Being a fan in a vacuum is a very interesting thing. There is a fine line between being a thoughtful supporter who isn’t afraid to criticize when needed and being a fanboy who is blinded by bias. Neither is necessarily the wrong way to operate, but the former definitely allows for more potential for growth. As Notre Dame sits on a bye week, I have allowed my mind to wander a bit and really develop a deeper understanding for the 2025 version of Marcus Freeman’s program.

As is typically the case, there are going to be things you like, and other things you don’t. Depending on the issue, there are also things that are much more fixable. Then there are going to be some things that are very misunderstood, and we have seen a couple of those scenarios within the Fighting Irish fanbase. There are cliche criticisms that have taken on a life of their own, and several that need to be debunked altogether.

For Notre Dame fans, there are two main criticisms that have concern to a degree, but rarely have any potential solutions attached. When it comes to my criticisms, I am not in the business of complaining just to complain. Growth is only achieved when you point out an issue, but then offering a way for things to change. Here are the two misunderstood criticisms that the fanbase tends to jump to, but rarely offers any form of help to solve them.

Notre Dame’s short-yardage offensive solution 

The Notre Dame offense under Mike Denbrock has certainly struggled with both short-yardage and goal line situations so far, and everyone has been asking to figure out a solution. Over the last couple of weeks, there has been a solution offered to a basic level, and that is to spread the defense out and run out of more wide open formations. The thought is very practical, but things are rarely ever that easy.

There are two things that have been really holding the offense back in these situations. The first part is that while quarterback CJ Carr is a very talented passer, he isn’t much of a rushing threat. What made the Irish offense so good in these scenarios with Riley Leonard at quarterback was that you had to respect his rush threat. Even when Leonard doesn’t get the football, an extra defender still needs to slow play off of the read look. Having an athlete at quarterback in short-yardage situations is such a cheat code.

Not having enough impactful tight ends has also hurt this team a ton. Multiple tight end sets just haven’t been successful for Notre Dame. Eli Raridon is an impactful player, but Ty Washington just hasn’t been very good as a blocker when called upon. This offense has greatly missed the blocking impact that injured Cooper Flanagan can bring to the table.

Luckily for the Irish offense, Flanagan is officially back. As the 6-6, 255-pound tight end continues to get back into playing shape, he has a chance to be an impactful player along with Raridon. The easiest solution for the short-yardage issues is to get Flanagan involved and to utilize more movement, both in terms of motion and trades. Get the eyes of opposing linebackers and safeties moving, and capitalize. There is too much staticness for this offense in these situations, and you need to make the defense have to adjust resnap.

Bench Christian Gray

There may not be a more frustrating criticism than the “Bench Christian Gray” stuff. It isn’t the call to bench Gray, but the replies that typically come. While some people think that “anyone” would be better, the truth is that it isn’t true at all. Gray has had a lot of peaks and valleys. When he’s good, Gray has been extremely impactful. When his game is off, however, it is terrible.

Calling for someone to be benched but not having a solution is not a productive practice. Gray needs to be better, there is no question about that. The best chance for the Notre Dame secondary is to continue working with Gray and finding the more consistent and confident version of himself. Perhaps Mark Zackery or Dallas Golden get a chance to unseat Gray at some point, but as of now, I don’t believe that benching him is the best option for this team.

Regardless of whether we agree on that or not, just make sure to make an actual suggestion attached to your criticism. As fans, everyone wants their favorite team to be successful. Continuing to grow is the only way that happens.

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