JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 19, 2022

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 19, 2022

Eric Hansen

4:05

OK, that's going to do it for today. Thanks for all the great questions. And believe me, there were way too many I couldn't get to. I won't blame it on execution, just slow fat fingers and a mind to match. We'll be back to do it all over again next Wednesday at noon ET.

4:03

Hi Bob. My mom will be thrilled to know I heard from you (and yes she is back to teaching yoga). The Tressel formula works for ascending teams, incomplete teams, for the 2020 Irish even. But it does not work at the highest level. Not the entire formual anyway. The part about strong defense and special teams certainly does. But looking at ND's personnel, doesn't it fit the Tressel model more than the Josh Heupel model? That is where ND should be recruiting to, and they are. And Rees may or may not be in a difficult spot, but unless he's the head coach, he has to make what the head coach wants work.

Bob Gorman Oak Park IL

3:58

As I watched the game Saturday night and after living in Columbus for 40 years, I was struck that our offense look like it was playing Tressel ball. (Tressel's infamous quote is that the punt is the most important play in football). Then I heard a brief reference almost in passing in the post game press conference by our young head coach that he tells Tom Reese to run the ball. I immediately texted ND friends in Columbus with my suspicions. This hunch was reinforced further in Monday's presser when our young head coach says he talks to Tressel on the phone every week. Is it possible that our OC has less freedom than we all think? Perhaps fans are scapegoating the OC unfairly when he may have less freedom than a year ago? While Tressel ball worked 15 years ago, can it work today when we had games like Tenn/Ala and Utah/USC last weekend? Lastly, can you say if you have started writing the authoritative well-balanced biography of the winningest coach in ND history?

Eric Hansen

3:57

So my question back to you is, had ND grabbed a portal QB, would that have been worth the risk or losing Buchner or Pyne to the portal?

3:55

“Until they show it in a game, there’s always that little bit of doubt. Until you can do it on a consistent basis in a game, that’s what everybody’s waiting for. I believe they both have it. I’m just excited to see them do it in a game, where they can create the belief in their teammates and everybody else.”

3:54

This is from my one-on-one interview with Marcus this summer re the QBs:

“I think Buchner has everything you need – both of them do,” Freeman said. “They have exactly what you need. That was one of the biggest questions I asked (offensive coordinator) Tommy Rees.

“I said, ‘Do we have quarterbacks in our system, in our program right now that can help us win a national championship?’ He said, ‘Absolutely.’ So that kind of affected the way that we looked at the (transfer) portal.

“We said, ‘We don’t need to do anything with the portal, because we have those guys in our program. They're just unproven.’ I know Pyne’s played in the Wisconsin game, a little bit more against Cincinnati. Buchner had a very limited package last year.

3:48

Hi Rich. I like your observations. I have different solutions. I think MLB is Bertrand's best position. Kiser can play all three well. I'd keep him at rover and let him back up at the other two. Now to WLB, Marist missing a year set him back more than I thought, then he thought, than the coaching staff thought. I'm not ready to give up on him. I do like Kollie getting more reps there. He has earned them. I'd leave Watts at safety. He's like to be a starter there in 2023. I would continue to push for Jaylen Sneed to get on the field as a backup, now that he's made a surge in the practices. (more)

Rich Key West

3:44

I have two issues I'd like your take on. The first is continuing to play Liufau at the weakside linebacker. Our production from that position has fallen off the cliff when you look at last years numbers. It closely resembles the Simon/Liufau lack of production in 2020. Bertrand may have had some pass coverage issues playing there but he made tackles all over the field. How about moving him back and moving Kiser to the middle and giving Watts a try at Rover? Freeman may not have been left with much quarterback depth but where is the scrutiny on passing on a very talented quarterback transfer list to choose from? Buchner, as everyone else on the roster, was one play away from injury and not pursuing at least an experienced back up was a huge blunder on the coaching staff's part. Do you agree?

Eric Hansen

3:43

Curt that percentage is going to change by the day until we get to December. The point is the Irish need to be 100 percent prepared and researched to make that move is warranted. And I am confident they will be.

Curt Warsaw

3:42

Eric, with all things considered. What is the chance the Irish take a quarterback in the transfer portal??

