Charlie Weis, in 2005:
Every game, you will have a decided schematic advantage.
Charlie Weis, in 2013:
As I sat there and watched the last four or five games of that Austin guy at West Virginia just tearing it up as both a wide receiver and a running back, I think that football sometimes doesn’t have to be as cerebral as some people try to make it, and I think that it’s a copycat business.
Pulling out the infamous “decided schematic advantage” quote is always a bit of a cheap shot at Charlie, but I still think it’s fascinating to see how his thinking has evolved as he went from the mountaintop of Super Bowl wins and ten win seasons at Notre Dame to the “pile of crap” (his words) he’s dealing with Kansas. The 2005 quote is a paean to winning by abstract thought, where chalkboard doodles decide games. It’s stated in the most bold way possible, but it’s not that far from what most coaches at least try to do.
His 2013 quote, by contrast, is a paean to common sense. In it he’s making three points, all of which are undoubtedly true:
- Football is a simple game, and it doesn’t matter what the coach knows, it’s what the players know and can do.
- He’s right that it’s a “copycat business”. Media and fans but even coaches love to wax philosophically about what “true” football is or isn’t, or what’s the “right way” to do something, but the reality is that as soon as someone — anyone — has success with something, others will quickly copy it and adapt it for their own purposes. The velocity of ideas in football is incredible.
- His final point is only made implicitly, but it’s definitely there, which is that necessity is the mother of invention. When Charlie had smart, talented players he could run the Patriots system. As defenses caught up and his talent diminished, he’s been forced to rethink things and the number one thing is how to use what he has, so he’s been very explicit about trying new things with players like Tony Pierson because that’s a guy that can make plays for him. To his credit, Charlie Weis last season was using all kinds of different tactics, including plenty of option, something a many were surprised to see from Weis.
Football, especially at a place like Kansas, is still about “adapt or perish”. Whether he succeeds or not, Weis is certainly going to try.