Irish still have eyes on three quarterbacks ... for now
SOUTH BEND -- Roughly midway through a public Saturday morning workout at Notre Dame Stadium, the Fighting Irish offense approached a line of scrimmage near the north end zone, readying for another minimal-contact play against a scout-team defense.
Of eye-dilating importance to the hundreds of fans in attendance and to the legions of Notre Dame faithful elsewhere, prized freshman quarterback Jimmy Clausen barked the signals and took every snap. In reality, this was sound and moderated fury signifying nothing; apparently, of the three quarterbacks contending for the Irish's starting job, it was merely Jimmy Clausen's turn to run the team during this practice period.
Then, in an almost comical coincidence, a Notre Dame assistant -- it was difficult to tell which one, as reporters were being shuffled off the field and to the press box for the second half of practice -- for some reason bellowed to the players: "Don't look at the quarterback!"
In the context of Notre Dame football these days, the command might as well have been "Stop breathing oxygen!" or "Consider this a tennis school!" Other positions offer plenty of questions, but no one's focus deviates too long before returning to the quarterback quandary, where Jimmy Clausen, junior Evan Sharpley and sophomore Demetrius Jones are vying for the Irish gig.
The intensely interested parties include Irish coach Charlie Weis, who on Saturday (and evidently every day before it) devoted almost all of his practice attention to the position. It's no insignificant sign: Weis stated on the first day of preseason workouts that the identity of the quarterback shapes what the Irish will do on offense, and not vice-versa.
And after the first week of drills ended Saturday, Weis sounded a mildly optimistic note on the position. "I think we'll be good enough to win -- that's what I've learned," Weis said. "That's the biggest question mark that the guy who's directly responsible for the position has to worry about. But what I've learned is we'll be good enough to compete to win."
By early this week, Weis could determine if any one of the contenders has separated himself from the others, even though he said he doesn't plan on revealing the starter before the Sept. 1 opener against Georgia Tech.
A cut-down may be necessary to have any idea how to move forward, considering the candidates are equally unproven but not equivalently skilled. There is Jimmy Clausen, the classic pocket passer; there is Jones, a swift run-and-pass threat; and in the middle of the spectrum sits Sharpley, who threw two passes as Brady Quinn's backup in 2006.
During Saturday's open workout, nothing but personal space separated the trio. In two potentially telling practice periods of full contact, each quarterback received the exact same amount of offensive reps. Each made nice throws and head-scratching errors. It reinforced what Jones pointed out earlier in the week: Would any questions be asked if Weis was truly certain about the position?
"If it wasn't that close, I'm quite sure he would have named a starter," Jones said. "That's the process. It's probably going to be a tough decision. And then when it comes out, even if it's not who you want it to be, we could never regret anything or say that we all didn't get a fair chance. Because as far as reps and treatment, we're all getting the same thing."
But judging by Weis' timetable, probably not for long.
Three Observations
1. Whether Weis was willing to concede the point or not -- and Saturday, he wasn't -- Jimmy Clausen didn't appear to throw very hard and for sure didn't throw very far the entire workout. It may be significant due to offseason hubbub surrounding a reported elbow procedure the vaunted freshman underwent, something that has gone unacknowledged by Notre Dame to date.
And it may mean absolutely, positively nothing, since Weis had his quarterbacks on that rotation -- in other words, it was Jones' and Sharpley's day to throw 1-on-1 routes to receivers, Jimmy Clausen's to run 9-on-7 offense. When it was pointed out that Jimmy Clausen didn't throw a deep ball all practice (Jones and Sharpley threw at least one each), Weis replied cryptically, "Can he throw the ball deep? I think we'll have to wait until Sept. 1 to find out." Add that ingredient to the bubbling mystery.
2. Weis is going out of his way to emphasize to everyone -- players, fans, media -- his trust in first-year defensive coordinator Corwin Brown. After a personnel switch on one practice rep Saturday, the Irish defense wound up with just 10 players on the field. Action stopped before the snap, and Weis backed off to let Brown do the chastising. Brown then ran a penalty lap with the entire defense before animatedly discussing the gaffe with them again.
