'13 OH QB Malik Zaire (Notre Dame Early Enrollee)

irishff1014

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GoldenToTheGrave said:
Not as crazy as you might think. The list would indicate he probably started developing his team loyalties in the mid to late 90s. I'll take a stab at his fandom origin stories:

(1) Yankees: From 1996-2000 Yankees were one of the greatest baseball dynasties of all time, and with Derrick Jeter, Andy Pettite, and Mariano Rivera as the faces of the franchise, it was very easy to be a Yankee fan.

(2) Bulls: Michael Jordan era was a good time to be a bulls fan and a basketball fan generally. The guy's been retired for a dozen years and is still one of the most recognizable names for the Bulls, the NBA, and sports generally.

(3) Notre Dame: ND still had the luster from the Holtz era, and many young kids (myself included) grew up watching Rudy. I'm sure that's a very relateable story for many people on this board.

(4) Vikings: If you paid attention to football in 1998 you probably still remember being in awe of Randy Moss and Chris Carter on the same field.

(5) Columbus Blue Jackets: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

(6) Manchester United: the Yankees of soccer.
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I am not that old but it still remember all of this. You are making me feel really old though lol thanks.
 
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Bogtrotter07

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Back to Malik. I remeber being roundly criticized (laughed at) for floating a hypothis that his talent may have affected Keil's decision to transfer.
 
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Bogtrotter07

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wizards8507 said:
Lots of folks with lots of crow to eat when it comes to MZ.
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Ever stand next to him? Not the same as with many other QB's. He has the look of a big linebacker or running back. A big one. Just like Miller from OSU. Kaiser has the feel of a player of another position, too.
 
IrishLion

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Bogtrotter07 said:
Back to Malik. I remeber being roundly criticized (laughed at) for floating a hypothis that his talent may have affected Keil's decision to transfer.
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Gunner decided to leave just before March of 2013 (and possibly even earlier than that, we just didn't know yet). That means he wouldn't have seen Malik on the practice field yet. He had no idea how good or bad Malik would be.
 
wizards8507

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Bogtrotter07 said:
Ever stand next to him? Not the same as with many other QB's. He has the look of a big linebacker or running back. A big one. Just like Miller from OSU. Kaiser has the feel of a player of another position, too.
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I don't know why Notre Dame insists on flat-out lying on their player profiles. They have Golson and Zaire both listed at the same height (6') and Malik only ten pounds heavier (200 versus 210).
 
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arrowryan

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Bogtrotter07 said:
Ever stand next to him? Not the same as with many other QB's. He has the look of a big linebacker or running back. A big one. Just like Miller from OSU. Kaiser has the feel of a player of another position, too.
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Yeah's he's pretty big. The roster says that he is 6'0", but he's taller than I am so he's at least 6'2"
 
BobbyMac

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I've heard he's 6-1 in cleats and just under 220. Genetics could push him over 230 easily. His Pops still looks like an NFL TE, even at his advanced age.
 
IrishLion

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Lastly, MEMO TO THE GUY WHO WANTS TO BE NOTRE DAME'S STARTING QB: Stop airing the team's laundry on Twitter. It's appreciated, but still.</p>— Keith Arnold (@KeithArnold) <a href="https://twitter.com/KeithArnold/status/563005105998659585">February 4, 2015</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/BGI_AndrewOwens">@BGI_AndrewOwens</a> No kidding. Top flight leadership doesn't match with hyperactive thumbs.</p>— Keith Arnold (@KeithArnold) <a href="https://twitter.com/KeithArnold/status/563005619377287170">February 4, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Edited for more context
 
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dublinirish

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laFleur rumored to be leaving for an NFL gig. Zaire tweeted something about coaching upheaval.
 
Ironman8

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He really, really needs to stop tweeting out info like this before it's announced.
 
BobbyMac

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He's talking about Cooks.

Looks like Arnold got butthurt when he thought MZ was talking about LeFleur. He thought he got scooped but at least he thanked him for it... after he chastised him of course.

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yankeeND

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NDCrusader said:
He's talking about Cooks.

Looks like Arnold got butthurt when he thought MZ was talking about LeFleur. He thought he got scooped but at least he thanked him for it... after he chastised him of course.

.
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Damn. Journalists these days...
 
PANDFAN

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NDCrusader said:
He's talking about Cooks.

Looks like Arnold got butthurt when he thought MZ was talking about LeFleur. He thought he got scooped but at least he thanked him for it... after he chastised him of course.

.
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is this your opinion
 
BobbyMac

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PANDFAN said:
is this your opinion
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No, but it would be my story if I were him. It was ambiguous enough to mean Cooks. I'm sure one of the 237 IE lawyers will stop by and give a proper opinion though.

.
 
PANDFAN

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IrishLax said:
What did he do before? I forget.
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injury


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Sounds like more <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NotreDame?src=hash">#NotreDame</a> staff shakeup is in the works. <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_">@PeteSampson_</a> has some intel ($): <a href="http://t.co/KVcklq8hAr">http://t.co/KVcklq8hAr</a></p>— Jake Brown (@Jake_Brown) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jake_Brown/status/563036112340660224">February 4, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Whiskeyjack

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OFD's Eric Murtaugh just published an article titled "Chronicling Malik Zaire's Passing vs. LSU in the Music City Bowl":

Behind the Line of Scrimmage: 5 of 5 for 26 yards

0 to 10 Yards: 5 of 5 for 32 yards

11 to 15 Yards: 2 of 2 for 38 yards

16+ Yards: 0 of 3 for 0 yards

Re-watching all of Zaire's throws simply confirms what everyone saw during the game. He was precise and accurate on everything up to 15 yards down field with only one of his deeper passes off the mark and a poor decision. It will be interesting to see how much more Zaire is allowed to throw over the middle and in more dangerous areas of the field if he gains further extended playing time because it was clear they were keeping things very safe during this bowl game.

