What do you guys think about starting Hendrix?

[HereComeTheIrish]

A unique and well-thought out point. Sharp analysis.

It's what I do... Thanks for noticing. It's a life work for me.

 

[kmoose]

Please don't take any offense, Moose, but I want to tell a quick story. When I was a kid, I knew this little girl that REALLY loved her white bunny. She loved that bunny just a bit too much. Once, a couple fellas on my bus told her about some bunnies they saw at a fair, and the chick went batsh!t crazy, saying there were no other better bunnies. It made no sense, but no one ever mentioned bunnies around her again.

My point is, I think you like Rees just a bit too much...

I think I like logical, well thought, compelling arguments even more.

 

[ShamrockOnHelmet]

Can she run the spread?

she's just a hare too short...

 

[LuckyDomer]

I have said start Hendrix since I watched him in the spring game. I think he is the most athletic and best fit QB for BK's system.

At this point in the season I don't think BK needs to dismiss the rest of the season, but in the world of BCS championship or bust, I think he needs to look towards the future. The future is Hendrix, IMO...

 

[kmoose]

I haven't seen the offense run at a very high level of production against a good team. In fact, I only saw a high level of production against Purdue and Air Force.

So maybe it's not Rees, but Kelly's offense, that's inadequate?

 

[pkt77242]

I haven't seen the offense run at a very high level of production against a good team. In fact, I only saw a high level of production against Purdue and Air Force.

Miami comes to mind from last year. Tommy also had a good game vs Utah last year (3 tds 0 int).

 

[D-BOE34]

Please use real facts not made up ones. Rees is not responsible for 11 or 12 turnovers this year. Sorry. 7 INT and I believe 2 fumbles. You just hate Rees admit it.

9 instead of 11?

Rees may win now but I for damn sure hope he is not our QB next year. That would mean we have no one excelling behind him.

Hopefully I don't get burned for this again but ... Rees is a glorified back up in most places.
He is LSU's QB without the players like that around him. A man that can manage a game and put 21 other players in a position to win. I will say that I am happy Tommy has been as successful as he has. I would hate to see where we stand as a fan base without him, to be completely honest.

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

I think I like logical, well thought, compelling arguments even more.

But the bunnies.....THINK OF THE BUNNIES, MAN!!!!!!

 

[meowmix]

Has he had a mobile quarterback playing extended snaps in a game yet? No? Then I will not say his offense is inadequate. I believe a strong-armed QB that can run will take this offense to the level of consistently high production. Is it Hendrix? I don't know, but it could be.

 

[pkt77242]

I haven't seen the offense run at a very high level of production against a good team. In fact, I only saw a high level of production against Purdue and Air Force.

Also it depends on you definition of production

We had tons of yards against USF, Michigan, Purdue and AF so far this year.

We have scored a fair amount of points vs Michigan (31), Purdue (38), AF (59) and Michigan St (31) this year.

 

[IrishJayhawk]

she's just a hare too short...

That was damn funny.

 

[kmoose]

9 instead of 11?

Rees may win now but I for damn sure hope he is not our QB next year. That would mean we have no one excelling behind him.

Hopefully I don't get burned for this again but ... Rees is a glorified back up in most places.
He is LSU's QB without the players like that around him. A man that can manage a game and put 21 other players in a position to win. I will say that I am happy Tommy has been as successful as he has. I would hate to see where we stand as a fan base without him, to be completely honest.

He'd be starting in Columbus, OH. He'd be starting in Baton Rouge, LA. He'd be starting in Blacksburg, VA. He'd be starting in Manhattan, KS.

 

[pkt77242]

9 instead of 11?

Rees may win now but I for damn sure hope he is not our QB next year. That would mean we have no one excelling behind him.

Hopefully I don't get burned for this again but ... Rees is a glorified back up in most places.
He is LSU's QB without the players like that around him. A man that can manage a game and put 21 other players in a position to win. I will say that I am happy Tommy has been as successful as he has. I would hate to see where we stand as a fan base without him, to be completely honest.

Should I post some Sophmore QB stats for QB's that have turned out well? Because while there are some exceptions (Luck, Bradford, etc) it is rare for true sophmores to be great.
Matt Barkely last season (his true sophmore season)
236/377 2791 yards 62.6% 26 tds 12 Int

Tommy Rees so far this year

163/248 1693 yards 65.7% 14 tds and 7 int.

Most of us would take Matt Barkely on our team as QB but for some reason not Rees? Well that looks shockingly similar considering that Rees stats are for over 7 games.

 

[LuckyDomer]

Also it depends on you definition of production

We had tons of yards against USF, Michigan, Purdue and AF so far this year.

We have scored a fair amount of points vs Michigan (31), Purdue (38), AF (59) and Michigan St (31) this year.

We had a ton of yards against USF and Michigan, but it came with TOs and losses. The yards (production) didn't mean much

 

[kmoose]

Has he had a mobile quarterback playing extended snaps in a game yet? No? Then I will not say his offense is inadequate. I believe a strong-armed QB that can run will take this offense to the level of consistently high production. Is it Hendrix? I don't know, but it could be.

You believe that to be the case. I know that Kelly's offense doesn't need a running QB to run at a high level. I know it because it happened at Cincy, and because BK, himself, has said it repeatedly!

 

[meowmix]

Miami comes to mind from last year. Tommy also had a good game vs Utah last year (3 tds 0 int).

There was decent production against these teams, and I don't want to write off how well Tommy played in these games, especially since he was only a freshman. However, I don't think either team was especially good. Miami had just lost their head coach and they threw 3 or 4 interceptions in the first half. Utah was fresh off of an absolutely horrifying loss to TCU. Looking at their games, neither defense was particularly good and the run game was working very well in these games.

 

[kmoose]

We had a ton of yards against USF and Michigan, but it came with TOs and losses. The yards (production) didn't mean much

But they would mean more, if it was Hendrix or Golson throwing 1 INT for every 2 TDs, and fumbling every other game?

 

[pkt77242]

We had a ton of yards against USF and Michigan, but it came with TOs and losses. The yards (production) didn't mean much

This is too easy. Could Rees have played better against Michigan. Definitely, he had an average game, but we lost that game because our D played like **** in the 4th quarter.

USF, Rees comes in down by 20 and leads us back, yes there was 2 ints but one hit the WR (Jones in the head).

Again, I don't think Rees is a great QB (he is a 6.5/10 currently in my opinion, above average) but don't you think if we had someone better that Kelly would play him?

 

[meowmix]

We had a ton of yards against USF and Michigan, but it came with TOs and losses. The yards (production) didn't mean much

Exactly. For me, good production implies driving down the field with efficiency (high yards/play, high percentage of 3rd down conversions) and ruthless red zone efficiency, which as Kmoose pointed out, Tony Pike was able to do. Needless to say, I think Tony Pike was a better quarterback than Rees. Luckily for all of you, I'm not the coach, and Rees will most probably have ample opportunity to prove me wrong. Like I said, I'll root for ND regardless.

 

[pkt77242]

There was decent production against these teams, and I don't want to write off how well Tommy played in these games, especially since he was only a freshman. However, I don't think either team was especially good. Miami had just lost their head coach and they threw 3 or 4 interceptions in the first half. Utah was fresh off of an absolutely horrifying loss to TCU. Looking at their games, neither defense was particularly good and the run game was working very well in these games.

Look at the stat line for Tommy for those games

Miami 15/29 201 yards 2 tds 0 Int
Utah 13/20 129 yards 3 tds 0 Int

Also Miam had multiple early round draft picks that were DB for them last year (I believe they had a DB picked in the 2nd round and 3rd round).

 

[LuckyDomer]

But they would mean more, if it was Hendrix or Golson throwing 1 INT for every 2 TDs, and fumbling every other game?

You don't know that they would have those turnovers if they aren't given a shot. If you are satisfied with the big production numbers even though we are losing, then I believe we are taking a step back to the Weis years....

Do you honestly think that Rees is the future of this program for the next two years? At this point I think that is what everybody needs to be asking

 

[kmoose]

You don't know that they would have those turnovers if they aren't given a shot. If you are satisfied with the big production numbers even though we are losing, then I believe we are taking a step back to the Weis years....

I know that Kelly said, at the Spring Game, that both Golson and Hendrix had problems with putting the ball on the carpet.

The point is that Tommy Rees is getting production from the offense.

I'm not satisfied with losing. Neither am I satisfied with fans whose disappointment prevents them from being objective. And, let's face it.... most of them are angry simply because they have to endure a lot of ribbing from their friends/family/coworkers. It's not about ND football, for them. It's about their "social status" taking a hit, because they follow a team that isn't doing very well.

 

[D-BOE34]

Should I post some Sophmore QB stats for QB's that have turned out well? Because while there are some exceptions (Luck, Bradford, etc) it is rare for true sophmores to be great.
Matt Barkely last season (his true sophmore season)
236/377 2791 yards 62.6% 26 tds 12 Int

Tommy Rees so far this year

163/248 1693 yards 65.7% 14 tds and 7 int.

Most of us would take Matt Barkely on our team as QB but for some reason not Rees? Well that looks shockingly similar considering that Rees stats are for over 7 games.

Well I wouldn't go pulling stats out because we would go rounds all day with your stats vs mine and then your opinion vs mine. Harrell, 4555 yds and 38 TDS sophomore season. Not going to go there because, to me, irrelevant. Rees has always been pegged as a game manager. He is perfect for as the guy that can come in for an injury and keep us alive. Not the guy that can make a team worry. The ned don't break defense was made for players like him.

As I said, he is what we need now but he should be on the bench next year. If he isn't, I trust BK will know what is best for our team. Leading me to freak out and wonder what the hell do we do now!?


Also, just to make sure it is clear. I don't blame Tommy on all of our losses, especially USC. I did at first but then I sobered up and was able to think logically. We are who we are ... right now. As long as we stay above .500 and kep bringing in these recruits, were better than we ever were with Weis. Period.

 

[LuckyDomer]

I know that Kelly said, at the Spring Game, that both Golson and Hendrix had problems with putting the ball on the carpet.

The point is that Tommy Rees is getting production from the offense.

I'm not satisfied with losing. Neither am I satisfied with fans whose disappointment prevents them from being objective. And, let's face it.... most of them are angry simply because they have to endure a lot of ribbing from their friends/family/coworkers. It's not about ND football, for them. It's about their "social status" taking a hit, because they follow a team that isn't doing very well.

That is a pretty big judgement call. I don't think they would be fans of ND if they were worried about their social status, lol

 

[kmoose]

That is a pretty big judgement call. I don't think they would be fans of ND if they were worried about their social status, lol

All you have to do is read what they are saying, in the post game threads, about being tired of taking sh*t from their friends/family/coworkers, over ND football. I'm not making this up......

 

[LuckyDomer]

All you have to do is read what they are saying, in the post game threads, about being tired of taking sh*t from their friends/family/coworkers, over ND football. I'm not making this up......

Oh, then I retract my statement. I didn't see any of those posts.

 

[aaronb]

1. I don't have an "abundance of confidence" in Rees. He has to stop turning the ball over, period. But he's only a sophomore. If you have watched college football for more than a few years, you'll know that young QBs tend to have a lot of INTs.

2. The guy has a 66% completion percentage; so it's not like he throws a lot of bad passes, or can't make most, if not all, of the throws.

3. Kelly has constantly praised him for getting the offense into the right play, based on pre snap reads. Kelly really opened up the playbook for him, this year. That tells me that he has picked up enough to earn Kelly's confidence.

4. He's pretty unflappable in the pocket. He doesn't often panic, and he has pretty good pocket presence, in terms of feeling the rush. This is rare in any college QB, let alone an underclassman.

5. He's not perfect, but he's the best we have, and he's likely to progress as well as, if not better than, either Hendrix or Golson. And he's certainly capable of leading the team to a victory. See the game winning drive against Pitt.

