Friday, December 9, 2011

Weis' priorities are out of whack

For what it's worth, Charlie Weis sounds sincere, at the very least, when talking about turning Kansas football around.

Because, quite honestly, the very least may be all Jayhawk-country yields from a coach who seems to have his priorities a bit out of whack.


Weis opened his introductory press conference Friday in Lawrence talking about family. He says the choice to take the head football coaching job at Kansas was a family decision, and before even considering the offer it was going to have to make sense for his loved ones at home.

Of course, this shouldn't come as a surprise to those of us in Kansas City. After all, it was the opportunity for Weis to move his family to Gainesville and allow his son, Charlie Jr. an intern-like coaching gig with the Gators that was given to fans as explanation for his departure as Chiefs offensive-coordinator after just one season.

Most considered it nonsense. His relationship with Head coach Todd Haley was rumored to be rocky at-best. When Haley benched quarterback Matt Cassel for a series late last season, the consensus was Weis had used the quarterback to undermine Haley.

Less than a week later, the news surfaced that Weis would be heading to Florida after the season. The Chiefs offense immediately went into hiding (no sign of it since).

But what Weis didn't tell us then was that his decision to leave Kansas City was less about his son and more about his special-needs daughter, Hannah. CBSSports.com's Dennis Dodd reported back in March of two incidents involving her school bus driver that had Weis' wife, Maura ready to move back to their home near Notre Dame.

Ultimately, Weis says, the move to Florida was best for everyone. Maura loved the area, Charlie Jr. got his first taste of coaching, and most importantly, Hannah was happy.

And this is where it just gets downright confusing. Why Kansas? Why now?

If nothing else, the family-driven Weis had logic on his side before. Now that's gone.

The coach talked for ten minutes Friday about Hannah's happiness in Florida and his wife's reluctance to move back to the midwest. His solution? Instead of turning down the worst college coaching job in Division-1 football, he'll accept it, move to Lawrence with Charlie Jr. — who's transferring to KU by the way — and leave his wife and special-needs daughter back home with unlimited access to the private-jet to visit.

It's strange, contradictory, and unneeded. Weis dumped the Chiefs last January to be with his family, who preferred a change of location ... just so, a year later, he can move away from his family and back to the Kansas City area?

The KU football program has never been so flattered.

The common-denominator here is Weis, who seems incapable of being content.

His heart seems to be with the college game now, but can he commit to the program for the long haul, beyond the Turner Gill-aftermath and the pressure back home?

Sure, this screams low-risk/high-reward for KU, but that'll be a tough sell to the fan base a year from now if Weis bolts his fourth coaching job in four years.

The excuses will be about as unlimited as that private-jet access.

1 comment:

  1. Weis is perhaps creating another mess?

    I agree with your take that his 'steps' make little sense, though you have to appreciate that the "reward" in this job is to simply finish around .500 (what would be considered QUITE an accomplishment for how low the program is).

    I don't think that Weis is selfish--- I feel like he wants to take on a mild challenge, that he wants to get away from the pressures of HIGH Div 1 outposts in South Bens and now Gainesville.

    It is too bad that the Chiefs parted ways from Weis and kept Haley-- Right now, I would say we made a truly horrible decision--

    KU made a good hire here, IF EVEN as a stopgap for a year or two.

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