'10 IL QB Tommy Rees (Notre Dame Man)

[Domina Nostra]

My intention wasn't to say the wide receivers were making leaping one hand grabs every single time. And you can speak of this 64% until you're blue in the face, he can go 19 for 20 in a game and still lose. The reason? that 1 pass he missed just happened to be in the red zone when the team needed him most.

I will pull for him as I would any ND quarterback at the helm. But I am not letting my love for ND get in the way of real expectations.

I much prefer EG as well, I was sky high on him from the first time I saw his tape, but didn't Tommy's team score more points? 29 to 25 or something like that? I recall the offense playing some pretty sloppy ball in a lot of EG's games last year, but they stayed in it thanks to the awesome D. Tommy would have had a much better record if the 2011 team had the 2012 defense!

Tommy had two big issues: he looked really overwhelmed against teams that got consistent penetration, like USC. He would drive 90 yards and then turn it over inexplicably. EG would have been better in the USC games, no doubt, but he also had his own redzone issues.

If our OL is improved, and can give Tommy a little time, he is going to be a solid and we are going to win a lot of games.

EG was not a world beater against a lot of teams. What he did do really well, was get us out of a lot of jams with his legs. 3rd and 7? No problem. The hope is senior Tommy Rees will be in less of those jams to begin with.

Long story short, I am not so much worried about Tommy being good, as mourning the loss of a QB who could have been great.

 

[anarin]

What would Kelly's win % be without him? Would he even still be coaching here?

He's 16-10 before last season, and that's with him enrolled. The rest is guesswork, depends on how good Hendrix would/could have been and who that QB would've been in place of Rees (recruitment wise).

 

[fitz_bu47]

I think b/c of how the Golson thing went down, Tommy and the offense are going to be just fine. I would be much more concerned w/ a season ending injury to E.G. where Tommy was thrust in unexpectedly. I think Martin and Kelly know what they have, and how they need to run their stuff to maximize this offense.....August 31st can't get here soon enough.

 

[Irish Insanity]

I've been on the Tommy bandwagon since Everett left school. I think he'll surprise the naysayers and do very well. He's simply a more cerebral player than Golson and Kelly will get to use more and more weapons as a result. Not being a mobile guy hurts, as does average arm strength, but I think being able to make a third or forth read and check to different plays is huge.

I think 2013 Tommy will be better than 2012 Golson. 2013 Golson would have been preferred, but we'll be fine.

Well said.

I apologize for saying this a few times. But if the O-Line can give him time (make the game look like a 7 on 7 session we are going to be fine. Yes, he can check to the third receiver (like Tom Brady) if he has time. Hey, Tommy look awesome in 2012 when he had time.

And our O line gets to practice against arguably the best D line in the country. I expect them to be improved and us to have a strong running game, which will both in turn help Rees. With those improvements and even with little to no improvement individually by him (which I doubt) we will be ok.

 

[woolybug25]

He's 16-10 before last season, and that's with him enrolled. The rest is guesswork, depends on how good Hendrix would/could have been and who that QB would've been in place of Rees (recruitment wise).

I think you missed his point completely. Rees came in when we literally had no other choices. Somehow, miracously, he was still able to win games. We clearly weren't any good with the other choices. Rees saved Kelly's job, imo. Things were about to get reaaaal ugly.

 

[returnofthemack]

I apologize for saying this a few times. But if the O-Line can give him time (make the game look like a 7 on 7 session we are going to be fine. Yes, he can check to the third receiver (like Tom Brady) if he has time. Hey, Tommy look awesome in 2012 when he had time.

The problem is they won't be able to give him that much time against ASU, Stanford, USC, Oklahoma, and maybe michigan. When he has time, yeah he's decent. Against an athletic and aggressive pass rush he is pretty awful, as we've seen numerous times throughout his career. There's only so much you can improve, and I hope he does. I don't think he's a good QB, but obviously I want ND to win as many games as possible regardless of the QB. I just think too many of you guys are hyping yourselves up about Tommy a little too much.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Pre-snap, yes I would agree with you. But that also lead to TR's demise. Other teams figured out what he was reading, would flash a look and drop back once he made his check. He was totally predictable. At least with EG, he could make things happen out of nothing. TR does not have that luxury.

My whole point was that if we pin our hopes on TR developing to the point that he can hit his 3rd or 4th read, we have nothing to prove that he has the capability to do it.

This is the difference between Molner and Martin being at the helm.

Was last year an accurate gage of Tommy's growth? I heard all the time about how he came in at a bad time with no warm up, etc.

The problem is they won't be able to give him that much time against ASU, Stanford, USC, Oklahoma, and maybe Michigan. When he has time, yeah he's decent. Against an athletic and aggressive pass rush he is pretty awful, as we've seen numerous times throughout his career. There's only so much you can improve, and I hope he does. I don't think he's a good QB, but obviously I want ND to win as many games as possible regardless of the QB. I just think too many of you guys are hyping yourselves up about Tommy a little too much.

