Rockne's Roundtable

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BORGHI said...

OK ..TR is third string...

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Tsulliv08 said...

I was encouraged by the play of the QBs on Saturday. Not that they looked spectacular, but that there seems to be some separation, now. It's clear Kiel will preserve a year and TR is digging a deeper hole, leaving Golson and Hendrix to compete for the job.

I have to applaud BK. His handling of the QB competition, this spring, was excellent, IMO. Rarely, will a incumbant starter be outplayed by two newcomers (or relative newcomers). BK and his staff, took steps to ensure a level playing field. We all heard the reports that Rees was leading the competition, through the first 14 practices, which is too be expected. If you took a C student in 5th grade, back to 2nd, he'd likely be the smartest 2nd grader. That's no slight to Rees, I don't think this competition was designed for him to win. If it was, all four guys would be responsible for the entire playbook, versus just the basics. Any advantage TR had, coming into spring, was severely muted by this stipulation.

Now, I know we can't count TR out, nor should we. If he truly was the best performer through the first 14 spring practices, that cannot be discounted. However, the 15th and final practice cannot be evaluated equally with the others. No other practice generate a live playing atmosphere, in front of tens of thousands. Not only is the B&G game the last practice (so, the team should be sharper than the previous sessions, presumably), but it is also the closest to the atmosphere of a live game. EG's and, to a lesser extent, AH's performance on Saturday vindicated BK's handling of the QB race. Seeing both of those guys outperform TR, in a controlled environment, could be a tipping point in this race.

This performance should give the idea that someone other than Rees will start, plenty of momentum heading into the summer. This cannot be understated, IMO. The most important component of selecting a starter will be trust, of coaches and players, alike. The coaches cannot have much interaction with the players for the next three months, but these players will spend almost every day with each other. Surely, this thought is creeping into their minds, if it hadn't already. This provides an opening for EG and/or AH to take on more of a leadership role. If TR had outperformed the other QBs in the B&G game, after reportedly leading the pack during the rest of spring, there would be less of a window, if any window at all, to "win over" the rest of the team.

Doubt is not usually a good thing, but when inciting change, doubt is very powerful. I hope that EG and/or AH use this summer & fall camp to convince the coachs and, more importantly, the players, leaving little doubt to whom the starter should be. I'm not rooting against TR, but I am doubtful (there's that word again) that he can erase the doubt and uncertainty his play has caused.

This is just my speculation/interpretation. I'm sure I probably sound like Mel Gibson (in Conspiracy Theory, not the homemade tapes with his Russian GF). However, I really think BK wants someone other than TR, much like the rest of us; however, he knows that it has to be earned. His format, may have just provided that opportunity for someone else.

"No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another" -- Charles Dickens