The issue that concerns me on the offensive side is leadership. It wasn't difficult for Golson to step in last year with a veteran OL, an All American TE, and 2 senior RBs. Golson just had to manage games, for the most part.

I worry that with the departures of Cave, Eifert, Riddick, and Wood, leadership will have to fall on Everret to a certain degree. And I don't know that he was ready to seize that kind of role.

It also means we can't afford an injury to Watt or Martin. Those guys will factor big into our offense's production.

It's at least intriguing to think that we could have a red zone offense that has the option to throw in guys like Brooks and Corey Robinson on the ends, allowing Niklas to stay at TE.

Maybe a good athlete with some potential. Maybe a guy with no chance to play. The latter two are more likely than Brooks being the next Gonzales.

Assuming he can learn the basics - running routes properly, evading press coverage, etc, who knows how he'll react to the hits he'll have to take. The guy hasn't played football in a long time, and the hits he'll take at this level are nothing like the hits he had to absorb years ago.

Keep in mind that Brooks still has a year of basketball eligibility left, and he'll have his degree. He is not a Big East/Big Ten caliber basketball player, but he can start at a low level Division 1 program. A fun year playing basketball at that level while taking the minimum load of grad school classes will have some appeal. He might decide that basketball is the way to go after a week of football practice.

His athleticism is too off the charts, to maybe not see a wrinkle like this happening. Make him a Superstar play him both ways.

Atkinson is not a number 1 guy. Carlisle is coming back from a serious injury. You could argue we don't have a proven back on our roster.

...as people think. To me, the situation seemed like Kelly knew what he had in Wood, and wasn't totally thrilled with it especially his reluctance to cut inside. I don't think he knew exactly what he had in Riddick, except that he had some sure hands. Riddick turned out so much greater than that.

I think the staff fought to get Carlisle cleared with a hardship waiver as an insurance policy. Once it was established that we had a very formidable attack, Kelly wasn't going to exercise the policy and preserved the option. Carlisle could have easily played in a number of games down the stretch. But by that point it wasn't worth burning the year of eligibility.

I think he'll be very good and the sure starter.

on his list. The backs will all look great if the OL is very good or better.

He's probably going to be 220 lbs, he just has to run like it.

He has the ability. Look at the 1:00 mark. I'd make him walk around campus with bent knees and leaning forward. He's as fast as anyone in college football when he hits 3rd gear.

cause for concern. I think you're right that any of ND's current backs can be good rushers if given good blocking. It's the other phases of the game that are cause for concern.

We do have talent at that position, but little experience. No matter how good a player eventually will be, they all go through a bit of a learning process when they start getting hit by the other team's #1s. I had hoped for more from GAIII in 2012 than what he delivered. He obviously has top end speed but seems to be a track star searching for his niche on the football field. Carlisle is another interesting player with speed. For that and a variety of reasons, I expect us to bust more long runs next season. However, I also expect us to put more balls on the ground, drop passes, and miss blocks -- ideally someone doesn't get Golson killed.

Late in the season and through 2014, we could have a very potent ground game. Early in the season, I expect a few bumps in the road. One plus is Alford is a good coach, so ideally he can work the RBs and limit the problems.

FWIW, I am not sure we will get it from our oline this fall.

Last year at this time, there were as many concerns about the defense as there are this year with the offense. Tuitt became a beast and Nix started to realize his potential. The play of those two covered up a lot of other problems, not only on D but also with the rest of the team. With them coming back, IMO the D will be very good this season.

Could the O take a step back?

IMO, Golson will be a pretty good college QB next year. He can run, has a better than average arm, and very good pocket presence. I expect him to play well.

As you noted, ND has questions but a lot of options at the skill positions. They are at least two to three deep in four and five star recruits. Someone should emerge, right?

But few of those folks are very experienced. Chances are they will struggle a bit: missing blocks, dropping passes, fumbling.

