Rockne's Roundtable

Against a poweful defense, who will bring a lot of pressure - Tommy's not the guy. We'll need a faster more mobile QB. But the problem is Hendrix has seen very little real playing time, and Golson none. I like a lot of what Kelly's doing for ND, but he dropped the ball at QB this year. Hendrix could have, and should have, seen a lot more playing time this year!

Tommy's a good kid, but Kelly needs to learn one simple rule: "If it ain't working, change it"!

Agree with post very much, Tommy did some very nice things during his tenure as starting qb. Back to back 8+ win seasons is a big upgrade from where we have have been. I remember thinking in several seasons past if we could get to 8 wins and build from there that would be a great start. And that is what Kelly is doing, this is the start of an actual program with sustained success I believe.

But kking where I totally agree with you is that the qb spot is our biggest? And until we find consistency in that position we are going to have some ups and downs during the season.

I also love your correct optimism with Coach Kelly. "He's the guy" to quote Monk. A little time and patience and we will be rewarded. +1 to you kking

I agree. I also think it bodes well for irish if Rees plays 70% of the game.

As always, the flow of the game -- as in Kelly's perception of it -- will dictate who plays when and how much.

Kelly said in his Q & A, that Hendrix is now capable of more than just a situational contribution. But for whose benefit was he talking? Ours or FSU's? And, depending on the answer to that, was he blowing disinformative smoke or being straightforward?

Even harder to determine who will start is the question as to who will perform better. The poorer player could have the better day or vice versa. And, of course, you can't rule out either QB being injured. Question: what do we do if they are both injured? Put in Massa? Just kidding.

If Golson were needed, would it burn a year for him? Seriously asking as I am not an eligibility expert.

I'm actually trying to hide a bit from all the intense QB scrutiny, hoping that, by some counter-intuitive ju-jitsu, we run all over their vaunted defense, intercept 4 passes and/or have a breakout day with our punt return game. Maybe GA III can take two to the house as well.

To me, it shapes up as a tough game. I hope Kelly has some new looks in store and is able to use his weapons in surprising ways. If he can surprise them, it will improve our chances. Will there be surprises in how he deploys the QBS? I'm trying not to think about it.

Risksorter,

Yes, Golson would burn a year of eligibility if he played for even one second after the first 20 percent (or thereabouts) of the season.

I am with Zephler on this. What if Tommy comes out and throws a couple of quick TD passes to Floyd (or someone else) like he did against Miami last year? You can't force a situation. Gerry Faust tried to do that in his first season in 1981 with Blair Kiel and Tim Koegel, and it eroded the confidence of everyone.