JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Sept. 8, 2021

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Sept. 8, 2021

Eric Hansen

3:12

I'm sorry I have a fairly full queue and wish I could clear it out. I have other reporting commitments this afternoon ahead of me. Thanks for all the great questions. We'll be back to do it all over again next Wednesday at noon EDT.

3:11

Updates on Fisher and Simon tomorrow, but neither will play Saturday. I mentioned Pete Sampson's report on Fisher (6 weeks). I don't disagree with your assertion about the scrambling, but I'm open to be proven wrong.

Ron, Dover De

3:09

Eric really enjoy your insights on ND football. Please keep up providing us your articles and this chat. My question is based on the FSU game Jack Coan looked to be clam and controlled but I question the ability of this team to beat a top 4 team with a QB who is really more a statue and has no ability to be a threat to scramble. What are your thoughts? Also any update on Blake Fisher and Simone. Thanks.

Eric Hansen

3:09

Barry, even if you were asking me the same question about Alabama, my advice would be no more than a cup of coffee in the line or a beer. Don't want that on my shoulders.

Barry Plesser

3:07

I’m an alumnus of Jack Coan’s Sayville High School football (1965) I had the distinction of watching Jack play while at my 50 th HS Reunion. Been following him at Wisconsin.
My question is; How much I’m going to bet on The Notre Dame going to National Championship!!!!!!??

Eric Hansen

3:06

The top two improvements need to be and should be stopping the run, and running the ball better. ... I like that you're a Coanhead. Did you consume mass quantities during the game? Are you from France?

KJ from near the Channel Isles

3:05

Well, Eric, we dodged a tomahawk! Great performance by our new quarterback. If Packer fans are cheeseheads, guess I'm a "Coanhead" after that showing. He doesn't have Book's nimble feet, but appears to be a better passer. If game 2 shows the greatest team growth, what should we look for this Saturday?

Eric Hansen

3:05

I believe it is only reviewable if you're looking to see if the ball was touched/partially blocked before the contact. What I kept seeing from the Officials experts late Sunday night into Monday (and I believe it was on the live broadcast as well), the five-yard penalty is for hitting the kicking leg and the 15-yarder is for hitting the plant leg. That seems overly rigid in definition to me.

Bill from St Joe, MI

3:02

Hi Eric, Is roughing the punter vs running into the punter a reviewable call?

Eric Hansen

3:01

Tom, I think the fan bases at Oklahoma, Iowa State, Oregon, etc., are asking the same questions after wins. I don't think that's unfair. Even if Florida State turns out to be really good, it's reasonable to ask about areas of potential improvement. To your question, I still would be surprised if FSU turned out to be better than four of the five teams currently ranked that you mentioned. I'm not sold on Virginia Tech's sustainability yet. FSU's next big test is Oct. 9 at North Carolina. My biggest question re the Seminoles is how will their O-Line hold up?

Tom Kennesaw, GA

2:54

Eric, since this is a ND Chat we are all focusing on the Irish and what we perceive as an underwhelming performance on Sunday. However, if FSU winds up going 10-2 this game takes on a whole different perspective. Given the quality of the teams we play in the middle of the season, after seeing FSU first-hand how would you rate them in relationship to the Wisconsin, Cincinnati, USC, VT and UNC teams? Thanks for all your insight. Go Irish!!

Eric Hansen

2:54

Hey Myliah. When Botelho becomes available, there are packages where he lines up at the linebacker level. He also played linebacker at Honolulu Saint Louis High. But other than the niche packages, I'd line him up on the edge. He is really effective there.

Myliah

2:51

Writing from El Cerrito, CA (yep, Aaron Banks’ hometown; it’s great to have him back in the Bay for the 49ers). How do you feel about moving Botelho to the LB unit and giving Alex Ehrensberger some time on the edge? Would help with the LB depletion and we’d get to see a more mature Alex lay some heavy sack-of-German-potato sacks on poor QBs.

Eric Hansen

2:51

Tyler Bucnner has the strongest arm. I don't think his first collegiate pass in that environment would have been the right call. I would have gone with Coan there.

Will from Seattle

2:50

It seemed Jack Coan significantly underthrew the end of game Hail Mary. Is there another arm we might turn to in that situation in the future?

Eric Hansen

2:50

Thank you Doug, in SUNNY, Florida.

