Brian Kelly should be ashamed of himself after Florida’s rout of Cincinnati in Sugar Bowl
Watching Cincinnati play Florida last night was like watching 5-year olds take on the 2000 Baltimore Ravens. It was apparent from the start that the game was more of a get-together for the Gators and less of a BCS bowl.
Tim Tebow completed 31-of-35 passes for 482 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 51 yards and a TD. Florida’s defense also held Cincinnati’s “high-powered” offense to just 170 passing yards and 76 rushing.
After watching that game, I’d be shocked if Brian Kelly woke up this morning and could look at himself in the mirror. He was the commander and chief of a team that he allowed to walk into an ambush by themselves with little to no direction. It wouldn’t have mattered if Kelly was on the sidelines because Florida was bigger, faster, stronger and just flat out better, but he should have been there regardless.
The guy I felt most sorry for was quarterback Tony Pike. He didn’t have a chance to succeed because the overmatched, unprepared coaching staff that Kelly left Cincinnati with didn’t put him in a position to win. They kept calling bootlegs and rollouts to the short side of the field, which clearly played into Florida’s hands. He also didn’t have any clue what to do when the Gators blitzed because every time he got the ball to his hot receiver a Florida defender was there to take the wideout’s life. I could smell the crap in Pike’s draws from my couch but I don’t blame him: I blame the coaching staff for not getting him prepared for what he was going to face.
Again, had Kelly been there, it’s not likely that much would have changed. Florida was the vastly superior team in every phase of the game and it showed. But Kelly would have gained some respect had he been there to fall with the rest of his team. I realize that he has the right to a promotion and move up the coaching ladder, but it disgusts me that he benefits from all of this, while his former players suffer (especially the seniors, who were routed on national television in their final game).
Cincinnati’s effort last night was putrid, but how could you blame them? They were down a head coach and an offensive playcaller from the start and Florida took advantage by breaking their neck and stomping on their spines just for good measure. Hopefully Kelly watched last night and couldn’t keep his food down thinking about the 80-plus kids he screwed. That game was an embarrassment to college football and so are coaches like Kelly.
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Posted in: Barstool Debates, College Football
Tags: 2010 Sugar Bowl, Brian Kelly, Cincinnati Bearcats, Florida Gators, Tim Tebow
Great column, as an alumni, I could not agree more!!!
Anthony…great article but you are way off base. For Kelly to not be able to look at himself in the mirror would assume this piece of garbage has a conscience, and I don’t believe he does.
I doubt he was watching the game…he was probably meeting with his accountant to figure out how to protect the boat load of cash he’ll make from his enabler, Notre Dame. Any parent of a kid he wants to recruit should ask him to explain why he bailed on a team playing for an undefeated season and respect from the big conferences, to coach at Notre Dame. If he says anything other than “I did it for the money” he’s a liar and should have his ass kicked out of the house.
Great post. When you have a coach who has called all of the offensive plays in the past three years suddenly leave, no wonder the players are in a quandry. I am proud of our Bearcats and the way they played this year, and the fact that they did not give up in the 2nd half of the Sugar Bowl. While Florida was definitely a stronger team, our Bearcats did not play as they usually do. And I blame Brian Kelly for that. By leaving them when he did, he shi$$ all over them.
Why does Kelly get a free pass from the sports media?Saban and Petrino were publicly crucified when they left “NFL”.
I agree Crimson…although Kelly’s situation is different than Saban and Petrino’s, he deserves just as much criticism, if not more. It’s one thing to screw over guys that get paid to play or owners making millions from their teams. It’s another to screw over an entire school and kids who signed specifically for a chance to play for Kelly.
Great post my rear end. If Kelly left for any other program who would give a crap. Since its Notre Dame he is a piece of garbage. I think you and the people who responded to you article are pieces of crap. If Cincinnati had won the game you would be saying that Kelly wasn’t needed anyway. God you ND haters make me F…… sick
Actually, I’m a Notre Dame fan, jackass. I just don’t have blind loyalty…ND was wrong to steal another team’s coach, plain and simple. They could have waited until after the bowl game to deal with this piece of shit. If another team came in and dealt with ND’s coach behind the scenes, they (and you) would be screaming for a federal investigation.
This really has nothing to do with Notre Dame and everything to do with a guy who preached “team first” to his players for years and when it came time for the biggest game of their lives (and his), he ran out the back door. He’s a scumbag whether it was ND or any other job he went to, including the NFL.
Kelly will always look very bad in many eyes for what he has done. He looks like one of those French generals of the past who abandoned his troops at the end of a fight. Really, he looks like a girly man. Suppose Kelly is Superman like some would argue. Suppose he coaches Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl and they beat Florida 50-28. Suppose Alabama beats Texas 12-10 and there are 6 interceptions and 4 fumbles in the game? Guess what? Cincinnati is potentially number 1. Kelly is going to regret what he did. Now, if he leads the Irish to 2 championships in the next 4 years, he’ll be considered too much of a Saint for his throngs to worry about the Cincinnati incident. Let’s never forget – this is only a game and there is a lot of nonsense like everything I said that gets printed everyday.
Why is it that when someone disagrees with Notre Dame, he or she is automatically a ND hater?
I couldn’t care less if ND won or lost, GG. Couldn’t care less. Get ND’s balls out of your mouth and develop a real opinion.
great article and insight. most of these coaches are in it for the money and use these poor college kids only as steppingstones. bobby bowden was one of the few left who were in it for the game and the kids.
It amazes me how quickly UC fans and players call out the very man most responsible for their success. The system is to blame for Coach Kelly’s departure, not him. Coach Kelly did what most coaches would have done… And should have done!
Obviously, neither the author of this article nor the readers realize the importance of recruiting in college football today. Full time recruiting in South Bend started the day ND lost to Stanford. So don’t blame Kelly, blame the NCAA. I was actually impressed with how Kelly handled everything. He did the same thing when he left Central Michigan to coach UC in the International Bowl as did Coach Dantonio when he left Ohio State (FYI – Dantonio was the coach before Kelly… to all the ignorant Cincy bandwagon fans). Most UC fans have only paid attention to college football for 1 or 2 years and don’t know these things or what the head football coaching position at ND is all about. It’s not about money. Notre Dame DEFINES college football! It has been severely tarnished the last 15 years. However, if you get the opportunity to coach there, you TAKE it… Bottom line!! The cash is a bonus to let you know how good you are. And Kelly is VERY good!
Coach Kelly left his former program with far more class than any other coach this decade (Saban, Miles, Petrino, Rodriguez, etc). The Florida loss has nothing to do with coaching. Beating up on weak Big East opponents is nothing compared to playing an absolute powerhouse in all of college football. What Kelly did with UC was great and now he deserves to be at a program that suits his ability… Like a struggling ND. UC is nothing compared to ND. Imagine the possibilities… Kelly WILL win a National Title at Notre Dame.
