I don't have a "job" of promoting anything.
The Kelly has had teams quit when the tough got going. It was primarily when he first got here. I won't say the entire team quit, but players quit and he had to play them out of necessity, because the previously regime did so poorly at recruiting depth at so many positions.
It's the first step in winning a National Title. A coach can't a have roster of kids that only try when they want to. You run into a Charlie Weis team and you never know which team will show up simply from an effort standpoint. When the tough gets going, you don't want to see kids quit. Last year at USC, ND was getting their ass smacked for 4 quarters, yet only kid quit. Jacob Matuska was going to get his ass handed to him most plays, but he was fighting. You didn't see that when in Kelly's first couple years from every player and you certainly didnt see it under Charlie Weis.
Let down games. It's the beauty of college football man. Teams aren't going smack lesser teams week in and week out. Notre Dame played a great game to open the season, chances are they weren't going to duplicate that on the road. You don't think that Jon Tenuta was a little extra fired up to play ND? You don't think UVA had the ND game circles all summer as it was the first time ND had played in their house? I get it. I would love to see Notre Dame stomp on teams throats when they get up. Is it Brian Kelly's fault when Zaire misses multiple open guys or consistently makes the wrong read on read option in short yardage? A coach can only coach his guys up so much. Players need to make plays on the field.
Ohio State lost to Virginia Tech at home, beat PENN STATE 31-24 in OT, beat Minnesota 31-24, beat Indiana 42-27 and beat Michigan 42-28 last year. I wouldn't say they stepped on teams throats last year when they got up. Did they have more blowouts? Sure, but i would be willing to bet in ND played their schedule you would see a few more blowouts.
In 2014,
Alabama beat WVU 33-23..a 7-6 WVU team. Bama lost to Ole Miss, beat Arkansas 14-13, beat Tennessee 34-20 and I wouldn’t consider Tennessee a good football team last year.
Oregon beat WASHINGTON STATE 38-31, lost to Arizona, beat CAL 59-41.
Teams have struggle with teams they shouldn't all the time. Teams get fired up to play the top dog. Notre Dame is always going to be the top dog in a matchup because of the name alone. When you're a program with prestige teams are going to give their best shot every week. It's not practical for a team to play 15 perfect games. You win and you move on.
I am just stating what you're arguing happens at every program in the country. It's college football.
I am not saying Brian Kelly is the perfect coach, because he and his staff could be doing a number of things better. But when you look at the finer details when push comes to shove it's not that bad. It's game 2. Notre Dame doesnt have a RB that has played RB in a game before this fall. They have two inexperienced OL who should grow from their lack of attention to detail last week. They have a cornerback who is learning how to play a new position after missing an entire year.
You claim you're not promoting anything but this post is an example of your carrying the water for this coaching staff.
First, when the teams you mention have had close games that probably should not be close, they usually win them.
The complaint is not that Brian Kelly's ND teams have had close games. It that his teams have close games that should not be close and (other than 2012) lose on average 2-3 of them per season. A pattern is forming, and the pattern is not that Brian Kelly likes to live dangerously but somehow always seems to win.
Second, two of the three teams you mentioned with close games (that they end up winning most of the time), have gone on to win championships. Brian Kelly's only season at ND where he won all the close ones did not end in a championship victory. If winning the games ND is supposed to win (even if close) were the norm, the discussion would not be what it is.
Third, it's time to stop making the same illogical excuses.
1) Notre Dame doesnt have a RB that has played RB in a game before this fall. 2) They have two inexperienced OL who should grow from their lack of attention to detail last week. 3) They have a cornerback who is learning how to play a new position after missing an entire year.
Folston being injured in game 1 and having to rely on inexperienced RBs was not why ND played Virginia close. (In fact, if everyone is being honest, Zaire getting injured is not why ND played Virginia close. The offense came out flat, didn't execute, the offensive playcalling did not adjust and focus on what was working, and the defensive secondary wilted... again.)
Procise had 12 carries for over 100 yards in the first half. But inexplicably, he only received 5 more carries in the second half. How is looking at that "finer detail" anything but an in game coaching failure? Adams was doing well also, but only received 10 carries total. Williams received zero carries. If Zaire was off that game, ride the horse that's winning and what was winning was hand-offs to the RBs.
During his VA post game press conference, Kelly was asked why they haven't utilized the TEs more and he stated because of what the opposing defenses have shown. The fact is, ND is supposedly TE-U, but so far its base is 3-WR sets (with two ineffective WRs in Brown & Carlisle) and ignore the TE. Winning teams play to their strengths; they don't go away from their strengths because the other team might anticipate what the offense might do.
2) Brian Kelly is in year 5. If he put two young OL in the starting lineup that play poorly because they are "inexperienced" it is because he failed to recruit and develop talent in earlier recruiting classes that were capable of playing high level football. This is not an excuse, it is a condemnation against him that he isn't doing the job.
3) Same point as #2. Russell is not playing a new position. But if he is the best option in year 5, then Brian Kelly isn't doing his job because he failed to recruit and develop talent to fill that spot.
4) Opponents "getting up" - People need to stop pretending that opponents "circling ND on their calendar" is a motivating factor that is exclusive to ND. No-name teams that play Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon or other big name programs would like to knock them off and get their name in the papers too. Yet those big name teams end up winning more than a majority of the time, even if the game is closer than it should be. If Brian Kelly can't overcome the other teams getting up for his big-name team, then maybe he belongs at the no-name schools.
