Notre Dame Football: Tommy Rees Says Offense is the Perfect Combination of Kelly and Long
Notre Dame football quarterback coach, Tommy Rees, gave some insight to the 2017 offensive scheme.
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Former Notre Dame quarterback and current quarterback coach, Tommy “Tom” Rees, told Douglas Farmer of NBC Sports that the Irish offense still has some Brian Kelly in it, but also contains some of new offensive coordinator, Chip Long.
“The offense conceptually is still coach Kelly,” Rees told Farmer. “You still see a lot of the aspects there, but coach Long has brought a lot of his stuff to what we’re doing.”
This is what fans want to hear. Coach Kelly has always had an act for the offense and is one of the best coaches in the NCAA at creating quarterbacks. But after the disastrous 2016 season, it seems that it’s time for a new man to be in charge of the offense.
When Kelly gave Long the control of play calling, it began a new chapter in South Bend. Now, Kelly can focus on his strengths of recruiting and forming this team, and Long can start leading this offense.
“We want to play fast,” Rees said to Famer. “There are some details here and there that coach Long has done a great job of coaching up. It’s been a great blend to work with.”
With an exciting new quarterback in Brandon Wimbush, an explosive backfield led by Josh Adams and Tony Jones Jr. and one of the best receiving cores in the country, the focus should be to score as much as possible.
The talent these athletes have makes them one of the most dangerous all-around rosters in the NCAA. On top of that, they’re all freakish athletes. If Long wants to make this team a fast-paced offense, it won’t take much.
“You still see the same structure of the offense, and now coach Long comes in and adds his mix into it,” said Rees. “It’s been a great job of learning from him and seeing what he’s really applied, the finer details that he’s coached up.”
Coach Long’s additions to the offense may be the difference between a College Football Playoff run and a National Championship. The talent this team has and the changes they’ve made have put them in the situation. Now, they need to go out and execute. With a coach who’s known for success like Long is, Notre Dame becomes one of the biggest threats in college football.
The deadly combination of Kelly and Long is exactly what Notre Dame needed. This team is now set to develop Wimbush into a star and bring all its talent to each game. If the plan is to play a fast game, then they have the skill to do so.
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Notre Dame is dangerous. With the scheme their implementing, they’re even better. Expect the Kelly-Long duo to be one of the best offenses in the NCAA in 2017 and to continue to get better each season.