The week after Everett Golson's 2013 expulsion/suspension was confirmed I was fortunate enough to discuss what the aftermath might be with not one, but two former Notre Dame quarterbacks – Matt Mulvey & Evan Sharpley. Mulvey spent two years playing alongside Tommy Rees and roomed with Everett Golson during road games in 2011. Mulvey provides can't miss weekly QB insights on my podcast The Man Cave Quarterback (returning in August!). In this article you'll find some of the comments Mulvey made in regards to the future for both Tommy Rees and Everett Golson.
We all have our own opinions about the Tommy Rees Era thus far. Many rejoiced this time a year ago knowing a QB with a 13-4 career record in two years wouldn't be helming Notre Dame Football in the Dublin. I was among those people with that exact opinion. Some people's opinions are better than yours. In regards to Tommy Rees -opinions of recent former Notre Dame quarterbacks should carry more weight than message board musings of the disenfranchised. Both QBs are optimistic that the offense can be in many ways superior with Tommy Rees calling the plays and explain why during the interviews. If you can't listen to the full interview, here are Matt's responses to a few of my questions.
On Tommy's Preparation
Mulvey: "One thing that we've seen out of Tommy, no matter the circumstance, is that the kid is ready. He's always trained like he's been the starter and Notre Dame is in a great position to not be hurt by an off the wall thing like this (Golson's departure)."
Reactions From Current ND Players
Mulvey: "Everyone is surprised and disappointed. People are also excited to see him (Tommy) and how he's matured physically and mentally … and we're not going to see those option plays. There are really two sides to it. I'm excited to see Tommy get the majority of the snaps or every snap for his senior year and I think he's ready."
Andrew Hendrix's Role
Mulvey: "I think the vast majority of the of the snaps will be Tommy with a sprinkling of Andrew in special situations and plays."
Everett's Next Step
Mulvey: "Knowing Ev I'm heartbroken for the kid. You never want to see a guy who made such great strides from Day 1 and who was destined to have an outbreak year. Knowing the type of person he is. He's a warrior, he's gonna battle and do whatever it takes to come back. I do believe he's going to come back and finish his eligibility at Notre Dame. They're not gonna hand him the starting role … he's going to pick up where he was advancing from this spring, retake over this offense and make great strides."
The Game Plan With Tommy Rees
Mulvey: "Chuck Martin will have to show his versatility. With Tommy (before) we saw a lot of formations, motions, and actions in the backfield that gives 1-on-1 advantages that Tommy is so good at reading … I think they'll be more precise plays and clear guys we want to go to with a favorable matchup … I think Chuck's mind and creativity with formations will be key in where we put guys like George Atkinson and other skill positions on the field. I think Coach Martin has a tough task ahead of him … but it's Tommy's show right now."
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Twitter: @ManCaveQB
E-mail: herringbonesports@gmail.com
Finally – just because when I Googled "Matt Mulvey" this image came up and you need to see it:
