Transcript: Brian Kelly On Moving On From Offensive Coordinator Chip Long
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly addressed the media today after his team's first bowl practice in preparation for Iowa State in the Camping World Bowl. Most of the press conference, however, was focused on the program moving on from offensive coordinator Chip Long, play-calling duties for the bowl game and who will take over the position after the season.
Kelly: "I'm sure you guys want to know about the staff. As you probably know, the worst kept secret here at Notre Dame, and I guess now through the country is that I made a change on the staff on the offensive side of the ball, which I felt was in the best interest of our program. Subsequently, we've organized as a staff to reflect those changes.
"We had a great practice today. We've got a short window to prepare for a very good Iowa State team. I'm very impressed with them on film. So, as I told our football team, what's most important now is that as they navigate through a kind of a truncated schedule relative to practices, that when they come over to this building, they have to leave all of that academics behind and really focus on football and then pick it back up when they leave.
"We had a really good day today. The energy was outstanding. Really most of the work today was with the younger players and key backups. We'll begin to integrate our top guys in practice three, which will be next Tuesday and we'll scrimmage next Thursday. That'll be our first scrimmage.
"As we kind of move forward, we've got a very limited opportunity to kind of get into a schedule for preparation. It's important that our guys are focused and locked in. So that's why it was important to get rolling with this reorganization of our staff, and we're able to do that.
"Again, had a great practice and ready to move to a practice two tomorrow morning. With that, we'll open it up to questions."
On what the staff reorganization will look like and who will be calling plays in the bowl:
Kelly: "Collaboration requires guys to pick up additional roles. Lance Taylor will handle the run game coordination. Tommy Rees will handle the pass game and, as it relates to play-calling, we're still sorting that out."
On the time table for filling the vacant offensive coordinator position and if Kelly will be looking at candidates both inside and outside of the organization:
Kelly: "I think all of it's an evaluation process for me. I have not made any decisions on will there be a new offensive coordinator from the inside? Will I bring somebody from the outside? I have some thoughts as to what it should look like, but no decisions have been made. Certainly, there's a lot of interest in the position as you can imagine. This is a great job, so I think you can imagine the kind of interest that has come across my desk relative to wanting to be the offensive coordinator here.
"I've got a great staff as well, but no decision has been made. I know there's a lot of speculation that one of the coaches has already been named. That's unfounded. That's simply not true. We're going to do a thorough evaluation and search and find what I would consider the best coach that fits Notre Dame.
"Look, we had an offensive coordinator who was extremely successful, and I did what I thought was best for the program, so I'm going to again do what's best for the program. That doesn't mean default back to hiring just to hire somebody. We're going to do what's in the best interest of this football program."
On why Chip Long leaving was in the best interest of the program:
Kelly: "I'll leave that alone right now. I think what's most important is that I did what was in the best interest of the program. To get into any of the specifics is really not in anybody's best interest at this time."
On which young guys jumped out to him at today's practice:
Kelly: "We played a lot of guys that have gotten substantial playing time. It's changed a lot when you can play those four games, so you've seen them a lot more. I guess the guy that continues to do some really good things, for me, is Joe Wilkins. I just wish he was healthier during the season. He's got a nice skill set for us. He had a nice day today in terms of just his overall ability to track the football and go and get the football. So he had a nice day.
"Litchfield Ajavon continues to impress in one-on-one drills. Those are a couple of freshmen that jumped out. I'd have to watch a little bit more film, but kinda like what I said is that a lot of these guys have gotten in front of me already because of the four-game rule. It's a little bit different than like some other bowl game preparations where you hadn't seen them because they'd been on scout team all year."
On if going forward Kelly expects the offensive structure to look different than it did this season:
Kelly: "I think it'll be subtle, but there will be some differences. I think every offensive coordinator has their own touches to the way that the offense would look. Again, the base structure is fundamentally going to look to most the same, but there'll be some nuances there that I think when you look at it closely that you'll see the differences."
On if he was pleased with the offense's production this season:
Kelly: "Yeah. I mean, I think anytime that you're scoring points at the level that we were, you're pleased in that respect. There were some other things that, certainly, I wasn't as pleased with. But overall, this is not an offense that lagged in the back half of many categories. It was in the top half or the top third of many. Is that the only way you judge an offense? Probably not, but by and large, this offense, we're not going run the ball ' times, like they did in '89. Having said that, the offense will have some slight nuances, but by and large, the product and what it resulted was pretty darn good."