A dominant OL man or two could cover up such problems. Not sure we have one. Zach Martin has had a very good college career. Is ND going to be run to his side every time, they need a 3rd and 2? I dunno.

Spring will be interesting. There seems to be a lot of potential on offense but a lot of questions as well. At this point, I am not sure how it will evolve.

One could say that the offense will go as far as the line will take it, but that's not entirely accurate since there is so much room for growth at QB, RB and WR. It's still the most important element though. A powerful line will help Golson and the others get where they need to be a lot faster. Conversely, a weak line will make everyone look bad.

Some teams are blessed with an exceptional athlete at QB, who overcomes other weaknesses and creates a lot of positive plays. Others like Bama are well structured and balanced with less reliance on a single playmaker. I would like for ND to have a little bit of both elements - balance, strength, and a plus QB to make life difficult for defenses.

on Power Hour, Mike and the guys mentioned that every power run this season went to the left with watt and z. martin. the right side needs improvement.

another point they were discussing was the fade pass. One of his guys stated he was at a coaches clinic years ago where chuck martin said that 1-on-1 coverage should result in a check to the fade no matter what down it was. they thought that saban welcomed that in the NC game as he had his stud CB on eifert.

That to me is going to be the key question. I'm very interested to see how the Kelly/Martin philosophy evolves.

With Brown, Neal, Atkinson, Carlisle, Daniels and Golson, ND can finally put some speed in the game to stretch vertically and horizontally.

I don't see Kelly passing up that opportunity. My WAG is that it will resemble Cincy with Collaros.

into what, I am not sure.

When he arrived, IMO he wanted to run the Oregon O. While I expect us to go high octane once in a while, I don't think it will be our bread and butter.

After two years and hiring Martin as his OC, he seems to be moving away from that -- at least a bit. The emphasis on larger tackles in the last recruiting round indicated to me that he is planning on running more between the tackles and beating opponents down more than he may have planned when he first arrived. I don't expect us to morph into Stanford but I do expect us to continue to run for more than 200 yards a game, like we did last year.

Kelly seems to have assembled some nice pieces and depth in the skill positions. He now has an experienced QB. While we have to fill two spots on the OL, it looks like we should have a decent starting five. Depth may be young but promising.

Yet when I pull all of those items together, I don't see a clear, cohesive direction. Some folks view Kelly as stubborn and unwilling to change, but IMO, he is pliable when he thinks he needs to be. He certainly felt he needed to be at the end of the 2011 season. He's been tweaking the O ever since. IMO we won't know where this is headed until next fall.

If Kelly really was after putting in the spread, he would not have recruited the OL guys he did. The guys he picked up this year are monsters, road graders, Alabama-esque.

I think this guy has figured out a few things. It starts with D and it ends with being able to run the ball. That is the formula, and with his past success at developing explosive offenses, I think he is creating something that can be both. Explosive, score in seconds and capable of wearing you down by pounding you with a stable of backs and big ole road grader behemoths.

When he arrived, Kelly did not seem to differentiate between interior OL and tackles. Last cycle, he decided he needed taller OTs. Not sure how this will evolve moving forward. While lots of folks here want us to morph into Bama, I don't see it. From what I have seen, Bama doesn't have a mobile QB or run a lot of empty backfield. We do. Kelly seems to be developing his own model, something between Bama and Oregon. Not sure that I have seen a comparable offense (Meyer?, Nebraska?) and not sure how this will evolve. Spring and fall should be interesting.

Lean being relative, except for Montelus.

they almost always put on weight. I think these guys are going to be 330 before it is all done.

korzo78 has it right, this is something new that mixes in the bama run game with the explosive firepower of oregon. That is my guess.

he's just more successful this year.

what would give you that idea?

You might as well say that he wants to run the Urban Meyer offense.

uy" lead me to believe that he's going to give it a try, but... he's changed many times in his career and I think he trusts Martin.

I guess we'll see.

I know he said he was a spread guy. Oregon runs as much as they throw. It is fast paced and the Qb keeps, but they run a lot. I would say it is probably close to, if not more than, half.

