Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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4 OCT. 2, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED G reer Martini had only one final shot to make one final first im- pression … and he wasn't about to blow it. Entering the 2017 season as his fourth and final one playing line- backer at Notre Dame, and with a revamped defensive coaching staff moving in for its first, the Irish senior left nothing to chance in his career chase to become a first-time, full-time starter. Under previous Irish defensive co- ordinator Brian VanGorder, Martini didn't necessary understand why he had become typecast as a run- stoppage specialist. He was typi- cally rewarded extended action only against option teams such as Navy and Georgia Tech, but given merely sparse snaps versus the more open and pass-reliant teams. Martini's profile and production were all about to change under new Irish defensive coordinator Mike Elko. "A new scheme and a new op- portunity to re-identify myself as an every-down linebacker, this all came very personally to me," said Martini, who parlayed his fresh start into a starting spot after playing three sea- sons as mainly a situational backup. Martini is one of many Irish de- fenders embracing this new oppor- tunity and displaying marked im- provement within Elko's scheme. Among the many challenges Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly im- mediately presented to Elko was get- ting the Irish players to create more havoc, sacks and turnovers. Check, check and check. Entering the Michigan State game, Notre Dame had already essentially reached half of its entire season totals for all of 2016 in sacks, interceptions, fumble recoveries and takeaways. The Irish were one of the worst teams in the country in 2014-16 at turning opponents over and pres- suring opposing quarterbacks, in no small part, Kelly admits now, be- cause VanGorder's defensive scheme was too intricate for many of the players to understand and execute. College coaches get only 20 practice hours each week and VanGorder 's elaborate defensive approach left his Irish players routinely admitting to paralysis by analysis on the field. VanGorder — a veteran defensive coordinator with a pronounced NFL background — didn't adequately adapt to the college game during his two-plus seasons at Notre Dame, and changes were made. "We needed to go back to colle- giate," Kelly said. So armed with only college coach- ing experience, Elko provided ex- actly what Kelly was looking for, and what players such as Martini and the entire Irish defense needed. "After last season, everyone was wanting that fresh start, that new be- ginning, and that came for me with the new defensive staff," recalled Martini, who is one of seven team captains. "It was my chance to go out there and prove without [these new coaches] seeing me the last three years, without knowing I was often used as a situational player, that I could be trusted to be an every-down linebacker." Elko's defensive success comes in its strategic simplicity. Instead of overwhelming his players with end- less formation reads and confusing terminology, Elko chooses more of a perfectionist approach — get more out of doing best with less. Martini said Elko's style allows him and fel- low veteran linebackers Te'von Co- ney and Nyles Morgan, plus rover Drue Tranquill, to play more freely and aggressively. "Just less missed assignments, bet- ter communication," Martini said. "The clarity of what we're saying to each other, we're all on the same page." This simplistic style of defense has not only helped the veteran lineback- ers, but perhaps more importantly, it has served the younger and less- experienced defensive linemen to flatten their learning curves. Three of the starters along the front line — sophomore Daelin Hayes and seniors Jonathan Bonner and Jay Hayes — entered this season with a combined 37 tackles, 1.5 stops for loss and one sack for their careers. With 32 total tackles, 4.0 for loss and 2.5 in the first three games this sea- son, the overall production numbers were conspicuous. Meanwhile, junior nose guard Jerry Tillery's 16 tackles (1.5 for loss, with a sack) have made him a far greater presence in the scheme. A couple of true freshmen are also proving to be quick studies and im- mediate contributors along the line in Elko's attack, bucking an almost unheard of youth movement un- der VanGorder, who was reluctant to play his younger guys for fear of mistakes and misunderstanding. Rookie linemen Myron Tagovailoa- Amosa and Kurt Hinish have been entrusted with playing time in criti- cal down-and-distance situations, and both have delivered in Elko's fundamental-first scheme. "We're not running a lot of things," Kelly said of trying less but doing more defensively so far this season. "I would probably equate it to Mike [Elko's] teaching. Not a lot of things but what we're doing we're doing very well." And that's fine with Martini, Elko, Kelly and, so far, everybody else. ✦ When A Lesser Approach To Defense Means More UPON FURTHER REVIEW TODD D. BURLAGE Todd D. Burlage has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 2005. He can be reached at tburlage@blueandgold.com Senior linebacker Greer Martini is one of many Fighting Irish defenders embracing the opportu- nity provided to them by new coordinator Mike Elko, earning a starting job and ranking third on the team with 22 tackles (two for loss) through three games. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL