Tommy Rees named starter for Champs Sports Bowl

[Whiskeyjack]

 

[NDinFL]

I am so sick and tired of this ****.

Yeah, we get it some of you hate Tommy

but the "fire BK" ****.... Come on... I love this site, but they should post a questionaire: "have you ever posted on NDnation?"

Either root for the Irish, collectively as a team, or find a better hobby.

My goodness you'd think we went 2-10 just from reading the posts.

****

 

[Domer4ever]

Starting Tommy in the bowl game is a surprise to me. It makes some sense in the fact that he probably has a better grasp of the offense and more playing experience, but I really thought his ship had sailed because he is just so limited in what he can do ability wise. I thought even with not as much game experience it was obvious that Hendrix gave the team the best chance to win based on his physical ability and what he brings to the table from a playmaking standpoint. Also the fact that Kelly would have a full month to get Hendrix more acclimated to the offense.

We'll see what happens.....

 

[GoldenDomer87]

I am so sick and tired of this ****.

Yeah, we get it some of you hate Tommy

but the "fire BK" ****.... Come on... I love this site, but they should post a questionaire: "have you ever posted on NDnation?"

Either root for the Irish, collectively as a team, or find a better hobby.

My goodness you'd think we went 2-10 just from reading the posts.

****

I'm not a fan of Tommy, but in no way do I hate the kid. He seems like a good kid and is a decent football player. For me, it comes down to can he win a NC? I say no. He still reads the defense wrong, he is still being forced fed by BK, and he is mistake prone.

I'm not in the fire BK camp though. ND hasn't had a d-line like this in years and the same from the run game. I think the team has improved at every position and recruiting is going well. I personally think our weak link is QB.

 

[OlympiaIrishFan]

Hate Tommy Rees?? No, not the kid. He is a great kid and tries his best. But, I can safely say I don't like how he plays overall. Like him against weaker teams and extremely dislike him against and hint of a good defense. All I have to say is 5 TDs and 11 Turnovers against Good defenses this year. Flat out horrible. Not talking about all of the missed open receivers (7 over that time just in the endzone, when he totally missed/or path to the endzone). So, I'd rather have a kid that can run, instead of stand there like a statue and turn it over at an epic rate.

Now fire BK. That is absolutely STUPID!!!!! We are not even through year two. I despise how Dayne was treated, and how Tommy has had suppppppppeeeerrrrr long rope. When Dayne had a thread. I don't like that at all. And Dayne just as easily could have lost to USC/Stanford but he could as easily won just like Tommy against Air Force/Maryland/Wake etc. Now the only difference in Tommy and Dayne would have been Michigan State IMO. Not BC because Dayne can actually run (for those who don't believe it, go back and look at what he did with Weis when he came in for Jimmy as the change of pace). Not like Andrew, but still good running. Not great. So, Dayne couldn't have beat Navy/AF/Wake/Maryland/Purdue?????? I think so. Now the defense was superior in those games. Just like in many/most of the wins of Tommy.

Sorry, don't hate Tommy by any stretch. Just don't want him as the starter. Much like Tommy Lovecchio to me--but, the right time right place for Tommy is over IMO.

Go Irish!!

 

[DillonHall]

Hate Tommy Rees?? No, not the kid. He is a great kid and tries his best. But, I can safely say I don't like how he plays overall. Like him against weaker teams and extremely dislike him against and hint of a good defense. All I have to say is 5 TDs and 11 Turnovers against Good defenses this year. Flat out horrible. Not talking about all of the missed open receivers (7 over that time just in the endzone, when he totally missed/or path to the endzone). So, I'd rather have a kid that can run, instead of stand there like a statue and turn it over at an epic rate.

Now fire BK. That is absolutely STUPID!!!!! We are not even through year two. I despise how Dayne was treated, and how Tommy has had suppppppppeeeerrrrr long rope. When Dayne had a thread. I don't like that at all. And Dayne just as easily could have lost to USC/Stanford but he could as easily won just like Tommy against Air Force/Maryland/Wake etc. Now the only difference in Tommy and Dayne would have been Michigan State IMO. Not BC because Dayne can actually run (for those who don't believe it, go back and look at what he did with Weis when he came in for Jimmy as the change of pace). Not like Andrew, but still good running. Not great. So, Dayne couldn't have beat Navy/AF/Wake/Maryland/Purdue?????? I think so. Now the defense was superior in those games. Just like in many/most of the wins of Tommy.

Sorry, don't hate Tommy by any stretch. Just don't want him as the starter. Much like Tommy Lovecchio to me--but, the right time right place for Tommy is over IMO.

Go Irish!!

Just let it go, nobody's going to convince the other side.

 

[BobD]

This thread is being renamed:

 

[returnofthemack]

Just to clarify, I do not, by any means, want Rees to get shot. I hope he lives a long and fruitful life. I was merely making a joke about his childlike appearance.

 

[Irish4Life09]

Why the hell is Seagal lighting up those kids?

And was that Tommy Rees by the metal bucket?

I was wondering the same thing....that's too funny

 

[NDinTEXAS]

Kelly said Rees gives them the most stability are you kidding me the kid has more turnovers than a hockey puck! You don't get a name like Turnover Tommy for stability!

 

[OCIrish]

This thread is being renamed:

I'm not gonna lie...I just laughed my a$$ off.

 

[skehiaian]

If I were Kelly I wouldnt have told reporters that I was starting Tommy. Coach D on power hour said Kelly would be dumb if he announced who the starter was. Now FSU has a month to plan for Tommy.

I personally can not understand the decision to go with Tommy. He is not the future QB who can bring ND back to excellence. Kelly needs to go with the versatility and arm strength of Hendrix, and give him the majority of the snaps to get him more prepared to make the correct reads. I think starting Tommy is a huge mistake that will cost Kelly in the long run.

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

As I got a chance to think about it, we’ve been with Tommy all year,” Kelly said. “Tommy has a great rapport with Mike [Floyd] and Tyler [Eifert]. Our offensive line feels really good with his communication and getting into protections. There are a lot of things you can’t just undo after one game.”

After conferring with his assistant coaches, Kelly decided the best choice was to stick with the experience, and the comfort level the rest of the offense had developed with Rees during the course of the season trumped Hendrix's mobility. He did, however, say that he expects Hendrix to play against Florida State, and that the coaches are much more comfortable throwing him into the mix after his performance in the second half against the Cardinal.

Hendrix’s playbook should also expand significantly during the next two weeks of bowl preparation as he moves into the newly-vacated No. 2 role. Its former occupant, senior Dayne Crist, is currently preoccupied with finding a new home for his last year of NCAA eligibility. Crist did not attend the team’s first bowl practice Tuesday afternoon.

Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees will start against FSU

 

[Canton_Irish]

I don't like the fact that we're starting Rees in the bowl game but I do understand it from a different point of view that I haven't picked up on yet around here. I haven't read this entire thread but it seems like both sides of the argument are focusing on what Tommy can or can't do. I firmly come down on the side that his negatives outweigh the positives and I've felt that way since the Pitt game. He's never going to develop a Jimmy Clausen-type arm and will never have Hendrix/Golson-type speed so I've always thought that he was a placeholder until either Hendrix or Golson developed into QBs that were capable of making the reads and calls at the LOS that Kelly wants.

Maybe Kelly is saying publicly that Rees is going to start because of his rapport with the OL and receivers, but I think it has just as much to do with the fact that he doesn't want to dump the entire offensive playbook on Hendrix against a defense as stout as FSU. This way he isn't giving a vote of no confidence in Tommy, while at the same time getting Hendrix as many first team reps as he can without overloading the kid. Now FSU has to gameplan for both QBs and while I readily admit that gameplanning against Tommy is as easy as stopping the run and doubling Floyd, it's going to be tougher for them to be ready for the spread option when Andrew does play.

With Hendrix starting the game, I almost feel that the offense will be limited to the point of being easier to prepare for FSU which obviously makes it harder for us to win. BK has said priority number one is winning the game and I can see his rationale for starting Rees but still playing Hendrix.

 

[N_D_Fighting_Irish]

I think Kelly went with his gut at the half of the USF game. He had seen Rees win as a true freshman. Then, when he saw senior Dayne struggle against USF he saw sophomore Rees play better than Dayne, and then watched him play good enough to beat UM. I think he was particularly impressed with how Rees drove ND to what could have been a win on the road at UM if we could have stopped them from going 80 yards in 23 seconds. He then saw Rees win 7 out of eight games, including another clutch drive to beat Pitt. When he did give Dayne a chance, Dayne played well until the USC game, when he simply (and sadly) made a huge blunder. It was all over by then. So, I think the bottom line is what Kelly kept repeating: Rees won games as the starter.

Nevertheless, I think Kelly also went with his gut at the half against Stanford. He saw Rees getting beat up along with the offensive line, and playing poorly after struggling against BC. He knew he needed a spark if we were going to have a chance to win the game. Hendrix provided that spark, which gave Kelly increased confidence that he has a player that can contribute in an expanded role if necessary. I have no doubt that if he sees that Hendrix is consistently better than Rees that he will unseat him. I think Hendrix will play against FSU, and will have the chance to show his skills. Still, I don't think Kelly's going to forget the wins he's had with Rees, which is why he didn't make a snap judgement to start Hendrix after playing him for for two quarters. Hendrix is going to have to show he's better than Rees in practices and games for him to win the job imo. And part of that will be showing Kelly that he can win games when it matters. I would be surprised if Kelly doesn't give Hendrix the chance to win the game against FSU if it is close in the 4th quarter. That's the money quarter, and I hope we are in a position to see if Hendrix has what it takes to win the game with the game on the line by driving the team down the field and scoring.

It is interesting you bring up the distinction of freshman and sophomore Rees and senior Crist. The distinctions are invalid. You are aware that Crist and Rees have had the same amount of time learning Kelly's offense. In fact, Rees played a similar style of offense in high school...which may explain, aside from enrolling early, why Rees "picked up" the offense as well as he did. Also when Crist started last year, he had as much game experience as Rees had..virtually none.

With that in mind, are you stating that what Kelly demanded of Crist in running the offense was the same as he demanded of Rees? I think anyone who observed the games last year noticed how conservative AND BALANCED we became with Rees under center. Kelly changed his approach to help an inexperienced QB. Why Kelly didn't do the same with Crist? I think it stems from a false thinking that, though Crist was inexperienced, he was still an upperclassman..a junior..a senior...he should play at a different level than a freshman or sophomore. You implied this thinking through your post.

Your commentary of Rees's games ignore the turnovers. You highlight Rees's last drive against Michigan. I was just as impressed. But you ignore the Rees fumble in the red zone that kept Michigan in the game. How was that turnover different from Crist's..other than Crist didn't have the opportunity to redeem himself. You don't have to respond to this point...I just wanted to point out the inconsistent standard.

The gut decisions Kelly made were more of desperation than of intuition. In hindsight, if Kelly felt what you think he felt, he should have started the season with Rees and gradually played Crist. It would have made more sense. Regarding the Stanford game, you honestly think Rees would have been pulled if we were within a touchdown of Stanford. Again, the decision to play Hendrix was more desperation than anything else. It will be interesting how much Hendrix plays in the bowl game. The more the better is my opinion.

 

[Mr. Larson]

Kelly said Rees gives them the most stability are you kidding me the kid has more turnovers than a hockey puck! You don't get a name like Turnover Tommy for stability!

If you liked that you'll love this:

"That guy spends more time in the sand than David Hasselhoff."

Shooter McGavin

 

[Irish YJ]

Love Rees as a football player, but not a QB. I'm OK with the start so long as there is a quick hook if things stall, or go south.... Starting Hendrix although attractive, could back fire and limit things. Certainly on the Hendrix bandwagon, but OK with dual play so long as performance drives the playing time. I think the call also helps keep FSU on their toes. Rees is certainly (I would hope) not the number 1 going into next year, but he does have the best grasp of a larger playbook at this point. Not a perfect situation, and certainly not an easy, cut and dry answer unfortunately.

 

[OlympiaIrishFan]

Speed/tough defenses own Tommy! Tommy turns into a turnover machine.

5 TD's 11 Turnovers in 6 games this year against good defenses.

All I need to see. 5 TD's and 11 turnovers. Absolutely horrible. Tommy better reading and reacting to defenses--Really? 5 TD's and 11 Turnovers. Looks like he can read where they are and throw it there.

 

[N_D_Fighting_Irish]

Here, I'll give you what you want:

Poor Dayne Crist was a victim of two college coaches. One didn't teach him a thing in two years, the other didn't give him a fair chance to prove how great he was. He was a Superstar condemned and forsaken by two college coaches who know nothing about QB play.

After that gem of a post, I must admit you have proven me wrong. I thought you were reasonable. I was wrong.

NO ONE has ever claimed that Crist was more than what he is: an inexperienced QB. You can create as many straw man as you want but anyone with an iota of rational thinking would recognize that Crist was held to a different...almost unreasonable standard. Nine games in a new offense, suspect OL, no running game or even an attempt at a running game, suspect defense, with a new coach to prove yourself.

If you have ever managed people, it can be difficult to manage people you didn't hire or had a say in the hiring. Sometimes, you just don't like them. Maybe Kelly felt contrained with Crist on the team. Maybe Kelly feels free to do whatever he wants with the QBs now. I don't know but I do know you can't bury a player like Kelly did with Crist. His treatment of Crist is contrary to the standards of ND. I wish Crist well. I hope Tommy plays lights out and I hope Hendrix gets a chance to prove himself.

I am done with this topic.

