The simple fact is that the dynamic duo of Belichick and Brady has proven over a decade of relative dominance that a proficient offense is solely predicated on designing a scheme to fit your personnel. Belichick constantly tweaks and tailors his offense to fit his players as the team evolves… and without exception, the Patriots showcase a dominant offense every single season. This is despite the fact that the Patriots often have drastic turnover at their skill positions, and employ a QB that is in the bottom half of the league in physical tools. Heck, they even managed to tear it up for a season with Matt Cassel running the show. If that isn’t proof positive that scheme > “talent” I don’t know what is.
Belichick’s approach to offense is certainly a mantra held by Kelly as well. One of Kelly’s more famous quotes shortly after arriving in South Bend was about being able to “manufacture” offense but not being able to fake it on D. How will he go about “manufacturing” O this year? Well, I doubt it’s a coincidence how much time he (and Martin to a lesser degree) spent around Belichick this offseason.
When you begin to consider how closely Notre Dame’s 2013 squad mirrors the 2012 Patriots, it becomes obvious how Kelly might employ elements of the Patriots’ scheme this year. Some of the player parallels are truly striking. 6’6” 265-pound athletic freak Gronkowski? Meet 6’6.5” 270-pound Troy Niklas. Mismatch creating TE-by-name-only Hernandez? Call me crazy, but the thick and hyper-athletic 6’1” 220 CJ Prosise doesn’t seem too dissimilar from a 6’1” 240 Hernandez… well, except one isn’t a cold blooded killer. Prototypical outside WR Brandon Lloyd? DaVaris Daniels. Great route running and ever reliable Wes Welker? TJ Jones. Versatile backs that can catch passes or run with authority? We’ve got those in spades.
It goes without saying none of the Golden Domers are as polished or proven as their NFL doppelgangers… but that comes with the territory of being college players versus NFL stars. The point is that they can be used in a similar vein as those players in an effective offense without changing too much from what Notre Dame did last season. For starters, the general offensive philosophy differences between New England and Notre Dame are not as drastic as you would think at first blush. We all know Notre Dame wants to be a run-first team behind a dominant OL. What you might be surprised to learn is that the Patriots were relatively run-first last year because of their ability to use multiple TEs as effective blockers to open up running lanes. The Pats were 4th in the league in rushing yards by backs and scored the most rushing TDs in the NFL… all using players and personnel groupings similar to what Notre Dame will roll out on August 31st.
