Kansas Jayhawks Football

Current Kansas head coach Charlie Weis is considered one of the brightest offensive minds in all of college football. He truly knows his stuff, which is why he has had success for teams such as the New York Giants, New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs.

But lately he has bounced around, holding three different jobs in the last three seasons. It was really surprising when he left a promising job as the Florida Gators offensive coordinator. Sure, things didn't go as planned in 2011, and it wasn't a head coaching position, but things look like they are heading in the right direction under head coach Will Muschamp.

Instead, Weis left after just one season and took over the Kansas Jayhawks, a team that has not reached a bowl game since 2008 and had the worst defense in the country a year ago.

He was asked during Big 12 media days if he felt he had no choice but to take the job at Kansas (via Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman):

Was Charlie Weis desperate to take KU: "I was offered other jobs for much more money." He declined to ID other jobs.

— kbohls (@kbohls) July 24, 2012

That comment is very interesting, because it makes you wonder which programs were offering him a job. Weis is a bright man who can truly turn a program around once the right players are on the field. Did Penn State offer him a contract that he declined in lieu of their recent problems? Did Ohio State talk to him before turning their attention to Urban Meyer? UCLA? North Carolina?

And if Weis did turn some of those programs down, that must mean that he is seriously committed to Kansas. Can he actually stay with a school for longer than a year or two and build a respectable program in Lawrence?

Only time will answer both questions.

Preseason college football rankings are popping up on every sports site in the world wide web. Regardless of which site one checks, new head coach Charlie Weis has a tough road ahead in his first year at the University of Kansas.

Oklahoma, West Virginia, Texas, TCU, Oklahoma State and Kansas State constitute the list of six teams on the Jayhawks’ schedule which will likely be nationally ranked at the onset of the 2012 season. Here’s a quick breakdown of what Kansas fans can expect from the Jayhawks’ contests with their preseason-ranked foes.

Kansas vs. TCU: Saturday, Sept. 15

Both Charlie Weis and TCU will be welcomed into the Big 12 on a Saturday in Memorial Stadium, where fans will hope for a rude conference awakening.

There could be a rude awakening but probably not in Kansas’ favor. The Jayhawks should carry enough non-conference momentum into the game to hang tough through the first half, but expect TCU, ranked No. 14 by Mark Schlabach’s Way Too Early Top 25 on ESPN.com, to show its talent and depth in the latter two quarters.

Kansas @ Kansas State: Saturday, Oct. 6

It’s hard to bet in favor of Kansas in Bill Snyder Family Stadium after the embarrassments the Jayhawks endured in each of the last two seasons.

The Way Too Early poll’s No. 18 ranked Wildcats may not finish the year with as good a record as in 2011, but they’re more talented across the board in 2012. Weis’ emphasis on winning the state will create a good contest, but anything more would be a surprise in this year’s Sunflower Showdown.

Kansas vs. Oklahoma State: Saturday, Oct. 13

This contest is one of Kansas’ best chances at an upset. The Pokes have Texas in Stillwater the previous week. If they win that game, the Jayhawks have a chance to catch Oklahoma State off guard.

It could very easily go the other way, too. Freshman signal-caller Wes Lunt may be on rhythm by that point, and an improved defense could cause Weis’ still-developing offense big problems. The setup could bode well for Kansas, but they can’t match the talent of No. 22 on Schlabach’s list.

Kansas @ Oklahoma: Saturday, Oct. 20

This one doesn’t bode well. Three-straight weeks of high-caliber conference opponents may well have worn out the thin Kansas squad.

The Sooners make the second-straight opponent to face Kansas the week after facing Texas. Experience, though, is what will keep the list’s No. 6 ranked Oklahoma squad focused on the task at hand. Just staying competitive in Norman at this point in the season would say a lot about the Jayhawks.

Kansas vs. Texas: Saturday, Oct. 27

This is another one the Jayhawks may not have much of a chance in. Even if Mack Brown’s team is struggling, top-to-bottom athleticism is too much for a thin, transitioning Kansas team to handle.

The Longhorns, No. 19 on the Way Too Early list, always seem fired up for the Jayhawks. The increased pressure on Brown to win big this season doesn’t help Kansas’ cause, either.

Kansas vs. West Virginia: Saturday, Dec. 1

A long trip to Morgantown at the end of the season doesn’t sound like much fun, but if Kansas can compete for three-straight weeks against Baylor, Texas Tech and Iowa State and win at least one of those games, they may head to West Virginia with a little fire.

