A promise is a promise

[tommyIRISH23]

Towards the end of last season I doubted whether or not Dayne would beable to come back from his injury in time to practice, and also questioned if he had it in him to play QB at ND.

I was wrong. He's had a unbelievable recovery from his injury, and seems to have turned the corner. Just by the way he speaks you can tell that he is more confident, and poised. All reports show that he has really picked it up during the spring.

Ill eat my crow now.

On a side note. I watched UM's piece on ESPN. I dunno, I don't really believe in Hoke. He may just not be a good interviewer, but he seems to be in over his head. UM really believes in him, from what I have read, and they are obviously more intuned with the program then I am, but I don't know if he's the right guy. Just my observation. I can't wait for that game, I hope ND makes a statement by laying an epic beating on the Wolvz.

 

[RallySonsOfND]

:ttiwwop:

 

[JadeBrecks]

Ill eat my crow now.

I would wait till you see him play a few games. I am still not convinced on him. I wont eat crow till a few games in to the season and I doubt I will need to.

 

[IrishBlood81]

I would wait till you see him play a few games. I am still not convinced on him. I wont eat crow till a few games in to the season and I doubt I will need to.

Yup this^
I gotta see what he can do at full power before I deal my praise for him

 

[D-BOE34]

Regardless .... above and beyond Rees. Glad we have such a glorified back up though! Great thing to worry about.

 

[D-BOE34]

^^^ This was sarcasm BTW. Figured I might as well throw it in now before everyone blows up on me about "glorified backup" and Rees being put together.


Side note: I love you

 

[NDinL.A.]

I would wait till you see him play a few games. I am still not convinced on him. I wont eat crow till a few games in to the season and I doubt I will need to.

So you're thinking we'll be bad/mediocre this year? Because without a good QB, you're almost always going to be bad/mediocre, even with a defense that we're putting together. You might Rees will come in and save us...just saying, by EVERY SINGLE acct I've read, Crist is above and beyond the best QB on the field, and if you don't think he's good then what do you think of the others?

Now, I agree with you when you say he has to stay healthy, and he has to prove it on the field, but look at everything. His passing numbers were better than Rees's, that's undeniable. He also runs much better than Rees. The difference was that Rees had a running game, and Rees had a top 20 defense. Crist had neither. I'd also caution you to look at the natural maturation and the natural progression of most QBs. Crist is MUCH more comfortable in the system, he is a year older, has game experience, etc etc. He should be much better.

I'd say to have some faith in him. And if it doesn't work out, we have a back-up who won games in some big time stadiums. But still, he's the back-up for a reason. IMO you'll like what you see out of Crist this year (again, as long as he stays healthy)...

 

[JadeBrecks]

So you're thinking we'll be bad/mediocre this year? Because without a good QB, you're almost always going to be bad/mediocre, even with a defense that we're putting together. You might Rees will come in and save us...just saying, by EVERY SINGLE acct I've read, Crist is above and beyond the best QB on the field, and if you don't think he's good then what do you think of the others?

Now, I agree with you when you say he has to stay healthy, and he has to prove it on the field, but look at everything. His passing numbers were better than Rees's, that's undeniable. He also runs much better than Rees. The difference was that Rees had a running game, and Rees had a top 20 defense. Crist had neither. I'd also caution you to look at the natural maturation and the natural progression of most QBs. Crist is MUCH more comfortable in the system, he is a year older, has game experience, etc etc. He should be much better.

I'd say to have some faith in him. And if it doesn't work out, we have a back-up who won games in some big time stadiums. But still, he's the back-up for a reason. IMO you'll like what you see out of Crist this year (again, as long as he stays healthy)...

I am not saying we will be great, mediocre, or terrible. Im not making predictions about next year. What I am saying is this. I personally dont think Crist is a great quarterback. He is a good qb but not great. And that is only when he is healthy. He is accident prone and I dont believe he is as good as everyone makes him out to be. You can also read about how great people should be. You can hear about how good someone practices to be. If you ask me none of that counts till you prove it on the field. I am waiting till he proves he has made these great steps on the field and remains uninjured before I give him credit for it.

As far as the others I see a qb who was thrown in mid season and did a decent job at hitting the ground running. Did he make mistakes? Yes but nothing you wouldnt expect a new qb to do. The problems I saw with Rees were all problems that could be coached out of him. Those problems removed I see him as good or better than Crist. He has had a half a season of play time and will have all off season to be worked on. I think this leaves him ample time to have those problems worked out. Plus if he did this he would be a years ahead of Crist. Crist has no more time to invest into him. What he is is it. Rees has more time to be worked on.

That being said you also have two possibly great qbs waiting behind them that are designed for Kelly's system. Im sorry I dont hold Crist as high as you so I say why not get them some serious time in. They are our future. I feel we should get them in and experienced as soon as possible. That way when in two years we cant even have a Crist, Rees, Hendricks, Golsen debate Hendricks and or Golsen have a great bit of experience under their belt.

