re: Brian Kelly Monday Press Conference...tidbits will be inside...

I actually felt better after listening to Kelly. He is still very much in control and understands exactly where he is—and the team is—in this process. Which is long-term. And I don’t think the goal is as easy as to win a National Championship. That’s a by-product.

He’s trying to lay down the infrastructure and build the long-lasting championship program that will outlast his own tenure as coach and be a huge part of his lasting legacy, after he’s gone. Similar to what Saban did, but maybe even longer-lasting. I defended Les Miles on here his whole tenure and will continue to do so when necessary—though not nearly as vigorously—but I think I did underestimate just how much—and how long—the benefits of what he sewed in just 5 years here were reaped after he was gone.

I don’t think O killed the program like a lot of people do. He certainly failed to capitalize on having the greatest team in CFB history. But I think he got hosed by some outside the program social stuff (COVID, BLM ‘20 Presidential Election, etc…) that he, quite frankly, was not equipped to handle. It hadn’t ever been on the job description of Head football Coach of LSU on anywhere near that level before. But, unfortunately or not—no matter your personal politics—going forward is likely going to require a mind/personality that can deftly navigate those type of waters and keep the team focused.

I think the combination of losing so many players off that ‘19 team combined with all the social off the field bullshite (and I’m counting the lawsuits, and the accusations against Guice and Les) and just everything kind of exploding into shite in a very short period, finally killed whatever good Saban had built. And it required a hard-reset. Now here we are. And it sucks in the beginning. There will be growing pains. But if Kelly is who most of us think or thought he is, the long-term benefits will be great, and they will still be reaped by coaches even after he’s gone.