Does it matter we don’t have a passing QB?

[NDHHI]

It’s clear BW is not an accurate passer. We don’t need him to be Brady Quinn but wow some of those passes tonight we’re alarming. I don’t see the progression from week 1. Ian Book threw better. This was s opponent he could showcase the talent. Honestly had a good 5-6 seconds every drop back to make a read and scrambled 90% of the time. That beats Miami of Ohio but not top 25 teams.

Also Josh Adams is a beast.

 

[stu4don]

I like the way Book throws the ball... That said, I trust our coaches. But BW has me a little nervous. Today was a step back after a good game vs. MSU.

 

[NotreDomer1]

Yes, teams will stack the box until Wimbush throws with consistency. The talent is definitely there, but the mechanics and decision making are not.

 

[floridairish]

Did you see the UGA game? ND can get away with not passing vs tomato cans. But against USC and Miami they are going to have to pass. The bye week ahead of USC will be important to ger the passing attack right. You are not beating any good teams with this kind of passing.attack.

 

[HDK]

It will matter.

I was out all day and have been watching the first half on my DVR and I don't think I've ever seen a worse passer at quarterback for Notre Dame. I did see a couple of nice throws, yes, but overall, Wimbush is brutal.

It's going to cost us when we play a good team.

 

[Myrish]

i was at the georgia game.... it was painful & the game was lost on wimbushes arm

 

[Pennick44]

BW will be just fine.

 

[Myrish]

BW will be just fine.

Now when you say fine, what do you mean there... like 50% completion? Today he was less than that

 

[Pennick44]

Now when you say fine, what do you mean there... like 50% completion? Today he was less than that

What was the final score?

 

[IrishInOntario]

I totally understand that the staff was using this game to keep developing Wimbush as a downfield passer, but I was a little perplexed as to why the coaching staff got away from the type of passing attack they used last week. I thought that style of passing attack best suited Wimbush and although you obviously has to alter your game plan from week to week, I want to continue to see them throw short passes with the field spread and half field, downfield reads. When Wimbush comfortably and confidently executes that game plan several weeks in a row, then expand the passing game further downfield...

 

[Tulo14]

At some point, all these dropped passes have to be hurting his confidence. He was 1-7 to begin the game but should have been 4 or 5 for 7. 7 dropped passes today. 6 of those were when Wimbush was at QB.

The WR's and TE's have to do a better job of getting open and everybody has to do a better job of catching the ball.

 

[47WimanND]

Wimbush was super accurate in HS. He will get better. I suspect that the the two years of essentially no game action has affected him alot. I think when it does click again for him he will be very good. I'd like to see him lose the side arm throw and I'd like to see the screen game be executed better. It seems that every screen we've attempted has been well defended, so it doesn't seem that they are either designed well or executed well. I also thought Long would be utilizing the tight ends more, so hopefully that part of the offense will become more evident as the season progresses.

4-1 with a QB performing at much less than his full potential is pretty impressive given what this team looked like last year.

 

[notredamerises23]

Did you see the UGA game? ND can get away with not passing vs tomato cans. But against USC and Miami they are going to have to pass. The bye week ahead of USC will be important to ger the passing attack right. You are not beating any good teams with this kind of passing.attack.

100% this. You can’t win in modern college football against the elites with this type of throwing. If you have a dominant defense and running attack, great, but st minimum, you need accurate play action safe passes in the flat to move the ball (what Jalen Hurts did last year until he became a little better throwing down th field).

 

[stu4don]

can we retire the wr screen?!!!!

 

[IrishInOntario]

Keep in mind that Tony Rice struggled as a passer, even as a senior, but with a good running game and timely completions, he won a National Championship. I don't think Brandon is ever going to be a 70% passer, but with his elite running skills I think he can be a Michael Vick 55%-60% passer that makes up for that 10% fall off in accuracy with his legs.

 

[stu4don]

Coaches: how much is scheme and how much is BW?

 

[stu4don]

Keep in mind that Tony Rice struggled as a passer, even as a senior, but with a good running game and timely completions, he won a National Championship. I don't think Brandon is ever going to be a 70% passer, but with his elite running skills I think he can be a Michael Vick 55%-60% passer that makes up for that 10% fall off in accuracy with his legs.

Didn't he have a high completion rate in HS? (Something is wrong with his motion. I blame Whitfield! He screws 'em all up.)

 

[Tulo14]

Wimbush is late on throws, no doubt about it. The staff has made sure he knows not to turn it over, which has made him hesitant. You see him sling it with a little more confidence when he gets outside the pocket. That's because he is playing more instinctively. He needs more time to develop and he needs his WR's to get open and catch balls. You could see Wimbush press when he had several dropped passes early. He will get better, no doubt in my mind.

 

[notredamerises23]

Keep in mind that Tony Rice struggled as a passer, even as a senior, but with a good running game and timely completions, he won a National Championship. I don't think Brandon is ever going to be a 70% passer, but with his elite running skills I think he can be a Michael Vick 55%-60% passer that makes up for that 10% fall off in accuracy with his legs.

It’s not 1988 anymore. Half the teams in CFB (or more) were run dominant teams back then, many running forms of the option. They never ran close to the amount of plays they run today and a team could control the game more easily. You can’t do that anymore. You will get in situations in which it is 3rd and long and you’ll have to throw to continue drives, throw to score points in the 2 minute drill before the half/at the ends of games, throw to come from behind due to unlucky plays. Your elite opposition will be able to do these things, so if you can’t, how are you going to make up those differentials? You won’t and winning will become exceedingly difficult.