Eric Hansen

3:41

Wait a sec, Don. You watched John Legend instead of reading our stories? Come to think of it, good call -- and thanks for watching the YouTube show. Yes, expectations did get inflated. Mine too. And for a lot of the reasons you listed. But I think you hit on a very important point. Looking for signs over the last six games that these growing pains are not terminal. They'll show up in a lot of areas, but statistically the markers to look at are national ranks in rush offense, rush defense, pass efficiency, total defense and turnover margin. Once those are on the rise you can wish/dream for/aspire to have offensive pyrotechnics.

Don in Phoenix

3:36

Eric, missed the last couple of chats; anything new I need to catch up on? I've come to grips with this one. Was driving to Las Vegas Saturday and heard the Bama faithful screaming in the desert when Tenn kicked the winner. Turned to ND and decided not to turn the tv on or go to a sports book when we arrived. Dinner instead and held some hope watching the twitter feed but alas a really bad loss. Saw John Legend, great show, and didn't read anything until Monday morning. My thoughts. Were all of our expectations inflated? Every coach except Balis, Rees, Mickens and O'leary are new. Many of the key grad assistants are gone. Injuries in places that are thin. Should ND loss to Marshall and Stanford, no. Now a question. Is this simply a matter of a first time coach with a new staff learning on the job the hard way and if so what should we look for that indicates progress? Thanks and you and Tyler made me chuckle watching a replay of Monday Night Live.

Eric Hansen

3:35

Tyler James wrote about this Saturday night in his Six defining plays from Notre Dame's unsettling loss to Stanford. Here's a snippet:

Sophomore tight end Mitchell Evans, playing in his first game of the season after recovering from an offseason foot injury, was flagged for running a pass route as an ineligible receiver downfield. However, the mistake likely wasn’t on Evans. He lined up on the left side of the offensive formation on the line of scrimmage in the traditional tight end spot, with Mayer lined up outside to his left and behind the line.

That became a problem, because running back Chris Tyree was lined up out wide to the left and also on the line of scrimmage. That made Evans ineligible. Tyree was likely supposed to be lined up off the ball.

JRicc- Chester,NJ

3:32

Please explain the misalignment that resulted in a penalty that negated the touchdown pass to Mayer in the Stanford game. Who was at fault and why.
How could this happen and is this a perfect example of lack of “execution.”

Eric Hansen

3:32

Thanks Craig. Assuming there's mutual interest and he has a degree in hand, I'd consider him, but I think there will be better options if ND opts to add through the portal.

Craig MA

3:31

Hi Eric, Love the weekly chats…thank you! One of the more pressing issues for ND moving forward is the play at the quarterback position. I have not given up on Tyler Buchner and CJ Carr has tremendous upside but don’t see him reclassifying. Would the Irish be interested in Cade McNamara if he suddenly appeared in the portal?

Eric Hansen

3:31

Thanks Jeff, and an excellent question. And I'm spitballing here, because I haven't given this much thought (but I should). You could argue for a redshirt year for both Dylan Edwards and Jayden Limar. So that knocks you down to six. You could move Chris Tyree to slot receiver full time and that solves two issues, Down to five. Then Jeremiyah Love becomes a hyrbid player with Estimé, Diggs, Payne and Price battling it out. You could also look at one of those guys as a potential defensive flip (safety), I suppose. But you are right. No way to keep eight running backs happy.

Jeff from Fort Wayne

3:24

Jeff from Fort Wayne
Thank you Eric for doing this, really like you’re insight on things. My question is with all the commitments for running back for next year, as long as they all sign, do you see all the current running backs staying in 2023 and if they do won’t there be a crowd? I don’t see Chris Tyree leaving for the NFL. By my count we are looking at 8 running backs next year. I know they say Edwards and Love can play other positions but will they want to full time. I’m assuming Price will be able to play, but you never know with achilles tears. How does Notre Dame manage this?

Eric Hansen

3:23

S Peyton Bowen has been teetering long before the season even started, and yet he's still in the class for now. So much of the win/loss recruiting formual has to do with how the coach handles/spins it and how the leaders in the recruiting classes lead. In the last 20 years, there have been four recruits that come to mind that are/were exceptional in this regard -- Bob Morton, Dayne Crist and now Drayk Bowen (2023) and CJ Carr (2024).

