Why Brian Kelly Will Succeed
September 2nd, 2010 by JVH1) Has a plan that has worked before. The last regime didn’t really have a clue. Stubborn Willingham was fired for not changing anything, ever. Weis took over and was quick to change anything that didn’t work. Fans were initially excited with the change in attitude. Problem was that Weis never really knew what would ultimately work. He kept throwing anything at the wall to see what would stick.
Kelly has the formula for success. He’s already implemented it 3 times. He knows what works.
2) Motivation. Weis was clearly not a motivator. Kelly is smoother and more polished. Even though he recently said he would not be giving many rah-rah speeches come game time, his other methods of motivating seem to work. These include how the depth chart is laid out, leaning on his position coaches, and Camp Kelly.
One thing I could not stand with Weis was how he openly talked about “pushing players buttons” and “getting the players out of the tank.” When you are motivating, you want it to be subtle. You certainly don’t want to broadcast to your team how you are trying to manipulate them. Kelly’s motivation style fits college football perfectly.
3) Stress on nutrition and conditioning. The stress on nutrition and conditioning is a welcome change for this Irish blogger. Stress on body fat percentages, crossfit-like training, and the training table will all lead to success. How many 4th quarter blowups did ND succumb to based on poor nutrition and conditioning?
4) Imposing his will. Weis was notorious for taking what the defense gave him. This boxed Notre Dame into playing the type of game an opposing team favored. With this much talent, Notre Dame should be dictating everything 11 out of the 12 games it plays.
5) He’ll run it up. Kelly stresses playing hard for 60 minutes. I can’t wait to see this actually happen as it has been a long time since a Notre Dame head coach had the step-on-their-throat mentality needed to succeed at this level. Meyer, Saban, and Carroll all have it. “Stop us if you can. If we run it up, that’s your problem.” Look, I’m all for showing respect but when it’s game week, I freaking hate you. My disdain for Purdue this week is off the chart. I want us to beat them by 50. And when it comes time to play Navy. I hate them too.
Give me a coach that challenges his offense to score 50 every week. I think Kelly will.






