The Quarterback

elkona

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Full disclosure: I was one of those guys who could not understand why Weis would start Demetrius Jones against Georgia Tech & reorient the offense for him.
And then I was sure that Clausen would get better as the season progressed and be a 60%-200 yards kinda guy by now.
But seeing how lousy Sharpley played today has me convinced that Weis must have been awfully depressed over the summer watching these QBs slog it out.
Sharpley overthrew receivers, threw into traffic, underthrew receivers, and looked like he was trying way too hard to make a big downfield play. Of course the protection was not always great, and maybe it's more about receivers who can't get open on slants and short routes, I'm not sure. But I'm not certain Even Sharpley has the natural talent to quickly survey the field and find an open receiver. As it stands now. Sharpley would throw to Robbie Parris if the WR was lying on his back with a linebacker on top of him.

This QB situation won't be resolved this year. And from what I've been reading about Dayne Crist, he's not ready for primetime.

Maybe we're talking 2009 before we have a shot at making the BCS again.
 

CNY_Domer

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After reflecting on the game today, I came to the realization that the reason the offensive is struggling beside the offensive line and Weis gameplan is the lack of a and I mean singular leader. I believe the defense plays "inspired" football because of the play of Laws. On the other side the complete lack of "inspired" football is because no says "hey I am tired of getting the shit kick out of me and I am going to do something about it." I believe all 11 are looking around for someone to set up, the only time this season that happen was with Tate at Purdue.
 

SoCalDomer

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elkona, you raise an interesting point if Weis saw his QB's and was depressed. But then I have a question, "Where's the friggin running game!"

He's still trying to throw the ball 60 times per game! Some of that happens because we get behind. But that's why this needed to be a bigger priority in the spring & summer.

Spring and summer should have been used to create a big strong OL that would push 3yds and a cloud of dust.

If we hold the ball for 40 mins per game because we just keep getting first down after first down, 3-5 yds at a time, we would be competitive.

"It can't be done, when the defense knows the run is coming." BS! Navy runs the ball 300+ yds per game. I know they use the option, but certainly an offensive genius could pull out a three back set to throw some confusion at who is going to run the ball. And Navy does all that running with much smaller guys (due to Navy weight restrictions) and much less talent.

At the start of the season, didn't we have a quaterback who was capable of running the ball? The traditional option should have been a much easier scheme to teach than the spread option that WV runs.

Unless he's a one dimensional offensive genius.
 
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SoCalDomer

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I'm not surprised he didn't play today. Part of the reason he sat was because of "being banged up."
 

Master Guns

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Just a hunch, nothing more. The fact that he wasn't even given a shot today would be one thing.

I think he is still hurt. He seemed pumped up at the start of the game, but then reality settled in across the sidelines that the irish were at the wrong end of ANOTHER blow out!
 

elkona

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Clausen won't transfer. For one, he's already 20 years old and sitting out a year would make him a 22 year old sophomore!
Check out an article that ran a couple days ago, in the SB tribune I think that included comments from one of Clausen's tailback buddies from California who was likewise a 5 star recruit and is a back-bencher at USC this year. That kid suggested that he was surprised Clausen played so much already -- regardless of Jimmy's hyperbole about winning 4 national championships.
Clausen needs to bulk up, encourage his O line to do same, and spend the offseason showing Weis that up-side we heard so much about. He'll be starting next year and we'll know mid-year how the transition is going. We can check that Michigan kid (who started in place of Henne against ND) for comparison.
 

IrishAlum1997

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Boy...I'm clueless on this one.

I voted for Evan, simply because making yet another QB change just seems like grasping at straws at this point, and I do still think that Evan's arm strength is better than Jimmy's right now. If Jimmy is 100%, then I would change my vote.

