BJ Konkle

What If I Told You…

September 20, 2017 by BJ Konkle

The identity of the 2017 Notre Dame Football team is unsurprisingly unknown a quarter of the way through the season. Unknown is, however, better than the well-established sloppy identity of last year's team that was on full display three games into the season. Usually 29 point victories answer more questions than they propose, but last Saturday's bewildering blowout of Boston College is leaving many Domers scratching their heads. The offense appears to be able to run the ball with authority, ...

Notre Dame's Nick Coleman (24) brings down Nevada's Hasaan Henderson (12) during the Notre Dame-Nevada NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend. South Bend Tribune Photo/ROBERT FRANKLIN

Spring Ball Miracle – Tackling Becomes A Priority

March 30, 2017 by BJ Konkle

Spring football is often a time for acclimating young players to the intricacies of a division I playbook. It's also a good time to emphasize and tweak countless position-specific techniques. New defensive coordinator, Mike Elko, has chosen to allocate a chunk of spring ball to teaching some of the fundamentals. To be more specific - teaching proper tackling. Missed Tackles According to College Football Film Room, the Irish missed a total of 106 tackles in 2016 and 112 tackles in 2015. These ...

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly looks back at an official during the Notre Dame-Texas NCAA college football game on Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016, at Darrell K. RoyalÐTexas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. South Bend Tribune Photo/ROBERT FRANKLIN

The New And Improved Brian Kelly – Has He Learned From Past Mistakes?

March 13, 2017 by BJ Konkle

Tuesday March 7th marked the annual Notre Dame football spring press conference. The flood gates opened and the tweets of beat writers flowed into our twitter feeds. For many of us, this press conference is an overdue needle feeding a Domer junkie's vein. Many beat writers commented about Brian Kelly's perceived change in demeanor - keyword "perceived." Kelly spoke at length about the institutional changes and changes within his own personal responsibilities that have taken place since last ...

Notre Dame's V.J. Beachem (3) takes a shot during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Villanova Dec. 10, 2016, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Irish Come Up Short Against Defending Champ Villanova

December 10, 2016 by BJ Konkle

Entering Saturday's vintage Big East matchup, the Irish had won four straight when facing the defending national champs. Sadly this streak - along with Mike Brey's career best 9-0 start to the season - came to an end against Villanova in a frustrating 74-66 loss. An additional streak was also snapped as Bonnie Colson also failed to continue his streak of double-doubles, which ends at 6 games, as the power forward finished the game with 11 points and eight rebounds. RECAP Notre Dame had Nova ...

Credit: ESPN

“World Beaters” Try to Remain Unbeaten Against Champs Villanova

December 9, 2016 by BJ Konkle

Mike Brey has the Notre Dame men's basketball team off to the hottest start in the coach's 17-year career in South Bend. The Irish beat in-state competitor Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne, who recently posted a win against another in-state basketball school. The 87-72 win moved the Irish to 9-0. In order to remain undefeated, Brey and Co. must travel to Newark, N.J. to face Villanova Saturday. The Wildcats are the defending national champs, ranked #1 in the AP poll and are also ...

Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) runs the ball against Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Joe Schmidt (38) during the second half at Stanford Stadium. Credit: Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports

Stanford Game Provides Fork In the Road For Irish

October 14, 2016 by BJ Konkle

After reaching the midway point in the 2016 college football season, it's fair to say that Notre Dame has easily been the biggest disappointment of the year thus far. Stanford doesn't lag the Irish by much on the "disappointment meter." Heading into Saturday's game, Stanford is 3-2 on the year with a huge emphasis on the two losses after getting waxed in back to back weeks by Washington (44-6) and Washington State (42-16). This implies that as bad as Notre Dame has looked six games into ...

Our Defensive Coordinator Wish List

September 28, 2016 by BJ Konkle

Instead of wallowing in the failure of the Brian VanGorder experiment, I'm already thinking about who Brian Kelly will pick as defensive coordinator to improve the Notre Dame's defense and perhaps save his job. While the Irish are moving forward with Greg Hudson as interim defensive coordinator, Hudson is likely a bandage on a salt-filled wound. Pending a turnaround of historic proportions, Hudson won't be leading the defense in 2017. So who will? PREREQUISITES FOR PICKING A DEFENSIVE ...

“Sloppy” May Be Football Team’s True Identity

September 21, 2016 by BJ Konkle

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have failed to develop an identity three games into the 2016 season. Or, as Brian Kelly insinuated, the Irish have an identity - but it isn't what most would like it to be. In the coach's words, the Irish are sloppy. "The entire football team, and my coaching staff in particular, is in a position where they have to coach better. I've got to coach better…We're sloppy as a football team." They're sloppy on offense. The Irish receivers drop balls that hit them in the ...

Credit: Associated Press

#NDintheNFL: Will Fuller & Theo Riddick Shine

September 13, 2016 by BJ Konkle

Will Fuller's NFL rookie campaign began Sunday and he picked up right where his Notre Dame career left off. He showed why he was correctly assessed as a first round talent recording five receptions on 11 targets for a Houston Texans rookie debut record of 107 yards and one touchdown in the Texans' 23-14 victory over the Bears. Fuller's speed was on full display, especially on his touchdown, which came on a screen pass that Irish fans are all too familiar with. He could have had an even more ...

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder yells from the sideline during the Notre Dame Blue-Gold Spring football game on Saturday, April 16, 2016, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend. South Bend Tribune Photo/ROBERT FRANKLIN

Defensive “Change” Must Come, One Way Or Another

September 8, 2016 by BJ Konkle

"To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often." - Winston Churchill. Much has been discussed, written, and analyzed of the 50-47 loss Texas handed Notre Dame this past Sunday. Many have called for change among the defensive coaching staff as it relates to the 50 points a young Texas team hung on the Irish defense. Ironically, the change that is being clamored for is due to the inability to do just that - change. In the ever evolving landscape of today's college football, ...