I wrote Cincy off in my book the day their players claimed that THEY won the games and not having Kelly at the Sugar won’t matter. What a group of classless @ssholes!!! Being from Cincinnati, that was hard on me.
It was sad to see a great coach like Kelly take so much heat from classless players and ignorant fans. He did what he had to do in a faulty system. What they did to Kelly’s house was wrong. The UC defensive players who called out Kelly were wrong (FYI – The same defensive players who let a miserable Illinois team score 36 points against them… really??). It was also sad to see such a talent like Gilyard show his true colors and maturity (or lack there of) after the team meeting. Not an ounce of appreciation to the man responsible for the possibility of him being drafted. Wow!
In conclusion, I DID NOT feel sorry for UC in the Sugar Bowl getting smashed by Florida. They were even talking trash to on the field… Go get ’em you classless bunch of players and make sure you burn every bridge on your way down… I’ll see you at the McDonald’s drive thru off Clifton Ave in a few years. Go Bearcats!!!
sure glad tcu did not make it to the national chamionship game
I love you bro, but this doesn’t make much sense.
I love you bro, but this doesn’t make much sense.
…says the die hard Notre Dame fan who loved the Kelly hire.
All right, I’ll bite: Why doesn’t this make sense? Spin me some of that Irish logic that you know I love!
Johnny…you think Kelly left with class? Coach a team until it’s time for the biggest game in their careers, then bolt for the cash? I’d hate to see what you think is classless because Saban and the other jerks are right there with him. Apparently you have no problem with a guy that preaches team and loyalty to all these kids, then shows none of that by negotiating another job behind everyone’s backs. The recruiting excuse holds no water either. You’re right, recruiting started the day ND lost to Stamford…and Kelly wasn’t there at that time and Weis wasn’t out visiting any kids. Had they waited, Kelly would have caught up. He had the scouting reports already.
All you need to know about whether he did the right thing or not is read how pissed off the Cincy kids were when he met to tell them he was bailing on them. Ask them how much class he has.
If you feel Kelly should be ashamed of himself for leaving, fine, that’s how you feel. No biggie. We can debate coaches leaving forever, but truth of the matter is that it happens all the time, and it’s not going to stop until the NCAA steps in, which it won’t.
But that was three weeks ago. The Cincinnati players have to put it on themselves to get ready for this game. Jeff Quinn (who accepted the Buffalo job about a week before the game) has to put it on himself to get ready for this game, as do the rest of the coaches. Kelly was a distraction a while ago, just like he was when he left CMU before the bowl game, a bowl game they won convincingly. Should he have felt great pride the day after that one?
Should he have felt bad after this? Sure, just like anyone who has a relationship with any player on a team that gets killed should. But ashamed? Why? Because he was a good enough coach to get them to this game that they were obviously over-matched in? Because he gave Cincinnati the three best years its football program has ever seen?
Is Brian Kelly at fault for Tony Pike running for his life? Sure, but only if you admit that Pike would never have been in this position had it not been for Kelly. Without Kelly, I find it hard to believe Pike is being considered as draft worthy, and there’s no way in hell he’s playing in the Sugar Bowl.
Without Brian Kelly, is Mardy Gilyard even playing football today? Seriously, this kid owes a lot to BK (and he repaid him a ton with his play on the field), which is probably why he was so emotional after it all went down. And remember, he calmed down a few days later.
Cincinnati is what it is now because of Brian Kelly, and the program is very fortunate it was able to pick up another good coach in Butch Jones to carry on the new winning tradition.
And everyone talking about leaving for the money, get a grip. Yea, Notre Dame pays more money, but so does Florida and Alabama and Oklahoma and Michigan, etc., etc. Those schools also have top-notch facilities and national recruiting bases and a chance to play for the national title if they go undefeated, instead of being ranked behind TCU in the human polls. Not to mention that leaving for double your salary at your dream job is something everyone here would do tomorrow.
And he never told his kids he was staying at Cincinnati. He said he loved it there. He said, “I’m here right now,” leading up to the Pitt game, which is the only thing you can do when preparing for the biggest game of the season. When he did interview for the job, he put it frickin’ twitter of all things. I’d say that’s pretty open and honest.
I’m not going to argue Brian Kelly is Mother Teresa, but saying he should be ashamed because his former team got killed on the biggest stage is pretty short-sighted and off base.
Actually Costanzo…I think your post is quite short-sighted. Nobody is disputing that Kelly built the Cincy program into what it is today. And yes, most of those kids would be playing somewhere without Kelly and probably still on that team. Kelly wasn’t the only coach in Ohio who can recognize talent. The problem with all of this was not that he left, it was the timing. He left them at the alter at their biggest moment. Would they still have lost the game? Probably. Would they have been blown out the same way? Debatable. But at least they wouldn’t have lost with this cloud hanging over them and everyone asking them “what if?”. And Kelly still would have gotten his job and ND would still be able to recruit. But Kelly didn’t do that. He stabbed these kids and the university in the back. The university that gave HIM a chance when he pulled the same crap at CMU, so didn’t HE owe cincy at least one more game? Or does loyalty only go one way?
The Costanzo,
Him leaving for a better job is not the problem. It’s built into the fabric of college football now that coaches at smaller programs are going to parlay their success into landing a bigger gig. I get that; I’m not debating you on that fact and I didn’t try to debate that in my post.
Crapping on these kids at the moment he did: That’s the problem. You made several great points in your comment, but you’re trying to make this about him deserving the opportunity to go to a bigger program because he built Cincinnati. That wasn’t the point of my post.
You’re acting like Kelly was justified for leaving Cincinnati in the lurch because he had made the program successful. I’m sorry, but I don’t agree. As T-Bone pointed out, Cincinnati had given him the opportunity to go from the MAC to the Big East and after building a successful program, he left them at their most pivotal moment. What’s worse is that he left them with a moron in Jeff Quinn that already had one foot out the door himself. Granted, Quinn won his bowl game when Kelly left him with CMU a few years ago, but he also wasn’t about to become a head coach somewhere else now was he?
You’re giving Kelly a free pass – don’t. You’re essentially saying that it was up to the players and coaches that were left behind to figure things out, yet wasn’t Kelly the playcaller? Wasn’t he the mastermind behind their offense? Wasn’t he their motivator?
Let’s say I spend three years teaching you how to build a house. Yet when the moment came when you actually had to put hammer to nail I took away ¾ of your tools, would that be fair? Would you say to yourself, “Well, he did teach me how to build a house, so I guess it’s okay that he only left me one screwdriver and a tape measure?” Hell no, you’d be pissed because I got you to that point and then left you to fend for yourself without the proper methods to succeed.
Partly (and I say partly because I realize the players and coaches had a hand in this too) because of him, everyone and their brother now thinks Cincinnati can’t compete with the big boys. Yeah, he built that program. He also had a major hand in destroying it too. That’s what he should be ashamed of – not because he took the ND job.
How is the Cinci program destroyed? They lost one game that everyone and their brother figured they were over-matched in.
The Big East has won these games in the past, and nobody has ever given that league any credit for being able to hang with the big boys. They always find a way to discredit it, and people have short memories when it comes to anything not having to do with the SEC, Big 12 or Big Ten. Need I remind you that Rich Rodriguez did the same thing and West Virginia found a way to rally and beat Oklahoma. But the Big East still wasn’t considered an elite conference, and that was that school’s second BCS win.
Your house analogy is nice, but he didn’t take away 3/4 of the tools, he just left the work site and had another guy put in charge. He didn’t take the footballs away. He didn’t steal the playbook. He didn’t burn down the practice facility. As for leaving the “moron” Quinn in charge, that falls on the shoulders of the AD, not Kelly. If I’m not mistaken, Kelly was also mentoring Quinn through this process on what plays to call in different situations.
Maybe I am giving Kelly a free pass, but you’re also not giving these kids enough credit. You’re acting like they’re defenseless infants without Kelly. Fact of the matter is, they just got hammered by a team that had 10-times the talent and perhaps the best coaching staff in the country. As much confidence as I have in the coaching ability of Brian Kelly, even with him on the sidelines Cinci had no shot against a focused Florida team. Not many teams in the country do.
Again, the root of this argument is something that will never be settled. You think Brian Kelly is scum for leaving Cincinnati when he did. I think he had to if he was going to ever get his dream job, because I don’t think Notre Dame was going to wait until today to name a coach.
“You think Brian Kelly is scum for leaving Cincinnati when he did. I think he had to if he was going to ever get his dream job, because I don’t think Notre Dame was going to wait until today to name a coach.”
I agree. What a fine example he sets after preaching “team”, “unity”, and “family” to these kids for 4 years, then that goes out the window at the first opportunity. Quite the man of character, I’d say.
ND gets what it deserves for this hire…it’s like marrying the chick that cheated on her husband with you…you’ll always wonder when it’s going to happen to you. And I don’t want to hear a single ND fan that supports this guy, bitch when it does.
Costanzo – Great points! Glad to see someone else actually sees this situation as a whole. Obviously the other readers don’t understand what kind of program UC is and what kind of coach Kelly is. And they obviously don’t understand the current college football system and programs today either.
Kelly is a great coach who deserves a program like ND. It’s a business above all and I can guarantee you all he’ll miss his relationships with his former UC players. That said – There’s nothing more he can do at UC. But UC fans just don’t get it… They will never be a program like ND, Florida, USC, etc.
“But UC fans just don’t get it… They will never be a program like ND, Florida, USC, etc.”
Wait…who is it that doesn’t understand the CURRENT college football system and programs today?
Time for a reality check. ND is not like Florida, USC, etc…those teams have won multiple championships and bowl games in the last 15 years. High profile? Yes…because of good marketing, not good play on the field. Or good coaching for that matter.
T-Boner – No other Division 1 program has won more national championships or produced more All-Americans than Notre Dame. Notre Dame also has the most Heisman Trophy winners along with Ohio State and USC. Coach Kelly knows this as well and is not a moron when it comes to the biggest opportunity of his lifetime. But you don’t seem to understand this at all.
Like I said in my first post, ND defines college football more than any other program in the nation. I wouldn’t even put Florida in the same conversation even with their recent success.
Johnny ND Lover,
You keep trying to make this about how Brian Kelly deserved Notre Dame – get off it. You’re points are inconsequential to this particular conversation because that’s not what we’re arguing.
Did Kelly deserve a chance to move on? Yeah, he did and clearly proved that by making Cincinnati into a quality program. But again, your points about Notre Dame mean absolutely nothing to this conversation because you’re arguing about Topic B when we’re debating about Topic A. I’m not trying to crack on you, I’m just trying to make you realize that we’re not debating about the topic that you keep trying to shove in our faces.
Furthermore, if you’re trying to sound like the biggest ND homer this side of Rudy, then mission accomplished my friend.
T-Bone is fulla s#it. Notre Dame HAS THE RICHEST Tradition in College Football History!! 11 Consensous National Titles (even though you can count 21 shares of National Titles) most Consensous All americans, 6 Hall of Fame Coaches, 2nd Winningest OF ALL-TIME. Didja see that T-Bone? Not just in the past but still today the totals add up and on ALL-Time WINNING Percentage Notre Dame only trails Michigan as the Winningest team All-Time. I have grown up a Hardcore ND fan in south texas and I know how hard it is to explain to all you ND-haters that ND is The Best College Football team in America. maybe in recent years Notre Dame hasen’t been on top of the world, but they just need a big spark and BAM! back to their National Championship Seasons. That spark was the hire of Brian Kelly Who Grew Like me, a Die-Hard Notre Dame Fan! yet again T-Bone, It’s Not the f*king money that lured him in, that was a merely a cherry on the tip of an ice-cream cone. BK went to Notre Dame because It’s his Dream Job. He wants to be here and He Will win a National title or two in his first 5 years. Notre Dame Has returned to Glory. Suck on that you as$-wipe
KianneGT,
If I could give you a piece of advice: Don’t write something on a blog that you wouldn’t otherwise say to someone’s face. Because you just come off sounding like an idiot and your opinion drowns in your useless, one-sided, non-objective opinion.
The Costanzo,
Fair point about the Big East, although I’ll debate that the general consensus (i.e. that they can’t compete with the big boys) is right about that conference after watching the way Cincinnati got manhandled. How could you not think that? Because WV beat an unmotivated Oklahoma team a couple years ago?
Maybe I am giving Kelly a free pass, but you’re also not giving these kids enough credit. You’re acting like they’re defenseless infants without Kelly. Fact of the matter is, they just got hammered by a team that had 10-times the talent and perhaps the best coaching staff in the country. As much confidence as I have in the coaching ability of Brian Kelly, even with him on the sidelines Cinci had no shot against a focused Florida team. Not many teams in the country do.
They weren’t given everything possible to be successful and that’s not they’re fault – it’s Kelly’s for leaving. You can’t possibly argue that they weren’t HIGHLY at a disadvantage without him calling the plays and getting them prepared. Do you have any idea what that did to their mental state? You played football – put yourself in their shoes and then tell me him leaving didn’t have a MASSIVE impact on the outcome of that lousy game. I’m not saying they would have won – we can all agree that Florida was the far superior team. But they wouldn’t have looked like the absolutely helpless team they were had Kelly been there.
Again, the root of this argument is something that will never be settled. You think Brian Kelly is scum for leaving Cincinnati when he did. I think he had to if he was going to ever get his dream job, because I don’t think Notre Dame was going to wait until today to name a coach.
You’re right – and we’re going to go round and round because we differ. I don’t know this for certain obviously because I’m not him and I’m not Notre Dame’s AD department, but I would have to believe that had Kelly committed to ND, that they would have allowed him to coach the Sugar Bowl.
