Notre Dame Football: Previewing the 2012 Fighting Irish Offense

Notre Dame football's 2011 season isn't finished yet, but Irish fans can already say it wasn't what they hoped for.  Despite the disappointment, however, Notre Dame improved and has a bright future ahead.

The year has not been without its controversy, and Brian Kelly has admitted such.  Will he correct his mistakes and the mistakes of the team next year?

With four games to go in the regular season, it isn't too early to take a peak at next year's team.  The cupboard hasn't been stocked this full in years, so it will be exciting to see how this team progresses.  Those that are looking forward to a BCS National Championship need to temper their expectations, however, as this is a team that won't have the same star power as this year's team.

Key Losses

Before analyzing Notre Dame's offensive unit, one needs to understand what they'll lose to graduation. 

Losing wide receiver Michael Floyd will be an enormous loss for a team that has relied on his size and leaping ability to overcome defenders.  Fortunately, the Pitt game taught Tommy Rees that he has to look for other targets besides his favorite pass catcher.

Trevor Robinson is a substantial loss on the offensive line, as he was college-ready when he entered school.  His protection on the offensive line will be missed as a four-year starter.  Can the youth step up and fill his shoes?

How will Irish fans remember Jonas Gray?  From his first fumble in 2011, Gray has been nothing less than spectacular.  A big back with excellent speed, it's too bad Gray only learned to protect the ball in his fifth year.  He'll make an excellent addition to any NFL roster.

The Irish could potentially lose Tyler Eifert, as well.  The Indiana native has been the second favorite target of Tommy Rees, especially when the game was on the line.  Eifert is another big body who is both fast and quick off the line.  Losing two of Notre Dame's top receivers could have a significant impact on next year's productivity.

Wide Receivers

The biggest question for the Irish will be the receiving unit.  While Notre Dame brings back starters TJ Jones and Theo Riddick, they'll have to rely on their bench, otherwise.

Roby Toma has shown flashes of brilliance when he's gotten on the field, so it's likely he'll be a solid contributor.  His quickness reminds many Irish fans of former wide receiver Joey Getherall.

Behind the veterans are freshmen DaVaris Daniels and Daniel Smith, both of whom were highly recruited.  Daniels has amazing athleticism and may be able to assume the starring role on the squad if he understands the offense.  Daniels is another big body that could provide an easy target for Irish quarterbacks.

If Notre Dame can't get it done with their current roster of receivers, they'll have to look to incoming freshmen Deontay Greenberry, Justin Ferguson and Chris Brown.  Will one of them step up?  Will all of them still be Irish on signing day?

Depth at receiver is certainly a question, but the Irish have solid contributors who are ready to play.

Tight Ends

There isn't much that needs to be said for tight end, except that Notre Dame continues its recent tradition of being "Tight End U."

If Tyler Eifert stays for his senior season, the Irish certainly have nothing to worry about.  However, even if he leaves Notre Dame is still loaded at tight end.

Star recruits Ben Koyack and Alex Welch provide the exact same ability Eifer, Kyle Rudolph, John Carlson and Anthony Fasano have provided the Irish over the past few years.  Both Koyack and Welch can block and take off into a pattern to catch passes.  They're a linebacker's nightmare.

No, Irish fans, tight end will not be a problem for Notre Dame next year, as it continues to be one of the consistent highlights of the offense.

Running Backs

Even though it will be sad to see Jonas Gray leave Notre Dame when he's just beginning to blossom into a great back, the Irish should remain strong at the tailback position.

Of course, the Irish return feature back Cierre Wood who's been marvelous for Notre Dame.  The spread has been good to Notre Dame's backs, including Wood, as they continue to average large gains per carry.  In fact, Wood is averaging 6.6 yards per carry in 2011.

Besides Wood, the Irish stable includes special teams star George Atkinson III who's already returned two kickoffs for touchdowns.  The stable also features the two Cams.  Though Cam Roberson has been injured, both Charlie Weis and Brian Kelly have raved about this big back.  Will he be better than Gray or alum Robert Hughes?

Cam McDaniel adds a tremendous amount of speed and quickness in the spread as a scat back.  If opposing defenses can't see him coming through the line of scrimmage, he can be extremely dangerous.

