4thand1

An ND coach is not an OJT job. Stop hiring coaches that need 2 to 3 years to develop. I'm keeping in mind that Freeman wasn't allowed to hire his 1st choice. I have always thought a HC has to be careful about hiring assistant coaches he has a relationship with because you have to be comfortable firing someone you consider a friend. Knowing someone is not a qualification for the job. Success and effectiveness is.

So obvious that there are bigger problems than who the QB is next year.

The coaches are responsible for the game results. They both receive credit and blame at times when they shouldn't. Goes with the job. The standard should be at a minimum New Year's six bowl games. Accountability should be demanded all around. The offense is underperforming. How is ND supposed to convince top 150 QBs and WRs to join this team? I think most everyone wants Freeman to exceed. He's very likable. I question his ability to properly motivate coaches and players. Players and coaches need to hate losing almost more than they love winning.

Nice to see safety recruiting improving. I was worried and less so now.

Great game. D has found it's groove. Love how Hartman wasn't fazed by his poor start. Love how Merriweather produced despite the demotion. Yes, best ND secondary is quite some time. Is X Watts a lock to return?? Awesome to see a guy like Watts succeed after a position switch earlier in his time at ND. Great coaching staffs find ways to make something out of the bottom of the depth chart with occasional positional changes. No chance ND loses to Louisville at this point if the game were played again.

Bigger issue to me is whether Parker will have an offense that is considered appealing to QBs and WRs. I am confident with the group of 3 QBs for '24 unless a heisman candidate level transfer is interested. I would take the transfer only if I'm convinced that Parker will take more shots downfield. I love the ND running game and don't want it to go away but maybe more balance. I don't have the #s to back this up. Maybe it's more balanced than I realize. I would hope that '24 is the last year this has to be a topic. If ND continues to sign QBs like Minchey, Carr and Knight I roll with my recruited guys year in, year out. Also, communication with the rostered QBs is essential. Have a heart to heart with them and explain why you go to the portal if you feel you need to. Minchey and Angeli will know if they are performing like playoff level QBs or not and may understand the decision if they aren't. They were alll told that ND is striving to contend for championships and no one player is above that goal.

If the backup QBs aren't performing well in practice, that's all the reason you need to go to the portal. Fairly certain the coaches would prefer to elevate one of the QBs on the roster but it has to be earned. The schedule softens a little now and I'm hoping there's a blowout or 3 along the way that will allow Angeli and/or Minchey to get game time. I would not answer this question now. How are the current QBs progressing throughout the remainder of the season and who is in the portal? The passing game results game in game out are far more important than who the QB is. If the passing game is dynamic, QB recruits will jump on board. Got a ways to go before that's the case from what we have seen lately. The result of the USC game was great but we would be kidding ourselves if we think the passing game is anything close to dynamic right now and that's with a preseason Hesiman candidate. The ND OC job is not an OJT position. Do well, or move along.

I like coach Freeman and he's the CEO of the team. He's got to hold coaches accountable and continuously push for excellence. Lackluster play against Louisville is just unacceptable. Sometimes I wonder if Freeman is just too nice at times. Don't want purple face Kelly but a little more intensity when players are sleepwalking would be nice. Yes, Golden is on a hot streak. Why did it take so long for him to realize that he's got excellent DBs and he can pressure opposing QBs and leave them in single coverage?? Also not convinced that Golden is buying into the recruiting process like he needs to. Why isn't Parker getting more out of preseason Heisman candidate Hartman? Yes, the WRs aren't as good as we would like but Parker should be able to scheme them open with Hartman's abilities. More play action to take advantage of stacked boxes, perhaps. It could be worse but my standard for this team is high!

Huge having both Carr and Knight in attendance selling the program to uncommitted recruits.

He might have been this good all along. The pressure created by the front group really allows DBs to shine.

Great win!! I always favor being unpredictable on both offense and defense. I felt that the D was but the offense still is somewhat. The guys were clearly up for this game. Can the coaching staff keep it that way game in, game out. See Louisville losing to Pitt after their big win last week. The pressure the D put on Williams was beautiful. No reason to not do that with NDs corners. I get the WRs still aren't where they should be but you have to put some pressure on the opposing D to not stack the box. I never would have guessed that Hartman would put up better stats at Wake Forest than ND.

