Malik Zaire or Hendrix

[Domina Nostra]

If Rees is healthy, Hendrix should stay the back-up. If Rees goes down, play Zaire.

 

[DCirishfan]

We can win this week with Hendrix. Freshman will turn ball over for sure. Just hope Tommy is back soon.

 

[beryirish]

I am just in utter disbelief how bad Hendrix is.

 

[Kaneyoufeelit]

I will just say this: of course Hendrix didn't look good; you can't skip balls to open receivers. But, he didn't have much of a chance to run the offense in the first few drives he was in. We were something like 2&20, 1&20, and starting at the 10 in his first three drives, and the rain had just started coming down. After that we just went into a shell and chewed up an entire half of football like only BK and Diaco can do. Again, it wasn't good, but if Rees can't go this week, I think we see a different Hendrix than last night.

Also, God Bless Hendrix for lowering the boom on that 2nd & 9 down play with 2:42 left. He put us in 3rd & 1 to win the game. We didn't convert but that was a big play by him.

 

[NCDomer]

Hendrix isn't bad in the normal sense. He mentally wasn't ready for whatever reason. He reacted like Crist after a mistake. That's what happens when you start thinking, "Don't f.uck this up, don't fu.ck this up" instead of playing with some confidence and poise. You could tell just by the way Hendrix looked and breathed. He wasn't huffing like that because he's out of shape.

 

[BGIF]

What the hell even happened to Hendrix? He's been playing QB for over 10 years and suddenly he can't throw it 10 yards? What is he doing in practice?

Muscular atrophy.

Use it or lose it.

 

[zbikowski88]

Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly said Sunday that Tommy Rees remains day-to-day but Kelly expects his starting quarterback to be able to practice on Tuesday. Rees left Saturday night's 14-10 win over USC with a neck strain in the 3rd quarter after being sacked by Lamar Dawson. Rees returned to the sidelines in a hoodie without pads after heading to the locker room with a number of trainers.

Kelly says Rees was feeling better Sunday but still a little sore. Rees will need to practice at least a couple of times this week in order for Kelly to be comfortable using him against Air Force, the Irish coach said. Kelly said that's more of a physical thing with Tommy than a mental one. Kelly says Rees needs the physical reps with the wide receivers and tight ends.

"We're not at the point where we can just roll him out on Saturdays," Kelly explained.

Rees was 14-21 for 166 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game.

Andrew Hendrix came in and struggled, failing to complete a pass in four attempts. Kelly believes Hendrix is as disappointed as anyone with Saturday night's performance.

In the hypothetical situation that Rees is not ready to practice on Tuesday, Kelly said freshman quarterback Malik Zaire will have to take a lot more reps to be able to be ready to play against Air Force if needed. Hendrix would still be the next man in, but Zaire would have to be prepared. Zaire has yet to play this season and the Irish are hoping to preserve a redshirt season with him.

Notre Dame remains unranked in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll. It marks just a handful of times in program history the Irish have been 5-2 and not ranked.

"Must be a conspiracy," Kelly joked.

Notre Dame goes on the road to face Air Force next Saturday in Colorado Springs.

 

[Luckylucci]

The Dayne Crist comparison is weirdly accurate. It was a deer in headlights moment last night. Straight confused and had no idea what to do. I don't think that burning Malik's redshirt would be a good idea, but Im also not very confident that gets better. Not sure how we could sugar coat this at all. He had three easy throws to make and two for first downs. They were horrible misses. I think he is a helluva kid and love him for loving ND but there is now way we win 5 games with him at QB.

 

[dwshade]

RS Zaire. Mono really set him back. No reason to play him unless both QB's go down. Hendrix has some talent but when the lights come on he freezes. Really needs a shot of confidence.

 

[anarin]

So many negative people here. Hendrix looked like ****, we know this. But have faith in the coaching staff to get him up to snuff on running the offense. Remember that he has been taking less reps being that he is a backup.

