New OC Danny Freund

[Oxbow6]

9 hours ago, UNDBIZ said:

Wait, so we don't have to keep trying to force a square peg into a round hole? 

Well it all depends on if Bubba is ultimately holding the peg.

[FlinFlan80]

12 hours ago, SIOUXFAN97 said:

this reminds me of 2013 when muss promoted two guys that weren't ready....josh and luke. i hope this wasn't a cost savings thing bc a 1st year oc makes me nervous

How is he not ready? He has been a D1 offensive assistant for like 8 years ha

[Dustin]

9 minutes ago, Oxbow6 said:

Well it all depends on if Bubba is ultimately holding the peg.

I think (and hope) Bubba will either lessen his grip, or grip it with a fresh approach.

[The Sicatoka]

9 hours ago, UND-FB-FAN said:

... but the fact that it is being received so well just proves how dysfunctional the previous offensive systems were. 

QUOTE:

“ ... the system will be about the strengths of the players in the program.”

You picked up on something there:
Having to say that out loud, to the press, is a big red flag about what was going on under Rudolph. 

[UNDColorado]

not that my opinion matters but last week when we heard the news I thought if there was one guy on the current staff that would make a good OC, it was Danny. Obviously time will tell but i am feeling optimistic again.

[The Sicatoka]

6 minutes ago, Dustin said:

I think (and hope) Bubba will either lessen his grip, or grip it with a fresh approach.

Bubba has to know that the leash on him is very short right now. 

[Dustin]

And to think this change could have been made last year when Tom Miller asked Bubba if he was planning to make any staff changes.

[90siouxfan]

I am hopeful with this change...

 

Perhaps Chaves has a few steps that are not so open, like transitioning Bubba to an alumni/fundraising/token position to alleviate the contract funding issue, all the while molding Coach Freund for the HC position?

[UND-FB-FAN]

18 minutes ago, Dustin said:

And to think this change could have been made last year when Tom Miller asked Bubba if he was planning to make any staff changes.

This is troubling. Many who follow the program closely were asking for Rudolph to be dismissed last season. The fact that Bubba couldn’t see it and kept UND’s offense in a state of despair for an extra season is inexcusable. Bubba screwed up on that one, big time. Hopefully Freund can save his ass moving forward.

[Sioux94]

Initially I was hoping for some new blood when they let Rudy let go.  But Danny's comments were spot on, I mean he literally stated virtually everything we have been saying on here for a couple of years, using screens, playing to players strengths etc. etc..  Danny was a good QB, doesn't always translate to great OC but I certainly feel better with him calling plays, and coming up with some new plays and schemes.  He is going to have a busy off season preparing a new play book so he has it ready to start implementing by spring practice.  It seems like he has been a very dedicated and hard worker for UND football and I have confidence that he will do his best this off season to prepare for next year.  

[Hambone]

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Danny play while we utilized the screen game (mostly bubble screens, but some traditional screens as well) and the TE position in the passing game?  It's really disappointing thinking about what we could have had this year with Santiago and company having that wrinkle added into the mix as much as we used to.

[Dustin]

Just now, Hambone said:

It's really disappointing thinking about what we could have had this year with Santiago and company having that wrinkle added into the mix as much as we used to.

Really, that was the whole basis of my original comment about what could have been.  

[tnt]

18 minutes ago, Sioux94 said:

Initially I was hoping for some new blood when they let Rudy let go.  But Danny's comments were spot on, I mean he literally stated virtually everything we have been saying on here for a couple of years, using screens, playing to players strengths etc. etc..  Danny was a good QB, doesn't always translate to great OC but I certainly feel better with him calling plays, and coming up with some new plays and schemes.  He is going to have a busy off season preparing a new play book so he has it ready to start implementing by spring practice.  It seems like he has been a very dedicated and hard worker for UND football and I have confidence that he will do his best this off season to prepare for next year.  

He always seemed to be a very cerebral guy when he played here, maybe because his dad was a coach.  Hopefully he can turn this offense around. 

[nodak651]

Wasn't Danny the only guy that stayed on staff when muss was fired?  I think that also has to say a lot about his potential and what he means to the program.  I think this was the right move, given the current circumstances.  

[Siouxperfan7]

Freund was a QB at UND.  He is a former QB coach.  Not surprised he is going to make the QB the focal point of the offense.  I have to think that there were many times that Freund disagreed with Rudy's play calling because it limited Kett's abilities and took the ball out of his hands less than Danny would have liked.  I think having a former QB as OC is going to help our offense, and especially our QB play.  If he can change this offense ad do what he says by catering to the strengths of the players he has, then that should translate to success.  Danny has been one hell of a good recruiter.  Recruiting as the OC as opposed to the QB coach will make it even better.  

I'll give Freund a chance.  But he he definitely has a lot of pressure on him to turn it around.  Bubba is putting his coaching career on the line with Danny.  Bubba is signed through 2021.  If I were Chaves, I'd give Bubba and the coaching staff he finally assembles through the 2020 season after playing a complete season in the MVFC. By then we will see if this current staff can cut it in the best FCS conference in the country.