If the Jayhawks see themselves improving each of the previous three weeks, particularly on defense, expect to see them give the No. 8 team on Schlabach's list its money’s worth.

Picture this: If Kansas manages to win all three non-conference games and upset any two of Iowa State, Baylor and Texas Tech (with the exception of 2011 at Baylor, Kansas regularly plays well against both Baylor and Iowa State), Weis’ team will have a lot to play for in their final week. It’s highly unlikely, but it’s a neat scenario to consider.

Kansas may not pose a true threat to any of its foes from the college football preseason rankings lists, but how competitive the Jayhawks stay in these contests can say a lot about the direction of Coach Weis’ program.

The Kansas Jayhawks have concluded spring practice, and we had a chance to catch up with head coach Charlie Weis. This interview includes his thoughts on the spring season, talk about the Big 12, college football playoffs, how the heck he wound up in Lawrence and when Kansas will play Missouri again.  

 

Q: Just having wrapped up your first spring at Kansas. How much did you get installed? Did you get everything accomplished that you wanted?
A: No. There's a lot of things that we didn't do because of personnel. For example, we only had a couple of scholarship tight ends on campus in the spring and there are a couple of packages where I like to use multiple tight ends. It's tough to practice and get things installed and taught with only two in spring practice. Conversely we have a group of junior college defensive linemen coming in and a fifth-year guy coming in so we had to keep it simple for a lot of what we're doing and now we'll wait until the reinforcements get here.

Q: How much time was spent just learning players in the spring? Forget installing a new offense and defense.
A: When recruiting ended from February to the end of April, we got to know our players really well and our staff got a chance to blend things together. We got in a good portion of the offense, defense and special teams. I'm happy with where we are now but you've seen KU play - we've got a long way to go to be competitive on a weekly basis.

Q: Is it as simple as just not having enough talent?
A: It's just not one thing. You always need to get better football players but the players that we have here right now are the players that we have here. I think the most important thing is that you don't point fingers at anyone before you. That doesn't get you anywhere. I think that our most important job is to coach the heck out of these guys and push them to be the most they can be and be competitive on a weekly basis and win more football games.

Q: A lot of what you've done in regard to recruiting has come through transfers namely some key players at quarterback. How does the most important position on the field look going into the summer?
A: Well Dayne (Crist) is the runaway starter. He knows the offense so much better than everyone else not to mention the fact that he's a really good football player. For Dayne that's a big plus. Jake Heaps who came from BYU is ineligible to play this season because he's a legitimate transfer. He'll have to sit this year and then will have two-years to lay after Crist leaves. We have other guys coming too but they won't be here until next week.

Q: How did your experience at Notre Dame better prepare you for this opportunity at Kansas?
A: There were two things - first of all, when I took the Notre Dame job I had been in the NFL for 15 years so coming in there were two things that I learned that are more important than anything else. Staff chemistry is very, very important. You just can't hire guys with good reputations. You've got to get guys who mesh well together which I thinkwe've done this time around. Secondly, you can't look at college football players like you do pro football players because there's a big difference in an 18-year-old kid walking in the door and a 22 or 23-year-old young man walking out the door. You can't talk to them the same.

Q: There's pressure to win every where. Turner Gill got two seasons to prove that he could do the job in Lawrence and now you're his successor. Is there anywhere in college football where there is more pressure on a head coach than in South Bend?
A: Part of Notre Dame is that it's so national. Whatever you do winds up on national news. If you say anything the least bit controversial you can bet that you'll hear it, see it or read it on the latest line later on that evening. The bottom line is that it doesn't matter where you go- you still have to push yourself to be the best you can be as a coach just like players do and I think that pressure is something that is self-inflicted. Pressure is how you handle a situation not as much about what everyone is saying.

Q: You were offensive coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs for a season then moved to Gainesville to do the same for Will Muschamp and the Gators. Did you just get that head coaching itch again?
A: To be perfectly honest with you - there were a lot of jobs especially in the NFL that were open the same time this one was. Two years ago I spent a year in Kansas City and I really loved the Kansas City area but I was having some issues with my daughter who has special needs and we had to move. Once we got her down there and settled - the phone calls began. When Kansas called I got the same inquisitive look that other people would have but knowing that just a short time ago they were winning 10-games and going to the Orange Bowl - you knew that there had to be a way to get them back on the winning track sooner rather than later.

