Gary Gray (4) breaks up a pass intended for Jermaine Kearse at Notre Dame Stadium Saturday, October 3, 2009. Notre Dame defeated Washington 37-30 in overtime.
Story Created:
Oct 22, 2009 at 10:16 PM EST
Story Updated:
Oct 23, 2009 at 3:07 PM EST
SOUTH BEND - For a while, it appeared there might not be a Twitter Mailbag this week - not because of a shortage of quantity or quality of questions, but because my e-mail box told me I had won two different lotteries in two different countries (Spain and Netherlands) this week.
Apparently the checks are still on their way from overseas.
What wasn’t missing from the mailbag were divergent opinions from Notre Dame fans over last weekend’s near-miss by the now 26th-ranked Irish (4-2) against USC.
Some breathed hope from what they saw as progress. Some wanted to make sure ND athletic director Jack Swarbrick had Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly’s celly on speed dial. Some venting was just plain scary.
But nothing was scarier than an invitation, that ended up in the mailbag, to go to another part of the building to partake in something called “monkey bread.”
While I try to get over my newest food phobia, it’s on to this week’s questions. Twitter followers up first.
From @heathhebert
Via Twitter
Any word on the recruits? What’s been the general reaction to the game?
Notre Dame, which had enough top-flight recruits in for the USC game to topple a Third World regime, received a quick verbal commitment from wide receiver prospect Tai-ler Jones, previously a Stanford commit.
Recruiting analyst Tom Lemming reports that the overall reaction was extremely positive. But that won’t necessarily translate into a deluge of quick commitments.
The elite recruits, by and large, tend to take all their visits and don’t feel pressure to commit until after they’ve done so.
From Dr. Kenneth High
Helena. Mont.
How about an explanation of why our defensive backfield has plummeted from preseason rating of extremely good to now being rated No. 110?
And why is defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta’s blitz defense so ineffective?
Fair questions all. ND’s pass-efficiency defense - the true measure - is actually 96th out of 120, its passing yards allowed 117th. But no matter how you do the math, it’s not good.
This has been an evolving problem. The problems start with young defensive linemen and persist with young defensive linemen. But the psyche of the secondary definitely is now suffering.
Instead of more rehash of the problem, let’s look at the possible solutions:
1) Personnel: Junior Gary Gray has surfaced at the top of the cornerback depth chart. Look for safety Sergio Brown to see a larger role against BC and cornerback Jamoris Slaughter to get also some snaps at safety.
2) Scheme: The Irish seem to be moving more toward mixing coverages than an all-out commitment to blitzing.
History is on ND’s side. The Irish went from No. 75 in total defense at midseason last season to 39, so this staff has shown it can make in-season adjustments.
Jim Reagan
Winston-Salem, N.C.
My theme remains Twilight Zone refereeing. This week the suspect is "reviews”. Is ND being "reviewed" more times than our opponents? I can say, watching games now with people, after a good play, no one relaxes until the next snap happens.
Amen. There was no official count of plays reviewed by instant replay Saturday, but it must have been in double digits. I’m not sure it was a Notre Dame thing as much as it was a high-profile game and one in which seconds and inches determined the outcome. But the officials were reviewing some plays that I could have ruled on without my contact lenses in.
From Tom Johnson
Philadelphia, Pa.
The media in South Bend is way too easy on Weis. He left the field with a timeout in his pocket, and fourth down at the 4. Thus, he had another down left. That’s inexcusable, C'mon guys, you need to be asking tougher questions.
I asked Charlie both after the game and at his Tuesday presser this week about the time-management issue. That you may not have liked the answer doesn’t mean the wrong questions are being asked.
Perhaps you wanted me to ask him what monkey bread is?
Submit your questions via Twitter to @hansensouthbend or via e-mail at ehansen@sbtinfo.com.
