Breaking down Notre Dame’s defensive coaches (part 3 of 4 part series)

Below is how the Irish defensive coaching staff stacks up. Each coach is ranked on a five-star scale.

Bob Diaco, Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebacks Coach — Two Stars

The soon-to-be 37-year-old Diaco may have the biggest task of all in sorting out a Notre Dame defense that was ranked No. 86 in the country last season.

After spending a season under Kelly at Central Michigan, Diaco worked the defensive sidelines at the University of Virginia before rejoining Kelly last season as Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator.

He will likely be under heavy scrutiny, as Kelly defenses historically have yielded many points thanks to his quick-strike offensive philosophy (Kelly’s 2009 Bearcats were last in the country in time of possession, but were first in total points scored).

Diaco will implement the 3-4 defense in South Bend, and it will be interesting to see if he can handle the burden placed on him by Kelly’s offense. He tends to be a poor interviewer, and may have a hard time explaining lackluster defensive performances to Irish Nation.

Chuck Martin, Defensive Backs Coach — Four Stars

Kelly failed to persuade Martin to leave Division 2-powerhouse Grand Valley State University at his previous two coaching stops, but this time the allure of Notre Dame was enough to get him.

Martin served as defensive coordinator under Kelly at GVSU before taking over the reigns upon Kelly’s departure to Central Michigan. In his time as head coach, Martin led Grand Valley to three National Championship games, and won two of them. The Lakers never finished outside of the top 10 under his control.

He is a natural leader with a lot of charisma and should be a great asset on the recruiting trail. While Martin’s main role will be coaching the defensive backs, it is possible he will have some influence on schemes and play calling.

If for some reason Diaco cannot turn around the Irish defense, expect Martin to be next in line.

Mike Elston, Defensive Line Coach and Special Teams Coordinator — Five Starts

Elston is the gem of Kelly’s staff, and he brings a lot to the table for the Irish. He served as an assistant head coach under Kelly at Cincinnati, and was the recruiting coordinator for the Bearcats in 2007 and 2008.

He was responsible for keeping Charlie Weis’ recruits on board during the coaching transition.

This guy can do it all, and he does it all very well. At both Central Michigan and Cincinnati, Elston commanded stellar special teams squads and should being the same expertise to South Bend.

Much like Martin, Elston could be plucked from the ranks if this staff finds success.

Kerry Cooks, Outside Linebackers Coach — Three Stars

After spending the last three seasons as Wisconsin’s defensive backs coach, Cooks is another up-and-comer on the Irish staff worth keeping an eye on.

Cooks will be responsible for grooming Manti Te’o, one of the most talented linebackers in college football, for the next three seasons. Although inexperienced, Cooks should have great chemistry with Diaco, a college teammate of Cooks at the University of Iowa.

It is likely he will be assisted some by Elston, who oversaw the linebackers for Kelly at both Central Michigan and Cincinnati.

Paul Longo, Strength and Conditioning Coach — Five Stars

Longo brings 18 years of strength and conditioning experience at the Division 1 level to the Irish program. He has already developed a reputation after making several players vomit during the opening stretches of offseason workouts.

He announced an ambitious plan to ensure every Notre Dame offensive lineman with have 18 percent or less body fat composition.

The peak physical fitness of Longo’s teams has led to an amazing 42-1 record over the last five seasons when leading after 3 quarters.

Breaking down Notre Dame’s offensive coaches (part 2 of 4 part series)

Only two months into the job, Brian Kelly has completely filled the Notre Dame coaching staff.

Kelly surrounded himself with a young staff of coaches whom he knows and can trust. Several migrated from Cincinnati, and he brought his old friend Chuck Martin in from Division 2 Grand Valley State University as well.

Jeff Quinn’s departure to Buffalo was a definite blow to Kelly’s staff, but he should be very content with the remaining results.

Wide receivers coach Tony Alford survived as the only holdover from the Charlie Weis era. The only big-name assistant from outside the Kelly coaching tree is Ed Warriner — the decorated offensive line coach who previously fueled the high-octane spread offense at Kansas.

Below is how the Irish offensive coaching staff stacks up. Each coach is ranked on a five-star scale.

The Offense

Charley Molnar, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach — Four Stars

It is likely Molnar was originally pegged as the wide receivers coach, but after Quinn took the head coaching position at Buffalo, Molnar became the most logical choice. Molnar is a seasoned veteran who mentored the wide receivers at Cincinnati while also serving as the passing game coordinator.

