Kelly receives contract extension through 2016

[returnofthemack]

He's definitely the best coach who's been at ND since Lou, but I really don't think he's done anything to warrant an extension. He already had a 5-year contract, which was fine. It's stupid to fire a coach before 4-5 years, and I would have had no problem with giving him a 2-year extension if he had a 9 or 10-win season with a few wins over Top 25 teams. He's obviously building a great foundation for the team, I just don't see what he's done to warrant an extension when he already had five years.

 

[ACamp1900]

I would say Weis got to 2 BCS bowls... imo, he's the best coach we have had since Lou... jury is obviously still out on BK... but after two years of dissapointment, I am not willing to say his time has been better than Charlie's....

just my two cents.

 

[returnofthemack]

Charlie got to two BCS bowls, but we got into them in the same way michigan got into theirs. We didn't deserve to be in those games, and unlike michigan, we had to face opponents that did belong there, as evidenced by the score. However, Charlie did pretty much nothing to upgrade the defense. He hired one DC after another, and a head coach can't only be able to work on one aspect of the team. For that reason, I don't think he's a better head coach than Kelly.

 

[ACamp1900]

subjective either way... I would say Kelly has done nothing to compare... and that Weis' teams definately earned their way into BCS games... who should have been above them that given year... that's what everyone forgets when looking at ND... those given years... not many teams even had a case, let alone a good one...

eh, definately hoping this is a mute point in a year or so...

 

[returnofthemack]

subjective either way... I would say Kelly has done nothing to compare... and that Weis' teams definately earned their way into BCS games... who should have been above them that given year... that's what everyone forgets when looking at ND... those given years... not many teams even had a case, let alone a good one...

eh, definitely hoping this is a moot point in a year or so...

amen.

 

[TDHeysus]

The extension is a good thing...but not much more than that.

We've all been here before (ND coach getting an extension) so the program for me is still in the 'been there, done that' phase.

I think BK is a good coach, trying to figure out how to fix this thing at Notre Dame that has been broke for a generation. It isnt easy, especially when the ppl who would hire/fire you are the ones also undermining the program by firing coaches prematurely.

For me, the program will always be in the 'been there, done that' phase till a BCS game is won.

 

[AllGoldEverything]

Glad to hear it, congrats Coach Kelly!

 

[no.1IrishFan]

Great news, this means he'll be 5-2 against Michigan when he gets his next extension in 2016.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

Best coach since holtz. Easily.

I don't feel the need to even explain further.

 

[IrishinSyria]

Never mind

Personally, I think that, based on their whole body of work Weis is still > BK. There's plenty of reasons to think that BK will end up having had a vastly more successful tenure. But so far, all he's got to hang his hat on is an improved defense. Until Kelly produces a season like 05 or 06, Weis remains the goodest (because great is too strong a word for any of them) post-Holtz coach.

 

[no.1IrishFan]

Not sure I follow your math there... 5-3 in 7 years? What's the one extra loss?

Lol, fixed it, typing from my iPad and my finger hit 3 instead of 2.

 

[anarin]

 

[South Bend Fighting Irish]

Best coach since holtz. Easily.

I don't feel the need to even explain further.

Whoa! Let's calm down here, BK hasn't even made it to a BCS yet.

I feel like to make an argument like that, you would need to explain much further.

 

[Buster Bluth]

Everyone needs to understand that in today's recruiting world, if you don't have 4 remaining years on your contract then other coaches will tear you apart with "he won't be there very long! Look at Weis, Willingham and Davie! He's gunna get canned!"

This extension was necessarily and, in my opinion, earned. Kelly has improved this program in dozens of ways, including wins. Sadly, two 8-5 seasons is technically an improvement; Notre Dame needs to be built and not reloaded. Deal with it.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

This extension was necessarily and, in my opinion, earned. Kelly has improved this program in dozens of ways, including wins. Sadly, two 8-5 seasons is technically an improvement; Notre Dame needs to be built and not reloaded. Deal with it.

 

[Rhode Irish]

Great news, this means he'll be 5-2 against Michigan when he gets his next extension in 2016.

I know this wasn't the point of your post, but I think its important to note that, assuming Kelly and ND both want to continue their relationship beyond this current agreement, a new extension will have to be done much sooner than 2016 - likely before the end of the 2013 season. You don't want your coaches to get anywhere near lame duck status because it will kill recruiting. Really, coaches should be able to show every incoming class that they will be at the school for most, if not all, of the recruits time at the school. So coaches should always have 3 or 4 years left on their contracts.

It is an unfortunate reality in the sense that when you do actually have to replace a coach it is really expensive to buy out a coach with that many years left on their deal, but it is the reality.

