Quick-Hitters: Tommy Rees On The Offensive Line, Quarterbacks And More
The biggest training camp decision for Tommy Rees’ Notre Dame offense is in the rear-view mirror.
The Irish have named Jack Coan their starting quarterback, the first step in making some decisions on the depth chart after an offseason of retooling and tweaking the offense. So far, Coan and dubbing Jarrett Patterson and Josh Lugg offensive line starters have been the only concrete moves.
Rees spent much of his second fall camp press availability Wednesday discussing those decisions and other areas. Here are some highlights.
On The Offensive Line
“The biggest thing has been the ability to play together. When you start to get into a comfort level of who’s out there together, you start to see the combinations work at a higher level. You start to see the communication up front. Those things with offensive line play are so critical to success and can’t go understated. The feel to know, ‘He’s taking this block over, so I’m coming off.’ The communication on a stunt.
"Those are things that build through 11 or 12 practices. When we finally feel comfortable with those guys being out there together, that’s where the strides come. They’re all talented as individuals, but the offensive line is about five guys playing together as one. That doesn’t happen until you have continuity up front.”
On Jarrett Patterson and Zeke Correll
“The center is in charge of the offensive line. The calls, the communication. When you have a presence at center, it’s pretty dang important. Jarrett’s highest position is center. You wouldn’t move an All-American tight end to go play somewhere else. We challenged Zeke. We felt like playing guard might free him up a little bit mentally and allow him to go be athletic, strong and play to his ability. Jarrett just brings a presence when he’s playing center. The comfort level he can bring to the other guys is so beneficial.
On The Wide Receivers
“We know the talent we have. Guys might have a chip on their shoulder, and they can use that to their benefit. We know the talent in this room, in this building and in this group. All those guys are peaking at the highest they’ve ever been. Their commitment level has been through the roof. Everything we’ve asked them to do, they’ve done. They’ve been able to stretch the field, been able to win consistently.”
On Jack Coan’s Play Since Being Named The Starter
“The Saturday practice after we named Jack was as sharp a practice as [Jack] has had. That just shows me the moment didn’t become too big for him, that he wasn’t adding any pressure. He went out and executed at a really high level. We did a third-down period and he was sharp. I was pleased to see that."
On Backup Quarterback Drew Pyne
“I think Drew’s mentality has been, ‘I’m going to continue to push, fight and get better, because at some point, I’m going to be counted on.’ Drew had a really good day today. He was as sharp as he had been all camp. That’s exciting. It’s fun to see. We’re in goal-line drills and repping some plays yesterday, and the first guy celebrating is Drew Pyne.
"That’s just who he is. Jack throws a good ball and Drew is the first one there. His support of Jack is huge, but he has continued to push himself in case his number is called.”
On Offensive Tackle Blake Fisher And The ‘Freshman Wall’
“He has had things he has pushed through before. There’s offseason program stuff where he’s pushing through a workout and finding a way to finish it. There’s spring ball where he’s pushing to make sure he’s getting through a drill period.
"There is some precedent there. It’s also our job as coaches to help him through it. Let’s take a step back. What can we focus on to make this a little bit more narrow-minded so he can have a good day? How can we take it one step at a time so we can focus on what’s important in this moment?"
On Sophomore Offensive Tackles Michael Carmody And Tosh Baker
“Both of them had areas we wanted to improve on. We knew the skills they already possessed. It was continuing to get better in areas they had to improve. Mike has stepped up in a big way. He has done a lot of good things for us. His competitiveness has been through the roof throughout camp. Both are really good athletes. Tosh is so long that as he continues to add strength and play more comfortably, his length shows up. It has shown up the last five days. When he’s doing things the right way, he’s a pretty dang good young tackle.”
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