Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/841614
BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 43 fense on third downs, you're going to be a lot more efficient on third down. That's the mentality we want to have on offense." BGI: Moving to an up-tempo offense is a change for the offensive linemen more than anyone else; how has that unit handled the transition? Long: "I think they've done a great job. They've always had the mindset. I think the way they think, I've been in the offense long enough to know how to make them successful. "Try to keep a lot of the 'same as' ap- proach. Might be a different play, but your combinations, your footwork is the same as [it was], but you might be pulling outside instead of inside. "It's being able to allow them to play fast and not have to learn a million different techniques just for one play that we might run five times, so I think that helps with the carryover … I think it's allowed them to play fast, to play to their strengths and be able to take care of Brandon [Wimbush] at the same time." BGI: The line is experienced and is receiv- ing a lot of preseason praise. Is it a unit you feel you can build your offense around? Long: "I do. Now, we have to keep finding what they're good at and what our knacks are going to be, but you've got a veteran group that's played a lot of games, so that's exciting. "We have a chance, now they just have to go do it and we as coaches have to put them in the best position to go do it. But there's no question that all those guys can play and play at a high level, so we should be able to do certain things with that line and build our offense around them." BGI: The last time we saw Brandon Wim- bush take a meaningful snap he was winning a state high school championship in New Jer- sey. How has he progressed as the lead man? Long: "I've seen great growth in Brandon. Before he tried to please everybody, but we told him we have enough veteran leadership — you focus on being the best that Brandon Wimbush can be, and I think that calmed him down. "In the spring game we wanted it as much like a game as possible. That's why I tried to throw it every down, because he needed that experience. He needed to get out there and, quite frankly, to get humbled so he could come out this summer and really kick it into another gear, which he has. "That's what I'm really excited about be- cause he's more confident, he's bouncing around better, really doing well in competi- tion drills, taking his game to another level. "Win the team over with your work ethic. We don't need you to be a rah-rah guy — that can come with time — and I think he's embraced that and doing a really good job with that. "We're going to be able to do a lot of things with him. He's a great young man. I'm really excited to see what all he does." BGI: You've had quarterbacks in the past who could run, like Arizona State's Taylor Kelly, and you've had quarterbacks who couldn't run, like Memphis' Riley Ferguson. Is a running quarterback important to your offensive success? Long: "I've been lucky because I've been around the pro-style and the tempo and had some great quarterbacks from Brian Brohm [Louisville, 2006-07] to Ryan Mallett [Ar- kansas, 2008-09] to Taylor Kelly [Arizona State, 2012-14] to Riley Ferguson [Mem- phis, 2016]. We carry a lot of offense so I can shape it around our quarterback and what he does well, and put him in position to make plays. "We don't want a game manager; we want you to go out there and light it up. What made Riley so great is he couldn't run out of a shadow, but he was the most accurate quarterback I've ever seen and would just sit in there and deliver it. … Taylor didn't have the arm those guys had, but he could make things happen and he was a winner. "You'd love to have a guy who can run and throw, but if they're good at something you've got a chance." BGI: You never coached a four-star tight end at Arizona State or Memphis. At Notre Dame, you'll have five on the roster this sea- son. Does having that kind of depth of talent impact your offense? Long: "It makes it fun, they have a great base of what we're trying to do, they all have great ball skills and they are playmakers and they are veterans. I've seen them in that arena making plays. "It's a great deal to have. We need to keep building depth because we utilize those guys a lot. They're probably going to be on every special teams as well and playing a ton of offensive snaps. "Number one, you have to be tough. You want to play tight end in this offense, you have to be tough mentally and physically. Being able to have more of those guys, they can keep each other fresh throughout the year, and obviously it puts a bind on the defense. "We can go four wides and then line up and smash somebody in the face. What per- sonnel are you going to be in on defense? If we go four wides, are you going to be in your base and have a linebacker or safety on Alizé [Mack], or are you going to go nickel [five defensive backs] and we'll come in and run the ball. "I'm a firm believer that a tight end is a quarterback's best friend. It gives him a sense of calmness out there that we can cre- ate some throws out there for him to get him going. It presents a lot of issues for the defense that they don't see week in and week out very much." BGI: Notre Dame was in 11 personnel (one tight end, one running back and three receivers) more than 80 percent of the time last season, but you plan to mix it up more. What impact does that have on a defense? Long: "It's about matchups. My job is to try to get our players in one-on-one oppor- tunities. The more I can do that, the better opportunities and better chances we're going to have as an offense. "I want the defense to have to spend their time focusing on different personnel … that's the whole chess match we play and being able to do that at tempo helps a lot." BGI: There is a lot of talent at wide re- ceiver, but very little proven production out- side of Equanimeous St. Brown. What is your confidence level in that unit? Long: "They have to keep coming, we have to get tougher in that group but I'm confident they'll be successful. "… They're a young group and they have to grow and they have to grow fast, but there's no question the talent's there, it's just the maturity. We've gotten better there with the two transfers coming in [Cameron Smith from Arizona State and Freddy Canteen from Michigan]. They will give that veteran leadership, maturity, how to go about your business day in and day out, be accountable to your teammates. "Some guys really stood out in the spring. It's a group we have to feel out who can do it. We'll figure that out in time." ✦ "It sets up everything. Obviously by being able to play tempo and you're able to run the ball, it's that many more plays we can force our physicality on the defense, wear the defensive line down, force them to bring the safeties up, maybe get them into more man coverage by adding a guy into the box." LONG ON A SUCCESSFUL RUSHING ATTACK