Gerad Parker Gets His First Chance To Show What He Can Do For Notre Dame
The 13th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish kick off the 2023 season today when they square off against Navy. Today will be our first true glance at the new-look offense, which is led by first-year coordinator Gerad Parker.
We won't learn everything we need to know about Parker and the offense in one game, but it will give us a good first glimpse. There are two areas where we'll get a chance to evaluate Parker, and where he will get a chance to show off his chops to Notre Dame fans and the college football world.
One is big picture what a Gerad Parker offense actually looks like. The other is specifically to Navy, and how he hands the in-game aspects of running an offense.
Here are the questions I'll be looking to see get answered today, or at least start to get answered.
BIG PICTURE
1. Can He Start Fast - There are really two aspects to this. Of course, starting fast against Navy is a key to victory, but there's more to it than that. Notre Dame has gotten off to a slow start offensively in two of the last three seasons, and I'm not just talking about the season opener. Can Parker turn that trend around and get the Irish offense rolling? We'll start to find out today.
2. Will He Be More Player Driven - In recent seasons the Irish ran a rather complex offense that took time for players to learn. It was one built around schemes and concepts more than it was the unique talents of the players. We saw it get adapted to personnel to a degree, like being a run-heavy offense last season as the offense struggled at quarterback and wide receiver, but it was still more about the scheme than the players.
I want to see Parker change that and make the offense a bit more player friendly. This will not only remove a road block to younger, talented players getting a chance to push their way onto the field, it also allows the players to adapt quickly to the offense. That allows them to play with greater confidence and speed.
A player friendly offense also does more schematically to enhance specific players and matchups on a week-to-week basis.
3. What Run Game Changes Will We See - Notre Dame was a very heavy Duo and Inside Zone team last year, and the vast majority of the run game looks were geared towards attacking in the A and B gaps. We didn't see nearly enough diversity in the run game from an attack point and schematic standpoint. I want to see if Parker and the offensive staff have made the necessary adjustments. I'm good with them still making the Duo and/or Inside Zone their primary run looks, but we need to see more mis-direction, more legitimate attempts to the attack the perimeter and to see a more effective run game out of 11 personnel.
Enhancing the run game also includes implementing a more effective RPO plan.
4. How Will The Personnel Groups Change - Notre Dame was a heavy 12 and 13 personnel team in recent seasons, especially in 2020 and 2022. That was largely out of necessity, but now we need to see if Parker is willing and able to move to a more diverse personnel usage. The offense is better suited for more 11 personnel this season, and a dose of 20 and 21 personnel could also be enticing with the current roster. Will Parker be willing to spread things out more, get more athletes on the field and attack the perimeter more? I hope so, and we'll get a glimpse into that today.
5. Can He Create An Explosive Offense - Recently I wrote about how far behind Notre Dame was to other top offenses from a big plays standpoint. Big plays are partly about talent, but there are also things the coaches can do to enhance explosiveness. There are formational, tempo and schematic things they do can, and we need to see if Parker is able to thrive in those areas. He has big play potential on the roster, but can he do what's needed to maximize that potential? Navy is a defense that gives a coaching staff capable of doing this to get off to a fast start.
vs. NAVY
1. How Will He Handle The Navy Pressures - Navy is going to pressure early and often, and from all over. They don't hide that fact. Notre Dame had some success against it in the first half last season, scoring 35 points in two quarters, but the Irish had just one first down in the entire second half, and were held scoreless. Notre Dame simply could not handle the diverse and aggressive pressure packages that Navy brought in the second half.
I want to see if Parker and this staff have the chops to attack and beat the Navy pressures. If they can Notre Dame will dominate this game, but if they don't it will be a battle once again.
2. Can He Get His Wideouts In Space - Part of beating the blitz packages is finding ways to get his athletes in space both formationally and with play calls. Notre Dame has a big speed and skill advantage against Navy, but that can't be utilized without a strong offensive game plan, and strong execution of that game plan. I want to see what Parker's plan is to get his athletes in ideal matchups, and if he and the staff were able to prepare the offense to execute that plan at a high level.
3. What Will Situational Ball Look Like - Notre Dame was very good on third down in two of the last three seasons, ranking 13th in 2022 and 7th in 2020. The Irish also ranked 19th in red zone touchdown rate last season. Both are strong numbers, and against Navy they'll be very important to success. In a game where Navy wants to limit possessions, the Irish offense needs to show it can extend them, and when they get into the scoring zone they need touchdowns, not field goals. Parker's primary role at West Virginia was red zone offense, and they were quite good at it with him in charge. I want to see if he can get that going in 2023, and Navy would be a great place to start.
4. Can He Counterpunch - It's one thing to have a great plan coming in, but the best coordinators are able to counter punch. How do you adjust when the opponent figures something out, or throws something at you that you're not prepared for, or didn't see. How do you stay in front of your opponent if you do have early success? All of this is part of counterpunching as a play caller. I've never seen Parker do this since it's his first true play calling role. He's getting a chance to prove himself against a defensive staff - led by head coach Brian Newberry - that is very good at this. If Parker shines in this area against the Middies it will be a great sign.
5. Will They Finish - Notre Dame struggled to put teams away last season, and I want to see that change. When they get a chance to finish strong and bury a team I want to see it happen.
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