With the chance to redeem last season’s most disappointing loss, after 20 minutes of questions about the most recent weekend disappointment, Brian Kelly was understandably sick of talking about USC on Tuesday.
“Are we going to talk about Navy or not?” Kelly openly asked. “I guess not, huh? They beat us last year. You guys know that? Really bad. So my focus is on Navy.”
You can understand Kelly’s frustration, when he was asked 47 questions during Tuesday’s press conference and 35 of them dealt with last Saturday’s loss to USC and only 12 asked about the upcoming Midshipmen. (Stat courtesy of ND media relations sharp Alan George.) But it’s onward to Navy for the Irish, as Brian Kelly was ready and willing to discuss Saturday’s upcoming game.
That’s to the NBCSports.com video crew, here’s the greatest hits from yesterday. As usual, I’ll give some thoughts below:
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Even with the Irish running game not getting into the offensive flow last week, Jonas Gray has continued to put up dominant statistics. With Cierre Wood struggling against USC and dancing a bit too much, Kelly was asked if the running attack would turn into a two-headed proposition.
“I think it’s a very competitive situation,” Kelly said. “I think Jonas has done more from his production per se than Cierre playing so poor. He did not play his best, but I can give you a long list of guys that did not play their best. I think the answer to the question is that Jonas Gray, by his play, has warranted more time on the field.”
Kelly then address Cierre’s struggles — possibly a product of a Southern California kid trying to do too much.
“Part of my job is to get the best out of our players. I didn’t get the best out of him,” Kelly said. “He’s got to figure it out. He’s an adult. He’s got to figure out what he needs to do to play at a high level. You know, there are so many circumstances that we could talk about other than the fact that it’s game time and the lights are on. You got to go play.”
Adding to the pressure on Wood was the fact that he was named the offensive game captain. Whatever internally bottled Wood up, it wasn’t as catastrophic as falling behind 17-0 forcing Kelly to abandon the ground game early, then just as the Irish were about to draw square, Dayne Crist’s fumble pushed the game back to 14 points. Making it difficult for the Irish to run, especially with the Trojans controlling the clock so well.
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While everybody seemed to think the week off leading up to the USC game was an advantage, Kelly mentioned that he really struggled to keep his team focused with the lack of structure around them, with both the off week and school on fall break.
“We had an unusual situation, and one that I haven’t experienced before, in that we had a bye week followed by mid-winter break,” Kelly said. “Our players are a very disciplined group. They’re used to getting up early, going to class, being on a regimen.
“During the week, it was a bit of a battle because there wasn’t that regimen during the week. I could sense it. I screamed about it. I yelled about it. But ultimately, it’s my responsibility to get the football team ready. I think we all saw by the way we played in the first 20 minutes of the game, we didn’t play the same way that we played all year. So I told our team yesterday, I’ll take full responsibility for the preparation. You need to take full responsibility about the way you play and the level that you need to play at.”
It’s a little bit of a different tune than Kelly sang about his standard bye-week preparation, but it’s essentially the same message. The life of a student-athlete at any school, especially Notre Dame, is filled with structure. Adjusting to the changes in schedule proved mighty difficult on Saturday. Still, Kelly and his staff will do their part. The players also need to do theirs.
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Kris Proctor is likely out for the game on Saturday after dislocating his elbow against East Carolina. That brings in sophomore Trey Miller at quarterback. Kelly talked about the differences between the two.
“Obviously Procter is a lot more experienced, but Miller threw the ball very well and very effectively and led his team back,” Kelly said. “They’re going to run their system and plug in the next guy and run the same system, so for us it doesn’t change anything. You know, this is one system where you don’t go in and go, If quarterback A plays we do this, and if B is coming in then we got to do that. So there is no difference as it relates to the two quarterbacks. The skillset is the same. There’s a little bit more experience with Procter.”
One area where Navy will likely take a step back is in option execution. Miller just doesn’t have the experience running the triple option that Proctor had, meaning that Ken Niumatalolo and his offensive staff might need to dumb down the running portion of the game plan, while also taking some playaction deep shots at the Irish cornerbacks, who will likely spend a lot of the day in one-on-one coverage.
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- bernhtp - Oct 26, 2011 at 1:13 PM
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Keith, I love you but you lost me at the first sentence “With the chance to redeem last season’s most disappointing loss…” Sadly, Notre Dame could beat Navy by 100 points and not achieve redemption for the USC loss, not that it wouldn’t be a very good win. Last Saturday will stick in our stomachs for a very long time.
