ND coach wants toughness

Associated Press

SOUTH BEND, Ind.

Brian Kelly’s real work is just starting.

Sure, he’s made 150 or so appearances as an ambassador for Notre Dame since taking over as head football coach last December. He ran spring practice, installed parts of his spread offense and 3-4 defense, and got a glimpse of what kind of talent he inherited from Charlie Weis.

He’s analyzed and studied the roster, and heard about all the expectations for one of the country’s proudest programs that has gone 16-21 over the last three seasons.

Now, he says, it’s time to start making improvements and progress on the field. After great success in transforming three other programs — Grand Valley State, Central Michigan and Cincinnati — he’s hoping to carry it over at Notre Dame.

He’s already changed the climate with some rules. Hats and earrings during any football-related endeavors are a no-no. And when you’re practicing, your helmet stays on your noggin where it belongs.

His imprints are everywhere, even on the cover of the team’s media guide that he helped designed. It shows an early Notre Dame team sporting the look of the day with leather helmets, jerseys without numbers and no facemasks coming out of the tunnel with imposing looks on their faces.

The cover resembles a painting in Kelly’s office.

“I think that is the pervasive theme here: let’s get back to understanding the great tradition, who we are, how we play the game,” he said Friday. “We won’t go as far as no facemasks, but I will tell you that toughness, that ‘Fighting Irish’ is certainly the theme that we want to continue to advance forward.”

Being tough doesn’t necessarily translate into victories and that’s where everything really hinges — the satisfaction of the alumni and widespread fan base, and successful recruiting.

When it was noted that his two most recent predecessors, Tyrone Willingham and Weis, got off to good starts in their first seasons before eventually faltering, Kelly acknowledged that it’s his plan to start strong and get better.

“We took this job over with the idea that we’re not going anywhere. I’m staying here for the rest of my life and going to coach Notre Dame,” Kelly said.

Kelly lists his team’s depth, especially on the offensive line and at running back, as strengths. He also likes the playmaking ability of his team on perimeter. Depth at quarterback behind new starter Dayne Crist — where Joe Montana’s son, Nate, is a backup — and depth at defensive line are vulnerabilities, according to Kelly. He considers the kicking game a question mark.