Tommy Rees is the luckiest man in the world

[bbirish73]

He gets to start at Notre Dame for majority of his career out of default when he has no business being a starter.

Freshman year----gets to start because of Crist injury
Sophomore year---gets to start because BK had a short leash on Crist.
Junior year----gets one start against BYU because of Golson injury
Senior year---gets to start because Golson is dumb and Kiel transferred.

How fucking lucky can you get man? Rees was probably the third string quarterback for this season after the National Championship game.

Look at all the other teams in the country? What major college football program has a quarterback worst than Tommy Rees?

 

[purguy12]

I agree, he wouldn't start for any other Div 1 school in college football. Its a joke that he is starting for ND.

 

[Lillyliverd]

I don't really consider Rees to be all that lucky. To many fans, Rees is a pariah and certainly nobody's hero. I would say that Rees is incompetent and undeserving of the position, but not lucky.

Do we blame Rees for trying his best to do what the coaches ask of him or do we blame the coaches that Rees is our best option? BK has failed to develop talent across the board. We have consistently recruited better than many teams that are better than us.

 

[purguy12]

I blame Kelly for not having a better back up QB but I disagree about developing talent. We went to the NC game for the 1st time in a very long time and that has to do with development of players.

 

[craigk217]

I blame Kelly for not having a better back up QB but I disagree about developing talent. We went to the NC game for the 1st time in a very long time and that has to do with development of players.

Then why does Rees suck so bad (in your own words) after 4 yrs with BK? Why doesn't this vaunted D-line of ours even get a breath on opposing QBs? Why are the LB's so porous and cant tackle worth a crap? Why cant our DBs/LBs cover (or even attempt to cover) anything? Why do we not have a punt/kick return team worth a crap? I could go on ... but I guess they're just still under that great 'development' stage ...

All of these players on the roster (or nearly all) are all BK's recruits that have had time to develop under his tenure. Where are they ... I just cant see them. This defense is piss poor and we're supposed to have one of the best front 7s in college football. Really ... they have been developed???

 

[idseer]

I blame Kelly for not having a better back up QB but I disagree about developing talent. We went to the NC game for the 1st time in a very long time and that has to do with development of players.

i know a nd fan would like to put the best possible spin on last years championship appearance .... but let's face the truth. 9 out of 10 times nd does not go to that game. i think it took an amazing set of coincidences to make that happen. nd was not as good as at least 5 other teams and more likely not as good as ten.
kelly has shown he's not developed very well at all considering his recruiting. in addition his actual managing of games leaves something to be desired.

i'm beginning to lose faith fast in kelly. he's better than some we've had but that isn't really saying much. he not what i was hoping for, that's for sure.

 

[bbirish73]

Then why does Rees suck so bad (in your own words) after 4 yrs with BK? Why doesn't this vaunted D-line of ours even get a breath on opposing QBs? Why are the LB's so porous and cant tackle worth a crap? Why cant our DBs/LBs cover (or even attempt to cover) anything? Why do we not have a punt/kick return team worth a crap? I could go on ... but I guess they're just still under that great 'development' stage ...

All of these players on the roster (or nearly all) are all BK's recruits that have had time to develop under his tenure. Where are they ... I just cant see them. This defense is piss poor and we're supposed to have one of the best front 7s in college football. Really ... they have been developed???

I agree with you that isn't just Rees. There is problems all over this team. The only positive I see is the receivers and I think the line has been pretty good. It is frustrating. Why can't we find consistency?

 

[purguy12]

idseer- We go to that game every time. I don't know what you are getting at. ND was 12-0 and had one of the tough schedules last year they deserved it.

 

[purguy12]

Then why does Rees suck so bad (in your own words) after 4 yrs with BK? Why doesn't this vaunted D-line of ours even get a breath on opposing QBs? Why are the LB's so porous and cant tackle worth a crap? Why cant our DBs/LBs cover (or even attempt to cover) anything? Why do we not have a punt/kick return team worth a crap? I could go on ... but I guess they're just still under that great 'development' stage ...

All of these players on the roster (or nearly all) are all BK's recruits that have had time to develop under his tenure. Where are they ... I just cant see them. This defense is piss poor and we're supposed to have one of the best front 7s in college football. Really ... they have been developed???

He sucks because he isn't a Div 1 QB, if anything it proves how good Kelly is because Rees has a winning record for someone that doesn't have that much talent. Its a give and take. Kelly should get a lot of credit for last year but this year he should take some blame.

 

[purguy12]

I will say I am disappointed in Kelly Offense. I thought we would be running it by now. What happen to his Cincy offense where he used 7 different QBs.

 

[Lillyliverd]

I was watching GameDay this morning and BK said the ND defense is "solid". I feel better now because I thought our defense might be a little shakey. With a "solid" defense, we should be able to just pound the ball and just let Rees manage the game. ND 24 ASU 21. I just wonder what happened to our secondary this week that they are solid now. Miracles happen all the time.

 

[craigk217]

He sucks because he isn't a Div 1 QB, if anything it proves how good Kelly is because Rees has a winning record for someone that doesn't have that much talent. Its a give and take. Kelly should get a lot of credit for last year but this year he should take some blame.

So Rees still sucks b/c of how good BK is in developing him?

 

[KnuteRoc]

I'd actually started typing out my feelings about the coaching earlier this week but said fuck it.

Some things that really bother me about Kelly are that he doesn't seem to speak the truth, he plays politician. Just saw this on Gameday, a video of Kelly (press conference?) saying he thinks the D is 'solid', not spectacular but solid. I'm not seeing it. The ILBs do not seem to be on the same page, do not seem to be able to read plays quick enough and often are caught out of position because of it. Some of that is on them, some on the coaches. The OLBs may lack the speed or they're also suffering from poor reads themselves. This makes it even harder on the secondary, regardless of their skill level. The ILBs must maintain their gaps and FILL correctly, if Tuitt is going to be double teamed nearly every single play, these LBs need to step up/in and make the dam play on anything inside. The secondary play could use some work too. Some of this is on the coaches too.