What Oregon does do, and Kelly has said this a lot, is that he wants the ball in his playmakers hands in space where one guy misses and they are gone. AS people have said, we now have the speed at the edges and in the backfield to make that happen.

that will beat you with play action passing and have guys running wide open. Ours is a pass based offense designed to create mismatches, especially against zone defenses.

I don't find the offenses similar at all though I would imagine there is a slight overlap in some plays.

Golson can make between now and the beginning of next season. He has a full year of experience in actual Div 1 play, plus a whole year and a half in the football program to learn the playbook, watch film, learn the players. He should have no excuse next fall not to be able to do enough by way of reading defenses and executing plays quickly.

Kelly's ability, to me, is not a question because he has successfully run this type offense in other places with less capable personnel, but with other QBs. The ability at the other positions is not as critical for this to work as it is at QB, so the burden is there.

If Golson can't come out in the first game or two and get this done, I would be for Kelly starting all over training the next guy in line, Kiel, just as he did Golson last year. Golson has had plenty of opportunity and I can't see the team, or Kelly, going through what we went through last year for three more years with Golson at the helm. Time for him to step it up and get 'er done.

put a lot of pressure on opposing secondaries...and maybe open the door for Kiel?

I don't get where this idea is coming from. Not until BK says at least one word about it will I give this idea any credence. Its foolish to think a guy who's played RB all thru HS and in his 2yrs in college would all of sudden move to WR when he's now the RB with by far the most exp and all but certain the starter. This talk of him being too upright is hilarious considering how many upright runners have come thru college and been successful in the NFL. All tall, angular RBs have to learn about pad level and this and that. The good one's do it, the one's that don't drift off. They don't move to WR.

Look, Darren McFadden is a stiffer runner than GAIII and at the same exact size...who would ever think of putting DMc at WR?

GAIII this past spring put on a show at RB, I'm expecting the same this spring and this fall.

And generally little beyond that. He plays this year at rb for the same reason that Rees did in 2012: there is nobody else.
He'll be an afterthought at rb in 2014.
The challenge is to find a position for him to utilize his talent.

I agree a move to WR is doubtful, as Kelly noted he lacked ball skills, which I think is coach speak for not good hands/cant find the ball/etc.

As a RB, its not his height that is the main concern, its that he "runs like he is on skis" according to one poster. He lateral movement is not great.

He does look tremendous when a large hole is opened up, as he has great speed. Against the Navy type teams, he might run for a great YPC, but against a tough D, I dont see him getting the most carries.

And if GAIII repeats this effort from last spring (minus a couple fumbles) who in their right mind would not start him day one?




You start McDaniel who has skill but really had only done well in mop up duty?

You start Carlisle who hasn't played football in nearly 2 years?

You start either of 2 freshman who yes are highly touted but haven't touched a college ball. Even if they were early enrollees it might be a bit of chance.

Don't get caught in message board fodder and such. He was listed as an athlete on rivals and scout because he has such a versatile frame but did the staff ever mention him as WR?

Molnar on G Atkinson III during his recruiting: “He has the ability to blow the top off the coverage.”

"the ability"

There is HS film of GAIII running a circle route from the RB position and takin it deep and I think he scores on the play. So yes, he has the ability to do so. Were they recruiting him to do it from the WR position doesn't look like it..

That's even more ridiculous than saying he should be moved to WR. McDaniel seems like a guy who will absolutely bust his ass on every play, and I wouldn't be that surprised to see him pass up GAIII as an every down back. Mahone is talented and has spent some time with the team, and Carlisle can be an absolute stud if he's healthy. And the two freshmen we're bringing in are extremely high caliber. Annointing a 3rd string guy as the starter already is very premature.

Besides, if Aktins ca exceed in the slot, what's wrong with having him there for a spell or two? This current staff already did so with Riddick. This offense should be all about getting its best players out on the field at all times. If that means starting Bryant at RB and playing Atkins out of the slot, I'm all for it.