Molnar has been Kelly’s “eye in the sky” in the past — he typically calls the game from the booth — and that role will probably continue in South Bend. While Kelly has always controlled his offense, but he is occasionally assisted by Molnar.

Molnar is a great strategist and facilitator, and will prove to be an extremely valuable asset for the Irish.

Ed Warinner, Offensive Line Coach — Five Stars

Warinner is the real wild card in the coaching staff as he has no previous ties to Kelly or to Notre Dame. He lead Kansas’ offensive line for the past three seasons, and the Jayhawks run a very similar spread offense to the one Kelly ran at Cincinnati.

During Warriner’s tenure at Kansas, the offense averaged over 35 points per game and the offensive line pave the way for an elite passing attack. His experience will prove to be a very important acquisition, especially considering his strong recruiting ties and fresh perspective.

He was a semi-finalist for assistant coach of the year in 2009 and should shore up the Irish line for years to come.

Tony Alford, Wide Receivers Coach — Four Stars

Alford is the lone holdover from the last staff, but will change roles under Kelly. Notre Dame’s former running backs coach will now be in charge of the talent-filled pool of receivers left behind by Weis.

He is probably the greatest recruiter on the staff. Alford was able to secure a commitment from highly-touted recruit Louis Nix before the Irish had even named a new head coach.

With coaching experience at several different positions, Alford will have a very different, pro-style perspective to share with Kelly and his high-octane spread offense.

Mike Denbrock, Tight Ends Coach — Three Stars

Denbrock’s hiring shocked many Irish fans because of the nine years spent under former Notre Dame coach Tyrone Willingham (Four at Notre Dame, Five at Washington). He was most likely brought in as a result of his six years spent with Kelly at Grand Valley as both and offensive and defensive coordinator.

Kelly’s vision and philosophies are very familiar to Denbrock, and he will help instill those in South Bend.

Furthermore, Pac-10 ties developed from Denbrock’s time at Washington will make him a great asset in West Coast-recruiting, and having a former Irish staff member return will help Kelly grasp the atmosphere at Notre Dame.

Tim Hinton, Running Backs Coach — Three Stars

Hinton is another hire from the Cincinnati staff, where he served as the recruiting coordinator and running backs coach in 2009. Under his tutelage, Bearcat running backs had the fewest turnovers at the position in all of college football.

He understands the role of running backs in the spread offense and has been successful in grooming backs into versatile, multifaceted weapons. Hinton’s backs can run routes like wide receivers and pass protect like linemen. And, they do not fumble.

Although Kelly’s offense likes to air-it-out more more often than not, the running back position is very crucial to its success and Hinton should continue to do a good job of facilitating that.

Brian Kelly’s immediate impact at Notre Dame (part 1 of 4 part series)

Like a poised presidential candidate, Brian Kelly nonchalantly made his way to the podium in South Bend Dec. 11 to show Irish Nation the new face of their organization. Dare I say he looked good?

Kelly’s pedigree is not in question. He is the son of an old Boston Irish-Catholic politician. He was raised on Notre Dame lore. He established his coaching career in the Midwest. Did I mention he’s a Kelly?

Just five minutes into his opening press conference, Kelly spit out sound bites which will live on for years:

“There’s a football coach, and then there’s the football coach at Notre Dame, because nobody, nobody does it like Notre Dame.

“We don’t have a five-year plan, we have a five-minute plan and we’ll start working on it immediately.

“You do not come to the University of Notre Dame because you want to be average. You want to be the best of the best. That’s why I’m here.

“Our football players will continue to represent the motto of Notre Dame. I want tough gentlemen … I want gentlemen off the field that we all can be proud of.”

Kelly shifted into overdrive during the past month and has significantly reshaped Norte Dame’s ailing program. Will it be for better or for worse? Only time will tell.

He instituted his “Notre Dame Creed,” a motto every Irish player is supposed to learn, recite and live by. Although few details about the creed have emerged, Kelly insists it stresses the core values of not only his team, but also of the university as a whole.

“Camp Kelly,” an offseason condition program, is teaching his players a different definition of being in shape.

Most importantly, Kelly is reviving an old culture — a culture reminiscent of the 80s and 90s when the Irish were the planet’s most respected football team both on and off the field.

Back when Notre Dame meant something. When Notre Dame was still Notre Dame.

Kelly understands what the Irish faithful mean when they want a return to glory. It is more than winning football games. It is doing it the right way. Doing it Notre Dame’s way.

South Bend houses more lore than any other college campus in the country. The tradition, the legends and the mystique that floats around that campus are still enough to send shivers down the spines of opponents and excitement up the spines of recruits.

