But it is not the be all end all. As SEE notes, Barry Alvarez worked out pretty well despite having no DC experience. This is not to say that Lea will be as successful as Alvarez. But given the cluster**** ND's defense has been in the three years preceding Elko, there is a reasonable argument that stability should have been an important, if not the most important factor, in deciding whom to hire as DC. Couple that with the reports that Lea is highly intelligent (and not just for a football coach), is a good teacher, relates well to his players, and was able to coax greatly improved production out of his linebackers, and Lea seems like a reasonable hire. I'm not saying that Lea will necessarily be successful, but I think there's a good chance he will be.

but using Alvarez to buttress this argument is cherry picking in the extreme, at least as I see it. I’m concerned because I think this year’s team is going to struggle on offense early, maybe longer, due to the departures on the O line and the defense will have to hold down the fort. Not expecting much out of Kellyball this year, just more of the same.

our DC to a guy that went on to be one of the best head coaches of his generation.

Than it is indeed 1988 again.

him for 2 years. I see nothing as stable here.

This is a total crap shoot...

I'm sure Lea will do some tweaking, but nothing as drastic as installing a completely different base defense that requires spending the entire spring on install rather than fundamentals and refining what players already know, and causing players to think about everything they are doing rather than reacting, a sure recipe to make even the fastest players look slow.

I'll wait until September to see how this works out. Unlike you, I'm not astute enough to pass judgment without seeing actual performance.

That's laughable.

Quite honestly, defensive schemes are simply not that complex unless you hire some jackwagon like BVG.

A 4-3 front is going to have very basic techniques, gap responsibilities, and assignments to go along with the back end coverages. Blitz and stunt calls are relatively easy to install.

You are DRAMATICALLY overstating the case. I'm sure you're taking the line from the recruitnik boards, but you should be much more careful moving forward and not just believe everything you read from those clowns.

I just happen to think that all things considered, the Lea hire was not an unreasonable hire. You seem to disagree, which is fine. Given your background, I respect your opinion. I'm no fan of Kelly and thought he should have been bounced after the disaster that was 2016, but unlike too many on this board, I try not to let my distaste for Kelly be my sole guide concerning the program, assistant coach hires, etc. I'm not obsessed with being one of the Rock's House cool kids, and I don't fear being tagged a "Kellylover." (That last sentence was not directed at you.) In any event, we'll see how the Lea hire works out. I think he has some traits (to borrow a worn out Kellyism) that could lead one to reasonably believe he can be successful at ND. Like I said, we'll see.

By the way, I'm too cheap to subscribe to any recruitnik sites.

I think the stuff about install for defense is completely off. Defense is nowhere near as complex by nature (reaction based) and certain things are going to be constant. Now, if he had gone with a bullshit hire like BVG, I would agree that it would take longer, but that's because those schemes (like the Ryan's) rely heavily on bullshit/hero scheme stuff and are very unlikely to be successful at the college level. For basic defense, however, there are only so many ways to run an even/base front or an over/under and there are really only so many coverage combinations and they really don't differentiate much by coordinator. Defense is mainly about disguise and react.

For offense, you would have a point about it taking the entire spring; in fact, it would take longer than that.

And if I assumed something about your view of the hire that is incorrect, I apologize.

coming of George Seifert for all I know."

"There's nothing in his resume' that shouts ND DC. He's never done it. He's a wild card."

Please tell me where I am off base...

where to line up! First, they have to listen for the strength call (that's at least a week of install right there). Then, 2 interior players might have to switch sides (that right there might take the entire summer), and then at least one of them might have to get contain.

All of this stuff is rocket science. I haven't even started on teaching the db's how to run coverages like 1, 2, 3, and 4. That shit is mesmerizing.

the players need to hand the ball to after the whistle when we are in hurry up. It’s this kind of attention to detail that separates poopsie from all other HCs. Next he will be telling the secondary the importance of not allowing a guy on the other team to get behind them. In fairness, It did take Lou about 10 minutes to establish an identity.
PS Devine’s ‘77 defensive team had a very angry disposition.... they stone cold wanted to tear you apart....

New coordinators and teams who do poorly.

Given a new DC would have been the 4th system change in 4 years, Lea was probably the right call. Doesn’t mean he’ll do well.

lost the fire in his belly and was on the downside of his career.

There is no identity. We are grab bagging. People get woodies when we make a routine tackle.

There clearly is

# 6 of 8 in Total D under poopsie's watch.

Total D

2010 51 (7)
2011 30 (2)
2012 7 (1)
2013 31 (3)
2014 73 (8)
2015 45 (5)
2016 42 (4)
2017 46 (6)

In addition, the scoring D ranked # 5 of 8.

Scoring D

2010 23 (2)
2011 24 (3)
2012 2 (1)
2013 27 (4)
2014 84 (8)
2015 39 (6)
2016 61 (7)
2017 31 (5)

Elko obviously simplified things and then left after 1 year. He couldn't get away from kelly fast enough.

(In 3 of our last 5 games we gave up 37, 41, 38 Wake, Miami, Stanford)

As I said, people are popping woodrow's over seeing a tackle made correctly.