Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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play‑action package. If Notre Dame is able to consistently have the ability to hand the ball off, run the quarterback and also drop back and pass out of the same run ac‑ tions, defensive coaches are going to suffer massive migraines game plan‑ ning for the Irish. Zaire's presence is going to result in more peeking by the defense into the Irish backfield. This will create more one‑on‑one matchup advantages for Notre Dame's talented wide receiving corps. Speedy receivers Will Fuller and Chris Brown, along with big targets Corey Robinson, Durham Smythe and Aliz'e Jones, should thrive in those scenarios. GREATER USE OF CROSSING ROUTES AND HIGH-LOW CONCEPTS At Notre Dame, Kelly has put more emphasis on stretching the field hori‑ zontally instead of the vertical stretch concepts that worked at Cincinnati. The individual talent he's had at wide receiver has been a big part of that shift. At Cincinnati and Central Michigan, he never had players like Michael Floyd, Tyler Eifert and Will Fuller. Kelly adapted more pro‑style concepts into his offense due to the unique skill sets of Rees and Golson. Zaire has the arm strength to run that offense, but he is not yet as advanced in the art of reading and progressing as his predecessors. The horizontal concepts that have worked so well for Kelly will remain an essential element of the offense, but Kelly should tweak his pass game to limit some of the reading that Zaire must do. Using more crossing and high‑low concepts would limit some of the more difficult reads. It would get skill players like Fuller, Brown and C.J. Prosise in more catch‑and‑run situations. These concepts have a greater tendency to cre‑ ate creases in the defense, which Zaire can exploit with his legs. MOVE THE POCKET Moving the pocket, especially early in games, would benefit Zaire in nu‑ merous ways. It would give him more isolation reads, which would help him get into an early rhythm. It would allow him to get to the perimeter, where his legs are a greater threat. It would help build early confidence, which will help Zaire pull the trigger downfield with more assuredness than he has shown to this point. This adjustment limits some of the pressures defenses can bring and the volume with which they can blitz. Properly mixing up the launch point creates greater risk for the defense if it blitzes. If the wrong blitz is called and Zaire is out of the pocket, the result is an out‑ numbered defense — the last thing it wants with Zaire on the perimeter. ✦ Bryan Driskell played quarterback at Salisbury University from 1997‑2000 and coached seven years at the collegiate level, highlighted by four conference titles and a Division I‑AA national championship at Duquesne in 2003. He coached 10 all‑ conference players and two All‑Ameri‑ cans. Driskell joined the Blue & Gold Illustrated staff as a football analyst this April.