One glance at Notre Dame's first practice is all it takes to see that Brian Kelly intends to be more involved this year.
He's not only the one deciding who becomes the starting quarterback. He's also going to be intricately involved in how that guy gets there.
"I just need to be involved," Kelly said after Saturday's first practice.
"I need to coach. I need to be in the trenches. I need to be around our guys. I need to be the effective leader. Some are better sitting up in the tower and some are better being hands-on, and I'm better (being hands-on). I need to be a better coach, and that’s what my strengths are. So I’m going to them.”
Give Kelly credit for knowing himself well enough to recognize where his value is to the team right now, and for not being afraid to roll up his sleeves so to speak.
This is perhaps the best move Kelly could make as he heads into his 3rd season.
Watching Kelly work with his quarterbacks you can see that he's in his element.
You don't win multiple national championships in division two by sitting back and letting your staff take charge. At that level, you have no choice but to do it yourself. The same can be said for winning a conference title in the MAC...or orchestrating an undefeated season at a place like Cincinnati.
Brian Kelly knows how to coach winning football, or he wouldn't be at Notre Dame.
I've often thought that the hardest part about being the Notre Dame head coach isn't the coaching itself. It's dealing with all the other distractions that come with the territory.
Getting back to his roots, is the first step towards making it all seem a little easier.
