Quinn and Irish offense are down but not out
Brady Quinn may have kissed his Heisman Trophy hopes goodbye after Notre Dame lost to Michigan last weekend. Quinn threw three interceptions and lost a fumble to the Wolverines. Many fans have commented that if you apply a little pressure to Quinn, he usually comes unglued.
None of that seems to faze NFL scouts or NFL Draft gurus. According to Eric Hanson of the South Bend Tribune, Quinn still rates as the top quarterback coming out of college football this season. Quinn and Drew Stanton will draw quite a few pro scouts to Saturday night’s game.
“Yes Notre Dame looked lousy,” said independent scout Frank Coyle of draftinsiders.com. “They got freakin’ hammered, didn’t they? And people do note that. But what teams look more at are the intangibles coming out of the game. How does this team, and Brady Quinn as a leader in particular, bounce back from a tough loss? I think that speaks a lot more about him. Everybody has bad games.”
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., also has Quinn atop his latest draft board, with three other Irish among the top 15 picks (wide receiver Jeff Samardzija at No. 7, left offensive tackle Ryan Harris No. 11 and safety Tom Zbikowski No. 13).
Meanwhile, Quinn’s Saturday counterpart — Michigan State quarterback Drew Stanton — has been on the rise in the eyes of NFL personnel. On Kiper’s board, he is the No. 4 draft prospect overall, with Wisconsin offensive tackle Joe Thomas and Georgia defensive end Quentin Moses sandwiched by the two QBs.
Pete Diprimio of the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel reports that the Irish offense seems eager to redeem themselves but they’ll need to play better than they did against Michigan to keep up with the Spartan offense.
Weis has simplified the playbook. He’s emphasized doing fewer things better, although simplicity alone won’t overcome Michigan State. Still, it’s a start, and Harris is ready to make it work.
“Coaches want to cut down on the penalties and mental errors, and one way to do that is to tighten the playbook,� he said. “We want to do a few things well rather than a lot of things mediocre.�
Mediocrity won’t beat a fired-up Michigan State team looking for its eighth victory in the last 10 meetings between the teams.
Allen Pinkett of MSNBC believes that the Irish must improve in several areas on both offense and defense.
A lopsided loss to Michigan erased thoughts of an unbeaten season for Notre Dame.
It also brought into focus areas on both offense and defense where the Irish have to improve if they are to make a run at BCS bid.
Losing 47-21 to the Wolverines at Notre Dame Stadium didn’t wake up any echoes, but it did wake up anyone wearing Blue and Gold who didn’t think challenges would arise in coach Charlie Weis’ second season leading the Irish.
The remainder of the season is a test for Notre Dame as to how much it can better its play, and work its way back up in the rankings. And the test starts Saturday night on the road against Michigan State — a nemesis of the Irish over the last nine years.