Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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fighting words Wes morgan going to kill us for [the Sugar Bowl matchup with Florida] coming up," said Kelce, now a second-year pro with, yes, the Philadelphia Eagles. "It was definitely an emotional night when Coach Kelly told us." Kelce added that, despite Bearcats players telling reporters Kelly promised he wasn't going anywhere, that's not what happened. "I didn't hear that once," he said. "You'll hear a lot of coaches say this is their dream place, where they always wanted to be or they really like the kids and, 'Why would I want to leave?' The guys that are firm in staying, they'll come out and say, 'I'm not going anywhere; I'm staying.' That was never said by Kelly, so a lot of guys said he lied. That just wasn't the case. "The same thing happened with Mark Dantonio, which I don't think you can ask for a classier coach in the world than that guy. He's pure class. Both he and Kelly said they wanted to stay and liked where they were at, but at the end of the day they had a better opportunity. Guys hear what they want to hear." When Kelce heard Kelly was interviewing for the void left by an ousted Andy Reid, his reaction was somewhat surprising considering he was jilted by Kelly not that long ago. "I'll probably have goose bumps when I see him again," Kelce said of the prospect of playing for Kelly. "I would be extremely excited. It would be a good experience for me." Only the most naïve football fans and players take a head coach's words as gospel. Even the most cynical understand that they're not always lying either. What we all can agree on is egos and reputations are always part of the equation. Kelly wants to be remembered as a legend at Notre Dame, with a statue outside the stadium reminding folks of how he polished up a program suffocating from dust prior to his arrival in 2010. Playing for a national title won't elevate him to the status of former Irish head coaches Lou Holtz, Ara Parseghian, Dan Devine, Frank Leahy and Knute Rockne. No bronze likeness is erected for that. Kelly has to win one, and he appears determined to do so. Win and you're loved. Win and stay and you're immortalized. Lose a national championship and leave — and you're bags will be packed for you. Kelly knows that, and his legacy is important to him. But his rendezvous with Philadelphia owner Jeffrey Lurie in Nashville wasn't as flippant or purely informational as Kelly suggests. It was a first step to an eventual jump to the NFL — the next challenge. "I always envisioned him going to the NFL because he's that type of personality," Kelce added. "He kind of blends with that a lot better. I think he truly is interested in going to the NFL. … It will be interesting to see what happens." And when. ✦ Assitant Editor Wes Morgan has been with Blue & Gold Illustrated since February 2011. He can be reached at wmorgan@blueandgold.com