Too much immaturity at the QB and other skill positions. As those players develop experience and chemistry, an up tempo offense becomes more viable.

I realize that Chip Kelly is a better offensive coach than our Kelly. But it's the third year in the program for Golson, Atkinson, Daniels, Hegarty, Hanratty, N. Martin, McDaniel etc. If Kelly wants to run up-tempo, I don't think he can rely on personnel and youth as excuses. Perhaps Golson still doesn't have sufficient command of the offense, but if that's the case, that's on Kelly and Golson. A third year player and second year starter should be able to run the full offense.

Not to mention The fourth year for Martin, Watt, Lombard and Jones.

I agree that the skill positions are experienced enough

2012
Last year Kelly and Martin made a decision to limit turnovers and play to the defense.
The strategy worked, but it also led to some close games simply because the offense was anemic.

2013
We're returning most of that defense. We also are returning an experienced QB with WRs who have a lot of playing time in TJ Jones and D Daniels. Carlisle, Brown, Neal and Atkinson are all big play guys. Will Fuller may be as well. The offense has to get better this year because we're not going to get the bounces like we did last year.

They key question for Kelly is: How much does he turn dial?

1. Does he go all in with his spread and risk turnovers that could waste a great defense, but a move that could also lead to a truly dominant team?

2. Does he make incremental improvements to still play to the defense, but that could lead to another anemic offense?

I think Kelly's going to be tempted to go for #1. The smart play would be #2.

Golson ran a lot less after getting knocked silly against Stanford. That was by design. It's doubtful that Kelly will turn Golson loose this year unless he feels very comfortable with Kiel. I don't think that will happen in September, if at all in 2013 - especially if we are winning.

I disagree that our skill guys are experienced. Jones is the only one. Daniels has played half a season. The others have not done anything. Brown made exactly one catch against Oklahoma and we're all still waiting for Neal, Fuller and anyone else to catch something besides the flu.

At RB, Atkinson is not an every down back because he can't run inside or pass block. The others are untested. Combine all off this with a QB that is still being spoon fed and we're not ready to make the jump to hyperspace.

We have a lot of inexperienced guys, but Kelly & Co. have done a decent (maybe even very good) job of readying guys to play. Eifert went from 27 catches to 67 in his second year of playing.

For me, the question is: Who is the next Eifert? I am not sure which of the different skill guys is ready to step into the void and demand a double team. On the downside, none have looked like that guy to date. On the plus, we seem to have a lot of potential options. Should be an interesting spring.

I think if there is going to be a dynamic player on offense it's probably going to be some combination of those two. Daniels has better physical tools, but Jones didn't seem to me to have trouble getting open last year. I'd put Atkinson just a notch below those two. If he can make a couple adjustments, he could be a dynamite offensive player.

Prior to and including the Stanford game, the box scores show Golson with 42 rushing attempts or 7 per game. From OU on, he ran a total of 52 times or 8.7/game. Furthermore, in the three games after he sat out (OU, Pitt, and BC), he ran the ball 11, 15, and 11 times.

I do not think Kelly is afraid to turn Golson loose at all.

have to at some point, he is a fragile guy though.

I'll bet the vast majority were QB sneaks or runs out of bounds. He did not take many chances with runs in the middle of the field after Stanford.

Golson had at least two big runs that I remember right up the middle, one of which he got tattooed on and had to come out of the game. You don't make those playcalls if you are overly scared of your QB getting hurt.

I'm not saying he was Colin Kaepernick (nor remotely implying he was) but I don't think the facts back up that Kelly restrained him more after the Stanford game. Sneaks or runs with the goal of getting out of bounds still put your QB at risk (though lower) and if he was really scared, he wouldn't have called so many relative to the first half of the season.