 

[NDMontana]

Brian Kelly is running a results oriented organization. Whatever he saw in Crist during all the hours they spent in practice together must have tormented him because he named him the starter presumably because Crist has many wonderful tools but seeing him in game action must have told Kelly that whatever reservations he had were well founded because he will play whoever gives him the best shot at sucess.
Tommy Rees is starting the bowl game so we all better be rooting him on as opposed to waiting for him to fail so we can rip him and Kelly. And if Tommy is the starter in 2012 then we have to trust it's because he still gives ND their best shot at winning. Kelly, if he is indeed a prideful man, takes pride in winning-not in his own decision making, which is to say that he isn't going with Tommy out of some "damn the world, I'm right" mentality.

 

[kmoose]

Brian Kelly is running a results oriented organization. Whatever he saw in Crist during all the hours they spent in practice together must have tormented him because he named him the starter presumably because Crist has many wonderful tools but seeing him in game action must have told Kelly that whatever reservations he had were well founded because he will play whoever gives him the best shot at sucess.
Tommy Rees is starting the bowl game so we all better be rooting him on as opposed to waiting for him to fail so we can rip him and Kelly. And if Tommy is the starter in 2012 then we have to trust it's because he still gives ND their best shot at winning. Kelly, if he is indeed a prideful man, takes pride in winning-not in his own decision making, which is to say that he isn't going with Tommy out of some "damn the world, I'm right" mentality.

Good post. Kelly might be a little arrogant; most successful football coaches are. But he's not bat-sh!t crazy, like Al Davis.

 

[Patulski]

After that gem of a post, I must admit you have proven me wrong. I thought you were reasonable. I was wrong.

NO ONE has ever claimed that Crist was more than what he is: an inexperienced QB. You can create as many straw man as you want but anyone with an iota of rational thinking would recognize that Crist was held to a different...almost unreasonable standard.Nine games in a new offense, suspect OL, no running game or even an attempt at a running game, suspect defense, with a new coach to prove yourself.

If you have ever managed people, it can be difficult to manage people you didn't hire or had a say in the hiring. Sometimes, you just don't like them. Maybe Kelly felt contrained with Crist on the team. Maybe Kelly feels free to do whatever he wants with the QBs now. I don't know but I do know you can't bury a player like Kelly did with Crist. His treatment of Crist is contrary to the standards of ND. I wish Crist well. I hope Tommy plays lights out and I hope Hendrix gets a chance to prove himself.

I am done with this topic.

Poor Dayne. The guy was such a victim on so many levels.

 

[ShamrockOnHelmet]

Kelly, if he is indeed a prideful man, takes pride in winning-not in his own decision making, which is to say that he isn't going with Tommy out of some "damn the world, I'm right" mentality.

I was with you until this comment. How do you know that? I watched Charlie do that exact thing here. Indeed, I've watched several football coaches do that exact thing. Ditka actually has admitted on several occasions in interviews that many decisions were just that. So, how do you know Kelly isn't doing the same thing? I'm not saying he is, but you can't say he isn't. These coaches are egomanics - thats what makes them good in the first place, but it also is what makes them prone to doing things just because they "know they are right".

 

[arndtjc]

Because he was winning ballgames?

 

[theDOshow2]

I truely beleive that aside from not being able to throw very well, and not being very athletic, and not making very good decisions, and not being very tall...Tommy Rees is an ok QB lol

 

[Andy in Sactown]

I truely beleive that aside from not being able to throw very well, and not being very athletic, and not making very good decisions, and not being very tall...Tommy Rees is an ok QB lol

I truely beleive that aside from not being able to post very well, and not being very intelligent, and not making very good decisions, and not being very modest...theDOshow2 is an ok poster lol


I hate it when bannedpersonXYZ + 1 carpet bombs IE without any reverence for conversations or having anything moderately appropriate (or funny) to post.

 

[irishfanjho15]

I truely beleive that aside from not being able to post very well, and not being very intelligent, and not making very good decisions, and not being very modest...theDOshow2 is an ok poster lol


I hate it when bannedpersonXYZ + 1 carpet bombs IE without any reverence for conversations or having anything moderately appropriate (or funny) to post.

I've literally been laughing at this post for almost an hour.

 

[Riddickulous]

I want Tommy to succeed, at least as far as the bowl game is concerned.

If he struggles, pray that the defense can hold out until Hendrix steps in and (hopefully) provides a spark.

 

[BGIF]

SACKED BY SACTOWN!

SACKED BY SACTOWN!

I truely beleive that aside from not being able to post very well, and not being very intelligent, and not making very good decisions, and not being very modest...theDOshow2 is an ok poster lol


I hate it when bannedpersonXYZ + 1 carpet bombs IE without any reverence for conversations or having anything moderately appropriate (or funny) to post.

Nicely done, Andy!

 

[GreatGolson]

if tommy comes out firing and puts up great numbers, would that significantly effect his chances if starting next season?