Now, you’ll probably argue that Kelly needed all of that time to get ready for recruiting. Fine – I get it. But to me, Cincinnati gave him a shot to move up from the MAC to the Big East. And if it weren’t for the players performing his plays, his offense and his schemes, then he wouldn’t currently be at ND now would he? And yet he still leaves both the school and the players one game before finishing. One game! He couldn’t have asked ND to wait while he finished up business at Cincinnati – the same program he broke a contract with to leave in the dust?
You guys are focused on what Brian Kelly did for Cincinnati, but what about what the players did for Brian Kelly? To me, he owed them more. Now maybe I’m just a delusional, unrealistic idiot for thinking that, but that’s my opinion.
ND fans…here is a comparison for you. ND TODAY is the same as the Yankees of the 80’s, and the Cowboys of today. You ain’t…won…jack…shit!! I’m not arguing what ND has MEANT to college football. Trust me, I know the history and I’ve been to South Bend for a game. That’s not what this is about. ND is not what it used to be, no matter how much the ND zombies want to say it is. You beat your chests and nobody cares. You haven’t won a significant bowl game since Paris Hilton was a virgin, and the only reason you get any bowl bids these days is for you ND loves with tunnel vision to watch on tv…only to be blown out yet again by Texas A&M or Georgia Tech or NC State…the list goes on. Since you guys are so into the history here’s a stat for you. What is the average margin of victory by ND opponents in their 9 straight bowl losses? That would be 18 points…and 3 of those games they didn’t even get to double digits!!
ND has a rich history and tradition and will always mean a lot to college football. You guys sound like Cowboys fans…your team hasn’t done shit in over a decade and you still think they rule the freakin’ kingdom. Get a grip.
Kianne…ND HAS returned to glory?? that’s the funniest goddamn thing I’ve read since they won their last bowl game in January of 1994.
Think about this ND fans…kids will graduate highschool in 2 years and ND still may not have won a bowl game since they were born. Yet, the college football world revolves around the golden dome??
Get real ND fans…get real.
Now that we’re done with our ND history lessons for the day, it’s time to get back to the original article. Anyone that thinks Kelly leaving UC the way he did is a good thing for ND doesn’t understand college football, as my new friend Johnny mentioned. The kids and their parents that Kelly will be recruiting saw what he did to the kids he allegedly “loved” at UC and don’t think that won’t weigh into their decisions when they’re deciding whether to go to Florida, Texas, Ohio State or Notre Dame. Then factor in ND’s 16 year drought, and that’s not a recipe for rebuilding a successful program. The ND athletic director shit the bed on this one…just another in a long list of poor decisions by ND since Holtz left.
“T-bone is full of shit”…if I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that, I wouldnt’ be sitting here at work responding to the Notre Dame Zombie academy.
Not a Notre Dame fan, just a fan of college football.
Obviously Anthony missed a few other points brought up after his article.
My original point was simple – Kelly left the program with far more class than anyone I’ve seen this decade. He has nothing to be ashamed of (Topic A). Being from Cincinnati, I was very disappointed by the fans and players throwing him under the bus.
UC players could’ve made a statement other than all the trash talking they did in the Sugar Bowl and classless rants on Channel 12. But they had no interest in that. Their sense of entitlement shocked me.
It wasn’t impossible or even improbable to win that game without Kelly and take a huge step for our program. Just ask West Virginia players in the Fiesta Bowl a few years ago under far worse circumstances. They came together as a team and did something amazing that showed true character.
It doesn’t seem like many people paid attention to the game, but the Bearcats had a different agenda that night. Making history wasn’t it…
THE BOTTOM LINE: Shame on every coach and journalist who voted for Cincy as a top-10 team. They were mediocre all season, so it is no surprise that the Gators ran over them. It was evident months ago that TCU and Cincy were not the real deal. It is the reason why Big-12 teams end up in the National Championship each year–if you go undefeated beating a bunch of terrible teams, these idiots think you can play.
I was at CMU (Mt. Pleasant, MI) when Kelly left. I was at CMU when Butch Jones recently left. Jones left with best wishes for continued success by everyone because he was honest with his players and CMU and its followers. Brian Kelly flat out lied; but, that’s good enough for Notorious Dame. They’re so hard up to win they hired a liar. Plain and simple.
Johnny,
Good, fair points.
Although I’ve got to ask: Are you partly basing your opinions on the fact that you think the players are a bunch of trash talkers who, for all intents and purposes, got what they deserved last weekend? In other words, are you jaded living in the area (or formally living in the area?) and getting Cincinnati Bearcat football shoved down your throat 24/7?
Be honest, because I would certainly understand if we should factor that into your opinion. I live in Chicago and I’m not a Bear fan. So when they went to the Super Bowl a couple years ago, I wanted to throw up listening to people around here talk about how good the Bears were, even though their offense was clearly being bailed out by their defense every Sunday. I thought they were lucky as much as they were good, and my opinions about them reflected that. So are you a little jaded against the players and therefore for Brian Kelly, or can you honestly say that has nothing to do with it?
Just asking…
One thing missed by all of you here was that it was UC not ND or BK that said he wasn’t allowed to coach the Sugar Bowl. For all of you that want to jump all over him for making that decision, go back and check your facts. He wasn’t the one who made it.
“Certainly I’m going to recognize the fact that this program made historic strides in the last three years, and we’re a better football program because we crossed paths with Brian Kelly and his staff,” Cincinnati athletic director Mike Thomas said.
Cincinnati (12-0) is getting ready to play Florida in its first Sugar Bowl. Thomas decided that Kelly won’t coach the bowl. Instead, offensive coordinator Jeff Quinn — Kelly’s assistant for the last 22 years — will run the team on an interim basis.
http://blog.taragana.com/sports/2009/12/11/notre-dame-thinks-brian-
kelly-can-turn-around-program-the-way-he-did-cincinnatis-55189/
Athletic director Mike Thomas began looking for Kelly’s replacement, though it’s unclear whether a new coach will be around for the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s night against Florida. Thomas decided that Kelly wouldn’t coach the Bearcats in their bowl game. Offensive coordinator Jeff Quinn — who has been with Kelly for the past 22 years — was named interim coach.
“I think at this point moving forward, the focus should be on our (players) and the coaches,” Thomas said. “Certainly I feel confident that coach Quinn and our staff, we’ll be in pretty good shape when we move to New Orleans after Christmas.”
http://www.middletownpress.com/articles/2009/12/11/sports/doc4b22fc
d7ad838987008218.txt
Guy’s get a life. No matter what Kelly would have done, you would be knocking him, so I say let’s see what happens, Look at what Meyer’s did, one day say’s he leaving, the next day’s he’s staying, he only did that to keep his recruits, so why aren’t we bashing him.