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- nudeman - Oct 26, 2011 at 1:17 PM
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Agree. Dramatically different expectations now. 3 straight 55-7 wins are essentially meaningless.
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- andy44teg - Oct 26, 2011 at 2:35 PM
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Good Gawd, fellas! You’re acting like we lost a shot at the National Championship. So we lost for the 3RD TIME this year, and now don’t have a chance to win out and play for a BCS spot. Big deal. Whatever happened to the only standard was winning a national championship??? And if you’re worried about the recruiting aspect of it…don’t be. The kids that pick a school based on one game are the kids that we don’t want!
Now, if we would have gone into this game undefeated ( LIKE WE SHOULD HAVE) and lost, then I would agree that the feeling would stick around for a very long time. We can still have a good (not great) season by winning out and going to a decent bowl game.
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- nudeman - Oct 26, 2011 at 3:53 PM
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What are you smoking? There will be no BCS with 3 losses.
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- andy44teg - Oct 26, 2011 at 8:31 PM
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@nudeman
What am I smoking…What are YOU smoking?! Where in what I posted does it even resemble something to the fact that ND could make it to a BCS game with 3 losses?? For someone who is always criticizing something..maybe you should slow down, take a breath, put your reading glasses on, and re-read my post.
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- nudeman - Oct 27, 2011 at 11:03 AM
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andy
I stand corrected. I realized the error after I posted.Feel free to beat the crap out of me for this one. I have it coming.
The Nudeman is not too big to admit a mistake.
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- danno27 - Oct 26, 2011 at 4:01 PM
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Umm quick question Bernhtp: Are you saying that you just don’t care about the Navy game because of the USC game, or are you saying that Keith was saying they could redeem the USC loss by beating Navy?
Because if it’s the former, I get it, but then why even bother reading this blog the rest of the year? Keith is going to be writing about a bunch more games still, none of which apparently matter any more.
If it’s the latter, you just misunderstood what he wrote – he said the chance to redeem Last season’s most disappointing loss, not this season’s most disappointing loss.
I will be watching this Saturday with as much interest before, if not as high of expectations. It’s about time the Subway Domer took that stupid anchor graphic out of his Golden Dome photo, and it’s going to take a win to get it off of there.
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- bernhtp - Oct 26, 2011 at 10:26 PM
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I would definitely love a big win by the Irish this weekend.
We can certainly avenge last year’s Navy loss with a good win this Saturday, but redemption is a broader concept that is not quite satisfied by going .500 with Navy over the past two years, especially in context of last weekend. Based upon the thumbs down, apparently most didn’t like my confession analogy. Maybe I’m too much a stickler for word precision or, even more likely, I’m still smarting from the the ultra-painful whipping by USC.
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- nudeman - Oct 26, 2011 at 1:15 PM
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I suppose Tommy will have a big game, now that USC is gone and a middle of the road opponent is up.
If ND wants to have a chance to stay on the field with Stanford (and I am under no illusion that they can actually BEAT them), one of the other 3 guys needs to take the reins. Now.
OK, I know I’ll get killed for writing this. Let it rip, everyone.
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- ndfan4ever - Oct 26, 2011 at 1:52 PM
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Look lay off Tommy will you. There is no way you change QB’s right know unless you want to go o fer the next games. Tommy didn’t lose the USC game. The defense lost the game in the first half couldn’t stop the bleeding. Actually the team lost the game in the first half they played with no emotion and it was the worst half they had played this year. There were no turnovers in the first half. Tommy is the right guy. Switch QB’s know and you would destroy this team. Run the ball take care of the ball and we win period it we play with the emotion we say before USC. Good luck GO IRISH
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- nudeman - Oct 26, 2011 at 4:20 PM
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“lay off Tommy”
Why is everyone so protective ? I realize he’s not without his attributes, and seems like a very decent young man. My opinion is that he’s NOT the best QB on this team.
I never said he lost the game. But he did nothing to distinguish himself as a big game QB against USC. And he continues to turn the ball over at an alarming rate.
If people are rallying to his defense because he’s a nice, respectful young man – I don’t necessarily disagree. But to insist that 1) there is no other option aside from Rees; and 2) changing QBs would be suicidal … I think you’re ignoring the facts and several of his less impressive performances.
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- Keith Arnold - Oct 26, 2011 at 2:11 PM
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Nude –
Tommy Rees didn’t lose the game. You can pin this one on about half a dozen guys, and I’m still not sure Tommy is in that list.
