On Second Thought

Since before the Champs Sports Bowl, Irish fans have looked to the 2012 season to have someone other than Tommy Rees behind center.  Tommy came off the bench early in the 2010 season to rally Notre Dame’s season as a true freshman.  Although Rees made mistakes that were normal for a true freshman coming off the bench, he was winning - and winning big - against USC and in the Sun Bowl Game against the University of Miami.  When the 2010 season was over, there were great expectations because he had played so well as a freshman.  We thought that if he had a season to grow, learn, mature and develop his game, we’d fare better in 2011.  However, Dayne Christ was named the starter, perhaps because Rees did not take his game to the next level during the off season and Kelly knew it.  As we saw, after Rees took over at QB in 2011, it looked like a re-run, with decent plays and a few wins, but making the same mistakes and not having the signature wins over USC or a bowl victory.

Many of us have looked forward to seeing more of Andrew Hendrix during the 2012 campaign.  Hendrix played well during his short stints of play calling during 2011 and was well recruited out of high school for a reason.  He is a good runner, is a good size and has a very strong arm.  Many others are looking to the 2011 Scout Team offensive MVP Evertt Golson.  Super talented and athletic, Golson has been seen as Kelly’s guy and the future of this team.  Perhaps Hendrix and Golson would share time, but either way, Rees seems to be the odd man out, especially with Gunner Kiel now in the mix.  At 6’4” 220 lbs. and rated as the #1 quarterback by almost every rating service and the #1 overall recruit by some, as well as the fact that he is an early enrollee who will be able to attend spring practice, Kiel has to be taken somewhat seriously in the quarterback competition.  Gunner may not be the “running” quarterback that Golson and Hendrix are, but he can run and can run the spread.  Either way, Rees seems to be the odd man out.

After the Super Bowl I had a thought.  Having never been a big NFL follower, I live on the fringes of the Pro Football world, but with the two-week, 24-hour coverage of the Super Bowl, I got more insight and information than I normally do.  After the Giants win and the subsequent breakdown around Eli Manning, there seemed to be some things that made me think of Tommy Rees, which of course led me to thinking about Rees some more.

One radio talk show host commented on the ice water running thorough Manning’s veins and how calm, cool and collected his plays.  Looking at Manning, he comes across as innocent, a bit naïve and perhaps a little bit of a “Homer,” which reminds me a little like Rees.  As a young NFL quarterback, I recall his playing being less than spectacular and many saying he may not make it in this league, which sounds a little like Rees.  As I looked back on how after such a decent freshman year and then being disappointed in the lack of development during his sophomore campaign, I had a thought.  How many Division I sophomore quarterbacks are leading their teams to BCS Bowl victories?  Jonas Gray had three below average if not disappointing years before his impressive senior season.  What if Rees’s breakout year is his third?  Most starters (if not stars) at major college football programs don’t play four years at a Heisman winning level.  What if 2012 is Rees’s version of Manning’s 2007?  Just a second thought.

OK now what?

With a little over a month and a half until spring football practice starts we have some time to look at the future, speculate and dream.  With seventeen new additions to the program there is much to talk about.  National signing day went well overall for the Irish despite one surprise disappointment and no surprise signings (unlike last year).  With four new players already on campus, three early enrollees and one USC transfer momentum for the 2012 season is rolling forward.  Although it may be a few years to determine if this class is a success there are a few players that will and will have to contribute early for the Irish to be successful this year.

Looking at new players already on campus we will have to assume that participating in spring workouts and practices including the Blue and Gold Game will pay early dividends to their development.  Maybe even more valuable is the time they spend becoming acclimated to campus life.  It can be tough enough making the jump from high school football to a big time college program without having to learn all the other things that come with it such as where are my classes, how do I fit in what are the dorms like, etc.  Gunner Kiel, Tee Shepard and Sheldon Day show maturity beyond their years by graduating early and making the commitment and sacrifice to leave their high school experience early to begin life in South Bend.  Make no mistake about it being 17 years old and a part of the Notre Dame Family is attractive but realize that leaving your buddies, missing the prom and not walking across a stage with people who may have known your whole life to celebrate in the accomplishment of graduation is no easy task.

The rest of the signees will report to campus shortly after graduation to start summer school and begin their college career months before the rest of the ‘Normal” freshman class.  Defensive lineman Jarron Jones said he will be on campus the day after he graduates from Aquinas Institute in Rochester NY, not much time to reflect on you high school years and lounge with your friends.

With the number of signees on Wednesday being less than expected Kelly and his staff have to decide whether to extend more offers to fifth years or wait out some other high school targets that have yet to commit to a college program, specifically cornerback/wide receiver/ athlete  Davonte’ Neal.  Either way the Irish have options and choices which is better than not having them.  Meanwhile in the upcoming months we can speculate and review out new players and how they will fit into the scheme for the future.  Some will compete right away, some will red shirt and some may never play a down they and we can only hope for the best.  No matter what happens as spring approaches one thing is for sure hope will spring eternal.

For those of you who hold a grudge and want to follow their careers and jeer here is a list of those recruits who at one time were committed to the Irish but changed their minds; Deontay Greenberry to Houston, Ronald Darby to Florida State, Taylor Decker and David Perkins to Ohio State.  Of course there were others targeted by the Irish who chose other programs and we can only hope we were lucky to have them pass.

Oh yeah by the way we have already started the recruitment process for the class of 2013 (Kelly was in contact with over a dozen prospects from that class on Wednesday) since that signing day is fast approaching on February 6^th 2013.