'15 NJ QB Brandon Wimbush (Notre Dame Signed NLI)

[Sherm Sticky]

I'm not sure. I do know Book was only 17/34 for 146, 1 TD and 2 INT against a bad UNC team. I don't see him as the savior (as a game manager) or even a better option than Wimbush.

Oh you mean he had those numbers in his first ever meaningful game action. In his first ever start which was on the road and I believe it also rained a little. And he had only been taking first team reps for like 4 days. So you expected him to put up 300 yards and no TD’s?


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[GATTACA!]

Oh you mean he had those numbers in his first ever meaningful game action. In his first ever start which was on the road and I believe it also rained a little. And he had only been taking first team reps for like 4 days. So you expected him to put up 300 yards and no TD’s?


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You're underestimating how bad UNC is.

 

[STLDomer]

Could care less what Books stats were thrown into a game receiving second team reps running BWs offense.

He makes quick decisions. Has a good enough college arm and can run.
BW makes slow awful decisions.

Like how can BW not throw a WR screen still? That blows my mind.

 

[phgreek]

Every human being has a tolerance for pressure. It is hard to evaluate it in a QB in High School because the kids you look at are athletically so much more gifted than everyone around them. Rarely do you get a glimpse of how he/she handles pressure until their athleticism alone isn't enough. You don't see that until college.

BW may turn out just fine...but right now his mental makeup is questionable. no nice way to say this...he is choking. Can he pull out of it...IDK. Hope so.

 

[aaronb]

It's cool to have a QB who can run like a running back...It'd be cooler if we had one who can throw like a QB.

 

[aaronb]

I'm not sure. I do know Book was only 17/34 for 146, 1 TD and 2 INT against a bad UNC team. I don't see him as the savior (as a game manager) or even a better option than Wimbush.

With the running game we had this year. A game manager MIGHT have been enough to get to the playoffs.

Hell Golston was barely a game manager, and he took us to a title game.

 

[Luckylucci]

He should've been pulled

 

[Irishnuke]

With the running game we had this year. A game manager MIGHT have been enough to get to the playoffs.

Hell Golston was barely a game manager, and he took us to a title game.

Golson, and no, he didn't. The defense took us to the NC game, he just happened to be the QB.

 

[Luckylucci]

Wimbush is as bad as Golson. You either have to put in a different player or you have to deal with this garbage.

 

[Irishnuke]

BW can't handle adversity. He's mentally weak. It sucks because he seems to have all the physical tools, he's just scared. I don't know how you overcome that. I'm not sure if you can.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

Get the dude an SSRI or Xanax prescription... Something.

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[Luckylucci]

BW can't handle adversity. He's mentally weak. It sucks because he seems to have all the physical tools, he's just scared. I don't know how you overcome that. I'm not sure if you can.

We all want this kid to be the guy, but he's just not.

 

[JJRyan]

If he's not going to be the #1 QB next year-- what about transitioning BW into a WR? worked well for Pryor at OSU a few years back....

 

[SouthSideChiDomer]

If he's not going to be the #1 QB next year-- what about transitioning BW into a WR? worked well for Pryor at OSU a few years back....

Normally I hate things like this, but the idea of "wildcat" formations with BW at QB or him taking hand offs on sweeps only to throw is too enticing.

That said, I don't see it happening. Not only do I think Kelly (if he is here next year) sees BW as a capable QB, but even if he isn't the starter, you probably need him as the backup in case of injury. If Book starts next year and they transition BW to a different position, if Book gets injured you then have to decide between a QB who has never played (Jurkovec or Davis) or a former QB who hasn't been getting reps. Now if Phil or Avery is the starter then it's a little different because you could have Book be the backup, but that seems unlikely.

What I would want to see if Book does become the starter is a running package for BW. So many teams have done it and I love how effective it is if even just for making the other team spend time preparing for a different look than what they'll see the rest of the game.

 

[BobbyMac]

The transition into this becoming the Phil Show is going to be interesting. A lot of variables. I had next year pegged as a transition season anyways.

I'd do whatever it takes to make sure Phil, his 2018 class and the 2017 OL haul are the focus of this team.

Problem is, BK needs to win every game possible.

 

[IrishLax]

The biggest shocker for me isn't bad mechanics -- tons of QBs have bad mechanics and still win games -- it's how bad he is at reading defenses. When it's a pre-determined read to a deep out or a go or a post he'll step into it and throw a pretty good ball most times... what we saw against Miami and Stanford is that he either over-thinks and hesitates and ends up throwing a bad ball with bad mechanics or is prone to throw it into a defender's hands because he didn't see them (misunderstanding coverage) or stared down his throw.

On the Smythe drop in the end zone Dexter Williams was open in the flat with no one within 15 yards of him and would've walked in for a TD. I can't understand how someone as intelligent as Brandon could be this far behind the curve in getting the ball to the right guy on time. Is it coaching or something else?

 

[dad4aa]

The biggest shocker for me isn't bad mechanics -- tons of QBs have bad mechanics and still win games -- it's how bad he is at reading defenses. When it's a pre-determined read to a deep out or a go or a post he'll step into it and throw a pretty good ball most times... what we saw against Miami and Stanford is that he either over-thinks and hesitates and ends up throwing a bad ball with bad mechanics or is prone to throw it into a defender's hands because he didn't see them (misunderstanding coverage) or stared down his throw.