I am not trying to bad mouth any of the qbs. I am not also trying to badmouth others opinions. This is just the way I see it so this is how I feel. If Crist comes out and is amazing and uninjured next season than I will take my words back. But until he proves what he hasnt yet proved I will not jump on the band wagon.

 

[NDinL.A.]

JadeBrecks:

I am not saying we will be great, mediocre, or terrible. Im not making predictions about next year. What I am saying is this. I personally dont think Crist is a great quarterback. He is a good qb but not great. And that is only when he is healthy. He is accident prone and I dont believe he is as good as everyone makes him out to be. You can also read about how great people should be. You can hear about how good someone practices to be. If you ask me none of that counts till you prove it on the field. I am waiting till he proves he has made these great steps on the field and remains uninjured before I give him credit for it.

No problem with that. He's not great yet, and he does have a lot to prove.

As far as the others I see a qb who was thrown in mid season and did a decent job at hitting the ground running. Did he make mistakes? Yes but nothing you wouldnt expect a new qb to do. The problems I saw with Rees were all problems that could be coached out of him. Those problems removed I see him as good or better than Crist. He has had a half a season of play time and will have all off season to be worked on. I think this leaves him ample time to have those problems worked out. Plus if he did this he would be a years ahead of Crist. Crist has no more time to invest into him. What he is is it. Rees has more time to be worked on.

Where I disagree big time is that those problems that Rees have CONNOT be coached out him. He simply doesn't have a big arm, and that shrinks the field considerably for the offense. People have seen him this spring and his arm is still considerably weaker than all 3 other QBs. That's not going to change. With Crist, his problems were mechanical and mental, which can be coached. Mentally, he is already miles ahead of where he was last year, by his acct and the coaches' accounts. And mechanically, witnesses have said he is much more accurate this spring, and that speaks to mechanics. Will it carry over into a game? We'll see.

Also, we may have 2 more years with Crist, and 3 more years with Rees. Is it really that much of a difference? And Crist isn't even close to a finished product. QBs mature and grow big time during their careers. Just look at Jimmy's numbers from his soph to jr years. Crist is in the same boat...we'll see if he delivers.

That being said you also have two possibly great qbs waiting behind them that are designed for Kelly's system. Im sorry I dont hold Crist as high as you so I say why not get them some serious time in. They are our future. I feel we should get them in and experienced as soon as possible. That way when in two years we cant even have a Crist, Rees, Hendricks, Golsen debate Hendricks and or Golsen have a great bit of experience under their belt.

You don't kids who admittedly have little clue what is going on and can only handle certain (limited) packages 'serious time'. You're throwing away the season there if you do, b/c you can't win with a limited package and a QB who doesn't know what the hell he is doing. See Rees and Montana in last year's Michigan game for that. I know you don't mean entire games, but serious time implies game time, and most games won't be blowouts. I'm never in favor of playing 2 or 3 QBs. Play the best you have and roll with it (although I do like BK's idea of having a package designed for the spread QBs as a change of pace - as long as it works of course!).

I am not trying to bad mouth any of the qbs. I am not also trying to badmouth others opinions. This is just the way I see it so this is how I feel. If Crist comes out and is amazing and uninjured next season than I will take my words back. But until he proves what he hasnt yet proved I will not jump on the band wagon.

It's all good...you didn't say anything against me or another poster. You stated your opinion and some agreed and some disagreed. Cheers.

 

[DillonHall]

I don't think it makes any sense to judge Crist either way. Last year, he had his struggles but I think the potential was obvious. He's our guy for 2011, and we should be excited for a huge jump in production (Jimmy Clausen from his sophomore year to his junior year).

 

[JadeBrecks]

As far as the long ball with crist I was not impressed. His accuracy wasn't impressive. If you ask me if you are going to invest all the time in someone what not the person you have more time with.
Another problem I have is those people saying he is getting better are the same people who said willingham, charley, clausen and many others are amazing. I'm sorry but I have been let down by those people far to many times. When people show it on the field is when I start taking them seriously.

 

[DillonHall]

As far as the long ball with crist I was not impressed. His accuracy wasn't impressive. If you ask me if you are going to invest all the time in someone what not the person you have more time with.
Another problem I have is those people saying he is getting better are the same people who said willingham, charley, clausen and many others are amazing. I'm sorry but I have been let down by those people far to many times. When people show it on the field is when I start taking them seriously.

Crist gives us the best chance to win in 2011, and Kelly knows he needs to get to the BCS sooner rather than later. And you are just bashing the incumbent without offering a stronger option; your only argument for Hendrix and Golson is that they fit Kelly's system better. That's an extremely weak argument and discredits Kelly's ability to adapt according to his personnel (recall that Tony Pike was the starting QB for Cincinnati during their undefeated system). You say that you'll start taking people seriously when they perform on the field, yet you're vouching for guys who have never taken a snap in college. Completely irrational and contradictory...

Also, Jimmy Clausen should be the perfect example against your argument. What if he'd been benched after his sophomore year? I don't know if you were watching in 2009, but he had a hell of a year for us.

