Tommy Rees named starter for Champs Sports Bowl

[FightingIrishLover7]

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

I expect everyone to be in the race this off season... HOWEVER, i would like Kelly to pick the starting QB before the start of summer camp. That way everyone knows there role, and things arent a guessing game like last year.

 

[die4irish]

The only thing I worry about with TR is he may press to much knowing he has to make a great example for himself for next year. A bad showing and I think he knows he is going to be SOL

 

[ShamrockOnHelmet]

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

I don't think so. He isn't going to get the "he's our starter until someone beats him out" treatment. The race will start flat footed in the spring, and one of the athletes will emerge.

If Hendrix or Golson can't beat out Tommy in the spring, then we have some serious problems ahead of us.

 

[irish4ever]

I don't think so. He isn't going to get the "he's our starter until someone beats him out" treatment. The race will start flat footed in the spring, and one of the athletes will emerge.

If Hendrix or Golson can't beat out Tommy in the spring, then we have some serious problems ahead of us.

I'm not sure they would be "serious problems", just a lot of the same 'ol same 'ol. IMO, it definitely won't put the Irish in the desired postion .... capable of competing against teams at the upper echelon of the BCS on a consistent basis.

 

[k1ssme1m1r1sh]

I think you all need to accept the fact that Brian Kelly is the head coach, and you...are not. Hendrix made the same mistakes Tommy has...

 

[jonesman]

Kissme,
Tommy and Andrew can't make the same mistakes. Because Tommy will never be MISTAKEN for an athletic QB, but Andrew is an athletic QB.

Further, Tommy will never make the mistake of over throwing a WR 40 yards down the field. Because he can't throw it that far. Andrew can cannon the ball 60 yards.

If we have to endure Tommy for 2012, we are serious trouble.

 

[k1ssme1m1r1sh]

Kissme,
Tommy and Andrew can't make the same mistakes. Because Tommy will never be MISTAKEN for an athletic QB, but Andrew is an athletic QB.

Further, Tommy will never make the mistake of over throwing a WR 40 yards down the field. Because he can't throw it that far. Andrew can cannon the ball 60 yards.

If we have to endure Tommy for 2012, we are serious trouble.

Hendrix is athletic, but he threw interceptions too. I would love to see each and every lazy boy coach on this board eat their words. 2012 is going to be a great season, no matter who starts as qb. But I forgot how whiny fans get when a new coach doesn't gift wrap a national title in their 2nd season. I can't wait to say I told so, and i trust brian Kelly.

 

[NYMIKE6]

That's why i think a qb this cycle is becoming a must. I will be shocked if Rees starts next year and i wouldn't be surprised if he transfers which would leave us Hendrix and Golson making a shift back to qb in Massa ,we would still need another qb. You just can't win a NC with a "game manager".

 

[tankjeep]

can the bowl game please get here??????

 

[NDinL.A.]

Kissme,
Tommy and Andrew can't make the same mistakes.

Really??? Did you even watch the Stanford game??? Hendrix's first pass should've been picked - you've been bitching about Tommy's passes that should've been picked all year. Later, Hendrix threw an awful, bone-headed pick. You've been bitching about Rees' picks all year. Hendrix took a couple of really bad sacks - you've been bitching about Tommy's being immobile all year.

I too am hoping that Hendrix and/or Golson can step up this spring and bring to the table mentally what Rees already does, b/c then the offense has more upside. But some of you romanticize what Hendrix did at Stanford. He did some great things, but he also made some of the same mistakes Rees did. I'm in SB right now, so I got to watch a local program on the Irish in which they interviewed Hendrix. He admitted that he had a ton to learn this year and he wasn't ready to handle the offense the way Rees did. He said he had to come a long way to even get to the point he was at the Stanford game.

The ND offense had over 500 yds of offense 4 times this year. Rees wasn't nearly as bad as some of you guys make him out to be. And Hendrix wasn't as great vs. Stanford as some of you guys make him out to be. Both are young QBs that are going to make a ton of mistakes. Like I said, I hope the younger guys can win the job, but if Rees starts, he'll be a better QB next year and we won't be a bad team at all. I hope these fake ND fans make good on their claim to stop watching ND games next year if Rees starts, cause it'll be there loss.

Hope both QBs play their asses off Thursday...

 

[Old Man Mike]

In terms of national QB statistics, Tommy Rees is almost precisely at the middle of the pack. While not good enough for comfort, that means that he is neither great nor awful. Tommy will start in the bowl game for two very good reasons: 1). he is less likely to get shook up walking out there and taking the first snaps in a bowl game; and 2). this completely relieves Andrew of the pressure of all the time, noise, nerves that come with knowing that "you're now the man" and if you don't show up you're not. The pre-game "load" is markedly lessened on Andrew by having Tommy go out there first. I believe that Coach understands players' mental concerns at the starts of their playing time. Veterans he's less "soft" with; he expects them to have "grown up" and they should just get out there and do their jobs. I can see him thinking: I've got to get Andrew into a good mental place before throwing him in there against that defense.

