I am a little surprised that no one has thrown some of the mess this program is in at the feet of Corwin Brown and John Tenuta. We have blown 2nd half leads in three of our losses this year and somehow their ability to coach has escaped question. Why is that?

 

The improvement of our defense hasn't really outpaced any improvements our offense has made, so why no questions about the play of the defense. right now it seems that the book on Corwin Brown isn't really much different than the book on Charlie Weis - they are great recruiters, but really haven't shown much improvement on their respective sides of the ball.

 

Why no heat on the defensive coaching staff?

I am a little surprised that no one has thrown some of the mess this program is in at the feet of Corwin Brown and John Tenuta. We have blown 2nd half leads in three of our losses this year and somehow their ability to coach has escaped question. Why is that?

 

The improvement of our defense hasn't really outpaced any improvements our offense has made, so why no questions about the play of the defense. right now it seems that the book on Corwin Brown isn't really much different than the book on Charlie Weis - they are great recruiters, but really haven't shown much improvement on their respective sides of the ball.

 

Why no heat on the defensive coaching staff?

 

No because we can't run the ball and control the clock. That wears on a defense when we're constantly 3 and out and giving good field position. The d has been great.

becasue we still dont have that much talent, especially on the D-line

We just lost to Syracuse, so please don't tell me that we don't have talent. If I had to guess, they don't have a single player on their roster that was even offered by ND, so my guess is that we should have the talent to hold a double digit lead in the second half.....

No because we can't run the ball and control the clock. That wears on a defense when we're constantly 3 and out and giving good field position. The d has been great.

 

That's CRAP.

 

Enough with the excuses. Show me a person who makes excuses like this and I'll show you a loser. We've blown double digit leads, we have no fire, we're constantly out coached in the second half, and the in game adjustments don't happen. This team quit after they lost to Pittsburgh and has shown no ability to overcome adversity.

 

That starts with coaching, from the top down. Good teams overcome things and don't give up double digit leads against a 2-8 football team.

 

Give me a break.

Coaster hit it right on the head, the offense not being able to do anything is really rough on a defense.

 

Mentally, physically, there are serious effects on a defense when it keeps setting up the offense in good positions and nothing happens.

 

One of the most telling things for me was when Toryan Smith picked up that fumble and pitched it back to Gray. I don't think you do that if you feel that your offense can get in and score from the 20. And lo and behold, it couldn't score from the 5.

 

Now, I think Tenuta's blitz packages have been garbage, that's for sure. But I do have a ton of faith in Brown. The defense is the one unit that is improving on this team, and the one that actually plays with a hint of emotion.

Edited November 24, 200816 yr by Ital-Irish
Got the Id wrong

That's CRAP.

 

Enough with the excuses. Show me a person who makes excuses like this and I'll show you a loser. We've blown double digit leads, we have no fire, we're constantly out coached in the second half, and the in game adjustments don't happen. This team quit after they lost to Pittsburgh and has shown no ability to overcome adversity.

 

That starts with coaching, from the top down. Good teams overcome things and don't give up double digit leads against a 2-8 football team.

 

Give me a break.

 

I'm not making excuses. I think the running game has to improve and with 1 5 star back and 3 4 star backs you can't tell me it's not the o-line.

true dat. our team is so boring on the field, the whole crank me up thing died after like 4 games...what happened to that...we actually had the players and fans going crazy with eachother. we need intensity and emotion...on offense too. we have those players on defense such as brian smith and sergio brown and all our young guys get jacked up every game...our offense is so flat and lame. notre dame just hasnt been a pumped up place like many other college football programs and our stadium is quiet and lame...

 

the defense has been the best part of this season and they are tough. its not their fault that they are on the field the entire game and get tired at the end. that would happen to any defense in the country. nobody's fault on def. and i think either corwin brown or tenuta should be head coach because they have the fire that we need....half of college football is emotion and passion and we do not possess either under charlie.