It does help that we face not so great teams the next few weeks.

We'll be fine...

 

[woolybug25]

So many negative people here. Hendrix looked like ****, we know this. But have faith in the coaching staff to get him up to snuff on running the offense. Remember that he has been taking less reps being that he is a backup.

It does help that we face not so great teams the next few weeks.

We'll be fine...

So even though he has been here for 3.5 years and still can't run the offense, we should assume the staff can fix all of that in one week of practice?

 

[Luckylucci]

This is actually pretty simple. If he would have been able to move the ball and get first downs, he would have ran more of the offense. He makes a throw for a fislrst down, they open it up a little. He makes another throw they keep progressing. He was incapable of throwing simple short and intermediate routes. It has nothing to do with playcalling. They correctly started off simple and tried to progress and he F'd that up so they had to lock him up for fear of turnover.

 

[arrowryan]

If Tom can't go, burn Malik's RS IMO

 

[NDfan12]

Season is half over..no need in wasting Malik's RS year.

 

[Luckylucci]

If Tom can't go, burn Malik's RS IMO

After last night I agree. I give equal reps to Malik and Hendrix in practice and if Hendrix shows signs it's getting better you start him with the idea of playing Malik if it doesn't. Prepare Malik to play and go from there.

 

[woolybug25]

Don't forget, fellas. If Tommy can't go, Malik needs to be prepared either way. Hendrix gets hit a lot, and if he had to come out, we don't have any other choice other than Malik.

 

[ulukinatme]

Season is half over..no need in wasting Malik's RS year.

What if Malik gives us a chance to put points on the board and win a game, and Hendrix does not? Do you take a loss just to preserve a RS? No, you don't. You put your best man in, and judging from limited play in the Spring game, and Andrew's career, I would think Malik is more accurate and confidant in his abilities. Hendrix is only the #2 because of a redshirt and the fact we're missing two QBs we would normally have if not for transfers/academics. I'm guessing, redshirt aside, he probably would have been #5 on the roster if Kiel and Golson were here.

So even though he has been here for 3.5 years and still can't run the offense, we should assume the staff can fix all of that in one week of practice?

This hits the nail on the head. In the summer we heard that Hendrix "got it" and the light came on this year. I haven't seen any change. You can't fix in one week of practice what 3.5 years hasn't produced. I would normally blame the staff, but in this instance I think they've done their best. Not to mention Kelly pointed out after Michigan in 2010 that they failed to prepare a suitable backup and that mistake wouldn't happen again. I imagine with a less mobile QB like Tommy they had to have remembered that Michigan failure and done their best to get Andrew up to snuff in case he has to go in.

 

[anarin]

So even though he has been here for 3.5 years and still can't run the offense, we should assume the staff can fix all of that in one week of practice?

Thats exactly what he looked like. A kid that has been on a team for 3.5 years with little game experience. Zero confidence and a ton of rust.

If you dont think the coaching staff can put together a game plan specific to his skillset, then maybe you have zero confidence in the coaches.

 

[arrowryan]

But I think Tommy will be ready to go

 

[Luckylucci]

Thats exactly what he looked like. A kid that has been on a team for 3.5 years with little game experience. Zero confidence and a ton of rust.

If you dont think the coaching staff can put together a game plan specific to his skillset, then maybe you have zero confidence in the coaches.

I have a ton of confidence in this staff and think they'll put us in a position to win a majority of the time. However, he failed to make the throws. I bet that he looks better in the future but is better than terrible good enough to win the next 4 games?

 

[ulukinatme]

Thats exactly what he looked like. A kid that has been on a team for 3.5 years with little game experience. Zero confidence and a ton of rust.

If you dont think the coaching staff can put together a game plan specific to his skillset, then maybe you have zero confidence in the coaches.