Freeman & Parker, you have no answer on offense to beat a stacked box??? Defensively, ND has to stop 2 Louisville players Jordan and Thrash. Make them beat you with players other than those 2. Didn't get it done. If I'm Bevacqua I bring in Freeman on Monday and here's how I lay it out. For the most part, I'm not here to tell you how to get it done but the results have to be better. Need you to finish out this season strong. If that happens, I am willing to give you another season to see if you can get us to the playoff but at least a couple of changes are going to be necessary. I am going to require you to replace our coordinators. Beyond that, it's up to you. I would encourage you to look beyond coaches you have connections with as your job is on the line. I will support you financially to bring in the top OC/DC that you choose. If you choose to replace positional coaches, I will support you in that regard too. Ball is in your court Marcus.

I hope this wasn't a serious post. Buchner isn't good and won't be good.

ND lost the game more than OSU won it. Freeman has to tighten up the operation. There was a lot that I liked but there needs to be a big improvement in attention to details. The staff needs to be quicker and better at making in game adjustments to counter how they are being attacked. As an example, Day was clearly picking on the slot and having success. Why wasn't there an adjustment made to counter that? That was a gut wrenching loss.

If ND can keep stacking top 10 level QB commits, they will be championship contenders far more frequently. I hope the staff learned from the D Moore fiasco and can sense indecisiveness so it can be avoided. Not saying that describes Deuce but you can understand why someone would perceive it that way.

ND has the potential to play for a NC this season. Strong QB, running game and defensive secondary will give them a chance against any good team. I have been using the term "nitpicking" a lot so far and if I were to nitpick I would say I wish the pass rush got home a bit more.

Strictly from my fan perspective, I think Bear has some of the same strengths and characteristics as Brady Quinn.

If Angeli's performance is hypothetically a true indication of his abilities, the level of potential transfer QB ND should consider, just went up. If his talent is truly what we saw today, ND shouldn't bring in a transfer with anything less than Hartman's ability.

Have to admit that I was not a fan of the Parker promotion but by all accounts, I was wrong. Really tough to make a determination given the opponents thus far but Parker seems like a solid OC.

With OSU, Ala and Georgia breaking in new QBs, this is the year for ND to make a championship push. When is the last time you could say that ND had a better QB than those 3 schools in the same year? Bring in top ten level QB recruits every year and accept heisman level QB transfers anytime you are able to and championships will be on the table every year (assuming the quality of the remainder of the roster remains as is.)

I didn't like the way the D started the game but obviously everything turned out as good as you could have hoped for. My main takeaway is that Angeli looks poised and accurate. I am well aware of who the opponent was but it was still nice to see. If Angeli's performance is hypothetically a true indication of his abilities, the level of potential transfer QB ND should consider, just went up. If his talent is truly what we saw today, ND shouldn't bring in a transfer with anything less than Hartman's ability. Nice start to the season boys!!

Well done ND coaches and players!! I could write 5 paragraphs about everything that I like. ND doesn't normally dominate Navy like that. Having a Heisman level QB makes a huge difference. Negatives that I saw and I'm nitpicking, Merriweather looked lost and I would have preferred to get Angeli more time/passes. At the end of the season ND will need to determine whether they will stick with the QBs on the roster for '24 or go to the portal again. Only way to do that is to see Angeli and Minchey play a little. Thinking the backups will get more time next week. Just a slight counter to that. I would like to see Hartman build his Heisman candidacy. It will only help ND to have Hartman as a contender for the award.

I hope ND takes whichever of Bear or Deuce that wants to commit first. Can't have another situation like '23 when ND lost Arnold because they waited for Moore.

Well done ND coaches and players!! I could write 5 paragraphs about everything that I like. ND doesn't normally dominate Navy like that. Having a Heisman level QB makes a huge difference. Negatives that I saw and I'm nitpicking, Merriweather looked lost and I would have preferred to get Angeli more time/passes. At the end of the season ND will need to determine whether they will stick with the QBs on the roster for '24 or go to the portal again. Only way to do that is to see Angeli and Minchey play a little. Thinking the backups will get more time next week. Just a slight counter to that. I would like to see Hartman build his Heisman candidacy. It will only help ND to have Hartman as a contender for the award.

I take Perry and Meadows as soon as they want to commit. Strange that ND isn't making more publicized progress with Taylor. I would think Cam Williams would help them real in the Chgo area 2025 WR. That's probably ongoing.