by Mike Coffey

We’re getting some new eyeballs and participation here on the boards at NDN thanks to some recent references in blog posts, online news articles, op-ed pieces, and whatever the hell it is that Brian Cook allegedly gets paid to do.  Some folks decided to take us to task for allegedly improper negativity following two weeks in a row of heartbreaking losses by ND’s football team.

We here at NDN certainly are not afraid to stand behind our opinions.  If we weren’t, we’d be wasting our time.  But I read some of the criticisms leveled at both our site users and us Board Ops, both here and elsewhere, and I’m forced to conclude those folks are reading some Imaginary Internet because I don’t see what they’re seeing.  To wit:

The Imaginary Internet Says: Everyone at NDNation has already judged Brian Kelly to be a failure.

The Real Internet Says: Just about nobody at NDNation has said that.

Sure, there may be an extreme viewpoint expressed now and then, sometimes fueled by post-loss frustration or post-loss drinking or a combination of the two.  But I don’t believe I’ve read any serious posts by any serious people who are suggesting Kelly is a failure or even close to having been judged one.  I can’t speak for everyone — when you have over 9,000 registered posters, you’re going to get a lot of variety in what’s posted — but I’m comfortable saying none of our reasonable posters have made any kind of judgment yet.

The Imaginary Internet Says: NDNation people want Brian Kelly to fail so they can say they were right about him not being the best hire.

The Real Internet Says: NDNation people want Brian Kelly to succeed so the losing will stop.

Yes, a lot of posters here had reservations about Kelly at the time he was hired.  His resume, while long, did not include any time at top-level programs the kind at which the pressures and expectations and day-to-day operations are different than at lower-level programs.  He didn’t have a lot of experience recruiting blue-chip athletes, some of whom require a different kind of hand-holding than more run-of-the-mill players.  Some of us felt the ND administrators targeted Kelly from the get-go rather than trying to stretch the grasp a little bit and go after candidates who, while possibly more difficult to acquire, would have an experience level more commensurate with those of past successful ND coaches (e.g. playing in and/or winning a statistically significant number of games against other top coaches).

But Brian Kelly is the coach, and so far, he seems to be doing a lot of positive things.  He helped push for the training table that will help keep the players in top shape.  He put together a schedule and program to try and bring the team together as a more cohesive unit.  He’s made practices a lot tougher.  He hasn’t shrunk from expectations, but seemingly has embraced them.

And even if Kelly hadn’t done those things, we’d still be behind him.  What’s the point of not being?  We hate to lose just as much as (if not more than) any other ND fans.  We want ND football to be great again.  So we want Brian Kelly to win as many games as possible.  So what if we were uneasy about the hire?  We’re not going to shrink from that.  Good results trump all.  If our fears prove to have been unfounded, so be it.  We don’t care.

The Imaginary Internet Says: NDNation just criticizes Brian Kelly.

The Real Internet Says: NDNation calls it as it sees it.

When Brian Kelly does things worthy of praise, he gets it.  As noted above, the training table, schedule, and determination have all been cited as positive things.  Throw into the mix the high-quality recruits that have committed, and there are things to be happy about and we’ve said as much.

But that doesn’t mean we’re going to shrink from pointing out potential problems, particularly when they seem to be borne of the same concerns we had when he was hired.  Pointing out concerns doesn’t mean we’ve given up on him, doesn’t mean we’ve judged him to be a failure, and doesn’t mean we want him fired.  It means we’ve noticed things that may keep Brian Kelly from having the kind of success we want him to have at ND, and if he doesn’t correct those things, chances are good he won’t have it.  It’s not heresy to do so.  It’s good analysis.

The Imaginary Internet Says: NDNation censors pro-Kelly opinions and protects their friends’ posts

The Real Internet Says: NDNation censors stupid opinions regardless of stance.

My usual philosophy of board monitoring goes something like this:  If when I read a post, I can picture it being said in a high-pitched voice by an overly-wide-eyed person, chances are it’s going in the circular file.  If you’re doing the Spartan Cheerleader Perfect Cheer in message board form, you’re going to get shit-canned, and I’m not about to apologize for it.  That’s not intelligent posting.  We’re not a rah-rah fanboy site, and we never will be.

By the same token, if you’re just being a witless crank, you’re going to get popped as well.  Going overboard doesn’t do anyone any favors.  I’ve personally handed out bad deletes to people like ACross and BeijingIrish and Chuck84 and anyone else you could list as being on the “protected list”, so spare me the whining.

The best part of Brian Kelly and the team starting to win again would be the reduction in use of the Imaginary Internet.  I’m usually not one for prayer requests, but right now, that’s mine.