Is the Michigan thing their talent or Mattison? Because if it is Mattison, I think Martin and Kelly have a fix. AND I looked back at '11, and that wasn't for sure a great scheme; it seemed like it was Tommy's poor mechanics limiting his vision, and robbing him of arm strength. (See Whiskey.)

To follow a thesis, what if what we thought was bad reads and no arm strength was actually bad mechanics? I can remember over and over in the Spring Game how much crisper Tommy's throwing looked. Someone mentioned it, Mayock I think.

 

[anarin]

I think you missed his point completely. Rees came in when we literally had no other choices. Somehow, miracously, he was still able to win games. We clearly weren't any good with the other choices. Rees saved Kelly's job, imo. Things were about to get reaaaal ugly.

Anytime I see the winning games argument, I think of Kyle Orton when he was with the bears in 2005.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

From today's chat with Eric Hansen's:

Q: Any chance with Rees at QB we'll have the ability to play at faster pace? ala Oregon, A&M, etc?

A: I asked Kelly about that last week, and it is their intention to play uptempo with Rees. He feels that Tommy not only can handle it now, but that it will be easy for him.

If true, this would go a long way toward fixing a couple of Rees' major deficiencies-- pace and predictability. Pair that with improved mobility (which I'm assuming simply means better technique on designed roll-outs), and we'd have a fully functional QB.

 

[FearTheBeard]

The thing i dont like about pointing out some of tommys passes in some games last year is that he wasnt the starter. Id bet Golson got more practice reps with first team, and also in many of the games Tommy came off the bench. He didnt have 3 quarters to develop rhythm and sync with the receievers. Ill admit his accuracy may be a little off and his arm strength isnt great. But Tommy will be fine, winning 9 games and a going to a pretty good bowl game would be a damn good season IMO. Just look back a few years and youll feel better, not to mention coach kelly seems to have it figured out for long term success. Its been a while but i thought i remember tommy looking better throwing the ball in the spring game than golson. We will see though, just 24 days left till we see some ND football. Im looking forward to the season.

 

[NDdomer2]

From today's chat with Eric Hansen's:



If true, this would go a long way toward fixing a couple of Rees' major deficiencies-- pace and predictability. Pair that with improved mobility (which I'm assuming simply means better technique on designed roll-outs), and we'd have a fully functional QB.

improved mobility = better technique = better footwork

when you are competing at the highest level the little things separate you.

mj, Kobe, Lebron all had/have amazing footwork that they didn't always have. sprinters can lose a race because of one bad step.

Tommy has done nothing for four years but practice/play football working on footwork, throwing, physical improvement (lifting/conditioning) and reading defenses.

To not have any improvement since 2011 would take a person who goes through the motions, and that we know is not Tommy Rees.

I'm not shouting Heisman or anything but i expect to win a lot of games this year.

 

[kmoose]

If you're going based of stats, yes it is respectable. I also don't have the blanket pulled over my eyes and I see what his targets have done for him. One example, TJ Jones making the brilliant catch in the Stanford game.

Someone made a video recently that showed Tommy last season and his mop up duties. I couldn't help notice that a lot of his throws were off the mark and his intended target made an awesome adjustment to the ball. Am I being negative to be negative? No. But I am being real when I say I think he will lose at least one game on his own. We've all seen "bad tommy", and I really truly hope that he is leaps and bounds better than he has been in the past.

I've got news for you........ if you have watched ANY tape, you will notice that Rees is more accurate with the ball than Golson. So I would submit that those same receivers who bailed Rees out on a few passes, bailed Golson out on a whole lot more.

 

[anarin]

I've got news for you........ if you have watched ANY tape, you will notice that Rees is more accurate with the ball than Golson. So I would submit that those same receivers who bailed Rees out on a few passes, bailed Golson out on a whole lot more.

Being that I haven't written one word that compares Rees to Golson, and it's more of a "this is what we have and this is my expectation", I thank you for your news.

With your response, I can draw up that you would rather have Rees behind center than Golson? Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[kmoose]

My intention wasn't to say the wide receivers were making leaping one hand grabs every single time. And you can speak of this 64% until you're blue in the face, he can go 19 for 20 in a game and still lose. The reason? that 1 pass he missed just happened to be in the red zone when the team needed him most.

You mean like the throw at the 3:40 mark of this video?

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/mv7s2UAwdao" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[chubler]

If Tommy Rees can really run an up-tempo offense 'easily', we could have a surprise breakout year on O. Tempo plays perfectly to Tommy's strengths.

 

[anarin]

You mean like the throw at the 3:40 mark of this video?

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/mv7s2UAwdao" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Again, I am not comparing Rees to Golson.

But I can play into your argument if you would like and dig up these throws from Rees I speak of.

 

[kmoose]

Again, I am not comparing Rees to Golson.

But I can play into your argument if you would like and dig up these throws from Rees I speak of.

