Kelly NFL Rumors

[Emcee77]

If Florida calls, does bk listen? I'm not sure if its his desire for privacy (or his NFL flirting) but bk has never really seemed to open up about nd to a large audience. That makes some think he isn't in love with the place like a holtz. With the way the year has gone, this has only seemed to get worse (from the POV of those I converse with, both huge fans and casual alike).

Really? I have not gotten that impression and I would be stunned if he leaves for another college job. At this point, I would be stunned if he leaves for any other job.

Seriously, when is the last time we played a game that we didn't have a realistic chance to win in the second half? Even great teams are sometimes challenged by bad teams. I am not concerned that we struggled against Northwestern. Lord knows FSU struggles every week. We are struggling due to a lack of depth, which is exacerbated by the fact that we are adjusting to a new scheme on D that a number of veteran upperclassmen don't fit, but we are basically playing good football. I think Kelly sees that and I don't think he is quite as frustrated as most of the fans.

I follow Kelly's media sessions pretty closely, and he has not seemed overly frustrated to me. He HATES losing and he always looks pissed off after a loss, which I love, but he always seems fairly confident about cleaning up sloppiness or, if necessary, doing things a little differently.

It's not panic time, guys. You've seen Willingham-coached teams. You've seen Weis-coached teams. Those are shitty teams. This team is not shitty.

 

[IrishLion]

I am NOT saying "fire BK," but your argument doesn't really hold up for me. We went to the national championship with Charlie Weis' guys, so I'm not buying Kelly as an irreplaceable recruiting guru.

I think you're selling Kelly a bit short there.

Key contributors in 2012:

Golson - Kelly
Rees - Kelly
Wood - Weis
Riddick - Weis
Atkinson - Kelly
Jones - Kelly
Daniels - Kelly
Toma - Weis
Eifert - Weis
Niklas - Kelly
Entire OL - Weis
Kap - Weis
Tuitt - Kelly
Nix - Himself
Day - Kelly
Teo - Weis
Fox - Weis
Spond - Kelly
Shembo - Kelly
Russell - Kelly
Jackson - Kelly
Farley - Kelly
Motta - Weis

Obviously a few of the guys recruited by Weis had HUGE impacts (KLM, Teo, Motta), but Kelly's guys were just as big a part of the team and played crucial roles as well (Golson, Rees, Tuitt, Russell).

 

[BigIrish]

I'll say this first - I like Brian Kelly and I don't want to see him leave ND. I think he's built a foundation and that he's going to put things together for the Irish.

That said, with an 8-win season last year and a very possible 5-game losing slide to finish the season this year, does anybody really think that Kelly's name is being tossed around among premiere teams at either the college or professional ranks?

I think not. I can't think of a team who has enough money to match or exceed his current salary who would be happy enough with his back to back mediocre seasons at ND to put him on their short list.

Like it or not, my guess is that we've got Kelly for as long as we want him.

 

[T Town Tommy]

I'll say this first - I like Brian Kelly and I don't want to see him leave ND. I think he's built a foundation and that he's going to put things together for the Irish.

That said, with an 8-win season last year and a very possible 5-game losing slide to finish the season this year, does anybody really think that Kelly's name is being tossed around among premiere teams at either the college or professional ranks?

I think not. I can't think of a team who has enough money to match or exceed his current salary who would be happy enough with his back to back mediocre seasons at ND to put him on their short list.

Like it or not, my guess is that we've got Kelly for as long as we want him.

To me, the question is this: Is the feeling mutual? I don't think the "fire BK" crowd is being objective right now. But I could also see BK consider leaving if the right opportunity opened up. I don't think he will be considered for one of the top tier coaching vacancies this off season, but who really knows what doors may open in the future.

 

[koonja]

I want Kelly to stay, but am growing towards indifference. After 2015, I'll have a very strong opinion which you will all be well aware of.

Count me in as moderately worried about the Florida job. I don't think it's likely, but I can see him leaving for that job. Better weather, better recruiting, lower admission requirements, just as big of a program, etc.

 

[T Town Tommy]

I want Kelly to stay, but am growing towards indifference. After 2015, I'll have a very strong opinion which you will all be well aware of.

Count me in as worried about the Florida job.

He won't be a candidate for the Fla job koon.

 

[Irish#1]

He won't be a candidate for the Fla job koon.

+1

 

[pkt77242]

I think you're selling Kelly a bit short there.

Key contributors in 2012:

Golson - Kelly
Rees - Kelly
Wood - Weis
Riddick - Weis
Atkinson - Kelly
Jones - Kelly
Daniels - Kelly
Toma - Weis
Eifert - Weis
Niklas - Kelly
Entire OL - Weis
Kap - Weis
Tuitt - Kelly
Nix - Himself
Day - Kelly
Teo - Weis
Fox - Weis
Spond - Kelly
Shembo - Kelly
Russell - Kelly
Jackson - Kelly
Farley - Kelly
Motta - Weis

Obviously a few of the guys recruited by Weis had HUGE impacts (KLM, Teo, Motta), but Kelly's guys were just as big a part of the team and played crucial roles as well (Golson, Rees, Tuitt, Russell).