Wow! Great debates and counter-debates but MPken wins… So Anthony please research a little better before you make a statement, everything other than BK bailing is right on… T-Bone, I just want to point out that your beloved Cincy team actually stoled not one but two coaches from the same school… Poor Central Michigan, their last two coaches taken by Cincy before their bowl game… so so sad! I love how people suck at life! Please keep amusing me with ignorance!
MPken/JayG,
That doesn’t prove anything really. Thomas could have said that to save face through the media because his head coach was leaving him in the dust. It’s like telling your buddies that you broke up with your girlfriend first when she clearly dumped your ass. I didn’t hear Kelly come out and say, “I wanted to coach in the Sugar Bowl, but Cincinnati flat out didn’t let me.” So my stance doesn’t change based on that small blurb, sorry.
I know this looks like I’m trying to save face myself, but I still would have written the article based on that small blurb. If there are more facts, I’d be happy to eat crow – I’ve done it plenty times before.
And furthermore MPken/JayG, you might want to do a little more research on IP Addresses, since you clearly aren’t familiar with them. Every computer has a different IP Address – it’s like a VIN number for your car.
Pretty pathetic to make a couple comments (MPKen) and then come back a couple hours later posing as a different person (JayG) so that it looks like more people support you.
Now that’s sad.
I love how people suck at life! Please keep amusing me with ignorance! –MPken/JayG
Fine article. And I’m with ya all the way. Just seeing the Cincy players trying to brush off BK leaving in interviews—well, that spoke volumes. They weren’t saying that they were the ones that got them there just to be jerks. All I saw were a bunch of college kids trying to cope with the fact that they got left up s**t creek without a paddle.
Just seeing Kelly smiling at the ND interviews made me sick. He screwed his team big time. And he could have easily played out the season and taken the ND job anyway. He was the best choice and ND is in too much trouble to go with another second-rate coach. Gonna enjoy watching ND fail for a few more years before they can right the ship.
Anthony Stalter
Here’s something else for you that you must not be aware of. I am currently serving in Iraq and the system for our unit is one server with one dedicated IP address for all computers on that line. JayG is another guy in my unit here which works in the same office I read my post to. You can make any of the assumptions from the articles you’d like but fact is it is in fact what the AD stated. If you want to look for hidden meaning in it, that’s all you.
MPken,
Thanks for reading and joining the discussion.
You’ll have to excuse me for not taking what anyone says on the Internet at face value. If that makes me a jerk in this particular situation, than so be it. But as you can imagine, people make up stuff all the time and this isn’t the first time the same IP address has popped up with different names from readers attacking me or other posters.
If you are serving in Iraq (or are in the military), then I wish you the best of luck and thank you for all that you do. I never take for granted the freedom I have as an American. What you’re doing is far more important than what I do and far more important than the Brian Kelly situation.
Again, I thank you for reading and sharing your opinions.
What many, if not all, have missed is the situation surrounding Kelly. To put it simply, he rode on Dontonio’s coatails. The past three seasons under Kelly were Dontonio’s recruits. True, there are some fine underclassmen but the success of Kelly and UC football was built on the players recruited by the Coach Dontonio and staff. Next year would have been a truer picture of what kind of team, head coach/recruiter Kelly was and is. I think Notre Dame jumped the gun on picking Kelly. My choice would have been John Gruden.
First of all I’m a WVU fan,and have watched Brian Kelly for a while.Brian is out for Brian,and nobody else.He has never stayed very long in any place he has been.He got the ND job,because he was the flavor of the month.He will not last more than 3 or 4 years there either.After 3 or 4 years,ND people will get tired of his BULL SHIT.He reminds me of Barney Ruble on Fred Flintstone.They act alot a like,Fred got tired of him,and so will the ND people.Everybody have a safe and great New Year.
ITS FUNNY HOW ND FANS GET ALL DEFENSIVE ABOUT THEIR FOOTBALL PROGRAM ! SHIT THEY BROKE ALMOST EVERY RECRIUTING RULE TO WIN A NATIONAL TITLE IN 90 WITH LO HOLTZ AND WHEN THEY GOT CAUGHT THEY THREW LOU UNDER THE BUS!!! REGARDLESS WHAT ANY OF YOU ND FANS THINK NOTRE DAME IS DONE !PERIOD !! KELLY WASN`T EVEN THEIR FIRST CHOICE ! BEING A COACH AT NOTRE DAME ISNT EVEN A GREAT JOB ANYMORE !! THEY BELONG IN THE IVY LEAGUE! KELLY BOLTED AND LEFT CINCY HI AND DRY! PERIOD ! ITS ALL ABOUT MONEY! THINK ABOUT ALL THE CAOCHES WHO TOLD THEM NO ! ITS FUNNY !! NOTRE DAME AND ITS FANS STILL THINK THEIR IN THE 50`S WHAT JOKE !!!!
Face it if Kelly was on the sideline the only thing that would have turned out differently is that he would not have been offered the ND job. He could not spend the next six months signing up blue chippers with out trying to explain why they got crushed by FL. He did the right thing by taking the job how many of you would turn down a job that would double your pay. Like us CMU fans you need to get use to losing your coach to the bigger schools. By the Butch will be gone in three years or less ( he’s a better coach than Brain) And I hope that three years from now my chips have their next coach hired away again. Because that means we have been sucessfull.
Im curious-should the Central Michigan coach feel like crap since Cinc. stole him before thier bowl game? I’m sure not in the disturbed and tainted eyes of the bearcats!!!!
it was a bad move on kelly’s part. the job was his either way, he should have played that last game. being a gator’s fan, i always hate to have any of our wins tainted with this kind of drama. it would have been a much more satisfying win if kelly had been there.
at least alabama and texas should be a fair fight.
UC would have been wiped out anyway..FLA outclassed them anyway.
BK made the right decision…and can’t wait til ND beats UC like Elin beating Tiger.
The answer is simple. The NCAA HAS to ban recruiting of coaches until AFTER the Nat Champion has been declared. Until they do – this is exactly what is goinjg to happen at a couple of schools EVERY year and it is NOT fair to the players, the fans, and quite frankly, to the coaches either. Talk to a prospective coach before Jan 8th? – WHAM! BIG fines! BIG Penaties! Would solve everything!
NOW – let’s get back to the usual debate – we need a playoff (but that’s obvious too!)
Face it folks, no matter whom played Florida in the Sugar Bowl, no one was going to beat Tebow in his fanal game. I doubt if Bama could have beat them there after taking care of Florida in the SEC Championship game. Kelly did what all major NCAA Coaches do, look out for their family first then the institutions that employ them. He is now ND’s responsibility and let us see how long he lasts at that stress level. In today’s pressure cooked environment of NCAA FBS, it is dog eating dogs. Get a grip.