If everything works out perfectly and you get all the bounces then maybe you can get away with this type of passing offense, but there will be situations when you get unlucky (bad bounces off of fumbles, unlucky deflections, etc.) and being able to throw the ball to hedge against game-to-game variance is a must in today’s game.

 

[IrishInOntario]

It’s not 1988 anymore. Half the teams in CFB (or more) were run dominant teams back then, many running forms of the option. They never ran close to the amount of plays they run today and a team could control the game more easily. You can’t do that anymore. You will get in situations in which it is 3rd and long and you’ll have to throw to continue drives, throw to score points in the 2 minute drill before the half/at the ends of games, throw to come from behind due to unlucky plays.

If everything works out perfectly and you get all the bounces then maybe you can get away with this type of passing offense, but there will be situations when you get unlucky (bad bounces off of fumbles, unlucky deflections, etc.) and being able to throw the ball to hedge against game-to-game variance is a must in today’s game.

I agree that you can't just be a good running team, you have to be able to throw the ball. But there is a difference between being a 70% passer and being a 58%, opportune passer, who can also make a lot of 2nd and 3rd down plays with his legs... I still think you can Vince Young your way to a National Title if you have a really good running game.

I'm with you on the completion percentage. I agree it needs to get better. Some of the easy throws need to be made... But he also had 2 beautiful touchdown passes again today, which tells us he has the talent to it, he just needs to continue building the consistency.... I don't think we have an LSU quarterback on our hands. If you get my reference.

 

[Fifthhorseman25]

Can not be one dimensional going forward.

 

[echowaker]

Not worried at all.

 

[Fifthhorseman25]

You can see BW has the talent, he is just not trusting himself right now. Remember that even though he has been at ND for what 3 years, this is year one under a new OC and only his fifth start.

 

[NDHHI]

I’m gathering we all see the red flags. We have a legit team here capable of winning out. The time this kid has to throw vs the production in week 4 is scary. Most talented runner we have had in years at QB but the accuracy will hold us back. Time for Tommy to coach it up.

 

[ftnfan62]

At the game. Lots of drops still. We need the receivers coach to step up. TE in the end zone let it bounce off his chest. A few others. It will come together.

 

[ftnfan62]

I guess MSU and UGA were better than we thought. MSU beats a solid Iowa team and UGA beats the crap out of tenn.

 

[impossibilityofreason1]

No doubt Wimbush has to improve to keep teams honest like USC and Miami. I'm proud of the team so far. They are punishing the lesser teams on the schedule. Leaving no doubt. They haven't let these teams creep back in. Physical and mentally tough on both sides of the ball. Forcing turnovers. No gimmicks. Go Irish

 

[NDHHI]

How about that targeting that wasn’t called when our boy lost all the gold on his helmet.

 

[HDK]

How about that targeting that wasn’t called when our boy lost all the gold on his helmet.

I don't know that you can call that targeting when Jones was the one delivering the blow, but it did remind me of a play a few years ago when Tuitt got thrown out against Pitt when their QB lowered his head just before the tackle.

 

[HDK]

Keep in mind that Tony Rice struggled as a passer, even as a senior, but with a good running game and timely completions, he won a National Championship. I don't think Brandon is ever going to be a 70% passer, but with his elite running skills I think he can be a Michael Vick 55%-60% passer that makes up for that 10% fall off in accuracy with his legs.

I remember Tony Rice being pretty accurate the few times he was required to throw each game.

 

[HDK]

At the game. Lots of drops still. We need the receivers coach to step up. TE in the end zone let it bounce off his chest. A few others. It will come together.

That is certainly part of it, but Wimbush simply can't hit the broad side of a barn at this point.

 

[Toby Smart]

How about that targeting that wasn’t called when our boy lost all the gold on his helmet.

I haven't watched the game yet on DVR but in his post game presser, BK was not happy and declined to talk about it because he didn't want to say anything that would get him in trouble.

 

[echowaker]

That is certainly part of it, but Wimbush simply can't hit the broad side of a barn at this point.

Gross exaggeration.

 

[Pennick44]

I remember Tony Rice being pretty accurate the few times he was required to throw each game.

This is what is called "revisionist history."

 

[echowaker]

Wonder if Georgia fans are whining ad nauseum about their young quarterback ? He was 7 out of 15 passing yesterday.

 

[57Patrick]

Echo, good point about GA fans and Fromm. Of course, their defense is stellar and they were playing an away game at TN, not Miami OH at home. This was simply not a good game for BW. He has the talent but seems hesitant to me. Just got to go with the coaches at this point and hope they are right. BW has shown flashes of brilliance. Just needs consistency. One game at a time, beat NC! GO IRISH!!

 

[echowaker]

Echo, good point about GA fans and Fromm. Of course, their defense is stellar and they were playing an away game at TN, not Miami OH at home. This was simply not a good game for BW. He has the talent but seems hesitant to me. Just got to go with the coaches at this point and hope they are right. BW has shown flashes of brilliance. Just needs consistency. One game at a time, beat NC! GO IRISH!!

His issues are all correctable. Inconsistency is also a common trait in inexperienced players.