It’s as if you stacking the deck against him isn’t enough. Now you’re creating a straw man argument as to why you need to pull Rees now in advance of Stanford.
I get you don’t like Rees. I just don’t get why you think the other three — especially Crist, who you could actually pin the game on — would be better against Stanford.
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- nudeman - Oct 26, 2011 at 3:52 PM
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Keith and others,
1. Never said Tommy lost the game. Please don’t put words in my mouth.
2. But I will say this: His performance was subpar.
3. He certainly did NOT elevate his play in the biggest game of the year. He was, at best, below average.Below is an excerpt from an article by Eric Hansen, excellent writer from ND Trib. In addition to the stats he cites (which are damning), here’s my subjective and balanced observation about Rees:
“Demonstrates good ‘feel’ for the short passing game; makes decent reads; seems to have the respect of his teammates; is 1-dimensional and is in no way a running threat; has an average-below average arm; frequently makes game altering turnovers; defenses do not fear him”
What part of that is inaccurate?
Hansen Excerpt:
The question, though, never has been about Rees’ readiness early in his career or his fortitude. It’s been about his physical limitations and where that sets his ceiling. In other words, is he the next Matt LoVecchio? You look at three critical areas involving Notre Dame’s quarterback position — pass-efficiency, red-zone offense and turnover margin. The Irish have regressed in all three.
ND was 59th in passing efficiency last season when Dayne Crist started nine games and Rees four. They’re 61st this year with Rees doing most of the playing. The red-zone offense ranking has fallen from 49th in 2010 to 110th. Turnover margin has gone from 51st to 119th.
Twelve of ND’s 18 giveaways have come from the quarterback position. Ten are tied specifically to Rees. That’s as many or more than 44 FBS teams have produced this season
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- dickasman - Oct 26, 2011 at 4:29 PM
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Nudeman, I really don’t like you at all and I totally think that you’re full of yourself but I got your back on this one. Problem is these doofus ND fans live in a dream world where every new year they think we’re gonna win the national championship. I love these blow hard die hards who think that Rees is the answer. Look man, Rees is no rick mirer and manti ain’t no michael stonebreaker even, c’mon now, wake up and lower your expectations for this year. Maybe someday but not now.
You have to look and face the facts. We are no better than south florida right now. We are not ready to take the next step from mediocrity…..YET. These kids are not ready for the big stage. These kids have to win one of these “big” games…and then win the next big game. USC game showed me clearly that we still are one of biggest big game chokers out there. I was watching michigan state vs wisc game and thinking how da hell did we ever beat these guys.
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- nudeman - Oct 26, 2011 at 4:49 PM
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dickasman,
“I really don’t like you but I got your back”. Wow, thanks. And which hand are you holding the knife in?There are too many people here who take this stuff PERSONALLY.
I’ve gone out of my way to say Rees seems like a decent young man, and there are things about his QB play that are good; and people react like I’m attacking his mother, father and sisters.
And dickasman, as for you saying “I really don’t like you …”, fact is you don’t KNOW me, and I don’t know you. Go ahead; personalize this all you want everyone. For me this is about ND football. Nothing more, nothing less.
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- uawlocal1136 - Oct 27, 2011 at 12:37 PM
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No Pubes, you do take this personally. You have yet to ever say anything positive about Rees. You have been on him since day one (wink and a smile for that one
), and quite honestly, you are boorish and becoming repetitive. Now, me and the guys down here at the Mill are big, big, subway alumni, and have collectively reached deep into our pockets (and maybe the union dues account), an have created a “DUMP THE NUDEY” fund. To date..$3.06…that can all be yours my friend, just let us know what trailer park to send it to in Mississippi. By the way, cut the “F” bombs out in the future. You let that rip earlier this week…I recall you stomping on somebody a few weeks back for much less. OOps, gotta go…shift break is here…and you need to grab the pail, your bus pass, and report for duty on the spot welder machine…that is the American way. Buy Union. Buy American.
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- notredamegrad - Oct 26, 2011 at 1:33 PM
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bernhtp, Keith was citing Navy 2010 as _last season’s_ most disappointing loss, which is absolutely the truth. He didn’t say beating Navy Saturday would redeem _this season’s_ USC loss.
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- Keith Arnold - Oct 26, 2011 at 1:58 PM
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Correct. I was talking about Navy 2010.
Guys — what do you want me to do? Just continue to write about how badly last Saturday sucked? Believe me — that wouldn’t make things any better.
