His pre-ND players got coached by “Brian Kelly, the long time ND football coach”. That might be a point of pride in their perspectivec.

His ND players got coached by “Brian Kelly, the long time ND football coach who couldnt win an NC”. ND’s higher standards change the perspective.

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The 2007 ND-UCLA game was a once in a lifetime experience, I hope

I don't have whatever gene or whatever these guys have to be so unilaterally focused on achieving a goal, and certainly not one that matters neither in an essential or existential sense.

You're a millionaire many times over, man. Your working days are done. See the world. Give money to causes you think are important. Drink the mai tais you wouldn't shut up about. You certainly won't have to tell me twice.

Another guy that hasn’t done fuck all without Tom Brady, just like BB and McDaniels.

Lou Holtz won games all over the place with different kids and styles and resurrected programs as did Urban Meyer(whom I loathe).

Kelly left LSU in the same condition and I am pretty sure Swarbrick did the heavy lifting for ND.

BK can get used to fucking right off!

He should be able to live the lifestyle he’s accustomed to without ever receiving another W2.

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Throw em out Marianne.

At that time, we really needed a coach who wasn't going to take no for an answer. He was 100% that dude. But I suspect that his bedside manner wore thin over time, which is how you end up walking off to a new job in a season in which you won 11 games without your AD so much as bothering to make a counteroffer.

And you are totally right.

In fairness, and of course BK wasn't shy about taking credit for this, but he definitely was instrumental in getting infrastructure upgrades. Why? How? He asked.

Contrast that with what we had to hear about the dilapidated basketball facilities (which was probably true) when many were saying this isn't on the coach for stumping for better resources.

But it highlights a point you made so vividly, treating people with kindness and working the system (which Brey did) can earn you a lot of favor among the fans and the department. Coaches just need to be strategic in how they deploy their kindness.

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that they could have made their college HC jobs easier by treating the people in their orbit well instead of big-timing or simply dismissing them. For better or worse, it's part of the fuckin job.

Say what you will about Freeman, but the man clearly understands how to grease the administrative wheels. It's not a substitute for winning, but it can become a force multiplier when you actually do.

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Saying that was very self-promoting.

He's laying the groundwork for blame. If Harvard wants to hire him? Great, because there won't be unrealistic expectations. Does Lane Kiffin have a chance at winning a title? Well, maybe but only because now the university is pouring resources into winning.

He knows it's the right thing to say. It isn't reality.

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"F--- everyone who isn't us."
#Team128

Ending very differently, given his relatively humble beginnings and his success over time. He could have ended up beloved in an alternative universe. It’s the old Arthur Miller line that someone was “liked” but not “well liked.”

so that he has a clear view of John Harvard from his porch? Sounds like a zoning nightmare.

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Live in Boston, all sorts of great hobknob opportunities

cares whether or not he's actually good at this one. In fact, it appears that the prized quality in broadcasting is mediocrity.

And I think he will be a perfectly adequate talking head.

He can just mail this in for the next 5-10 years.

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"F--- everyone who isn't us."
#Team128

I think it would be surprising that he truly misses the relationships and connections but I don't think it's surprising that he says it. Few of Brian Kelly's actions suggest he is a genuine relationship builder. But I am sure that his ego would want to portray this image of him being a connector. He even referenced as much, "[the reach out from past players] solidified in his mind that he made a difference."

As we all know, he's very much a polished politician. But I think he's pretty transactional.

I could easily see someone like Michigan State ponying up the cash to bring him in, and he could probably get the program to 8-4 with good assistants and minimal effort, maybe even Dantonio-level success.

Personally, I think Kelly has just checked out, so I wouldn't count on getting minimal effort from him.

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At night, the ice weasels come.

pay him a salary commensurate with the lifestyle to which he's grown accustomed?

Although if you think about it, a lot of MAC school real estate is probably cheap enough where he could knock down 2 or 3 structures no problem.

As expected he's pretty good in that format.

if he's willing to eat some humble pie, I could see him having a successful final chapter at a school in the AAC or (again) in the MAC.

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You can do that when youre winning games at all of his previous stops. Head Ball Coach King Shit in any number of smaller ponds, and I'm sure he looks back on all of that fondly.

With Notre Dame, once he turned the corner, we all got back into Proper Expectations mode and didn't waste a lot of time appreciating the rebuild.

On to LSU, he thought he could roll in as "here I am where I was always meant to be" and it turned out to be A LOT harder than he thought.

He can win football games. I'm sure he has plenty to share from his experience.
He can win at a high level, but absolutely has a ceiling.

If he ever comes back to coaching, I fully expect him to try and lock in at a mid-table power school and try to get a statue for a couple of 10 win seasons.

https://x.com/btoppmeyer/status/2052063356748542347?s=20

I’ve always found this funny about him. He can be a sensational interview. He’s articulate and insightful. He has skills. And yet how many times did we hear him say exactly the wrong thing?
Wide ranging discussion. What he misses the most about coaching? He says it’s the relationship with the players. This surprised me. He mentions reconnecting with players from his past jobs. No mention of reconnecting with ND players.