Sounds like a check by Golson or some sort of improvisation. In any event, I disagree with the premise that Kelly was fine with Golson running the ball as part of his offesive strategy. I doubt he called many such plays from the sideline, except the sneaks.

we motioned to empty which took a LB with the back and then we ran qb power behind it. OU adjusted the second time and brought the safety down hard and Golson got knocked into next week. IIRC there was a blocking issue with the second one and if we had changed scheme (qb check) it would have been a big play. I think if we had run it to the opposite side we would have had numbers.

'Fool me twice' response from Stoops .

offense. Run him more and you risk injury. At this point I think you run him. You have Kiel and Rees behind him. Running QBs need to have that threat. You don't have to run him much, but the read option is a key part of the offense.

He's more of a guy who can scramble if needed, but he's really not big, strong or fast enough to make his living as a running QB. He's certainly more mobile than Rees and has a much stronger arm, but he does have limits as both a runner and a pocket passer such that comparisons to Manziel or Russell Wilson seem like a bit of a stretch.

Physically small for the position, above average arm strength, average speed for a mobile qb. The only think he lacked last year the Wilson had at NCSU/UW was aggressive decision making, something that many here feel was more BK than EG.
With his NFL success, people seem to forget that RW was not an all-American QB in college, just a good to very good one. EG was above average last year, running and throwing, if he can become more aggressive (especially over the middle) with success, he can be very good to great.

Golson has a long way to go at all phases of the position before that comparison takes on any legitimacy.

3rd year numbers away in his second year.

Of course he's 2nd year numbers...

Golson does not project as an NFL QB.

Up until his fifth year, everyone assumed Wilson was going to play professional baseball.

You also lost me by saying, "everyone assumed". Wilson is a terrific athlete and leader. Anyone suggesting that Golson compares in any way other than circumstantially (race, stature) to Wilson is projecting his own wishful thinking.

My point is that even a year ago nobody was projecting NFL stardom for Russell Wilson for largely the same reasons that some people are suggesting that Golson is limited. Golson's redshirt freshman year was in the same ballpark as Wilson's. Except for the fact that Wilson may be a bit sturdier and may be faster (neither of which are set in stone), I'm not seeing what is wrong with the comparison. It's not to say that Golson will become Wilson, but that other players with similar profiles have succeeded at a high level.

...there are other reasons why I don't think Golson compares with Wilson or is destined for success in the NFL. I'd rather not go into them here so as to seem overly critical of Golson, but I would not be disappointed at all if Kiel were to supplant him as the starter.

If you have reasons other than height for being concerned about Golson's ability to take it to the next level, I have no issue with that. Beyond pure physical ability, Golson has a lot to prove.

I bet Wilson is about 2 inches taller too.

Just think of the physics

conversation about Golson's arm strength?

It was "a dilly"

between size, height and arm strength.

I think Golson has a quick arm and a nice release and motion and it's plenty strong, but he certainly does not have a cannon.

I highly doubt you have the ability to recall what I said with any accuracy.

I agreed then and agree now. Having 'a great arm for his size' is not the same as having a great arm. After watching him for a year, I can't believe that it's even up for discussion.

The downside with Golson is as several of us predicted. He not big enough or fast enough to be a 'running quarterback' and he doesn't have quite a good enough arm (nor size) to be a full time drop back passer. This doesn't mean he isn't a good player, nor fun to watch, nor an asset to the team, nor a great guy. He just isn't the superman that people thought he was from watching his high school highlights.

"ropes" and can throw it 55 yards on the run.

No one who followed him touted him as a running QB, he didn't run much out of high school, he was and is fantastic at buying time in the pocket and the being able to find a receiver downfield or run it.

He was known for being able to throw on the run.

All of that, btw, is shown clearly on his his high school tape. He's not superman, he does have a rare set of gifts. A strong arm is one of those. I've never seen an evaluation that doesn't mention his arm strength.

