comments).

Eric Hansen

1:57

Thanks Joe. Usually the coaches spend part of the bye week recruiting ... going to see players play in their high school games in person.

Joe vrabec from Long Island

1:57

Hi Eric, good questions at Kelly presser…his opinion about the bye week as not being useful for getting in some technical work… he wants to rest players, well I think Kolzie, Styles, Pyne, Backup TEs all need more work and practice, not less! And developing Rocco and Tosh and Alt and Kristofic ( more Reps) could be accomplished by “ grinding” on the twos and scout team. Kelly doesn’t want to “ grind “ the ones,,, and I agree,,, but the others certainly need reps . What are polian and Quinn and Del gonna do for 5 days? Go to vegas?

Eric Hansen

1:56

Every bit as troubling is ND's plummeting pass efficiency ranking. The Irish are 71st this week. Of the 46 championship game participants only one team reached that plateau with a PE rating of 45th nationally or below. That was the 2012 Notre Dame team.

1:54

Hi Bill, and thank you. I can give you that answer as it pertains to the teams that have reached the national championship game since 1998. I don't have the date handy on the playoff teams that lost in the semis. ... So here goes. ... Teams that reach the title game AND win championships are usually at least top 25-30 in four of five categories -- if not all five. Those are rushing offense, rushing defense, pass efficiency, total defense, turnover margin. Of the 46 teams to reach the title game since 1998 (23 champs and 23 runners-up) there have been six teams ranked below 50th nationally in rush offense. Florida State 1999 is the worst at 83, but that's still 41 spots higher than where ND currently ranks. (more)

Bill-Idaho Falls, Idaho

1:41

Has there been a team in recent history that you are aware of that made an appearance in the four teams selected to play for the National Championship that was as one dimensional as the Irish are this year, particularly at the running game? As always, your well thought out and educated answers are appreciated.

Eric Hansen

1:40

Matt, I'll try to condense my answer so it fits in the chat format. I'll use the word prioritize over making changes per se. No. 1, I'm doubling down on recruiting in the 2022 and 2023 classes. By doing so, I'm trying to avoid some of the same issues in the future. And No. 1 is landing that elite QB in the junior class, whether it be Nico Iamaleava or Dante Moore. I know ND is also looking to try to flip LSU five-star QB commit Walker Howard in the 2022 class. Go for it. For the O-line, I'd fly in Aaron Taylor and see if Quenton Nelson can come up while he's on the IR to get their feedback. No egos involved if you're coaching. Do you want to get better -- or not? I'd fast track LB Prince Kollie the best I can to keep from wearing down JD Bertrand. I'd also maybe have Jack Kiser split time evenly between the will and the rover. ... at the end of the season, I'd evaluate everything. And if changes needed to be made then, I'd make them -- that includes coaching staff changes. But the season needs to play out.

Matt from Los Angeles, CA

1:29

You've been anointed Head Coach of the ND Football team and have absolute authority over all team decisions (players, coaches, philosophy, strategy, you name it). What changes (if any) are you making right now? What changes are you saving to implement at the bye week? Finally, if the season ended today and you had an entire off-season to implement your changes, what are you doing?

Eric Hansen

1:29

Tom, sometimes with a situation like that, there's a minor injury or there's a schematic reason. I too was surprised and hope we get an answer on Botelho on Thursday's Zoom with Brian Kelly. ... I do think the bye comes at a good time. Great time, actually.

Tom Kennesaw, GA

1:26

Hi Eric, tough week for everyone. I'm sure there will be enough comments about the O line so my only comment there is that Insanity is often defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. What is going on with Jordan Bothelo? He only played 4 snaps against UC while Ehrensberger played 10. I thought JB was to be one of our difference makers. Is he not assignment correct? This is supposed to be a defense that lets players play freely. This sounds contradictory. Also, what do we have to do to win this week ? Finally, can you remember a ND team that needed the bye week any worse than this team?? Sure hope we can find some answers. Go Irish!!!!

