I have followed KU football since 1985. I started MoKan Football the recruiting service in 1997 and that changed to covering the KU beat in 1999.
During that time I have heard the words "be patient" so many times I would be a rich man if I got $1 every time I heard it.
If there is a time "be patient" rings true it is right now. I traced back many years and also tried to look ahead in the future with KU football. I wonder why "be patient" has been used for decades and decades.
When Valesente turned the program over to Mason it was in shambles. I remember hearing stories when I first started covering KU football that Mason took around 35 players on his first road trip because the numbers were so bad. So that is very comparable to today's numbers what Beaty inherited. I use Beaty as an example because it has been documented so many times the scholarship numbers when Beaty took over were closer to a D2 program than D1.
Mark Mangino took over a dumpster fire from Terry Allen. There was a lot of control lost in the program with discipline and off the field and the product on the field was just as bad.
Charlie Weis took over a program that was similar in nature to what Mangino did. The first thing Weis had to do was change all of the little inside things like go to class, get your grades up, no skipping weights, stay out of trouble off the field, etc, etc. Weis actually accomplished some of those things because players feared what would happen when they did those things wrong. The 5:30 a.m. meetings with Holsopple was no joke.
When Beaty took over from Weis there were issues but they were different. He had to clean up a roster left behind that had under 60 players on scholarship (that's after his first class included). Also there was some damaged bridges with strong alums and donors that needed repaired.
I have said this before.... the toughest job may have been taking over from Gill. Because everything was broken from on the field to off the field. That was a giant task and no way was it going to fixed fast. I've heard too much about all the inner workings at that time.
But if you look back over time, the issues that various coaches had to inherit are mind-boggling. The "being patient" thing goes back years and years. But the term "be patient" is very accurate and I know people were and are sick of hearing it.
However, the shape of the program of the Mason, Mangino, Weis, and Beaty hires "being patient" is a phrase that have to be used. The programs under those coaches when they took over was very bad in one way or another. So to get those issues corrected it does take time and patience. Mason and Mangino had the luxury of 11 games and four non-cons to do it. Weis and Beaty have the 12 games and nine Big 12 games.
Only two coaches I feel took over programs where "be patient" wasn't needed as much. One was Terry Allen. He was tied with Texas at half in last game of his first season and almost went 6-6 in year one. Then it went down from that. But he took over from Mason who ran a tough program and left some pieces in place.
The other is Gill who took over from Mangino. There were still pieces left from Mangino along with the discipline and toughness he instilled in the program. But the loss of Chris Dawson along with running a looser ship saw it sink fast.
The shape of the program seems to hit rock bottom in different ways under different coaches. That, in turn, makes it so difficult for the next coach to see fast success. It does take patience but after so many times hearing that, it is tough for fans to stomach it.
But the facts are facts. KU keeps finding ways for new coaches to inherit mountains to climb.
Plus the pendulum always swings with each hire. Val, Allen, and Gill were always called nice guys. Mason, Mangino, and Weis were much tougher on their coaches and players. I've heard several stories that coaches were always looking for other jobs because how tough the environment was. Beaty has a reputation of having the two combined. He's stern and tough but also has some nice guy. Right now he's the one coach who is hard to explain which category he falls into.
To expect Beaty turn the program around in year two was never in the expectations. Some of KU's best alumni and former players were on the committee that heard his plan. It was a landslide among a group who to go with. What people did expect in year two was more progress than year one. Things like moving the ball, eliminating turnovers, and cutting back on penalties in key situations. .
"We've obviously had some things that have not went our way, and those are things that self-inflicted they've been caused by us and we have to do a better job of creating habits to keep it from showing up," Beaty said. "That falls squarely on me, and I've got to do a better job of coaching them after the ball goes past the line of scrimmage and really when you're in distress situations because those turnovers can and will be prevented."
There are simple football things that need to get fixed. KU is going to be double digit underdogs likely in every game moving forward. The only game that might not hold true is Iowa State, but it is possible they will be.