Q: When you look at the Big 12 with Texas, Oklahoma - you add TCU and West Virginia plus right down the road Bill Snyder has the Wildcats relevant again - what do you see?
A: The Big 12 is a tough league and you're going to have a tough time trying to win every time you play. Let's not rule out Iowa State who went to a bowl game last year. There isn't a gimme in the conference. My job is to make sure that Kansas isn't a gimme either. That's what we are trying to do here in Lawrence.

Q: By the end of next month - there might be a new college football playoff format set. What would you like to see happen in regard to a new postseason situation in college football?
A: First of all I'm a playoff guy after all of the years that I spent in the NFL. The playoffs were just wonderful. Every other sport has a playoff - why not Division 1 college football. The only thing is that I don't think anyone is rooting for the bowls to go away so they are going to have to find some way to use the bowls as part of the system whether it's a four-team playoff or a Plus One. 

Q: A lot of fans are going to miss the Border Showdown with Missouri. When are you going to play the Tigers again?
A: I don't make the schedule. You're asking the wrong guy (laughing). Look, here's what we should do. They are trying to get in to NCAA legislation of possibly having an exhibition game against another team instead of a spring game. I say we do that-play it at Arrowhead and give all of the money to charity.

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Dave Barr is a Contributor for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

Memorial Stadium has had an appropriate name during the past two seasons, because football has gone there to die. Charlie Weis will change that.

Make no mistakes, Lawrence is a basketball town—some would argue that it's the Mecca of college hoops.

However, few realize the tradition of its gridiron counterpart, dating back to 1901. A tradition that's highlighted by all-time greats, such as Gale Sayers and includes a victorious Orange Bowl appearance just five seasons ago. 

As the Mark Mangino scandal died down, so did the popularity of his former team. 

Mangino's reputation came under fire after rumors of player mistreatment circled the program.

The University of Kansas responded by abruptly firing him and hiring Turner Gill—a man whose Dalai Lama-like approach backfired when attempting to motivate his defense. 

Under two seasons of Gill's supervision, the Jayhawks tallied a 5-19 record. Last year, Kansas allowed an average of 43.8 PPG (ranking 120th nationally). 

Fans' outspoken displeasure resonated with the athletic department, which announced on December 8 that Charlie Weis would take the reins.

Serving as the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator in 2010, Weis isn't a newcomer to the region. 

However, the 56-year-old has brought along some friends.

Weis is universally perceived as a quarterback guru. During Brady Quinn's freshman campaign—under head coach Tyrone Willingham—the coveted Golden Domer threw for 2,586 yards, 17 TDs and 10 INTs. Notre Dame proceeded to sign Weis as its head coach in 2005 and Quinn's numbers were the beneficiaries. In his sophomore season, he aired it out for 3,919 yards, 32 TDs and only seven INTs.

Weis would eventually jump back into the NFL in 2010, but his effectiveness remained immediately visible. Taking over as offensive coordinator for the Chiefs, he was given the task of honing Matt Cassel's game. 

In 2009, before Weis' arrival, Cassel's quarterback rating (QBR) finished at 69.9. During Charlie's brief one-year stint as coordinator, Matt Cassel's QBR skyrocketed among the league's best at 93 and earned the much-maligned quarterback a Pro Bowl nod. However, when Charlie packed his bags for Florida, Cassel's rating plummeted back down to earth, concluding at 76.6.

The aforementioned scenarios, amongst others, piqued the interest of highly touted quarterbacks Dayne Crist and Jake Heaps. 

Coming out of high school, Rivals tagged Crist as the second-best quarterback prospect in the nation. Heaps, a junior who is ineligible to play until next season, was the top-ranked quarterback according to the publication in 2010.  

The quarterback transfers are welcomed news in Lawrence, but it's only one piece of a disarrayed puzzle. 

The void left by Turner Gill's lack of talented recruits has evolved into a gaping hole on defense. 

It's feasible that only one of Gill's prospects (LB Michael Reynolds) will start defensively.

Although Weis has brought along his own batch of talent, the most notable change from last season's squad will be new defensive coordinator Dave Campo.

Campo has spent the last four years as the Dallas Cowboys secondary coach and will attempt to spearhead an improved defensive regime—progression should be relatively easy considering that Kansas finished last in the FBS in total defense at the end of 2011.

As Campo will attempt to infuse his defense with a more rugged mentality, the same task will be duplicated offensively by Tim Grunhard. An 11-year NFL center for the Kansas City Chiefs, Grunhard provides credibility and bring a no-nonsense philosophy.