There are rules in football, especially when you’re playing one of the top 20 most talented teams in college football (which is what USC continues to be):
1) Don’t fall behind early.
2) Don’t fumble at the one-yard line for a 14 point swing.
3) Don’t fail to move the chains.
4) Don’t get gashed by the running game.I could go on and on, but just because the Irish lost this game doesn’t mean Kelly is the wrong guy, Tommy Rees needs to go, etc. There are plenty of messageboards where you guys can go to engage in group-think therapy.
Saturday’s game will be quite an interesting one.
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- smurphdoggy29 - Oct 26, 2011 at 3:48 PM
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Keith,
With you 100%, let’s get moving on to Navy, and I am one that lobbied for Crist and just was stupefied when the fumble unfolded.
Now I say we get this car outta the garage ! Navy this week we should win, I believe the Coaching Staff learned it’s lessons well from last year’s game, and applied that knowledge to Army and Air Force. So I am certain we’ll succeed. Now let’s get back on the road, the reason I say this is they have some interesting tests coming up on the road and both the players and Coaches can garner a lot of knowledge that will help them when they face Stanford. If they can approach all these games on the road properly and learn from each, I believe they can get their minds right to face Stanford and have a punchers chance in Palo Alto. Stanford will probably be undefeated at that point, hopefully, giving the team incentive to act as the spoiler.
Let’s keep the faith and work towards 9-3.
GO Irish
How is Lo Wood, Luke Massa, and a few of the other players we don’t get too much info on doing ?
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- ndgoldandblue - Oct 26, 2011 at 10:23 PM
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Keith,
I agree about moving on to Navy, but I did have one quick question. You were at the game on Saturday, and it looked like USC tipped a lot of passes at the line of scrimmage. It may have been only a handful, but a handful is too many. The same thing happened a lot last year against USC. My question is, what do you think is causing it? Is Tommy not tall enough? If that’s the case, then all of us on here should just temper our enthusiasm for Golson because I hear that he is 6’0″ on a good day, in his shoes. If the tipped passes aren’t about the height of the quarterback, what do you think was the issue? Is it Tommy’s delivery? Are the d-linemen getting a read on where Tommy’s throwing the ball? Could you see what was going on in person?Anyway, I don’t think that we’ll have a problem with tipped passes against Navy. Their defensive line is much smaller than USC’s, and their talent-level (from what I hear) is quite a bit worse.
I guess, my point to this post was a look to the future. Everyone on this sight loves Golson’s elusiveness. We could all see from the spring game just how well he can run. Plus, his senior-year highlights show a young man who seems to have a strong, accurate arm. However, if he can’t see over the line of scrimmage, we might have some problems. And, even if he can see over the line well, he still has to worry about tipped passes.
I don’t know. Maybe Kelly should go all in for Kiel. The guy isn’t that mobile, but he has the prototypical size, arm strength, and accuracy that college coaches foam at the mouth for. Although, that’s what the Irish got with Dayne, and look how well that panned out.
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- notredamegrad - Oct 27, 2011 at 11:01 AM
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ndgoldandblue, on Tommy’s tipped passes, it isn’t an issue of height so much as (1) staring down receivers and (2) the angle of his arm when he throws. Height might help a QB see the field better, but a short QB can still be a good QB (Heisman winning Doug Flutie was all of 5′ 10”, I believe).
As Kelly said a few weeks ago, Tommy’s got a low angle on his arm when he releases a pass, so he doesn’t get the ball over the d-linemen the way he needs to to avoid getting the ball tipped occasionally. Kelly said they’d specifically been working on getting his elbow higher when he throws. Also, anytime he locks onto a receiver (which is not infrequent) and a defensive player anywhere near to LOS sees it, he’s got a good chance to tip it.
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- bernhtp - Oct 26, 2011 at 2:37 PM
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notedamegrad: I understand that, but redemption for last year’s larceny is largely pointless when you murdered someone just last week, i.e., which sin gets the focus while in confession? Let’s remember our Catholic theology and catechism
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- notredamegrad - Oct 26, 2011 at 2:16 PM
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I would love to see how the coaching staff works this week, with such a short time to re-focus the players on Navy and on the unique challenges of the option attack, while being down one of their veteran DEs (KLM – I’m optimistic that E.J. will be able to play a big part on Saturday, though not at full-go yet). Hopefully the young defensive players got a bit of a feel for the option in the last quarter of the Air Force game – they looked hapless then, since many of them hadn’t even practiced defending the option that week, but hopefully, that playtime will pay off. What does a week of getting guys like Nix, Tuitt, Lynch, and Niklas ready for Navy’s option look like? What role do vets like Fleming, Swynar, and Manti play in that prep? Will Slaughter drop down again like he did against AF? I’d love to see Diaco and the other coaches at work this week.
