JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Sept. 16, 2020

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Sept. 16, 2020

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Nathan from Long Beach, CA

1:48

Eric, you usually have a great perspective about the state of our team and aren’t as prone to freaking out as I am. From what I saw, there were three things that alarmed me about our offense in no particular order: our inability to create push at the line of scrimmage in the run game, our WR’s inability to create separation in the passing game and what seemed like vanilla play calling in Tommy’s first regular season game at OC. Am I overreacting or are you concerned as well?

Eric Hansen

1:47

Marie, always nice to get your sharp lines of questioning. We've addressed a couple of these, but I wanted to get to the last line of questions. Yes, the team does have a mental performance specialist in Dr. Amber Selking. It may be coincidence, but they are 34-6 since enlisting her services. Yes, she has told me visualization is one of the techniques they use to work through mental blocks. We hope to have her on the Pod of Gold podcast at some point.

Marie from Atlanta

1:45

Hi Eric, Thanks for hosting the chat. It's great to have football back! I was really disappointed with the performance of the offensive line on Saturday, particularly with regards to the run game. They never seem to get a good push and a lot of times they seem to be falling backward. I know that this is a talented and experienced group, but some of the problems seem to be related to poor technique. This was an issue last season as well. Why can't this get corrected? I also thought Ian Book was disappointing and lacked confidence, to me his issues seem more mental than physical, does the team spend time working with sport psychologists and using visualization to help players get through mental blocks? As always thanks for your thoughts.

Eric Hansen

1:44

It's great to have you back too. I think they deserve praise and they are getting it. Today's ND COVID-19 dashboard shows only 49 active cases on campus among students and employees, three new positives among 446 new tests and a 1.4% seven-day positivity rate.

Iwin from Flagler Beach, FL

1:41

Hello. Great to have you and football back. I have more of a comment than a question - but I'll end it with a question mark. The players, coaches and University all did an amazing job getting us to this point in time. This has to be the craziest, most uncertain time in the history of college football. Rather than all the doubting, do you think the coaches and players should be hearing high praise for the work, the personal commitments and class they have all shown throughout this process and ordeal?

Eric Hansen

1:40

I have no evidence that happened, nor has that been my focus. If it did happen, it's beyond reprehensible, given the risk and the potential long-term effects of the virus science is still learning about. Also, it has not been proven yet that an individual can't be reinfected after three months, Also, if that many individuals tested positive, than there would have bee a lot of practice disruptions.

Joe Toledo, OH

1:37

Ed Orgeron stated that roughly 75% of LSU’s team has been infected with COVID-19. I have heard of high infection rates at other football powerhouses. At the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist, have you considered the likelihood that some programs have tried to COVID-proof their teams or at least have been permissive to the point that it’s a likely outcome?

Eric Hansen

1:37

That's my first question to Brian Kelly tomorrow. He may have to dance around it a bit, because I do believe safety is a position that was affected by quarantine at some point in training camp.

Lawrence from San Diego

1:36

DJ brown played more than Houston or Isaiah in relief of Kyle H. Any insight or thoughts?

Eric Hansen

1:36

They were picked 12th out of 15 teams in the preseason ACC media poll, and yet Duke has had a winning record in five of the last seven seasons. I think reality probably lies somewhere in between those two points. I think if ND played Duke again in late October, the margin would be wider. I think it's a team with some standout players and a very good head coach, but with some missing pieces.

Tom from Downers Grove

1:33

Hi Eric, I know it's only been one week but do you think Duke might be one of the better ACC teams this year? There were a lot of good things and a lot of struggles so I'm wondering if we can attribute any of that to Duke being better than what they are historically

Eric Hansen

1:30

Not entirely surprised. When I've had conversations in the past with ND's defensive backs the past two seasons, and especially in 2019, they brought up Joe Wilkins a lot. The fact that the coaches didn't move him back to cornerback at some point led me to believe they felt investing in him on offense would eventually pay off. We had seem him flash in some practices in past years that the media was allowed to attend. I do think he'll get some opportunities this week, and he has to take advantage of those, because Kevin Austin and Ben Skowronek will be back sooner than later.

