Notre Dame Football: What Hope Does Tommy Rees Have in 2012?

Poor quarterback play has once again derailed Notre Dame’s season. The Irish came in with lofty expectations from the national media and from inside the program, but they couldn’t hold onto the ball long enough to beat South Florida, Michigan and USC.

Dayne Crist was taken out against the Bulls, and Tommy Rees has since taken over. With Crist being a senior, Rees probably won’t have to worry about getting his job taken away by one of the newcomers, Andrew Hendrix and Everett Golson.

That said, he will also be without his best receiver, Michael Floyd, as well as two offensive linemen.

While it is hard to be optimistic about him sometimes, Rees should be better in 2012. He will have another full year of work under his belt and won’t be splitting time in practice with another first-string quarterback.

Theo Riddick is also a very capable receiver with a very high ceiling. He should become one of the top receivers in the country for 2012. Tyler Eifert is a fantastic pass-catching tight end who will continue to develop as a junior.

The other thing to remember is that the running game should become even better with Cierre Wood becoming the featured back, and that will take pressure off of the passing game.

And if Notre Dame can’t figure out how to not fumble the football by that point, they will have a lot more things to worry about than the play of Tommy Rees.

Any way you cut it, this team’s offense should be much better next year, and Rees will have a much better season.