Notre Dame's Key Backups: Putting the Fight Back in Fighting Irish

After a great performance in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl and a great spring, Notre Dame fans can't wait for the start of the 2009 football season. After two frustrating seasons, rebuilding is over, and it is now time for Notre Dame to be Notre Dame again.

After looking at the depth chart, I am optimistic that there are far fewer holes than Notre Dame haters think. In fact, I think there is a chance for a very special year.

I can look at the depth chart and say that I am not worried about the starters on either side. To be able to say that is huge.

The area of concern I do have is with the backups. Without a doubt, there will be injuries, and the backups need to be able to step in and perform.

This is especially true on the offensive line. Hopefully if there are injuries on the line, the replacements can perform. If not, nothing else matters.

While the offensive line backups are key, other offensive players will also play important roles for the Fighting Irish. Let's take a look at a few of them.

Duval Kamara

After his freshman season, I was very pleased with the progress Kamara had made late in the season. Then last year he was a huge disappointment. Early in the year, he had some key drops and miscommunication with Jimmy Clausen that led to interceptions.

Then when Golden Tate and Michael Floyd emerged as the dynamic duo, the Irish already had veteran David Grimes as a third option in the slot. That made the opportunities for Kamara few and far between.

Grimes has now graduated, and defenses will be keying on Tate and Floyd. That makes Kamara's role huge. Let's hope he can step up.

Robert Hughes

With Armando Allen expected to be the primary runner, Hughes will likely be used as more of a hammer in short yardage. He can do well in that role as long as the line continues to hold up. That is huge for first downs and touchdowns.

Dayne Crist

Much has been said about how high Charlie Weis is on Dayne Crist. Crist spent his freshman year wearing a headset.

Unlike Jimmy Clausen, he truly is being brought along slowly. He figures to be the No. 2 for the next couple of seasons before taking over as the starter for two seasons.

So how does he fit into the key backup picture? The reason is that the No. 2 quarterback is one play away from being the No. 1 quarterback.

Therefore, I really hope that Notre Dame gets an absolute blowout in the first game against Nevada. That way Crist can get some game experience.

If that happens, Weis should not be concerned about running up the score. He has a young quarterback to prepare. Let him throw in a game situation and run the offense the same way he would if the score was 0-0.

This is important because I just get the sense that the Irish will need Crist at some point in the year. Hopefully, it is only for one or two games. Nevertheless, his performance in those one or two games is huge.

Jonas Gray

Here is another young prospect that Weis is high on that hasn't been seen much. I do get the sense that he will have an increased role this year.

Allen is the primary runner. If Gray can step up, the Irish can have a great one-two punch at running back. Although Allen is the starter, it is always nice to have a change of pace.