Getty Images As Notre Dame prepares to take on Navy, the team across from them — a squad that’s defeated Notre Dame three of the last four years — may not be the Irish’s biggest opponent this afternoon. Not after the drama of the last 48 hours, more befitting an episode of Glee than a 4-3 football team in dire need of a bounce back win.
It’s been an ugly week in South Bend, with the wick lit last Saturday night, when everybody but the football team turned out for the premiere match-up of the season against USC. Since then, the Irish “faithful” have put all their complaints back on the table — the head coach, his spread offense, the senior class, you name it — as they look for answers as a season with sky-high hopes has started with with a mediocre four wins in seven game.
Of course, the static that comes from an anxiety-filled fan base is nothing new to Notre Dame football players. But when the Irish started to hear news of their head coach’s Thursday comments, things began to unravel.
After Thursday’s practice, Kelly was asked about his players “buying in” to the message he and his coaching staff have delivered. His answer was fairly standard in terms of the daily back and forth with the media and the head coach. Here’s the exact transcript, as recorded by IrishIllustrated.com:
Q: Is it a harder sell at Notre Dame? You went to Cincinnati and guys seem to hit the ground running.
BK: It’s not a buy-in, they’re all bought in. They’re all bought in. Every single one of them is bought in. I coach a style of football that I want played. We’re not getting that style. A lot of the guys that are here, we’re re-training.
Q: That’s not a buying in issue?
BK: Oh no, that’s in their DNA. That’s who they are.
Let me just break it down to this and we can move on to other things. Here’s the best way to put it. Some of them can’t do it. That’s our job to get them to do it. Some of them won’t do it. That’s our job to take care of that.
Q: That gets back to my original question, is it a harder sell at Notre Dame with the kids here than the kids at Central Michigan and Cincinnati.
BK: I had a hard sell in my first year at Central Michigan. I had a couple hard sells along a 21-year career. Some teams are harder than others. This one, we’re working at it. I don’t think that it’s endemic that it’s Notre Dame. I think we’re just going to get this team to play the way we want them to play.
Q: Is it the type of kid here?
BK: You can see the players that I recruited here. You know who they are. We’ve had one class of recruiting kids that I’ve had my hand on. The other guys here are coming along. But it’s a process, it can’t happen overnight. They’re getting there. They’re making good progress. We’re 4-3, very easily could be a lot better than that. If we take care of the ball when it’s 17-10 on the one-yard line, who knows what happens. I don’t want to paint a picture that we’re so far away that we can’t get to them, but it’s a process, we keep banging them every day. It’s the old cliche, keep banging the sledgehammer against the wall and you don’t see the cracks and then one day it cracks down. We’re still banging at it.
Q: Does Stephon Tuitt stay outside with Sean Cwynar back?
BK: He’s going to play somewhere on the D-line.
Like a brush fire, those fairly innocuous comments seemed to spread like wildfire across the internet, becoming more inflammatory as they were sniped into articles and shoved onto Twitter. Veterans like Trevor Robinson and Jake Golic seemed to think the comments were aimed at them. Senior defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore, still raw after being lost for the season just days with knee surgery, openly bristled. Kyle Rudolph, having left the Irish early for the NFL, felt the need to commiserate with Robinson, chiming in from Minneapolis. Manti Te’o exchanged barbs with delusional Irish “fans,” who took it upon themselves to chime in via social media. All of this took place on the very open forum of Twitter, the absolute worst place for these kind of in-house issues to be aired.
Depending on the reports, Kelly either “mended fences” by explaining his comments or apologized after an uproar. Either way, it’s an unnecessary distraction before the Irish play Navy, as the Irish look down the barrel of another “must win” football game.
The blame for this one should be shared equally. Veteran players like Robinson should know better — not to mention understand their role in the last four mediocre season at Notre Dame. Reporters shouldn’t cherry-pick quotes from a head coach that provided plenty of context in his remarks. The Twittiots that took to launching attack at college players they allegedly support need serious help. And lastly, Brian Kelly should simply know better — though I’m fairly certain the comments were intentional.
Either way, the added drama should make this afternoon’s game even more interesting.
