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No quick fixes for Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
October, 25, 2010 Oct 252:27PM ETEmail Print Comments By Brian BennettBrian Kelly has professed his admiration for former Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian and has even had the legend come by and speak to his current Irish players at practice.
[+] EnlargeAP Photo/Rich Schultz
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly has his hands full as he tries to turn around a storied program.Wonder if Kelly now has a newfound appreciation for what Parseghian managed to do under the Golden Dome? It's clear at this point that Kelly isn't going to replicate the first-year miracle that Parseghian performed, inheriting a 2-7 team and guiding it to a 9-1 record his debut season.
Kelly came to South Bend with glittering credentials, a record of winning everywhere and talk about returning the program back to its glory days sooner rather than later. But after eight games, there isn't a whole lot to differentiate him from Charlie Weis, as the Irish are 4-4 following another loss to Navy. Actually, that's not fair to Weis, because his teams never got completely smoked by Navy the way Kelly's squad did in a 35-17 humbling on Saturday.
It's telling that after the game, Kelly -- who often spoke in the preseason about his five-minute plan -- already was asking fans for patience.
"Right now the things that are taking place are behind closed doors, and you can't really see them unless you're with me every day," he said. "Now where does that show itself? Absolutely in Year 2 and Year 3 and Year 4 and 5 and 6."
There's little chance that Year 1 will be remembered as a smashing success. With games left against No. 8 Utah and at USC, the Irish could be staring at a 6-6 regular-season record for the third straight year. If they can beat Tulsa and Army and pull off an upset of either the Utes or Trojans, they could salvage a trip to the Champs Sports Bowl. Having to hope for a non-New Year's Day game is not exactly what Notre Dame fans had in mind when Kelly was hired.
The truth of the matter is, this was always going to be a rebuilding job. Though blessed with top-line talent like Michael Floyd, Kyle Rudolph and Manti Te'o, the Irish still don't have great depth or elite players on defense and in the trenches. Dayne Crist is a first-year starting quarterback adjusting to an entirely new offense. Injuries to Rudolph and Floyd have set the offense back.
None of that, though, should have mattered against Navy. Though the Midshipmen have plenty of BCS scalps on their wall, there was no excuse for Notre Dame to let fullback Alexander Teich run over them for 210 yards or to look so utterly unprepared. Kelly, to his credit, pinned the blame on himself and his coaching staff. And he knows that kind of effort can't be tolerated.
"Let's put it this way," he said. "If we play like we played defensively, there won't be a Year 5 or 6 for me."
Kelly says the things that encourage him include a trust that has developed between players and coaches, emerging leaders and the way players are conducting themselves. But fans can't see any of that, and so far it hasn't translated into better results than the recent past.
Kelly's history suggests he will get the program going again, and indeed, he still seems like the perfect man for the job. If a guy with his track record and blend of skills can't do it, then it's fair to ask who can. But the Irish will have to improve by miles, especially given the difficult schedules awaiting them in 2011 and especially in 2012.
There won't be any Parseghian-like quick fixes here. Perhaps fans should hope Kelly should follow another coaching legend's model. After all, Lou Holtz went 5-6 during his first year in South Bend.Share
October, 25, 2010 Oct 252:27PM ETEmail Print Comments By Brian BennettBrian Kelly has professed his admiration for former Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian and has even had the legend come by and speak to his current Irish players at practice.
[+] EnlargeAP Photo/Rich Schultz
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly has his hands full as he tries to turn around a storied program.Wonder if Kelly now has a newfound appreciation for what Parseghian managed to do under the Golden Dome? It's clear at this point that Kelly isn't going to replicate the first-year miracle that Parseghian performed, inheriting a 2-7 team and guiding it to a 9-1 record his debut season.
Kelly came to South Bend with glittering credentials, a record of winning everywhere and talk about returning the program back to its glory days sooner rather than later. But after eight games, there isn't a whole lot to differentiate him from Charlie Weis, as the Irish are 4-4 following another loss to Navy. Actually, that's not fair to Weis, because his teams never got completely smoked by Navy the way Kelly's squad did in a 35-17 humbling on Saturday.
It's telling that after the game, Kelly -- who often spoke in the preseason about his five-minute plan -- already was asking fans for patience.
"Right now the things that are taking place are behind closed doors, and you can't really see them unless you're with me every day," he said. "Now where does that show itself? Absolutely in Year 2 and Year 3 and Year 4 and 5 and 6."
There's little chance that Year 1 will be remembered as a smashing success. With games left against No. 8 Utah and at USC, the Irish could be staring at a 6-6 regular-season record for the third straight year. If they can beat Tulsa and Army and pull off an upset of either the Utes or Trojans, they could salvage a trip to the Champs Sports Bowl. Having to hope for a non-New Year's Day game is not exactly what Notre Dame fans had in mind when Kelly was hired.
The truth of the matter is, this was always going to be a rebuilding job. Though blessed with top-line talent like Michael Floyd, Kyle Rudolph and Manti Te'o, the Irish still don't have great depth or elite players on defense and in the trenches. Dayne Crist is a first-year starting quarterback adjusting to an entirely new offense. Injuries to Rudolph and Floyd have set the offense back.
None of that, though, should have mattered against Navy. Though the Midshipmen have plenty of BCS scalps on their wall, there was no excuse for Notre Dame to let fullback Alexander Teich run over them for 210 yards or to look so utterly unprepared. Kelly, to his credit, pinned the blame on himself and his coaching staff. And he knows that kind of effort can't be tolerated.
"Let's put it this way," he said. "If we play like we played defensively, there won't be a Year 5 or 6 for me."
Kelly says the things that encourage him include a trust that has developed between players and coaches, emerging leaders and the way players are conducting themselves. But fans can't see any of that, and so far it hasn't translated into better results than the recent past.
Kelly's history suggests he will get the program going again, and indeed, he still seems like the perfect man for the job. If a guy with his track record and blend of skills can't do it, then it's fair to ask who can. But the Irish will have to improve by miles, especially given the difficult schedules awaiting them in 2011 and especially in 2012.
There won't be any Parseghian-like quick fixes here. Perhaps fans should hope Kelly should follow another coaching legend's model. After all, Lou Holtz went 5-6 during his first year in South Bend.Share
