Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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freshman Tarean Folston was out of town for a family funeral. "Are you a red-zone player for us?" Kelly remarked. "Are you a short yardage [back]? Are you a third-down back? Are you going to catch punts or kickoffs? Are you going to help us on special teams? If they're all ready to play and help us, we'll find roles. Then it's up to them to accept the roles we give them." 3. What might be an overlooked strength of the offense? Just like the offense became a little more resourceful and effective despite the absence of Michael Floyd in 2012, the combination of burgeoning runners and receivers — and a more athletic line — could make the 2013 offense better despite the graduation of Eifert and Riddick. In senior TJ Jones, Kelly believes he has a bona fide go-to receiver surrounded by a strong supporting cast. "We're going to have great balance — probably the best balance in the wide receiver corps since I've been here, across the board," Kelly said. "… We have a dynamic playmaker in TJ Jones. I just think we surround TJ with much more balance. We didn't surround Tyler nor Michael with as much balance as TJ is going to have this year." 4. Notre Dame has produced four straight tight ends that were first- or second-round picks. Is Troy Niklas primed for such success, too? He definitely possesses an NFL body, but the junior is just now getting more acclimated to the position after moving from defense last year. "[Weighing] 275 [pounds] and [standing] 6-6 is one thing," Kelly said of Niklas. "You have to be skilled in the pass game and catch the football, and you have to be … not dominating, but a really accomplished in-line blocker. "I'd say in both those areas he was okay last year. His size and physical frame were up here [raising his arm to the top of his head], and his accomplishments were here [dropping his arm below his neck]. I want to see his accomplishments meet his size and stature — and I think they're getting there. "I will say I'm really pleased with [tight ends] Ben [Koyack] and Alex [Welch], too. They both can be really important parts of our offense as well." 5. Any new wrinkles in the works? The Irish might be quietly adding the Pistol formation as a derivative to the base offense. It's different from the standard shotgun in that the quarterback lines up only about three yards behind the center, with the running back behind him instead of to the side. It can help make it more difficult for the inside linebackers to read the back and perhaps allows the back to get downhill faster and get the read on the blocking scheme. Thus, it can aid play action, too. It's not a topic Kelly has wanted to talk about, but at this spring's Coaches Clinic at Notre Dame, among the guest speakers was former Nevada head coach Chris Ault, a father of the Pistol. ✦