Rees, TJ Jones, Shembo, and Jackson all committed to Weis not Kelly (yes they signed with Kelly but all committed while Weis was the coach.

 

[BigIrish]

To me, the question is this: Is the feeling mutual? I don't think the "fire BK" crowd is being objective right now. But I could also see BK consider leaving if the right opportunity opened up. I don't think he will be considered for one of the top tier coaching vacancies this off season, but who really knows what doors may open in the future.

Full disclosure...I work at Central Michigan University. I am aware of the size of BK's ego. BK will not leave ND for a lesser institution. He won't do it for the money, and he won't do it for a more "permissive" administration. His pride won't allow him to do anything "beneath" him.

You're right - Florida is not going to give BK a sniff. Nor will any other peer institutions (by peers, I'm talking from a football perspective). I agree that BK would consider leaving for the "right opportunity," as he IS a bit of a carpetbagger since he left GVSU, but the right opportunity for BK (money and prestige) will not be offered to him based on his last two seasons at ND. Ergo, he's ours as long as we want him. If he puts us back in the championship game, all bets are off, but not until then.

 

[gkIrish]

To me, the question is this: Is the feeling mutual? I don't think the "fire BK" crowd is being objective right now. But I could also see BK consider leaving if the right opportunity opened up. I don't think he will be considered for one of the top tier coaching vacancies this off season, but who really knows what doors may open in the future.

As a point of order, the "fire BK" crowd isn't very big right now. I don't even think it's a "crowd." There are three groups of people IMO:

A) People perfectly happy with BK.
B) People lukewarm on BK that don't think there are better realistic options out there.
C) People who love(d) BK but saw the Northwestern game as a uh oh moment that illuminated some of the bigger problems we are going to face going forward (i.e. defensive recruits, bad playcalling).

I'm somewhere between B and C.

 

[wizards8507]

As a point of order, the "fire BK" crowd isn't very big right now. I don't even think it's a "crowd." There are three groups of people IMO:

A) People perfectly happy with BK.
B) People lukewarm on BK that don't think there are better realistic options out there.
C) People who love(d) BK but saw the Northwestern game as a uh oh moment that illuminated some of the bigger problems we are going to face going forward (i.e. defensive recruits, bad playcalling).

I'm somewhere between B and C.

I think there's also a dynamic of how people feel about BK personally. I probably fall into "B" when it comes to BK as a football coach, but he absolutely rubs me the wrong way as a person. Things like the attitude, the purple face, the verbal abuse, the alma mater incident, and yes, the field turf, all just "bug" me. I'd never advocate hiring/firing a coach based on those parameters, but they're all things that wouldn't make me too crushed to ever see him go.

 

[Ndaccountant]

As a point of order, the "fire BK" crowd isn't very big right now. I don't even think it's a "crowd." There are three groups of people IMO:

A) People perfectly happy with BK.
B) People lukewarm on BK that don't think there are better realistic options out there.
C) People who love(d) BK but saw the Northwestern game as a uh oh moment that illuminated some of the bigger problems we are going to face going forward (i.e. defensive recruits, bad playcalling).

I'm somewhere between B and C.

well put. I am now firmly in the C group. The Cuse, ASU and NW games have done me in. I will admit that I was pleasantly surprised at the FSU game, where I thought going in the game was going to be over mid 4th quarter.

It isn't the losses, per se, that flipped me but rather his reluctance to alter his game plan when curve balls present themselves. How or why we abandoned the running game after falling down 17-3 against ASU is baffling to me, especially considering the similarities ASU and Cuse had. Then, this past weekend, not utilizing the obvious advantage we had with the running game throughout the game was equally troubling.

I had all the hope in the world that this was the year a foundation was laid for years of success. I just don't see it. I don't see improvement week to week. I would feel so much better about this team if we were 7-3 with consistent week to week growth. It isn't there and it's really disturbing me.

EDIT: With that said, watch us come out a beat down L'ville.....

 

[RDU Irish]

Part of me thinks his treatment of the run game is an indication of his lack of faith in our offensive line. If he knows they can't block as a unit he tries to rely more on the element of surprise. When we line it up and bring it, we tend to get owned, to the point I am starting to think we recruit more 6'2" instead of 6'6" 300 pounders.

I am somewhere b/w A and B. I have seen the problems but I also have seen so much progress that I think he deserves a chance to ride this thing out for quite a while. I mean, it's been twenty years since we have had an above average coach.

 

[PANDFAN]

chris mort just stated that he would be a top candidate for Florida job and has heard his name around the nfl circle being mentioned

 

[GoldenDomer]

I wouldn't lose sleep if he left, but who do you guys think would be some of the top candidates for our job if he left?

 

[Spitfire]

I think Kelly is a good coach, but not a great one, and frankly his ego has started to wear thin on me. If Florida or some NFL team comes calling, good luck. I would certainly not lose any sleep over it.

As for someone to replace Kelly, how about David Shaw from Stanford? Would Jon Gruden talk once again start up? Whoever it is I just hope it's someone who dumps the spread and goes with a more traditional pro style attack.