Guest

3:20

Jay from Cincinnati. How do this seasons wins and, more importantly, losses effect this current 2023 Irish recruit class? Have you heard anyone teetering due to the on-field play?

Eric Hansen

3:19

Jay, sorry I got things a little out of order here. Will clean it up in the transcript. ... I think Marcus is learning into his roots with former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, but also his successful run with Luke Fickell at Cincinnati (and yes there is some overlap there). He's also mindful or a regime that didn't work, that he (and TEs coach Gerad Parker) was a part of at Purdue. There are lessons there. ... If there are changes to be made for next season, the time to evaluate and talk about them is after the regular season ends. ... I think maybe the Peacock ratings will suffer from actual ND fans perhaps not tuning in, but there may be a twisted curiosity for non-ND fans to take a peek.

3:12

Hi Irish Mike. No it's just things that were renegotiating along the way. So, yes there are more night games and will be. And no, it's not a precursor necessarily to what the next deal might look like.

Jay, Granger

3:12

I’m your recent article you mention Freeman is following his own blueprint. What experiences is he bringing to the table to develop the blueprint and do you think Swarbrick might recommend some changes for next season or do we get to look forward to continued on the job training? Watching Tommy and Freeman figure things out a week in the rears is more than painful. Last question how do you think peacock rating will stack up this week and do you expect a sell out at the game?

Irish Mike Altoona,PA

3:10

Hi Eric! As always thank you for your chats! My original question was going to be about the failings of Tommy Rees and Drew Pyne, but, I’m sure others will have that covered. My question is why so many 7:30 home game start times? The original premise of the NBC contract was to ensure afternoon kickoffs! Is this a preview to the new NBC/ Big Ten deal?

Eric Hansen

3:07

Steve, thanks. I think that's what they had in mind when they hired him. ... althought a little more accerlerated timeline would be welcomed.

Steve Findlay Ohio

3:06

Hi Eric, nice interview with Dennis Dodd, good questions for Dennis, what are your thoughts on the mix of Marcus and ND culture? Will ND wait a few years to be competitive while he learns on the job?

Eric Hansen

3:06

Soooo, I think Pyne's teammates love him, support him. In terms of a clinical diagnoses of passive/agressive angry, I'll leave that to Dr. Phil.

3:05

"Mike is a great target and he's a great player and defenses have ways to try to combat that. And I think when they do, I like you said, I’ve got to go find other guys. And I think there were times tonight where I could have done that. And I'm just going to learn from it, come back and execute every day in practice this week and just come back with the head down and work. "

3:04

Martin, Martin, Martin. Here is the exchanges in the Pyne press conference regarding throwing to Michael Mayer:

What was Stanford doing defensively that made it difficult to get the ball to Michael Mayer?

"I don't think it was anything special. I think kind of going back to the first thing I said, I think I just got to go out there and execute and deliver the football. We get in good looks. We get in spots where Mike is one on one. And we just got to execute and convert and deliver the ball. "

Do you get any feedback at certain times that maybe you're too reliant on him, and that maybe you were looking for him and maybe someone else was coming open?

Martin in Enfield,CT

3:02

After the game Saturday night Pyne said he should have thrown more to Mayer. What do you make of that? What do his teammates think of him? He seems passive/aggressive angry.

Eric Hansen

3:00

So then really, your other questions all have to do with your concern about ND's place in college football with apparent disadvantes in the NIL space and the undergrad transfer portal. I don't believe we know that conclusively is the case, because both concepts are new and how they are playing out is evolving. If ND can show recruits concrete examples of Irish players benefitting from NIL without the upfront guarantees, could the pendulum swing back to the Irish? And if ND's academic side is willing to work with the transfer credit issue (not admit subpart students, but find a compromise on the credits), then the Irish are back in business. Having an elite recruiter as you head coach -- as long as he remains so -- is powerful in both those equations. I would not underestimate that.

