Quinn's finale reflects Notre Dame's big-game woes

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NEW ORLEANS -- To Charlie Weis, it wasn't a compliment, it was the compliment that the Notre Dame coach shared with a small group of reporters as he spoke about Brady Quinn.

The Irish's record-setting quarterback had just played in his final game in a Notre Dame uniform and Quinn had delivered a lackluster performance that would be his worst in 24 games.

But even in disappointment, Weis was drawing comparisons to that other Brady.

"In my 15 years in the NFL there are few people I have a very strong bond with, and obviously [Patriots quarterback Tom Brady] was one of them, [and Quinn] is the closest thing I've ever come to that relationship," Weis said. "That's as high a testament as I can possibly give."

On the Superdome turf, Quinn's performance wasn't so complimentary.

He threw for 148 yards two touchdowns and two interceptions and was sacked once as the Irish lost 41-14 to LSU in the Sugar Bowl. He struggled to find his rhythm, overthrowing and under throwing receivers on balls that the three-year starter usually delivers with ease.

"This won't hurt his future," Weis said of April's NFL draft, in which Quinn could go No. 1 overall, which would make him the first Notre Dame player to be taken first since Walt Patulski was selected by the Buffalo Bills in 1972 and the first Irish QB since Paul Hornung was taken by the Green Bay Packers in '57.

But what could affect Quinn's future is that one lingering question, the one knock that he has failed to answer despite his statistical exploits: Can he win the big one?

With Wednesday's loss, Quinn fell to 0-3 in bowl games and 2-7 against top-10 teams, including 1-4 the last two years. In Notre Dame's three losses this season (Michigan, USC, LSU) he was 61-of-128 with eight TDs and five picks.

It's a disappointing inability to deliver when the spotlight is on that can only truly be appreciated by one other quarterback with the same penchant for gaudy numbers as Quinn.

Think Peyton Manning.

Manning passed for 11,201 yards and 89 touchdowns at Tennessee, while Quinn finished with 11,762 yards and 95 TDs. Both quarterbacks won the Maxwell Award as the nation's best player their senior season but missed out on the Heisman. Most dubiously, Manning went 0-3 against rival Florida, while Quinn was 0-4 versus USC.

Like Manning, Quinn could be the top pick in the draft, but whether he can perform in the games that truly matter remains the one issue that numbers can't hide, no matter how Sunday-ready Quinn's game and body are.

On Wednesday he failed to deliver in what was basically a quasi job interview for the NFL and his stock may have taken a hit. He showed flashes of brilliance, hitting David Grimes with a beautifully thrown ball into double-coverage for a 24-yard touchdown. But then he tried the same thing on a pass to Jeff Samardzija into double coverage that was picked off before the call was reversed. He would throw an interception on the next down.