Notre Dame Football: How Much Upside Does Tommy Rees Really Have?

When the season first started for Notre Dame, the Irish had a different quarterback playing the position. Senior quarterback Dayne Crist was coming off a decent season last year and was looking to build on that success.

But once he completed just 46 percent of his passes and threw a horrible interception in the end zone, he was benched for Tommy Rees.

Rees has shown bright spots throughout the season, but has also made several boneheaded plays. There have been games like against Air Force where he threw for four touchdowns and completed 72 percent of his passes. And then there are games where he matches his two touchdown passes with two interceptions.

Rees is best known for his quick release and solid accuracy underneath. He puts great touch on the football and can really be great when he's got a rhythm going. He has okay arm strength, but really needs to improve on that if he wants to take the next step.

Then there's the boneheaded plays where Rees makes terrible decisions with the football and often tries to force the ball to receivers with three defenders in the area. That would of course explain the 10 interceptions on the season.

Despite the positives and the flaws to Rees' game, the one thing I love about him is his confidence and leadership. The game against Michigan, for example, was just his fifth career start in a hostile environment. He threw two interceptions and fumbled in the fourth quarter.

Instead of letting those miscues get to him, he bounced back and completed three passes for 61 yards in 42 seconds to give the Irish the lead.

Of course, the defense let Denard Robinson and company go the distance in 28 seconds, but that's not the quarterback's fault. That game showed a lot and really showed that Rees has something that coaches can't teach.

That makes him one step ahead a lot of other quarterbacks.

Rees is only a sophomore and still has a lot of potential and room to grow into a solid quarterback. The turnovers will work themselves out with experience.

The question is, with Everett Golson on the roster and possibly Gunner Kiel joining the team, just how much time will he get to improve?

That may be the only thing that could hold him back.

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]

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