In Defense of Brian Kelly

Obviously we here at Subway Alumni Station are not privileged or privy to the inner workings of the Irish Football Program.  We don’t get access to the La Bar practice field.  We don’t sit in on Team or coaches meetings.  We don’t know what particular offensive play or defensive scheme is called each down.  We don’t watch game film with the coaches and Team.

After two game.  Two mind wrenching losses.  Two affairs with five turnovers a piece.  The Domers and pundits are calling for Brian Kelly’s head and those of his Defensive Coordinator and Special Teams Coach.  Kelly’s not going anywhere so they might as well quiet down.

I remember Terry Brennan and Joe Kuharich by name but Ara Parseghian was the first coach I clearly remember on the field.  I go back that far.  I have never seen, read or in any way experienced two games like last Saturday and yesterday.  Any team any where.  I don’t want to witness a third.  (The entire SAS crew is tailgating and going to the MSU game.)

Every miscue by the veteran players.  Every bonehead mistake by the starters.  Every mind numbing error by seniors.   Has been made the fault of Kelly.  It’s been laid at his feet.  He’s the easy fall guy.  Sure he is the Head Coach and just like the saying in the Army, a Commander is responsible for everything his unit does or fails to do. 

However.

**  Ben Turk shanks a 25 yard punt out of bounds that leads to an easy Michigan touchdown.  How is that a coaching fault with a kid who has been punting all his life?

**  Tommy Rees makes two bad decisions on reads that leads to two turnovers.  Unless Kelly can get in Tommy’s head, how can he ensure the correct decision?

**  Gary Gray running stride for stride with a receiver reaches the end zone and fails to turn his head to watch for the ball.  Resulting in two Michigan touchdowns.  Every kid who has every played cornerback knows when you see the end zone line or the end zone markings TURN LOOK FOR THE BALL don’t watch the receiver.  You don’t bother to coach that.  I’m sure Kelly or Diaco have until they are blue in the face.

**  Tommy Rees prepares to throw the ball, it goes one direction and his arm another.  Fumble.  How is Kelly to blame for that?

**  Cierre Wood just fumbles the ball.  Austin Collingsworth can’t get a handle on a kick off and fumbles.  Kelly’s fault?

The hard to explain was the three separate third and shortage plays run by Wood that were stuffed.  Notre Dame does not have a fullback or lead power blocker.  Why did Kelly run them they resulted in punts?  Michigan was looking for that exact type play and had up to nine guys in the box to stop it.  Even with a lead blocker or a line blocking as well as it had most of the night; there were too many Skunkbears to block.

The easy answer is to blame Kelly or Bob Diaco and not the players. 

We don’t want to finger-point to anyone, we just want to win.


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Go Irish.  Beat Sparty and not yourselves.