Corey, all your points are well taken. My position is that we will not win or lose because Tommy Rees is our QB. IMO we will win IF: 1) our O-line blocks effectively for both the pass and the run; 2) our RBs (based on #1) can run to daylight, posing a clear threat; 3) our WRs are fast enough to get open and reliable enough to catch the ball; and 4) our defense keeps the opponents on their heels. If any one of these factors do not exist, it won't matter who is at QB. We and other teams have won in the past with QBs who are not running threats. We've also lost because of the absence of factors like those above that don't involve who is playing QB. It's become obvious to me that Kelly makes smart personnel moves. He must be comfortable enough with Rees that he didn't hesitate to name him the starter in June. That's good enough for me.
None other than our good friend Bruce Rollinson :twisted: predicted this when Schmidt took Kelly's offer to come to ND as a preferred walkon. I'm not sure he'll ever be a starter, but the kid is one of those who will do what ever is asked of him...run through brick wall coach...sure!
Sid, You and I are in the same camp. I was just posting my issues with Rees now to get them out of the way so no one can say "I'm making things up" later. Those are my issues, I'm moving forward. I think this season rests almost entirely on that those 5 GD princesses down in the trenches. They've been getting carried too long. I'm tired of 3rd and 1 being a finger crossing event. I used to look forward to 'and short' situations because of the pain we were about to inflict. Now, we're a coin toss at best and we have been since the Ty days. This sh*t has to stop. We micro-analyze the play of guys like Carlo who has more than risen to the occasion, we dissect the play of our poor QBs who are all at least as good as 3/4 of the guys starting in the ACC (and one of those ACC guys will be going to a BCS bowl). I'm done with all that. I've held off on being too tough on our OL because of the amount of transition and downright awful planning (the Ty years, which weren't really helped that much by Charlie).. but Kelly has been there long enough for there to be visable proof of progress along the OLine. I want to see it. OLines carry teams. Our team has been carrying the OL and that has to end. This is Notre Dame, not Northwestern. That **** doesn't cut it.
I agree with the O-Line comments. We thought we had a pretty good one ourselves last season and we did. Then we ran into Alabama's and we were stunned. I have never seen anything like that line. It semed everyone weighed 340-360 and were faster than our LBs. And their D-Line was off the charts fast. So fast that they were basically unblockable. So how does ND recruit or develop that kind of talent because clearly that is what it takes.
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:idea: Teams are going to blitz him if they can. The key is to find a TE and slot back who can catch quick passes to make them pay. Tommy is a smart and experienced player. He's the son of a coach and he wants to be a coach. He'll be able to read the blitz and audible into a play designed to make the defense pay a price for deserting a zone and taking a chance. I'm confident that Tommy will call the right play. The big question is about new contributors like Troy Niklas, C.J. Prosise, and Amir Carlyle. Are they ready? Their time is now.
#GoldenArmy14 Irish get a QB!! DeShone Kizer a Toledo QB who is ranked #8 as a dual threat QB and a 4* by Rivals announced for the Irish. Good job by the staff. I know they really wanted Kyle Allen who decided to go to Texas A&M, but they didn't sit on their hands and go woe is me. They got up and went out and got another very good QB. Irish Sports Daily Article
ND <t>Terry,<br/> <br/> I'm sure he's a fine young man and he probably has a great/wonderful family but you'll have to excuse me if I have a small amount of skepticism about his and all new recruits nowdays. A verbal means nothing anymore, they change their minds so fast they leave your head spinning! LOI.....hah, means nothing...let me hear from them the day after they are enrolled in school, had their first class and been through several practices. Maybe, maybe, MAYBE I'll beleive them then. Till then all I can say is looks good, we'll see come next fall. Welcome aboard for now.</t>
re: DeShone Kizer I like this kid a lot on film. He's 6'5" and he keeps looking down field under pressure. <iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/S1eUivEueKM?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0"></iframe>
ND and Arizona State have worked out their differences over the schedule. Originally ND tried to cancel the home/home series with ASU, the game in Cowboy stadium is a different contract. We were scheduled to play them in 2014 at Tempe and 2017 in South Bend. The ASU AD did not like that at all and has been pretty vocal in complaining about the cancellation attempt by ND. So they reached an agreement for the Irish to visit Tempe in 2014 and the 2017 game was cancelled. Only problem is we now have too many opponents for 2014. This schedule already has 10 opponents and only 1 of them are ACC opponents, So unless we play a 14 game schedule somebody has got to go. It has to come from the group of Temple, Purdue, Northwestern, or Rice. It's always possible that Mich will pull out of the 2014 game, easing things a little bit, but I hope they don't.
Well Manti Te'o is off to a good start in San Diego. I really hope he has a great rookie year. I'd like to see him win Defensive Rookie of the Year. Te'o Doing Well in San Diego
I saw that article. I couldn't be happier for him. He always has been a class act. It's nice to hear from his teammates that he's off to a great start and that they respect him too much to mess with him.
ND <t>glad to hear Manti is doing well. I think most Irish fans knew in the end he would be just fine in the NFL.</t>