By Wally
A new era began for Notre Dame football on Friday as new coach Brian Kelly was introduced to the media. There’s a lot written and videoed about Brian Kelly and how he fits with Notre Dame on ESPN, MSN, Fox, etc … obviously, the ND coaching job is still quite relevant given the wall-to-wall coverage this week. It’s not an easy job, but it is still very prestigious. The consensus among the experts seems to be that Kelly is a really good fit for this job.
I just wanted to chime in with my opinion and get yours. I feel SOOOOOOOO much better about the hiring of Brian Kelly than I did about the hirings of both Charlies Weis and Ty Willingham when those happened. Here’s why:
1) Kelly has been a HEAD COLLEGE coach for something like 19 years. 2) he’s been SUCCESSFUL at each coaching stop and even transformational (Grand Valley state, Central Michigan, Cinci). 3) He’s got GREAT CHARISMA… something totally lacking in both Charlie Weis and Ty Willingham. His players like him, but respect him greatly and run through walls for him. 4) He’s only 47 … and he “gets what Notre Dame is about” … just like the millions of Catholics who grew up in the ’60’s and 70’s when Ara was storming the sidelines and winning titles, Montana was spinning his magic, etc. Although not an alum, he’s gonna fit right in just like Lou did.
Can Brian Kelly bring ND back to an annual perch in the Top 10? Absolutely. (Heck, we’d be in the Top 10 now if we could get that 85th ranked defense down to 45th … is that asking too much??) What ND fans better realize is that it will not happen next year (2010). Whenever you’re replacing a QB like Clausen, it’s gonna take the better part of a season to get your act together. Next year, 7-5 or 8-4 is likely … and I don’t think the schedule is too daunting … a lot of the tough games are at home and the back half of the schedule “should be quite manageable”
S04 PURDUE
S11 MICHIGAN
S18 @ Michigan St.
S25 STANFORD
O02 @ Boston College
O09 PITTSBURGH
O16 WESTERN MICHIGAN
O23 @ Navy (NY/NJ)
O30 TULSA
N13 UTAH
N20 ARMY (Yankee Stadium)
N27 @ Southern Cal
But I don’t really want to engage in predictions for 2010 … I just want to stress the need for realism among the fan base here in the short term. I am extremely confident that Kelly will have the Irish in the Top 10 in 2011. After that, I’m also confident the Irish will be in the nat’l title discussion a few times between now and 2015. I could not say this after Willingham and Weis were hired … I did not feel it in my gut. This time is different … this time, ND didn’t settle for someone who’s resume was lacking. This time, ND didn’t hire a soft-spoken introvert or a curmudgeon who alienates people. Instead, they hired a fantastic personality, a very good coach, and a real LEADER. Kelly will get the Irish back to the Top 10.
Oh … one other thing since I have the chance … if Colt McCoy wins the Heismann Trophy, they ought to stop giving it out. He was the front-runner going into last Saturday’s game vs Nebraska. But in that game, he was totally inept and came very close to costing his team a shot at the title. He was terrible. Give it to anyone else … except Tebow.
Thoughts from the Bench?
mikesmasterpiece says
I myself am a fan of Notre Dame and love the hiring of Kelly. I think he will work magic with his words when meeting with the parents of recruits and place prestige back in our program I think 8-4 is definitely reasonable, however I would like to remain optimistic that we can increase the win total even higher next year. I see Notre Dame with wins against, Purdue, Michigan, Michigan St, Boston College, Western Michigan, Navy, Tulsa, Utah, and upset alert on USC, making us 8-4 or 9-5 give or take with USC.
I also like the point you bring up about the Heisman Trophy, I do not think Colt McCoy deserves it over Ndamukong Suh. To me it seems like people seem to confuse that the Heisman goes to the most outstanding player of that year. Not the player with the most career accolades. From my understanding Mark Ingram is projected to win the trophy, but Suh had the most 1st place ballads. Which blows my mind because I believe that’s all he should need. Shout out to Toby Gerhart, if he were to receive more media coverage the race would be a lot closer then people think.
Crash says
Wally and all you Domers,
Easy now…Take a deep breath…Don’t get to excited yet…I know it’s hard not to given it’s been 20+ years since Granny Goose got you your last national championship….And it was the only one in the 10 year Holtz era so why is he the benchmark ? Oh yea, Davie, Losingham and Unweis…Sorry but I see you guys with another 5-7 and at best 6-6 season in 2010 which is pathetic considering the patsy schedule they’ll play ! Western Michigan, Tulsa, Utah ??? Are you kidding me ? Don’t forget the 10-2 or 9-3 expectations to start this year ? No Clausen, no Tate and no way you beat SC at the Coloseum…
Brian Kelly bailed on his 12-0 team that was 1 second away from and should be in the championship game…That’s lame ! Is Fr. Jenkins that desperate ?
