Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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30 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW the things physically that Matt can do today in terms of getting in there and being the guy that lights the fire. Those two things have changed the environment." The question now is going to be whether the multifold changes prove beneficial, or whether the school later will wonder if it, too, delayed the inevitable with Kelly. Play-Calling Duties One of the more surprising moments in the offseason occurred when Kelly an- nounced that Memphis' Chip Long, who had been an offensive coordinator for the first time in 2016 for the Tigers, would be solely entrusted with the play-calling duties. In 2016, it was a "too many cooks in the kitchen" collaboration with Denbrock, quar- terbacks coach Mike Sanford (now the head coach at Western Kentucky) and Kelly. The job could have been turned over to longtime associate Denbrock, but Kelly opted for a different direction. "There is a difference between play calling and coordinating," Kelly said. "Play calling is more art, and Chip has got a sense and a feel for the art of play calling. I'm less concerned with that." However, don't expect any play caller to have carte blanche. "I'm going to be involved in the offense," Kelly said. "If I don't like the fact that we're not fanning out to an overhang [on defense], that's going to change. If I don't like the fact that we're not pulling a guard on our outside play — we're pulling the guard. "We have to be careful about turning the offense over and just walking away, ver- sus play calling. I'm not going to have any problems with Chip's ability to call plays and how he calls them. I think he has a great sense and intuitiveness to him that I won't be looking to take over play calling. "But I will stay involved in the structure of the offense and what I like, and how I be- lieve we need to protect the football and how the football moves down the field." Mind Games/Leadership While a revamping in strength and con- ditioning was necessary from the physical standpoint, Kelly said the mental aspects last season — most notably losing five games after taking a fourth-quarter lead, and a sixth when it was tied — were the bigger story and where he was most disappointed in himself. "If you watched our football team play last year, you would be the first to admit there weren't that many physical limitations when you jump up by 17 points and you're scoring enough points," Kelly said. "There were a lot of things outside the physical that put us in a position we were in, and that falls a lot more on the head coach. The mental preparation of our football team — which is 365 days out of the year — was lacking. "… There were mental breakdowns, which means they were not prepared in the manner they should have been." There was a confluence of factors that re- sulted in the 4-8 season, and an underrated or overlooked one to Kelly was the loss of six juniors before the season. Linebacker Jaylon Smith and wide receiver Will Fuller turning pro early was not a blindside hit, but also losing guard Steve Elmer (graduation/career move), wide receiver Corey Robinson (medi- cal), cornerback Devin Butler (injury/suspen- sion) and safety Max Redfield (dismissal) took a toll. That's not including running back C.J. Prosise and cornerback KeiVarae Russell not returning for a fifth year while going to the NFL, or tight end Alizé Mack becoming academically ineligible. "We lost six juniors that were scheduled to take leadership positions within the program, and I did a poor job of cultivating the leader- ship that that vacuum created," Kelly said. "I needed to be more hands on. I needed to be more vigilant. "I should have done a better job with the process than going [snapping the finger], 'We're just going to reload. We're just going into production, and we will plug and play.' That was a miscalculation on my part. "If I had been focused on process when I lost all those alphas, we would have been in a better position. We would have been mentally stronger, we would have had more grit and we would have won more of those games in the fourth quarter and been in a better position." During its 2012 climb to No. 1 with a 12-0 regular season, the Irish were 5-0 in games decided by seven or fewer points, not includ- ing hard-fought fourth-quarter wins at USC (22-13) and Oklahoma (30-13), where the score was tied midway through the fourth quarter. "The margin is razor thin in terms of what needed to be done. That's why I'm confident with the adjustments that we've made within our program, and by understanding where those mistakes were made, we will be back to where we need to be." KELLY New strength and conditioning coordinator Matt Balis — a native of Chicago with 16 years of experience in his field — arrived from the University of Connecticut this winter to help infuse more intensity and energy into the team's workouts. PHOTO BY COREY BODDEN