 

The improvement of our defense hasn't really outpaced any improvements our offense has made, so why no questions about the play of the defense. right now it seems that the book on Corwin Brown isn't really much different than the book on Charlie Weis - they are great recruiters, but really haven't shown much improvement on their respective sides of the ball.

 

Why no heat on the defensive coaching staff?

 

Wha...?

 

30, 19 , 54

 

Total, Passing, Rushing D rankings.

 

I am sure some on this board will say its the schedule, but the D is quietly having a very nice year...

That's CRAP.

 

Enough with the excuses. Show me a person who makes excuses like this and I'll show you a loser. We've blown double digit leads, we have no fire, we're constantly out coached in the second half, and the in game adjustments don't happen. This team quit after they lost to Pittsburgh and has shown no ability to overcome adversity.

 

 

Show me someone who can't address the issue, which was that our Defense is wearing down when the offense goes 3 and out and I'll show YOU a loser. Address what you're attacking. Not once did you mention the Defense.

 

Secondly, a loser is also someone who can't address the strengths and weaknesses of a team, because he doesn't know where to start making improvements. Our Defense isn't really the issue here. Our OFFENSE is. The Defense looks fine.

 

If you're gonna name call, I'm going to come back at you. Make a logical argument instead of a shallow generalization. We don't need this S*&^. If you have an issue with someone's statement, support what you have to say! You don't address the comment. You don't address the name calling. I know you're a good poster and I understand your anger, but argue, don't attack people.

Yea, seriously, don't put this on the D...

 

 

It's not the defenses fault that the offense can't score when the defense and special teams just gift wrap really good field position time and time again. It's not their fault that the offense hasn't been able to stay on the field when they absolutely need to and it's definitely not their fault when the offense can't score when needed to:

 

1. to put away an opponent

2. in quadruple overtime

The biggest problem I have with the D is that when they recovered that fumble they should have just kept on lateralling it and risked turning it over rather than trusting in the offensive play-calling and the field goal unit.

 

Besides that, they did everything necessary to put that team away. Until the last five minutes, when they seemed to take a cue from the Offense and start playing scared/tight/not to lose.

Edited November 24, 200816 yr by 2lakes

the defense held pitt to 4 field goals in overtime thats terrific--- the defense just shut down navys vaunted run game and yet we struggled-- the defense played good enough to beat a hot north carolina team-- the defense has been more then servicable-- the defense lost its best CB-- walls-- plays a young secondary--has a DLINE where the talent if its there is hidden within maturing fresh and sophs some of whom dont play yet at all--dont forget the defense under ty and even minter--every QB was a heisman-- every long pass was a TD-- it was PUTRID___ but now its the offense looking alot like the putrid days--- the talent is a noch less on D but the coaching is obviously better-- i mean you cant dominate the line of scrimmage with kuntz- brown- williams and a couple freshman------ but they have been good enough to be 8 and 3 if we had AN OFFENSIVE IDENTITY AND AN OFFENSIVE LINE

I understand what you guys are trying to say, but the numbers say something different.

 

The time of posession for the Syracuse game was 28:41 Syr 31:19 ND, their defense was on the field more than ours....

Show me someone who can't address the issue, which was that our Defense is wearing down when the offense goes 3 and out and I'll show YOU a loser. Address what you're attacking. Not once did you mention the Defense.

 

Secondly, a loser is also someone who can't address the strengths and weaknesses of a team, because he doesn't know where to start making improvements. Our Defense isn't really the issue here. Our OFFENSE is. The Defense looks fine.

 

If you're gonna name call, I'm going to come back at you. Make a logical argument instead of a shallow generalization. We don't need this S*&^. If you have an issue with someone's statement, support what you have to say! You don't address the comment. You don't address the name calling. I know you're a good poster and I understand your anger, but argue, don't attack people.

 

Actually, a loser is someone who gives up more points than the other team. Which is exactly what the Notre Dame defense did yesterday to an opponent with a lame duck head coach, 2-8 record, and no home wins on the road in the last year and a half.