"Thoughts from Day One: Golson once again showed what he is known for, a very strong arm. He was throwing some lasers to wide receivers and they struggled catching the ball at times. Whether is was a pass out in the flats, a pass 15 yards or a pass 45 yards, it had some zip on it. Many quarterbacks struggled with how the ball came out, but he threw many nice spirals and balls that were catchable."

-
Scout.com Player Evaluation:
STRENGTHS
Arm Strength
Release
Running Ability / mobility
-
" Golson had a very strong showing at both the Nike Camp and Elite 11. He won the Quarterback MVP award during the Nike Camp following his solid performance. Golson doesn't have the ideal size for a signal caller, but he certainly makes up for it with his arm strength and accuracy. He has a great release and can make any throw on the field. "
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"Golson connected on 207 out of 323 passes at 64-percent as a junior. He had 3,260 passing yards. Two things that stand out to me about Everett's game are, first, his big-time arm," Wilson said. "He can throw the fade, a deep-post, or a deep-out, and also has a good touch on the ball to make the throws underneath. "
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"Golson has an extremely strong arm. He puts a lot of velocity on all of his passes and seems to have no limit to his deep ball. Although he can make all the passes, he needs to improve on his touch."
-
"He's very talented -- strong arm, very accurate. All he had to do was know what he was doing and his keys in terms of his reads. He kind of struggled with that early in the season and obviously, now he's gotten so much better." - Riddick
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" If that continues to show itself, he's going to be very, very difficult to defend because he's got that confidence level and a strong arm that he can deliver the ball." - Kelly

He had at least 5 50 yard tosses this year and throws deep cross field balls on the run. Matthew Stafford had the strongest arm of the last few years, compare the two.

I don't know if his arm is "great" but he's got a strong arm by any reasonable standard.

Do you think is the limitating spec for Golson?

players lie about their height and weight all the time.

Wilson was measured at the NFL combine at 5'11 (5'10" 5/8s ) Golson 5'11.5" at the Nike combine 3 years ago.

We all know how important an extra half inch is.

Ain't no way Golson's two inches shorter

I don't really consider the measurements you used to be "shorter."

"About the same" is more like it.

And for the record, I don't really care one way or the other; I do not think that they are similar qb type as I think Wilson is faster and built a little differently. Furthermore, they will each be asked to do different things for their offenses.

For ND, it would be a change, and change does not happen overnight. You have to practice it first. Fast tempo can be an option that we develop going forward, and there are things Oregon does that we should copy, but I don't see it becoming our base offense against Temple.

... to have a high tempo offense be ND's base offense. He certainly has said that is his preference in the past. I think there is also a strong likelihood that he no longer wants to run up-temp as his base offense.

I just don't see it happening quite so suddenly (by Sept.). I think Kelly wants to get Golson and some of the other young skill guys more comfortable in his base offense before trying to get them to move faster.

Golson is the QB for the next 3 years. 3-4 more QB's will enter the school before Golson graduates.

Golson is a nice little QB. But he has limitations.

I suspect BK either a) has already made up his mind to stick with Golson, or b) approaches the subject with a level of bias that undermines the possibility of real competition for the spot. In short, I suspect Kiel will find himself playing against a stacked deck.

I would be perfectly satisfied with Golson retaining the position as a result of a real competition, in which a) both had an honest chance throughout and b) BK didn't stack the deck by an inflexible systemic approach that naturally lends itself to one skill set versus the other. No, were it a truly open competition in which Golson prevailed over Kiel, the result would satisfy me.

I have my doubts.

year. For the college game in general and for Kelly's offense in particular, he has zero physical limitations. I don't view his size as a limitation. He will always be more susceptible to injury than a bigger QB, but that doesn't limit his playing ability. Mentally, after participating in three springs and one fall and another fall as starter, there should not be any playbook or experience limitations, either. I expect him to be very, very good.

