Sometimes realizing where you've been, is just
as important as where you're hoping to go!
This is the problem with the memory of a sports fan.
You can't "rationalize", you don't have the ability
to see through the glasses smeared with your
team's colors!...
Trust me..I was born in Ohio!
But take a moment and walk down memory lane
with me....Now for all you looking for
"insiders" info, this is the off season,
UNTIL I reach the coaches clinic this will be mostly
hype!... It will be my "opinion" with a bit
of juice mixed in here or there!
I'll tell you what I'm hearing from spring practice...but
not for a week or so...they just put pads on!
And...we've already lost one player for good...and
another for the spring!
So relax...it's spring ball!
Stop and realize what has happend in a short amount of
time since the arrival of Brian Kelly!
He's hit the ground running in his first three seasons
"1.21 Gigawatts style!"
Let's talk differences first!
DEVELOPMENT vs GRASPING AT STRAWS
Charlie could call some plays!
Charlie could recruit some "offensive" talent!
Charlie could think out of the box!
Charlie was not a head coach!
TRAVIS THOMAS
I loved the look of Travis Thomas!
He looked like he'd beat up Tarzan!
Then cry when he got hit by Jane!
This is my first topic of the night!
When Charlie announced in 06 that Travis
was being moved from running back to linebacker?
I thought?...Desperation!
This blame needed to be spread around...some
on Charlie, some on Ty!
But it happened!..and I was scared!
Why was I scared?...We lacked
DEVELOPMENT!
If a kid was a natural STUD..then great
but if we needed to develop him...uh oh!
Now...we have DEVELOPMENT!
In 2012 I'll be the first to tell you when I was right...and
when I was wrong!
When I was right?
Matthias Farley!
I called it when this kid hit campus!
He comes from a GREAT family with GREAT
minds throughout!
And he had the hunger!...he had only played
football for 4 years..and he was SMART!
Thank God for that BEARD!
But I was worried...We were gonna face great QB's!
We faced the best QB in the:
BIG 10
PAC 12
BIG 12
We were gonna give up yards!....right?
But at NO TIME did I think we'd have the secondary talent
develop to the point of being one of the best units in the
country!
KeiVarae Russel-Converted running back
Mathias Farley-Converted wide receiver
Bennett Jackson-Converted wide receiver
Now...when I hear about players being moved around?
I get excited to see what this staff can do with TALENT!
Troy Niklas-tight end
(My pick for BREAK OUT player of the
year next year!)
CJ Prosise now being looked at at wide receiver?
Why?...we have talent STACKED on top of talent at WR?
That's what excites me..what have they seen?
This staff looks for talent...not position!
On to upgrade number 2
TALENT
Other than Michigan being horrible in this game...our biggest highlight
was John Ryan's tackle of Charlie Weis!
Now...I'll never dog a player from ND for fear that
the fans will cry and try and "Lynch" me!
But I can only name maybe 3 or 4 defensive players in the past
seasons that Brian Kelly would have even OFFERED!
In fact...looking back we weren't fighting Alabama
for the Eddie Vanderdoes's of the world...we were
barely fighting the Virginias!
Now...when a kid commits...My litmus test?
How many SEC offers does he have?
What Pac 12 Schools did we take him from?
There are not a better group of recruiters in the COUNTRY in
my opinion than Brian Kelly and his staff!
Now...relax all you Saban supporters that troll this site...
or you UM fans...or Urban butt lovers!
Let's talk real for a moment!
It's a numbers game...what pool can you take talent from..
What talent can qualify...etc..
Let's just say this is ALL of the "elite D line" talent in the US!
The Blue section:
Bama
Ohio State
Auburn
Florida State
Schools where they, let's call it "bend the standards" a
bit... The GPA needs to be a bit over "brain dead" to
qualify and as long as you've got less than one felony?..
YOU'RE IN!
The Pink Section:
Michigan
Wisconsin
CAL
Washington
These schools you have to go to class...the GPA
is a tad bit higher..but they will drop you if you're a
problem.
Yellow Orange Green Sections:
This is everyone else...
The "hot" recruiter so to speak like "Ol'Miss" last year
...or the schools like Texas that just OWNS the state!
Now..on to the
RED SECTION:
This is the talent that is not only being
chased by EVERYONE else in the ENTIRE
country...but actually has the GPA and record
to qualify to get into a Notre Dame or Stanford!
ALL THOSE OTHER KIDS..we can't take!
This kid is a 5 star STUD being told by EVERY other
coach that the degree really doesn't matter....
This kid can go ANYWHERE he wants...he's got the talent
and the grades!...this kid is the 2% that ND has to choose from...
You might have 50 elite kids...10 can get into ND but you'll have fight
every other coach to get' em!
Smaller pool to choose from...still KILLING IT on the recruiting!
Then you have to deal with the dirty coaches!
Google "Dirty Football Coach" and see
who's pictures show up!
This is why I feel we have the best group of recruiters in the country!
The "Bay of Eagles Conflict" as I call it...the day's that Kelly was
supposedly interviewing with the Philly Eagles...we had
several players being just BOMBARDED by coaches saying
whatever they needed to say to try and flip one of our boys!
One story I'd like to share with you in closing...
One Midwest program was really putting in the
overtime trying to take one of our kids!
He told this kid everything...he threw story after story about
Kelly already taking the job....about Notre Dame this...
Notre Dame that...etc...
Now..I'm not gonna tell you who it was...but he
told every lie in the book to this kid!
But one thing stood out to me the most...he said, and these were
the ACTUAL WORDS...
"Why do you want to go to Notre Dame?...Your gonna
be in classes with 35 Valedictorians and you...with what
a 3.2 GPA?... Do you really wanna work that hard?"
Why?...Why be the best?
Why?...Why have a degree that in case you get hurt
can help you succeed in life?
Why?...Why worry about education?
And then we wonder why USA Today does stories like this.
Why?...cause at Notre Dame...They care now, while
you're playing in your prime..and after the stadium
lights are gone!
GOD BLESS & GO IRISH!
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