Notre Dame Football: 3 Things Learned From Brian Kelly’s Pre-BC Presser

Brian Kelly met with the media at the Guglielmino Athletics Complex on Tuesday afternoon prior to Notre Dame’s matchup with Boston College.

Kelly discussed several topics relating to Notre Dame football on Tuesday. Here are a few topics of interest and what they say about the team going forward:

Chris Finke into the Starting Lineup

After playing a significant role against Georgia, Finke finds himself in the starting lineup. Graduate transfer Freddy Canteen injured his shoulder in Saturday’s game. The former walk-on caught 3 passes for 36 yards in a loss to the Bulldogs. Finke runs better routes than Canteen. He gets open more frequently. This move helps Notre Dame firm up their Wide Receiver issues. Simply, Finke represents a more reliable target than anyone on the roster not named Equanimeous.

No Timetable for Elijah Taylor

The Junior Defensive Tackle from Cincinnati, OH suffered an injury during spring practice. He figured to possibly start at 3-technique for Notre Dame. Now, there is no timetable for his return. From a 2017 perspective, there is no reason for Taylor to return to the Irish this year if he cannot make a full recovery. He would be better served preserving a year of eligibility. Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa played well enough in the first two games to justify not pushing Taylor through rehab.

Next: 5 Things We Learned From Notre Dame-Georgia

Kelly Apologizes, Sort of

As we discussed on Sunday, Brian Kelly abruptly answered then ended his post-game press conference following a question about close losses. On Tuesday, Kelly indirectly apologized for his behavior. He told reporters, “I probably could have handled it a little bit better. But, in the heat of the moment, my thoughts were on the game itself.” Kelly could apologize directly to the reporter. He may have apologized to the writer in public. However, this half apologize, half excuse simply does not cut it. Kelly needs more good will if this season becomes mediocre.