JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 11 2023

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 11 2023

Eric Hansen

3:16

OK, that's going to do it for this week. Sorry for all of you stuck in the queue. Thanks for all the great questions answered and unanswered. Seriously, really impressed this week. We will be back in the bye week for another chat, Wednesday at noon ET.

3:15

Hi Tony, Jordan Faison is not your ordinary walk-on and there are all kinds of factors, some beyond football, that affect freshman readiness that may not affect them as sophomores and behind. Kyren Williams, as a running back, is a good example, or someone who seemed ready but very much was not as a freshman due to issues on and off the field. Then he changed everything in the offseason after that freshman year.

Tony, Cedar Rapids

3:13

Hi Eric, i am puzzled that a walk-on is ready for action before highly touted freaky talented guys like Braylon James? Especially given the need for dynamic play at WR to force defenses to respect the pass threat.. What needs to happen to establish that play this year or is it a multi-year project that we can only patch this season?

Eric Hansen

3:12

Hi Bob. This is not his vision. Ideally, he wants a balanced offense that can open up the pass with the run and open up the run with the pass. Part II was strong out of the gate and is now in crisis mode.

Bob Loganville, GA

3:11

Eric, hope all is well. If I didn't know better I would think ND hired a different OC after the 4th game this season. When the schedule got harder (and more tape for the opposition to study) the offense regressed which reminded me of last season. Since MF is the common denominator over the last 2 years I wanted to ask if this his vision of how he wants the offense to operate?

Eric Hansen

3:10

That's what we are told. Greathouse, though, was limited against Louisville even though he played.

Michael Elkview, WV

3:10

Are Jaden Greathouse and Jayden Thomas healthy? Thomas seemed to lip late in the Louisville game

Eric Hansen

3:10

Thanks, Len.

Len from the Jersey Shore

3 Lack of development of the WRs
5 Poor offensive line play
2 Missed tackles - higher because of shortage of LB speed, tacking has to be much better
6 Team schedule
4 Coaching (penalties) indicates a lack of discipline and attention to detail needed for other aspects of game
1 Coaching (offensive gameplan and play calling)
7 Talent/recruiting

3:10

Eric, I did my take on list showing why I had different numbers than you on some items. I thought he put out a good list for discussion

Eric Hansen

3:09

That game was suited well for Jeremiyah Love, and actually he fits as the No. 2 option very well moving forward. But Audric Estimé would thrive in a better-conceived offense as well.

Chris in Abq

3:08

Hey Eric, I was shocked the ND offense didn't do any quick passes such as slants, running back screens just to get the defense off the line of scrimmage. I am also shocked that J. Love does not get involved more in the offense as he seems to have next level speed. Am I wrong in this evaluation from your perspective? Thanks as always and Go Irish!

Eric Hansen

3:08

Hi Aaron, we're into overtime where, so I am going to have to compress my answers to very legit questions. ... The coaching problem is not adapting to the changes defenses have made to Parker's initial coaching game. As I mentioned in the very first question, coaching is about evolving. Or you get left behind. Adjust and counterpunch. Look, Harry Hiestand is the best. Comparing him to anyone else is not exactly fair, considering having him stay this season was not an option in Harry's mind. They didn't push him out. He chose to leave. But I'm not sure Harry would have been able to fix what's going on with Parker. Not by himself.

Aaron, Washington DC

3:05

Hi Eric, Appreciate you taking the time today. I think both ND and Louisville have a bye on Oct. 21. Seems like a massive mistake to not give the team a break this past weekend. Is ND at the mercy of the ACC? I would think Swarbrick would have some kind of vote on the scheduling, right? Did he just drop the ball?
As far as the criticism directed toward Coach Parker, isn’t the o-line the crux of the problem (as you noted in your latest article)? If the o-line plays like it should, the running game improves and Hartman has more time to pass. Run calls are not bad play calls if Estime has somewhere to go. Rudolph appeared to be a great hire and a highly respected coach but we’re not seeing that show up on Saturdays. What’s the coaching problem? I hate to play hypotheticals but I don’t think we would be having this discussion with Coach Heistand in the seat. With ND's talent, getting one-yard should never be in question. Fair statement?