I’m sure a big part of Saturday’s success will hinge on the offense firing on all cylinders. Will Kelly try to stretch the field vertically with deep throws to move the chains faster and put more points on the board early? Will he try to return to the hurry-up offense? I haven’t read anything about Navy’s defense this year – just about their offense (and the dreaded FB, Teich) – and am interested in knowing where their weaknesses (and strengths) are.
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- txbeej - Oct 26, 2011 at 2:42 PM
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By the numbers, they’re a disaster defensively (yes, even worse’n Notre Dame, for you smart alecks out there). They’re allowing a national worst 75% (!) completion rate on passes. They’re 103rd in rushing defense, allowing 4.9 yards per carry. Opponents have converted 57% of third downs. 117th in tackles for losses. 110th in sacks.
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- somebadhatharry - Oct 26, 2011 at 4:17 PM
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Let’s not forget Pitt and SC both had two of the worst pass defenses in CFB, and we saw how that worked out for our offense. I’m not trying to be negative, I believe we will win, but I have learned that with ND as of late, you can throw opponent’s rankings and previous performances out the window.
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- txbeej - Oct 26, 2011 at 2:28 PM
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Sad as I am about KLM, I think this game has always been destined to play out similarly to the Air Force game, with the Irish winning fairly comfortably thanks to the offense scoring on nearly every possession. Two or three stops with a turnover forced ought to be enough defense.
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- oldestguard - Oct 26, 2011 at 3:20 PM
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Likewise…….everything should work – Offensively speaking.
Defensively, we should have room to play with, but I would love to see the young’ns stepping up to this task.
Teich vs Manti…hmmmmmm
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- notredamegrad - Oct 26, 2011 at 3:32 PM
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Teich is the guy I remember most vividly of every player ND faced last year. His name conjures memories of our defense helpless to stop him from charging right up the middle of the field any time he touched the ball.
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- dickasman - Oct 26, 2011 at 4:51 PM
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put it this way. Teich beat da hell outta Manti last year. Manti is overrated. He can’t even tackle a 5′ 7 ball carrier. How many fumbles has he caused? how many interceptions does he have? how many sacks does he have? how many “statement” making “game changing” tackles has he made? how many tackles for loss? I don’t understand how anybody thinks he’s among the best linebacker in the country. I keep waiting for him to make a game changing play and he hasn’t yet.
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- garfdog9 - Oct 26, 2011 at 11:43 PM
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I can’t remember…why is Diaco a genius? Faith is belief in things unseen (or something like that). Lots of faith in our defense.
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- c4evr - Oct 26, 2011 at 3:14 PM
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I took that title literally – shame on you for getting my hopes up!
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- krups06 - Oct 26, 2011 at 3:45 PM
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Even if it gets devalued beating a mediocre team Notre Dame needs to come out with a dominant performance for the sake of the mental state of the players. Clearly they are a group that possesses a ton of talent but lapses in concentration. There are a few things that I took from Saturday’s loss: outside linebacker is a liability for our defense and because of that Manti and Harrison can look good even when playing poorly (I thought both had horrible games Saturday); Bob Diaco and Brian Kelly have about one game a year where they flat out fail to come up with a good game plan and I believe it was that fact combined with the team coming out flat that made the difference Saturday and not talent differential (besides if the talent gap still exists how do you explain beating usc last year?), and finally Lou Holtz is spot on when he says that several times a season for no explainable reason, even if it’s a night game under the lights with new helmets and an electric crowd, your team is going to come out flat. The combination of poor game plans on offense and defense and the team being unfocused was the perfect storm that lead to a beating. Great teams can overcome a combination of mistakes like that, good teams cannot. Let’s hope that the team is ready to move on and keep getting better. It has to start with Navy; the defensive line is going to be put to the test without KLM and the offense is going to have no choice but to get it going early. We’ve seen fast starts before, I’m sick of praising fly by night turnarounds because they seldom last. This team has one option if they want to get better and that’s to have some culpability for their mistakes last Saturday and commit to not making them anymore. It may not be the case right now, but when this team fires on all cylinders, nobody wants to play them.