Obviously, this game is mostly known for Zaire's running ability and he did pick up 4 out of 6 conversions on third down with one failed attempt coming up short by just one yard--plus he picked up that key fourth down conversion on the first drive, too. But remember, Zaire also went 4 for 4 converting third down passes, as well.

Now, one of the changes we might see with Zaire at quarterback (and with new offensive quarterback Mike Sanford too) is the use of a bunch of plays and formations we don't see all that much. Below is a table with all of the formations used with Zaire at quarterback and not just for the called pass plays.

The big thing that immediately jumps out is the use of a H-back (sometimes two) and a lot of motion. Things got awfully power spread-y in the bowl game against LSU and not always confined to non-Golson snaps, although the difference definitely was mostly because of Zaire's different abilities. Here's a quick look at some of the unusual formations:

Pistol Diamond

Diamond.0.jpg


No, this isn't your typical Dana Holgorsen Diamond formation but damn it's close enough and it's my favorite formation so just go with it. The Irish actually start out with their H-Backs (Luatua & Koyack, see the next formation below) stacked together behind left tackle Ronnie Stanley before Luatua shifts over to the boundary.

This was the first play of the game and a clear signal that Notre Dame was serious about running the ball what with 9 players in the box ready to roll.

2 H-Backs Stacked with RB Motion

2_H-Back_RB_Sweep.0.jpg


Here are the H-Backs stacked this time behind the right tackle but on the field side. Notre Dame really liked using this formation a lot against LSU (second most of all Zaire snaps) particularly to give the ball to Zaire as a power runner inside the tackles a la Tim Tebow.

The Irish ran this same formation twice in a row--with Zaire keeping the ball both times--on the final two plays that led to Zaire's rushing touchdown.

Pistol 1 H-Back

Pistol_1_H-Back.0.jpg


The Pistol formation has been occasionally by Notre Dame over the past couple years but pairing it with a H-back added a little extra oomph to running the ball against a SEC team.

ManBall™

Manball.0.jpg


Here's the one play where receiver Chris Brown shifts from receiver into a H-back role on the edge of the boundary side of the field. I mean, not only is Notre Dame putting the whole offense in the box but they're relying on Chris Brown to block on a crucial third down play.

The Irish picked up the first down.

Jet Sweep TD

Jet_Sweep.0.jpg


Here's the formation on C.J. Prosise's touchdown run. You can see him moving toward Zaire right before the snap. This was counted as a 4 wide receiver formation although Koyack is flexed out as a tight end just off the right tackle.

~~~

New offensive coordinator Mike Sanford has a background in running some varied offensive formations so I would expect a lot of these plays from the bowl game to continue. However, there are some things to think about:

It's highly unlikely we'll ever see Notre Dame use only 2 receivers on a consistent basis so if there is a shift towards more of a power spread I would expect it to still be reliant on a lot of 3 and 4 receiver sets. There will be at least a dozen wideouts on the roster and it's simply not logical to continue running an offense that makes it hard for a third receiver--especially with Notre Dame's flexible use of tight ends--to get on the field.

Speaking of tight ends, I'm curious to see how they would evolve if this type of offense were to be used more moving forward. It seems like Luatua will be spending the next three years as a full-time H-back but that's not a role someone like Aliz'e Jones came to Notre Dame to fill. It's going to be weird for the Irish to welcome back an experienced blocking tight end but search for a top dog as a pass catcher. You have to wonder how that will affect things in spring practice especially.

As I've noted in the past, when Brian Kelly has a true dual threat quarterback he's run the ball northwards of 58% for whole seasons stretching back to his Grand Valley State days. Zaire is the type of quarterback who could bring 60% to 62% running for the Irish and that--combined with his positive passing so far--is going to keep him a very popular choice from a lot of the fan base.
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Eric also breaks down each individual drop-back in the article linked above, so click through if you have the time.
 
BobbyMac

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Whiskeyjack said:
OFD's Eric Murtaugh just published an article titled "Chronicling Malik Zaire's Passing vs. LSU in the Music City Bowl":



Eric also breaks down each individual drop-back in the article linked above, so click through if you have the time.
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This is pure porn... Running 62% of the time. Mmm mmm! The only thing better would be watching the Irish run 62% of the time whilst I drank Dark Lord at the 50 yard line with Penelope Cruz to my left and Selma Hayek on my right. Can we just get it over already and hire Tony Rice for the QB coach and win 2 outta the next 3 championships.

.
 
johnnycando

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PANDFAN said:
injury


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Sounds like more <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NotreDame?src=hash">#NotreDame</a> staff shakeup is in the works. <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_">@PeteSampson_</a> has some intel ($): <a href="http://t.co/KVcklq8hAr">http://t.co/KVcklq8hAr</a></p>— Jake Brown (@Jake_Brown) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jake_Brown/status/563036112340660224">February 4, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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This is premium.

We need an interpreter.
 
scUM Hater

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NDCrusader said:
This is pure porn... Running 62% of the time. Mmm mmm! The only thing better would be watching the Irish run 62% of the time whilst I drank Dark Lord at the 50 yard line with Penelope Cruz to my left and Selma Hayek on my right. Can we just get it over already and hire Tony Rice for the QB coach and win 2 outta the next 3 championships.

.
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You had me at Penelope Cruz and Selma Hayak
 
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