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ansfer when they know they have Pyne available for next year is a clear indication of their assessment of his capabilities and performance.

I think the coaches think Buchner is MUCH better than Pyne and that the offense could be MUCH better with Buchner.

When you have a QB that is far better than the backup and that QB returns from injury, you play him. It's that simple and I think that is the philosophy of most coaches including Freeman and Rees.

Buchner has never shown much so far, not last year, nor this year in his first two games. If I had to choose, I prefer Pyne. Neither can pass adequately but at least Pyne is more careful with the ball.

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throwing the ball as well. Pyne is good at neither.

If the starter is healthy, you go with him.

While I acknowledge there were other factors involved and I personally think Buchner might prove to be better if given the chance, the FACT is we were 0-2 and have gone 8-1 (with potential still for 10-1) with Pyne at QB.

To simply hand the spot back to Buchner without making him beat Pyne out, would be a tremendous error {see 2011 Crist over Rees}.

And "anyone" including me, who thinks Buchner might be better should have zero problem with this approach, because if he is better then he will beat him out again and if he doesn't then he just isn't better at that point in time.

You can knock Pyne all you want but the simple truth is this, aside from his height he has shown at times he has every tool needed to be a higher level college QB. On his good days he has displayed a level of play that we simply have not seen from Buchner yet (doesn't mean it's not there, but we haven't seen it). On his bad days (Cal in particular) he's shown a level lower than the worst we've seen from Buchner. So it really just comes down to consistency not ability...Pyne has the ability, he just needs to play more consistently.

I used to think he had poor accuracy, but now I realize his accuracy is there (when he's playing well) it's just a lack of consistency in his play...he's an up n down player, to go forward as the permanent starter he needs to become an up all of the time player, or he will get beat out by someone.

his place. The starting role would not "simply be handed" back to Buchner...it's his spot when he is healthy because he is QB1 and he earned it by beating out Pyne and from all accounts it wasn't close.

I do have a problem with allowing the QB shit show that Pyne has been continue any longer than necessary if the QB1 is healthy and ready to go. Why endure the disaster any longer? Pyne has not earned anything with his performance thus far. If anything, he's lost the spot. It is an embarrassment that Pyne is the best we can put on the field at that position. It's a great credit to the team that they've been able to pull it together and win in spite of his play. It shouldn't go on any longer than necessary.

Drew Pyne is the backup, QB2 (and a poor one at that) playing because the starting QB1 is injured.

What Buchner did before the 22 season even started does not guarantee anything for the 23 season...if he can't beat Pyne out again then he isn't better anymore. Period.

controversial idea.

As for next year, I'm in favor of them competing. I expect Buchner to again win easily and I expect Angeli to pass Pyne by as well.

Pyne is a great kid but he is simply not physically capable of doing the job at anywhere close to the level necessary.

If you have a guy who was the starter and has played a good number of games to where you know what you have, he gets knocked out for a few games and backup keeps ship afloat while he's out but there's no significant change in team performance, then former starter gets put back in when healthy.

That is not the situation we have...we didn't see Buchner play enough to know what we have and he was knocked out for the entire season. Team performance went from 0-2 with him, to 8-1 (with potential for 10-1) with his replacement. We have a new starter now, that is just a fact weather you like it or not. If Buchner wants the spot back now, he needs to 'compete' as you said your in favor of and beat him out...if the coaches just hand it back to him that would be a huge mistake. I'm sorry you can't comprehend this..

We have very poor QBs but folks like to pretend there is some godsend waiting on the bench that’s going to make us so much better. It’s comical. Buchner has proven nothing and oddly his average yards per run are no better than Pyne’s.

can see. His arm actually has some strength in it while Pyne's is very weak. Buchner is an outstanding runner while Pyne is a poor runner.

Even if we just had him hand the ball off instead of Pyne would make a difference in keeping the D honest because of his ability to run.

the same Notre Dame team and games.