Apparently so…However, I do hope the Bearcats CRUSH Florida without their coach ! Most of his kids ripped him yesterday and deservedly so ! He must be friends with Sarah Palin…
Mark Ingram wins the Heisman tonight…First running back since Reggie Bush and first ever from Bama’ I would have voted for the stud from Palo Alto myself…
Western Michigan, Tulsa and Utah ??? Really ???
Good luck Notre Lame…
Wally says
Crash —
I expected a lot of BS to come spewing from your keyboard … I never should have alerted you to the post.
Why is Holtz a “standard”? Well maybe because of his near 80% winning percentage over the 10 years. He deserved two National Championships, but only got one because some of the pollsters back in ’93 wanted Bobby Bowden to get a “Career Appreciation Award” even though Lou soundly beat his team late that year. Oh … and I believe Lou continued what Gerry Faust actually started … something like a 13 year unbeaten streak vs USC. Yes … that’s right … SoCal was CRAP for 13 straight years!!!! Maybe the Trojans can finish as high as 5th next year in that ever powerful Crap 10 conference … which would be an improvement over this season. Petey’s losin’ it, man!!!
Oh … and get a clue!!! Leaving your team is the way things work when a coach switches jobs. It’s unfortunate, but so are taxes. That’s just the way life is. It’s not like Cincy’s playing for the national title … they’re just playing in a glorified exhibition vs another team that’s disappointed it’s not playing for the title. Get over it, people!!
Crash says
😉
Crash says
😉
Crash says
🙂
Boog says
It was a good hire. I hope he brings back the Puke fests of the Holtz era, and I think he will. Weis teams were too soft.
Wally says
Boog —
Speaking of soft … they don’t get any cushier than Mike Brey’s ND basketball team. They just inexplicably squandered away a home game to a 4-7 Loyola Marymount squad. I think this team better a) make it to the NCAA tournament and b) win a few games in that tournament or else Brey’s gonna be packin’ his bags just like CW. He’s got a POY candidate in Harangody for Pete’s sake, but he can’t seem to sneak by a crappy LMU squad … AT HOME!!! Gee … does this sound familiar????
Sarah Watzke says
I with you dad. Hope you are right. I love my irish!
GO BRONCOS>
Glad tebow and mccoy didn’t win the Heismann!
Wally says
Sarah —
Hard to believe your BSU QB, Kellen Moore, was not in the Top 5. 39TDs and just 3 INTs … that’s sick !!! It’s just more bias against the “mid-majors”.
crossword pete says
Wally, I concur with ALMOST all you say. I have not been this excited about a coaching hire in a while. I can’t remember how I felt about Lou, but I was just glad to see Faust go. However, as to Boob Davie, Losingham, and Unweis, I had reservations from day one. Sure I jumped on the band wagon for Ty and Charlie when they got out of the gate so fast, but my initial reservations proved well-placed. I have no such reservations about Kelly. In fact, in retrospect, he fits the profile of a good ND coach more so than Stoops or Meyer. NO coach has ever come to ND and been successful after having been successful at another high profile, high pressured job. Leahy, Parseghian, Holtz, and even Devine had a pedigree very similar to that of Kelly.
Now to where we disagree; next year. I am setting myself up for disappointment, but so be it. I think Kelly can replace Clausen, just like he replaced Pike when necessary. Dayne Crist is no slouch. I think that 10 wins and a BCS bowl are not only possible, but likely. I look also at what Kelly did in his first year at Cincy, and I believe he can mold our returning defensive players into a top 50 unit while maintaining our highly rated offense . What I saw against Pitt shows me that he knows how to get the most out of his players with a combination of motivation and strategy.
As to the responses that dwell on his “desertion” of Cincy and lying to his team, I can’t believe I am even going to respond to that stuff, since it is so “sour grapes, cry baby”. But here goes! If Brian Kelly tells his team that he is talking to ND, they may, or they may NOT, give him 110% vs Pitt. But if he lies to them, they definitely do (and did). Kelly took one for the team. He risked his own integrity and reputation in order to give his players a shot at the title game. As to desertion, no other area in our world 1) requires/expects you to divulge your plans to others, or 2) expects you NOT to move into the new position as soon as needed/possible. People who want to think otherwise are just looking for ways to bash ND and its people. And if you think it’s not done this way in sports/coaching, just look at the sequence of events leading up to Nick Saban’s move to ‘Bama. The difference, Saban was SEC news (and they still revile him at LSU); ND is national, nay INTERNATIONAL news.
Finally, I said on the bench about a week ago that McCoy lost his status as my “sentimental favorite” with that one bonehead play at the end of the Big XII championship game. As I said then, I could have forgiven his mediocre (or worse) game given his career, but I could not forgive that one play. I predicted Ingram. I think the voters got it right, but Gerhardt was sure impressive, and Suh was no slouch either. Just as McCoy lost it with 1 play, Suh almost won it with one game (although he had the greatest season most fans never saw). McCoy and Tebow were 4 and 5 on my list of finalists, and Spiller would have made it to NY ahead of either if I had it my way.