The coaching staff, as a whole, have appointed conditioning a primary focus of the offseason program. A simple tweet, alone, paints a stark contrast between the philosophies of Turner Gill and his successor: 

Not very happy with today's running. Tomorrow morning's weightroom workout just got much tougher. That's the price you have to pay.

— Coach Charlie Weis (@CoachWeisKansas) March 15, 2012

The approaches of Mark Mangino and Turner Gill anchor opposite ends of the coaching spectrum.

Mangino is a hard-nosed disciplinarian, whose tactics produced wins, but his antics translated into ire on behalf of the players and attracted unwanted headlines.  

Turner Gill is the prototypical "player's coach." He covered the muddied tracks that Mangino's reputation left and virtually every youngster would vouch for him, but his easy-going mentality resulted in an unsatisfactory record. 

It's a tale of two extremes—tangibles vs. intangibles.

With the hiring of Charlie Weis, Kansas discovered a happy medium. 

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The Sunflower Showdown never sleeps. Spring practice is upon us, and Kansans have already taken up their favorite May hobby—meaningless, way-too-early comparisons between their favorite team and least favorite counterpart, whichever that may be. Why not join in the fun?

Casual fans and media members alike have already begun spinning the hype-machine wheels. Which players are spinning the fastest? This article takes a quick look at which football players from the universities of Kansas and Kansas State are catching the most attention from the cameras this offseason.

Honorable Mention: Meshak Williams (KSU: Sr., DE)

Seven sacks and 10 tackles for a loss won’t break any records, but he’s far and away the most talented defensive end on Kansas State’s roster.  Now a senior with plenty of FBS experience after junior college, he’ll be the top dog on the front line of Kansas State’s touted defense.

Honorable Mention: Daymond Patterson (KU: Sr., WR)

Patterson’s expectations are inherent. He’s talented, has been around for four years already and found success in both systems he’s played in. It can’t hurt that he’s back in an offense that favors moving the ball through the air. Patterson’s entertaining Twitter reputation makes him a fan favorite, too.

No. 5: Greg Brown (KU: Sr., CB)

Lockdown Brown seemed anxious to put extra pressure on himself when he told reporters that, despite the clean slate with the new coach, he believes he garners a certain amount of respect. Brown has shown no major playmaking ability thus far in his career, but if the expectations are warranted, he’ll flourish in Defensive Coordinator Dave Campo’s man-press scheme.

No. 4: Tyler Lockett (KSU: So., WR)

Receivers Sheldon Smith and (apparently) Brodrick Smith are gone. Tramaine Thompson is a question mark. Chris Harper is Klein’s clear favorite. That makes Lockett the rising star after a stellar freshman season as a return-man. This year most fans expect him to find similar success in the return game while becoming the Wildcats’ No. 2 receiver as well. Regardless of how frequently KSU flings the football around, that's still a big step forward.

No. 3: Tre Walker (KSU: Jr., LB)

Walker has clearly improved with every season in the program. Now he’s getting plenty of attention for his spring work ethic and bulking up, and the media loves talking to him. This He’s expected to spearhead a terrific defense next to Arthur Brown, a task he seems perfectly capable of completing.

No. 2: Nigel Malone (KSU: Sr., CB)

When you burst onto the scene out of junior college by picking off seven passes and breaking up 10 more, you’re bound to get attention. Last year he was expected to contribute immediately, presumably in a nickelback capacity; now he’ll cover the opposition’s most difficult receiver assignment, in the pass-happy Big 12, week-in and week-out.

No. 1: (TIE) Collin Klein (KSU: Sr., QB) and Dayne Crist (KU: Sr., QB)

Their expectations are tied, even if not in the same capacity. Allow me to justify myself—Kansas State fans.

This is not a comparison between Klein’s successes and Crist's; at this point in time he’s clearly the better quarterback. Plus, in terms of this article, is anyone facing expectations as great as Klein’s?

Crist is. The expectations are different, but clearly approach a similar magnitude.

He’s rarely healthy for an entire season, was the primary quarterback on a Notre Dame team that got its coach (Charlie Weis) fired, transferred to an entirely new team, atmosphere and lifestyle, and has the minimal remnants of talent surrounding him from last season’s 2-10 team. Now, people seem to assume that he’s going to lead the Jayhawks to a magically improved team in 2012.

It's possible, but all-in-all, the unwarranted expectations bear down on Crist as strongly as the perfectly rationally founded ones do upon Klein. It'll be fun to see which comes closer to meeting and/or exceeding them.