Rockne's Roundtable

Hate to ask a stupid question Lou, but were you editorializing a bit at the end there or has there been reports that "exceptions" or "higher salaries for staff" might be the motivation for this? Sorry, but I don't have time to scan every headline. Thanks.

One of our current players mother once remarked to me "Brian Kelly is full of sh*t". I thought it was just a playing time issue, but perhaps not.

Kelly has managed to take away all my good feelings that were generated by our season. We were so hopeful and full of delight on Sunday and now this week has been a train wreck. His timing sucks, period. Even if he stays his credibility will be hammered in recruiting. this couldn't have been handled any worse. Somebody at ND or Kelly has to respond to this. WTF!

agreed this has been a awful week id just love to hear something from him!

This isn't the first time BK has let his mouth act before his brain while at ND.

Excellent article, Lou. While I have read an untold number of posts over the past 20 hours since the news broke and while the opinions expressed range from condemning Kelly to the dustbin of history to "what, me worry?" expressions that all is well, if the truth be told, this entire performance by Kelly is a cluster xxxx. You are right---what in God's name possessed the man to create such negativity, such uncertainty, such apparent disdainfor things Irish. Why has he, intentionally or inadvertently, jeopardized what he, and his staff, Jack Swarbrick and Father Jenkins have worked so hard
to achieve. Two of your comments are particularly compelling: that this entire "Eagles interview" came "out of nowhere" and that his motivation is unfathomable.

This was decidedly not the time and place to do this; something does smell and regardless of whether he announces tormorrow or after the weekend that he is coaching the Irish in 2013, his relationship with Notre Dame, Jack Swarbrick and ND's fanbase has forever changed and changed for the worse.

Sadly, Brian Kelly has expressed that he appreciates that Notre Dame is special and that if you are going to coach at ND, you must do it the "right way." I would submit that this week, his actions---and worse, his mentality in taking them---demonstrate that he doesn't understand Notre Dame at all. As you stated, in the appropriate time and place, Brian Kelly is free to explore his options with the NFL. But, to apparently explore them in this manner and with a total lack of understanding as to the negativity that would be generated by authorizing his agent to float trial baloons of his candidacy speaks volumes about his tin ear.

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Timing is definitely all wrong - recruiting, etc. Guys seem a little caught off guard by this. And with no one rushing to put out the fire, it seems like there is some momentum to Kelly's interest in the NFL. It's really simple to get his message out there to everyone at once, even the recruits during the dead/quiet period - release a statement through the university. When someone at Notre Dame moves, the media is there to follow. It wouldn't be hard.

But I think the timing is wrong for Brian Kelly's popularity as Notre Dame's head coach. He was undeniably one of the more polarizing hires in recent memory. No one really knew who Charlie Weis was, Ty Willingham was an under-the-radar late grab to replace O'Leary, whose hire didn't seem to ruffle many feathers. Bob Davie was a successful defensive coordinator at A&M, and seemed to transition reasonably from Holtz.

My point is that I don't understand why Kelly would sabotage his own popularity with the fan base from which he's earned a lot of trust since he took over. Notre Dame was outclassed by Alabama inside and outside of the sidelines on Monday, but there wasn't a lot of vitriol sent Kelly's way for his shortcomings that evening. And with good reason, he still gave Irish fans hope.

But now I worry that he's going to leave a lot of Irish fans skeptical. Things rarely go well for a coach who loses the faith of the fanbase.

I'm just left scratching my head.

If he returns to Notre Dame, I hope he shares a story of a kid who deep down dreamed of coaching in the NFL one day. And that even though he had what he called the best job in the country, he owed it to himself to gauge his value coming off of arguably the biggest season of his career.

I don't how this can be salvaged if Kelly stays, and I still think that's more likely than not, because why do we assume he'd be Philly's first choice of the six or eight they're still considering, even if it's what he wants to do. This had to have been in the works. Rarely, in my experience, are interviews arranged at the drop of a hat. Kelly has given no indication that he had NFL aspirations, other than the hint in the CBS Sports interview. My uneducated guess is that he's not happy with some things in the program, and wanted to make a statement. So far he's only doing it with one team. If we hear about a second interview, then it's more than a statement. If he intends to return, then there has to be a leak about dissatisfaction that turns the attention on the admin. It's the only way he can turn it around. Of course, it will sour the relationship with admin, but who knows, that may already be the case anyway.

Cincinnati is not and never was a destination for a successful coach. We like to think ND is.

I always expected Kelly to get another itch but I really thought Kelly would stay for at least 3-5 more years.

Dead periods are times when the NCAA doesn't allows in-person meetings on or off campus. Writing or contact by phone is still allowed.

Is BK a RKG? Seems odd to me. Preaching his line and then pulling this stunt.