You want good news? We were full of good news at Fighting Irish Wire on Friday so why not end the day with some more of it? Let’s do just that.
On a day that saw Notre Dame land a commitment from a defensive end they really like in the 2021 class and The Sporting News giving them the highest pre-season ranking we’ve seen to date, it’s a “good vibes only” type of Friday here. As long as you can look past Kirk Herbstreit’s outlook on the 2020 season, anyway.
In the “good news” department again however, the “Notre Dame Minute” launched this week with Brian Kelly sharing with us the Fighting Irish’s plan to keep fans updated on all things Notre Dame football despite the fact none of us are allowed within six feet of each other.
In the first episode that followed it was special teams coach Brian Polian hosting and welcomed his guest, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees in a “Notre Dame Minute” that actually lasted over three minutes.
Here’s my takeaway from the brief discussion, you ready for it?
Tommy Rees isn’t an idiot.
I don’t know how many coaches on either side of the ball I’ve seen over the years claim they’re going to have their system and their system only and it’s up to the players to figure out how to fit in.
The struggles Nebraska is going through in their rebuild haven’t been helped by that thinking and if you’re a Chicago Bears fan like myself, that’s only been the case for as long as you’ve probably been watching.
Rees is clear about not trying to make players do something they’re not good at while being well-aware of the importance of developing them into more complete players along the way.
Does it mean anything beyond that he’s a smart guy who knows how to answer a question? Not at all, but it’s not the stubborness of some coaches we’ve watched at Notre Dame before, either.
You’ll also enjoy Rees discussing being OC at his alma mater and the pressure that comes with that and the benefits he gets from being around this roster previous to being promoted to OC.
Watch the entire 3:15 of the “Notre Dame Minute” here:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QlIrEpwfEE&w=560&h=315]
Oh, and wash those hands.