Weak Side Surprise JD Bertrand Readies for Heavy Load - 247Sports

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For starters, he wasn’t supposed to start. Let’s start there.

And to be fair to defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman’s plan and steadfast belief in earned rotations, JD Bertrand was likely 1B to Marist Liufau’s 1A at weak side linebacker rather than a true No. 2. (For Freeman, true No. 2s rarely play while ‘1Bs’ are a mainstay in the rotation.)

But Liufau suffered a broken leg in late August, true No. 2 Shayne Simon was lost to a torn labrum in the opener, and it has been all Bertrand since.

And by that we mean ALL Bertrand.

• Florida State: 70 snaps with Shayne Simon offering 8 in relief. Only Kyle Hamilton and Clarence Lewis logged more.
• Toledo: Tied Kyle Hamilton with a team high 69 snaps, a game in which seven of Bertrand’s tackles were deemed ‘failures’ by the Rockets offense per Pro Football focus. 7 of his 11 tackles were recorded as Stuffs by Irish Illustrated before Bertrand’s game-sealing fumble recovery.

“Credit to Myron, I was just making sure I was hustling to the ball, and I was there to get it in the scramble, but Myron (Tagovailoa-Amosa) was there to strip it,” Bertrand said. “Obviously it’s a team sport, and I’m just trying to do my part.”

Through two games, few Irish players have done that better. And Once again, Notre Dame’s head coach let us know who to watch in early August.

“When you look at the depth chart and you look at how well J.D. Bertrand is progressing, and the size and weight that Liufau has put on—and you know the guys that have already been in the program. Yeah, that's an interesting proposition,” Kelly said of what was then a stacked weak side spot.

It’s less so now: Bertrand and cross-trainers such as backup middle linebacker Bo Bauer and starting Rover Jack Kiser would likely sub in a pinch. Not that Bertand has needed it, but over the course of 12 games in 13 weeks, he will.

Bertand’s 139 scrimmage and 34 special teams snaps already exceed his career totals entering the season (38 scrimmage; 116 ST)

“There was an offseason physical development in his overall game, not only strength wise, but agility, change the direction, all of those things,” said Kelly. “He worked and (director of football performance) coach (Matt) Balis and his staff worked quite a bit on that. That was first and foremost.

“I think second was finding a home, a position that he could focus in on, because if you give him a job to do, he will do that job, and I don't know that he had a job (in 2020). I think he was temporary at a lot of different positions and once we were able to kind of hone in and say, this is your job, I think it really allowed him to skyrocket.”

Bertrand’s comfort level is clear. He owns the weak side, and for most of the first two games, the opponent’s side of scrimmage.

“I felt super comfortable. I think it’s a big credit to our coaches,” said Bertrand of his early efforts. “They do a great job preparing us—they’re giving us formational cues. They’re making sure that we study and understand the defense inside and out. When you know the defense, and you kind of have an idea of what the offenses are going to do, you’re going to be able to be comfortable when you get out there and be able to find the ball from there.”

But 89 yard runs in Tallahassee and 67 in South Bend have plagued the defense. A 3rd-and-8 shovel pass through its heart struck hard late in the fourth quarter Saturday as well.

Ten steps forward and a few seismic steps back, it seems.

“Coach Freeman has emphasized before that it’s not the calls that are going to win us the game,” Bertrand said. “We got to make sure we don’t go one-on-one blocks, and everyone’s hustling with an effort and attitude towards to the ball. That’s just something I prioritize, and that’s what our defense prioritizes.”

“Freeman makes a big point about the idea of one play, one life. And at the end of the day, that’s the biggest thing that matters,” he continued. “We need to make sure we just play one play at a time and those past plays don’t matter. I think we did a good job dealing with any kind of turnovers, or even the goal-line stand at the beginning of the game. We just need to make sure that we continue to have that attitude as the game goes on.”

Notre Dame wasn’t supposed to be close to Toledo. The defense had a hand in that reality. It clearly shouldn’t have been in overtime in Tallahassee—the defense’s fourth quarter flailing a chief culprit.

But after their Week Two MAC scare, Bertrand believes the Irish defense will be better for it.

“This was a good game for us in the sense that we’re going to be able to learn from this,” he offered. “I think it was an eye-opening game and it was bittersweet (Bertrand received the game ball against the Rockets). I think we’re going to be able to take it from here and identify where we need to get better. I think every guy in that room knows that they need to look at their own play individually and look at where they can get better.

“We will go from there,”

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