In his post-practice remarks to the press on Monday, Charlie Weis laid out several factors for the upcoming season as he looks at his roster and prepares for his first season as the team's head coach. While expectations are low in general for a Kansas Jayhawks football team that has endured a last place finish in the conference the last couple of seasons, hope springs eternal with a new head coach -- especially one as decorated as Weis.
Listening to Weis, it's clear that he believes the roster needs to simply get in shape first if they are going to make an impact in the Big 12. The team that is fresh in the fourth quarter is the one with the late advantage, so Weis is making sure to put that mindset and physical condition his first priority.
"The plan is exactly the same," said Weis. "It starts in strength and conditioning. That is where the whole mindset is set. The whole thing is about playing with toughness and being competitive. That is where you have to start.
"Before you can talk about X's and O's and all that other stuff like how much better everyone looks and what kind of shape they are in. Are they going to play with toughness? Are they going to play for 60 minutes? Are they going to play competitively? I think if you do all those things, even if there is a talent discrepancy, you have a chance."
It will be interesting to see how the team responds to Weis once the regular season begins and the wins or losses start to pile up.
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