On the Smythe drop in the end zone Dexter Williams was open in the flat with no one within 15 yards of him and would've walked in for a TD. I can't understand how someone as intelligent as Brandon could be this far behind the curve in getting the ball to the right guy on time. Is it coaching or something else?

This is where I am at, like most of us, grabbing at straws trying to figure out the problem. Threw for 72% completion rate his senior year of high school and now this. I've seen a few spots of potential, especially the MSU game. Why he regressed so bad is a mystery. This, IMO, goes beyond coaching and something he is seeing or not seeing during the play and he has to be able to learn it. Like Lax posted above, his pre-determined reads are usually decent passes.

 

[STLDomer]

The Stepherson TD vs USC is as good as it gets for a QB. Arm talent is there. Not sure where that QB has been every other play.

 

[fightingirish26]

The Stepherson TD vs USC is as good as it gets for a QB. Arm talent is there. Not sure where that QB has been every other play.

He hasn't shown anything to make me think that throw wasn't pure luck

 

[Wingman Ray]

Man how do you go from being the 2nd to 5th best DT QB in the nation to someone who cant hit wide open receivers or 1v1 coverage because everyone is playing the run?

 

[SouthSideChiDomer]

Man how do you go from being the 2nd to 5th best DT QB in the nation to someone who cant hit wide open receivers or 1v1 coverage because everyone is playing the run?

He's got the yips

 

[IrishLax]

The Stepherson TD vs USC is as good as it gets for a QB. Arm talent is there. Not sure where that QB has been every other play.

He also routinely throws deep outs -- a throw lots of QBs struggle with -- on the money all the time. I have no clue how he can make that throw in his sleep (or make ones like he did against USC) and then be as bad as it gets at other stuff. Makes me think it's not an "ability" thing but a mental/confidence/coaching thing.

 

[ickythump1225]

One thing I've noticed is BW is just overall very hesitant and uncertain. Even running. There were several spots I noticed in the Stanford game where if he were to have tucked the ball and ran with confidence he had big gains open to him. The offense has been missing his dynamic, game changing running ability. He can't always throw consistently but earlier in the season he helped compensate for that with big runs to give defenses something else to account for.

I noticed even when he did run last night he looked hesitant and unsure.

 

[Old Man Mike]

This isn't "coaching." That's just hopeful fantasy whistling in the dark. This is central nervous system stuff. Nobody can "coach" someone to be calm under the fire of the real speed and violence around you. You have to find that yourself. That's not IMPOSSIBLE to grow into, but Wimbush does not have that yet. It's up to him.

Maybe just suffering through many reps will ultimately do it --- like conquering stage fright. ND, and especially ND fans, are not known for such patient suffering. Maybe Wimbush will become more than Golson, and maybe he won't, but don't blame the staff for not making his central nervous system different from who he currently is.

 

[BobbyMac]

He's got the yips

Exactly. I said this 30 pages ago.

He also routinely throws deep outs -- a throw lots of QBs struggle with -- on the money all the time. I have no clue how he can make that throw in his sleep (or make ones like he did against USC) and then be as bad as it gets at other stuff. Makes me think it's not an "ability" thing but a mental/confidence/coaching thing.

Of course it's this. If Wimbush was at Louisville or Clemson next year he'd be a Heisman front runner. He might be for ND next year in spite of Kelly's inability to consistently maximize the play of talented QB's.

 

[IrishLax]

This isn't "coaching." That's just hopeful fantasy whistling in the dark. This is central nervous system stuff. Nobody can "coach" someone to be calm under the fire of the real speed and violence around you. You have to find that yourself. That's not IMPOSSIBLE to grow into, but Wimbush does not have that yet. It's up to him.

Weird because that's exactly what our armed forces do, and there is tons of psychological studies that say the exact opposite. And sports psychology exists exactly for this kind of reason.

 

[STLDomer]

Coaching can certainly help him over the hump. Not sure it will or if the staff is equipped too, but we’re not talking Rick Ankiel-like yips here. He’s just a little lacking in confidence. Hopefully he’s over it by fall practice, but if they get the sense he is not, morph the offense for Book/Phil and don’t trot out someone who doesn’t believe in himself.

 

[OlympiaIrishFan]

It’s more than yips. He has an overall accuracy problem. Outside of that he has a vision problem too. He has missed sooooo many open guys this year.

I just don’t think he’s a good throwing QB. He is a junior and this is what concerns me.

 

[benneboy]

Exactly. I said this 30 pages ago.



Of course it's this. If Wimbush was at Louisville or Clemson next year he'd be a Heisman front runner. He might be for ND next year in spite of Kelly's inability to consistently maximize the play of talented QB's.

This is such an unintelligent statement that gets made far too often.

Christ, Golson, and Zaire all transferred and got worse under other coaches.

Tommy Reese without a doubt maximized what he was capable of throughout his college career.

Kizer went from a wildly inaccurate quarteback who nearly quit because he didn't think he could compete on the college level to a second round draft pick and rookie starter in the NFL.

 

[snoopdog]

Weird because that's exactly what our armed forces do, and there is tons of psychological studies that say the exact opposite. And sports psychology exists exactly for this kind of reason.

Exact opposite?

Coaching can help Wimbush to some degree. They can’t help him excel. External help works best helping someone over lost confidence, not turning a below average player into a star.