Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Upon Further Review todd D. burlage son keeps making the same mistakes over and over, "then the blame has to go on him," Shembo said. "We have some of the same faces, so it's just all within yourself really, and all of us players realize that." I've always been skeptical that strong leadership can actually impact wins, losses or the quality of play. But given the general struggles through the first quarter of the season from a Notre Dame defense that returned seven starters, I'm starting to believe more in the importance of strong leaders, from both a rah-rah and an assignment standpoint. Kelly explained that the leadership this season would come more collectively than individually — a dynamic that sounds terrific, but could be interpreted as a leadership void, the likes of which was never seen last season. Lewis-Moore became almost a father figure in helping Sheldon Day, Stephon Tuitt and others along the defensive line become one of the most consistent and best units in the country. Motta evolved into an on-field coach and was put in charge of keeping a group of inexperienced secondary players in position and on task against a schedule loaded with great quarterbacks and receivers. Motta's work helped turn the defensive backfield into the most pleasant surprise on the entire team last season. And then there's Te'o, one of the strongest leaders through both word and deed Notre Dame has ever fielded. Looking back now, without Te'o's confident and consistent voice, any or all of the touchy wins against Purdue, Stanford, BYU or Pittsburgh could have gone the other way and spoiled a magical season. Spond was in line to become a strong voice and leader on the Irish defense this season until migraine headaches forced his retirement from football in August. Kelly celebrated during training camp the fact that there wasn't a lot of "chatter" or "too many chiefs" on the defensive side of the football. "Most of them are guys that just go and do their job and get their work done," Kelly said. "They know what's expected of them." But at least through the early going this season, execution has fallen short of expectations. Notre Dame entered the Michigan State game having been outscored 43‑37 in the first halves of its first three games this season. The Irish never even trailed last season until falling behind Stanford 10‑3 at halftime of game six. On some teams, quiet and businesslike might be the perfect formula for success. But from what has been demonstrated so far this season, Notre Dame needs better on-field leadership because starting with Michigan State and moving through Oklahoma, Arizona State and USC, the toughest stretch of the Notre Dame schedule cannot be survived without it. ✦ Todd D. Burlage has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 2005. He can be reached at tburlage@blueandgold.com