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- somebadhatharry - Oct 26, 2011 at 4:10 PM
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Rees has got to be the guy the rest of the season, but he needs to he ready to be number 2 by next year. On to Navy, can we please get the ball into Floyd’s hands at least 12 times? He’s an All-American for gods sake! The guys got 5 maybe 6 games left in his career, how many more games will we have when at the end we say, why didnt we get the ball to Floyd more often?
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- 808raiderinparadise - Oct 26, 2011 at 5:00 PM
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Agreed. Floyds Biletnekoff chances are gone.
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- c4evr - Oct 26, 2011 at 6:32 PM
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I still can’t see why more on this board are not up in arms with a coach who says, “He’s got to figure it out. He’s an adult. He’s got to figure out what he needs to do to play at a high level.” Bad coaches say that to High Schoolers… Please tell me that, as you guys try to unravel what to do to get the team going, you all an see the difference in a second year Kelly team as opposed to a second year Holtz team. And before half of you say ‘Times and players are different now’, remember that you are also killing your argument as to why Notre Dame should somehow reach the heights it once did. Even in Lou’s first season, with the exception of Alabama, ND lost 5 games by a total of 14 points. He accomplished after inheriting a 5-6 team from Faust that was blown out 3 times the year before. I haven’t seen an appreciable, consistent pattern that would indicate ND is getting better in the long run – they are still losing games they shouldn’t in ways that are embarrassing. Kelly is on the same path as the last three guys who were in over their heads after year 2- Davie 16 W 9 L, Willingham 15 W 10 L, Weis 19 W 6 L. If Kelly is sitting at 22 wins or less at the end of next year, perhaps then the discussion will turn to the real reason this team made up of top 15 recruiting classes is underachieving. Or, similar to Kelly’s own words, He’s got to figure it out. He’s an adult. He’s got to figure out what he needs to do to COACH at a high level.
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- nudeman - Oct 26, 2011 at 7:18 PM
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c4ever
You could make the case that he’s treating them as adults by saying that.A coach can only teach, explain, correct, etc. It is the player’s responsibility to take in whatever he’s being taught and incorporate it into his performance.
If Kelly had dropped in here out of nowhere with no resume, I’d be more concerned. But he has a track record of building programs and winning so I’m still giving him the benefit of the doubt. However … if next year at this time we’re still blogging about a team that is beating itself with penalties, turnovers and inconsistency; can’t beat anyone but weaker opponents; and has a near .500 record … then I might feel differently.
This year has been ugly.
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- newyorknd - Oct 26, 2011 at 7:28 PM
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Maybe expectations were too high for a squad who had gotten beat by Tulsa and Navy last year ( among others ) with mostly the same personnel. These are still mostly the same kids Charlie Weis didn’t develop while they were underclassmen and went 6-6 his last year. BK has been able to bring the physical development along, but the mental development is still coming. I think Dayne does have to figure it out for himself and BK is right for saying so. This doesn’t mean there isn’t any coaching going on, just that the players have to hold up their end of the bargain. In what universe is any coach responsible for a senior quarterback fumbling the snap in the red zone???
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- notredamegrad - Oct 26, 2011 at 8:06 PM
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I think that c4ever’s “He’s got to figure it out. He’s an adult” quote from Kelly was regarding Cierre Wood’s poor performance against USC, not Dayne’s fumble (though Kelly said something similar about Dayne recovering mentally from that).
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- 9irish - Oct 26, 2011 at 7:03 PM
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I’m tired of all this who-shot-John stuff. I will say that of the 8 games lost in the past 2 years (ugh!) they should have lost 2-3….the impetus of that falls on the coach.
Navy will be Navy…they will run the damn ball forever, 3 yds is pretty much a given on 3rd down, and they will play 65 min in a 60 min game…the Irish have the brute force to beat them, they just gotta do it.
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- ndnphx - Oct 26, 2011 at 8:17 PM
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The USC game seems to have many people hurling themselves off the top of the building to crash in the street below (or throw the coaching staff and team over), but hold on. Some perspective is in order here.
I saw my first Notre Dame game when Ara was coaching, and have followed them every year since. I have seen teams coached by our modern holy trinity of Ara, Dan Devine, and Lou Holtz come out flat and lose games they shouldn’t have lost, and also watched complete seasons of theirs that didn’t always stand up to the fan base’s expectations. Devine’s national championship team couldn’t get out of its own way early in that season and almost played their way out of sight, then completely underwhelmed the very next year with a lot of the same players. Holtz, who I loved as our coach and in every way restored Irish glory, won all of ONE national titles with rosters full of NFL players every year. It’s not as easy as it looks from our couches and easy chairs on Saturdays…
Someone made the excellent point recently on this blog that at core our team this year is still largely Weis’ team, and I think what we’re seeing is just how deep a hole he left behind. Not just in depth of talent, folks, but even more so in attitude and swagger and dedication to the task and any other intangible you want to pick. I think B-K is working to raise the bar every time he gets in someone’s face on the sidelines, or publicly holds his players accountable, and I applaud him for that because our program in its current state seriously needs the reality check.