I've been wondering to myself if Diaco should've swapped to a 4-3 with this squad considering how the ILBs have been playing. It's subjective but in my humble opinion the 3-4 is predicated on a strong NT, which we have in Tuitt but is also very dependent on the ILBs filling correctly. Going to the 4-3 might get Tuitt fewer double teams, clog up those A gaps a bit more on the line and then your MLB could be a bit more clear about what he should be doing play-to-play.

As for the offense... I don't mind the spread but balance is and will always be a key to keeping a defense honest. We have in my view strong enough depth at the RB position to really pound the ball, whether it be off-tackle, up the gut or on the edges. I don't believe this O-line is that bad, but I see way more zone blocking on runs than I'm comfortable with, we have size, we should be using it. We have 'enough' skill at WR to make ends meet. I see way too many sideline passes for my liking, perhaps that has to do with our receivers' ability to get separation but I also think it has to do with route schemes as well.

Kelly and his insistence on passing too much with a QB who really isn't suited for it is in my opinion putting this team in a hole early. What the fuck is wrong with committing to the run early in a game, setting the tone and sticking to it? Now some of you might say, well they're putting 8-9 in the box on first down and daring Rees to throw... if you can read the damn blitz and know where it's coming from a good portion of the time, you can audible to a sweep, a pitch, a dive, etc, or go to the pass as well. For all the talk I hear of Tommy's ability to read defenses well I don't see what I'd consider good or better audibles. I rarely see us throw the slant to the slot on a middle blitz, or the TE releasing either over the middle, wide or to the seam. These should be pretty standard calls for a blitz happy team.

What I feel is that Kelly is being inflexible either in his adjustment or his approach to what he has to know by now is coming.

Sorry to be sort of off-topic, I realize this post focused on Rees' 'luck', but that's just another thing, who recruited him and why? The Purdue QB had never started a game before at any level and looked so much better than Rees, as do so many QBs we're facing. I'm curious what the hell any coach saw in him?

I do realize the game has changed a bit, football is becoming a lot more pass oriented but I will say this: there are teams out there that do employ old-school offenses, 'Bama for instance. How is it they can run so well consistently, McCarron isn't that mobile himself? This isn't the NFL, you can still run the damn ball effectively in College and I'd argue you can in the NFL as well, just look at the Vikings, A.P. carries that offense for the most part.

Kelly in my view should be able to tailor that offense to what he has and it doesn't seem to be the case, it seems to be the same thing no matter who is QB'ng. That reminds me of Mike Martz.

Lastly, I just don't like the politically correct appraisal from coach. If they stink, they stink, it's not like other teams and other coaches don't know it, so you're just coddling these young men and I don't think there's room for that in football. If you've done poorly as a coach in preparing the team, nothing wrong at all with owning it. I just can't stand to hear; We're solid on D, when in actuality, you're not.

I don't mind so much that we may not be as talented as last year, talent is talent, but what I expect to see is sound play, everyone on the same page, in other words, WELL COACHED. That to me is what I see lacking, our talent can be crap but you still play the game and scheme as it's drawn up, I can live with that even if we lose, that tells me, the other team WAS better, but when we don't look fully prepared and well coached, you then have to wonder, were they truly better or did we hurt our chances more by not playing sound football?

Sorry for the long post, but I don't believe in just saying this team stinks or slinging a one-liner.

 

[awclayton]

Knute, I agree with the change to a 4-3. If diaco is a brilliant coordinator, he should be able to adjust to the players that he has. Put day and nix in the middle, that would be a wall inside. Like you said it would put nix in a lot of one on one battles. Grace at MLB is just not reacting quick enough. Smith and shembo at olb and Calo in the mlb would be interesting to see. The thing that is frustrating is seeing the coaching staff being too stubborn to change with the specific talent, or lack there of that they have.

 

[purguy12]

So Rees still sucks b/c of how good BK is in developing him?

Yes it shows he is getting the most out of Rees. Its only common sense. LOL

 

[purguy12]

This is why I expect them to win. enough said. If we play ND football we can beat good teams.

 

[craigk217]

I blame Kelly for not having a better back up QB but I disagree about developing talent. We went to the NC game for the 1st time in a very long time and that has to do with development of players.

Like that awesome senior QB Hendrix that has had time to 'develop' ...

 

[matthstl]

What ten team were better than ND last year. I hate this argument but please name them all. ND deserve to be in the title game.

 

[craigk217]

What ten team were better than ND last year. I hate this argument but please name them all. ND deserve to be in the title game.

 

[jjc2009]

I agree, he wouldn't start for any other Div 1 school in college football. Its a joke that he is starting for ND.

I think this statement is a bit of hyperbole. There are 120 FBS teams, I am sure he can start for some of them.

I agree that ND should be able to draw better talent, and they did, but that talent was (a) kicked out of school and (b) didn't want to have to work to earn the starting spot so he bailed. If this were next year and Golson weren't back, we would likely have had a repeat of last year, where Zaire surpasses Rees on the depth chart. Its really the product of the cupboard being bare upon Kelly's arrival and bad circumstnaces with Kelly's QB recruits (Rees and Hendrix were the last of Weis era guys). Rees has certainly improved and has made throws this year that in years past were beyond his ability. He still has no accuracy when throwing on the run (ie missing wide open Prosise on Sat. while rolling out to his right), but he was otherwise having a very good game until his injury.

Hendrix on the other hand, not sure he could cut it at FCS level.