Edit: Just realized I went over two thousand posts sometime today or last night. Did not realize I was close to a milestone! I've been on here for a year (almost to the day, I think), and its crazy that I've come up with 2000 things to say in the last year. Seems like a good time to say that its been a treat talking ND football with all you guys.

 

[Irish Fam]

I like it. good for him. hope to have him here for a long time.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Just a minor detail, mute point would be silent, while what this thread screams for is a moot point. Which is what is begged when discussing Charlie in a Brian Kelly thread . . .

 

[ACamp1900]

Just a minor detail, mute point would be silent, while what this thread screams for is a moot point. Which is what is begged when discussing Charlie in a Brian Kelly thread . . .

Lol. I thought someone might catch that. I'm on my smart phone and the auto part isn't very smart some times. And it's hard to go back and edit with these things also. Oh well

 

[Irish YJ]

Much ado about nothing. If he doesn't figure out the QB situation next year.... he gone

BTW... I hope he figures it out, and is here for 20 years...

 

[IrishinSyria]

Everyone needs to understand that in today's recruiting world, if you don't have 4 remaining years on your contract then other coaches will tear you apart with "he won't be there very long! Look at Weis, Willingham and Davie! He's gunna get canned!"

This extension was necessarily and, in my opinion, earned. Kelly has improved this program in dozens of ways, including wins. Sadly, two 8-5 seasons is technically an improvement; Notre Dame needs to be built and not reloaded. Deal with it.

But here's the thing... not one recruit has mentioned anything regarding uncertainty with ND's coaching situation.

Imagine this scenario... next year, ND shows promise (again) but an unsettled QB situation (again) some tough opponents (again) and a couple of bad bounces (again) mean that our record is less than stellar....say... 8 and 5 (again.) The fan base is angry, our recruits are uncertain. Sure, Kelly got a contract extension last year, Urban Meyer will tell recruits, but look at ND's history. Time left on contracts didn't stop them from firing Ty or Charlie....

NOW Imagine this scenario....

same deal, tough year 8-5. Only this time, ND didn't give Kelly a contract extension this year. Fans are panicked, Urban is on the phone with the same recruits, spewing the same hate-filled devil music and then BAM Brian Kelly gets a contract extension. Fans grumble, but they get over it. Urban has a heart attack. And recruits (and current players who are, really, the ones the school should be worried about) get a strong message: ND backs its coach 100%. We know where we're going and we're not going to get our panties twisted by year-to year results.

So, you see, I'm not sure why we would bother using the contract extension when the contract itself is not an issue. It seems like a much more potent tool when the contract is an issue. Dealt with.

 

[tussin]

Just because Charlie got to two BCS bowls doesn't mean he's as good as Kelly. I liken it to how people argue Tommy TO is a good QB based solely on his record. If you watch the team, there seems to be a lot more promise than during the Weis years.

Sorry to jump in late with that hahah...

 

[South Bend Fighting Irish]

Much ado about nothing. If he doesn't figure out the QB situation next year.... he gone

BTW... I hope he figures it out, and is here for 20 years...

Huh? Did you miss the title of this thread? Lol.

 

[TinyT]

Just because Charlie got to two BCS bowls doesn't mean he's as good as Kelly. I liken it to how people argue Tommy TO is a good QB based solely on his record. If you watch the team, there seems to be a lot more promise than during the Weis years.

Sorry to jump in late with that hahah...

Promise or potential isn't really the point. At the end of two years coaching at Notre Dame, Weis had coached the team to two BCS games, Kelly had coached the team to two lesser bowl games.

In addition the argument cannot be made that the cupboard was bare for Kelly, it may not have been completely stocked but their were plenty of ingredients to be successful.

At the end of two years Weis had given the fans more of what they wanted, and earned the University two very nice paydays.

 

[tussin]

Promise or potential isn't really the point. At the end of two years coaching at Notre Dame, Weis had coached the team to two BCS games, Kelly had coached the team to two lesser bowl games.

In addition the argument cannot be made that the cupboard was bare for Kelly, it may not have been completely stocked but their were plenty of ingredients to be successful.

At the end of two years Weis had given the fans more of what they wanted, and earned the University two very nice paydays.

Honestly, I completely disagree. I don't care that Weis got us to two BCS bowls, both of which I was sure we were going to get stomped in at the time. Sure the payday is nice but to me, that isn't the goal... the goal is NCs. At no point in time during the Weis years did I think we were anywhere near the moving towards that goal.

Kelly clearly has us going in the right direction. I honestly feel a NC is achievable by the end of his current contract. That's the difference.

 

[IrishinSyria]

Honestly, I completely disagree. I don't care that Weis got us to two BCS bowls, both of which I was sure we were going to get stomped in at the time. Sure the payday is nice but to me, that isn't the goal... the goal is NCs. At no point in time during the Weis years did I think we were anywhere near the moving towards that goal.

Kelly clearly has us going in the right direction. I honestly feel a NC is achievable by the end of his current contract. That's the difference.

I don't see how you could watch the first two years under Weis and NOT think ND could win a NC with him at the helm... he was recruiting huge, highly ranked classes, the team looked great (yes, even on defense) and the program had an energy that it had been lacking for years.

Things fizzled out, to be sure. But anybody who says they saw that coming in 2005 or 2006 is straight up lying.

 

[tussin]

I don't see how you could watch the first two years under Weis and NOT think ND could win a NC with him at the helm... he was recruiting huge, highly ranked classes, the team looked great (yes, even on defense) and the program had an energy that it had been lacking for years.

Things fizzled out, to be sure. But anybody who says they saw that coming in 2005 or 2006 is straight up lying.

2005 was a great team... defense was pretty good and the offense was just amazing. That SC game was the best/worst football game I've ever watched; I'll never forget it.

However, this might raise some eyebrows here so brace yourselves but... I honestly think this years team was better than the 2006 team. They got blown out by 20+ against every good team they played (no, PSU wasn't good that year). Also needed a miraculous comeback to beat a 4 win MSU team and a crazy TD with under a minute to beat a bad UCLA team.

I know most teams have wins like that throughout the course of the season but that 2006 team never even got off the bus for a big game. At least this year's team made you feel like you could win every game on the schedule and left you frustrated when they didn't. With those Weis teams (mostly the 06 team) I was never as frustrated because I was expecting the blowout in big games.

Weis's big problem IMO is that he never recruited or developed the athletes on defense. It didn't matter how good the O was, with his defense a NC was completely out of the question.

 

[South Bend Fighting Irish]

I don't see how you could watch the first two years under Weis and NOT think ND could win a NC with him at the helm... he was recruiting huge, highly ranked classes, the team looked great (yes, even on defense) and the program had an energy that it had been lacking for years.

Things fizzled out, to be sure. But anybody who says they saw that coming in 2005 or 2006 is straight up lying.

IMO the 2005 season was our best shot at being NC contenders under Weis. I'm Not saying Weis was a great coach, but you're right our defense looked really good during those first couple of years for once.

Even though '05 was complete crap because of the "BP" The '06 season seemed satisfying at the end because The sugar bowl was within our reach, along with the end of a BCS drought. LSU was playing too hot to be cooled down and it carried on with them into the next season only to win the NC (go figure). If it wasn't for the SEC's uprise, I feel like Weis could've pulled it off.

Weis probably would've gotten a huge contract extension, he'd probably still be coaching for us.

 

[IrishinSyria]

Weis's big problem IMO is that he never recruited or developed the athletes on defense. It didn't matter how good the O was, with his defense a NC was completely out of the question.

Well, I'm about to go mute on a moot point, but our D has plenty of studs that Weis recruited... Louis Nix, Manti, and Hayseed all come to mind. Even guys like Brian Smith and Anthony McDonald were considered studs when Weis recruited them. We struck out completely one year on D tackles and that, along with the very thing base Weis had to start with, was the second biggest problem. The biggest, of course, was that he never managed to establish a defensive identity for the program. The coordinator shuffle, in retrospect, was hugely misguided. The team would've been better off finding an average/above average d coordinator and sticking with one vision than switching and trying to find the perfect scheme/coordinator (see: Tenuta.) It is only in retrospect that this seems obvious though; I seem to recall a general consensus that the Tenuta hire was a good to great move.

I will say this for Kelly: he seems to have a more developed vision for the program than Weis ever did. Weis had great plans for his offense, but never set a course for the rest of the team. The question with Kelly is if he can bring it all together or not. So far, there's definitely signs of progress, but only very rarely has ND looked like the team Brian Kelly envisions (see the Air Force game for a good example of "the goal".) The puzzle doesn't need to be finished next year, but hopefully it will start becoming clearer how it's going to turn out: who are the key pieces, how will they function, etc, etc, etc...

 

[ThePiombino]

Much ado about nothing. If he doesn't figure out the QB situation next year.... he gone

False. There aren't nearly as high expectations going into next year with the schedule we have. Now if he trots Rees out there and we have another year like this year, there might be rumblings, but he still won't be gone. Who the hell would they get to replace him? He's building a strong FOUNDATION, something that hasn't been done since Holtz and I think the university and smarter fans realize this and are going to give him the time he needs, hence the extension.

BTW... I hope he figures it out, and is here for 20 years...

Now you're using yer noggin'