The last 15 years, however, have seen Notre Dame’s mystical power slowly fading away. The Irish may not withstand another mediocre coach without falling into irrelevance.

Kelly knows. Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick knows. Most importantly, the fans know.

If Kelly can muster a turnaround while working his “dream job,” it will be a very happy and fulfilling marriage for years to come. The weight on his shoulders may be heavier than any other coach in the country.

Failure is not a road Irish fans care to venture.

2009 Heisman went to the wrong running back

Archie Griffin, Reggie Bush, OJ Simpson, Barry Sanders, Mark Ingram.

Which name doesn’t seem to fit?

In the line of great Heisman running backs and Heisman Trophy winners in general, Alabama’s Ingram simply doesn’t stack up.

The winner of the Heisman is supposed to be the best college football player in the country.The best player in the country must be the best player at the position and the best player on his team.

Ingram is not the best running back in the country

The Thursday before the Heisman presentation, Stanford’s Toby Gerhart was given the Doak Walker award signifying him as the nation’s No. 1 running back.

Ingram may only be the country’s third best running back, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to call him the fifth or six best. Five running backs who could be placed in front of Ingram:

1) Gerhart

Little needs to be said here. Coming down the stretch run, Gerhart carried a mediocre Stanford team on his back for victories against Oregon, USC and Notre Dame by averaging 202 yards and three touchdowns per game (not to mention a passing touchdown against the Irish). Gerhart thrived on the big stage and shattered records while doing so.

2) LaMichael James

After the infamous “Blount Punch,” the 5-foot-9-inch James took the Pac 10 conference by storm. The true freshman do-it-all back fueled the most high-octane offense in college football. In 10 games as the starter he rushed for 1,468 yards and 14 touchdowns.

3) CJ Spiller

The Clemson senior racked up 1,212 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground. Add in 506 yards and four touchdowns through the air, and he accounted for half of Clemson’s offense. Sprinkle in 965 more yards and five more touchdowns in the return game, and you have the biggest home run threat in college football.

4) Deon Lewis

Pittsburgh’s true freshman is the only player the author has ever said reminds him a little of Sanders. Lewis, a nightmare for defensive coordinators all year, rushed for 1,799 yards and 17 touchdowns. He performed well on the big stage, rushing for 194 yards and three touchdowns in the Big East championship game against Cincinnati.

5) Jahvid Best

Before his season-ending injury, Best was easily leading the Heisman race. In nine games, the Cal back had totaled 838 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground and had 217 yards and 4 touchdowns receiving. Dennis Dixon received Heisman votes in 2007, and the same case could have been made for Best.

6) Ingram

Ingram was the leading rusher on the best team in the country. His 1,658 yards and 17 touchdowns held defenses in check and protected a freshman quarterback all year. He thrives on contact and is very difficult to bring down one-on-one in the open field.

While Ingram is not getting a whole lot of love on this list, the rankings really are not all that crazy.

Ingram is not Alabama’s best player

Ingram may be the most logical choice as the Crimson Tide’s best player. However, it would not be out of the question to make a case for quarterback Greg McElroy, receiver Julio Jones or linebacker Rolando McClain.

While Ingram was a very strong, consistent back throughout the season, he ran behind one of the best offensive lines in all of college football and played in a run-happy offense. In big games, Ingram rarely led the Alabama offensive charge.

Against LSU, the game ball went to Jones who had 102 yards receiving and a touchdown. The rest of the offense struggled, and Ingram did not score.

Terrance Cody received the game ball against Tennessee. Cody blocked two field goals to help keep Alabama’s undefeated season alive as the offense failed to reach the end zone. Ingram, meanwhile, did not score and coughed up a costly fumble.

McElroy grabbed the game ball against Auburn by putting up 218 yards and two touchdowns through the air. One of the touchdowns came on “The Drive.” Ingram did not score and put up only 30 yards.

Ingram finally nabbed a game ball against Florida by rushing for 113 yards and three touchdowns. That is a great night by any measure, and his statistics alone earn him some respect. However, to continue playing devil’s advocate, Ingram’s longest run was 15 yards, and the three touchdowns were just goal-line punch-ins. Averaging 4 yards per carry on 28 touches is not a dominating performance by any means. McClain deserved the game ball just as much for effectively shutting down Tim Tebow.

Again, all this is not to say Mark Ingram isn’t a great football player. He is, and is one of the top 10 in the country. He is just not deserving of the Heisman Trophy.