Gabriel Weiss from South Bend

1:27

Good afternoon, Eric. How surprised were you that Joe Wilkins Jr. was the wide receiver who stepped up for Notre Dame last weekend? I had often heard about Kevin Austin and Lenzy of course, this offseason, but not so much about him. Do you think he will continue to get play time, especially as the fore mentioned receivers get back healthy and on the field?

Eric Hansen

1:26

Jake, you lively minx, that is a LOADED question. I'll answer it without addressing the chicken with the head cut off aspsect. ... ND has invested in Ian book, believes in Ian Book. And unless there's an injury, they're going to find out this year what his ceiling is.

Jake8589

1:25

Eric, my hometown is Saratoga Springs, NY. Sorry about that.

1:24

Hello Eric, do you think at some point Brian Kelly will get up the courage to make a change at QB as the ceiling for Ian Book has been hit and it’s not pretty, a third year starting QB who still acts like a chicken with its head cut off in the pocket if his first option isn’t wide open.

Eric Hansen

1:24

I think the line played better than he fan base thinks it did. In the fan base's defense, the expectation is that this could/should be THE BEST line in the nation. So I get the angst, but I also believe the line can/will start evolving in that direction. Also keep in mind, there was less competition for that award last weekend. No SEC, no Big Ten, no Pac-12 and not a full run of Big 12 or ACC games. Still, it's a nice starting point.

Cliff from Battle Creek

1:21

According to PFF Notre Dame had the best O-line in college last week. However, that didn't feel like what I was seeing live. Do you agree with PFF or what did you see from that group?

Eric Hansen

1:21

Hi Chuck. Thank you for being part of these chats. The free year of eligibility the NCAA granted because of the pandemic kind of takes away the incentive to redshirt players, although I wonder it they'll walk back aspects of that at some point. In any event, Alexander Ehrensberger had trouble this summer getting back to the U.S., so he was in Germany much of that time. Even if he had been here, he's viewed as a long-term prospect. I'd expect Jordan Botelho be a higher priority to get on the field at defensive end this year.

Chuck--Westfield, Indiana

1:12

good morning eric. so enjoy these chats and your articles in the paper. i recently inquired about the defensive freshman end from germany. will he see any playing time this year. thanks eric

Eric Hansen

1:10

I think Book needs reps with the receivers. Period. It's apparent that timing and chemistry needs to build. But if it's a four-TD lead in the fourth quarter, I think that situation calls for Brendon Clark to get experience. It's a balance, but if you're playing against a second-team defense, it's time for Clark to come in.

Erik, Granger, IN

1:08

You said on Pod of Gold that you like Brendan Clark but not his inexperience. Given that we didn’t see a lot of chemistry between Book and the WRs last week, do you think it will be more important for Book to get more garbage time reps this week or Clark? (if we have a big lead in the 4th quarter and Book hasn’t been overly sharp).

Eric Hansen

1:08

Joe, second question first. Sometimes you have to attack a defense where it's vulnerable. Duke's defense probably will end up being very average, but their standouts are in the defensive backfield and in their pass rushers. They set their defense up to test ND's passing game, because that's where they perceived ND's offense to be most vulnerable. Ideally, ND will be able to run and pass equally well in time, and then that becomes a challenge for opposing defensive coordinators. When you play Clemson, you can't ignore Travis Etienne to focus on Trevor Lawrence and vice versa. ... One of those freshmen, Jordan Johnson or Xavier Watts, is probably going to rotate in this week.

Joe H Lake Geneva Wi

1:03

Hi Eric Great to be talking Irish football with you again Just wondering why we didn’t see any of our heralded freshman wide receivers last week and also why with the exception of maybe one or two plays didn’t we try any passing plays longer than 9 or 10 yards

Eric Hansen

1:03

It might be harder to tell, because Duke is better than USF, but I expect more than incremental improvement this week. I have ND scoring 42 points in my final score prediction.

Mark, Orange County CA

1:03

How much of an improvement do you expect to see from the offense this week compared to week 1?

Eric Hansen

1:02

Alex, yes the screens seem to fit the personnel very well and Brian Kelly said to expect that to be more of a staple under Tommy Rees. Book may have reached a ceiling, but mid September is too early to conclude that one way more another. October football is going to tell us a lot.