Crash says
Wally and Sarah,
I like the BSU Broncos and concur that Kellen Moore deserved better recognition than he got, however I don’t agree that it was “mid-major” bias…
It’s lack of a competitive schedule….The ONLY real team they played was Oregon on opening night and it was close 19-8…But,they’ll get spanked
by the TCU “Horned Frogs” in the Fiesta Bowl…
If you put Moore in the Top 5 who do you remove ?
Now as far as “Petey’s losin’ it man” ???
Pete Carroll is 96-19 since he arrived at USC in 2001…
The Trojans are 6-1 in BCS bowl games…The 6 wins is a record…
He has 2 National Championships and was a minute away from a third in 2006…
He’s had 60 players get drafted to the NFL including 17 in the first round…
Three of those have won Heisman Trophies and 25 were first team All-Americans…
Carson Palmer,Troy Polamalu,Reggie Bush,LinDale White,Matt Cassel
just to name a few, have done pretty well for themselves in the NFL…
His 2004 team was arguably the BEST COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM EVER !
Until this season he lost 1 game by more than 7 points ! Seriously !
This is the first time he lost more than 2 games in a season…
So I guess that’s “losin’ it man” !
I can’t wait until Thanksgiving Saturday next year !
“Fight On”
P.S. Notre Lame lost to both teams they played from the Crap 10 !!! Ouch !
Boog says
Brey is getting fat and lazy in his job. Just like Digger in his last few years. When your only game preperation is trying to decide what color carnation to staple to your lapel, it is time to go.
Casey says
Crash
You left out one from Carroll’s resume – only coach to have two Heisman winners in the same back field and NOT win the national title.
Boog says
And Carroll is the only coach in Div 1 to shack up with a grad student in Malibu.
Crash says
To you So.Cal.haters,
Casey, Helmet sticker ! That was inexcusable…
Boog, and that’s bad thing ? Ever been to Malibu ?
My next license plate
BEATND
Wally says
Crash …. you’ve got me all wrong. “Petey’s losin’ it, man.” … I’m talking about Crossword Pete!! He thinks the Irish are gonna be 10-2 and BCS bowl bound next year. I certainly hope he’s right, but I also thing think he’s been sippin’ the Kelly-Aid or something even stronger.
If you ever want to set foot in the House That Rockne Built in 2011, you better not let me see that “next plate”.
Crossword Pete says
I may be “losin’ it” (re: next year), but soon the only place ND will get beat is on Crash’s license plate!
Crash says
Dohhhhhhh…
Never mind !
How about this one…
ND10N2
And honestly…I truly look forward to meeting any of you “benchwarmers” who may be attending the Watzke nuptials here in Alaska next May !
Mi casa es su casa !!!
Casey says
Crash
Just out of curiosity, how many of those 60 players drafted during Carroll’s tenure have qualified for the NFL pension?
Crash says
Casey,
I’m sure there’s an “ap” for that…
Wait a minute…Bill R. appears to be the best “ap” on the “pine”
Bill ???
My guess is 1/3 to 1/2
Pete’s job is to help get ’em there not keep ’em there…
Wally says
Crash —
I’d have replaced Tim Tebow with Kellen Moore on the Top 5 Heismann list, but that’s just me. This year, Tebow was nothing more than a hype machine. Moore is only a sophomore, so we SHOULD see him get much more respect next year. The score of that Oregon-BSU game was closer than the game itself … BSU soundly whipped ’em. I watched it.
TCU beat BSU last year in a bowl game. I think it was 17-16. I expect another close game, but would give TCU the edge going in. Make no mistake … TCU would be only a slight underdog if facing Texas or ‘Bama.
Crash says
Wally,
I agree with the Tebow / Moore part…I won’t miss the Tebow / Florida hype…He’ll get litte pub in the NFL…
I’d still like to see Boise play a tougher schedule…They’d get more respect from the pollsters if that would happen…
Word has Halladay going to the Phillies and Cliff Lee to the Mariners…
Did anyone see Floyd Mayweather, Michael Strahan and “Marky Mark” Wahlberg on Joe Buck last Friday night ?
Mayweather is extremely cocky ! I hope Pacquiao drops him in March…
Michael Strahan is hilarious and I still don’t care much for Joe Buck…He sure isn’t his dad !
If you haven’t seen the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25th Anniversary Concert on HBO yet it is “must see TV” especially in HD and surround sound…
Fergie and Mick Jaggers’ Gimme Shelter stole the show !
Casey says
Okay, so just when I thought ND were a little too zealous: https://fireturnergill.com/
Wally says
Kansas football has not earned the right to be this obnoxious. Basketball, yes. But not Jayhawk football.
Anyway, they still ask some pretty good questions on that site. I’m guessing that Chris Peterson (BSU) and some others probably decided Kansas is indeed a hoops school and will remain that way for a few more decades.
Casey says
Exactly!!! Don’t they know it’s basketball season and they have the number one team.
Boog says
Wally is getting married in May?? When did you get divorced?
Wally says
Boog —
Oldest daughter Sarah is getting married in May. Molly and I are still livin’ the dream! 😉