6. Mostly, I'm just tired of people using lame excuses to try to turn the kid into a scapegoat.

7. He makes quick decisions and is on time with his throws.

8. He doesn't try to force passes late in routes to show off his arm (Like Christ always does)

 

[pkt77242]

Well I wouldn't go pulling stats out because we would go rounds all day with your stats vs mine and then your opinion vs mine. Harrell, 4555 yds and 38 TDS sophomore season. Not going to go there because, to me, irrelevant. Rees has always been pegged as a game manager. He is perfect for as the guy that can come in for an injury and keep us alive. Not the guy that can make a team worry. The ned don't break defense was made for players like him.

As I said, he is what we need now but he should be on the bench next year. If he isn't, I trust BK will know what is best for our team. Leading me to freak out and wonder what the hell do we do now!?


Also, just to make sure it is clear. I don't blame Tommy on all of our losses, especially USC. I did at first but then I sobered up and was able to think logically. We are who we are ... right now. As long as we stay above .500 and kep bringing in these recruits, were better than we ever were with Weis. Period.

I get that you don't want to get into a stat war and I agree but just so you know Harrell was a RS Soph so it was his third year on campus (and well their offense is completely diffferent then ours). Also I know that you could find a true soph with good stats (Tebow leaps to mind).

Oddly I don't think we are that far away in our opinion. I don't think Rees is a great QB (I believe I stated that he is a 6.5 on a scale of 10) but that right now he gives us the best chance to win. What I want to see is if he can continue to improve this year. No he isn't ever going to have the strongest arm in the world and Lord knows that he isn't ever going to run by you but that doesn't mean that he can't be a good to very good QB. I also feel that it should be an open QB competition this spring. If Golson or Hendrix can beat him out then they deserve the job.

I will also so that I think the reason that some people don't like him (not you but some others on here) is because he wasn't highly rated and he doesn't have the measurable (arm strength, speed, etc) that we want in our ideal QB. Heck some of them still want to give Dayne another chance after the USF and his play against USC. Why because he is big, throws the ball far and is decently mobile.

 

[OlympiaIrishFan]

Keith Price-University of Washington 5-2, Soph, 1 start last year, 3* out of high school
1733 yds 22TDS 5 Ints

Nick Foles-Arizona, as a soph had almost 2500yds 19 9, and was under pressure every game
3*

Darron Thomas-Oregon as a soph 2880 yds 30 TD 9 Int 61.5% sacked 10 times 4*

Here are 3 that have out played Tommy with lesser talent around him.

Sorry, Tommy is just not that good. But, we have him for the rest of the year. Sun Bowl Here we come.

 

[pkt77242]

Keith Price-University of Washington 5-2, Soph, 1 start last year, 3* out of high school
1733 yds 22TDS 5 Ints

Nick Foles-Arizona, as a soph had almost 2500yds 19 9, and was under pressure every game
3*

Darron Thomas-Oregon as a soph 2880 yds 30 TD 9 Int 61.5% sacked 10 times 4*

Here are 3 that have out played Tommy with lesser talent around him.

Sorry, Tommy is just not that good. But, we have him for the rest of the year. Sun Bowl Here we come.

I almost spit my drink out. You do realize that all three were RS Sophmores (and yes that is the same amount of time in playing years but the extra year to mature and learn the offense is extremely helpful), but most importantly Darron Thomas had (and has) a ton of talent around him.

And Tommy's Stats will probably be comparable to Foles there (he will throw for more td's and more ints, but as of right now he is in the same 2/1 ratio and Tommy has a slightly higher Comp % and a higher QB Ratio.

Edit: And have you looked at the teams that Keith Price has feasted on (Easter Washington, Hawaii, Utah, Colorado and Cal) for his good games. He played pretty well against Nebraska but threw 2 picks (and to you picks are a big no-no) and he was pretty average against Stanford). So it is ok for Keith Price to feast on crappy teams but not ok for Tommy Rees?