Coan has been trending better but hasn't been as expected. Coan probably deserved to lose his job in the first five games.

Buchner isn't ready to start and play an entire game. Pyne is. However, Kelly knows that if he plays Pyne in the short term over Coan, it will send a horrible signal to any future fifth year transfers.

Kelly further knows that if he plays Pyne over Buchner and Pyne has success (imagine ND winning the Fiesta Bowl) Buchner may very well transfer as he didn't sign up to take a back seat to Pyne.

Kelly can sit Buchner for Coan because Coan is gone next year. But if he sits Buchner for Pyne, he risks losing his prized recruit.

Where Pyne is just good enough to win games and hang on to the damn job.

Sure Book won a lot of games - but Jurkovec may end up being a first-round pick. Tough situation.

bed on? That is not a theoretical question, but a practical one. How can anybody believe that Brian and Little Tommy will do any better in tandem? Let Big Game Brian's "shanty" record speak for itself. Is he paid big bucks to take the easy way out? H**y F**k No! It is only at Notre Dame that he be allowed that luxury. Thank you, Jack the (alleged) Molester Protector (JTMP!). Heaven forbid that pile of excrement (Kelly) has to exert himself and make a tough choice. If Buchner can't stand the heat of a playing field competition, he should go where his ego and feelings can be salved. A high quality coach, one with a theoretical upside, does not make assurances to a prized recruit that may eventually be contrary to the best interests of the team, and its players. We know Kelly is not "The One." Therefore, given Kelly's dubious reputation with QBs, that may occur with any number of prized QB recruits (like Buchner). Let in-game play with an equal number of snaps in comparable situations in the final games of the season decide.

His stats, which are pretty good, are just a shade below his junior year at Wisconsin. And his stats for the past four games--or after scheme adjustments have been made--clearly exceed any stretch of four games from his junior year in efficiency and would be the best, most consistent stretch of efficiency rating of his career.

Yes, he struggled in the beginning of the year when he had no protection and the scheme didn't account for this. And yes he has benefitted from mixing Buchner's run threat into the offense.

There just isn't room for Pyne. He hasn't demonstrated to be as good a passer as Coan and isn't quite as good a runner as Buchner.

the best QB we have today for the modified scheme. Pyne was a mix of the other two -- the only one we have that can both run and throw today. That was needed if we stuck with the original slower scheme that relied on a strong OL we do not have and will not have this year (arguably ever again as long as Quinn remains OL coach).

It really is this simple. Pyne isn't playing now because Coan is the best QB with the modified offense and that modified offense is good enough to beat the teams we have left to play. Buchner is playing largely to get him reps for next season because he can be a better version of Pyne if he gets enough reps to learn how to throw and read defenses.

Yes, it looked like we may need a more mobile QB when the QB had to be running for his life. But that's not the same as saying that Pyne would be a better for our standard scheme.