I've already mentioned this but now it is confirmed. All the bullshi* about how Coach Kelly's comments after the USC game were so divisive to the team was just that...********* The media and Kelly haters were responsible for making such a big deal out of what was really nothing. Listen to what Te'o has say himself and tell me how Kelly divided the team with his comments. Yes, Kelly probably would like the to take his comments back and reword them a little but the fact is the media and Kelly haters made a big deal out of almost nothing.
Here's a quote from Brian Teo, Manti's father... "From listening to him (Saturday) night, that boy truly loves Notre Dame. He truly loves Notre Dame, despite all the shenanigans that may have happened in this past season, and some of that pointed directly to him -- it didn't matter to him. I was very proud at him for that." He's coming back in spite of Kelly, not because of him.
:!: I'm buying it. In high school, I played for four different head football coaches, three different head basketball coaches, and three different head baseball coaches in four years. Almost all of them were terrible, but I stayed loyal, because I loved my teammates and I loved the school. I know exactly how Manti feels...
Eric Hansen wrote a nice article in the SB Trib. Quoting Teo Did he say "coaches?" http://www.southbendtribune.com/news...899,full.story
Tim, I've got a pretty good source. I heard about the incident involving Kelly before anyone read or heard about it on any BB. Kelly had been using this "my players vs. the other players" tactic subtly in practice on occasion but he made his infamous speech immediately after the USC loss. Many players were upset but none more than Teo. He was hurt more than angry because he felt it turned friends against one another. Teo felt that he and his family made a major sacrifice when they opted for ND because of distance and religious factors but he really loves the university. The player parents on this team are extremely close and they were livid as well. In fairness, they were equally upset with Kelly's ham-handed treatment of Dayne Crist who was probably the most popular and well liked person on the team. I'm sure Kelly felt this tactic was a motivational tool but it blew up in his face big time. He's a work in progress. He caught a HUGE break here.
I'm just glad he's coming back and I hope Tyler Eifert comes back as well. As to the Weis guys vs the Kelly guys, I don't know what to say about that. I hope that both sides, if there are 2 sides, have reconciled and will move forward as a team. I will say that Kelly likes to talk to the media, and in general is very well spoken but at times he, such as the Weis comments, that he was ill served in making. I can't think of them right now but there were others that when he said them I thought..hmmmm not really a good comment. It's been a bitter/sweet season. We had some good wins, and some terrible losses. The fans seem to have essentially turned on Tommy Rees, he's about as villified a ND QB as I can remember. Too bad, he's probably a good kid and a good teammate. Kelly himself is easily hated by about 1/2 the fans for so many reasons such as support of Jumbotron, support of artifical turf, not running the ball enough, the way he handled Dayne Crist, the Weis guys incident, his support of alternate uniforms, the list goes on and on. He's even hated for announcing that Tommy Rees will start the bowl game and of course for not benching Tommy during the season. There are rumors that Chuck Martin will be the new OC, it's not been annouced but many are critical of the move, saying it's an example of his insecurity that he won't go outside his circle. To tell you the truth I don't think there is any move he could make right now that many fans wouldn't interpret in a negative way. Only way to get out of that hole is to win the bowl and finish recruiting strong like last year and have a great year next year against a strong schedule and make a BCS bowl. Right now if you say you like Brian Kelly and think he is the right coach for us, you are part of the problem. You must be critical of Kelly and Notre Dame/Jenkins/Swarbrick/etc for hiring another coach that fits their "central casting" approach rather than get the best coach out there. You must say you think ND will never be great till there is a clean sweep of the people who want us to be mediocre in football are out of there...Monk and Beauchamp and Wadsworth are still around in spirit in the administration according to this way of thinking.
I'm not sure that Kelly is not the right coach but I expected a more "finished" product than we got. This just illustrates the difference between coaching at Cincinnati and Notre Dame. Kelly talks too much to the press about in-house stuff. His sideline histrionics are legendary after only two seasons. His handling of the QB job was textbook bad from start to present. If he's calling the plays then I wonder what the OC job entails. He needs to be the CEO and let somebody else clean the locker room.
I have heard that Kelly was shocked at how soft the team was both physicllay and mentally when he arrived. I don't know what he expected from a team that 2 years in a row tanked the whole month of November against some really bad teams. I hate to say they quit, but the results sure seemed to support that they quit playing after Oct.
"I'm not sure that Kelly is not the right coach but I expected a more "finished" product than we got. This just illustrates the difference between coaching at Cincinnati and Notre Dame. Kelly talks too much to the press about in-house stuff. His sideline histrionics are legendary after only two seasons. His handling of the QB job was textbook bad from start to present. If he's calling the plays then I wonder what the OC job entails. He needs to be the CEO and let somebody else clean the locker room." I pretty much agree with every word of George's post. I too have NOT given up on Kelly. He's light years ahead of clowns like Davie and Willingham. He's also a vast upgrade from Charlie who just wasn't a head coach. He seems to be learning, but it's obvious that he's not used to being the student after all those years of being the big fish in a small college pond... "I love learning; I just hate being taught." - Winston Churchill
nd <r><QUOTE><s> </e></QUOTE> agreed.<br/> <br/> I guess I just want him to succeed so much it's hard for me to point out the negatives. <br/> <br/> My biggest complaints would be that he has stayed to long with Rees and that was really brought to MY attention after I saw what Hendrix could do. I had no idea the kid has that type of potential. <br/> <br/> As far as Crist is concerned I really wanted him to be successful but every time Kelly put him in for any length of time at all he would end up with that deer in the headlights look and things would go down hill.</r>
I have not a lot to add to this that hasn't been covered. I will say this though... and it is straight from not one, but TWO player's mouths. Some of you who enjoyed the turn around this season should speak better of Crist.