Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/434567
FAN FORUM later one day to find out that both Kelly and Mike Brey (that's another story for another time) are eliminated from coaching at Notre Dame. Brian Sontchi '75 Batavia, Ill. MAN IN MOTION Referring to our first few games this season, I thought what probably most Notre Dame fans did — new defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder was the answer. But if things are apparently too good to be true, in reality they are. Subsequently, I reviewed the many places Coach VanGorder had worked at and I wondered why if this man is a supposed savior of the team's defense has he had the life of a gypsy, mov‑ ing from team to team. [Editor's Note: VanGorder had seven different posts from 2004‑14, but was with the Atlanta Falcons five years from 2007‑11.] The answer is Coach VanGorder isn't the man for the job. This 2014 version on defense has been laughable and with more holes than the finest Swiss cheese. One can easily point to injuries, but that's a factor in college football that hits many teams, forcing them to de‑ velop secondary talented players and still get the job done with some suc‑ cess. The linebackers, safeties and cor‑ ners game after game are lost in space. Passes fall incomplete only because they were thrown badly or the receiver dropped it. How often does a Notre Dame defensive player break up a pass? There seems to be enough returning talent who with the right defensive coach could get the job done in '15, but I fear VanGorder's return will only continue that disappointment. Angry, disappointed and scratching my head in wonderment. F.A. "Sock" Sokolowski Centerville, Ohio Notre Dame's four-game skid to end the regular season has some fans wondering if head coach Brian Kelly (right) and defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder (left) are the right men for their respective jobs. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA