Brian Kelly's Bowl Practice Schedule Shows Balance Before Notre Dame's Bowl Game

Following Notre Dame's victory over USC on Nov. 27, the bowl picture was still unclear with many scenarios being floated around. Without knowing who their next opponent would be, coach Kelly held practice on Saturday, Dec. 4 and Sunday, Dec. 5.

After it was announced that Notre Dame would be facing Miami in the Sun Bowl in El Paso on Dec. 31, the Irish buckled down for a week of preparation for Miami, complete with full contact practices on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Players were given the week of Dec. 13-17 off for exams, and this led to critics claiming that Kelly was being too soft on the players and not utilizing the practice time granted.

People that made this claim seemed to do so without full knowledge of the situation. Point number one: players that finished exams early participated in strength and conditioning workouts, and while this is not the same as an organized scrimmage, it still builds camaraderie within the team.

As for the players who were still focusing on exams, that is indeed where their focus needed to be.

Point number two: after exams were finished and school was no longer in session, Kelly is free to practice as much as he felt fit, with the 20-hour-per-week limit not in effect.

Practice for this week was highlighted by intense workouts and some team functions. After Monday's workout, the team and coaches, along with the coaches' families, went to a bowling and go-kart center. This type of interaction is essential to team unity, and it also allows players to interact with the families of the staff and form a more personal bond.

After Tuesday's practice, it was off to dinner and the movies, with most of the other students on campus already gone home on Christmas break. It is extremely important to have some extracurricular functions to keep the players busy.

For some of the younger players, being virtually alone on campus during the cold days of December while their classmates are already at home enjoying their families could be disastrous if handled the wrong way.

This brings us to today. I just spoke with Brian Hardin, Director of Football Media Relations, and he stated that today's practice wrapped up a few minutes ago and that the players would be dismissed for Christmas break. The team will reconvene on Dec. 26 in El Paso and practice once a day until Dec. 30.

Coach Kelly used this period of time from Nov. 27 to the present perfectly. Injuries were healed, and the only new injury was a minor thumb ligament injury that kept Duval Kamara out of practice yesterday but will not keep him out of the Sun Bowl.

There were also official visits made during this time as well, with the coaching staff being out on the road to do recruiting. The average person that looks at the practice schedule and sees the gaps would come to the conclusion that Kelly did not take full advantage of the time given.

I would disagree with them. Coach Kelly used this time to accomplish multiple goals. His great sense of balance in preparation for the Sun Bowl should be proven on Dec. 31, but it will be interesting to see the dividends that it pays in 2011.