article:kelly learning nd more than 5 minute fix

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Homepage > Local News > AP > Kelly learning Notre Dame more than 5-minute fix
By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer

Published on Sunday Oct 24, 2010

Eight games into his tenure at Notre Dame and Brian Kelly is already dealing with one of those losses that make people wonder whether the Fighting Irish can ever again be what they were.

Navy didn't just beat Notre Dame for the third time in four seasons Saturday in the swamps of New Jersey, the Midshipmen dispatched the Fighting Irish with relative ease.

Kelly was clearly exasperated after the game but _ at least publicly _ is sending a positive message. The vibe in South Bend, Ind., has been so negative for so long, the coach seems intent on not contributing to it.

THE BIG STORY

It was a great line, exactly what Notre Dame fans wanted to hear from their new coach. At his first news conference after being hired, Kelly said he couldn't afford to have a five-year plan. He needed a 5-minute plan to turn the Irish around.

That line has the potential to be one that comes back to bite Kelly if he goes the way of Charlie Weis and Tyrone Willingham and can't pull Notre Dame out of the cycle of mediocrity it has been in since Lou Holtz left in 1996.

Is there any doubt that some Irish fans were already wondering what the heck happened to the 5-minute plan while Navy was routing their team 35-17?

The reality is Kelly needs some time and this season is more about laying the foundation for the program than any return to glory. After the loss, he didn't throw himself on the mercy of Notre Dame nation. He didn't apologize for his team's performance, a popular move by coaches looking to appease the angry mob.

Kelly was clearly unhappy with his players and his staff, but refused to make this game a referendum on the state of Notre Dame football.

"Look, there's going to be enough criticism from the coaches to the players to go around," he said. "We got each other. We got each other's back. We're going to have to continue to work hard and get this football program to where it needs to be and that's amongst the best in the country. We're not there yet."

Nope.

Notre Dame is 4-4 with games against Tulsa, No. 8 Utah, Army and No. 24 Southern California left. If the Irish can beat Utah and/or USC and get to seven wins, a trip to the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Fla., is a lock. All things considered, that would be a successful season.

Right now, 6-6 seems a lot more likely and that makes this season not all that much better than the last two under Weis.

The problems on the field are obvious. Notre Dame doesn't have enough topflight defensive players beyond linebacker Manti Te'o, and the offense led by quarterback with Dayne Crist is good but needs to be great to make up for the defense's shortcomings.

Kelly, who won consecutive Big East titles at Cincinnati before coming to Notre Dame, sees reasons for optimism, and not necessarily on Saturdays.

"Right now the things that are taking place are behind closed doors, you can't really see them unless you're with me every day. I like where we're going," he said. "Now where does that show itself? Absolutely in Year 2 and Year 3 and Year 4 and 5 and 6.

"You're going to see what our team looks like on the field. I don't have to spin it for everybody. I know what we're doing, I like where we're going. I don't like losing football games along the way."

Kelly was in a similar mode during his Sunday teleconference with reporters, talking about how he was encouraged by the trust his players and coaches have in each other.

He also made one other thing clear: While he would never say it directly, he knows it'll take more than 5 minutes to get the Fighting Irish where he _ and their fans _ want them to be.

"We're getting to know the way I want the game conducted and played and how we come to work every day," Kelly said. "That's work in progress and that's not going to change depending on whether we win or lose the football game."

___

QUICK HITS

_ Akron and New Mexico are the only major college teams still looking for a victory after Western Kentucky snapped its 26-game losing streak, 54-21 against Louisiana-Lafayette. The Zips of the Mid-American Conference seem like a better bet to avoid a winless season. Their remaining opponents are 14-17. The Lobos have five games left and their best chances to win are probably Saturday at Colorado State or the next week at home against Wyoming.

_ A four-game losing streak had some wondering if Georgia coach Mark Richt was heading for the door after 10 seasons in Athens. Since then, the Bulldogs have won three straight against SEC East rivals, scoring more than 40 points in each. The Bulldogs play slumping Florida on Saturday with a very real shot of winning the division.

_ BCS projections after Sunday's new standings with Auburn on top:

Rose Bowl: Michigan State vs. Oregon.

Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. TCU.

Fiesta Bowl: Nebraska vs. West Virginia.

Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Wisconsin.

BCS championship game: Auburn vs. Boise State.

___

LOOKING AHEAD

Oregon takes its No. 1 ranking on the road to face No. 24 Southern California. USC's two losses came on last-second field goals. The Trojans' porous defense could be in for another long day against Darron Thomas and the high-scoring Ducks, but Matt Barkley and the USC offense have the potential to keep up.

No. 5 Michigan State puts its perfect record on the line at No. 18 Iowa. It's the toughest game left on the Spartans' schedule.

____

Ralph D. Russo covers college football for The Associated Press. Write to him at rrusso(at)ap.org.

 

[Old Man Mike]

This writer has not understood a thing about what Kelly was talking about early in spring training camp. Kelly's remark about a "five-minute plan" had nothing to do with creating a top functioning changed football team in five minutes, as anyone with two functioning neurons to rub together would realize. Kelly was saying that there was to be no hesitation about beginning the process of changing everything about the team, from strategic systems to conditioning and what everyone was eating. His "five minute plan" meant that everyone associated with the program would begin to change their entire approach to their athletic lives and their minute-by-minute awareness of what it will take for them to succeed. If this writer had understood any of that, he would not throw out cheap attention getting comments like "Kelly's remark will come back to bite him". This is the sort of media crap which feeds emotionalism at a time when things are tough to swallow patiently, but nevertheless totally premature. "Two thumbs down".

 

[ndcoltsfan2010]

This writer has not understood a thing about what Kelly was talking about early in spring training camp. Kelly's remark about a "five-minute plan" had nothing to do with creating a top functioning changed football team in five minutes, as anyone with two functioning neurons to rub together would realize. Kelly was saying that there was to be no hesitation about beginning the process of changing everything about the team, from strategic systems to conditioning and what everyone was eating. His "five minute plan" meant that everyone associated with the program would begin to change their entire approach to their athletic lives and their minute-by-minute awareness of what it will take for them to succeed. If this writer had understood any of that, he would not throw out cheap attention getting comments like "Kelly's remark will come back to bite him". This is the sort of media crap which feeds emotionalism at a time when things are tough to swallow patiently, but nevertheless totally premature. "Two thumbs down".

I agree with you absolutely. I really like BK and he is definently going to get this program turned around. 5 minute plan is about like you said, changing the entire philosophy of the program. We basically started from scratch if you will. Everything from Conditioning, new systems etc...., changed over night. This is going to take a couple maybe three years to get where we want to get. BK needs to continue doing what he is doing and we need to have a little faith. I think he is the right coach and I am grateful that he is ours. We just need to be patient. I would rather have a mediocre 1st season and see us improve year after year.., then have another Ty or Charlie incredible 1st season only to return to pathetic to mediocre.

 

[mrmiller8]

Yeah Guys, I agree I think Kelly was talking more about not taking the time to develop a plan. He had his plan that could start to be implemented in 5 minutes, because he has a plan and system that works. I think thats more of what he was saying. Not that he was a savior and he was gonna take us from ****ty to ok in one year....

 

[kmoose]

"Right now the things that are taking place are behind closed doors, you can't really see them unless you're with me every day. I like where we're going," he said. "Now where does that show itself? Absolutely in Year 2 and Year 3 and Year 4 and 5 and 6.

"You're going to see what our team looks like on the field. I don't have to spin it for everybody. I know what we're doing, I like where we're going. I don't like losing football games along the way."

I like Kelly, and I think he is the right guy for this job, but............

When I heard him say this, in his PC, my first thought was "Aren't you the same guy who said that there are no 2-3-4 year plans, anymore? That it was 'win now'?" I'm not asking him to go 11-1 and play for a title in year one, but I certainly can't fathom how we got housed by Navy, in year one.

 

[tommyIRISH23]

I like Kelly, and I think he is the right guy for this job, but............

When I heard him say this, in his PC, my first thought was "Aren't you the same guy who said that there are no 2-3-4 year plans, anymore? That it was 'win now'?" I'm not asking him to go 11-1 and play for a title in year one, but I certainly can't fathom how we got housed by Navy, in year one.

I am going to be fairly critical of ND, its recruits, and the task BK has.

What Brian Kelly saw on paper, and potential, when he came to ND, as we all thought, was enough talent too compete this year. We all had comments/opinions that we had enough talent to win now. "Look what BK did at Cinci, imagine what BK could do with the talent on ND's roster". On paper, that was the general consenus, and it looks like BK even believed it. But as reality set it, and I imagine BK saw this as camp started, was the complete opposite. This is what ND has on its roster;

1. Manti Teo- An animal whom is the only hope, and one of 3 or 4 playmakers on defense that can contribute, and change the flow of the game.

2. Calabrese- An somewhat talented player with the heart of a lion, and someone who just loves contact, and has those intangibles that cannot be tought. He is flat out hungry. Reminds me a "Rocky".

3. Ian Williams- Someone thats physically gifted, and worked very had with a ton of potential, and had the heart and determination to become something.

4. Some young, and talented guys who are hungry but are not ready for the game yet for a few reasons. (Shembo and co)

5. A quarterback whom everyone loves, and is a great ambassador for the team, and can say the write things, but in my opinion, is soft, and lacking that competitive instinct that is contagious. I thought Jimmy had is leadership flaws, and may have divided the team. But the kid was a gamer who was hungry and wanted to win nomatter what. My opinion now, he is a leader whom is not passive (Dayne), he was a get in your face, and hold yourself accountable type player that got into with players who were not matching his intensity and fire. He wanted to be around winners who were hungry, and not okay with losing. 80% of ND's roster/ upperclassment are OK with losing. They quit. Just flat out quit. I miss Jimmy Clausen more then I every though I would.

6. Some seasoned veterans that are physically gifted, but have been losing for so long that its just a part of there nature on the football field. Because A) Their potential withered away for 3/4 years without and development. (Kerry Neal) B) Played 78 different positions all over the field, except the one that they were born/fit to play (Harrison Smith). C) Spent 3/4 years out of "football" shape. Did not develop or maintain those fast twitch muscles that make a players reaction speed/quickness/explosives grow (Gary Gray, Darrin Walls, Robert Blanton). D) The program of Notre Dame from Jack Swarbrick down to the water boy knows nothing but defeat. They play well when the momentum is going there way, but when the tide turns, they just don't know how to fight. They get on there heals and are just lost. Just like winners find ways to win when the breaks are mounted against them, people used to losing find ways to lose. It is VERY difficult to shake that mind set. Confidence is the key in every aspect of life, when a person or team does not have that, it doesn't matter how much talent/potential, or who is coaching, all hope is lost.

7. MF/KR- Are studs, and have that "arrogance" that I talked about with JC. People get on Floyd because he gets pissed off when the team starts to stink, because he wants to win, and see's the attitudes around him. It's not a "me first" attitude, hes just disgusted with what is around him.

8. The frosh/sophs are crucial in relaying BK's message, and changing the attitude of the program. We need to wash away the last few years, and get the players that know how to "lose" out, and replace them with fired up and intense players. BK will not let talent stagnate. He'll develop, he's just got to find ways to weather the storm and inspire this mess he's got to deal with, and hold on to the recruits.

If he can rally the troops and play out of their minds to beat either SC/Utah then the season will be a success.

 

[TDHeysus]

2. Calabrese- An somewhat talented player with the heart of a lion, and someone who just loves contact, and has those intangibles that cannot be tought. He is flat out hungry.

I like this description of Calabrese

His "five minute plan" meant that everyone associated with the program would begin to change their entire approach to their athletic lives and their minute-by-minute awareness of what it will take for them to succeed.

he also said it because it was what alumni wanted to hear. it was a good sound bite. but make no mistake, he needs to win now. the change can start now, but he also has to start winning now.