The trophy could have gone to a number of deserving candidates this year, as there was no obvious choice. This factor made for the most interesting Heisman race in years. No matter who won the award, criticism was sure to follow.

With so many players able to make a case for the trophy this year, who should it have gone to?

Gerhart.

For those readers who think the author is nothing more than an Ingram hater, ask yourselves a question. If you having a fantasy draft for college football, who would you take with the first overall pick? Would you take Ingram? He’s not worthy of being in the top 5.

After Spiller was snubbed and we were down to the five finalists, this is how the voting for the Heisman should have gone:

1) Toby Gerhart
2) Ndamukong Suh
3) Colt McCoy
4) Mark Ingram
5) Tim Tebow

Photo courtesy Core37 on Flickr. It is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic license.

The Adventures of Diesel and Flash II The Next Rise to Power – featuring LeBron James

The Adventures of Diesel and Flash II

The Next Rise to Power – featuring LeBron James

Shaquille O’Neal and Dwayne Wade team up again to deliver another blockbuster deal, saving the city of Miami from basketball mediocrity. Like all great duos the two parted ways looking for brighter pastures, but when the city of Miami came calling, Diesel and Flash again came to the rescue.

I’m not here to predict a third Shaq trade in 2 years. Instead Shaq is going providing South Beach with a duo of such magnitude you could only create it on NBA Live. The Shaq Experiment in Cleveland is a failure, and in 2010, LeBron is heading south. There, I said it.

Bring on the hate mail; tell me I’m crazy. Better yet, show me some numbers and prove me wrong. I’ve been a critic since I saw the trade come across the bottom line on June 26^th and I’m not backing down now.

There’s a reason Team USA doesn’t win the gold in every single Olympics, there’s a reason the Yankees don’t win the World Series every year and there’s a reason the Detroit Pistons knocked off Shaq’s hall of fame cast in 2004. It’s called chemistry. If you could just grab the best talent and spew it on the court, why would we pay coaches and general managers so much?

Let me explain why the Shaq experiment was doomed to fail.

What makes LeBron James great? It sure isn’t his jump shot (he’s not Kobe), it’s not his amazing ball skills and quickness (he’s not D-Wade), it is LeBron’s ability to drive the basketball at 6’8’’ 250lbs. He very well may be better at driving than anyone in NBA history. He is a freight train in perfect control, able to glide through the air and deliver with such force, shot blockers need not apply. When he begins his drive, you are at his mercy.

This isn’t to say LeBron James doesn’t have a good jump shot, or that he doesn’t have exceptional ball handling skills and quickness. But when you take away his drive you take away who he is. The funny thing is, the only person that has proven, and will continue to prove, to be able to take away his drive is his own center Shaquille O’Neal.

10 years ago, this may have been a fantastic duo. But an aging Shaq that just clogs the lane is not what the Cavaliers need to get by Orlando and Boston in the east. When Shaq clogs the paint, it forces LeBron to switch to his secondary weapon of a jump shot. It’s like when Ohio State asks Terrell Pryor to step back and pass too much, you just gotta let the kid play.

What’s ironic about the whole thing is that the Cavs were right in grabbing a Phoenix center; they just grabbed the wrong one. Could you imagine a mobile, agile Amare Stoudemire running the pick and roll with the King?

All this only builds up to the NBA’s shuffle-up and deal off-season of 2010, where James will reportedly test the free agent market if Cleveland can’t surround him with a cast capable of winning a championship.

Without going into too much detail here, one of the teams that in fact can afford him, is the Miami Heat. There has been lots of speculation that LeBron would love to join his friend and Olympic teammate Dwayne Wade down in Miami and we can only imagine the possibilities. Would the chemistry be there? It sure looked like it was there in Beijing.

(If the right GM steps in I’ve even heard rumors that they could find a way to fit Chris Bosh on the payroll as well, I’m not even gunna tread those water yet though.)

I understand that we’ve only had 20 or so games this season, and much is still to be hashed out. But when it all goes to hell in Cleveland (a.k.a. they don’t advance past the 2^nd round of the playoffs), you heard it here first.

-JT Dec. 4, 2009

The Sunny and C Show

Thompson: Will Notre Dame's return to glory be the Brian Kelly story?

Another no-show last week by the Notre Dame defense against Stanford left everyone with little to speculate regarding the future of coach Charlie Weis.

After a five-year tenure (or internship, as some fans will call it), a 6-6 record became unacceptable to the Irish faithful. Quite frankly, Weis only made it to Monday because it would have been politically incorrect for a Catholic university to fire someone on a Sunday.

