Brian Kelly Bolts Cincinnati For Note-Rah Dame,

A savvy, offensive mind with a championship-laden resume couldn't save Notre Dame from the depths of ineptitude, so they go with ... a savvy, offensive mind with a championship-laden resume.

Huh?

The Irish have hired Brian Kelly away from Cincinnati to replace Charlie Weis. But despite the fact that Kelly has a proven track record as a head coach, did they really upgrade?

Here's a look at how Kelly performed in his three seasons with the Bearcats compared to the Irish's offensive and defensive averages in the Weis era.





Brian Kelly at Cincinnati

Averages


Total offense

422.9 ypg



Total defense

346.7 ypg

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Charlie Weis at Notre Dame

Averages



Total offense

383.1 ypg



Total defense364.3 ypg

Notre Dame claimed that it wanted a coach who was defensive-minded, but it certainly isn't getting that in Kelly. What the Irish have is a more polished version of Weis. Notre Dame will forever be consumed with trying to win the press conference instead of trying to make the right hire.
The consensus is that Kelly is a home-run hire, but so far he's performed in FCS, the MAC and the Big East (the BCS' equivalent to the MAC). AD Jack Swarbrick would have been better off getting a coach like Oregon State's Mike Riley, who wasn't going to wow boosters and reporters, but who has proven consistent and doesn't bring in problem children. Remember, Kelly had his issues at Central Michigan when he put his foot in his mouth while trying to explain to reporters that the reason his players didn't snitch after a brawl outside a bar is because they were too married to their street roots and couldn't tell on anyone.
Kelly knows his Xs and Os and has been behind an offense that produces no matter the situation, but he's also just as known for speaking minus a filter. Weis rubbed so many the wrong way with his arrogance and while Kelly doesn't have quite the same demeanor, he isn't going to sugar-coat anything, which could create a whole new set of problems to clean up.
Ultimately, the Irish got their man and while he could end up being the bridge from the Lou Holtz era to the future, it seems at this point like Notre Dame just traded in Weis for a newer, shinier version.