Brian Kelly says his Notre Dame coaching position is a ‘dream job.’
 Mandatory Credit: Paul Sakuma

I grew sick to my stomach hearing everyone saying “If Notre Dame is going to have a chance, Everett Golson has to play a near perfect game”…The disturbingly ironic thing about that statement, is that he did. What nobody predicted, was the Irish defense getting shredded from the opening drive.

The missed tackles were surprising, but what threw me off even more was the desperation and lack of communication that was prevalent from the beginning. On Alabama’s first drive they predictably opened with a run, and then went play action on 2nd down with Mccarron hitting Norwood for a big gain and a first down. What worried me immediately about that play is that it was clear, early on, that the Irish were scared of Bama’s ability to run. Practically the entire secondary bit on the play-action, leaving Kenny Norwood wide open. If the Tide had hit the Irish 4 or 5 times in a row, I can see being a little jumpy to stop the run and getting beat, but it was the second play of the game. Alabama has been getting chunk yardage in the passing game off play-action all season, it’s what they do, and it seemed like the Irish weren’t ready for it. Several times Mccarron had receiver’s wide open from biting on play-action or miscommunications in the secondary. While it seemed as though there were guys in place to make plays, they also seemed overwhelmed.

At the end of the day, the Irish just got a good old fashioned beat down.

Besides Brent Musburger fantasizing about AJ Mcarrons girlfriend, what kept me interested was the play of Everett Golson.

The play calling was curious. Golson was poised and in control for the most part throughout the game; making good decisions. The one play in which Clinton-Dix made picked Golson off, Everett was a little hand-cuffed by the situation and was simply trying to make a play. It was great seeing Golson direct traffic while rolling out of the pocket and throwing with accuracy on the run. This should give Irish fans a ton of confidence going into 2013.

What I and many others thought was a solid head coach that would be around for a while has reportedly interviewed with the Philadelphia Eagles, according to Chris Mortensen. In this day and age, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. It’s disappointing after a season like this when the development of the program to national prominence seems to be taking shape. Why would Kelly be looking to leave after such a great run in 2012? His play calling from the beginning was odd. On 3rd and 2, on the first drive of the game, Kelly calls what was basically a jump ball to Eifert on the sideline against one of the best cover corners in the country. That’s a desperate play call down just 7 in the 1st quarter; was his head elsewhere? Looks like we’re going to find out shortly.

SOUTH BEND, IN – OCTOBER 13: T.J. Jones #7 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish catches the game-winning touchdown pass in overtime in front of Terrence Brown #6 of the Standford Cardinal at Notre Dame Stadium on October 13, 2012 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated Stanford 20-13 in overtime. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) Photo: Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images / SF

Going into the 2012 season, it was apparent the Irish needed another option through the air to go along with Tyler Eifert. All-American receiver, Michael Floyd left for the NFL draft and so did his 1147 yards receiving, and with the expectation of first time starter, Everett Golson behind center, someone had to step up.

Jones is no stranger to playing in the shadows of a future first round draft pick. In his sophomore season, Michael Floyd was the primary target for Tommy Rees, and this season, Eifert was the guy everyone was talking about. While the Irish passing game wasn’t exactly dynamic, Jones still managed to significantly improve upon his 2011 numbers, becoming a staple of the offense this season.

Jones and his 559 receiving yards (366 in 2011) were good for 2nd on the team, right behind the all-American tight end (Eifert). With 43 receptions, Jones finished his junior year just 1 reception from behind Eifert for the top spot. Jones only added 5 receptions to his 2011 total, however, his yards per catch jumped from 9.6 to 13, adding 193yds to his season total.

Jones athleticism is the biggest reason he was able to add nearly 200yds from the previous year. He’s a quick, shifty athlete who is able to make plays in the open field after the catch. Jones is also a great route runner. Eifert and Jones being able to run quick, crisp routes will be important as Kelly will be looking to get Golson going early with some quick, easy throws. Alabama is not known for their pass rush, their top 3 sack leaders are all linebackers; this shows they get pressure from blitz packages. If Bama has to blitz linebackers to get pressure, this could leave holes in the first level of the Tide secondary, giving a guy like TJ Jones a little room to make a play or two in the open field.

Eifert is clearly the star of the Irish receiving core, but sometimes it’s the unassuming co-star that makes the biggest splash. I expect TJ to have a big game as Alabama’s secondary isn’t what it has been in the past. If “The Rock” can hold down the Bama d-linemen and force Kirby Smart (Alabama’s D-Coordinator) to blitz, TJ might have a little day light from the slot and steal the show. GO IRISH!

Apr. 16, 2011; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Andrew Hendrix (12) dives over safety Austin Collinsworth (28) for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Blue-Gold game at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-US PRESSWIRE

The school announced Wednesday that Collinsworth went to surgery in order to repair a torn labrum. He injured it over the course of the spring season and is expected to miss the next 4-6 months.

Austin, the son of former NFL player Chris Collinsworth, was suppose to be used in the nickel package. Although he is behind Jamoris Slaughter and Zeke Motta, ESPN’s Matt Fortuna said that he would’ve seen “significant playing time.”

Collinsworth, a junior, has played in all 26 games played over his first 2 years at Notre Dame. He has made 25 tackles and record 1 forced fumble. He was a huge part of special teams last year, making 16 tackles and also being awarded the Special Team’s Player of the Year.

Does this impact Notre Dame as a whole?

As long as the teams steps up and players contribute, this shouldn’t have the same affect as a starting quarterback going down with this injury. Luckily, there is still some time for head coach Brian Kelly to find his replacement for the 3rd nickel safety. Collinsworth will be missed, but the team should recover from this.

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