 

The defense was out on the field less than Syracuse's defense. You blaming the offense for not holding onto the ball, when Syracuse's defense was out on the field longer than our defense was, holds no water. They gave up fewer points. They didn't wear down, even though their defense was out on the field longer than ours was. How come?

 

As for your numbers, Syracuse ranks at the bottom of almost every offensive category in all of Division 1 football. They can't run, they can't throw, they can't get out of their way offensively. Yet yesterday, they came into South Bend, racked up 170 yards on the ground, controlled the clock, scored 24 points, and pushed around our defense.

 

When the chips were down and we needed a defensive stop, we didn't get one. We lost the game because our defense couldn't stop a 2-8 football team that ranks lower than 100th on mostly all offensive categories. What numbers, exactly, would you like other than the final score?

 

Excuses are like a$$holes -- everyone's got one, and they all stink. I'm not here to applaud a defense that has beat up on NOBODIES this year and couldn't stop a 2-8 football team that is, for every game this season except against our beloved ND's defense, WOEFUL offensively.

Edited November 24, 200816 yr by Katzenboyer

Actually, a loser is someone who gives up more points than the other team. Which is exactly what the Notre Dame defense did yesterday to an opponent with a lame duck head coach, 2-8 record, and no home wins on the road in the last year and a half.

 

Yeah and a winner is someone who scores more points which our offense didn't do. We're ranked 57 in total offense and 71 in total scoring offense. We're 28 in total defense.

http://web1.ncaa.org/football/exec/rankingSummary?year=2008&org=513

 

Excuses are like a$$holes -- everyone's got one, and they all stink. I'm not here to applaud a defense that has beat up on NOBODIES this year and couldn't stop a 2-8 football team that is, for every game this season except against our beloved ND's defense, WOEFUL offensively.

 

So how does the rest of you feel? Chill out man you're tweaking.

Yeah and a winner is someone who scores more points which our offense didn't do. We're ranked 57 in total offense and 71 in total scoring offense. We're 28 in total defense.

http://web1.ncaa.org/football/exec/rankingSummary?year=2008&org=513

 

So how does the rest of you feel? Chill out man you're tweaking.

 

Offense - 57th

Defense - 28th

Given that the quality of the team is inversely proportional to those rankings, sounds like the defense is about twice as good as the offense. Actually 2.036 times better -- that's rounded to the nearest thousandth.

Lets keep it civil guys. A lot of good points being brought up here.

 

We're all pissed. Lets not take it out on each other.

The time of possession for the Syracuse game was 28:41 Syr 31:19 ND, their defense was on the field more than ours....

 

This point cannot be denied. Stamina is easily fixable and really shouldn't be an issue by now.

The offense still has a job to do, regardless whether or not ND's defense is stopping a 2-8 team. That job is to put points on the board, which in the third quarter starting three (3) series at the Syracuse 23 yard line or better and to walk away with 3, only 3 points is unacceptable. The defense shouldn't have been put in the situation they were. But, they should've been able to keep the Orange out of the endzone. This is a game ND should not have lost, period. The whole team, including the coaches lost this. Is there real pride in the team and coaches that they're playing/coaching for NOTRE DAME? To top the loss, the fans, ND fans were throwing snowballs at the players, downright embarrassing. It's embarrassing to be a ND fan. I can't wait until next week.

Our defense is not an elite type of defense that some of the other teams have but I think they've been doing a better job than the offense. When your offense can't even score a FG against BC it's bad.

 

A previous poster mentioned the job our D did against Pitt, NC, and Navy. These are all games we should expect to win. They did a good job against Syracuse too. There is no excuse for ND to have 1 INT, 2 fumble recoveries and plenty of stops against a team this poor and not be able to punch it in.

 

I don't think that Tenuta's blitzes have worked all that well, but the main problem with this team is the offense being run by a supposed genius.