TRANSFORMATION
Volume 126 Issue 8
kansan.com
Thursday, September 5, 2013
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY BANSA
COMMENTARY Weis continues clean-up efforts
Turner Gill decimated Kansas football. He took a small founda-
took a small foundation that Mark Mangino built over eight seasons and took a wrecking ball to it, erasing any positive connotations with the words Jayhawk football fans may have had after tasting success not too long ago. And after he was fired following his second season, some people might look at his replacement, Charlie Weis, entering his second year and expect much better results this fall.
That probably won't happen and it likely won't have anything to do with Charlie Weis, who signed up for two difficult tasks: Make Kansas football competitive and clean up the mess that Turner Gill left behind. We saw glimpses of competitiveness last season in close losses to Rice, Northern Illinois, Texas and Texas Tech. But cleaning up the mess wasn't going to be a one year fix. Football rosters are too big for one offseason overhaul to cure all ills, especially in a league like the Big 12. You not only need talented players, but you also need talented players with experience at this level. And you need a lot of them.
"We ran out of gas in the fourth quarter a number of times last year on defense in my opinion," said defensive coordinator and former Dallas Cowboys head coach Dave Campo on Tuesday. "And part of that was I was reluctant to play backup guys."
That explains the number of junior college transfers the coaching staff picked up in the offseason;17 to be exact. Even after a few expected hiccups with junior college players, Weis still had seven junior college transfers listed in the starting lineup he released at Tuesday's press conference, with another five transfers listed as backups.
That is no way to build a traditional program, but Weis was desperate. He saw what fans had witnessed in 2010 and 2011. He needed players, fast, and he is slowly stockpiling talent for the future.
"We finally got to the point where you can put out the 2s (backups) and you're not holding your breath that the 2s are out there," Weis said.
There is a difference between not being scared of playing backups and being confident with the depth you have, but it's a good start. And with the "pile of crap" Weis inherited, a good start is all you can ask for.
Edited by Jessica Mitchell
GAMEDAY PREVIEW
Jayhawks prepare to face off against South Dakota this Saturday
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TAILGATE SEASON
Jayhawk football fans eager to begin game day celebrations
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