Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/542018
CHALK TALK BRYAN DRISKELL First, the unit is arguably the most talented on the roster and is consid- ered among the nation's best. Lindy's ranked the secondary as the No. 5 unit in the entire country. As a whole, the defensive backs struggled throughout the 2014 season. Senior cornerback KeiVarae Russell was suspended in fall camp. Junior Max Redfield and senior Elijah Shu- mate were benched at one point in the season from their safety positions. Only junior cornerback Cole Luke thrived, racking up 15 passes de- fensed, the best mark for an Irish de- fender since 1978. Outside of Luke, the Irish secondary combined for just five interceptions and 13 break ups. That is another reason the Irish defense strug- gled to limit the efficiency of opposing pass attacks. In order to improve its play, the secondary must play with far greater consistency. Improving communica- tion and a better understanding of the scheme are essential. It will allow the defenders to be in better position to make more plays on the ball. The more balls the secondary players can get their hands on the more turnovers they will force, and turnovers will help fuel a defensive resurgence. 7. Maximize The Best Players — Junior line- backer Jaylon Smith is a consensus preseason All-American. Day is on the Watch List for the Bednarik Award, the Nagurski Trophy and the Outland Tro- phy. Redfield was named a preseason first-team All-American by Phil Steele. Russell and Schmidt were also named to the Nagurski Watch List. There is plenty of talent on the Irish defense. It will be up to the coaches to put those players, along with others like Luke and Jones, in the best posi- tion to maximize their talent. Allowing Smith and Day to attack offenses is a must. That pair of de- fenders is more than capable of im- proving upon the 17 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks they had last fall. Notre Dame's defensive staff must figure out ways to get its best players to play like stars, and to do so with consistency and against the best opponents on the schedule. ✦ For Notre Dame to get championship caliber play from its defense, players like junior likebacker Jaylon Smith — a second-team AP All-American in 2014 — must be consistenetly dominant. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA Bryan Driskell has been a football analyst for Blue & Gold Illustrated since April 2015. He can be reached at bdriskell@blueandgold.com.