Brian Kelly Talks About Firing Matt House & Landing Blake Baker As His "First Choice"

LSU coach Brian Kelly recently spoke with The Advocate about his decision to fire former defensive coordinator Matt House this offseason.

Kelly explained that part of the issue was communication and not executing the defenses that were called.

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“I think in the final analysis, when you look at leadership, it's about getting your players to execute the defense that's called,” Kelly said in an interview Monday with The Advocate. “We weren't executing the defenses that were called. Matt's a smart coach, a good person. But at the end of the day, leadership's about getting your guys to do the things they're asked to do.

“It just wasn't happening. There was an issue there of communication that was not getting down to the players. At the end of the day, leadership is about getting players to move from point A to point B, and that wasn't happening.”

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As for House's replacement, Kelly said that Blake Baker was his first choice and explained what to expect from his defense:

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“Blake was my first choice,” Kelly said.

“Blake's work at Missouri was a major factor,” Kelly said. “I got a chance to evaluate his work over a two-year period in the SEC, and I was impressed with Missouri and their defensive structure.”

“This is going to be a defense that puts pressure on offenses, and that's what they did at Missouri,” Kelly said. “That's what he did at Miami. You're going to see a similar kind of defense. This is not going to be a bend-but-don't-break defense. This is going to be a defense that keeps you guessing as to what's next.”

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You can read the full article here.

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