I think both DCs are excellent. I love the way Golden

by BillyGoat, At Thanksgiving with Joe Bethersontin, Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 11:55 (17 days ago) @ KGB

pairs pressure with coverage. When Lea would pressure, it seemed like we would usually be playing soft coverage behind it and concede the completion. Golden pressures, anticipates where the hot throw will go and blankets it. Both defenses get off the field. Golden seems to create more havoc.

But overall you might as well be asking me to choose between my two kids -- especially in the context of ND DCs during my 35-ish years as a ND fan. Some of my earliest ND memories involve complaining about Gary Darnell.

I mean, off the top of my head, since Alvarez, hasn't it been:

- Darnell - So bad that Lou ended up calling the D himself at times.
- Minter - OK at times, but too complex, such that DuBose was infamously looking at his wristband on a key play.
- Davie - Credit where credit is due. Honestly, the highlight at DC for probably a two-decade span between Alvarez and Diaco. There's probably a hot debate on sports talk radio in purgatory about whether Davie or Diaco was a better DC.
- Mattison?
- Baer
- Minter again. If he had been able to create even modest friction for our opponents, we would have destroyed teams in 05 and 06.
- Brown
- Brown and Tah Noo Tah (great for blogging, bad for football). Though I will never forget those nascent days of FIM with the quote: "Paskorsz, you couldn't break a f*cking egg."
- Diaco
- VanGorder
- Elko
- Lea
- Freeman
- Golden

We can certainly debate relative merits. But let's all remember that we are in a freeking golden age of ND defenses, including the "glory days" of Lou.


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