I’m frustrated with some of the offensive and defensive schemes at times, too. But I’ll defer to the coaches for at least another year or two, long enough for them to get the level of talent and the overall mental approach upgraded to their satisfaction.
For now, cue Dennis Hopper’s opinion of the new coach’s approach in the movie “Hoosiers”, when the whole town is ready to run Gene Hackman out on a rail: “He’s breaking the colts….”
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- c4evr - Oct 26, 2011 at 10:57 PM
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I’m not his PR person by any stretch, but a little humility, sideline self-control, and accountability (I.e. not throwing players under the bus) would win BK some style points and buy him some time. Let him call his guys out in the locker room, not the headlines. I, for one, would get off his back if he possessed a single ounce of the stuff that made Lou great.
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- 9irish - Oct 26, 2011 at 11:06 PM
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ehhhhhh….no. Very poignant and romantic, but how it applies I do not see.
First, I think Coach Kelly is the man for the job….he fits. I like him and he is a good coach that I do not want to be canned.
You do not fling passes against Tulsa crossing the end zone when all you need is a easy field goal to win the game. You do not give Michigan enough time to drive down the field and win when you could run the clock down to nothing (2010). You cannot be unable to come up with a defense that cannot prevent a mediocre passing Michigan QB to throw up flyballs and drive 70 yds (80?) in 35 seconds (2011). You do not let a turnover on the one (USF) defeat your team instead of just acting like they scored on their first drive early in the first qrtr and go ahead and club them to death anyway. You do not know that MSU is going to fake a field goal in OT with a gimpy kicker that probably even wouldn’t normally make it anyway. Mistakes (like fumbled snaps) are tactical mistakes, but he makes some strategic ones that influence things (switching QBs on three plays is not good for the center!)
I don’t want BK fired…at all. Just pointing out the things that might GET him fired!
Go Irish
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- ndnphx - Oct 26, 2011 at 11:53 PM
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All good points, 9irish. And you kind of help me make my main point…
Reese’s mistake against Tulsa last year is his inherent weakness: his head is ahead of his ability. He saw a completable throw, but doesn’t always have the arm to execute it. Our “prevent” defensive philosophy vs. Michigan doesn’t work because of the limitations of our talent (i.e., our middle linebackers, especially the “all american”, are helpless in pass coverage, even more so when the field is stretched vertically). In the 2010 Michigan game, we scored on a 96-yard pass play and Rudolph wouldn’t have fallen down at the 10 or so to run the clock a little more. The USF debacle is more about Crist not having the clear head to deal with the speed of Division I football or the big stage of it, whatever his physical talents. On the MSU fake field goal in 2010, an MSU player tackled Harrison Smith, an obvious hold that wasn’t called. Not to mention the play clock ran out before the snap.
I don’t view these examples as an indictment of the blueprint for the program going forward. Limitations of current personnel? Yes. A bad break or two? Forget those, we move on. Since Holtz left, we’ve been thrashing around with “quick fixes”, one after another. Bob Davie and endless “name co-ordinators”? The lower-case Tony Dungy that was Ty Willingham? The Charlie Weis and Jon Tenuta show? My argument is to put a stop to all of that, build a program, and get back to our roots. Ara did it in three years, so did Lou. We’ll see next year how close B-K is to that model (but I’m betting it’ll take him more like five).
I do agree that Kelly should have left Hendrix in against SC at the goal line. The exception that proves the rule. Maybe he was giving Crist a chance to redeem himself?
I keep reminding myself that B-K won several national championships at a school where one doesn’t recruit, he just took what he was given and made the best of it. Not Division One, granted, but he had to conquer other programs just like his. The guy will get it done: even his detractors admit he is “ruthless”, as Keith mentioned in a blog earlier this year. Our program could use a dose of that.
Anywho, I do agree with your most important point. Go Irish!!!
