2010 Kelly Vs. 2012 Kelly

[IrishMoore1]

So far this season, I've noticed several situations during the games in which Kelly has made sharply different decisions than those he made in his first year as head coach. Some examples:

1. Tulsa 2010 vs. Purdue 2012

2010
With the clock running down and in field goal range, down by 1, Kelly decides to take a shot at the endzone with Tommy Rees instead of running a conservative play before kicking. Interception. Loss. Kelly stirred up more ire from fans when he said ND Nation should get used to how he plays. Aggressive.

ND's kicker also had not missed a field goal up to this point.

2012
With 2 minutes remaining in a tied game, Kelly decides to put the more experienced QB in. Rees leads the drive to the 20 yard line with about 20 seconds left. Instead of taking a shot at the endzone, Kelly has Rees spike the ball to stop the clock, knee the ball in the middle of the field, spike the ball again to stop the clock, and then kicks the field goal with 7 seconds left to win the game.

ND's kicker had missed a field goal earlier in the game.

Other observations:
1. Kelly committed to running the ball against Navy all day in 2012, including inside/outside zone, and from under center.
2. In the 4 quarter drive against MSU in 2012, Kelly literally ran the ball 3 straight times when the offense got within field goal range, and then kicked a field goal.
3. Kelly wants to protect his QB. From my memory, Golson has only had 2 or 3 designed runs total so far.
4. Kelly's strategy has been based on personnel groupings instead of a hurry up offense.

If you have any additional observations or examples, please feel free to share.

 

[Riddickulous]

He has better players.

 

[tadman95]

He's become a better coach, learning everyday

 

[Rhode Irish]

This thing about the Tulsa game still infuriates me. Fans are so dumb sometimes. First of all, Rees didn't have to throw that ball - it was one of the worst decisions from a QB I've ever seen. Even for a true freshman in his first real game, he should have known better.

Second, he did not have to throw a duck.

Third, the Patriots this past Sunday got the ball into FG range down two points. They have the best kicker in the league, who had made 38 straight 4th quarter kicks, so they played conservative and played for the FG. Gostkowski missed the FG, and they lost.

My point is not so much that taking the FG is dumb, its that coaches are damned if they do and damned if they don't. Either way, they open themselves up to second guessing. I don't think Kelly has "improved" or "learned" - I think his team is much better now than it was when he got here.

 

[Buster Bluth]

This thing about the Tulsa game still infuriates me. Fans are so dumb sometimes. First of all, Rees didn't have to throw that ball - it was one of the worst decisions from a QB I've ever seen. Even for a true freshman in his first real game, he should have known better.

Second, he did not have to throw a duck.

Third, the Patriots this past Sunday got the ball into FG range down two points. They have the best kicker in the league, who had made 38 straight 4th quarter kicks, so they played conservative and played for the FG. Gostkowski missed the FG, and they lost.

My point is not so much that taking the FG is dumb, its that coaches are damned if they do and damned if they don't. Either way, they open themselves up to second guessing. I don't think Kelly has "improved" or "learned" - I think his team is much better now than it was when he got here.

/thread

 

[IrishLax]

This thing about the Tulsa game still infuriates me. Fans are so dumb sometimes. First of all, Rees didn't have to throw that ball - it was one of the worst decisions from a QB I've ever seen. Even for a true freshman in his first real game, he should have known better.

Second, he did not have to throw a duck.

Third, the Patriots this past Sunday got the ball into FG range down two points. They have the best kicker in the league, who had made 38 straight 4th quarter kicks, so they played conservative and played for the FG. Gostkowski missed the FG, and they lost.

My point is not so much that taking the FG is dumb, its that coaches are damned if they do and damned if they don't. Either way, they open themselves up to second guessing. I don't think Kelly has "improved" or "learned" - I think his team is much better now than it was when he got here.

I love you so much right now. The fault with that play lied 110% with Tommy Rees' execution.... the play call was completely fine. You can't go into a situation/game plan assuming your players are going to completely sh*t the bed.

 

[greyhammer90]

Also I'll add that kicking the field goal was a bigger no-brainer for Purdue than the Tulsa game. For Tulsa, it was worth it to go ahead and attempt to score since we we were down by two and (as Rhode said) kickers can occasionally miss "chip shots". So I thought Kelly was right in calling a pass there so that we could have two shots at the end zone, one a pass and one a kick to win the game. My point is that we NEEDED those points to win the game. The purdue game was different, we were tied when we lined it up. There is a big difference in the amount of pressure on a kicker, holder, and longsnapper when all they're out there to do is not force overtime.

ALSO going to the endzone when you've got the best possession receiver in college football is always understandable.

 

[BGIF]

He's become a better coach, learning everyday

Yeah, the experience gained between year 21 as a head coach and year 23 has really been beneficial.

•Since 2001, Brian Kelly has totaled the third-most wins among all active FBS coaches. Kelly is 113-34 over the last 11 seasons. He only trails Bob Stoops (121-29) and Mack Brown (117-28).

•Since 2006, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly has compiled the fourth-most wins of any active NCAA FBS coach. Kelly has gone on to win 54 contests (54-15 overall) over that span. The only coaches ahead of Kelly in that time frame are Chris Peterson of Boise State (62), Gary Patterson of TCU (57) and Bob Stoops of Oklahoma (56).

•Brian Kelly ranks as the fourth-most successful active NCAA FBS coach in winning percentage since 2007. Kelly's .800 winning percentage is bested only by Chris Peterson of Boise State (.891), Gary Patterson of TCU (.852) and Nick Saban of Alabama (.807).

 

[phgreek]

Second, he did not have to throw a duck.