Can Kuntz, Laws, Smith, Neal and Mo Crum line up on the O-line? :)
 

SoCalDomer

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few thoughts about the article

1) glad he's somewhere he wants to be and feels comfortable. good for him. Cinci is a program on the rise, he might do well.
2) I seriously doubt Weis put him in there as the sacrificial lamb to save Clausen. Just consider the beating Clausen took the rest of the year against much tougher defenses. Weis obviously didn't know the OL was going to play that badly. I do believe Weis slated Jones as the starter because of the ill-conceived plan to run the spread option. But if it worked, Jones would have stayed in the whole game. Weis may have re-opened the starter's spot after that game if he was going away from the spread, but if Jones had established himself as the best QB by that time, I doubt Weis would have replaced him.
3) Jones may be right about Weis' intent with the QB position (he does seem to have favorites at some positions). But if Jones played well enough, I seriously doubt CW would have pulled him just to put an underperforming Clausen in. If Jones was the best QB, he would have played. None of the QB's did that well given the OL troubles, and that's not his fault. But all of the QB's had the same terrible line to play behind.
4) Jones seems to confuse criticism of the decision to transfer with the way he went about it. I don't think people criticize his decision to transfer, which may turn out to be in his best interest. The only criticism I've seen is the way he went about it: he practiced with the team all week and just failed to show up on the bus come game time without telling anyone.
 
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ACamp1900

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Weis did not care who won the job...he wanted a QB. Jones was injured and did not play well enough to win the spot. That's life...he has still not accepted that.

But it was ND's fault it wasn't diagnosed right... remember???

:jerkit:
 

irishmarine

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he was a little premadonna who couldnt take criticism. i dont care where he is or what he does. i wish him the best but he is not a thought in my miond anymore. he didnt have the intestinal fortitude to stand up and take what he got. so he just walked out with out confroting anything. hes a b:t@h
 

elkona

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Anyone have any recent intel on Dayne Crist? Is he capable of stepping in if Clausen gets hurt or fails to improve? Seems like the team isn't too deep in the QB position this year.
 

Junkhead

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Anyone have any recent intel on Dayne Crist? Is he capable of stepping in if Clausen gets hurt or fails to improve? Seems like the team isn't too deep in the QB position this year.

Sharpley will be around. Crist would be served best by sitting out this year.
 

IrishGrizz

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Exactly, junk- Sharpley can work thru the games in place of JC if he has any minor nuicks that causes him to lose alittle PT. Only if it is a big injury do I believe Crist will see the field.
 

AlbuquerqueIrishFan

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Exactly, junk- Sharpley can work thru the games in place of JC if he has any minor nuicks that causes him to lose alittle PT. Only if it is a big injury do I believe Crist will see the field.

I'd like to see Crist redshirt so we get him for an extra year.
 

IrishGrizz

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rog- although, technically it wouldn't be a red shirt. (insert normal ND disclaimer here about 5th yrs having to have already graduated and been accepted into a graduate program to play)
 

irishmarine

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yeah, i got drilled by someone the first time i said "redshirt" in here. just so he knows they dont redshirt. its a common term used by most universities but we at notre dame dont use redshirt. just a heads up.
 

IrishGrizz

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I can understand that for short-cut description of a guy coming back for his 5th year to get in his 4th year of eligibility calling it a red-shirt year.

However, I totally understand people who are trying to show that there is truely a difference here at ND. Having as a requirement that the student/athlete already graduate prior to getting that extra year shows the academic emphasis is not just words. When you add that the student also has to be accepted into a Graduate program shows that you cannot be a ballroom dancer. Does any other school do anything remotely similar?
 

irishmarine

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hahaha go huskies hahaha youre right though. we hold ourselves to a higher standard nopt just athletically but academically as well. some people just get doucey about it. theyre like "duh we dont have redshirts here meh meh meh" just trying to be polite. not that yall werent but i was nailed by it.
 

IrishGrizz

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Yeah, that was how i learned about the differences- watching someone else get flailed by a couple of others. I figure there are alot of new posters all the time,like I was who are new here and are getting excited about ND football, trying to take it to the next level, and don't necessarily know as much as some of these guys. If we can continuously put it out in a nicer, kinder, gentler way, then its all good. :meditate:

if not, then f*&^ it. :kissmy::devil_2:
 
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