Everything Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock said before Irish vs. Virginia

Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock spoke to local reporters Tuesday evening, ahead of Saturday’s matchup with Virginia.

Here’s what Denbrock had to say.

On Notre Dame’s offensive line being named one of 10 Joe Moore Award semifinalists

“Who’d have thunk it? I mean, what a great job. I think a couple things: So, I think all of us felt like we had a very talented, young, inexperienced group that was going to continue to mature and grow together as the season went along. And what they’ve done collectively with how they’ve worked at it and how they’ve continued to get better, what [offensive line] coach [Joe] Rudolph has done from a coaching standpoint to put those guys in position and help them, it’s a tribute to them and a tribute, obviously, to what he’s doing with them in the meeting room and on the practice field.”

On where the offensive line has made the most progress

“I think the physical tools were there. I think it’s experience, as much as anything, at that position, live snaps and being in the fray when there’s really meaningful things going on is what helps you make progress sometimes faster than maybe you think it’s going to come. And they’ve been able to do that, and I think been able to communicate with each other better, been able to really grow up together as a unit, and it’s produced some very nice results.” 

On tight end production being down in 2024

“Yeah, I mean, obviously, I’ve torn myself between being the coordinator and the position coach of a group that hasn’t caught as many balls as I want them to, when I’m selfishly in the tight end room saying, ‘Hey, you know, we’re going to get you the ball this week.’ And then it may not fly in their direction.

“But that’s not by design or it’s not by anything other than maybe playing a little more 11 personnel than we have in the past or the quarterback making a decision to put the ball in somebody else’s hands and, a lot of times, rightfully so. And so, I think it’s a combination of things, but I think it’s a group I’m very happy with. I like the way that they’ve played and performed. I would love to see them get rewarded down the stretch here with a few more catches, just to keep some bright smiles on their face.” 

On if Notre Dame wide receiver Jaden Greathouse’s targets were part of the game plan

“No, that was a check that we had versus a certain pressure that they [the Seminoles] like to bring, on tape. So, that was one of several things [Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard] could have gone to in that situation. And it worked the first time and worked the second time.” 

On what percentage of plays involve a check from Leonard

“I would say now, compared to the way it was in the beginning, a lot more. I don’t know if I could put an exact percentage on it. There are things built in every game plan that he’s responsible for — whether that’s in the run game, whether that’s in the pass game with protection or whatever. And there’s some things that, if I feel like he’s maybe not ready to handle that check, I’ll put it on me to handle it.

“So, while he and I can communicate, I can help him get us into the right look or the right play or the right scheme, depending on what the defense is doing. And then it depends — a lot of it, some of it — on what the defense has given us. Florida State decided in the second half to be a little more aggressive and blitz us a little bit and play a little bit more man, which opened up some avenues.

“Even when we had some runs called, where I gave him the freedom to kind of, ‘Hey, listen, if you see this, let’s chuck it.’ And he did a great job of recognizing it, protecting himself and taking shots and putting the ball — and guys made plays down the field. So, all of that just diversifies us offensively just even a little bit more, where you know it’s nice, as a play-caller, not to necessarily have to be in the perfect call every time if you’ve got the ability to fix problems.” 

On what he likes about Greathouse

“He just continues to show up. I mean, every time we lean on him or put him out there and put him in a position to make a play, he’s been consistent and he’s made him, and they’ve been explosive.” 

On how often all 11 Notre Dame players on the field are doing their jobs when he grades the tape

“Oh, boy. My grading or the other coaches’ grading?”

Reporter: “Maybe we’ll go with yours?”

“Rare. It’s rare. I mean, there’s always something, right? You could probably nitpick it to death, and I’m sure I’m guilty of that probably more than most people would be. But whether it’s hand placement or footwork or whatever — I mean, it could be a technical issue. It could be blowing an assignment or a missed assignment issue or whatever. So, somewhere along the line, one of the 11 is probably going to not do it exactly perfect. And that’s OK, too. It’s great to have really good players who can erase some of those mistakes.” 

On if missed assignments are the most egregious errors to catch

“Yeah, of course. Technique is an ongoing process. It’s something that takes repetition and takes a long time to perfect. There’s guys who played multi years in the NFL who haven’t perfected their technique, either. So that’s a kind of a subjective way of analyzing it. And then the other side of that is, ‘Hey, this is your responsibility on this play. Did you execute your responsibility?’ That may be a yes, but a technique issue may be a no. So, it’s not all the way clean.” 

On if Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price has gotten better at hitting holes inside

“Yeah, he has been, especially the last couple of weeks. I thought there were some instances early in the season where he kind of patted his feet a little bit in the hole and was a little bit indecisive at times. And I think that seemed to be pretty much eliminated on Saturday, and it was important that it was, because the hole wasn’t open all that long. And I wish I was able to skinny through some things the way he got through there and made some explosive runs.”

On what has made Notre Dame’s slot fades effective in recent weeks, particularly against FSU

“I think it’s two things. I think it’s repetitions, No. 1, between a quarterback in that position, because the balls could be thrown differently depending on how well the receiver wins in the one-on-one matchup. If he wins by a bundle, it’s an over-the-top [throw]. If it’s kind of a contested kind of deal, it could be a back-shoulder throw. So, that takes a lot of work and a lot of timing. I don’t think we were very good at it for most of spring ball. We were dead-dog average at it in fall camp. And as the season’s gone along, we’ve kind of gotten better and better at it.

“It’s a valuable weapon to have, to combine with other things that you can do with the slot position in particular. That’s an explosive play waiting to happen if you understand how to throw it, how to run the route and how to catch it.” 

On what improvement would look like for Leonard at this stage

“His consistency in the way he’s throwing the ball, and he’s way better there, but that still needs to continue to come along. And he would be probably the first one to tell you that, that, play in and play out, the consistency to see his movement keys and put the ball where it’s supposed to be has probably been the biggest challenge. I love the direction it’s headed, and it’s leaps and bounds from where it was four weeks ago. But I think that consistency will help push this unit even a little bit farther down the road.” 

On Leonard’s instincts as a runner, especially in the red zone

““It’s another player on the field they have to account for, obviously. And not everybody has that guy accounted for. And I’m not just talking about like read-zone things and things like that, but even some of the other scheme things we’ve done with them, he’s just got a knack for understanding it. He’s a tough guy and obviously very good with the ball in his hands.”