On if the players had any input in Kelly's decision to let Long go:
"No. I think any head coach has to have the pulse of his team. But if you're asking did I have interviews with my team to make a decision? Absolutely not. But I think any head coach that does not have the pulse of his football team is not going to be a head coach very long."
On who will coach tight ends for the bowl game:
Kelly: "It's collaborative. Pat Kramer and Chief. I'd give you a chief's full name, but we would be here all day with me trying to pronounce the Polynesian version. Chief had the tight ends in the spring at Minnesota. He’s got a good background with the offensive line. He’s worked with tackles and tight ends, Pat (Kramer) will work with the passing game. I kind of set the meeting for them and they did a heck of a job today."
On if he's had all of his discussions with his players on if they will be returning:
Kelly: “I have. I’ve talked to everybody. I’ve said this before, I leave that up to them to decide how and when they want that to be public knowledge. It's not my job to come out and say this guy is doing this and that guy is doing that. We have our roster set based on who’s coming back and who’s not coming back. I know exactly how our roster is set for next year.
"They’ll make announcements relative to whether they’re staying or going here. it will be fairly imminent.”
On if anyone is sitting out of the bowl game:
Kelly: “Everybody is going to play unless something changes. As of today, all of our starters that started in our game against Stanford practiced and participated today, so it would have to be somebody coming up to me after this conversation that I’m having with you and said, ‘I’ve changed my mind, I’m not going to play in the game.'"
On if he could call plays in the future or going forward:
Kelly: “I’m not calling plays. I will not call plays. That’s not my role. I’ve moved past that role. I will certainly be much more involved in the organization of the offense and clearly making sure that our room is where I want it to be, and I think it is. I will assist, I will be there to lean on and consult with, but this will be a collaborative approach, with the lead coming from Lance and Tom.”
On who will be the primary play-caller in the bowl game:
Kelly: “Somebody will be eventually the primary play-caller, I just haven’t made that decision yet.”
On if long snapper John Shannon will be back for a fifth season:
Kelly: “He’s decided that he would like to move on and he already got placement in law enforcement in Evanston, Ill. Pretty excited about that. He will be moving on to a full-time position in law enforcement.”
On if Kelly will look at the transfer portals to add additional players to the roster:
Kelly: “I don’t think you can ever not look. You have to always examine it. I want to be careful how I say this, but we’re reaching the luxury tax special. We’re at the salary cap. We don’t have the luxury to bring in three or four guys, so we would have to be really blown over the top to dip into that pool.”
On if the structure of the staff could shift when adding a new offensive coordinator:
Kelly: “There’s nobody on the defensive staff that would move over to the offensive staff. I’m really looking at simply getting through this bowl cycle and then doing what’s in the best interest of the program. I’m going to be thorough, I’m going to be measured and deliberate about what’s in the best interest of this football program.
“We’re going to have a really good football team coming back. Really good. The schedule is challenging but one that we’ll position ourselves with games with Wisconsin and Clemson and USC to name a few — there are other really good teams on that schedule. So we want the best staff moving forward to put our players in the best position to succeed and win a national championship.”
On if he's looking to hire a certain position coach as offensive coordinator:
Kelly: “It’s open. I could hire an offensive line coach, I could hire a tight end coach, I could hire a quarterback coach. I’m going to hire the best coach that I believe fits what we have currently. That’s not to say I want to move any of the coaches that I have on the staff. I think I have good football coaches.
“I don’t know how to say this any clearer: I’m going to do what’s in the best interest of this football program, not me. I’m not going to do what’s in my best interests. I’ve already made a tough decision. I’ve had to make other tough decisions. I made them a few years ago. I had to let go of guys that stood up in my wedding. I’m not afraid to make tough choices. I’m going to make decisions that are in the best interests of Notre Dame’s football program and gives us the best chance to win a national championship. I can’t articulate it any better.”
----
• Talk about it inside Rockne’s Roundtable
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue & Gold Illustrated.
• Follow us on Twitter: @BGINews, @BGI_LouSomogyi, @BGI_MikeSinger, @CoachDeDario and @AndrewMentock.
• Like us on Facebook.