They've put special packages together for Hendrix in the past, and they've prepared him for other situations over the last 4 years. Has he ever executed so well that it made you think "He's much better than Tommy, why isn't he playing?" On the other hand, Tommy had similar situations when he came in for Crist in 2011 South Florida, and 2012 for Golson and he looked better than the guy he was replacing. He still struggled in some of those games, but he tends to get the job done and the coaches made the right call.

 

[woolybug25]

Thats exactly what he looked like. A kid that has been on a team for 3.5 years with little game experience. Zero confidence and a ton of rust.

If you dont think the coaching staff can put together a game plan specific to his skillset, then maybe you have zero confidence in the coaches.

That's quite the reach. I believe in the staff, that doesn't mean I have to blindly believe that they can pull off some miracle gameplan where our QB doesn't throw the ball.

If you think that the staff can change 3.5 years worth of mental attitude, physical skillset and playbook understanding.... In one week... Then you haven't played much football. That's crazy talk.

 

[anarin]

I have a ton of confidence in this staff and think they'll put us in a position to win a majority of the time. However, he failed to make the throws. I bet that he looks better in the future but is better than terrible good enough to win the next 4 games?

He did fail to make the throws in a pressure packed game that he was thrown into. I also believe with proper preperation he'll be better. Just expect ALOT more runs.

They've put special packages together for Hendrix in the past, and they've prepared him for other situations over the last 4 years. Has he ever executed so well that it made you think "He's much better than Tommy, why isn't he playing?" On the other hand, Tommy had similar situations when he came in for Crist in 2011 South Florida, and 2012 for Golson and he looked better than the guy he was replacing. He still struggled in some of those games, but he tends to get the job done and the coaches made the right call.

Heres the thing about the special packages. If he turns out to be the starter this week and beyond, "special" packages are no more. The offense will basically be a read option offense using playaction for passing. And I believe people wanted Hendrix to succeed so bad because they were tired of Rees. Heres hoping last night was a bump in the road.

That's quite the reach. I believe in the staff, that doesn't mean I have to blindly believe that they can pull off some miracle gameplan where our QB doesn't throw the ball.

If you think that the staff can change 3.5 years worth of mental attitude, physical skillset and playbook understanding.... In one week... Then you haven't played much football. That's crazy talk.

I dont think its a reach at all, the staff isn't going to throw a passing playbook at him. They are going to take the plays in the playbook that fit his skillset. It's become pretty apparent that Kelly and co. try to stick to the gameplan and the plays they practiced all week leading up to the particular game, regardless of injury.

And you don't need a miracle gameplan against Air Force. They in all probability will run alot of read option with playaction like I mentioned above. This is something that fits Hendrix skillset. And if you dont think his mental mindset will change this week knowing he is the starter (if in fact Rees is out), you are crazy my man.

And I'd like to say my football playing and coaching has given me an understanding of game.

 

[ulukinatme]

Heres the thing about the special packages. If he turns out to be the starter this week and beyond, "special" packages are no more. The offense will basically be a read option offense using playaction for passing. And I believe people wanted Hendrix to succeed so bad because they were tired of Rees. Heres hoping last night was a bump in the road.

I dont think its a reach at all, the staff isn't going to throw a passing playbook at him. They are going to take the plays in the playbook that fit his skillset. It's become pretty apparent that Kelly and co. try to stick to the gameplan and the plays they practiced all week leading up to the particular game, regardless of injury.

And you don't need a miracle gameplan against Air Force. They in all probability will run alot of read option with playaction like I mentioned above. This is something that fits Hendrix skillset. And if you dont think his mental mindset will change this week knowing he is the starter (if in fact Rees is out), you are crazy my man.

And I'd like to say my football playing and coaching has given me an understanding of game.

Heres the thing: the special packages that Hendrix prepares for ARE tailored to his skill set. At least you would think so, since they involve more QB designed runs. Heres a problem though...he doesn't run them that effectively. He struggles to make the right read when we do run read option. It's also apparent, and not just last night, that he struggles with throwing the ball, so play action is out. What other kind of offense is he going to run if he struggles with the read option and any kind of passes?