 

[IrishJayhawk]

I think Kelly is a good coach, but not a great one, and frankly his ego has started to wear thin on me. If Florida or some NFL team comes calling, good luck. I would certainly not lose any sleep over it.

As for someone to replace Kelly, how about David Shaw from Stanford? Would Jon Gruden talk once again start up? Whoever it is I just hope it's someone who dumps the spread and goes with a more traditional pro style attack.

That definition is changing all the time.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Bovada has odds on the next <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Florida?src=hash">#Florida</a> HC: Gundy 4/1; McElwain 9/2; Bob Stoops & Mullen 11/2; RichRod & Shanahan 7/1; Freeze & Spurrier 8/1</p>— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) <a href="https://twitter.com/BruceFeldmanCFB/status/534417729558548480">November 17, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

No Kelly.

 

[wizards8507]

That definition is changing all the time.

You know it when you see it.

 

[DCIrish]

Doesn't matter if you run the spread or pro style offense. Most important thing is being balanced and developing a physical mindset offensively. This is something Kelly doesn't seem to believe in and it will hold this team back if he doesn't change.

 

[ickythump1225]

As a point of order, the "fire BK" crowd isn't very big right now. I don't even think it's a "crowd." There are three groups of people IMO:

A) People perfectly happy with BK.
B) People lukewarm on BK that don't think there are better realistic options out there.
C) People who love(d) BK but saw the Northwestern game as a uh oh moment that illuminated some of the bigger problems we are going to face going forward (i.e. defensive recruits, bad playcalling).

I'm somewhere between B and C.

I've been an "A" all of BK's tenure leading right up to losing to Northwestern. Now I'm between a "B" and a "C". I won't be in the crowd calling for his head, or even saying things like "I hope he leaves somewhere else" because coaching changes can suck. Everyone just assumes that we'll find some guy who is so much better but after Steve Spurrier left Florida they hired Ron Zook and then after Meyer left they hired Muschamp. After Holtz left we fell into a coaching abyss. When Pete Carrol left USC hired Lane Kiffin. The point is coaching hires can bad and at ND we've seen them go very bad.

All of that being said 2015 is a make or break year. Another 8 or 9 win season next year will cement in my mind that BK is just a good coach but not a great one. A less good version of Mark Richt.

 

[gkIrish]

I've been an "A" all of BK's tenure leading right up to losing to Northwestern. Now I'm between a "B" and a "C". I won't be in the crowd calling for his head, or even saying things like "I hope he leaves somewhere else" because coaching changes can suck. Everyone just assumes that we'll find some guy who is so much better but after Steve Spurrier left Florida they hired Ron Zook and then after Meyer left they hired Muschamp. After Holtz left we fell into a coaching abyss. When Pete Carrol left USC hired Lane Kiffin. The point is coaching hires can bad and at ND we've seen them go very bad.

All of that being said 2015 is a make or break year. Another 8 or 9 win season next year will cement in my mind that BK is just a good coach but not a great one. A less good version of Mark Richt.

This is exactly how I feel, word for word. Reps.

 

[Grahambo]

Isn't BK on verge of becoming the first ND coach to win 8 or more games in his first 5 seasons?

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

Isn't BK on verge of becoming the first ND coach to win 8 or more games in his first 5 seasons?

I wouldn't say he's on the verge right now when we should be underdogs in our last 3 games.

 

[DCIrish]

Isn't BK on verge of becoming the first ND coach to win 8 or more games in his first 5 seasons?

He wasn't hired to win 8 games every year. No ones expects championships every year, but the standard should be higher than that.

 

[irishff1014]

I wouldn't say he's on the verge right now when we should be underdogs in our last 3 games.

9-4 last year was .692 win percentage imagine if you did that at your job you would be fired on the spot.

 

[clashmore_jon]

He wasn't hired to win 8 games every year. No ones expects championships every year, but the standard should be higher than that.

8 or more games every year is is pretty high standards. That's flirting with a top 25 finish at worst every year. C'mon guys the world isnt over.

 

[IrishJayhawk]

He wasn't hired to win 8 games every year. No ones expects championships every year, but the standard should be higher than that.

Okay...he also won 12 games a couple of years ago and played in the title game.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

He wasn't hired to win 8 games every year. No ones expects championships every year, but the standard should be higher than that.

Name me a coach who: (1) is willing to come to ND; and (2) would definitely win more consistently than Kelly. Note that certainty of improvement is important here, because there's a huge amount of risk involved with the coaching carousel.

If you can't, then all this bluster about championships and higher standards is little more than entitled whining.

 

[IrishLax]

Name me a coach who: (1) is willing to come to ND; and (2) would definitely win more consistently than Kelly. Note that certainty of improvement is important here, because there's a huge amount of risk involved with the coaching carousel.

If you can't, then all this bluster about championships and higher standards is little more than entitled whining.

The crux of all coaching questions is how much is ND willing to pay. For $8 million a year name the coach (reasonably) and they'll come to ND. For $3-$5 million the choices are much more limited.