All Things Notre Dame - The Clashmore Mike Memorial Thread

[Pasadena Blue]

even if Kelly leaves, with ND relevant again nationally and loaded with talent, ND will be easily able to replace Kelly with a top flight coach and possibly an upgrade (I suggest Meyer). It won't be like the last couple of go arounds.

[hack]

If he leaves, ND is in better shape than before. I would have been happy with five years of Harbaugh b/c I'm certain he'd do the same.

[The Oracle]

Me too, but I doubt we would have gotten 5 from Harbaugh, who knows.

[hack]

Maybe even 5 minutes of Harbaugh would help!

[geo weidl]

I hope the posts I end up reading about laughing at ND over Kelly or being pissed at Kelly don't turn out to be the same ones pissing on Brandon over Harbaugh. It's be pretty hypocritical.

I am not laughing. Thank God that Harbaugh just said no thanks to DB so we did not have to go through this.

[hack]

I would have taken 2 years of Harbaugh.

[Clashmore Mike]

You guys wouldn't believe the ND boards...it's as pathetic a situation as I've ever seen.

The long line of veteran posters...

Topped off with all the recent fair weather rookies...

Topped off with the fact that we were undefeated #1 just 72 hours ago...

Topped off with the bitchification in South Beach...

Topped off with Kelly interviewing for other jobs...

Not to hijack the thread, but as per yesterday's discussion about what Michigan wants out of a coach, this sort of situation is the nightmare scenario in Ann Arbor. They'd find it utterly humiliating. Which is probably why Harbaugh was not relentlessly pursued. The football coach at Michigan first and foremost should not be a person who has the potential to have any sort of leverage over the school. The Process proceeds from there.

I was just learning some of the rookies on an ND board that this is actually our legacy. Rockne was constantly feigning with the ND administration for all kinds of stuff. Always threatening to leave for greener pastures...he actually missed a game once to interview for the HC job at University of Chicago (IIRC). I understand that he literally accepted the HC job at Columbia and started packing until the Clergy finally relented and built Notre Dame Stadium.

[Clashmore Mike]

will his system work in the NFL?

Honestly that was the biggest question when he came to Notre Dame...three years later and I have to wonder what is his "system"? He built an ND team that looked nothing like Cinci...which may be the most impressive thing about him IMO.

and I'm sorry, but if you turn around ND, you ask for more money and stay. NFL chews threw coaches. At ND, you can have a legacy. There has to be something behind the scenes that is driving this..

I posted some ND/Insider/Guru stuff from a premium site last night. Source #1 (who is undoubtedly connected to at least the athletic dept, if not the program in some way) made a couple cryptic comments last night that imply there are real issues Kelly has. I don't know whether they are with the university, or if the university is capable of doing anything to remediate them.

[Clashmore Mike]

The Kelley stuff ........

This just pisses me off. If I was a ND fan, I'd be livid. The uncertainty this kind of activity that Kelley seems to be involved in creates with recruits has a powerful negative impact on the program.

I just don't get it. There is no such thing as loyalty it seems. For a bigger pay-check and his ego Kelley is going to dump on ND. Utterly despicable.

We'll see how it plays out. I'm not happy about it regardless, but if they come to a stable long term deal in the next day or so...then that's just the world we live in.

I hear you on the whole loyalty thing...but this isn't the Marines. Just think if Kelly had another season like last year.

Fumbles, injuries, etc...resulting in a piss-poor underachieving season. He'd be a candidate for the "hot seat" right now instead of being on the top of everyone's candidate list. It cuts both ways.

Anyway, for the most part ND fans are completely livid...most of us accepted the hard truth that Notre Dame was no longer the pinnacle dream job that it used to be.

Others are still struggling to accept it.

[iam416]

I don't understand why anyone would feel shit on if he went to the NFL. It's not like he's picking another college job.

If his aspirations are to be a legendary college football coach, he'll stay. If his aspirations are to be a legendary football coach, he may very leave. You can't win a Super Bowl at ND.

[Clashmore Mike]

Got an "insider" update from Source #2:

"According to multiple sources, one of the biggest issues in the negotiations between Brian Kelly and Notre Dame moving forward will be assistant coaching salaries, which lag behind other top programs. Going into the season Irish position coaches (non-coordinators) were making around $300K, which puts Notre Dame in the middle of the pack with other BCS conference programs. As a former Notre Dame assistant coach told me before the season, the pay scale at Notre Dame was mid-level Big 10 opposed to the top of the league, i.e. more like Purdue than Ohio State. In addition to base pay, Notre Dame's assistant coaches do not receive bowl bonuses, which is common at other schools and a serious source of frustration for multiple assistants and described as "nickel and dime" by a former coach in terms of how the school handles that business.

One source told me that Brian Kelly has reached out to his assistant coaches about the interview with the Philadelphia Eagles in attempt to calm their nerves about the future at Notre Dame. While that's not a guarantee that Kelly will be back in South Bend, it does appear that the coaches are now in the loop with their boss. That wasn't the case across the board on Wednesday night."

[iam416]

Assistant coach salaries were the topic du jour re B10. Well, the topic du yester-jour.

[Clashmore Mike]

Assistant coach salaries were the topic du jour re B10. Well, the topic du yester-jour.

It's been an issue at ND as well...but it all the above is true, then shame on Swarbrick for letting it get to this point...I'm a big Swarbrick fan. He's usually adept enough not to let anything go in a direction like this.

That last line of the write-up bothers me...

"While that's not a guarantee that Kelly will be back in South Bend, it does appear that the coaches are now in the loop with their boss. That wasn't the case across the board on Wednesday night."

Kelly's doing this for his staff...but his staff doesn't know he's interviewing with other organizations? Whatever...it's all still internet hear-say.

My criteria will remain duration. If we're still playing grab-ass guessing games three days from now, then I think relationships may need to be repaired instead of smoothed over.

[Clashmore Mike]

Also rumors that Kelly may interview with the Chicago Bears...wonder whether he'd be boo'd or cheered at Soldier Field...?


I'll tell you what, if Kelly does take that 2nd interview in Philly and/or interviews with the Bears, then I think ND needs to take some action. Perhaps going as far as firing him. Perhaps flying down to Louisville and meeting with Charlie Strong.

There is a difference between allowing for career progression and being a stepping stone...

[Jeff Buchanan]

........... time to start talking salary caps.

Seriously, I wonder if anything like that could ever be implemented. I don't think it could under the current market conditions and relationships between hiring programs and the coaches who are hired. This isn't anything like the market in pro sports but there are similarities.

But, man, this is getting crazy.