Anthony in no way was I ever attacking you… Like I said, your article was right on except for the bailing part…
“I love how people suck at life! Please keep amusing me with ignorance!” was aimed at your boy T Bone who just types without thinking… If you feel that this was aimed at you then take it at face value…
Nice try on the IP address recovery, you may have saved face with your boy T Bone who doesn’t know about computer linking, but for others…
By the way, I am a die hard Notre Dame fan and Vols fan… any blogs on them please hit me up… I am always down for good debating…
Football Fan: very good point about Kelly’s recruits… not only did he use Mark Dantonio’s kids in Cincy, but he had Mike DeBord’s kids at CMU… He truely has no track record for his recruiting and that worries me as a Notre Dame fan… now we know that Butch Jones can win with Kelly’s recruits so Cincy should be in good shape for the next 3-4 years…
Mike Smith: you sound like a guy I know from Mingo Co… and as a WVU fan I was expecting to hear something about Rodriguez…
gogators12: do you really believe any Big East team can hang with the power houses of the SEC or Big 12?
Rick: I like your style of thinking… Your a genious and have my vote for BCS president… you better make those changes though!
CMU football is a better ran program than both Cincy and ND. They can have our coaches, we still win bowls either way. And yes Kelly should be ashamed, but hell money talks. When I ran into both former CMU coaches over the years on campus Jones seemed much more down to earth. He yelled at my buddy for wearing a University of Michigan sweater instead of a CMU one haha
Didn’t blame Kelly for going to ND. Coaches have to leave while the recruiting trail is hot. What pissed me off is when he said he would have stayed had Cincy been playing for a NC. No thanks Kelly. Cincy needed you just as much in the Sugar Bowl. You’ll never see a ring now.
Types without thinking? Suck at life? Why…because I disagree with you? You know absolutely nothing about me. And you assume that I’m a Cincy fan because I don’t agree with your line of thinking? Comical. Of all the asswipe peckerheads on the internet, you were the one that posted here…aren’t we lucky.
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone!!!!
TO JayG,
NOT FROM MINGO COUNTRY BROTHER.ON RICH HE IS A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE.HE WOULD COME BACK IN A MINUTE.PEOPLE ALWAYS THINK THE GRASS IS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE,BUT IT DON’T CHEW ANY BETTER.ALL THESE NEW COACHES HAVE EGO’S BIGGER THAN NEW YORK.LOOK AT URBAN MEYER,GOT HIS ASS KICKED BY THE TIDE.THEN WANTED EVERYBODY TO STROKE HIM,AND TELL HIM HOW MUCH THEY LOVED HIM.ANOTHER PERSON BROUGHT UP A GREAT POINT.THE NCAA NEEDS TO STEP IN STOP THIS BULLSHIT,THEY STEP IN ON EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE COLLEGE GAME.THE NFL DOESN’T PUT UP WITH STEALING COACHES BULLSHIT.THE PEOPLE THAT NOBODY LISTENS TO IS THE KIDS.LOOK INTO THE STORY ABOUT WHAT BUTCH JONES DID BEFORE HE LEFT.HE HAD ALL THE SENIORS OVER TO HIS HOUSE,AND EXPLAINED WHY HE WAS MOVING ON,NOW THATS CLASS.WHICH KELLY,OR RICH ROD DID NOT HAVE.RICH ROD IS PAYING FOR THAT NOW,AND KELLY WILL TOO.WHAT GOES AROUND,COMES AROUND IN LIFE.
Not only should Kelly be ashamed, but the NCAA should be ashamed. To allow the schools to tamper with employed coaches while the season is still ongoing, is the real problem. The NCAA must put rules in place that forbid contact with employed coaches until after ALL of the bowls are done. Cinci WAS the most well coached team that I saw this year, until Kelly bolted for the $$$$$. I feel badly for the kids who bought into Kelly’s program and are now left with nothing but regrets. Hopefully, the new guy will be able to continue what Kelly had going here, but it is not likely.
Just reading a lot of the blogs above mine about how good Cincy actually was. I would say that Cincy was the third best team in the Nation with Kelly running the show. Fla and Bama are clearly the two best football teams. Texas has great talent, but are not well coached and would not be able to stop Cincy’s spread. Cincy would beat the Horns with Kelly running the show.
kelly never was given the option of coaching his team in the bowl. the AD gave him the heave-ho when he said he would go to ND.
Get over it people 99.9% of you would leave job for more money Hell half of ya have probably left your Wives for hotter younger woman!!!
as for the Kids actually Young Men there sacrifice is getting them a free education and the experience of a lifetime
Chuck and Chuck41…don’t compare their jobs to an everyday normal job. The sports world is completely different.
As far as Kelly not being given the opportunity to coach in a bowl game, he already quit on the team. Why should the school give him even more exposure? He has nobody to blame for that but himself. And the fact that he said if he was playing for a championship he wouldn’t have left tells you all you need to know about this guy.
Chuck41,
NOBODY SAID ANYTHING ABOUT LEAVING FOR A BETTER PAYING JOB.IT’S WHEN YOU LEAVE THATS THE ISSUE.ONE THE HOTTER WOMEN COMMENT,WHEN I WAS A YOUNG MAN LIVING IN CALF,WITH ALL THE SO CALLED HOT YOUNG WOMEN YOU SAY.THE HOTTEST WOMEN I HAD EVER BEEN WITH, TO THIS DAY.WAS A OLDER WOMEN.SO YOUR THEORY ON THAT IS OUT THE WINDOW.EVEEYBODY IN LIFE SACRIFACE’S SOMETHING ALONG THE WAY.YOU JUST DON’T LIE AND CHEAT,MISLEAD YOUNG PEOPLE ALONG THE WAY.WHEN THESE COACHES SET IN THE PARENTS LIVING ROOM,THEY TELL YOU CAN TRUST ME WITH YOUR CHILD.BY YOUR STATEMENTS I CAN TELL YOU HAVE NO CHILDREN.YOU BELONG TO THE ME,ME,ME CLUB.HELL,YOU SOUND LIKE BRIAN KELLY’S AGENT.
No Mike S not a agent for BK.
just say get over it there are Bigger concerns in life then a football coach
Pull your boot straps up and get on with your life
Has anyone here gone to college and did not play football if so how in the world did you acomplish something like that without a coach to guide you every step of the way????
What a Amazing Acomplishment!!!!!!!
Cincy, you HYPOCRITES !! Didn’t you steal Kelly from Central Michigan. Now you stole their coach AGAIN before their bowl game and left them in the exact same position you are complaining about. If Kelly is a piece of ???? for leaving before the bowl, then the one you hired is the exact same piece of ???? and so is Cincy for doing it to Central Michigan.
Robert40 – Good point.
The system sucks. Kelly had the opportunity of a lifetime and he took it. I can see why the Cincy fans are disappointed, but their team still laid an egg.
I think we should have a playoff, but without one it’s hard to justify letting teams like Cincy or Boise in the championship game.
