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If Brian Kelly's meeting with the Eagles was indeed just a ploy to get a raise out of Notre Dame, as all Irish fans are convinced of, then he's really doing a good job of faking interest in the NFL.
According to several reports, Kelly will hold a second interview with the Eagles this weekend. Given the news that the team will meet with Gus Bradley this afternoon in Atlanta, it would make sense that any meeting with Kelly is going to happen tomorrow.
In addition, the Chicago Tribune is reporting that Kelly has been reaching out to NFL people to learn more about coaching in the league.
The Notre Dame coach interviewed with the Eagles on Tuesday and has a second meeting with the team set for this weekend, according to a published report. Meanwhile, Kelly continued to confer with NFL people about what it's like to coach at that level, a league source said early Saturday.
The one problem with the idea that Kelly is just angling for a raise, is that you would think he was pretty likely to get one anyway. He did just lead the team to 12-1 season and an appearance in the BCS title game. Why he would feel the need to orchestrate what would be a pretty elaborate charade to force more money out of Notre Dame is hard to figure. And further, if you really think Brian Kelly is so in love with South Bend and loyal to the Irish... go ask Central Michigan and Cincinatti fans.
If you want to learn more about Brian Kelly, check out both Tommy Lawlor's piece about his coaching career and Tim Casey piece on his playing days. There's no question that he's a very impressive guy.
What this all means that is that the Eagles coaching search might be wrapped up by early next week. The Eagles are meeting with Gus Bradley today and if they either don't like him or get the impression that he wants the job, they could very well just hire Brian Kelly tomorrow. If they like Bradley and Seattle loses tomorrow, they could very well hire Bradley early next week.
If Seattle wins, but they really liked Bradley, you may also hear that Kelly's future is decided. The Eagles probably can't let him hang until the Super Bowl as classes start at Notre Dame Tuesday. So expect to hear news soon.