Eric Hansen

3:04

Another great question. Thank you. I do think Marcus Freeman is listening, and I think that's an encouraging aspect in where he can drive this from here. But I also think perhaps he's leaning too much on analytics. Marcus Freeman has the final word on these decisions. And this is definitely a week to make the voices, and not solely the numbers, heard in meetings.

The Beaver. Grand Rapids

3:01

Eric: Coach Freeman’s 2 most egregious coaching gaffes this season (back to back 10 men on the field vs OSU on the two determinative plays and 4th and 12 attempt from deep in own territory with almost 10 minutes left vs Louisville) came after time outs. The coaches are wired and interconnected as evidenced by the slick Instagram feed ND put together following the game-winning drive against Duke. With the 4th and 12 decision, it’s hard to believe the coaching brain trust would not attempt to counter any head coach argument that going for it in that scenario is “playing the percentages”. My question relates to whether MF is not getting the needed input from the coaching staff? Or whether he is not listening to them? Were his boys attempting to talk him off the ledge? Through his first year and a half as head coach, Coach Freeman has always demonstrated a humble ability to listen and adapt. Is MF not listening? Or is nobody talking? Thanks and love your work.

Eric Hansen

3:00

I'm not getting that the players have lost confidence in the staff, but this weekend will be telling. ... and too early on Parker. If this were year three of Parker, I might have another opinion.

Guest

2:59

Hi Eric. Joe from Massapequa ,NY. I looks like the players are either worn out or have lost confidence in themselves last Saturday night. Do you think the players are beginning to question this coaching staff? Does Parker retain his job based on the 1st 7 games?

Eric Hansen

2:59

Hi Dave. Some of them are hurt (Salerno, Colzie, KK Smith), one retired (Kaleb Smith) and some of the others are fresh out of the oven from baking ... and some of not being used properly in the context of game-planning and play-calling.

Dave PonteVedra, FL

2:58

I’m not ready to jump off the ledge yet, but I’ve got the window open. Where on earth are our wide receivers? Outside of Flores and a lacrosse player, where are all the highly recruited studs?

Eric Hansen

2:57

Again, sorry for not pulling up the rant that preceded it, but I didn't see any value in taking the gloves off and pushing back hard. I'd like everyone to feel like there's not such thing as a silly question in this forum and feel comfortable that I'm going to be fair in how I treat you all.

2:56

Joey wanted to know why the reporters, including me, use kids gloves with Marcus Freeman and why we don't demand more competent answers from Freeman. I and others get this a lot when a team loses a game like that or (via Twitter) if they are just trailing or unimpressive early in a game. The point of a press conference and the questions we ask is to get information. But the implication here is that we could be scolding the coach and not give up the microphone until, I supposed, he runs off the stage, puts himself in timeout and turns to Twitter for coaching advice. Remember, the goal is to get information. So if, as a media member, you think the best way to do that is to be confrontational, do that. If you try another way that's not going to put the coach on the defensive, you may have a better chance of getting the info. Sometimes neither way works. But demanding a coach answer questions in the manner we would like him to is beyond delusional. (More)

2:48

I don't want to wrap up on this note, but we're getting near the end. I wanted to address this topic. Joey G, thanks for your questions and your criticisms. I did not include your rants, because quite frankly, I think you're better than that and I know this chat is. And I didn't want to take up- valuable chat time, with so many legit questions and even rants, with that. But there was one element I think would be helpful for the chat-heads this week. And that's the concept of how press conferences work. (more)

2:44

Former walk-on wide receiver received 15 out of the 68 offensive snaps Saturday night in his season/career debut. So he may have been in and out a little bit more than you noticed. Given that he was learning/running other teams' offenses through much of training camp and the first few weeks of the season, and not Notre Dame's, that doesn't feel too far out of whack. But given his success in a game (and what we saw of him in person in August), I'd say hie production has earned him some consideration for more opportunities his week.

