'16 CA QB Ian Book (Notre Dame Signed NLI)

[Old Man Mike]

What percentage of IE would have said that during the season?

Over and over again, our guys get the adjectives "polished", "football smart", "ready", etc. I wonder what (objectively) that says about our coaching staff?

 

[Irish YJ]

What percentage of IE would have said that during the season?

Over and over again, our guys get the adjectives "polished", "football smart", "ready", etc. I wonder what (objectively) that says about our coaching staff?

Not surprising, as we go out of our way to get good fits. But it would really be nice if they also said our guys were "dynamic", "can't miss", "unstoppable", "beasts", etc..

Just has the feel of when one of your family members or friends show up with a very underwhelming, but nice, date.

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/NeostarFootball/status/1377595632031035402[/TWEET]

 

[zelezo vlk]

That seems like a fantastic 3 cone.

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

Taken 133 in 4th round to Saints. Brees 2.0?

 

[ThePiombino]

Taken 133 in 4th round to Saints. Brees 2.0?

Saints are hoping so...

 

[NDPhilly]

Feels like a reach....

 

[Luckylucci]

Feels like a reach....

Agreed but happy for him. What makes Brees elite at this level is pretty much the opposite of what Book has shown at a lower level. But we’ll see. I hope it works out for him.

 

[DONTH8]

I hate when people compare a 6 foot QB to Drew Brees, let alone a 2.0.

Go back and watch Drew in college. That dude was a monster. Got Purdue to a Rose bowl, set various records for the Big Ten, etc. He has always been in a different league. If Book was comparable to Brees, we would have had a chance against Alabama last year.

I’ll be rooting for Book, but I will never compare him to Brees. Very unfair to both of them

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

Huh.... imagine being the winningest QB in ND history, 2 undefeated seasons, 2 playoff births, Plus career school records that include completion percentage (63.8) and lowest interception rate (1.8).

He’s also second in both career passing yards (8,948) and career rushing yards by a quarterback (1,518), as well as third in career efficiency rating (147.0) and is still not considered to be worthy of hype. IMO he has all the tools. He is smart, takes care of the ball and makes good decisions. Work on his deep ball and he can be downright dangerous.

im also old enough to remember Brees wasn’t great at San Diego either.

 

[Dale]

I hate when people compare a 6 foot QB to Drew Brees, let alone a 2.0.

Go back and watch Drew in college. That dude was a monster. Got Purdue to a Rose bowl, set various records for the Big Ten, etc. He has always been in a different league. If Book was comparable to Brees, we would have had a chance against Alabama last year.

I’ll be rooting for Book, but I will never compare him to Brees. Very unfair to both of them

I don’t think anyone is really getting on there soapbox and putting their reputation on Brees and Book. It’s just a fun story since Brees is going to be in the NBC booth and Saints obviously see something in Book, not that they see Brees but something, that’s all. Every QB that gets drafted gets compared to someone.

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

I hate when people compare a 6 foot QB to Drew Brees, let alone a 2.0.

Go back and watch Drew in college. That dude was a monster. Got Purdue to a Rose bowl, set various records for the Big Ten, etc. He has always been in a different league. If Book was comparable to Brees, we would have had a chance against Alabama last year.

I’ll be rooting for Book, but I will never compare him to Brees. Very unfair to both of them

Relax guy. No one is saying anyone will ever be Drew Brees. Haha.

 

[DONTH8]

Relax guy. No one is saying anyone will ever be Drew Brees. Haha.

Sorry, didnt mean to come off angry or anything! haha I just get annoyed that anytime a short QB is talked about, they instantly compare them to Drew. I just think it's unfair to both parties no matter what, and people forget how much better Drew was then other QB's were in college. There's a reason why he's a generational talent and hasn't been replicated.

Honestly, his comparison is much more of a Trace McSorely.

 

[ulukinatme]

Yeah, Brees wish he accomplished as much as Book did in college. His biggest accomplishments at Purdue were going 1-2 against mediocre Boob Davie Irish squads and beating K-State in the Alamobowl. I guess getting beat by two scores by Washington in the Rose Bowl is noteworthy too.

Do I think Book will live up to Brees at the NFL level? Rather unlikely, but I would guess Brees would still trade him college careers.

 

[BobbyMac]

"I called Tommy and said, man we ran some lame shiit."

Well, that's what it kinda sounded like to me anyways.

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/Saints/status/1424781647279427588[/TWEET]

 

[greyhammer90]

"I called Tommy and said, man we ran some lame shiit."

Well, that's what it kinda sounded like to me anyways.

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/Saints/status/1424781647279427588[/TWEET]

I saw that on twitter yesterday and cringed when he said that.

 

[NDBoiler]

I saw that on twitter yesterday and cringed when he said that.

Yeah, it’s kind of funny to hear that. I’m not saying the play calling was perfect, but how many times did we see Ian have wide open receivers? Perhaps the offense would have seemed better had he been executing it differently.

 

[zelezo vlk]

Yeah, it’s kind of funny to hear that. I’m not saying the play calling was perfect, but how many times did we see Ian have wide open receivers? Perhaps the offense would have seemed better had he been executing it differently.

