“National Championships …… require both excellence and not a small amount of luck.”

Excellent point. I believe that we’ve had enough bad luck the last few years that we have some good breaks coming our way, and when they do we have the excellence to take advantage of them.

(One could argue, and I’d agree, that ND and Coach Kelly were immensely lucky to have gotten to the BCS undefeated in 2012 — the two #2’s against Pitt and whatnot — but then you’d have to concede that ND’s luck since then has been atrocious.)

Championships cannot be the only metric of success, unless you’re willing to argue that Trent Dilfer is a better quarterback than Dan Marino. That said, the NC is definitely the line item missing from Brian Kelly’s résumé when comparing him to the Mount Rushmore of Irish football coaches. But who here believes the program isn’t in the best shape it’s been in the 20 years since Holtz left? Does anyone think they can make a case that we’d have been better off with a different hire?

Disagree. In the 1988 January Bowl game ND got a serious butt-kicking from Texas A&M.
The following season it was believed that ND was a year away from seriously competing for the title. We won the whole thing.

In the 2016 January Bowl Game ND got a serious butt-kicking from Ohio State, during which Jaylon Smith was the recipient of a cheap shot (OPINION) from former ND commit Taylor Decker, and OSU defensive end Joey Sosa was ejected from the game for helmeting DeShone Kizer – and getting away with it, in that there was no payback.

Football is the ultimate game of physical domination and all games are won up front – I’m badder than you are and I’ll knock you on your ass to prove it – over and over and over. And while I’m having fun doing that all MY little buddies will be knocking down YOUR little buddies, or, as the occasion demands, running away from them.

With all respect – “too many young guns” implies that we don’t have enough serious talent in the junior and senior classes, with which I disagree. We’ve got lots of talent in all 4 classes, and every now and then the stars align and everything falls into place and ND wins it – ALL.

I think that this is the year. We’ve got the talent, BUT – do we have the attitude? Do we have the swagger?

Other teams respect us, but – do they fear us?

I seem to arouse the ire of the HLS staff with my posts, which I find interesting and amusing.

To repeat – the original piece said that Brian Kelly’s record over the 6 years of his coaching at Notre Dame merited him a place in the Irish pantheon of football coaches.

I responded with the perfectly reasonable OPINION that unless he wins at least 1 National Championship while at ND he does not deserve to be in such a place.

So far Bayou Irish and Irish Elvis have disagreed with me, which is cool, but now Elvis has discerned – after going over my posts over the years – that within my psyche there lies a hidden reason which compels me to disagree on occasion with the HLS staff, and, El, – I appreciate both your concern and your remark about my ‘superior intellect’.

Everybody’s angry at something. On a national level – I am most angry at the choices we face this November for the office of President of the United States, & a close second is the way the NFL is treating Tom Brady in re. The Strange Case of the Deflated Balls. Locally, I live on a dirt road off a dirt road in a small town in Maine, so I won’t concern you with the local issues and questions which concern and sometimes anger me.

FYI:
1) I went to Notre Dame in the early and late 60s, I did not graduate.
2) I listened to the 1966 Southern Cal. game on a short-wave radio while serving a mid-watch during my military service in the mid-east.
3) I am presently reading 3 books – a biography of W.C. Fields, an anthology of the works of P.G. Wodehouse, and ‘He Spoke to Us – Discerning God in People and Events’ by Fr. George William Rutler. He is a brilliant writer.

Let me repeat – If Notre Dame wins at least ONE National Championship under Brian Kelly I will agree that he belongs in the pantheon of Notre Dame football coaches. By that I mean that in my OPINION he will deserve mention when the conversation turns to the GREATS.

Until then, no.

Forgive us, TERRY. We know that we do not have your superior intellect and education. But could it be that once again, you are angry at something else, and are looking to take it out on us?

“Lou had a dearth of talent because his staff did a better job of recruiting than Kelly’s.”

That makes no sense – If Lou’s staff did a better job of recruiting than Kelly’s that would mean that Lou had a PLETHORA of talent.

In any case please accept my thanks for the chance to throw some big words around.

Ric, good point. We’ve previously discussed season total inflation here: http://www.herloyalsons.com/blog/2016/02/05/no-brian-kelly-statue/

What’s interesting to note about the recent NFL Draft is that our outgoing players haven’t been viewed as this elite (two 1st rounders) since 1994, which would imply that the current staff is approaching Holtzian levels.

How about titles and winning percentages. Kelly gets comparative numbers in wins because they play more games.Use winning percentages and titles and Kelly doesn’t compare to Ara, Knute, Lou or Dan Devine. Lou had a dearth of talent because his staff did a better job of recruiting than Kelly’s.

It don’t mean a thing if you ain’t got that ring – just one will do, but you have to have at least one.