Rick from Ohio

2:39

With the success Faison had in his limited playing time why do you think he wasn’t inserted back into the game?

Eric Hansen

2:39

And Saturday night's game will tell us a lot about how this will end this season and what the next steps need to look like.

2:37

Frankly, I'm pleasantly stunned at the quality of questions this week, and here comes another one. I think a successful season is one in which Notre Dame recaptures and takes advantage of Sam Hartman's decision to transfer to ND. I still think he's a special quarterback who can help the Irish transcend SOME of their flaws. I think a successful season allows us to evaluate who Gerad Parker is as an OC and what that would look like beyond the 2023 season. A successful season is one in which this team used the Louisville loss as a turning point, and inflection point to greater success in 2023 and beyond. And if all that can be bundled into a 10-2 package and a bowl win, all the better. I do think hoping/expecting that a special season could be possible with Sam Hartman was reasonable. The Ohio State loss wasn't the end of the world. Louisville isn't either, but it's much closer to that, the way it played out. So there's a huge opportunity here for Marcus Freeman in this crisis. (more)

Tino, Chicago IL

2:31

Hi Eric, what does this team most need in order to salvage this season at this point? In your view what does a successful season now look like realistically? I feel all ND fans, myself included, got seduced into this idealistic flash CFP run with all the Hartman excitement and optics through the first 4-5 games.. So now it feels a bit disorienting to be sitting here 5-2 with a lot of questions/doubts and several dangerous teams remaining on the slate. Looking forward on your insights on where ND goes from here..

Eric Hansen

2:30

Hi Bob. I think the toughest thing for me to see are games that prompt fans to believe Notre Dame will NEVER ascend any higher than it is now, which I don't think is the case. The cool thing is people care. When they stop caring, when they're indifferent, that's when the coach/the program is in trouble. And that's when it's most difficult to be on this beat, because the best thing about covering Notre Dame football is how much is does matter to people, even if/when they decide to make me their target of frustration.

Bob (Oxnard, CA)

2:27

These are the times that try a man’s soul. Well, it’s not THAT bad. But can’t be fun running the site when we lose big. How you guys holding up?

Eric Hansen

2:27

Hi Alex, It is actually supposed to rain Saturday and be cool (40s and 50s), but I appreciate your owning that weather question ... I was with Al Golden when Gerad Parker was speaking, but I did read every work of the transcript. Gerad Parker, the offensive coordinator, is very different than Gerad Parker the tight ends coach. I think he puts more pressure on himself to say the right things and might have his antenna up to far about how they're perceived. It's good experience, though, for him for the long run or his career. I think some of Brian Kelly's assistants could have benefited from that kind of exposure. When coaches talk to the media, though, it's a tough balance between providing information and not hurting your team by your approach or providing too many trade secrets. But I did not gain a lot of insight into how the offense might get fixed, so you are on point.

Alex from Cincinnati

2:22

Hi Eric. No trick questions on the weather this week, I promise ;). If you thought Freeman's press conference had a lot of word salad, what did you think of Gerard Parker's press conference? Was that word stew?

Eric Hansen

2:22

I do not think the defensive flaws are comparable to the offensive flaws at this point, and you're spot on about how complementary football works and what it looks like when that's not happening to both sides of the ball. But I do think the are improvement to be made that will help the defense get better, and there are areas that must be (and in many cases are) addressed through recruiting.