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Yet in live action he has proven literally nothing.

It’s actually comical.

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Buchner has proven absolutely NOTHING

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Please elaborate rather than just waving your arms

And all season, people have been bashing Pyne. You can’t have it both ways.

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Pyne was beaten out by Buchner. All Pyne has proven to excel at is the forward "handoff" and getting passes batted down at the line. Other than that, he is a rather ordinary qb. You don't win much with "ordinary."

I don't care who the better qb is. Freeman has to play the best one he has. If Pyne has to sit to figure that out, so be it. In fact, I'd like to see Buchner with this offense rather than the one he played with.

If you want to judge Buchner based on 1.5 games when one of them was a top 3 team in the country in his 1st start, then should we also judge Pyne for the Stanford debacle as the 2nd half versus Navy.

lol. You claim a loss to a "top 3" is better than a win against #4. Let's not forget the other ranked teams we beat too. We'll just cherry pick Stanford and forget about Marshall at the same time. While we're at it anyway.

This literally couldn't be anymore funny.

I'd have more respect for you if you said, "I'm bias. I will not like Pyne no matter what he does and only like Buchner, regardless of what he does or if he never wins a game." Much more respectable than trying to throw out stupid stats that are actually damning to showing your subjective bias.

They were TDs

8-1

We aren't going to look at all the plays he can't/doesn't make because ND is 8-1 when he starts?

He is really good at handing it off and tossing those 2 feet "passes."

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after this year.

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in 10 or 15 years.

Please kid me with what crow we should be eating? Call me when Buchner is greater than 8-1 with more than 5 straight weeks of 45 point wins.

Seriously, do you even think about the stuff you write? This isn't a joke. A very serious and straight forward question.

Pyne and Buchner are close friends. Pyne is aware of Buchner's progress level as much as anyone. In general, a starter doesn't lose his spot just because of an injury, and Drew Pyne has done as well as he can, but he has hardly "lit things up". The coaches know exactly what each can and cannot do.

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key difference is leadership and you see it in how the team gels and the offense has gotten better. You saw the exact same thing happen under Book and Rees.

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Buchner gets injured.

That is a clear indication of the coaches' assessment.

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while allowing Pyne to cash in on it.

Buchner is QB1 until he gets beaten out in a head-to-head (or apples to apples) competition.

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It would be nice to have him available as a backup, or to run certain packages the way he did last year.

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a Stanfordesque or second half Navy performance I would pull him and give Buchner a shot.

Keep the Tyler return story alive.

1/ Letting the opponent prepare for two different quarterbacks even if Buchner isn't going to play
2A/ The bowl game is a chance for Notre Dame to began assessing their QB situation for next year. Buchner hasn't had much game experience, and in the 2 games he played in this year, both the offensive line and receivers were in the very early stages of development, to put it mildly. If they can get a look at Buchner in a game situation with these much improved units, they might have a better idea as to what they have at QB going into the spring which may impact what they might consider with regard to bringing in a transfer.
2B/. As much as everyone is screaming for them to look to the transfer portal, I am not sure how feasible that option is. How many non graduate QB's are out there who would meet eligibility criteria at ND? Where have undergraduate transfers they have accepted come from? Northwestern, Stanford, Ivy League Schools? Do you think they are going to accept a transfer from some kid from the SEC??
How may graduate transfers in their last year of eligibility are out there who wouldn't want a guarantee that they could get somewhere else that they would start? If there is anyway that the coaching staff can get a better idea fo what they might have in Buchner, it would significantly impact how urgently they may feel they need to lure someone from the transfer portal and then navigate the process of getting them through admissions.

They have been few and far between though.

I had forgotten Carlisle came from USC. I had thought he was at Stanford. But Gillman coming from a Service Academy also makes my point.

That's university policy for all students. Not just athletes. As it should be.

So, you are left with Grad transfers or relatively inexperienced players who are good students taking legit classes. Small window.