Darius Walker debuted with a stellar

[Guest rustyzipper]

Freshman campaign, but Notre Dame special teams and depth will need more help from his classmates. I think in order for this team to make a mark, it must excel specifically in in the defensive backfield. Ferrine, Jabbie, Lambert, and Vernaglia, have got to step up.

[Guest Ryan]

I truly feel that if Bill Lewis can't help the db, we won't have a 7-4 season. They just have to be able to cover their man and create turnovers, period.

[Guest Snatchy_McPants]

The defensive secondary will obviously be the indicator of the team's possible success this season. That being said, I feel Bill Lewis and Rick Minter should have an immediate impact on the play of the D-backs. First off, we will no longer be messing with Baer's "quarters" scheme. Minter's defense will involve a lot more man coverage. This will allow our corners to get tighter coverage on their man. Let's not forget, we do have some speedy guys back there who shouldn't have anybody run away from them (Lambert, Parrish, etc.) So now we're in a situation where we are at least close enough to the receivers to disrupt the pass. This is where Lewis is important. If he can get the secondary to turn their head and look for the pass, along with the other technique problems we faced, it's a whole new ball game. When you step back and look at it, that really isn't too much to ask. Definitely a possibility.

[Guest IrishTobey]

Hey Snatchy,

I think youre right with your assesment on the db's. It didn't seem like it was a physical problem last year. It seemed more like a scheme and technique problem. Other than BYU i don't really remember the DB's getting smoked. The flip side is that other than Lambert I don't think ND has one db rated very high coming out of H.S. so I'm not sure how much there is to work with. Did Baer have a bad scheme or did he have players. Like I said on an early thread something tells me it's a little of both but we won't know until Sep 3rd. Even though it was against the second string the db's looked great in the spring game. They were all over the recievers and they looked like a completely different group. Also, Ferrione will be a star. He just looks like an athelete when he was on the field. He may emerge as the lock down cb ND has needed.

[Guest Snatchy_McPants]

Sounds like you and I are pretty much on the same page. Last year, the secondary stumbled against BYU, then turned around and had a monster game against arguably one of the best receiving corps in the nation (Michigan). I think that in typical fashion, our coaching staff found something that worked once, and then refused to change it or adjust it. Hence, opposing coaches were able to key in on the weaknesses and exploit them (like instead of going deep, throwing short across the middle and forcing the linebackers into coverage). And, in all fairness, we really only have the Spring Game to rely on for accurate analysis of this year's secondary because of all the new faces and whatnot. Bottom line, a dramatic improvement, though not necessarily probable, is still possible.