Doug from Sunny Florida

2:50

"I'M NOT GOING TO GET POLITICAL WITH THIS (not aimed at you, Pat). I will answer the COVID questions in the context of sports, because it is a factor. If you want to get on a soapbox about which side of this you're on in your own personal life, I'm not going to entertain that. Take it elsewhere." Thank you Eric! There is enough anger, political nonsense and misinformation regarding this topic so it's refreshing to hear you make this statement!

Eric Hansen

2:49

I rewatched the fourth quarter and overtime Monday night. What MIlton was doing was extraordinary. I think once that stage was set, maybe less gushing and more letting the video and events tell the story was in order. That's not Milton's fault. That kid deserves every positive thing that comes his way.

Jeff - Cincinnati

2:47

While I realize McKenzie Milton's comeback is extraordinary, don't you think the announcers were a bit over the top in their comments?? It got to be nauseating after awhile in my opinion

Eric Hansen

2:47

Rich, thanks for your support and for your observations.

Rich from Key West

2:47

I was very happy to see our Irish hang in there and win that close game. Johnathan Doerer came up big when called on and hopefully that was a giant step in helping him regain his confidence. I cannot be disappointed with a victory. Think we all expected a continuance of Clark Lea's astute halftime adjustments to continue on with the new regime but he was a master at that and not all coaches have that touch. Lot of room for improvement in that area and a long season to get it done. Thanks for all your hard work.

Eric Hansen

2:40

Thanks, Tom. Yes, FSU had 13 transfers, including former Georgia defensive end Jermaine Johnson II. The Athletic's draft analyst, Dane Brugler, rates him as one of the top five senior DEs in college football. .. As far as Lorenzo Styles Jr. and Deion Colzie playing more ... yes, but not in tight games as this point.

Tom from Sprinfield Illinois

2:35

Hi Eric- always enjoy reading your articles and Chat. I know everyone was probably heading for the bridge after the game but in all reality this may be the type of game they need. That being said - wasn’t several of the Florida defensive players SEC school transfers ? Secondly - will some of the talented freshman receivers see more playing time if the offense becomes more pass oriented ?

Eric Hansen

2:35

I hope your first question is rhetorical. I am taking it as such. As to Bauer. he played more on special teams (27 snaps per Pro Football Focus) than at linebacker (24). He made one tackle and was credited with one quarterback hurry. In the flow of the game, he did not jump out at me in that game as he has in others previously.

Coach from Reading,PA.

2:33

Hi Eric. Do you think Marcus Freeman worked on open field tackling this week? How did Bo Bauer play? Thanks for your great stories.

Eric Hansen

2:28

Hi Pat. It's hard to be confident about anything with a virus that has been so unpredictable. The trend I am seeing are more schools moving toward proof of vaccination or proof of negative tests. I'M NOT GOING TO GET POLITICAL WITH THIS (not aimed at you, Pat). I will answer the COVID questions in the context of sports, because it is a factor. If you want to get on a soapbox about which side of this you're on in your own personal life, I'm not going to entertain that. Take it elsewhere. Washington is the latest program to implement the vaccine/testing strategy.

Pat from Evergreen, Colorado

2:22

Eric, constant reader and occasionally have a question but always appreciate you generous work. I loved the whole fan experience at FSU, but I am starting to worry about Covid and the rest of the season. How confident are you that we will have a complete season with full stadiums? Are you hearing anything from your abundant network?

Eric Hansen

2:19

Hi Alan. I think the atmosphere at Virginia Tech -- once Enter Sandman has worn off -- will depend on how the Hokies are doing at that point in the season. They're No. 19 this week after stifling North Carolina. The 50-50 crowd in Chicago might be spicy, too, for Wisconsin. But ND hadn't played in front of a crowd like the one at FSU since 2019 because of COVID. So I do think it'll turn out to be the toughest environment for that reason and several others.

Alan from Whiteland, Indiana

2:15

Eric, with all due respect to Virginia Tech, is it likely that Notre Dame just won in the toughest road environment they will face in the regular season? Florida State's fans were absolutely engaged, loud and cheering all game long. Winning is hard and Notre Dame did just that: they won. What say you? Thank you for answering my question.

