Notre Dame Football: Brian Kelly's QB Dilemma; Making a Case for Dayne Crist

With the 2011 Notre Dame football season on the horizon, many analysts are going to point heavily to the Notre Dame quarterback situation as a source for potential controversy.  

Many will try to compare Dayne Crist to Tommy Rees and various pundits will kick around stats and analyses for choosing one versus the other. Head coach Brian Kelly may have fueled the fire by refusing to name a starter prior to fall camp. 

On some teams this may be a problem; however, Brian Kelly’s offenses have had to substitute quarterbacks at times due to injuries and haven’t missed a beat.

Often, we hear the following mantra from analysts: "If you have two quarterbacks, it means you don’t have one.” While that may apply in some cases, it does not apply here. 

Nevertheless, I’ll make a case for why Dayne Crist is a better choice to start the season.

1. Record as a Starter

Crist was only 4-5 as a starter, while Rees was 4-0. This is the stat we will hear most often this fall and, for my money, it's the most overrated. This isn’t baseball—can we really give credit for wins and losses like a pitcher? 

Many will point to 4-5 and argue that Crist was a failure. However, let's take a closer look at that 4-5. 

In both the Michigan and Michigan State games, Crist clearly put his team in position to win. However, the Irish defense and special teams allowed both games to slip away in either the fourth quarter or during overtime. 

Next, consider the Tulsa game. At the time, Crist was out for the season and it was Tommy Rees who fired an ill-advised interception in the end zone late in the fourth quarter, costing the Irish an opportunity for victory.  Crist could have very easily been 6-2 as a starter.

2. High Expectations

Tommy Rees was very effective down the stretch, helping the Irish to four-straight victories. At that point, many felt the season was a failure and the Irish had little, if any, pressure on them. 

The situation will be entirely different this season, with many expecting a double-digit win total and possible BCS berth from the Irish.

I believe that a senior who has been around the program and seen every possible scenario is better equipped to handle the pressure that comes with high expectations.

3. Playing the “Back-Up Role”

Who is better equipped to come off of the bench? In other words, what if you struggle in Week 1? What if you get off to a poor start in Week 2 at Michigan? 

I’m going on a hunch here, but when Rees came off the bench versus Tulsa he seemed very comfortable and, despite some errant throws, moved the Irish immediately. I think he would be a better option should they get into trouble than Crist.

4. Pedigree

I know this shouldn’t matter, but it does. Dayne Crist was a 4-star recruit in high school and the second-best quarterback rated that year. Tommy Rees was a 3-star recruit and seemed to garner more interest from MAC schools than anywhere else. 

Sitting behind Rees and Crist are Andrew Hendrix and Everett Golson—both higher rated players. Many analysts feel that Golson or Hendrix possess the best skill-sets to run Brian Kelly’s offense.

If Rees is the starter, it can be argued that the least talented quarterback is starting, leaving the staff with lots of explaining to do if it doesn’t go well.

Although Tommy Rees did an excellent job for the Irish last season, and Everett Golson or Andrew Hendrix probably best fit the mold for this offense going forward, Dayne Crist is still the better choice to begin the season at quarterback.