JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Sept. 25, 2024

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Sept. 25, 2024

Eric Hansen

2:59

Ugh, that's going to have to do it for today. GREAT QUESTIONS and some still in the queue. We will be back to do this all over again in the bye week, at noon ET on Wednesday. Have a great week.

2:58

Take care of its own business and ND will be back in business. Improve every week.

Guest

2:57

Dave D-Omer from Jax. Hurricane's coming. To quote Stella "I've often depended on the kindness of strangers" How much help will we need with our resume? Thanks for all you do.

Eric Hansen

2:57

Thank you for being here.

Patrick from Los Angeles

2:56

Than you for the great chats.

Eric Hansen

2:56

Louisville's run defense vs. ND's running backs.

Patrick from Los Angeles

2:56

What is the biggest strength against strength battle going to be in Saturday's showdown against Louisville?

Eric Hansen

2:55

Adam, I'm up against the clock, so I can't give a thoughtful response to the historical context, but Dayne Crist said it best on our podcast a couple of weeks ago: People love the No. 2 QB. I think there are a few things that make it hard for RL to win over everyone. 1) He's a transfer, and some people don't like that no matter who it is. 2) Some people resent the real or imagined AMOUNT of money he gets through NIL. 3) The NIU loss was gut-wrenching and everyone took hits for that one, including the media LOL.

Adam, (Dayton, OH)

2:52

Eric, Thanks for the best chats in the business! I know you are getting a ton of Riley Leonard questions, but hope you can indulge this as well. ND quarterback will always be one of the most scrutinized positions in the country, but Leonard seems to be more polarizing than any ND QB in recent memory. Do you think that is accurate, or am I just a victim to the moment? Can you think of an ND QB with a wider gap between what the coaching staff thought and the fanbase thought? Also, who is the most polarizing ND player at any position during the time you have covered the team?

Eric Hansen

2:52

Ha, and thanks Bill. Wow a Bob Diaco reference. Did not see that coming. I think the point there is ... and a good one ... fitting your schemes around what your players do well and not trying to stuff a square peg in a round hole.

Bill from St Joe, MI

2:51

Hi Eric, I don’t recall your postgame question to Coach Free, likely because I don’t remember it being unduly provocative. But I do recall your carefully and quite brilliantly phrased question to Leonard, which Riley said was a good question. Now to my question. Do you believe Coach Free was directing his comment to Bob Diaco that we have to call plays that our players are good at executing?

Eric Hansen

2:50

Hi Don. I think he's best at some of the things outside of the game itself. Managing a roster, scouting, recruiting, dealing with NIL and the transfer portal -- some of the things that drive more experienced coaches nuts. But in-game management ... fixing things, making the right decisions ... is where he has most room for improvement.

Don in Scottsdale

2:48

Joined late and haven't read the questions. I like CMF and am hoping he can be "the guy" for ND. What does he have to do or watch out for to take the next step. If you've already answered I find it when I read the chat posting. Thanks for the coverage and your realistic and steady coverage on ND FB.

Eric Hansen

2:48

Hi Tom. Speed yes. Experience, it depends who is on the game. But speed is not an issue with that group.

Tom F, Kennesaw, GA

2:47

Eric, I noticed in the GT game that Louisville has some very good athletes with good speed. They hit for two long pass players with a drag route across the middle. Do our linebackers have the speed and experience to defend this route??

Eric Hansen

2:46

Sean, running short on time, so I'm going to compress my answers. Colzie got beaten out by Collins and Jayden Thomas. He's at a very deep position. Got 26 snaps vs. Purdue and nine vs. Miami. Zero the first two games. I understand your curiosity. Talented kid. 2) Some of it is dictated by how defenses play .. give or keep. And some of it is the rotation. Yes, he needs more touches. I think they'll come. 3. Probably too much of the 3-4 given the talent of 1-2, agreed. 4. He actually is excellent. Watched him in practice. I was impressed. 5. Of course national stats are skewed early in the season, and each week they get a little more valuable/contextual. But I think you can still get a sense of where a team in trending even if it distorts some of their strengths. I think Georgia Tech was really an interesting game to break down because of what you spoke about ... got to see more of the true Louisville.

Sean, Portland OR

One last closing thought. Do you agree with me? Comparing stats to Louisville stats is a fools errand at this point in the season. They've literally played one game against a mediocre/decent Georgia Tech team, and it was close and competitive. Austin Peay and Jacksonville State are their other two opponents and are both worse than anyone else on ND's schedule, yes including Miami of Ohio.

2:40

I will refrain from my RL / HCMF / Sleepy home environment manifestos. Can you share your opinion or insight on the following? 1) Did Deion Colzie get abducted by aliens? Where is he? I guess he got some snaps at the end of last weeks game. 2) Why is J.Love only getting like 12 touches a game? I'm no NFL scout, but this guy is a gamebreaker. Period. In a "must win" type of game, he should be touching the ball 20-25+ times a game (or until game is out of reach). 3) Along the same line as previous question, we are we playing 4 or 5 deep at RB if J.Love and JD Price are only getting like 10 touches a game? 4) Aneyas is really our best blitz blocker as a RB?