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- dickasman - Oct 29, 2011 at 2:58 PM
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Hey, BK had it coming to him after flapping his lips all week non stop. I get where he was coming from but I think he took it a step further. He should have stopped it after monday. We get it Breeanne Kelly. They’re playing like Breeanne Kelly coached team in lieu of Brian Kelly coached team. I see it but let’s make the point then drop it and move on. I see BK becoming a better coach after attending couple anger management/psychological sessions. Don’t knock it til you try it BK, it works wonders. Its not only for the players but for the coaches as well. He’s on the verge of losing his players. Im not particularly too fond of players running to the twatter to twit their tongues either buuuuut, having said, BK deserved it. And since its been done, let’s move on. I would have been PI$$ed as well. I think what bk needs to do here is bring this team along by more loving and caring approach instead of that harda$$ Arkansas hillbilly yell scream lobster red faced approach. Its OBVIOUS that’s not working. BK needs to understand that kids here have more intelligence than your cincinnati ghetto hood rats he’s been coaching. Coach, these kids understand engrish vewy vewy well, probably too well. Caress them and bring them together. Spread out some high fives. Pat a kid on the butt, instead of showing your tonsils everytime kid comes off football field. Really, would it kill ya to praise a kid once in a while? Even after a kid makes a mistake, pat them on the head and say “Lets go, keep your head up, you’ll get it next time” instead of “!@#$%^&*()_@#$%^&*()_!@#$%^&*()_@#$%^&*()_” They’re just gonna tune ur a$$ out buddy and BK will stand for working at Burger King.
Please watch every Jim Harbaugh coached game tape STAT” You can be a prik and still be a good coach just not the way you’re doing it. Thank you.
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- ihatemistate - Oct 30, 2011 at 11:42 AM
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dickasman-you and I think alike. And if his players (the entire team) aren’t prepared after a bye week, that’s on him as much as them. He is in charge after all. I think they are tuning him out now. I watched many other games yesterday, good games, and did not see any coach totally lose it with their players like he does.
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- nudeman - Oct 29, 2011 at 3:05 PM
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Juniors and Seniors on this team who have NEVER won a single thing at ND should look in the mirror
Don’t like the criticism? Play better
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- notredamegrad - Oct 29, 2011 at 8:52 PM
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Interesting how this response to the situation differs so dramatically from the head coach’s. Win or lose, they are HIS players.
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- jerseyshorendfan1 - Oct 29, 2011 at 3:37 PM
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Ew, dude watches Glee.
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- tedlinko - Oct 29, 2011 at 3:52 PM
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So do I. It’s hilarious.
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- irish4222 - Oct 29, 2011 at 7:03 PM
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Well said all around Keith. I think both you and Eric Hansen have great pieces on this.
I didn’t have much respect for Haugh when he was in town and we were both at college (with what happened in the Joe Blake situation at Stanford among others). Now he’s with the Tribune and they seem to always want to create a story unfortunately.
But you’re right. BK should have thought what he was saying. The Tribune shouldn’t cherry pick their comments and create a story. The players shouldn’t have gone to a social media to stir the pot. And the people who contacted them directly need to have their heads examined.
I thought it was intentional until word got out that he may have apologized. Now I’m not so sure.
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- mag1631 - Oct 29, 2011 at 7:32 PM
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This is a joke. BK didn’t even say anything bad. Atleast it didn’t come off that way to me after watching that post practice interview UND.com before this even became a story. Media…media…media… = drama. ND’s worst enemy. Wonder why they have problems with consistancy? Hmmm because people are idiots, want money, want attention, then want to write ask dumb questions in interviews. It’s society people. Not BK.
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- mag1631 - Oct 29, 2011 at 7:35 PM
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I missed a few words in that comment, but it delivers the point.
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- notredamegrad - Oct 29, 2011 at 8:49 PM
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I liked what Mayock had to say about this before the game aired. What Coach Kelly said sounded fairly benign, especially compared to what many ND “fans” and media analysts say about these players week in and week out. But his relationship with the players is infinitely different from theirs.
He should have anticipated that even suggesting that there was some obvious difference between “his” players and those he inherited would create dissension among the guys who bust themselves under his watch day in and day out. They took it quietly when USC players publicly berated them after the loss. They took it when “fans” cursed and insulted them on Twitter (with very restrained responses). They took it when their coaches yelled at and pushed them harder all week long (as they absolutely should). The only thing that they reacted to – and fairly mildly, if you look at their actual responses – was their coach publicly targeting as not “his” the very guys who lead this team on the field and in the locker room when he probably should have been taking a bit more public responsibility for last week’s game. If the reactions had only been from one guy riding the bench, I wouldn’t have had as much sympathy for him – but they came from a large number of respected, hard-working seniors. Kelly’s response to the situation suggests his sympathy for their position, as well.
Very grateful for the win today and to see the team and coaches pull it together. Go Irish!
