Kelly Learning Notre Dame More Than 5-Minute Fix

Kelly Learning Notre Dame More Than 5-Minute Fix

NEW YORK (AP) — Eight games into his tenure at Notre Dame and Brian Kelly is already dealing with one of those losses that make people wonder whether the Fighting Irish can ever again be what they were.

Navy didn’t just beat Notre Dame for the third time in four seasons Saturday in the swamps of New Jersey, the Midshipmen dispatched the Fighting Irish with relative ease.

Kelly was clearly exasperated after the game but — at least publicly — is sending a positive message. The vibe in South Bend, Ind., has been so negative for so long, the coach seems intent on not contributing to it.

It was a great line, exactly what Notre Dame fans wanted to hear from their new coach. At his first news conference after being hired, Kelly said he couldn’t afford to have a five-year plan. He needed a 5-minute plan to turn the Irish around.

That line has the potential to be one that comes back to bite Kelly if he goes the way of Charlie Weis and Tyrone Willingham and can’t pull Notre Dame out of the cycle of mediocrity it has been in since Lou Holtz left in 1996.

nytimes.com
10/25/10