Eric Hansen

2:39

Patrick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love that you have an adrenaline rush and wondering if it's because I relaxed the "no drinking" rule ... Oh well, to your question. ND has to, and that includes Leonard. The ability to thwart ND in the run game last year (44 yards, 1.6 per carry) snowballed into sacks, into five turnovers, into putting the defense in tough positions over and over. So do I think they will be able to run the ball this time? Much better than last year, but I think it's still going to be a challenge, especially early. But I think by the second half, they'll hit their stride with it.

Patrick from Boulder

2:36

Eric!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for these chats and the adrenaline rush they provide weekly. Do you expect ND to be able to run the ball effectively against Louisville? Also, do you expect to see the TE's play a big role in the game plan against Louisville? Thus far this season they do not seem to carry the typical importance for the ND offense. Thanks!

Eric Hansen

2:36

You guys are really on top of your game today. Wish I didn't have a hard out at 3. ... Baker has been injured for a couple of weeks and just got cleared last week and played at little toward the end of the game, along with the rest of the 2s on the O-line. I think the coaching staff felt Knapp was the better short- and long-term solution and proved it in practice. If Baker can show improvement in his opportunities (practice and game mop-up) I would consider opening that up during the first bye week and seeing who is the best option moving forward.

Mitch from Topeka

2:33

I’ve seen where Knapp is one of the lowest rated left tackles in all of college football by PFF. Is it the long term potential that keeps him playing ahead of Baker? Or is Baker just not that good as a senior? Interested in your opinion on this.

Eric Hansen

2:33

Hi Jim. Thanks for the praise, and I'll pass it along to Tyler. And I was glad you reached out about the printer question. I'm glad I was able to figure that one out without consulting one of my grandkids!

Jim, Oakwood, Oh

2:32

Hey Eric, No question today just 2 comments: I loved Tyler’s lede for his recent story about “ND’s defense diffuses Miami’s comeback” - “The slipper doesn’t fit Miami” and the excellent content reflected a detailed and factual story about both the Miami and NIL games…really well done. 2) Thank you for your calm and measured approach in the face of all the whining and booing from the fans who lack manners. Caring deeply about a team doesn’t, IMHO, justify the criticism of RL or CMF. Take good care.

Eric Hansen

2:31

I do. Marcus Freeman was talking the other day about how that combination of size, speed and strength is what makes him so difficult to contain in the run. He's averaging 7.0 yards a carry. Only two QBs in the FBS have better averages and only Navy's Blake Horvath among FBS QBs has more rushing TDs than Leonard's six.

Guest

2:30

Dan, Granger, Indiana. It seems R. Leonard's pretty good at running is enhanced because he uses the lost art of the straight arm, do you agree or disagree?

Eric Hansen

2:29

Hi Ron. The great thing about YouTube is if you miss us live or join in progress, you can catch up anytime later on (as long as you can stand to look at us that long). Thanks for watching. To your question, I think there are a lot of layers there, and some might have to do with freshman Leonard Moore's progress and perhaps Jaden not seeing a clear path to starting as a senior next year. But man, the kid's been through a lot, and maybe he'll pick somewhere close to home to be closer to family ... and maybe not. ... Moore is ready to be that third CB, but losing Mickey hurts. Karson Hobbs needs more time in the oven, but Mike Mickens will get him fast-tracked. Plan B if ND needs bodies, would be to move Rod Heard II to corner from safety with him having played CB during his career at Northwestern.

Ron Dover

Eric part two as I was trigger happy before finishing my question. How does they effect the secondary as you have freshmen backups and depth if one of the starters gets hurt?

2:24

Hi Eric, hope you are having a good week. I joined FNS this week late so I missed most of your and Tyler’s comments on J Mickey’s decision to leave after this year. Do you have any insight on what has motivated him to transfer!,,

Eric Hansen

2:23

But what I will give you (besides you're justified with having Deuce Knight fatigue) is that it doesn't mean it will happen at ND in 2024 and it doesn't mean it won't happen. There are examples both ways. And yes, I think ND can cobble together enough offense to get through the rest of the regular season, but if they are going to get into the playoff and not be tourists, they do need the ability to stretch the field along with the things they do well now.