 

[JadeBrecks]

I know I'm not offering a solid replacement. I also know kelly will put in the best qb we have. I'm just saying I don't believe he is that great. I'm saying he has a long way to go.
As far as golden and hendricks I'm saying get them experience so then you can play the ball you want rather than catering tothe qb you have. They have severe potential. Looking at their tapes hendricks and golden did very well on the field.
ps where is jimmy at? How did he turn out overall?

 

[DillonHall]

I know I'm not offering a solid replacement. I also know kelly will put in the best qb we have. I'm just saying I don't believe he is that great. I'm saying he has a long way to go.
As far as golden and hendricks I'm saying get them experience so then you can play the ball you want rather than catering tothe qb you have. They have severe potential. Looking at their tapes hendricks and golden did very well on the field.
ps where is jimmy at? How did he turn out overall?

First of all, he turned out great. How many people get drafted in the first two rounds of the NFL draft? Second of all, here you go again prematurely judging players.

 

[dshans]

Ill eat my crow now.

Don't prepare the marinade* and fire up the grill just yet.**

It's true that Dayne has made incredibly good progress rehabilitating his knee injury. It's true that he has a strong arm. It's true that he has the advantage of maturity, on-field experience and an admirable attitude ... but until it all comes together in a positive way during games, it's a crap shoot.

I think he's our best shot. I hope he's learned to overcome the "panic mode setting" to be patient and has added a bit more "touch" to his skill set. [Keep in mind that I'm not nearly the student of the game as are so many participating on this board.]


*Teriyaki sauce, light brown sugar and orange juice recommended. Vodka is optional.

**You'll want to grill the crow outdoors. Trust me. I have experience. The smell can be overpowering, though the taste can be exquisite when prepared properly; not over cooked, medium rare is best. Accompanied by condiments up to the task – I prefer finely grated horseradish in a dipping sauce made with balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest, a pinch of salt, freshly ground black pepper, a few dashes of Tabasco (or a hot pepper sauce of your choice) and a sprinkling of thinly sliced chives.

 

[Riddickulous]

As far as the long ball with crist I was not impressed. His accuracy wasn't impressive. If you ask me if you are going to invest all the time in someone what not the person you have more time with.
Another problem I have is those people saying he is getting better are the same people who said willingham, charley, clausen and many others are amazing. I'm sorry but I have been let down by those people far to many times. When people show it on the field is when I start taking them seriously.

Well after five years of throwing five bombs a game and a quarterback who could throw them perfectly on a remarkably consistent basis, Crist would look much less impressive in comparison.

But I do agree that all of this optimism is a bit much. A bit.

We've heard a lot of great things from practice. People are pumping our depth and the Lynch/Williams combo and ignoring comments from the actual coaching staff.

The other day, Bob Diaco stated that there is a significant dropoff in quality from the first-teamers to second-teamers at too many positions on defense, and that that needs to be fixed. He's also stated that Lynch and Williams, as well as the rest of the young guns, are a looooong way from seeing major playing time other than situational appearances.

 

[kmoose]

All of this speculation about the QBs is pretty much pointless. I don't have any way of knowing which QB is "leading", in the battle to start. And neither do any of you. But to say that any one QB is "so far ahead" of the others, or "obviously better than" the others seems to be a HUGE stretch. Answer me this:

If any one of the QBs is head and shoulders above the others, or simply "the best" of the group, then how come BK has not named a starter? Why is it still a competition?

My own speculation is that none of the QBs has distinguished himself as being clearly above the others, and that is why Kelly is still running an open competition there. Regardless of what QB the coaches may, or may not, be raving about; until one of them is named the starter, it's all rampant (and sometimes not very well thought out) speculation.

 

[DillonHall]

All of this speculation about the QBs is pretty much pointless. I don't have any way of knowing which QB is "leading", in the battle to start. And neither do any of you. But to say that any one QB is "so far ahead" of the others, or "obviously better than" the others seems to be a HUGE stretch. Answer me this:

If any one of the QBs is head and shoulders above the others, or simply "the best" of the group, then how come BK has not named a starter? Why is it still a competition?

My own speculation is that none of the QBs has distinguished himself as being clearly above the others, and that is why Kelly is still running an open competition there. Regardless of what QB the coaches may, or may not, be raving about; until one of them is named the starter, it's all rampant (and sometimes not very well thought out) speculation.

There's absolutely no reason for BK to announce the starter yet, even if he knows who it'll be. We're still in spring practice, so you might as well 'develop' all the QBs as much as possible over the next week. If you're right, we'll still have a competition, but if someone has won it, I expect that it will be announced around the time of the Blue Gold game (before or shortly after).

 

[koonja]

I know I'm not offering a solid replacement. I also know kelly will put in the best qb we have. I'm just saying I don't believe he is that great. I'm saying he has a long way to go.
As far as golden and hendricks I'm saying get them experience so then you can play the ball you want rather than catering tothe qb you have. They have severe potential. Looking at their tapes hendricks and golden did very well on the field.
ps where is jimmy at? How did he turn out overall?

Clausen was AWESOME his junior year. I don't even know how you could make an argument against that.