Eric Hansen

2:15

The consensus is there's a lot to like about Jeff Quinn. He did have a true freshman ready to go and has two more who could step in and play this year if needed. He's an elite recruiter. And from the people I've spoken with, they believe the problems can and will get fixed. It might be a season-long thing, but there will be evolution. If you are seeing technique deficiencies along the way, I would trust those observations, but I think you won't see them as we get deeper into the season.

2:11

Hi Marie. First, I think you're watching the O-Line play closer than I am and I respect your observations. And Chris Watt is really, really good. Look at what he did with that unit for Tulane against Oklahoma. Here's how I look at ND's offensive line play in 2021. 1) There is only one Harry Hiestand. He was absolutely technique-driven. If you compare anyone else coaching O-Line currently in college football, in most, if not all cases, they're not going to measure up to him. So let's put Jeff Quinn in the context of current O-line coaches. When I really need nuanced answers about the offensive line, I do lean on people smarter than me on that subject. (more)

Marie from Atlantalanta

2:01

Hi Eric, I hope you recovered from the game, and are enjoying this short week before Toledo. I understand some of the Oline's issues are due to chemistry from never playing together, however it still seems that the poor technique seen in the Blue Gold game is still present. The poor technique reminds me a lot of what was seen in 2019, it seemed like the arrival of Chris Watt remedied a lot of that last year, now that he has departed it seems poor habits have crept back in. Do you think Quinn and Mendelson can get these issues corrected, and how long do these type of changes take to implement. It seems old habits would die hard, especially in pressure packed games. Also, I was very disappointed with the physicality of the O line, I thought it looked like FSU was more physical, played harder and wanted it more, perhaps an overreaction on my part, but what did you think? Thanks for all you great insights.

Eric Hansen

2:00

Manny !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I out-exclamation-pointed you! I think the problems on defense will get fixed easier and sooner than the ones on offense. I don't think ND is lacking playmakers, though losing Marist Liufau stings and not having Jordan Botelho in the opener also does. I was stunned ND gave up as many rushing yards as they did. I don't see it as a trend. I think Kelly would like to go deeper into his roster against Toledo, but I don't think they're going to be an easy out. They return all 22 starters from last year. They also have 22 players who are either in their fifth, sixth or seventh year of college. So it's a mature team. ... Manny, the fact that you're a grandpa too that loves to spend time with his grandkids made my day.

Manny from San Pedro

Eric!!! Grandkids means I can’t always attend live but man I love these chats!!! We seemed to get the injury bug in week 1. If we get a nice lead on Saturday will Kelly rest starters or will he keep the peddle to the meddle to get more experience?

1:52

eric!!!!!!! 1-0!!!! Doesn’t matter if it’s ugly if we win. With our schedule looking soft it seems to me we must go 12-0 and don’t see why we can’t!!! Was the defensive problems getting used to a new season ? Or are we really lacking playmakers besides Hamilton to make a big play ? Frustrating to see them gut us with the run in the second half

Eric Hansen

1:52

Incidentally, regarding having freshman Tommy Rees throw into the end zone against Tulsa instead of attempting a makeable game-winning field goal in 2010, Kelly told me a couple of years ago that's been his biggest coaching regret at ND. ... I don't think Freeman is stubborn at all. I think he's got the personnel and the schematic touch for this defense to steadily improve, and sooner than later.

Guest

1:50

Bert from Windermere. Congratulation you have been very positive on Kevin Austin and he came through. Wish him the very best. When Brian Kelly came to ND he had been successful against lesser opponents and it took him years to change his views. Remember that he said when criticized after the Tulsa game “better get used to this because this is who we are”. Now comes Marcus Freeman who was very successful against the same competition, has been overhyped and was not successful in his first game. Are you confident he can rightvthe ship before Wisconsin?

Eric Hansen

1:49

Hi Jack. Thanks for reading and being a part of the chat. It is a trial balloon for both Notre Dame (and its brand) and (NBC (which owns Peacock) to explore new revenue streams. Tyler James has more specifics about how much it costs and how to watch in a story he posted earlier today.

Jack, Strongsville, OH

1:46

Eric. Thanks for all the great work you do through all the seasons you have had the ND FB beat. A simple question. Why is the Toledo game being shown only on Peacock. Is it not attractive enough to even be carried by NBCSN or USA? Or is it an trial balloon to see the power of the ND brand? Or something else?

Eric Hansen

1:45

Thanks Alex, and that was the easiest question of the day so far!

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