 

[jonesman]

Yes. I have been bitching about Rees for many months. This is because he is a "game manager" just as many others have suggested. Kelly is two years into his regime and we are still using a QB who will NOT further this program. He has won games and will always look good when ND plays teams where we can simply manhandle them up front or out athlete them at the receivers. These are the games where Tommy got his 500 yards. He was able to let a veteran OL dominate up front while throwing to two future first round NFL receivers in Floyd and Eiffert. Oh, he also had two RB's who ran for almost 1000 yards. Against mediocre talent, any servicable QB will look good with those situations.

The MAJOR problem is that we will NEVER be able to compete with the elite teams playing a non-athletic QB who has very limited arm strength. I went back and watched the Pitt, BC and WF games over the holidays. All these folks had Tommy figured out and made him look bad. At Stanford, they had the athletes to beat our OL and Tommy can't get out of his own way.

I am not saying that Hendrix is the messiah, but Kelly had several games where he could have put Hendrix on the field for long stretches. He could have gotten real game experience against Purdue, Air Force, Navy. Not just a few snaps, but long drives.

In the end, folks have to decide. Do you want that game manager who will find the open guy and make accurate throws in the short field. However, he can't stretch the field and does not give you one bit of running capability in a spread offense built for a QB who can run atleast some.
OR, you can have the guy who does not make all the perfect throws and needs some game time to become a better decision maker. However, when the play breaks down he can make the run for a first down and he keeps the DL guessing on running plays.

I will take the athlete every day. I will give you an example of how an athlete with very very limited passing success almost beat a BCS bound team at year end. Braxton Miller who could barely hit a billboard while playing Michigan had them within one score of beating UM. He had almost no running game. He only had one decent WR in Posey. However, an athelete was able to move the ball.

Like Rees or not, I will be rooting for all the Irish this week. I would love to eat my words all night against FSU. If that happens, I will put up a thread and let you all word whip me.

 

[k1ssme1m1r1sh]

Two years into the regime isn't entirely fair to say, because his first year was wiped out due to injuries. Kelly made due with what he had. 2012 is going to be a fantastic year for the Irish, I feel it.

 

[Patulski]

Kelly is two years into his regime and we are still using a QB who will NOT further this program.

I trust Kelly more than you

Kelly had several games where he could have put Hendrix on the field for long stretches. He could have gotten real game experience against Purdue, Air Force, Navy. Not just a few snaps, but long drives.

I trust Kelly more than you.

In the end, folks have to decide.

I trust Kelly more than "folks".

I will take the athlete every day.

I trust Kelly more than you

Kelly's earned the right to be given the benefit of the doubt that he knows what he's doing with the QB situation and that what he's done has been in the best interest of the program.

Go Irish!

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

So... Just to summarize, you trust Kelly more than Jonesman. Got it.

(couldn't agree more...lol)

 

[NDinFL]

I nominate jonesman for poster of the year!

Oh wait....

 

[kmoose]

In the end, folks have to decide. Do you want that game manager who will find the open guy and make accurate throws in the short field. However, he can't stretch the field and does not give you one bit of running capability in a spread offense built for a QB who can run atleast some.
OR, you can have the guy who does not make all the perfect throws and needs some game time to become a better decision maker. However, when the play breaks down he can make the run for a first down and he keeps the DL guessing on running plays.

In the end, either option leaves you at about 8-4, 9-3 at best.

 

[Old Man Mike]

All this is speculating, but I believe that if Coach had started the Not-Ready-To-Run-The-Offense-Though-Very-Talented-Quarterback this season, and just let him try to grow into it on the fly, we would have been more like 6-6. People would have been screaming to high heaven about "taking steps backwards". Recruiting would have been damaged. And, most significantly, since Hendrix and Golson will get their full shot to run everything in the spring, nothing will have markedly been gained for next season.

Doing it his way, rather than the way speculated by a certain fraction of the fanbase, Coach has positioned us for another fairly good bowl game exposure, a possible 9 win season, continued good recruiting vibes, and a 2012 year with an athletic QB running the team, if either one can demonstrate competence at doing so. As usual with this man, I think Kelly has brilliantly squeezed what he could out of a mediocre situation not under his control.

I understand that others view it differently. They characterize opinions like the above as Kelly-green optimism. May I say that wishing Andrew in there before he was ready and thinking somehow that things would have been more successful on the total season, is in my view FAR more "romantically optimistic" than the pragmatic approach that Coach took. We are all blowing smoke here. Coach took the path which he felt gave us better chances of a good season now, while [because of sliding Andrew in there] did not damage our prospects next year. That was his judgement. It is arguable, but it was not "crazy" nor based on irrational emotional states nor incompetence.

 

[irishtrinity]

Just got my Catholics vs Criminoles shirt... Pimpin

 

[ThePiombino]

Just got my Catholics vs Criminoles shirt... Pimpin

HAHA nice! This one?

 

[irishpat183]

HAHA nice! This one?

Where can I get one?

I actually like "FreeShoesUniversity" better.