01-16-2025, 06:59 PM
(01-16-2025, 06:41 PM)samhain Wrote: I don't necessarily despise the Golden hire. I'm just not convinced that it's the hire that makes this a championship defense....we can find fault with most any pick..if ..in fact...its golden we are getting one of the best defensive coordinators in college..pretty impressive
Also don't love that it plays into the idea Willie Anderson spoke of when it comes to coaches and hiring staff; ie most of the time these guys just hire their friends. Familiarity means more than just about anything, especially here.
Golden has a fine defense at ND. He also has a roster with talent. Even in a down year, ND is going to have the horses to go up against just about anyone outside of the elite. He's not getting that here. The scheme and the execution will have to make up for a likely talent deficiency. They aren't going to have the cap for major retooling. There are only so many draft picks that will be day 1 starters.
On top of talent, it sure seems like there was a culture issue on defense last year. Poor discipline and lack of communication were pretty apparent. Being out of shape and unfocused are issues that go beyond just the talent deficit. Is bringing in a guy that worked under the guy that lost the culture going to change it for the better? Also no idea, but I think the question is fair.
