Nd set to begin fall camp: carr, minchey look to set the tone
Notre Dame begins fall camp on Thursday and there are several position battles that add intrigue to an already highly anticipated camp, because of the pending quarterback battle between CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey. Both quarterbacks have garnered confidence from the staff during the spring that they’re ready to assume the responsibility of being the leader of Notre Dame’s evolving offense under 2nd year offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock.
1) Who can be the most consistent performer? That is job number one for the quarterbacks, perform on a consistent level. It's not so much about completion percentage as it is moving the offense. Who can lead the offense to points on a more consistent basis. Who can make the best decisions on the most consistent basis, which gets the ball to the playmakers.
CJ Carr showed the ability to do this at a higher level in the Blue & Gold game with Minchey missing a few easy opportunities.
2) Who can command the offense at the highest level? Commanding the offense refers to leadership and also who can handle the system the best. Who commands the most confidence and trust from the rest of the offense? Who can show the best grasp of the offense, which allows the quarterback to get the unit into good looks and out of bad ones? Leadership comes from setting a good example, but it also comes from earning the trust of your teammates that you can set them up for success.
Both quarterbacks have been in Mike Denbrock’s offense for two years and have a good handle of things. Consistency and decision making will be vitally important during fall camp. The spring saw both have moments of greatness, so the more consistent QB will have an advantage.
3) Who can limit the big mistakes? Turnovers are going to happen for all quarterbacks, and that's especially true for first-time starters. Both Minchey and Carr will turn the ball over in fall camp and the winner of the starting job will turn the ball over during the season. The two keys are keeping them to a level you can live with as an offense and also avoiding the really bad turnovers. The bad turnovers are the ones that come from panic, the ones that kill potential scoring drives, the ones that set up the opposition for easier scores and the ones that crush momentum in the biggest moments of the game. Big mistakes aren't just about turnovers, avoiding big mistakes also means not missing out on the opportunities to make big plays and clutch plays when they happen.
No one expects either quarterback to be perfect, and mistakes will be made. The response to those mistakes will be a bigger focus throughout camp.
There should be a natural order at the quarterback position in any program, and the same holds true with this situation. Kenny Minchey has been around and should be viewed as the lead guy in the race with the snaps shared evenly. Ultimately, this is going to come down to how Mike Denbrock views the offense evolving in the hands of both quarterbacks, and if one can show that they possess the skills to speed up that evolution, then they will separate themselves. This battle will set the tone for everything Mike Denbrock is looking to establish heading into the season.
Malik Zaire