I thought Cincy was overrated in the first place. I see the rankings as follows
1 Title game winner
2 Boise State
3 Title game loser
4 Florida
5 TCU
6 Ohio State
7 Iowa
8 Virginia Tech
9 Penn State
10 Oregon
Sorry, I forgot to put Cincy in the list.
1 Title game winner
2 Boise State
3 Title game loser
4 Florida
5 TCU
6 Ohio State
7 Cincy
8 Iowa
9 Virginia Tech
10 Penn State
Who the hell is Anthony Stalter? Did he ever play a down of football? Just another “sport columnist” bashing ND so he can be in with all the other idiots you love to hate ND. If he did think that Kelly would have helped them on the field in the bowl game than what difference does it make? Oh! you feel sorry for the SEEEEENIORS
The seniors played like crap and got thier butts kicked.
Gond, I’m sure you’ve played football, but fantasy football doesn’t count.
To the ND fans, you and Cin. are the same quality with Cin. maybe a little better. Take a look what Kelly will do for you and ND football. The better teams, Fla.,Tex.,USC,etc. will demolish the ND football team. Again, Kelly is an Offensive Coach and what ND needed was a Defensive minded Coach if you want to win the big one.
I give the Cin. Players and all their coaches a great deal of credit, but they were over matched and would have been even with Kelly. I believe there should be a playoff system so the Cin’s, Troy’s and C Mich’s can play for the big prize.
Cin. Players you had a great season CONGRATS
hey it’s me aka: As*wipe Pe*kerhead! I hope that sensory enough so no one tries to boot me…
anyways,
Ghost & T-Bone: do you have a site quoting Kelly as saying he would stay if he was playing for a National Championship? and if so can you send me the link?
Mike S: my dad said he would never admit it to his buddies but he wants Rich Rod back… all I heard from him is how Michigan stole his football and basketball coach; though I think the basketball coach was an upgrade…
Gond: calm down brother! let’s give it a couple of years and once we have our NC then we can get in there a*s… until then let’s just overwhelm them facts… like when Ghost & T Bone can’t present anything in the NC talk I will laugh, if they do I will drop my head and say “la pouf”!
This was reported by the AP (that’s associated press, not asswipe peckerhead) on Dec. 22nd.
Kelly said on Tuesday he doesn’t know if Notre Dame would have waited for him, but he knows he would have stayed to coach in the title game. He says every job he’s accepted he’s taken because he wants to play for championships.
Notre Dame is hoping Kelly can lead the Irish to their first championship since 1988.
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
Again JayG…I’m not a fan of Cincy at all. I just think this guy is a dirtbag and the entire situation is wrong. ND should have either waited or gone in a different direction. NO team should be able to take a coach from a team still playing and no coach should be allowed to leave until his season is finished.
Gond,
I didn’t bash Notre Dame – I bashed Brian Kelly. You’re being sensitive and defensive for no reason. Take off the Notre Dame beer goggles for a couple seconds (that’s all – then you can put them back on) and you’d see that.
And why is that every time a reader wants to a bash a sports writer, they immediately go to the, “I bet you never played!” argument? It’s only one step above the, “I bet you played chess and were in the marching band!” argument.
By the way, if you click on the tag “Brian Kelly” up above, you’ll see that I supported ND hiring Kelly from the start. I’ve been unbiased this entire time – I don’t have a pony in this race.
And who the hell is Gond? At least I have the nuggets to put my name on my work.
T Bone: your genious is showing! I really appreciate that link pal, ur awesome! I agree with you that the system is flawed… My argument to you is, why just the bashing of Brian Kelly? What about other coaches who has jumped ship for bigger and better programs? By no means am I claiming that Notre Dame is still the power house that I grew up watching, because the the statisics are there to prove otherwise. You claim that your a Notre Dame fan, if that’s the case quit worrying about poor Cincy and how much of an ass Kelly is and focus on the big picture… We have a coach that can win with other peoples kids, but hasn’t proved that he can win with his own?
Anthony S: I can’t believe you played in the marching band! Thank you for the great debates. You have truely helped to pass my time! lol… Did my e-mail show up? Let me know when you have another topic on anything ND or TN related…
Hope this adds fuel to the fire…
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/ncaa/01/07/kelly.not
re.dame.coordinators.ap/index.html
And that top post was me! I got over excited and didn’t fill the stuff out!
JayG…there’s this thing called Google. You should check it out. I didn’t see the need to post a link but if you insist:
No fuel…season is over. And again, I’m not a cincy fan but there’s no need to get into that.
Ashamed..give me a break….yeah I am sure Kelly is to busy living in the now to be standing still and looking in the mirror…I am sure he has moved on like you negative sports writers should do…and plan on your next successful positive story. Yes, it is true his team went to battle without a Chief…and they were outmatched. Should it take away from the hard work and dedication and successful season they had?Absolutely not, Cincy should be proud at how far they have come and instead of shredding Kelly they should be grateful they ever even had the opportunities that Kelly provided for them. It’s time to move on people and sports writers and try shedding some light on the positive things coaches do day in and day out instead of picking them apart and blaming coaches…try casting your doom and gloom on the NCAA for allowing it to happen and to the Universities..those are the one’s who need to look in the mirror and change there ways!
Sorry…forgot to paste.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4765207
Kelly lied to his players. Notre Dame didn’t need Kelly since there was no bowl game. Also great hire as DC. At halftime of Pitt game he refered to lack of defense as a cause for alarm. Domers will be crying in a year or two.
T-bone you are a thoughtless tool without even a shred of imagination toward other peoples situations. It is easy to want to persecute somebody for bettering their station in life, but it is more difficult to try to put yourself in that persons shoes. Say what you want, but Kelley had the opportunity of a lifetime staring him in the face, and he had to take the job when he did or he may have lost the opportunity (lets not forget that Harbaugh was rumored to be considered at the time as well). It’s all about recruiting and ND was not going to wait for him to coach his team in a bowl game, all the while recruiting for the other team… Don’t be a stupid hater. The college football rules for recruiting are stupid and that is really what causes these types of scenarios where coaches are in a no win situation.
By the way all you Brian Kelly haters…. Cincinnati should have had a parade and given him the key to the city for finally making that football program something that is even worth talking about. Fact of the matter is that the university was not ready to make the commitment to the football program that will ever let them be competitive with a Florida University. How can you make a serious argument that Kelly owes/owed any more to that school than he has already given?
Gutpile…If you’ve ever coached a day in your life, and I’m not talking your rec softball league, I’m talking as a professional, you’d understand. And if you are or were a professional coach and still don’t understand, then you are no better than Kelly. I know what it means to make a commitment to players and a school and see it through. There’s no way in the world I would jump ship before the biggest game of our lives for another job. Kelly didn’t have to win that game…even if he made it close, he writes his own ticket for any job that comes up. And if ND wanted him…specifically him for the job, they would have waited. Hell, he might have even had an offer from a team that can win.
