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200% agree with these sentiments. Kelly is doing what was expected of him from Day 1... i'm glad a staff and cadence has been found; i hope it continues. Personally, I believe all the prior years reflected Kelly's ego... from coach selection to play calling. I am skeptical that he was the primary driver in identifying and recruiting a great cohort of coaches, but if we need to feed that narrative to keep the momentum... fine.

All these hires are way out of Kelly's MO... I'm not sure he's in full control of the coaching staff, and whether the new Oc and DC have assurances they have direct control over their domains

I believe this sentiment too... Kelly's demeanor on the sidelines this past season did not show any passion or engagement, or humility. These moves are atypical for him. He has a new DC, he lost his "OC". Let's see if Quinn comes downstairs.

I think Kelly's contract is peanuts compared to the Crossroads project... you don't build that for a mediocre program... you can't afford to

It is frustrating that ND keeps signing extensions only to witness a team implosion. Imo, Kelly has lost his team. He never takes real ownership of issues and fails. It's one thing to call out a coach or one player, every now and then, but he's thrown the whole team under the bus, and singles out one player who had a horrible day. He's toxic. I believe he's now become a cancer to the team psyche.

If Kelly has to call out 95% of his team ... he's lost the team It seems to be Kelly's MO to not take responsibility in meaningful ways... in ways that the players respect. He might get away with that behavior with eager, underplayed underclassmen... but probably not respected starters. The latest BVG about face suggests he has also lost the confidence of the upper Mgmt, and I would bet there's a search team discretely looking around.

yeah, He imagine he is a psychological stop-gap... nothing in his record suggests that he is accomplished or innovative at this role.

Was curious to know if Golson even picked up a tryout, anywhere? CFL? Couldn't find any news on him on web.

Amen... We have the studs... we need a simpler base scheme (on OL and Defense) that can be executed supremely, the rest is just a cherry on the top. I recall that we simply played man with pulling guards, instead of zone, on OL... we were much more effective in the run game. I wonder if CBK sought Sanford independently, or was he "advised" to do so. I think an intervention is needed.

Fair enough… he would likely rise to the top at many schools. He'd have to pick a school where there is a senior QB starting next year, a little depth behind him. The advantage of leaving after Spring Ball, I guess, is he learns the system of whatever school takes him while he sits it out… then he has one year to take the bull by the horns. Maybe he gets a medical redshirt year too. I personally think it's best for him to stay here, and if necessary, use the grad transfer rule.

If Zaire is going to leave, he should leave now, but I see no upside for him in doing so. He's not guaranteed a starting role at a prominent school elsewhere. Unless Zaire absolutely kills Spring and Fall camps, and he is unequivocally the king in the eyes of the players, he's unlikely to unseat Kizer. So, he'll likely land as the preferred back-up... and will see the field in special and red zone situations. It's a good problem. It seems Wimbush would be receptive to a soph RS as he was acknowledging that he'd likely have to RS as a frosh... unless he absolutely destroys the runner-up in the starting role. Zaire's best bet is to soak as much as he can from Sanford, make the best of his plays, study hard and find a 5th year grad transfer. If Kizer continues on his trajectory, he will leave after graduating in 2 years, then Wimbush has 1-2 years. If smartly managed, ND should be able to keep them all... USC was able to do so with Leinart, Palmer and so on.

I disagree... i think the Defense personnel in 2015 is as good if not better than 2012, and defense shouldn't be as dependent on one player like the offense is. Tommy had to touch the ball on every play... not so in Defense.

From the presser: Q. Just kind of big picture, you've had 25 games with VanGorder as the defensive coordinator. Is your defense where you thought it would be two years ago? BRIAN KELLY: Well, I think we always judge it by the whole. We're a better football team than we were 25 games ago, and that's the most important thing. So my question -- the question would be answered in that as a whole, as a football team, we're a better football team than we were 25 games ago. ------------ So, Kelly is not outright endorsing BVG, he actually didn't say anything positive about the defense, even in terms of trajectory. I am sure I am reading what I want to read into this evasive answer, but BVG has to be on a very short leash.

BVG will get another full season, IMO, but he really needs to show well at the Bowl Game. THere's no excuse for the defensive play given our talent… despite injuries. 2012 players < 2015 players at Stanford 2012 defensive metrics >> 2015 defensive metrics That's the bottom-line. Sure, we may have beat Stanford if we had KVR, but one player should not make or break the game. Either the system is not robust enough for the personnel, or the position coaching is poor, or a combination… Prister & Arnold have both called out BVG … I believe it is the warning call.

I would rather no one leave, and I think that's a reasonable possibility. Zaire has an uphill battle, but he's only an injury away from starting or backing-up (assuming Kizer wins an honest QB battle due to experience). Heck, maybe he moves to a different position.. tightend or FB (eg. Braxton Miller)? Worst case, I would think Zaire would be attractive as a grad transfer somewhere. Wimbush will get his chances too.