13 For ’13 At ND: Where’s Your ID?

I think it will depend on the RB's. What they are able to do, who gets playing time, their style. This IMHO will decide alot of how Kelly and Co choose to plan each game. I also think it will have to be about controlling distractions. Not controlling them showed up big time in the Bowl game. Im a realist, I dont feel ND had a chance against Alabama, but it should have been alot closer. No one can tell me that Teo wasnt extremely distracted and had zero focus. Kelly had already been in contact with the NFL, and also was aware of the possible fallout of the Teo situation. My point being that you have to have a plan in place in case things dont go according to Hoyle. What I did not see this year the wide receivers to big consistent threats. That in and of itself scares me for 2013. Sorry off on a tangent. Lou, is it just me or does the lack of a big time wide receiver make you nervous for next fall? Couple that with new backs.......

aceinthehole,

I don't get nervous when it comes to matters with the football team because that is out of my domain, and it's not a life-or-death situation.

But yes, I understand your thoughts about the receiving corps. For at least the last four years, Notre Dame has a clearly defined "1" receiver, a premier NFL prospect, be it Golden Tate, Michael Floyd or Tyler Eifert, with many of them often complementing off each other. At this point, I can't say that about 2013. I do believe DaVaris Daniels might have that type of skill set down the road, but I think he's about another year away from developing that type of consistency in all facets of his game.

It's not about catching a long pass here or there, or being reliable on the 8-to-10-yard patterns. It's about a defense having to game-plan around you consistently for 60 plays or so, which then opens up other avenues or derivatives of the offense. That doesn't mean the offense can't be effective. It's just that other areas have to pick up the slack, as the running game did this year. However, when you lose your top two backs, All-America TE and don't have that "1" receiver, it's really going to have to be a strong collective effort.

In my humble opinion, I thought Davaris Daniels was a big time bright spot in the national championship game. I think he is ready to take that next step and become a number one receiver. TJ Jones also took a big step forward this past year and will be a solid number two guy in 2013. If one of Daniel Smith, Justin Ferguson, Chris Brown, or Davonte Neal can step up in 2013 and emerge like Davaris Daniels did in 2012, then I think ND has the makings of a very good core group of receivers. Hopefully, two of these guys will emerge to add some depth.

In an ideal world, I believe Brian Kelly would rather run more 3-WR sets than two-TE sets. ND is working closer to the point where we can consistently put 3 to 4 WRs on the field at a time. If you look at recruiting over the last three cycles including this year's class, we have added 8 quality WR prospects. With Golson's continued development and the new WRs on the roster, ND will be a very dangerous offense in years to come.