2:55

Hi Marie. I do not want to get on your bad side. I'm going to let your venting stand, but I do want to answer your questions. They're pretty interesting. If you had asked me at the beginning of the season (and you may have) would Tommy Rees be the offensive coordinator at ND in 2023, I'd have put that at 50 percent and 2024 less than that. He has professoinal aspirations that go beyond his current role at ND. Now six games in, with a different story line unfolding would that change those original thoughts? No. I'll stick with what I at least remember thinking in preseason. (more)

Marie from Atlanta

Part 2, Friends who were at Vols game this weekend, said there were opportunities to give to the collective at every turn, in the book store, at the concession stands, etc. How long do you think ND can hold out from doing this and from not liberally using the undergraduate transfer portal without falling too far behind? It puts potential coaches in a difficult position, as they can much more easily succeed at a school with Nil bag money and easy transfer portal access. As always thank for you great insights and for hosting the chats.

2:47

Hi Eric, What an uninspired, embarrassing loss this weekend. When Freeman says he is fine with the direction of the offense, do you actually believe that or do you think it is just coach speak to the public? If he is 100% fine with this offense then I have some series concerns about him as head coach. Although he may not think it is as much of a shambles as the fans do, he has to realize it is problematic. The comments about not being able to execute are becoming tiresome, we are 6 games into the season if the players cannot execute the game plan by now, then there is a problem with the game plan, simplify it let them out talent the majority of the remaining teams of the schedule. Do you think TR will be the OC in 2023? If he is not, how desirable is the ND OC job with no upfront NIL money and essentially very little ability to use the undergrad transfer portal?

Eric Hansen

2:47

Then Ara Parseghian happened. And the Irish -- with essentially the same players -- went 9-1 and came within an eyelash of a national title. So no, you and I aren't going to agree on this one.

2:46

Tom, you and I are going to butt heads on this one. Yes, the players have a responsibility to give their best effort and their best peformances. But when you lose to a 1-4 team that hasn't beaten an FBS team in 11 games and has one of the worst defenses in the nation and you're six games in, it's about leadership. It's about coaching over anything else. And they're paid well to make a difference. Even in the era when coaches weren't paid well, they made a difference. In 1963 ND was 2-7. I read stories back in the archives about how the Irish would never be a national power again, that too much had changed in college football around them for that to happen. (more)

Tom from Sister Lakes, MI

2:38

“This one’s on Marcus Freeman.”

Hi Eric: The lead paragraph in your post-game piece was not complete. It needed a second sentence. “But even more so on the players.” Freeman wasn’t the one who committed the stupid, costly penalties or missed loads of tackles or threw errant passes or didn’t control the line of scrimmage. That’s on the players and they need to own it. If there are any leaders in the locker room (and I question whether there are) they need to get things fixed. The same players who embraced Freeman 10-1/2 months ago need to have his back now by performing up to his expectations and their capabilities. If Freeman is guilty of one thing, he hasn’t mastered the art of the post-game press conference when he feels let down by his players and coaches. But just give him a few more years and he’ll be able to dissemble just like Kelly. Eric, please comment on the players’ responsibility for Saturday’s debacle and moving forward.

Eric Hansen

2:38

Shane, there's a Brian Kelly post-Florida State punch line in there somewhere ... but perfect execution. I am a believer that practice performance is a fair pathway to playing time. I also agree that if a player shows up in games, that needs to factor into the playing time calculus. And I also believe that coaching is part of the player development model. Kollie and Merriweather are going to play more moving forward. Not sure what the solution is with Botelho. Can you play Foskey and Justin Ademilola less? If he's still on the roster next season, he will have an opporunity to earn a starting position, so there's that.

Shane from White Deer,Tx.

2:30

Hey Eric- I hope all is well with you. My hope is to execute my question with as much execution as possible. Alot of talk has been made about trust, how one practices, game player vs. practice player, and yes, execution and how that affects playing time. I can buy into that, but, is it not possible that one may be a great player in practice, then when the lights come on, that same player fades and falters when it matters the most? And, the player that you didn’t think would or could execute, gets into the game and does just that? I saw Botelho make a bone crushing tackle on special teams, Kollie block a punt, and Merriweather score a touchdown on a perfectly executed route. Yet, these players have a hard time getting onto the field. Is it time to evaluate differently? My execution is turning into a rant, sorry for that. One more question, am I wrong, or were both Mayer and Merriweather on the sidelines on the fourth down play on the last drive? If so, execution much? Thanks for letting me execute.

Eric Hansen

2:28

I think this is the question from Denny from Pittsburgh. If not, my apologies. ... I think they do so, but intermittently. Certainly in the Stanford game, you could argue it was with much less frequency than that. So yes, that has been a factor.

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