With an assist from Jack Swarbrick

 

Notre Dame looks nothing like the program these two inherited. And that's from top to bottom.

 

But specifically as it relates to the on-field product, it's not even not your dad's Notre Dame it's not your older brother's Notre Dame either.

 

And Brian Kelly deserves all the credit.

 

From Day One there has been a plan, and it's now truly being reflected in style of play, talent level, depth, philosophy, confidence, power and strength and athletic ability.

 

There is talent all over the field, from the starters to the backups, and it's being utilized beautifully.

 

The thing I kept noticing over the last four years was the foundation that was being built. The talent that was being brought in. The process underway developing that talent.

 

It was unfortunate there wasn't a game-changing QB already on the roster, or that EG was lost for an entire season and his absence was reflected in the W-L record last season, but the buy-in was appreciating just how good the coaching actually was while playing with a quarterback who - God bless him - probably doesn't start on 90 percent of Div-I college football teams.

 

That, and the kind of talent being assembled around the QB position.

 

The pieces were being accumulated, it just took a little longer to solidify the QB.

 

BK stayed true to his plan while also adjusting to a glaring limitation.

 

And now it's all coming together.

 

And it's a beautiful thing.

Pope Urban without Braxton Miller---lose the first opener at the horseshoe since Woody Hayes was knocking kids round------OUCH I guess he sucks as a coach now eh---losing three of his last four including this record setting opening loss.

 

QB is everything--Alabama with TR would not have won squat in 2012 to think otherwise is DELUSIONAL!--- 9-3--8-4 and several coaches would have hung themselves---

 

its silly--

 

QB is defining---Kelly recruited his guy quickly, coached him up and then got screwed by his poor judgement---

 

Now its EG/ZAIRE/KAISER SOSAE----

 

This discussion should be left in HISTORYs DUMPSTER---

 

aloha's

 

Great point with OSU this year. It's amazing what happens when you're #1 QB goes down.

 

No doubt ND would have been playing on New Year's Day or later last year with Golson.

http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af36/nickman54/Thread-Sucks-Chick_suck1_zps23f8da9e.gif' alt='Thread-Sucks-Chick_suck1_zps23f8da9e.gif'>

This is just horseshit. How come Martin seems to be able to coach up Hendrix? See his numbers in his first game?

 

It's the HC's effin job to prepare a QB to win. According to apologists like you, BK is just supposed to wait around passively for the right QB to show up. Not like he recruits them or anything!

 

This throwing of kids under the bus while protecting a 55-year old man from ANY criticism is beyond stupid; it's repugnant...

 

Less than 50% passing, 1-3 TD/Int ratio, sacked 5 times in two games, and sure, he's racking up some good yardage but he's thrown it over 100 times across two games. I very much respect your football acumen BI but I think you're reaching here.

This is pretty much how it breaks down, imo:

1.) BK is a good to great coach. He is the best coach that Notre Dame has had since Lou Holtz. He is doing a great job at building the program.

2.) BK is not the best coach in college football.

3.) Nick Saban is a legendary coach with grade-A resources.

4.) People should stop expecting BK to be Nick Saban, especially since they coach at very different schools.

5.) BK deserves criticism when he makes mistakes and he should learn from them and improve.

6.) If Notre Dame and the fans stick with BK then there will be consistent 8-9+ win seasons and probably not another 6-6 year.

7.) To expect consistent 11 win seasons year-in and year-out is unrealistic. Holtz didn't do that. With a lack of success, Notre Dame fans have grown to expect unrealistic success.

8.) Notre Dame can win a championship with BK if they invest in football resources and there is a year when the pieces come together.

 

I'd expect ND to get 10-11 wins most years. 8-9 every once in a while. 12-13 as often as 8-9.

 

I think those should be the expectations regardless of coach. If someone can out perform them, great. If someone can't get to that level, they should go.

 

It would appear at this point that Kelly is on his way to a 10-11 win year. So he gets to stay. When he has multiple 8 wins year in a row, he should be looked at again.

Do you think Saban would have went 8-4 last year with Rees at ND with a loss to that awful Pitt team?

 

He's had a slew of 6-6 7-5 6-5-1 college seasons, so yeah, most likely.

 

My goodness, Nick's a great coach but he isn't a magician.