I don't think Kiel will transfer. I also don't think that unless Golson just completely regresses for some reason, that Kelly will start Kiel this year. Kelly will finally be able to go into a season with a QB that has played and played very well at times. Being the clear number two will allow Kiel to get meaningful reps in practice learning the offense, participate in game planning, receive guidance from Rees and Golson, get snaps in games that are blowouts, and more than likely play while games are in the balance because of Golson getting shaken up or injured.

decision if I am remembering correctly. Part of the play it safe approach.

might have been more of a "don't throw the young qb under the bus" issue.

The last couple of regular-season games, I remember him actually hitting some passes in the middle of the field.

even look to throw one

My favorite pass of the year.

ND was home...perhaps Miami, but I'm too lazy to take the time to find it.
Some favorite play, huh? Can't even remember the game it's from.

wrong and Kelly will be operating with a half a playbook again and the offense won't be much better than it was last year.

I think Golson would have the potential to be phenomenal if he were just about 2 inches taller. Lines are taller than ever these days, and seeing/passing over them is going to be challenging for QB's anymore.

Golson passed extremely well when rolling out on a bootleg... he looked much more comfortable throwing from there than over the line. Now there are certainly plenty of plays the Irish can run with Golson rolling out, and I think it should be the cornerstone of an offense with Golson as a starter.

However, this leaves him more vulnerable and he will take shots. With the new helmet rule, an offense always needs a 2nd QB to go at any instant, especially with a mobile quarterback. It's good this team has quality depth and experience (though not necessarily together) in Rees, Kiel, and Zaire.

If you're saying he has physical limitations, then fine, but we haven't seen enough of him to say his his throwing ability or ability to run the offense is limited. Not too many redshirt FR QBs performed as well as he did last year.

He's certainly not a NFL style elite QB, but he's far from a "nice little" QB.

mick.

Because Jimmy Walker was black?

Die no might.

elite QB camp in Idaho. Interestingly, his catch phrase "dynomite" came from Napolean's family. Their families are deeply religious and connected. Kip's bride Lafawnduh is Jimmy's third cousin.

Kip's currently running a Crip offshoot the D3s. (AKA Dynomite Trips, Dey treys) They are considered armed, dangerous, and have mad "unconventional" fighting skills.

I was watching Greg McElroy throw for an hour today in a private NFL workout. On his last 3 tosses, before he left, he was launching the ball from the 50 and trying to hit the goal post cross bar. He easily threw 3 FG's.

All I could think was, "If he only had Rico's sidearm strength, accuracy and finesse...."

Aside from Kelly's first year, he's always had to split coaching reps between at least two QBs. Barring injury or a colossally dumb coaching move, Golson should be the starter be able to receive more coaching and attention from Kelly in the spring and summer. Hopefully this allows the playbook to expand and comfort level to grow.

can run the entire offense.

Crist was recovering from his ACL tear and I don't think he was able to participate in contact drills.

to keep Kiel happy enough to remain at ND. I have serious reservations that Kelly can offer Kiel enough - Kiel was the #1 QB recruit in his year and have my doubts that he will be content to be a career backup.

There are quarterbacks who are patient, and there are those who are not. We've had both as backups. Is he Kent Graham or is he Jarious Jackson?

challenge for the job?

I also think Golson is a lot more than a "nice little quarterback".

Not to say he isn't nice, and yeah, he's not very tall.

If Kiel does beat him out, it's because Kiel is really, really good.

And I'm OK with that.

the year.

I hope he doesn't but if I was going to transfer, I would rather transfer as a FR than SO and have to sit out my JR year after not playing both my FR and SO seasons. That's three years of not playing when he could have the chance to play his SO and JR seasons at ND either in mop up time or injury (sadly probable given Golson's size).

1. Competent and competitive special teams play (ok, low hanging fruit I know).
2. Inside linebacker, replacing T'eo won't happen, and can those that play the position be skilled enough to avoid becoming an exploited weakness?
3. I couldn't resist one more. On offense, the Kelly/Martin duo nearly approach the "Great Grabbagger" in their play calling. I'd like to see them develop an identity and stick to it. Pound the ball, throw away the fade play, run crossing patterns and screens.