Alex from Jackson, MO

Second thought...I believe maybe we need to be happy with Book as is. Maybe he has plateaued? I hope I’m wrong, but he is pretty good as is. I’m not sure sitting in the pocket is his game. And finally,I watched Williams beat my alma matter in high school. Glad to see him run over, around, and through D1 talent as well. What a joy to watch on Saturday.

1:00

Good afternoon, Eric. Hope you are doing well. Two observations. The first, thank goodness for the screen game we spoke about last week. When done well, I believe it is the most beautiful play in football. Hit on two opportunities and another one was big yardage left on the field.

Eric Hansen

1:00

Terry, I think ND is still very much spread, but I think you may see less zone read, for instance, and also more formation and philosophical wrinkles than what you may associate with spread.

Terry From Alexandria, Virginia

12:58

Hi Eric! I know we want to run the ball more this season, but what type of offense are we? Spread or pro-style style offense?

Eric Hansen

12:58

Leadership. I think one of the reasons ND had so few COVID-19 cases this summer, how they kept their focus with all the distractions was strong leadership, including that coming from Ian Book.

Tom from Georgia

12:57

In what phase of the game did you see improvement from Ian Book?

Eric Hansen

12:57

Steve, I was one of 26 media members in the press box (normally there's 180) and we were spread out. It was incredible to be there Saturday after so many apocalyptic stories this summer from people in my profession saying playing college football in a pandemic was impossible. I slept better Saturday night than I had in six months. I was finally in my comfort zone and it felt exhilarating. ... I've addressed Book already and am eager to see how he builds on that performance.

Steve from Canton MI

12:54

Thanks for the insight you provide. Two question: 1) from where did you view the game and 2) Book appeared to be off on his passes. Did you view that as well or were the receivers not getting separation?

Eric Hansen

12:53

Patrick, it looks like a high of 64 and low of 48, so I'm not sure that's going to be the culture shock you're hoping for. Again, I expect Book to improve. What he must prove beyond that, as the schedule toughens later in the season, is whether he's elite.

Patrick, Fort Wayne

12:52

Eric, Saturday's weather will feel like fall and a Florida team is in town. I wonder how they will deal with northern Indiana weather? Watching Ian Book throw the football last Saturday gave me deja vu. He was overthrowing receivers last year and continues to do the same this year. Also, he still throws off his back foot way to often. I would think he worked on such issues over the off-season. Do you see this as a continuing problem for a senior QB?

Eric Hansen

12:49

Rick, there were times when the receivers were not getting separation and times Book missed "layups" as Brian Kelly called them. ... But your question is why can't ND get young. talented receivers on the field early? It comes down to trust and being patient with mistakes sometimes. Mike Denbrock was more willing to do that then Chip Long/Del Alexander it seems. Sometimes it goes beyond football, as BK alluded to re Jordan Johnson recently. Anytime he brings up working on "traits", he's not talking about route running. One caveat, there are position groups that have been affected at times by quarantines, and WR may very well be one of them.

Rick Dierolf

12:46

Hey Eric, Rick from Sinking Spring Pa. I was very thankful to be able to watch our Irish play Saturday but also very frustrating at times. It seemed the receivers were not getting separation and Book missed some easy throws and seemed jittery in the pocket, when he did step up in the pocket he hit Avery Davis for the touchdown. He also missed at least two open receivers for touchdowns, will he ever get over these flaws in his game and why can’t our young talented receivers get on the field like they do at other schools. Thanks Eric, I love your work

Eric Hansen

12:44

Mike, thanks for the kind words. I was in the press box Saturday. and Tyler takes that turn this week. I'll be covering from my home office. There were several aspects of Book's game that were unsettling, and they've happened before. One of his remaining challenges as a college QB is adjusting more quickly when a team throws looks at him he was not expecting. His footwork needs to be more consistent. BK cited chemistry with receivers as something that was rough Saturday that he expects to improve. I don't think Duke is an easy team to take deep shots against. They play 5 DBs and they're pretty experienced. And they pair that with two of the better defensive ends in the ACC. I think ND's run is going to open up the deep passing game as we go along more than the deep passing game is going to open up the run. Especially against teams with similar defensive strengths to Duke's.

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