Irish

If by "weak" you mean stupid, then you are absolutely correct.

"Why can't we score?"

I just can't get my head around how our once proud and top program turned into a train-wreck just 2 1/2 short years after winning a National Championship. It makes no sense to me - I get the blank class, but still, many teams have a weak class and have worked around it - it seems like absolutely NO ONE is developing. How we can be this inept offensively is totally beyond me. Any insights?

Sadly, UND has no track record of making appropriate, timely coaching changes. Bubba is still wandering around here, although a recent epiphany came to him that he should look a bit at the offense. If this is allowed to go on much longer I will be really worried about our return to relevance.

Berry has been allowed to go on like this for far too long because we were elated after out title and now no one can believe how we got so crappy so fast. WE kept on thinking that we are UND and the ship will right real soon. We are going the wrong way and fast.

Why are the Euros still on the roster (aside from being a Coach's dream) - What do they bring to the table - how many years have they been unproductive? An example of our new program.

This is totally unacceptable. My God we have a lot of deadwood on this team and we see committed to keeping them and let them cruise around in games - with the occasional stupid penalty or shot into the goalie logo.

I did a spit take on reading this one.

Apparently Bubba's just noticed that the offense needs a little attention. He's the definition of tunnel vision.

When are our scorers going to bloom - 3 years is a long time to blame on one class.

ST coordinator eh? Another opportunity lost because Bubba.

My sentiments also - I would feel better, however, if Duluth hadn't been kicking our butts lately and we weren't in dire need of scorers.

It's coaches that recruit the players that can't put the puck in open nets.

Without specifics these numbers are meaningless - there is a big difference between a desperation 4th and 17 as the last play of a half and a 4th and 1 or 2 at the 50 or closer - especially one that gives you a chance to win the game. Of those who were watching the games, many disagreed with Bubba's calls - looks like the players did too. In addition, poor teams make fewer first downs on second and third down placing them in more 4th down situations than good teams. They also tend to have many more desperation situations than teams that usually have the lead. Many teams would go for a 4th down situation if they were behind and needed a score but not go for it if they were up by 20 points.

You sound like you're in the know more than me - another question then - how much does Bubba manage his staff - Is the offense Rudy, Bubba, or a combo of both. Does Bubba get involved when things go off the rails or just let the coaches do their thing. It's hard to know who is responsible for what, but in my book it comes down to Bubba -

I have no doubt that Bubba wants to win and is very loyal to UND. That, however, does not make him a good coach. I am really frustrated with his stubborn lack of change and the fact he kept everyone after last year. Apparently he has to be forced to change anything and then looks in-house. Bubba is a career .500 coach and has 5 years here to prove himself. I think Bubba is so hard-wired he is almost constitutionally incapable of change. If not we would perhaps have made a half-time adjustment or two.

Undecided, but not the coaching change I was looking for.

I guess I am just really frustrated with the Football situation right now. Bubba knew what was on the line at this time last year and made zero changes and was not held to account. Now here we are, hiring from within and Bubba will certainly be Bubba again next year. When you stack on the Bubba years to the Muss years we have been floundering for a long time and seem allergic to changing much. How long do we have to be a .500 program before the light goes on somewhere?

This statistic is meaningless unless you factor in the game situation - there is a big difference between a desperation 4th and 17 at the end of the game or one last shot right before half and, for example, the 4th and 1 on the Washington 40 yard line when we are still in the game and driving. I think most fans and even football experts would agree that he's turtled multiple times when he should have gone for it. My comment was in reply to someone who said "be aggressive. Go for a program changing win". In my opinion, that's so not Bubba. I am not saying go for it on every 4th down, but your statistic doesn't even come close to painting the correct picture.

It did one game ago.

You understand that the AD decided to keep Mr. Play It Safe and never go for it as Head Coach, don't you? His career is littered with missed chances because, well, "the punt is a good play".

Freund said all the right things and I think he will be a big improvement. My concern is with Bubba's approach - quick interview with 2 people already on staff and then hire one. No need to open it to any "outsiders" - wouldn't want any "foreign" ideas sneaking in. I feel like he is making these "changes" as changeless as possible. I'm beginning to think that Bubba will never change or spend any time on introspection. Left to his own devices, I think Bubba would be content re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Ok - rant over - go get em Freund. Don't give in to Bubba.

Thanks for reminding me -

Here's some quotes from an article about Brian Kelly rebuilding Notre Dame after a disastrous season. I hope Bubba is just as open to change and does the same “A lot of things had to change, including me,” Kelly said. ” … We didn’t reinvent the wheel here. Behind the scenes, we made some tweaks.” Truth is, those “tweaks” were titanic. There were new coordinators across the board: offense, defense, special teams, strength coach. A re-examination of practice structure. Changes to offseason programs. Even the head coach’s attitude and occasionally volcanic demeanor were open to re-evaluation. Guess what? Change can be good. Kelly didn’t just survive the bad times, he’s thrived. Since that low point in LA on Nov. 26, 2016, Notre Dame has gone 22-3. But even from the bounce-back 10-3 record of ’17 to the breakthrough 12-0 of ’18, there were additional changes that had to be made. Star defensive coordinator Mike Elko was swiped by Texas A&M. And the guy who was supposed to be the starting quarterback, Brandon Wimbush, needed to be replaced three games in. Saturday night, former backup Ian Book again got the job done at QB and first-year coordinator Clark Lea’s halftime defensive adjustments shut down the Trojans. (boldface mine) https://sports.yahoo.com/brian-kelly-reinvented-notre-dame-reclaim-national-relevance-071912337.html

I agree it is a tough situation all the way around. A balancing act - if it was purely a hockey decision it would be pretty easy to know what to do. As another poster mentioned, how long does this Junior Class clog up our offense? After last year and almost half of this year it is painfully obvious we need more firepower.