I kinda chuckled....

Kid made a questionable read, and then made a really bad throw(duck)...LATE. He needs to either throw that ball MUCH earlier, or throw it away...worst case is we kick a field goal after that play.

I don't know what Kelly saw the kid do in practice...I mean I don't think he'd make the choice to put the ball in Tommy's hand unless he'd seen him make that play before...plus think about who he was throwing it to. Seemed like a reasonable choice...yea I guess you could argue a guy should be more cynical when its a reserve QB, and a frosh at that...personally I totally liked the call...was not tickled with the execution.

 

[tadman95]

Yeah, the experience gained between year 21 as a head coach and year 23 has really been beneficial.

???? He hasn't gotten better?! Do we really want a coach who doesn't strive to get better? SMH

I"ll elaborate in that he's learned the demands of the ND job now and has clearly improved his ability to manage those expectations which helps his ability to coach.

I kind of thought that was obvious and my original comment was intended as a compliment to his ability to adjust.

 

[Mavericknyc1980]

The biggest thing for me, is that now it seems like he keeps his composure and is not constantly yelling like he use too.

 

[Grahambo]

BK hasn't changed much. He runs more then he has in the past, at least it seems like it. He also has much better players now then when he took over for Weis, especially on defense.

 

[NDdomer2]

Coaching at Notre Dame is different than coaching at Cincinnati, different than Central, different than any other job there is. Just like every other school is its own unique challenge.

Coaches that don't adapt the game plan from school to school, personnel to personnel, and even year to year at the same program won't last long in this profession.

He has a team dynamic that works everywhere and will never change. The style of football is decided by personnel and opponent and will change constantly.

So is he a better coach than he was two years ago? I say yes and no.

I think he is the same coach/leader/developer of talent that he always has been.

I also think he has adapted the game plan to better suit this years team add far as our personnel/opponent.

 

[PANDFAN]

the players are responding but we have the right personel...its less aggravating to BK because he doesn't have to fit a square peg in a round hole..hence the reason you don't see him purple on the sideline

 

[Black Irish]

Kelly seems more flexible with his play-calling so far this season, IMHO. He is tailoring the offense to play to the overall strengths of his players and also to the game-by-game and even quarter-by-quarter dynamics.

 

[kmoose]

This thing about the Tulsa game still infuriates me. Fans are so dumb sometimes. First of all, Rees didn't have to throw that ball - it was one of the worst decisions from a QB I've ever seen. Even for a true freshman in his first real game, he should have known better.

Fans are no more dumb than they have selective memory. In Kelly's Tulsa post-game presser, Kelly flat out told the media that he instructed Rees to chuck it up and let Floyd make a play on the ball, if he read single coverage on Floyd.

 

[PANDFAN]

Fans are no more dumb than they have selective memory. In Kelly's Tulsa post-game presser, Kelly flat out told the media that he instructed Rees to chuck it up and let Floyd make a play on the ball, if he read single coverage on Floyd.

nvmd...it was single

 

[kmoose]

but there wasn't single coverage

The safety may have floated over late, but this was NOT double coverage.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ho-LzW3ocuA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[PANDFAN]

The safety may have floated over late, but this was NOT double coverage.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ho-LzW3ocuA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

i can't see at work...but i was able to see a pic via internet which was single coverage...i ended up editing...

 

[Old Man Mike]

Coach is the same genius coach that he's been for many years. The major [by far] difference which has occurred is getting the right sort of athletes for the systems --- there were huge gaps of dysfunctionality there.

The second and also important difference is that all coaches need to see players actually engaged in real game situations [many times] to actually know what they're capable or not capable of in the heat of the kitchen. I've played BBall with some amazing outdoor court players, who couldn't do squat in a real action game.

Some guys are exactly who you think you see; some guys go numb in the head. Coach knows most of these guys well enough to predict better odds on how they will or will not perform. Coaches need the "reps" too, in this sense --- even the geniuses.

Also, Kelly must assume that players will run the plays as designed. Any other doubting mindset creates intense addlepation, anxiety neuroses, inaction, and creeping meatballism. I cannot fault Kelly for wanting to avoid all of those. I've tried to do it myself whenever possible.....

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

The players (his players especially) have "bought in."

That sums up my thoughts on the matter.

 

[Emcee77]

I love you so much right now. The fault with that play lied 110% with Tommy Rees' execution.... the play call was completely fine. You can't go into a situation/game plan assuming your players are going to completely sh*t the bed.

ALSO going to the endzone when you've got the best possession receiver in college football is always understandable.

Exactly and exactly. Underthrowing that pass is inexcusable. You put a little arm into it and at best its a game-winning touchdown; at worst its incomplete and you kick it. The only way you can screw it up is by doing what Rees did, and don't tell me that's a freshman mistake. Maybe high-school freshman. I mean as a coach you just have to give your players a little more credit than to assume they will make really egregious errors in execution. Especially when you are throwing to Floyd, who is capable of erasing a lot of mistakes, I don't have a huge problem with the call.

 

[k1ssme1m1r1sh]

Kelly comes with guns a blazing in his third year. He's won some kind of title in his third year every place he's coached. Pay extra attention to this 3rd year at ND.

 

[Irish Houstonian]

It does seem like Kelly's simplified the offense a bit, and has shifted focus from pure schematics toward acknowledging that you also need your best players to have the ball.

He also doesn't seem as angry (at least on the sideline) and has opened-up re: getting the players to have fun and modernizing the football program.

 

[clashmore_jon]

Pay extra attention to this 3rd year at ND.

Yeah lol cause those of us on this site need that sort of encouragement