Now, consider that the Irish will add sizable incoming freshman William Mahone along with the potential commitment of star recruit Keith Marshall.  While Notre Dame's backfield is young, it's more than talented enough to carry the team if the passing game struggles.

Offensive Line

While the offensive line loses Trevor Robinson and Taylor Dever, the core of the line is still intact.  Additionally, highly touted young linemen like Christian Lombard and Connor Hanratty should be more than capable of filling the void.

The offensive line has been a strength of the Irish the past couple of years.  While it may take a small dip as the young linemen find their way in the first few games, the offense line shouldn't be a problem next year.

If anything, the spread is designed to minimize the impact of a poor offensive line.  With quick releases by the quarterback and zone read plays by the running backs, any weakness this line may have will be diminished by the scheme itself.

Quarterbacks

When was the last time Notre Dame was this deep at quarterback?  Irish fans have to go all the way back to a Bob Davie team that had Matt Lovecchio, Carlyle Holiday and Jared Clark.  Even then the quarterback position wasn't as strong as it is today.

Tommy Rees has been solid for Notre Dame and proven incredibly capable to lead the Irish when game winning drives were necessary.  Yes, he's still learning, but when will he hit his ceiling?

Andrew Hendrix has been fun to watch when he's played.  Changing the dynamic of the spread, it'll be interesting to see how he uses his feet in combination with his ability to pass.

Everett Golson may be the future of this team, but it's very difficult to tell.  He's incredibly athletic and has a rocket for an arm.  What's more impressive is he uses his athleticism to stay in the pocket to look down field rather than attempting to run for yards.

Between the three current quarterbacks, this team is in very capable hands.  While it would be nice to add Dayne Crist to this conversation, he graduates in December.  It would be crazy to think he wouldn't transfer to a program that could use his talents.  Will he reunite with Charlie Weis at Florida?

Lastly, the Irish also have to consider the possibility of landing top quarterback recruit Gunner Kiel who may very well change the entire dynamic of this quarterback discussion.  If he signs with the Irish, he'll have to enroll early unless he plans to sit out his freshman year.

By this time next year, it's a near guarantee Irish fans will be talking not only about the success of the Irish, but also about transfers with this amount of talent in the quarterback ranks.

The Schedule

The Irish have a brutal schedule in 2012, though it should be a fun schedule to watch.

First, the Irish travel to Ireland where they take on Navy.  Opening the season with this trap game could be an issue, but the offense returns mainly veterans.  If they can produce results, it shouldn't matter what the defense does against the Midshipmen.

Next, Notre Dame runs through its typical schedule.  If the Irish protect the ball, they shouldn't lose to a single Big Ten opponent.  That's a big "if," however.  Furthermore, Stanford should be down without Andrew Luck and two of their first-round caliber offensive linemen.

Another fun game with be the game against Miami at Soldier Field.  Will Al Golden have his team competitive by then?  Will Miami even have a program after the NCAA has their way with them?

The Irish will be lucky to escape the first half of the season 5-1.

For the second half of the season, Notre Dame hosts BYU, travels to Oklahoma then takes on Pitt, Boston College, Wake Forest and USC.  Can it get any rougher?

Put it this way, if the Irish escape the regular season 9-3, expect them to be in a BCS Bowl purely based on strength of schedule.  This could be the hardest schedule ever played by a college football program.

Then again, if the Irish escape with a perfect season, they should be crowned national champions, automatically.  The offense has a lot of work to do between now and then.

2012 Offensive Conclusion

The oddity about next year is that while the five-star talent may drop off, Notre Dame's offense could be more productive than ever.  The Irish must protect the ball and the quarterbacks have to spread the ball around.  However, many times a team without superstars actually performs better than those that have them.

When a team has a superstar, it tends to rely on that star as a crutch.  The best example is the Pitt game.  It was obvious Tommy Rees wanted to throw to Michael Floyd, but the Panthers had him well defended.  The result?  A sputtering Irish offense.

The New England Patriots made a living off winning Super Bowls without superstars.  When the entire team has to function together, it becomes more productive because the quarterback is forced to understand the entire scheme versus one or two pass patterns.

Look for a very solid and productive Irish offense in 2012, but temper your expectations as the schedule is the hardest in a century for any college team.