Brian Kelly’s Bold, Audacious Moves

The ugly dust cloud from Alabama’s red elephants had barely settled when Brian Kelly started plotting some big changes to return the Irish to the National Championship quest, albeit it at a more successful clip.

When Diaco departed for UCONN after 2013, Kelly swiftly, even before the Rutgers Pinstripe Bowl, pulled the trigger and committed to an aggressive, attacking pro style, multiple defense. The move to the 4-3 and the hiring of Brian van Gorder were corollaries of that big bold decision.
The overarching scheme and aggression change was the architecture, Van Gorder the engineering and construction. Retooling is never seamless, and there is always a price to be paid. In college football it is exacerbated because players recruited for Defensive Scheme A may not be fit for Defensive Scheme B. In the unforgiving world of fans there is little patience for letting the Scheme A’s graduate and atrophy while more Scheme B’s are recruited and developed.

But changing circumstances require decisive action. And Notre Dame has often been on the audacious, cutting edge. Rockne himself learned this as a player when he and Dorais shocked Army with the passing attack honed on the sandy beaches of Sandusky, Ohio. Rock was audacious with the installation of the Notre Dame Box, whether inspired by the Rockettes or not. Leahy, a most loyal pupil of Rockne, audaciously replaced the box with the split T, while fans screamed bloody murder.. And Ara Raoul Parseghian was audacious in his swift embrace of the unlimited substitution rules while others dawdled.

The revered, ancient rhythm of forcing an opponent to make long drives and make a mistake to stop themselves became nearly obsolete with the shift to wide open spread defenses. When a Nick Saban/Kirby Smart defense, filled with Blue Chippers and Five Stars and liberally sprinkled with top JC’s sees its ppg allowed go from 8.2 ppg and 184 yards per game in ’09 to 18.4 ppg and 328 ypg in ’14, something is changing. In the last 15 games, the proud Crimson Tide defense has allowed more than 40 points THREE TIMES! They have, on too many occasions for the Crimson Tide faithful, been as porous as El Chapo Guzman’s jailers.

It is evident that, in the modern milieu of college football, something’s happening here, what it means ain’t exactly clear. But explosive, opportunistic, high powered offenses will not fade quietly into that dark night. Defensive escalation makes sense.

The bold defensive retooling process started in late ’13, saw its first phase of implementation in ’14 and the retooling was completed with the coaching staff changes on defense in 2015.

Supporters believe that 2015 will be the first effective year under the revamped defense guided by Brian Van Gorder, with 2014 merely a shakedown cruise, complicated by suspensions and injuries. Supporters contend that the first part of ’14’s defensive performance was the new reality, the second half an aberration.

Skeptics contend that the shift was a panic move, does not align with the personality and type of athletes naturally attracted to Notre Dame, and the added requirements of complexity and athleticism are bridges too far for Notre Dame’s well-being. These skeptics contend that the first part of ‘14’s defensive performance was an aberration, the second half the new reality.

For 2015 the changes made by Kelly were even more radical. The first, and less discussed, was the addition of the interns and analysts. Veteran. accomplished coaches like Bobby Elliott and Jeff Quinn were added as special projects and offensive analysts, respectively. Pryce Tracy was named as the full time Speical teams analyst.

This is a significant change in coaching room and meeting dynamics. The three unit analysts and Elliott’s position are not Tony Soprano’s “no show” jobs on the Esplanade in Seacaucus. They are there to contribute to the coaching acumen and sophistication on each unit.  Elliott’s first assignment was to research a solution to the challenges of making tactical defensive substitutions against hurry up spread offenses.  ut the more surprising change was the addition of Mike Sanford Jr. as offensive coordinator.  Kelly had never been more than one step away from playcalling, whether the offensive coordinator was Charley Molnar, Chuck Martin or Mike Denbrock.

Sanford was no mere friend, the son of a former coach of the program. A rising, almost shooting star, he did not leave his alma mater Boise to carry a clipboard on the Notre Dame sideline. The baton is meant to pass to Sanford, but it will take more than a minute.

Clearly Quinn, Debrock and Sanford will be part of the “think tank” providing ideas, thoughts and feed back. Kelly wanted more input, more advice, a better “meeting room.” Quinn is no shrinking violet and with Denbrock, Quinn, Sanford and Kelly joining Hiestand, Booker and Denson, that will be an energized, experienced, SMART meeting room.

Supporters of the move say that Kelly’s most fluid offense was when Quinn was his offensive coordinator at Cincinnati. Kelly wanted a better offensive “cabinet” and staffed it with the best and the brightest.  Leveraging that move with Sanford, who is a contributor on his way to being the coordinator, creates a powerful brain trust and the Irish offense will not be out witted.

Skeptics demean Kelly as a control freak and predict an inevitable explosion with Sanford, possibly even compromising the recruiting-and retention-of Huntingburg phenom QB Hunter Johnson.  Whether the defensive and offensive supporters or skeptics are correct will be determined quickly.

Danton, one of the architects of the French revolution, coined the phrase “Audacity, audacity, audacity!” It was coopted by the fierce George Patton, and later by Pattonphile Bo Schembechler who loved to exhort his team with “Audacity, audacity, audacity.”

In the last two offseasons Kelly has made some audacious moves, on the field, in the coaches’ offices, in the offensive, defensive and special teams meetings rooms.  2015 will determine if the bold moves worked.  But, you know, if Kelly was right, it could be an intriguing year for Notre Dame football.

Go Irish!