Blue and Gold Illustrated

CHALK TALK BRYAN DRISKELL staff knows what the expectations are and what his role is. Having each coach buy into that role is crucial to building the staff harmony that is needed for the unit's success. By the time game day rolls around, the toughest work has been done. The play caller ultimately gets the major- ity of the credit when the offense goes well and the blame when it doesn't, but the work done during the week by the collective staff is what sepa- rates the great offensive teams from everyone else. WEEK OF PREPARATION SETS THE TONE Much is made of who calls plays dur- ing games, but that is secondary to who does what during the week. At the FBS level, there is not one coach who is re- sponsible for all aspects of the offense. A team could have an elite game-day play caller, but without a talented staff composed of coaches who are very good at their defined roles throughout the week, that attack is going to under- achieve. Kelly has said that Denbrock will be responsible for overseeing the day-to- day aspects of the offense. Sanford will be in charge of all items related to the quarterback. Hiestand will be respon- sible for not only coaching the offensive line, but also has a key role in develop- ing the protections and run looks Notre Dame will use each week. It all begins with breaking down the film of the upcoming opponent. Ini- tially, that is the responsibility of the graduate assistant coaches (Ryan Ma- haffey and Donovan Raiola). Expect offensive analyst Jeff Quinn to have a hand in the initial opponent break- downs, too. Once complete, the film will be passed off to all the offensive assistants. Each coach will be responsible for breaking down specific aspects of the defense, centering foremost on the personnel: Who are the opposition's best players, and should there be a spe- cific plan for them? Who are the op- position's weakest players, and should there be a plan to attack them? What are the overall strengths and weak- nesses of each player? In this instance you will see the offen- sive line coach handle the front seven players, often with help from the tight ends coach. The running backs coach could have a role in making certain evaluations of the linebackers, but the line coach oversees this task. The wide receivers coach will have a vital role in making similar evaluations about the opponent's corners and safe- ties. The quarterbacks coach often will have a say in this as well, but his role is generally more broad in scope. In a situation like Notre Dame's, where the wide receivers coach is the man "in charge" of the offense, the role of evaluating the secondary players might fall to Sanford or possibly Ma- haffey, who also works with the wide receivers. Once the initial evaluations are done the coaches will quickly transition into more scheme specific analysis: What does the defense like to run, and when, and against what looks? Situational breakdowns are of the utmost impor- tance. What do they like to do in short

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