DomerMQ had a little post on this the other day, and that got me thinking: man, how things change quickly. Just two years ago, we were all in it. In the heated discussion around Spring Ball: Who's going to QB the Irish? There were many popular opinions.
"It's gotta be Sharpley, he has the experience of learning behind Quinn."
"No way, Jones has the feet to get him out of some trouble if it happens. He'll get the nod."
"But Frazer is a pro style guy, and more talented than Sharpley. He should get it."
"Screw that, Jimmy is all-everything-recruit-#-1. I don't care if he just came into the program, he's the man."
Well, we were all sort of wrong no matter what. First, down goes Frazer, off to UCONN where he is fighting for the starting job, and the chance to face ND this Fall. Next, Jones sucks it up and gets yanked, then misses a bus and bails. Sharpley then Jimmy then Sharpley then Jimmy and finally Jimmy.
And now, we're down to Jimmy, Dayne and some walk-ons (no matter that one is the sone of a legend, things are certainly different, and we have 2 QBs on this team).
It's crazy to think that we had all that drama that Spring, all that uncertainty, and now we're going into a Spring just 2 years later with a clear leader in Jimmy, a clear #2 in Dayne, and nothing behind that. And it's even crazier to see where the other 'blue chips' went.
As Domer posted, Jones is no longer one of 6 QB's fighting for scraps at Cincy (worst transfer strategy ever for a guy that said he only wanted to play QB? Probably). Instead, he's a LB.
Frazier, as mentioned, is off on his own battle at UCONN. If he's battling for the job at UCONN, he shouldn't have been battling for it at ND. Just saying.
Sharpley, a solid backup and a great guy that helped his team immensely over the past 2 seasons despite his secondary role, is moving on and squarely focused on baseball. Given his chances there at the MLB and the minors relative to football, this is 100% the right move. Good luck to you kid.
What's the point? Eh, not much, other than it's fun to look back on the madness once in a while and re-live how we got where we are.
For what it's worth, much like Quinn, I think this is the year that Jimmy turns the corner. He improved leaps and bounds last year, matching/beating Quinn's sophomore year numbers. He'll never be the athlete that Quinn was. He'll never work as hard in the gym or be as determined/single-minded in his pursuit. But the kid is a pure passer with more latent talent than Quinn, and he's been groomed since forever. And once his decision-making catches up to his arm, watch out.
By Burbank Steve March 19, 2009 - 3:12 pm
So when does Dayne Crist start taking some snaps? He’s preserved his extra year of eligibility by not getting his uniform dirty in 2008.
I’d prefer to see this happening sooner rather than later; thinking back to Brady’s final year when he was still taking every snap, and there was this sense of impending doom …
Thumbs Up/Down:
0 
0
By san diego irish March 19, 2009 - 3:17 pm
Good post B. I am completely confident that Clausen will shred this year. If the running game improves even a little, and Kamara, Goodman, Walker or Shaq have a coming out party, Clausen will be a Heisman finalist. I’m concerned about other aspects of the team heading into next year, but not Clausen.
Thumbs Up/Down:
0 
0
By The Biscuit March 19, 2009 - 4:19 pm
Burbank, how are things with the President over there today? Avoiding it like the plague with the road closures and stuff.
I think Crist will get some snaps this year, hopefully in some spots where we have a healthy lead late. He’ll certainly get a lot more chances this spring, and with the 2nd and 1st strings in practice this Fall. He’s the backup now, he’s gotta be ready to go.
Assuming Jimmy doesn’t leave after this year – and I don’t think he will even if he has a banner year – Crist still has another season after this one to learn, and then he’s THE guy. That’s how succession planning SHOULD work, at the least.
Thumbs Up/Down:
0 
0
By BigE March 19, 2009 - 7:55 pm
I’ve never been a big Clausen fan and I doubt his decision making ability ever since his circus commitment to the Irish. There is a flaw there somewhere. Having said that,the guy is incredibly talented and with the talent that surrounds him, he will be a winner. I really look forward to Crist leading the team though. I think he is a soldier’s general and if he gets a chance this year due to a Clausen injury or poor play, Jimmy may not see the field again.
Thumbs Up/Down:
0 
0
By Ted March 20, 2009 - 4:51 am
I am not certain I totally agree with BigE, but I believe there may be some truth in what was said. It would be interesting to see Dayne get a real opportunity at the starting position. He has had his year on the bench…now we start counting his four years on the field.
Having said that, I hope JC has a tremendous season, but until that happens I share the concerns expressed about his leadership ability.
Thumbs Up/Down:
0 
0