Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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But one should expect the unexpected. "You never know with VanGorder," junior defensive end Isaac Rochell said earlier this year. "… Two years with the same defense and we are starting to un- derstand concepts more, and get a feel for what's going on and what he might call. But he throws curveballs all the time." That was really meant more as a com- pliment about variety providing a spice to the defense, but it still goes back to how much information can be digested and then consistently executed at a high level. Just ask junior free safety Max Redfield, who has been studying Man- darin Chinese while pursuing goals to be involved in international relations or with the CIA. "I would say consistently being suc- cessful in that scheme is harder than learning Chinese," Redfield responded this August when asked about the Irish defensive principles. "It is the communi- cation that is demanded from the safety, as well as the many different respon- sibilities that can happen on a play-to- play basis. "Responsibilities can change based on the formation, based on the receivers' splits — and then after the snap of the ball, based on what the receiver runs. Knowing all those different things that you have to process in a split second is a lot, as well as communicating and mak- ing sure everybody else is lined up." That's part of the reason why overall, most defenses today have to be more about damage control than dominance. However, Farley said there is excite- ment within the ranks of playing and learning an NFL defense. "It's hard at times because there is a lot on your plate, but I think that's the exciting part," Farley said. "… Guys re- ally look forward to it and enjoy it. Week in and week out, we can get an entirely different system, which is exciting." Routine can get dull, yet sometimes routine also can create consistency. Find- ing the happy medium is crucial. "Our mission is to make you prepare for us like us preparing for some of these offenses," VanGorder stated in the fall of 2014. "We want you to work. … If you looked at our inventory going into a game, you would just be shocked at what these kids are doing. It's impres- sive. … We don't always do it in a way from an execution standpoint that we want to, but it will keep getting better." So when it didn't necessarily become drastically better in 2015, the under- standable inquiry is where does it go from here? Maybe complexities and the like aren't the problem. Maybe in a year from now, the defense will surprisingly evolve when you least expect it, just like a DeShone Kizer or C.J. Prosise or Josh Adams did this year on offense. Expect- ing the unexpected remains in play. For now, the questions and the future of the Irish defense will linger. ✦ "WE'RE STILL EVOLVING DEFENSIVELY. WE'RE STILL WORKING TO BUILD OUR DEFENSE. WE'RE NOT THERE YET, CLEARLY. … WE'RE GOING TO GET BETTER AS WE CONTINUE TO RECRUIT AND DEVELOP OUR DEFENSE." HEAD COACH BRIAN KELLY