Beaty still needs time to show what he can do with his recruits and develop players. KU football is getting to a point they can't keep changing coaches. I have had several people in the college football profession tell me when a new coach comes into a program it will always one to two years to get his system implemented. That doesn't count a situation like Houston where Tom Herman took over an 8-5 program with 17 returning starters. Or a program that has a lot of foundation and you can build from that point up.
If KU football would have to go in a new direction down the road in the next 2-3 years that means whoever is hired will be looking at another rebuild and facing the same exact same set of issues. That means it will take time and once again the term "be patient" will be used again. Because the new head coach will likely have to install his way of doing things and will have to build from either the ground floor or even below it. That means a lot of quality candidates would likely turn their head and run or not even take calls from the KU search firm. Trust me, I've heard hundreds of those stories since 2001.
This weekend I ran into a couple guys I have known over the years who are big KU football fans. Or at least were big fans. One guy is in his 50's and said, "I've been to every home since 1992 and gone through a lot of bad times. I figure I've seen enough a few more won't bother me. But it sure gets tough."
Another person who is in his 40's said, "I haven't been to a game yet. My kids have so many activities going on it is just tough to get over there. But I did keep my tickets for the points."
I know this person well from the past and asked point blank did you get to many games the past couple years? "Yeah I got over there some. But it just gets hard trying to get there with so much going on."
His kids have had activities for the last few years so I was messing him and asked if they kept him from going the last few years. Then the answer finally came out.
"If they were competitive I would probably try and find the time to be there. It is just easier to catch it on TV and be at my kids games. The losing gets to you. If they can turn it around and get better I will go back."
Hey listen.... I get everybody's point of view. I know people who used to have 12 season tickets and now have four. I know some who said their tailgating group has gone from 40 to 12. The losing among rapid coaching changes takes a toll on people.
But the "be patient" part I believe is still fair for right now. The team still has a chance to improve and cut back on mistakes and younger players to learn what it takes to play Big 12 football. They could use that experience and grow for the future. Hopefully that leads to a more productive 2017 and the year after. If those things don't play out the odds are very strong that "be patient" will be used often under a new regime.
During that time I have heard the words "be patient" so many times I would be a rich man if I got $1 every time I heard it.
If there is a time "be patient" rings true it is right now. I traced back many years and also tried to look ahead in the future with KU football. I wonder why "be patient" has been used for decades and decades.
When Valesente turned the program over to Mason it was in shambles. I remember hearing stories when I first started covering KU football that Mason took around 35 players on his first road trip because the numbers were so bad. So that is very comparable to today's numbers what Beaty inherited. I use Beaty as an example because it has been documented so many times the scholarship numbers when Beaty took over were closer to a D2 program than D1.
Mark Mangino took over a dumpster fire from Terry Allen. There was a lot of control lost in the program with discipline and off the field and the product on the field was just as bad.
Charlie Weis took over a program that was similar in nature to what Mangino did. The first thing Weis had to do was change all of the little inside things like go to class, get your grades up, no skipping weights, stay out of trouble off the field, etc, etc. Weis actually accomplished some of those things because players feared what would happen when they did those things wrong. The 5:30 a.m. meetings with Holsopple was no joke.
When Beaty took over from Weis there were issues but they were different. He had to clean up a roster left behind that had under 60 players on scholarship (that's after his first class included). Also there was some damaged bridges with strong alums and donors that needed repaired.
I have said this before.... the toughest job may have been taking over from Gill. Because everything was broken from on the field to off the field. That was a giant task and no way was it going to fixed fast. I've heard too much about all the inner workings at that time.
But if you look back over time, the issues that various coaches had to inherit are mind-boggling. The "being patient" thing goes back years and years. But the term "be patient" is very accurate and I know people were and are sick of hearing it.
However, the shape of the program of the Mason, Mangino, Weis, and Beaty hires "being patient" is a phrase that have to be used. The programs under those coaches when they took over was very bad in one way or another. So to get those issues corrected it does take time and patience. Mason and Mangino had the luxury of 11 games and four non-cons to do it. Weis and Beaty have the 12 games and nine Big 12 games.