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- 9irish - Oct 27, 2011 at 12:47 AM
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ndnphx….we’re all on the same page. They are better than their record under him represents, some head scratching decisions in there, and they need to be positively “motivated” sometimes under duress, if you know what I mean. Good coach, some bad luck and some 20/20 hindsight. I just don’t want the guy to become bombarded by alumni….patience, due to the recent past, is quite short at Notre Dame these days.
Go Irish
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- don74 - Oct 26, 2011 at 11:34 PM
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Ndphx. You nailed it. Because I remember at great teams I gloss over the fact that ND has been mediocre for all too long. I have to remember to give Kelly time to get the program moving forward. He has stated the program is in a better place and since he knows far more about football than I do I believe him. Let’s see what happens in the 4 remaining games. I am hoping to be pleasantly surprised.
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- nudeman - Oct 27, 2011 at 10:37 AM
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ndphx
One of the best and most balanced posts I’ve read.
I still believe in Kelly, but shake my head at some of the things that scream “BAD COACHING”. No need to repeat them here.One other point: Re: Weis era, I believe they are still in recovery mode.
Kelly has really had only 1 full recruiting cycle. And Weis’ teams were so poorly disciplined, poorly conditioned and poorly taught, that guys who are now seniors, really play and have bodies like they’re sophomores.However, this is the last year ND can realistically point a finger at Weis. It absolutely HAS to be better next year. That means ND doesn’t lead the country in penalties, personal fouls, red zone failures and turnovers.
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- oldestguard - Oct 26, 2011 at 10:24 PM
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When many are losing their heads,,,it’s nice to see some “poise”.
Good piece, ndnphx !
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- fredshaheen - Oct 26, 2011 at 10:53 PM
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Totally off subject but a story that just posted on the SBT has me somewhat concerned that Coach Kelly and his belief that game day improvements such as loud music during time outs as well as the new Gold Standard helmets will translate in to points on the scoreboard. His recent comments favoring a jumbo-tron and his interest in pulling up the sod will not put points on the board. Show us what you can do without the frills and perhaps you will find support for such ventures.
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- totallydisgusted - Oct 27, 2011 at 12:38 AM
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Less academics and more thugs. I think Kelly is an excellent coach but the Irish can’t get the type of athletes they need to compete at Alabama’s or USC’S level
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- norcalirish - Oct 27, 2011 at 7:36 AM
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fredshaheen, you nailed it. BK, that clown—he needs to win roughly 12 national titles at ND before he has any right to come in and start adding jumbotrons, ripping up the natural field or changing the helmets. Who does this guy think he is? 3 losses already this season and Navy next week but he has the time to try and lobby (again) for fake grass and a jumbotron? Why? Does fake grass make tackles? Does he need a jumbotron to remember what the score is so he doesn’t call head-slappingly stupid plays that lose games to Tulsa? Notre Dame football should be played by kids in student painted helmets on real grass. FOREVER. And whats the deal with eliminating the walk from Mass? Somebody should slap this fool upside the head and remind him that his job is to win football games, not eliminate the meaningful and magical traditions that make Notre Dame special in the first place.
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- dbldmr - Oct 27, 2011 at 11:29 AM
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I can’t decide if this is meant as irony or not. I hope it is, but on the off chance that it isn’t I’ll respond. Traditions are great but every tradition ought to be reviewed. It was traditional that Notre Dame had no female students. I don’t see how changing that tradition has harmed Notre Dame. When I was a student we had sign-in and room check. Those traditions are gone also. Again, I don’t see how that has harmed the school. Face the fact that it isn’t 1965 any more. Things change and people (and institutions) have to adapt.
Football games didn’t used to last for almost four hours. You didn’t have to concern yourself with entertaining people during the interminable commercial breaks. That tradition has been trashed by the advent of the NBC contract. Attending a Notre Dame football game was great in the 1960s and 1970s, but adding another 60 to 90 minutes to the production hasn’t enhanced the experience. I’m also not sure that sloppy field conditions should be viewed with such reverence either.
Traditions are great, particularly if they serve to celebrate what’s best about an institution. Things change. Notre Dame can no longer have an unlimited number of football scholarships. The competition for the best players is more intense than it ever has been. If turf and Jumbotrons help then let’s not have a knee-jerk reaction against them. The real tradition I’d like to see celebrated at Notre Dame is exceptional football played by exceptional student-athletes.
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- rain4265 - Oct 28, 2011 at 5:44 AM
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Odd no one noticed the lousy turf or lack of a big screen when ND was as tough as, if not tougher than their opponents for 60 minutes per game every game. Which hasn’t happened since the mid-’90s. As for music, how about “Eve of Destruction”?