 

Rees sucked in every loss last year. Almost ALL of of his INTS came in the four losses.

 

Not that hard to figure it out.

If I have said it once, then I will say it a million times. The Gun had MOXIE!

He's had a slew of 6-6 7-5 6-5-1 college seasons, so yeah, most likely.

 

My goodness, Nick's a great coach but he isn't a magician.

 

Rees sucked in every loss last year. Almost ALL of of his INTS came in the four losses.

 

Not that hard to figure it out.

 

But do you think Saban would haven't Tommy throw it 35 times a game? He didn't throw that much with better QBs.

 

Plus, a slew of average seasons is stretching the truth a bit. He had some average seasons, in his first four years as a head coach, at a school that had 1 win the year before he came.

Edited September 8, 201410 yr by corysold

PASSING STATISTICS

NAME CMP ATT YDS CMP% YDS/A TD INT RAT

Andrew Hendrix 49 101 677 48.5 6.70 4 4 110.0

Totals 49 101 677 48.5 6.70 4 4 110.0

Boy, didn't that have a sickening feeling of deja vu?

 

Of what? Michigan State? When we beat them on the road while they were highly ranked and put us on the map for a NC game run...?

 

I wasn't even that upset about burning the timeouts...

But do you think Saban would haven't Tommy throw it 35 times a game? He didn't throw that much with better QBs.

 

Plus, a slew of average seasons is stretching the truth a bit. He had some average seasons, in his first four years as a head coach, at a school that had 1 win the year before he came.

 

I think he's a great coach. I don't think he waves a magic wand.

 

All things being equal, I don't see him getting more wins out of last year's roster, with last year's QB.

 

There is a reason Tommy was the back-up.

 

Nick isn't a great coach because he's some magician - especially on game day.

 

He's a great coach because a school gave him carte blanche to run a program as he sees fit.

 

He would not have that power at ND.

Cory, I said 8-9+ win seasons. That's reasonable in modern college football.

 

Lou Holtz's career winning percentage was 75.8% = 9-3 average. To expect 10-2 or better every single year is unrealistic.

 

That would be a winning percentage greater than 83%, when the program's all time winning percentage is the highest in college football and is approximately ten percentage points lower than that.

 

Sorry, but I think this is an example of our fans having unrealistic expectations.

 

 

Nick Saban's career winning percentage is 75%. At Alabama his career winning percentage is .844 and he's still in his prime (not on the way down yet, which is generally natural for coaches at some point).

 

Granted, I will point out Saban's first season at Alabama was 7-6, but to some degree you're saying that you expect the head coach at Notre Dame to consistently be Nick Saban at Alabama in his prime?

 

I would call that unrealistic.

 

Sorry, I was counting bowl games, you weren't. 9-10 regular season wins on average would be expected. I also said down years are ok on occasion as well. Every team has them.

7.) To expect consistent 11 win seasons year-in and year-out is unrealistic. Holtz didn't do that. With a lack of success, Notre Dame fans have grown to expect unrealistic success.

 

12, 12, 9, 10, 10, 11

 

That was Holtz from '88 to '93...just saying that ND DID win on average 11 games a season at its best...I also do not believe that is unrealistic to strive to attain again. Kelly's bar to being the best ND coach since Holtz is a pretty low one though, its like being the least ugly woman in a beauty contest and winning because you have more teeth...

12, 12, 9, 10, 10, 11

 

That was Holtz from '88 to '93...just saying that ND DID win on average 11 games a season at its best...I also do not believe that is unrealistic to strive to attain again. Kelly's bar to being the best ND coach since Holtz is a pretty low one though, its like being the least ugly woman in a beauty contest and winning because you have more teeth...

 

Please note that Holtz had one less game (11) than Kelly (12) in the regular season for four out of six of those seasons. Only nine losses and one tie in six years

 

1988 12-0

1989 12-1

1990 9-3

1991 10-3

1992 10-1-1

1993 11-1

Less than 50% passing, 1-3 TD/Int ratio, sacked 5 times in two games, and sure, he's racking up some good yardage but he's thrown it over 100 times across two games. I very much respect your football acumen BI but I think you're reaching here.

 

My point is he sure looked LEAGUES BETTER than he did at ND! Why is that exactly?

Because he's playing Marhsall and Eastern Kentucky, not USC?