Quiet Confidence Coming from Brian Kelly

Brian Kelly has started to speak with a quiet confidence more and more over the last few years. 

On Monday, Kelly couldn't help but smile when talking about the ceiling of his 2020 team. 

"When you look at the basic tenets of your football team, the ability to run the football, to have a veteran quarterback back," stated Kelly. "Certainly from a defensive structure, one where your system is in place. You feel like you have the ability to stop the run and then on the perimeter, I think we're better than we were last year in a sense that we have the safety and corner position has evolved." 

"So, coming into the season, when your special teams now is returning, you feel really good about where you are, but you got to go play the games." 

In December, Kelly felt the Irish could be better in 2020 than 2019, a team that finished 11-2. 

However, those comments were before a worldwide pandemic that cost Notre Dame spring practice and hindered offseason workouts. 

"We were in a different place this year in terms of our preparation than when I made that comment in December," explained Kelly. "There were a lot of different things that have occurred. We didn't have spring practice, which I don't know that anybody's really going to be able to tell what that does in terms of the effect of your football team, particularly in these early games. 

"I think the second thing is, we didn't get all of our practices in, quite frankly, and I don't know who will. There are those distractions that we have to obviously go through and other teams will have those same distractions. 

"My point being is those weren't in play in December, but the basic tenets of having a really good football team, potentially a great football team, are in place, and now we're going to have to go prove it."

If the Irish want to prove it, it starts with the coaching staff. Defensive coordinator Clark Lea is established and enters his third year in the role, so there is confidence and an expectation. 

On offense, Kelly promoted Tommy Rees to offensive coordinator and he brings one game of experience to the table. 

"I think he's going to do quite well," Kelly said. "He was on a job interview against Iowa State, which was a very difficult chore with a defense that you don't see very much in a 3-3-5 defense against a very good defensive coordinator in coach (Jon) Heacock. 

"He did a great job in his preparation. He's been that same person since that interview that he had. He's been organized, his meetings have been outstanding, his practice preparation has been exactly what I'm looking for and I expect the same thing."

Those tests have continued to come during the last month as the Irish have simulated game scenarios. 

"We've had a couple of dress rehearsals with him up in the box and signaling in and communication," Kelly explained. "I've listened in and liked the communication and I think it will go extremely smooth. I think it will be extremely efficient and I expect a very good and successful run with Tommy as our offensive coordinator."

Notre Dame will also be in uncharted territory as they will compete for an ACC Title this fall. 

However, the goal isn't changing for Notre Dame as a National Championship is the priority. 

"Well, it's never been a goal," Kelly said when asked about competing for an ACC Championship. "So it's an established goal now, to win a championship, an ACC championship. Our mission is to win a national championship and graduate all of our players. We're able to talk in terms of a mission being to win a championship, now an ACC championship and if you win that, obviously you keep your mission alive for a national championship. So you've got both of them now in your eyes and in your vision for what you want to accomplish in your season.

"I don't know that it changes a whole lot in terms of our standard, in terms of what we want to accomplish. It's one week at a time and living up to our standards means total preparation and our traits. I think they're all kind of wrapped into one, I think the really interesting part of this is it brings a bigger focus in on certainly the week to week because you're dealing with 10 ACC games, where we didn't have that kind of focus in years past."