Michael Conroy / AP file

Tailback Darius Walker needs for the Irish offensive line to play physical if Notre Dame is to achieve greater consistency on offense, writes Allen Pinkett of MSNBC.com.

Improve punt returns
Success on punt returns can change the effectiveness of the offense.

When a team can get at least 10 yards on a punt return, that's one less first down needed from the offense. It also helps with field position since if an offense starts a possession with the ball inside its own 10-yard line, the game plan changes and that team has to sort of play defense on offense.

But if the offense can start on its own 30-yard line or better, then it can use a lot more of what's in its playbook since it is not in a position of having to protect its end zone. And a good punt return creates momentum for the offense as it takes the field.

Improving punt returns has to do with reducing penalties, better blocking, and ball security. This is a unit-wide challenge, and getting better must be a goal of both the punt returners and those blocking for them.

When you look at the different areas where a team can gain an advantage over an opponent, punt returns are one area that is near the top of the list. But the Irish haven't been able to gain an edge in this department, and they know their goal is to go from mediocre to strong when bringing back punts.

The primary and best Irish punt returner, senior strong safety Tom Zbikowski, is a good one. Through Notre Dame's first five games, Zbikowski was averaging just over seven yards a return -- down from 14 yards last season.

There's probably no more telling stat than that one to drive home the point the Irish have gone backwards in their collective play on punt returns.

Better tackling on kickoff coverage
The better kickoff returners don't go down with an arm tackle. That was obvious to all in the Irish win over Purdue -- a game where the Boilermakers put their best running back and their best receiver back to return kicks, and it paid off as they had 131 kickoff-return yards, and Purdue's average drive started on its 27-yard line.

So to improve its kickoff coverage, Notre Dame's emphasis will be on tackling. The Irish coaches will be stressing the fundamentals, keys such as wrapping up when attempting to make tackles.

Good return men are hard to wrap up and bring down -- it takes more than athletic ability to do so, it takes concentration and execution, and you can bet Notre Dame will be working on that.

I think it's okay for the Irish special team coaches to motivate with fear -- by that I mean making those players who are on special teams realize their jobs are at risk if improvement isn't shown.

And there should be self motivation among the special teams units since if a player wants to get the attention of the coaches in a bid for playing time on offense and defense, he can start by becoming a standout on special teams.

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Gray believes in Kelly

It took a while for the light bulb to go on, but when it did, Jonas Gray finally showed the talent many had expected from the blue-chip prospect from Detroit. In a recent interview, Gray, who is rehabbing an ACL injury to get ready for the NFL Scouting Combine, expressed the confidence and support he has for head coach Brian Kelly.

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Kelly unveils new coaching staff

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