Yeah, perhaps I'm misremembering, but it seems like he was hitting guys downfield more in 2018 than he seemingly did in 2019 and 2020. Heck that Avery Davis pass against Clemson wasn't the only time somebody was open downfield!

 

[NDBoiler]

Yeah, perhaps I'm misremembering, but it seems like he was hitting guys downfield more in 2018 than he seemingly did in 2019 and 2020. Heck that Avery Davis pass against Clemson wasn't the only time somebody was open downfield!

To clarify, I meant that Ian missed a lot of receivers that were wide open.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Book, after Sean Payton tells him he's allowed to throw to receivers between the hash marks:

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

Im still trying to figure out Books time at ND.

Seems to me there are two distinct possibilities.
1. Kelly/Rees called plays to specifically target areas that could be exposed and limited Books reads to reduce turnovers and manage clocks. This is why he wouldnt throw to open receivers deep down field becasue he wasnt supposed to and accurately reflects his efficiency and reluctance to deviate.
2. Book couldnt read the field well and didnt see or didnt have the arm to get the ball to wide open receivers. Dont know how to argue against this as he seems to have been able to do it well enough to get a job in the NFL.


IMO its most likely 1. BK/Rees basically said this is your read and we want the ball here.

Imagine what Book would have done with a wide open playbook. Might have decimated the record books.

Also I think his interview is a bit out of context. Seems to me that he was acknowledging the differnce in complexities at each level versus Rees not being a good OC.

 

[zelezo vlk]

To clarify, I meant that Ian missed a lot of receivers that were wide open.

Oh right, I know that's what you meant.

 

[Luckylucci]

I don't know, I took those comments more of an admission that he didn't do enough, not that it was Rees's fault.

I mean, there is a zero percent chance that Book did not realize, when they would go through film after games, how much offense he was leaving on the field.

The coaches just stuck with him because they believed he gave them the best chance to win. And, they were right.

 

[Luckylucci]

Im still trying to figure out Books time at ND.

Seems to me there are two distinct possibilities.
1. Kelly/Rees called plays to specifically target areas that could be exposed and limited Books reads to reduce turnovers and manage clocks. This is why he wouldnt throw to open receivers deep down field becasue he wasnt supposed to and accurately reflects his efficiency and reluctance to deviate.
2. Book couldnt read the field well and didnt see or didnt have the arm to get the ball to wide open receivers. Dont know how to argue against this as he seems to have been able to do it well enough to get a job in the NFL.


IMO its most likely 1. BK/Rees basically said this is your read and we want the ball here.

Imagine what Book would have done with a wide open playbook. Might have decimated the record books.

Also I think his interview is a bit out of context. Seems to me that he was acknowledging the differnce in complexities at each level versus Rees not being a good OC.

I think it's just a conversation that requires a lot of context because in reality it's a combination of both. From when Book first became QB, he had a very hard time with progressions from the pocket. He was very good early on at running the RPO because it was a quick read and decision. But once teams started to take that away. They tried to expand the passing game and design plays for him to take shots and he just wouldn't do it. There is a zero percent chance you are running Davis or Keys, from the slot, on Deep Post routes and telling your QB to not throw to them if they are wide open. That's just not happening. And there were plenty of times, over the 3 seasons where they'd try to open it up and he was just really bad at it.

Remember how many times we would hear in the offseason, this is a different Book or practice reports about him opening it up and airing it out. Then they'd take that to Saturdays and he'd just melt down. That's what Duke, USF, and UL were all about to start last year. They tried to open it up against defenses that they thought they could and it didn't work. At least for Book it didn't.

So, after awhile you just stop doing that as often and win ball games. Structure an offense around what he is good at and the strengths of the rest of the team. In this case, the OL and defense.

 

[Dale]

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/sportsbeatam/status/1429990829196709888?s=21[/TWEET]

 

[greyhammer90]

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/sportsbeatam/status/1429990829196709888?s=21[/TWEET]

[SUP]They were speaking really highly of Book on the broadcast. Said he would last less than a hot second before getting picked up by another team if the Saints put him on the waiver wire, which they aren't about to do.[/SUP]

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

Would they really let a fourth round pick go already without getting something good in return?

 

[Some Irish Bloke]

Yeah, I doubt they'd spend mid-round draft capital only to let him walk. Maybe they shop Book, but I'd be less surprised if the shopped the loser of the QB1 battle between Hill/Winston. Unless they want to continue to use Hill as that gadget type player, but I that's run its course, IMO.

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

Yeah, I doubt they'd spend mid-round draft capital only to let him walk. Maybe they shop Book, but I'd be less surprised if the shopped the loser of the QB1 battle between Hill/Winston. Unless they want to continue to use Hill as that gadget type player, but I that's run its course, IMO.

Yeah, I'd like to see Book get a year to develop but seeing him listed as QB4 last night kind of hurts.

 

[Irishize]

Book got zero snaps last night w/ the other three (Winston, Hill, Semian) seeing all the action. One of them has to go and I suspect Payton will keep both Winston & Hill.