2:20

... the mental side. And after talking to him, I was impressed with his approach but wasn't convinced he was in a great place in that regard. Here is the story I wrote about that very thing: Notre Dame WR Tobias Merriweather playing catch-up with consistency ... Given Tobias' family background and his support system, I leaned toward him being able to conquer this, and he still very well may. The ND coaching staff did too, which is why they invested so many game reps, hoping it would transform him. Against Louisville, they rolled those back to a season-low 25 snaps. Saturday night will be intriguing to see what his role is. My question/concern is he getting the mental coaching he needs? (more)

2:13

Hi Jonathan, more than happy to tackle the tough issues, and thanks for the way you approached this. 1. The Tobias Merriweather question is one of the most difficult to give you a conclusive answer on, because there's more chapters to be written. I've seen other players in a very similar situation fade. I've also seen them transcend their situation EVENTUALLY and thrive. But let's break it down where it is at this very moment. If you ask the Notre Dame defensive backs who the toughest cover is, who the best receiver will be, who's the freakiest athlete, you're going to be hard pressed to find someone who says someone other than Tobias. But talent is one part of evaluation and development. There's a mental side. Living up to expectations, other people's expectations. There's dealing with the noise. There's the academic/athletic balance. There's dealing with too much success and too much non-success. To me, when I did not see Tobias dominating in August, I did wonder about how he was dealing with (more)

Jonathan, Hideaway, TX

2:04

Eric, please explain: (1) The complete failure of Meriweather to contribute is an indictment of ND’s ability to develop and evaluate receivers. Yet you are defending the WRs coach here and redirecting blame to play calling, no? You are a smart dude, so I want to understand. Help. (2) Like everybody else, I’ve seen the whiffed tackles and lack of production at Vyper. But this defense has been remarkably successful in first halves and, frankly, all the way till they’ve been worn out by their offensive counterparts’ inability to give them a rest. Your previous ranking of missed tackles and statement about the DL coach are just minor complaints, aren’t they? They surely don’t compare to the failures on the offensive side of the ball, do they? So appreciate your willingness to address hard issues and interact with your fan club here. Your chats are a highlight of my week too.

Eric Hansen

2:03

Hi Mike. We got the first of your questions in the podcast the other day, and I do think director of football performance Matt Balis' influence and reach with the team went far beyond his job description. I don't necessarily think it has affected the team's play as much as he might have been part of the solution to the team's play. I think interim S&C Fred Hale will get an interview in a national search. I have no idea what the assistant coach turnover will look like after the season going into game 8. There's not enough info to base that on. And I assume you mean terminations, but some assistant coaches will get offers to go elsewhere. I believe Marcus Freeman noted last spring that every assistant coach on his staff had at least one other job offer in the offseason.

Mike costa mesa ca.

1:59

ERIC - Has losing BALIS affected the teams play ? Do you think ND will keep the current S & C coach ? How many assist. coaches will be gone after this yr?Thank You

Eric Hansen

1:59

Haha Mike. I like it. I have been disappointed in the special teams performances when it's come to the return game and coverage, which is a big part of it. I do think Blake Fisher is the answer at right tackle long term. As far as the standing thing, I don't have a great point of reference. The only games I attend as a fan are baseball games, and usually I'm out of my seat a lot taking my grandkids to get something to eat or to the bathroom. Or I'm at their games and what you described at Louisville is not an issue. I did attend a Garth Brooks concert and had amazing seats and the people in front of me never sat down, and I kind of wished they would but I did not ask them to ... nor do I imagine they would have complied.

Mike, Phoenix

1:55

Eric, I only have one question, 17 parts. Similar to Back to school. J/k. What does the special teams coach do? On kickoffs they run in a straight line. On punt returns, Tyree catches the ball right at him but on the punts that are short, he lets bounce and cost us 15+ yards of field position. Special teams are terrible. Is Blake Fisher the answer at right tackle? I may be getting a bit old. I asked the Louisville fans in front of me if they could sit down. They stood the entire 4 quarters. Is this too much to ask or am I out of line? Hope you at least had a few moments to enjoy Louisville. Cheers!

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