An era is over, and Irish athletic director Jack Swarbrick has begun his search to find the man to bring Notre Dame “back to glory.”

Can Notre Dame – with their high academic standards and less than spectacular campus location – ever reclaim the dominance lost when Lou Holtz left in 1996? Do players want to play at Notre Dame anymore? Are the Irish even relevant to a generation that has seen nothing but undelivered promises from the “storied program?”

Most of these questions are irrelevant because as coaches like Brian Kelly, Urban Meyer and Nick Saban have shown, the story in college football begins and ends with the head coach. Just about any school can be one hire away from plunging onto the national scene.

That being said, who can right the ship in South Bend?

Remember, Notre Dame isn’t your typical job.

In-state recruits don’t exist, so you had better be a great recruiter.

You must be an ace with the media because from the minute you sign up, you will be relentlessly questioned and second guessed.

Finally you will need to be one of the “good old boys.” There are a lot of old-fashioned Irish alumni digging deep into their pockets to buyout Weis’ mistake of a contract, so they better like you at face value.

With all of that in mind, isn't the search fairly simple?

Its a two-tier process consisting of three coaches: Meyer, Kelly, and Bob Stoops.

After multiple failures, Swarbrick can’t afford to get cute and look at a Gary Patterson, a Butch Davis or a Jim Harbaugh. They need someone with hardware and a name.

Swarbrick owes it to the Irish fan base to throw the kitchen sink at Meyer. They underbid him in 2004 and lost out to Florida. Notre Dame is still close to the heart of Meyer, and if Swarbrick could bring him to South Bend everything in the world would be right again.

Likely? No. Meyer has already publicly shot down the idea of ever leaving Florida, even after admitting Notre Dame is his dream job. But then again, Saban did the same thing to Alabama until the pot was sweetened. So Irish nation can dream right?

Once Swarbrick fulfills his obligation and forces Urban Meyer to tell him no, it comes down to Stoops and Kelly – pick your order.

It took Stoops far too long to dismiss the rumors of him coming to South Bend, and nobody should be shocked if more rumors start surfacing in the coming weeks. Stoops is said to feel underappreciated in Oklahoma, and his midwest-Catholic roots would fit right in at Notre Dame.

Kelly, one of our own from Grand Valley, is neck and neck with Stoops. Kelley has had success wherever he has gone, and nobody needs to be reminded of what he has done with average talent in Cincinnati this year.

The knocks on Kelly are his unproven track record on the recruiting trail and a lack of Division 1 hardware. But, if he is the second coming of Meyer like some have proclaimed, can Notre Dame afford to pass him up?

In addition, all speculation says Kelly will be half way to South Bend before he hangs up the phone with Swarbrick.

With loads of excitement and speculation surrounding the Irish football program, don’t be surprised if little noise is leaked out of South Bend in the coming days.

All three of the coaches still have bowl games with their current teams, and Notre Dame can’t afford for any of them to pull a Les Miles and bail because word was leaked too early. On paper, two of the three are still in the national title hunt, and, as Miles showed us, no future job can pull a coach away from that.

Pending the games on Saturday, this is how the coaching search will shake out:

If...

...Notre Dame hires before Saturday - Stoops (only one of the three not in the title hunt)

...Texas wins - Kelly becomes available (statistically out of title hunt)

...Florida loses - Meyer becomes available (out of title hunt)

...Texas loses and Florida wins - Kelly and Meyer are locked up

...Notre Dame doesn't hire before the National Championship game (a game not featuring Cincinnati) - Notre Dame fans can get excited

Here are the odds, Las Vegas style:

Kelly 1:1 – Up and coming, open to the idea, makes the most sense
Stoops 2:1 – Brings the hardware and a name, but leaving Oklahoma will be hard
Meyer 7:1 – Best coach in America, good coaches don't move much
The Field 8:1 – Any other selection better panout or Swarbrick is fired

Rumors and controversy will surround not only the Notre Dame football program, but programs around the country as more names are thrown into the Irish coaching mix. We’ve seen these insecurities already, as rumored candidates Jim Harbaugh and Gary Patterson were given large contract extensions by their universities as added insureance.

Notre Dame has a huge decision to make in the coming weeks, maybe one of the biggest in school history. Time is of the essence, as recruits grow restless of being committed to a leaderless program.

The Irish have missed on their past three coaches. If Notre Dame misses on another, they could slip farther into irrelevance, effectively crushing the dreams fans have for a “return to glory.”

-JT Dec. 2, 2009

The Sunny and C Show