2:21

Hi Domer Reef. Some of the players in that transfer category were better in year 2 than in year 1 after the transfer, but Caleb Williams was actually better in year 1 and won the Heisman that year. Russell Wilson was a one-year guy. Jalen Hurts too. There's scads of them ... and others who didn't succeed, so there's not a template of what WILL work and what doesn't. What I can say about Jayden Daniels and Mike working together. LSU was No. 1 with both last year, but in 2022, their first year together LSU was 28th. The year before they arrived, the Tigers were 91st. And within that first year of Denbrock/Daniels it was October when that offense really started to hit its stride. After getting held to 13 points vs. Tennessee, LSU went on a run of beating Florida (45-35), Ole Miss (45-20) and Alabama (32-31 OT) in consecutive games. (more)

DomerReef70

Eric, for some reason the chat box is very small on my browser and limits the number of words. To complete my post, It seems the talent was set up for this to be a special year, great rb's, Evans back, pretty good and experienced wide outs and an elite defense but where were are the offense's ceiling seems somewhat limited with our inability to stretch the field consistently. At any rate, Fairhope is a beautiful place. Hope to see you in Atlanta, Go Irish!!!!

2:12

Eric, kudos to you and Tyler for helping us keep the faith during this angst ridden season for the offense. One comment first before my question-can we be done with Deuce Knight melodrama already? I acknowledge we are in a different era of crass commercialization etc and that he has done some "recruiting" but hebut the "will he or won't he" is tiresome. Now, I feel better. Now, on to Mr Leonard. I concede he is a very talented qb and a unicorn running the ball, however, the narrative is that he will "develop" as a passer. My quibble isn't with him and his "development" per se, but with going that route with a one and done transfer to begin with. When this is mentioned the narrative is that look at other "great" transfers, Jayden Daniels, Joe Burrow, Caleb Williams etc. They all played two years at their respective schools and achieved the greatness in the second season. ND's transfer qb's have all been one year and I have seen/heard anything that RL would play at ND in 2025. It just seems that this y

Eric Hansen

2:10

Hi C-Mike. I did not notice that, but he was not listed as being unavailable or even questionable on the new weekly Monday injury report. If something had happened, the coaching staff would have to decide whether elevating freshman Guerby Lambert or slide Tosh Baker over from the left side. My sense is at this point, they'd stick with Lambert.

Cowboy Mike@Jefferson Ga

2:05

Eric -Long time follower with a question on RT Wagner. He was limping at the end of the Miami game. What is his status? Who would replace him in the lineup? Thanks!

Eric Hansen

2:05

Hi Shane. Barring injury, I think this defense still has a chance to be better statistically than last year's and the 2012 version. Right now, they're 51st in rush defense, 6th in pass-efficiency defense, 16th in total defense and 10th in scoring defense. NIU is the best team in total offense they've faced so far at No. 17. Louisville is 14th .. and upcoming Ga Tech, Navy, Virginia and USC are all ranked above Texas A&M (53). So where do they need to improve to get there: 1. Run defense. 2. Run defense. 3. Run defense. 4. Turnovers gained (they're 51st) and 5. Sacks (46th). And run defense improvement will help 4 and 5. The good news is Al Golden's defense typically get better over the course of the season, so there's that.

Shane from White Deer, Texas

1:56

Hey Eric. After four games, what is your take on this defense? Is it as good as the stats suggest, or am I looking through rose colored glasses? Do you think this team will rival the 2012 defensive squad? Thanks for the chat.

Eric Hansen

1:56

What I like about Greathouse in the slot is how precise his routes are and how he can muscle most nickels and really take advantage of that in tight spaces, like the red zone. He and Hartman had a lot better chemistry than he and Riley do at this point, but maybe that'll change. And thanks so much for the compliments ... and for listening.

1:54

Hi Larry, we've hit Greathouse earlier, but I love this twist on the question. So let's roll with it. I can definitely see why you asked your question the way you did. Faison WAS really strong in the slot last season. And the reason he was tried outside this season was because there were a lot more advanced/polished options at slot than there were at the outside receiver (field). Greathouse on the outside has the body that can defeat press coverage, but he does not have the speed of say Mitchell, KK Smith, Faison, etc. So if he were going to play on the outside, he'd be a better fit in the boundary. HOWEVER, ND has Collins, Thomas, Colzie and Gilbert stacked there. So this is the move that made the most sense. (more)

Guest

1:47

Larry from Topton, PA: Hi Eric! I am looking forward to attending my first ND game since pre-pandemic, and I am excited. but nervous. Like many, I really want to see Marcus succeed, but I am not convinced he will do so. The upcoming game is huge, because I think from a perception standpoint, he and the team have more to lose by a loss, than they have to gain with a win. Anyway, I do have a question: Many of us are trying to understand the apparent underutilization of Jaden Greathouse, and I am wondering. I am certainly not an expert, which is why I am bringing my question to the person who is. It seems to me that Greathouse would be more effective on the outside, and Jordan Faison’s shiftiness makes him a natural slot receiver. Why does the coaching staff feel Greathouse belongs inside, and Faison outside? Thank you to you and Tyler for the great written content, but even better radio and podcast hits!! I will hang up and listen.

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