My point was that Rees did a pretty good job of taking care of the ball, last year, in the limited PT that he had. Even Golson had some problems with turnovers. And one important one in the red zone.

 

[Irish Insanity]

Please just tell me he learned how to throw a fade in the endzone. I'd rather he QB sneak it every time down inside the 5 than throw it like he did the last few years.

 

[Ndaccountant]

From today's chat with Eric Hansen's:



If true, this would go a long way toward fixing a couple of Rees' major deficiencies-- pace and predictability. Pair that with improved mobility (which I'm assuming simply means better technique on designed roll-outs), and we'd have a fully functional QB.

This would help quell some of my fears.

Quick question on this. In other threads, it was discussed who was actually calling protections. One of the things that frustrated me in the past was the amount of time spent at the LOS helping make calls, whether it be reads or protections. If we can get over that one way or another and let TR make quick throws and reads, I would be more comfortable.

 

[T Town Tommy]

While Rees isn't swift of foot, he is still good enough to step away from pressure and deliver the ball IMO. Just don't ask him to try to create plays when they aren't there. Throw it three rows up and live to play another down.

 

[pkt77242]

While Rees isn't swift of foot, he is still good enough to step away from pressure and deliver the ball IMO. Just don't ask him to try to create plays when they aren't there. Throw it three rows up and live to play another down.

Three rows up? I just hope he can get the ball to the sideline.

 

[Circa]

What were you screaming about 3 years ago?

Sorry for the lateness... I was under a diff name on here and harder for me to research my past posts, but on Keith Arnolds's 'ISTI' I've been around just as long, and I found this; for ex. 2010' article: I am "1notredamefan"
Five things we learned: Notre Dame vs. Army | Inside the Irish

 

[Circa]

Sorry for the lateness... I was under a diff name on here and harder for me to research my past posts but on Keith Arnolds's ISTI I've been around just as long and I found this for EX. 2010' article I am "1notredamefan"
Five things we learned: Notre Dame vs. Army | Inside the Irish

N | Inside the Irish

1notredamefan - Sep 4, 2011 at 12:06 PM
I personally always have pushed for Rees, you can archive it and you will undoubtedly see my choice went to him in the middle of the Tulsa game! Crist truly is a baller but not a leader! The “IT” factor that I’ve over used for 10 months now Is finally an accepted notion!! I have thrown around the question of being a leader and a follower for years, and one thing is a constant in all scenarios, we don’t choose to be a leader or follower it is something that gets worked out in the details of life and we all fall in place. Some for good, some for evil….

GO NOTRE DAME!!! BEAT Michigan!!! All Will Be Forgivin with WINNING!!!

 

[RuntheBall]

Tommy Rees player comparison: Ben Roethlisberger (on the field at least)

... ideally

 

[QuarrelsomeIrishAmerican]

Tommy Rees player comparison: Ben Roethlisberger (on the field at least)

... ideally

Big Tom Reesthlisberger

 

[Bogtrotter07]

I liked Tommy's interview after practice today. The best thing about the interview was his face. I've seen 'em come out of the boonies after 14 days and not look so beat up! His face was all covered by stubble, helmet marks, he had a little puffiness. He looked great. As did his feet. In drills. And when all the receivers were covered he tucked it and ran, and got more than a few yards! Tommy looked terrific!

 

[IrishLion]

It would be tremendous if going up-tempo is truly "easy" for Tommy, but that's not the problem... the problem is our QB looking to the sidelines and waiting... and waiting... and waiting for the play call to come in.

I'm not on the sidelines, so I don't truly know what this is about, and maybe I'm even way over-exaggerating things, but I feel the first key is the coaches deciding on a play and signaling it in faster, regardless of who the QB is.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

I noticed something else today. As smooth as the WR's routes were, Tommy had no decision making problems and seemed to see the field well. Damned if his hips weren't parallel to the line of scrimmage!

 

[Whiskeyjack]

It would be tremendous if going up-tempo is truly "easy" for Tommy, but that's not the problem... the problem is our QB looking to the sidelines and waiting... and waiting... and waiting for the play call to come in.

I'm not on the sidelines, so I don't truly know what this is about, and maybe I'm even way over-exaggerating things, but I feel the first key is the coaches deciding on a play and signaling it in faster, regardless of who the QB is.

That's all part and parcel of running uptempo though. If they can do it successfully in practice, there's no reason why the coaching staff can't pull it off in a real game.

 

[Circa]

It would be tremendous if going up-tempo is truly "easy" for Tommy, but that's not the problem... the problem is our QB looking to the sidelines and waiting... and waiting... and waiting for the play call to come in.

I'm not on the sidelines, so I don't truly know what this is about, and maybe I'm even way over-exaggerating things, but I feel the first key is the coaches deciding on a play and signaling it in faster, regardless of who the QB is.

To what game/ games are you referring? The cards were used in Tommy's 1st game as a true starter... and that seems a for-long conclusion...Go IRISH!!