It's a necessary psychological tack for Weis, considering the Irish are switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense and the coaches need the players to buy in with full confidence. And after finishing a mediocre 65th nationally in total defense in '06, they also need to buy into the 37-year-old Brown's assertive mindset. "We're definitely flying around a lot more, we're definitely more aggressive," said outside linebacker John Ryan, who converted from a defensive end in the 4-3. "It's a lot more simple, compact."
3. Losses to Southern California and LSU last year weren't a philosophical tipping point, but certainly validated a recruiting creed on display through some of the young Irish players this fall: Notre Dame needs to load up on speed, speed and more speed.
In freshmen like tailback Armando Allen, receiver Golden Tate and tight end Mike Ragone, the emphasis is evident. "They all run very, very fast for the position they play," Weis said. "Having more guys that have the potential to score when they touch the ball ... that's important."
X-Factor
Taking the quarterbacks out of the equation for a nanosecond, there will be a playmaking onus on David Grimes and the rest of the wide receiver position. Weis has insisted all week that he is pleased with his wideouts while everyone else wrings their hands over the loss of Jeff Samardzija and Rhema McKnight (combined 145 receptions, 1,924 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2006).
The Irish's top two returning pass catchers at the wideout spot are the 5-foot-10-inch Grimes (26 catches in '06) and 5-foot-8-inch George West (two catches in '06), meaning there will be at minimum a drastic physical difference on the edges this year. That is unless young receivers like Tate (6-foot) and fellow freshman Duval Kamara (6-foot-4) push for a spot, which Weis seems to think they're doing.
Keep An Eye On
Ryan, who converted to outside linebacker for the 3-4, and nose tackle Pat Kuntz. Both players are slotted in spots unique to an odd-man front for the first time and both have fairly critical responsibilities. Ryan must fold in pass coverage responsibilities while remaining stout at the point of attack against the run, and Kuntz must learn to deal with constant double-teams while occupying blockers.
"It's pretty important, because a lot of times, when a linebacker isn't making a play, it's usually because the nose tackle didn't do his job right," Kuntz said.
Weis said Saturday that he has been impressed with the physicality of the defensive line, and after giving up 136.8 yards rushing per game last season, that's a start.
Factoid That May Only Interest Me
After one early season game in 2006, Weis was somewhat appalled to learn that many Irish players didn't know the words to the Notre Dame alma mater. So he has instituted singing rehearsals, and the Irish freshmen serenaded the crowd after Saturday's workout.
"After watching that one game last year where half the guys didn't know the alma mater, it's been a pet peeve of mine ever since," Weis said Saturday. "I made the captains and (the freshman) come in early last night. They practiced in front of the team last night.
"The jury's still out. I think they know the words. You couldn't hear them (after the practice), but it was awful, just absolutely awful."
Camp Confidential
Senior Travis Thomas was re-converted to tailback after spending 2006 at linebacker, the better to lend some experience to the backfield. But Weis said Saturday that he has five tailbacks he feels he can win with, leading one to wonder how ingrained Thomas is as the starter, or how much of a timeshare the position will be. ... Irish fans have bemoaned the secondary's proclivity to giving up big plays in recent years, but renewed depth in that department may help solve the issue. Where he felt handcuffed to make changes in recent years due to a lack of options, Weis said he won't hesitate to yank a player who isn't manning his post sufficiently. The hope is the added pressure of competition will hone the secondary's focus. ... Irish kickers were just 6-of-14 on field goal attempts at the end of practice Saturday. Predictably, Weis said he is not ready to name a starter there. ... Safety Tom Zbikowski was a third-team All-American last season but played most of last year as a shell of himself after getting speared in the Purdue game and, according to Zbikowski, losing feeling in half of his body at that point. The injury damaged his NFL stock and more or less forced him to return for a fifth season, which could be motivation for a standout season. "I didn't come back to have a rebuilding year," Zbikowski said.
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