Only two coaches I feel took over programs where "be patient" wasn't needed as much. One was Terry Allen. He was tied with Texas at half in last game of his first season and almost went 6-6 in year one. Then it went down from that. But he took over from Mason who ran a tough program and left some pieces in place.
The other is Gill who took over from Mangino. There were still pieces left from Mangino along with the discipline and toughness he instilled in the program. But the loss of Chris Dawson along with running a looser ship saw it sink fast.
The shape of the program seems to hit rock bottom in different ways under different coaches. That, in turn, makes it so difficult for the next coach to see fast success. It does take patience but after so many times hearing that, it is tough for fans to stomach it.
But the facts are facts. KU keeps finding ways for new coaches to inherit mountains to climb.
Plus the pendulum always swings with each hire. Val, Allen, and Gill were always called nice guys. Mason, Mangino, and Weis were much tougher on their coaches and players. I've heard several stories that coaches were always looking for other jobs because how tough the environment was. Beaty has a reputation of having the two combined. He's stern and tough but also has some nice guy. Right now he's the one coach who is hard to explain which category he falls into.
To expect Beaty turn the program around in year two was never in the expectations. Some of KU's best alumni and former players were on the committee that heard his plan. It was a landslide among a group who to go with. What people did expect in year two was more progress than year one. Things like moving the ball, eliminating turnovers, and cutting back on penalties in key situations. .
"We've obviously had some things that have not went our way, and those are things that self-inflicted they've been caused by us and we have to do a better job of creating habits to keep it from showing up," Beaty said. "That falls squarely on me, and I've got to do a better job of coaching them after the ball goes past the line of scrimmage and really when you're in distress situations because those turnovers can and will be prevented."
There are simple football things that need to get fixed. KU is going to be double digit underdogs likely in every game moving forward. The only game that might not hold true is Iowa State, but it is possible they will be.
Beaty still needs time to show what he can do with his recruits and develop players. KU football is getting to a point they can't keep changing coaches. I have had several people in the college football profession tell me when a new coach comes into a program it will always one to two years to get his system implemented. That doesn't count a situation like Houston where Tom Herman took over an 8-5 program with 17 returning starters. Or a program that has a lot of foundation and you can build from that point up.
If KU football would have to go in a new direction down the road in the next 2-3 years that means whoever is hired will be looking at another rebuild and facing the same exact same set of issues. That means it will take time and once again the term "be patient" will be used again. Because the new head coach will likely have to install his way of doing things and will have to build from either the ground floor or even below it. That means a lot of quality candidates would likely turn their head and run or not even take calls from the KU search firm. Trust me, I've heard hundreds of those stories since 2001.
This weekend I ran into a couple guys I have known over the years who are big KU football fans. Or at least were big fans. One guy is in his 50's and said, "I've been to every home since 1992 and gone through a lot of bad times. I figure I've seen enough a few more won't bother me. But it sure gets tough."
Another person who is in his 40's said, "I haven't been to a game yet. My kids have so many activities going on it is just tough to get over there. But I did keep my tickets for the points."
I know this person well from the past and asked point blank did you get to many games the past couple years? "Yeah I got over there some. But it just gets hard trying to get there with so much going on."
His kids have had activities for the last few years so I was messing him and asked if they kept him from going the last few years. Then the answer finally came out.
"If they were competitive I would probably try and find the time to be there. It is just easier to catch it on TV and be at my kids games. The losing gets to you. If they can turn it around and get better I will go back."
Hey listen.... I get everybody's point of view. I know people who used to have 12 season tickets and now have four. I know some who said their tailgating group has gone from 40 to 12. The losing among rapid coaching changes takes a toll on people.
But the "be patient" part I believe is still fair for right now. The team still has a chance to improve and cut back on mistakes and younger players to learn what it takes to play Big 12 football. They could use that experience and grow for the future. Hopefully that leads to a more productive 2017 and the year after. If those things don't play out the odds are very strong that "be patient" will be used often under a new regime.