It’s all about recruiting…and if Kelly walked into my house to talk to my kid, I’d see a selfish, shallow man who doesn’t have anyone’s best interests at heart but his own. His actions support it.
Let’s get a few things straight. Many coaches have “out” clauses in their contracts that allow them to leave if their “dream job” comes calling. Contrary to popular opinion, Notre Dame is still a “dream job” for many coaches. Coach Kelly did not leak any information to the outside about being offered or accepting the ND job. His first “public” announcement was to his players during their banquet. It was the University that made the decision to have Quinn be the interim head coach for the Sugar Bowl. I’m fairly certain that ND would have let Kelly coach UC in the Sugar Bowl had he asked – and he may have asked.
Face it. Even if Brian Kelly had been on the sidelines for the Sugar Bowl the Gators would have still beaten them like a rented mule.
T Bone have you been coaching for 20 years in College football? Do you have any idea how many young men Kelly has mentored on and off the field and how many lives he has changed for the better along his journey…What a ride its been for Cincinnati players they will remember the last three years for the rest of their lives as well as us fans so get off your high horse and find someone else to rag on….oh holy one. ND was his dream job and he took it…get over it…ND will return to its glory state with Kelly at the helm and Cincinnati will continue to shine without him.
First, Kelly didn’t build Cincy, he was there for only three years. First year was learning the area so really recruiting and building for only two years. The seniors were from the last coach. As was last years seniors.
Second, the big east isn’t good anymore. Look at WV a few years ago, the coach goes to Michigan and can beat Appl. State, never mind Ohio State.
Third, the pollsters have given Cincy way too much credit. They are a good # 10 team but not a #3. Same goes for TCU. They are trying to be politically correct.
Were you concerned folks so concerned when kelly left CMU for Cincy?
T Bone: Thanks for the link… Can’t check it from my work computer, I will hit it up from my Chu later tonite. By the way, I got it, your not a Cincy fan…
Anonymous: In my opinion, Kelly’s track record only proves that he can win with other coaches kids (recruits)… I hope I am wrong and he returns the Irish to the glory we once held…
Thomas: Rich Rod wasn’t at Michigan during the Appy State A*s Whippin’… I for one have little by little each year dropped the Big 10 down as far as conferences go… This year I have had to eat my words… Penn State beating a SEC powerhouse in LSU… Iowa taking it to ACC Champ Ga Tech… and OSU (still not impressed with) beating Oregon…
People can blog all they want but there is no way FoxSports should be advertising this blog. Simple, logicless, and crass writing does not justify the access this blog received.
ND will never be a winner until the join a mid-level conference. Kelley will not be their savior.
The anwser is very simple and something coaches have been asking for. You move the recruiting signing date. Move it from early Feb to say late Nov early Dec. When the biggest part of recruiting is going on, Schools who have vacancies that need to be filled before a recruit commits is more important than a bowl game. If the signing period has passed then schools can relax a little and take more time for searches and evaluations. Coaches can relax and worry about the job at hand and not be forced about making choices to soon or to late. But regardless of all those things people are still going to bitch and moan because a coach left for another job regardless of the job or the school. One side is always going to be happy and the other mad. Oh and as far as ND cheating the year the won the NC are you that retarded. That was a few years later and it involved Demetrius DeBoise. His girlfriend took him to Vegas, the only violation was that she paid and two other teammates went as well. It was in the Summer and all parties were over 21. He was suspended by the NCAA and had to pay back the money to his girlfriend. That is the only trouble the football program go into and the University reported it themselves to the NCAA and did what the NCAA said… I guess that is why ND players live off campus and drive other peoples vehicles and their familes rent expensive home for free and their girlfriends bosses co-sign for vehicle loans and other things. Oh yeah, did I metion the fact that ND has people take SAT’s for people who do not belong in college sports but because they can use them cheat to help them…
I love how we should be ashamed of Kelly for getting his kids to the sugar bowl ..and putting Cincinnati in the spotlight for all the right reasons…..why not focus your negative thoughts on the coaches that deserve it like the ones who all got fired this year or are jumping ship before the $##@ hits the fan..and they go on probration…..those are the coaches people should be writing @$## about..and about all those poor kids who committed to those schools…..why dont you write about that…
I love how the general consensus is that Brian Kelly built Cincinnati, but the players had no hand in making Kelly who he is.
It goes both way guys – sorry.
Anthony S: Those aren’t Kelly’s players that made him… He has no track record of being able to win with his own recruits… and that’s what worries me!
JayG – I agree.
Some say that he actually left CMU worse off then people think. Butch Jones had to use his own recruits to build the program into the winner it is today, especially on the defensive side of the ball. That’s why CMU is considered a young team – because a lot of Kelly’s recruits didn’t pan out.
And before anyone says it, Jones recruited LeFevour – not Kelly. The same goes for Antonio Brown.
I think Kelly was a good hire for Notre Dame – I’ve said that all along. But I do wonder what’s going to happen once he gets past that third year and has to use his own recruits to win.
Don’t you think that his not being there has more to do with NCAA issues than coaches? It’s a double-edged sword when you do well at a “smaller” D-1 school. Notre Dame doesn’t want to miss out on it’s #1 target and have Kelly sign with another “big” school, so they start on negotiations ASAP. Kelly doesn’t want give a chance that his #1 option school goes with someone else, because he has earned a late bowl game. How do you get an 18 yr old kid to follow you for a bowl game when you just chose to leave him, especially when many of those kids may have already had this happen to them with their fathers. Don’t you think that the NCAA should put hiring freezes on coaches until the last bowl game is over? This would prevent a damned if you do, damned if you don’t, and a damned if you do and then don’t situation.
jimmywat,
Great points and yes, I do think the NCAA should put hiring freezes on all programs. And for those coaches that secretly negotiate under those terms should be punished. I’m not naive, I get that this wasn’t all Kelly’s fault. The NCAA plays a part in this too.
Looking back, I could have done a better job explaining the overall crux of this piece. I get it – ND was a huge opportunity for Kelly, so he jumped on the chance to become their next head coach. What was he supposed to do? Not try to get a promotion at another job? I get it, I really do.
But what some of these ND fans blatantly choose to ignore is that the Cincinnati players made him who he was, just as much as Kelly made them who they were. It’s a two-way street; Kelly helped build the Cincy program, but without the players executing his game plans and schemes, he doesn’t get the ND job. If ND really wanted him, they would have waited until after the bowl game to negotiate a contract. He could have told them that he wanted to coach Cincy in the bowl game before bolting.
But he didn’t and Cincy was embarrassed. Would they have lost to Florida had Kelly been there? Again – PROBABLY. Florida was probably going to win regardless of whether or not Kelly was on the sidelines. But I highly doubt they would have been the complete waste they were that night had he got them prepared and called the plays.
That’s the crux of the piece.