The Loop
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly wants his team to be more like Jordan Spieth
Notre Dame has had some memorable football seasons in their long history, and let's just say the 2015-2016 edition wasn't one of them. The Fighting Irish went 4-8, highlighted (low-lighted) by home losses to Duke, a terrible Michigan State team and Navy. Four of their losses came by three points or less, but rarely did they show the fight to battle back in any of those close calls.
This led to a lot of changes for the Irish, particularly on the coaching staff of Brian Kelly, who you'll notice is still employed by the university. His coaching hot seat is hotter than ever, something he's well aware of. So aware in fact that he felt the need to write an odd, first-person letter via Yahoo.com, to describe/beg people to understand how different things will be in South Bend in 2017. The most interesting part comes in the very first sentence:
"When Jordan Spieth won the British Open in July, his performance showcased a lot of the ideals we’ve been stressing at Notre Dame the past nine months."
Brian Kelly: big golf guy.
Kelly's entire opening paragraph was dedicated to the three-time major winner, and how he wants his team to be as laser focused, attentive to detail, and just plain smart like he was on the 13th hole at Royal Birkdale.
His point is well-taken, and if you want to emulate the way someone battles back, Spieth is certainly your guy. But if they are going to copy his every move, it's going to be a wild season for Notre Dame fans. Expect an absolute roller coaster of emotions, breakdowns and nail-biting finishes. If Brian Kelly were smart, he'd hire Michael Greller as a quality control assistant.