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- nudeman - Oct 30, 2011 at 10:10 AM
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Kelly got destroyed by the various game day crews. No one was tougher than Corso and Herbstreet who reminded us that bothe Tressel and urban Meyer won in their 2nd years.
If they win out, this will be forgotten.
If they throw up another turnover laden stinker against one of their upcoming softies, then not so much.
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- pdmjr - Oct 30, 2011 at 9:40 AM
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I’ll be interested to see how well Kelly does with “his” players. His job is to win period. He should be on a short leash
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- runners00 - Oct 30, 2011 at 1:07 PM
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I think BK thought about what he was saying. Results count.
The seniors — and the juniors — should know what is expected at Notre Dame. This season brought a lot of hopes among the players and the students and the alumni and the fans. When I saw how they came out against Southern California, I almost fell out of my chair. They were completely dominated fro the first whistle. Now, for sure, SC is much deeper (and anyone who doubts their abilities need only look at the Stanford game, one they should have won). But the intensity — or lack thereof — was obvious. We had guys going down with simple arm tackles made by cornerbacks fifty pounds lighter. We had Michael Floyd nearly always double-covered and unable to get open. How can that be — when a guy of the size and speed of Floyd is unable to separate? It can only come from the lack of intensity on his part.
Kelly intended to softly criticize the type of kid that’s been here for several years. Everyone wonders why Crist isn’t starting. He is the perfect example. This is a guy who, like Floyd, has all of the tools to dominate a football game week in and week out. But instead he fades in and out. He is focused at times and then he just lays down at other times. And he is a senior and someone who has been injured, severely, for parts of two seasons. If he cannot get motivated for a game against Southern Cal then no one in that group can. Yet there he was, fumbling a snap at the one yard line. And I know it was only one play. But look how he did against South Florida. It’s just so difficult because, like I said, I think that Crist is far more gifted than he’s showing.
And then I see Rees, who is far less talented but who seems to be able to focus when he needs to focus. Granted he was recruited by Weis, but in the two years with Kelly he has done fairly well as a starter. He’s not great and he turns it over far more often than he should. With some better decisions, things would have been different for him this year. And Kelly has to shoulder some of that blame. But the Southern Cal thing was, as Kelly correctly said, on the players. We had plays that were set up for allowing us to succeed. But we had dropped passes. We gave arm-tackles against smaller opponents that ran through it. They had guys trapped in the backfield who managed to get five yards against us. It was awful. And I think Kelly probably wanted to clarify that we’re going to get better, in part by recruiting better kids.
How was Nick Saban’s second year at Michigan State? Surely they don’t regret keeping him after a 6-6 campaign.
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- notredamegrad - Oct 30, 2011 at 1:37 PM
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So, when Crist turns the ball over (2 times this season, relatively infrequently last season), it’s because he’s unfocused, unmotivated, and a perfect example of the lack of intensity that characterizes the guys who are “not Kelly’s guys.”
When Rees turns the ball over (12 times this season now? with incredible frequency?), it’s because he has made a few poor decisions, but is “able to focus when he needs to focus.”
This is an unfortunate way to compare “Kelly’s guys” to “those other guys,” and it illustrates exactly why that distinction needs to be erased from the minds and hearts of everybody on the team, the coaches, and the fans.
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- runners00 - Oct 30, 2011 at 3:53 PM
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It’s not that they’re not “Kelly’s guys.” It’s that they’re seniors who have a pretty mediocre track record so far.
I am hardly the avid Rees backer. But I can see why Kelly is starting Rees, someone with less talent but more determination than the remaining options. That said, he is very limiting and this will be shown again against some of the remaining opponents. Perhaps the best quarterback we haven’t yet seen: Golson. No idea.
But I don’t see the answer at quarterback anyway. I think it’s an important position, to be sure, but there are 21 other positions. Every guy has to dominate when playing his position. What we saw from USC was, with few exceptions, the opposite. Despite being a nine point favorite, their offensive line dominated both our defensive line and, by comparison, our offensive front. Their running backs were much better prepared, much more intense and better, than our running backs. Their defensive secondary ate up our receivers and showed a lot more grit, heart, speed and stamina than our defensive secondary. And it goes on and on. Perhaps the one bright spot was in the punting game.
We need our guys — whether they’re Kelly recruits or not — to dominate the opponents. We haven’t really done that against a decent team yet. Navy is fine and so is Air Force. Everyone knows they’ve given us trouble in the past. But this year is a down year for both. Same with Purdue.
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- hyde - Oct 31, 2011 at 12:36 PM
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Love this comment.
