Brian Kelly Transcript: Nov. 15
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly met with the media on Thursday following the Irish's practice as they prepare for No. 12 Syracuse on Saturday in Yankee Stadium.
Check out all of what Kelly had to say below.
Q: How has Ian Book looked in practice this week?
BRIAN KELLY: “He’s had a good week. Maybe normal rust on Tuesday, but Wednesday he ran the offense effectively. Today, settled in as if he had not had a week off. Today was a really good day.”
Q: How concerned are you with Ian’s injury?
KELLY: “He can run. We have run game in for him. He’s going to get hit. We feel comfortable. We wouldn’t play him if he we had to put him bubble wrap. You can’t play a quarterback in those positions.”
Q: Julian Love had to leave the field a couple of times against Florida State, what kind of week has he had?
KELLY: “No ill effects. Didn’t miss a rep and had a really good week of practice.”
Q: What type of week of practice did Nick Coleman have?
KELLY: “He got a lot of work this week. Certainly with their 10 personnel, the nickel will be an important piece of what we do. I thought he was savvy. Later in the season, I like to do more 1-on-1 for the speed so I got a chance to see him more this week. I thought he was on top of his game.”
Q: He mentioned in the spring he kind of campaigned maybe get a look at running back. Did you take that seriously?
KELLY: “I did. I think we looked at it and thought about it … When we saw the emergence of Jafar Armstrong as a multi-dimensional player for us, I think that kind of lessened [the need]. Then Nick had a really good camp as you remember. He was outstanding in camp. I think that extinguished any thought for running back.”
Q: We finally saw Avery Davis a little last week…do you think that move will turn into more eventually?
KELLY: “This is just physical development. He’s going to look a lot of different to everyone in the spring. We just have to be patient. He has good instincts, catches the ball well, willing to stick his nose, but he’s not physically there yet. This spring will be his opportunity to really grow.”
Q: Syracuse is high up there in turnovers, so when you watch them on film…is that intentionally?
KELLY: “They play good defense. I wouldn’t call them a ‘trapping’ defense in the sense of that they are in a lot of exotics. They are in four-down front that’s in Cover 1 and rotate down and play some Cover 3 … My first characterization of them wouldn’t be they are a team that takes the ball away, they’re a team that is fundamentally sound and put their kids in good position.”
Q: Nick Coleman mentioned the intensity of practice has gotten high this week, which is maybe a little atypical for his perspective. Has there been a sort of an attention to doing that and not backing off this time a year?
KELLY: “We’ve taken the pads off. I typically haven’t done that before. We were running without pads and that typically gets you going a little quicker. Practices have been shorter and that’s going to get people moving a little quicker. You’re not 7-3 either, so I think there are a number of factors playing into that.”
Q: With the turf that you are playing on Saturday, have you had someone give you reports on it?
KELLY: “I know it’s a new surface and they put a whole new surface in. It’s a full-grass surface. We’ve had our advance team out there and taken a good look at it. They think it’s a great surface.”
Q: We talked the other day about the allotment between playing base and playing nickel against Syracuse’s offense. Is that something you decide on the fly during the game or go in with a set idea? Do they force you to change your thinking as you go along?
KELLY: “You start out at nickel and trying to get into different looks depending on down and distance and their personnel … Sometimes you can’t get off the field and that’s really the whole deal.”
Q: Is it fair to say if they run the football then that opens up their full package and what they can do?
KELLY: “Oh, absolutely. The whole change in their ability to sustain their offensive structure is based upon running the football. If they can’t run the football, this team is not 8-2. They can run the football. By being an effective through the ground, it sets up everything they can do. It has to do with an experience offensive line … They have a good scheme, an experience OL coach and experienced linemen and good running backs.”
Q: Jafar Armstrong was trying to get back into a rhythm last week. How has he progressed?
KELLY: “He’s still trying to get back to 100 percent. I don’t think he is quite 100 percent yet. What Jafar is learning is the life of a running back is you never get quite 100 percent. You have to learn how to play 100 percent when you are 80 percent. He is kind of going through those growing pains.”
Q: Is Trevor Ruhland available?
KELLY: “He is. He feels really good, so I think we are in a good place with him right now.”
Q: Do you anticipate a rotation there because Tommy Kraemer has been playing well.
KELLY: “Tommy has been playing really well. I think we’re going to keep him in there right now. But, Trevor is ready to go if we feel we need to give Tommy a blow at any time. I think we’re in a good position where we can utilize him.”
Q: You mentioned about Jafar playing 100 percent at 80 percent. Is that something Dexter Williams has learned to do?
KELLY: “Yes. Again, I don’t think there are many people in November feeling like they did coming out of camp. So, the ability to give you 100 percent even though they are 90 or 80 percent and figuring out how to do that takes a while. Dexter has got it. There are a number of guys. Some of the young guys are figuring it out. It’s not that they don’t want to. It’s just new for him … Quite frankly, Dexter has gone through a couple things that have been rough for him. He’s a young kid and has a great attitude. He’s figuring out.”
Q: When we heard from the players yesterday, we heard the phrase “pressure is a privilege.” Is that something you’ve been using all year or repeat more often later in the season?
KELLY: “I’m a repeater. I think what we’ve really tried to get our guys to understand is winning here at Notre Dame shouldn’t be one where you feel pressure. It’s why you come here. It’s to win football games. It’s part of our history and part of the privilege of playing at Notre Dame and being successful. It’s a matter of what your mindset is more than anything else.”
Q: On Tuesday, you talked a little bit about Kurt Hinish’s Xs and Os … He’s a really interesting kid from a family perspective with what his dad has been through … Could you speak to that family dynamic and shaped who he is?
KELLY: “The dad, as you know, is blue-collar construction worker. He’s fought through cancer a third time. That blue-collar, Pittsburgh profile that we all kind of have in our minds is really the Hinish family. They are close-nit, Catholics and dad has gone through a tough battle with cancer. The kids and the family are so close that they live it every single day. For them and Kurt, he’s playing with the house’s money in a sense that he gets a chance to play football at Notre Dame. That’s why he has such a great attitude. It’s just a special family.”
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