 

[Jimmy3Putt]

The real question is: just how bad was Massa that Hendrix turned him into a wide out?

Isn't he still cross training with the quarterbacks?

 

[ulukinatme]

The real question is: just how bad was Massa that Hendrix turned him into a wide out?

Isn't he still cross training with the quarterbacks?

I heard Kelly was more inclined to put Heggie in at QB before Massa made the switch

I'm actually a bit intrigued how Massa would perform at QB right now. Obviously there would be some major rust there, but some guys take to a position like a duck to water. Theo always seemed more comfortable as a RB than a receiver, although he made the most of his opportunities.

With depth concerns at QB, and in the unlikely event that Tommy couldn't go Saturday, does Kelly make Massa the #3 QB and preserve the Zaire redshirt? If Zaire is healthy I'd rather see him in at #2 personally, forget the redshirt. If signs point to Hendrix struggling it would be better to see what Zaire can do and maybe give us a chance to win as oppose to take a loss and preserve a redshirt.

 

[anarin]

Heres the thing: the special packages that Hendrix prepares for ARE tailored to his skill set. At least you would think so, since they involve more QB designed runs. Heres a problem though...he doesn't run them that effectively. He struggles to make the right read when we do run read option. It's also apparent, and not just last night, that he struggles with throwing the ball, so play action is out. What other kind of offense is he going to run if he struggles with the read option and any kind of passes?

You are going based off of last nights game where he obviously had serious rust and lacked any sort of confidence. I remember back to games in the past (stanford to be exact) where he moved the ball semi- effectively and was able to make passes.

Don't get me wrong, he isn't a world beater. And against serious competition I would have my doubts. But against the competition we are going to see the next 3 weeks? He'll be fine.

 

[ulukinatme]

You are going based off of last nights game where he obviously had serious rust and lacked any sort of confidence. I remember back to games in the past (stanford to be exact) where he moved the ball semi- effectively and was able to make passes.

Don't get me wrong, he isn't a world beater. And against serious competition I would have my doubts. But against the competition we are going to see the next 3 weeks? He'll be fine.

Hendrix had one scoring drive that was helped by 3 penalties on Stanford during that drive. The second drive came in garbage time at the very end of the game. A couple decent drives don't define a player, his career does.

 

[ickythump1225]

I heard Kelly was more inclined to put Heggie in at QB before Massa made the switch

I'm actually a bit intrigued how Massa would perform at QB right now. Obviously there would be some major rust there, but some guys take to a position like a duck to water. Theo always seemed more comfortable as a RB than a receiver, although he made the most of his opportunities.

With depth concerns at QB, and in the unlikely event that Tommy couldn't go Saturday, does Kelly make Massa the #3 QB and preserve the Zaire redshirt? If Zaire is healthy I'd rather see him in at #2 personally, forget the redshirt. If signs point to Hendrix struggling it would be better to see what Zaire can do and maybe give us a chance to win as oppose to take a loss and preserve a redshirt.

We can't, at this point in BK's tenure, afford a loss to AF. The needle of the program is pointed upwards and as long as we can win 9 or 10 games given the situation the needle will still be pointed north. However losses to teams that are clearly a notch or two below us could be detrimental. I'm not one to get too rocked by losses so long as they're to the Oklahomas and Michigans of the world...teams that are perceived to be equal to or perhaps a step ahead (in the eyes of some) of us.

 

[PANDFAN]

this is FACT

hendrix couldn't throw a 5-7 yard out route...it went about 4 yards into the ground

he can't stay on his feet when he tries to run
we have penalties galore when he comes into the game
0 confidence and produced NOTHING

i've seen enough to not ever see that **** again...it was embarrassing, not only for him but to be a div 1 qb being so inept ...burn malik's redshirt and don't think twice...i can't stomach another game w/ hendrix...it was dayne crist all over again except no completions