A quarterback change for Notre Dame might be wanted by some, and maybe it will finally prove something
The conversation around Notre Dame football has been exhausting the last couple of weeks. We know that this team has been extremely bipolar so far, winning against a Top 25 SEC school on the road, dismantling a Big Ten school 66-7 on the road, and struggling against two separate MAC schools, including a loss to […]
The conversation around Notre Dame football has been exhausting the last couple of weeks. We know that this team has been extremely bipolar so far, winning against a Top 25 SEC school on the road, dismantling a Big Ten school 66-7 on the road, and struggling against two separate MAC schools, including a loss to Northern Illinois at home. There are a lot of issues with this team but it seemingly always comes back to the same conversation, the quarterback.
We just saw a 28-3 win against an underwhelming Miami (OH) RedHawk team, where the Irish came out with a lack of energy from the jump. We saw below average play from the offensive line, a muffed punt, a dropped snap on a field goal, and several head-shaking penalties. This has become an issue with this team, coming out flat.
Yet, it’s the quarterback’s fault. Just like it was Sam Hartman’s fault the season prior. We have now seen this team take two straight transfer quarterbacks who have significantly regressed when they got to South Bend. Yet, there’s no accountability on the Irish coaching staff. At some point, a conversation needs to happen.
A large majority of the Notre Dame fan base has been screaming for a quarterback change. There are even some that believe it is the major issue, and things will take a dramatic step forward if you move on from Riley Leonard for Steve Angeli. Honestly, I am kind of banking on the Irish coaching staff making the move at some point this season.
We are working in the world of hypotheticals, and nobody truly knows what it would look like with another quarterback behind center. It is my belief, however, that nothing will actually change.
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The product will look different offensively, at least play style wise, but does that change the lack of energy certain weeks? Does it change the fact that this team plays both up and down to the competition? Does it change the fact that this continues to be a defensive team that only wants an offense to “compliment” Al Golden’s unit?
You can change the look of it if you want, and if that’s all you want, go for it. I still don’t believe a major change will happen. This team will still be predicated on defense, and offense will also come second. With the offensive ideology, we are going to see this team looking different from a week-to-week perspective. In the end, we are going to blame whoever the quarterback is, because well, they’re the quarterback.
At this point, I hope a change does happen. When Notre Dame still manages to be inconsistent from a performance perspective on a weekly basis, maybe then, we will be able to have a deeper conversation. Blaming a quarterback, one single player, is too easy. The problems run much deeper than that.
As a fan of head coach Marcus Freeman, I deeply hope that an ideological shift does happen sooner rather than later. He is great for Notre Dame football in so many ways, but in the end, winning and continuing to build a tremendous program on the field is most important. Until then, this team will have a self-created ceiling, no matter who is throwing the football.
