Comments on: Replacing quarterbacks not always easy

By: gogolson

gogolson — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 02:18:42 +0000

Golson leads M.B. to SC AAA State Championship (highlights) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYH5ulAXa1c

By: schuey73

schuey73 — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 20:30:18 +0000

What a difference a year makes! A year ago after Coach Kelly was hired and Clausen left, Crist was really the only option, and we didn’t know anything about the three freshmen. Now there could be a real battle for the spot, but I beleive it’s Dayne’s job to lose if he’s healthy. This is a good problem to have.

I’m not ready to give up on Dayne either though. How quickly we forget the Michigan game. I was there, and when he got hurt all I could remember thinking was we were in HUGE trouble if it was serious. And then he comes back in the second half and promptly leads us back into the game, and we should have won. The TD pass to Rudolph to take the lead was one of the most exciting plays I’ve ever seen, and the stadium was CRAZY. I still think we win that game if Dayne hadn’t got hurt.

I also believe that real competition at the QB spot will bring out the best of Dayne. He’s only going to get better for it.

By: 1historian

1historian — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 14:50:14 +0000

This is a good problem to have.

Crist never impressed me as being in charge out there, and we can throw out Rees’ deer-in-the-headlights performance against Michigan because the more he played the better he got – he made mistakes but didn’t give up and things seemed to happen when he was out there. The battle next season could be interesting – Hendrix & Massa, Rees, Montana and Crist, and throw in Golson who may or may not red-shirt.

I see one of the three present freshmen transferring and Montana will not really be a factor – he just doesn’t have it.

That leaves 4.

By: tlndma

tlndma — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 11:13:02 +0000

And what defenses might those be? You realize ND played more bowl eligilble teams than any other team ? I suppose your talking about the SEC defenses. This year, your premise is very debatable.

By: olemantj

olemantj — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 05:06:08 +0000

Keith….basic premise is okay. However, you are comparing Dayne to QB’s who face, on a weekly basis, much tougher defenses.

By: c4evr

c4evr — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 04:17:40 +0000

In Crist’s early outings, he seemed to get rattled easily and a lot of his throws sailed on him. I understand it’s a new system and first game jitters and all, but in some of the TV close ups, he looked a little lost in the scheme. By contrast, Rees always had a purposeful look in his eyes. Perhaps it’s familiarity with the system, but he never seemed rattled by the flow of the game. He manages the game well, plays within his limits, and finds a number of guys on the field. it seemed each week, there was a new target having a career day. Crist may grow into the role – he certainly has the raw talent to take the offense to the next level, if he can stay healthy – but Rees displays an uncanny ability to let the game come to him… even if it takes about 58 minutes of the game like it did at the coliseum. After a horrendous night where he played a hand in all our turnovers, he settled down and braved the bad weather to guide the team to a winning touchdown. Of course, all this is moot if Golson comes in and pulls a Tony Rice.

By: notredamegrad

notredamegrad — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 17:31:24 +0000

Thanks, Keith, for your analysis – this is a helpful way to look at Dayne’s first season as the starting quarterback. I think he’s the man for the job and look forward to him stepping up again next fall with an improved defense to back things up and a tougher offensive line to give him time to get the ball into the right person’s hands. Tommy Rees held everything together under immense pressure, and credit to him for that – but the real power in those last three games was in our defense. Here’s to wishing Dayne Crist a speedy and happy recovery, and a spring and summer building off of the momentum of this November (and, hopefully, December).

By: tlndma

tlndma — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 13:46:29 +0000

First off, let’s hope Dayne is healthy by summer (maybe spring?). Then, let’s hope there is great competition for the starter’s job. Having two or three guys who can step in and do the job is a rarity in college football. Some teams don’t even have one dependable option. BK’s track record is he’ll have and he’ll need more than one QB ready to go.

By: vegasirish

vegasirish — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 11:07:13 +0000

Remember KA, in three starts, Tommy Rees did two things Jimmy Clausen never did. Beat a ranked team and beat USC. While I understand that “things were different” in those wins, Tommy Rees held it together and played great football. I expect quite the quarterback controversy come the Spring, but we also have to remember that this is quintessential “next man in” philosophy. Look for Brian Kelly to use Crist and Rees (or even Hendrix) just like he did Collaros and Pike at Cincinnati.

By: bwein9

bwein9 — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 05:09:53 +0000

Could not agree more Keith. I am a big believer in Dayne Crist and wish things had gone better for him this year. I guarantee you one thing if the defense had played that well earlier in the year he would have gotten a few extra wins. I’m sure there will be some good quarterback competition especially with Hendrix and Golson, but am not convinced Rees is anything more than a game manager/reliable backup. I still think Crist is our guy and with experience in the system he will demonstrate that he deserves his starting job back.