Eric Hansen

1:25

Dan, thanks for your patience with me! I think you nailed the quarterback and the reasons why. I'm not sure what this will look like long term, but right now Pyne has the best blend of skills -- and didn't wither in high-leverage situations -- to be QB 1 in October.

Dan,Grand Rapids, Mi.

1:23

Hi Eric, Glad you're here to hear and let the ND nation vent a little. I watched Kelly's post game pressor, and I think he'll name Pyne as the starting qb......as I believe he should. With our o-line being as it is, Pyne , with his mobility and experience, at least knowledge of most if not all of the playbook, "gives ND the best chance to win". With Coan, the opposing defenses, just tee off on him because they know he can't run, and the o-line isn't good enough yet to protect him. Do you agree, and do you think Kelly sees it the same way? Thanks for ALL your great work.......and patience with us!

Eric Hansen

1:23

KJ, the way I look at that baseball game, the Cardinals are playing with house money. If the Dodges clobber them, I can live with that. If not, look out Giants. ... Yes, I do think Lorenzo Styles Jr. and Deion Colzie have earned the trust of the coaching staff and have thus earned more playing time. If Joe Wilkins' injury turns out to be long term, that opens the door even wider.

KJ from near the Channel Isles

1:21

Scary day today Eric. Your Cards against my Dodgers! Should be a good one. Re ND, do you think we’re going to see more of the freshmen receivers going forward? Reliability seems an issue with some of our vets.

Eric Hansen

1:20

Thank you, Jim.

Jim from Terre Haute, IN

1:20

Hey Eric - Thank you for taking all of our questions and your honest answers and opinions.

Eric Hansen

1:20

So let's look at guard. The player most likely to take over for either Correll or Madden is Andrew Kristofic. He's been rotating in the last three weeks -- with a fourth week of that coming up. If you're going to make him a starter, the bye week would be the time to do so. John Dirksen and Rocco Spindler are the most viable other options. Perhaps you replace both guards. You can also double down on technique work, film work and you can make some schematic changes that better fit the personnel. ... Thank you for asking about Kevin Bauman. I had kind of put him on the back burner. thinking he was out for the season. In reality, the original prognosis for his return from injury was six weeks. I'll make sure to ask about him on Thursday.

1:15

Hi Len. I'm not sure what your definition of drastic is regarding quarterbacks. I think it's a matter of picking the one who gives you the best chance to win and getting him ready. I think that's what the coaching staff has in mind, based on Brian Kelly's comments both on Saturday and Monday. ... The bye week re the offensive line is a balance between giving guys a break mentally and physically and making some fixes. ... The problems at tackle are mainly health. If you could get one of those four healthy for a stretch -- Alt, Carmody, Baker (Fisher'e out long term) -- you might start to see some progress there. At center, there's not a problem. Where you need to see most improvement is at the two guard spots and right tackle, but you've run out of tackle options. (more).

Len from the Jersey Shore

1:09

Hello Eric, Thanks for hosting. I understand that it takes time for a line to gel but during Cincinanti game I saw blatantly simple concepts not used. On the screen pass that Coan ended up throwing into the ground Zeke C let his tackle pass him with no diguise at all. As you would expect the tackle from Cincy smelled out the play. Not picking on Zeke. I can go on and on as I broke down many plays. Bad reach blocks, guards being run over by DT diverting running play to different gap, no communication on Buckner pick when end delayed stunt around his tackle, our tackle guard and back went with tackle and the looping end causes a pick, and very little push on run plays. I say somehow get thru VA Tech then redo the line during bye. I know this is drastic but the errors in technique and communcation are not improving enough. What do you say about the coaches willingness to do something that drastic? (ditto QB situation). They need to find out who is ready to play. And when is TE Baumann back?

Eric Hansen

1:06

Hi Jim. Hope you're doing well. I would be surprised if you didn't get your wish this week, and for the reasons you laid out so well.

