Notre Dame Coaching Shake Up

It looks like defensive coordinator Rick Minter and quarterbacks coach Peter Vass are out at Notre Dame as coach Charlie Weis shakes up his staff in the aftermath of a second straight bowl debacle.

Indications are that New York Jets assistant coach Corwin Brown will replace Minter. Former Notre Dame quarterback Ron Powlus, the Irish’s director of personnel development, is expected to replace Vaas.

Nothing is official, but the South Bend Tribune and writer Eric Hansen got the story, with confirmation expected in the coming days.

Brown, 36, played in the NFL for eight years, including with the New England Patriots while Weis was there. He also starred at Michigan. He coached the defensive backs at New York.

Let’s face it. Weis had to do something after a second straight poor defensive effort. This past season Notre Dame ranked 90^th out of 119 Division I-A teams in pass-efficiency defense, 61^st in rushing defense and 67^th in scoring defense. Those numbers were worse than the previous year despite returning nine starters. they were worse, in fact, than the numbers produced during the Tyrone Willingham era.

The defense was at its worst in bowl games. Ohio State totaled 617 yards against the Irish in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl, the more yards ever allowed by a Notre Dame team. LSU had 577 yards while blowing out the Irish in the Sugar Bowl.

You could blame this on inferior personnel, and that’s true to an extent, but the bottom line is Notre Dame didn’t improve and didn’t play to its potential and expectations. Somebody has to answer for that and, it seems, that answer started with Minter.