With the first press conference featuring all of Brian Kelly’s staff in the books, the coaches are on a full court press recruiting. Much has been written about visits to NJ to see Bennett Jackson, visits to Florida to see Irish commit Gio Bernard and then stopping in to say hello to 5 star recruit Christian Jones. Jones would be a huge addition lining up next to Manti Te’o. The entire coaching staff as it seems were in Virginia to court J. R. Ferguson including Kelly, Diaco, Cooks, and Hinton. The Ferguson’s were impressed with the fact that ND brought that many coaches but it was Kelly’s way of showing how important this kid is. Kelly and the entire defensive coaching staff want J. R. on the team.
Today the coaching staff is off to the West Coast to see standout safety prospect Dietrich Riley. Riley would be a huge pickup over the likes of USC and basically the entire SEC, but he could break the 2 deep immediately and could compete for playing time right away. Next on the list is seeing Anthony Barr, the West’s most talented athlete. From everything we have heard, this kid could pretty much play any position on the field. Kelly has expressed interest in him as a receiver but Barr says his heart is at running back. Kelly could opt to let him play running back if Gio Bernard wavers on his commit to the Irish as he is set to visit North Carolina this week. At this point, I would let the kid choose his own position, maybe even create a new position if that’s what he wants to do. Being a legacy at ND helps but rumor has it that his lady-friend is transferring to UCLA. Chicks > Legacy
With the coaches out recruiting like they should be, they are racking up sky miles zigzagging the country. It seems that besides meeting the current class of commits, the coaching staff is looking to add depth to the defensive side of the ball. We all know the struggles the Irish defense faced last year and can see why the coaches are high on getting some stud defensive recruits into the fold. I’ve listened to the Bob Diaco press conference a couple times now and a few things stood out to me.
Diaco, when asked if there was a pressure on him to improve the defense said, “I don’t think so, for me. Everybody is different and I hope this doesn’t come across as coach speak because you get that so much, but really, genuinely there are some core principles to playing great defense; effort and hustle, tackling and then maintaining the top of the defense, so that won’t change.” No need to go and re-read the quote. He said exactly what you think he said. No pressure on him to improve the defense.
For a defense that was horrible last season (Stats can be found here at Clashmore Mike) that’s a brash statement to make. I’m pretty sure the number one priority from the athletic department to the grounds crew should be improving the teams defense. How many shoot-outs did we come up short on last year. How many points did Michigan, Washington, Michigan State, and Stanford score on this team? Why was the previous coach fired and none of the defensive staff retained? Oh yeah, because the defense was horrible, that’s why.
OK OK, maybe I am taking this to far. Lets look at the quote a little more. Diaco is saying that there doesn’t need to be pressure on him to improve the defense. He believes in fundamentals, tackling, pursuit and assignments. He is saying his job is to coach young men on what they are supposed to be doing first and foremost and not worrying about other things. OK, I can accept that. It seemed that too many times last year players were out of position, confused by assignments, and flat out missed tackles. So having a coach place and emphasis on these basic fundamentals is needed and that is what Diaco is saying.
We all remember this play from last year, it still haunts my dreams...
Diaco says his defensive playing style has, “Passion, great passion. Great great energy. Hustle and flying around with gas in their tank from the strength and condition coach.” With the new training table in effect and Paul Longos beach, there should be no reason for the players to get tired. Toby Gerhart destroyed the Irish single handily as the game moved along. It seemed the players were tired and out of shape in the last game of the season. This is something that Diaco needs to correct if he wants to succeed.
Diaco’s defensive philosophy when it comes to the 3-4, “3-4 alignment which will base out of, is a balanced defense. So you are not having to lecture to the sam or the will, but the outside linebacker. Not the mike or the jack, but the inside linebackers. You have inside and outside. The safeties are lectured to as a group, the corners are lectured to as a group along with the ends as a group. There is not 11 players, there are 4 or 5 positions. This affords you flexibility with regards to the time spent in preparation and be more focused on the fundamentals.” With that being said, he is again placing an emphasis on what he feels is the most import thing to defensive success which is knowing your assignment and tackling. It seems that Diaco will take the same approach as Molnar will with the offense. Here is the system, now plug the players in and go. Keep them fresh and ready to play rather that worrying about the personnel. Hell, this guy helped convert Demetrius Jones into a linebacker, lets see what he can do with Brian and Harrison Smith.
Diaco and CO seems to be out recruiting the type of guys that fit their style. It would be a great get if Ferguson, Barr, Jones or Henderson pick the Irish before signing day but we shouldn’t expect it. Plan for the worst and be optimistic. Just like Te’o did last year, he surprised ND after being pelted with snowballs against Syracuse. The coaching staff plans on converting their current guys into what they need for their system and that excites me. All we have to go on is excitement. We can all still be on the fence about this staff and I think we should. Lets not rush to judgment either way, good or bad, until we see some football. Don’t worry, we only have to wait 227 days.
