Yeah, I’d have to say if that were to happen I would still like the Saints to have a conversation with Freeman.
Once again, I know about the failures of guys like Saban and Urban Meyer. I know the challenges Freeman could potentially have assembling a NFL staff but if ND can pull off the upset I think it’d be safe to say that the man at the very least can coach these college athletes (some who are now millionaires at least).
And for those that say we need a young offensive minded coach with an athletic QB that can run and pass keep in mind the NFL is cyclical. Some young defensive coach will build a roster to shut down the Mahomes, Daniels, Allens, It just hasn’t happened yet because a team would have to truly commit all its capital to defense and running the ball. The 49ers were close but imho were only a couple of really good secondary players away from winning that SB against the Chiefs.
Sean Peyton used to talk about how Parcels would talk about building a team that changed the way the rest of the division defends or attacks you. The concept is still the same it’s just we are in this crazy shift away from “defense wins championships” because of the ridiculous rules that the NFL has installed thats made it difficult (not impossible) to stop teams from scoring.