Jim from Terre Haute, IN

1:05

Hey Eric hope your doing well.
With Coan’s lack of mobility and the O-line struggles, wouldn’t we have more success with Pyne in as the starter? He seems to have good mobility and pocket awareness and also seemed to bring a little bit of a spark to the offense in both games he’s been on the field this year. I would love to him get a shot as starter against V-Tech.

Eric Hansen

1:05

Is Tommy Rees over his head in play-calling? I think by and large is does a good job. I think he's creative and works hard at getting better. The fair question is would it have been smart when Rees was elevated to that position (after 2019) with so little experience to have an experienced offensive mind also hired at that time to help groom Rees. I say yes to that concept, and there were able and willing candidates out there to do so. To be clear, I like what Rees' future looks like and how he's growing into it. But is there a cost in the present and the immediate future?

1:01

It's interesting to me that Notre Dame has reached a level that losing to a top 10 team, that was favored, engenders so many big-picture questions. I actually think that's a good place to be. I can remember when those kind of losses led to apathy. ... Jake to your question, We got into this topic in depth on our Pod of Gold podcast with 247Sports national director of recruiting Steve Wiltfong. The fact that ND has played three quarterbacks isn't an issue for me, as long as you find the right one. The bigger question is this: Is the right one on the roster for 2022 and 2023? (more)

Jake from Saratoga

12:50

Hi Eric, do you believe the use of the 3 QB’s falls more on Tommy Rees or Brian Kelly? And regardless of that, wanted to know if you feel as though Tommy Rees is in a little over his head with play calling? I fear that last years success was more about how strong the O Line was and the running game that covered up the flaws in the offensive game plan. I think there will be a time when Rees is really good but don’t think he is anywhere near that at this point. Thanks.

Eric Hansen

12:50

As to why so many Cincinnati fans, the ND game might have been the biggest game in their history. It's less than a 5-hour drive. And ND Stadium is a bucket list destination for a lot of people. So the demand was there. Why was the supply? I cant' answer that, and maybe it has something to do with the antagonization you mentioned. It could be some ND ticket holders are waiting to see how the large crowds play in terms of COVID cases before venturing to a game themselves. I have noticed the ND ticket office running specials, so I'd be on the lookout for those if you're still interested. If you feel they've lied to you, please be more specific.

12:46

Regarding digital tickets, I first wrote about those on May 18, so I think there was some warning. And last month I did a Q-and-A with AD Jack Swarbrick on the home football experience, in which Swarbrick mentioned there are all kinds of reconciliation booths. So if you don't have a smart phone or aren't adept at using it, you can go to any one of those and get a hard ticket. As far as the UC "sellout," ND was trying to sell some three-game packages, so they originally set aside some UC tickets for that. As the game got closer, they released the unsold tickets to be purchased for a single game. (more)

12:36

Larry, off the top, I'll let you know that while I can sympathize with your issues, I don't have much personal experience in purchasing tickets. When I came to the South Bend Tribune in 1988, I was besieged by people who wanted and/or expected me to help them obtain tickets. I realized, if I wanted to have a life, I needed to shut that down right away. In the few instances I have made exceptions, about half of them I regretted. ... But I do think I can help give you clarity on some of your issues, at least. (more)

Larry from Millersville, PA

(Part 2) In short, why were so many Cincinnati fans sitting in Notre Dame Stadium?

12:28

Eric, I don't have any questions or comments about players, coaches or the loss to Cincinnati. At this point, we all know what the strengths and weaknesses of the 2021 team are. I attended the game last week and I felt like the game was being played on a neutral field. Everywhere I looked I could see a lot of red. Will Notre Dame ever look at its ticket prices, ticket office procedures, season ticket options? The stands should never be full of so many fans from the opposition. The athletic department has antagonized fans for at least a decade. A few years ago they threw loyal season ticket holders under the bus. They manipulate ticket prices through StubHub. They made older fans very angry this year by switching to mobile tickets only without any advanced warning. I have caught them lying to me on several occasions. When I called about tickets to the Cincinnati game in August they told me it was sold out so I purchased tickets on Stub Hub. The seller was ND at a price above face value.

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