The popular idea is 55 yards downfield. Tommy Rees’ hope for Notre Dame’s passing game might be 53.3 yards the other direction.
The Irish offensive coordinator had a successful first season in the role, Notre Dame averaging 33.4 points and 448.5 yards per game, but when it mattered most, the differences between the Irish and the country’s best were clear. For the most part, those differences could be boiled down to two synonyms: speed and explosiveness.
As Rees looks to fix that deficiency, he is not consumed with downfield threats.
“The biggest farce going is that to create explosive (plays), every throw has to be 55 yards,” he said Thursday.