 

[Feff]

In modern football, the quarterback is the linchpin of the offense, one of only two players guaranteed to touch the ball on each offensive play (barring unusual formations/trick plays), so they should be the focus of the offensive scheme. It really doesn't matter what kind of offense you run, you need competence behind center. Danny really said all the right things on being promoted and I think was intended to distance himself from Rudy's philosophy and give some confidence to all the fans whose morale has been destroyed. 

 

A plus is that he has seen a scheme and playcalling philosophy that was terrible. He knows what he should not do. He's also seen some of what a dynamic passing attack can do in his time with Mussman. I have confidence in him that he'll be much more flexible and dynamic with offensive scheme, hopefully he can also bring better playcalling and ability to make adjustments in game. 

 

As for why Danny wasn't given the shot towards the end of the season, that rests solely on Bubba. Bubba is loyal, quite literally to a fault. He stuck with Rudy when he should have been gone last year. When the offense nose-dived towards the end of the season Rudy should have been dismissed during the season and Danny given a test run. But Bubba's loyalty to the staff is solely to blame. I don't know if it's an old-school philosophy of sticking with a guy the whole season, or if he just kept thinking Rudy might suddenly change, I really don't know but it's without doubt that not making the change hurt the whole program. 

[darell1976]

1 hour ago, UND-FB-FAN said:

This is troubling. Many who follow the program closely were asking for Rudolph to be dismissed last season. The fact that Bubba couldn’t see it and kept UND’s offense in a state of despair for an extra season is inexcusable. Bubba screwed up on that one, big time. Hopefully Freund can save his ass moving forward.

I think Bubba put all problems last year on injuries and not on personnel. I hope he learned from this with Danny’s hire and we can move on with a lot more yards, TOP, and especially more points on the board. 

[FlinFlan80]

Any idea if Freund gets to hire his own OL and WR coach?

[Norhsidepride]

14 hours ago, geaux_sioux said:

Exactly. Last season we had ample opportunity for Danny to have a test run,

Usually like your perspective, so my question is what good does it do to have Danny call a game with Rudy's offense beyond undermining what respect the players had left for Rudy?  If he wants up tempo and getting guys in space, I am not sure he could accomplish that in one game with a scheme built on the opposite.  why set him up to fail so that even more people on this board can complain.  

[Norhsidepride]

14 hours ago, Wilbur said:

This goes two ways:

1. Bubba says call the game my way and Danny has to limit what he calls because a punt is a good play, and there is no change from Rudy.

2. Bubba gives Danny open mic night with the offense and he legitimately proves whether or not he can handle it, but gets an honest opportunity. 

Big tell tale will be the NDSU game.  What a great environment for the guy to prove he knows what he is doing, or get blown out of the coordinator booth. 

Yea, because taking on the juggernaut that nobody beat last year coming off a 6-5 season will define Danny Fruend..........not

[UND-FB-FAN]

4 minutes ago, Norhsidepride said:

Yea, because taking on the juggernaut that nobody beat last year coming off a 6-5 season will define Danny Fruend..........not

Let’s not limit UND’s potential before even the first snap of the 2019 season. I don’t think the NDSU game will completely define Freund as OC, but it could have some effect if things go well. 

Sure, Vegas and Fargo will pick NDSU to win, but why can’t the folks in the UND locker room expect a program changing victory? I for one want exagerated expectations; great things don’t happen without them. Ask any great innovator. 

[Midwestern Hawk]

4 minutes ago, UND-FB-FAN said:

Let’s not limit UND’s potential before even the first snap of the 2019 season. I don’t think the NDSU game will completely define Freund as OC, but it could have some effect if things go well. 

Sure, Vegas and Fargo will pick NDSU to win, but why can’t the folks in the UND locker room expect a program changing victory? I for one want exagerated expectations; great things don’t happen without them. Ask any great innovator. 

This is absolutely correct.  Look back at this season.  With average OC/QB coaching we are playing in Fargo this Saturday.  With above average OC/QB coaching we are hosting as a #2 seed and could meet NDSU in Frisco.

[Dustin]

I like our chances for a playoff run next season.  We have enough good players that as long we're tough to coach against, we should be set.

[Norhsidepride]

Jake Landry and Danny played together at UND.  Landry put together a Dynamic offense in his first ever O.C. job. ( I know it was D3, but it was built big plays and scoring) He is now the R.B. coach at NIU after passing up other O.C. positions.  Have to think Danny and Jake are cut in a similar mold  

[Siouxperman8]

9 hours ago, BarnWinterSportsEngelstad said:

We had one of the most predictable offenses in the Big Sky (and as an independent), and at the same time was one with very little in game adjustments - let alone changes for the next week. We had to be easy to scout, other teams knew what we were doing. We put ourselves in a position where player talent wasn't fully utilized for a good team effort.  Third quarter play kept us out of the playoffs and possibly from a bye this last weekend.

 

 

good example was the toss play we ran.  By the end of the season other teams would crash the cb when they saw the pitch, we couldn't get the fb out there to chip him and the play went nowhere.  Happened numerous times in the NAU game.  The one time we did get a piece of the cb we had a good gain.  I don't care if you have to change alignment or put the fb in motion to get him out there earlier - something needed to change.  Even if they knew what was coming it would have had a better chance of being successful if we  had players in the right position.