On Sept. 3 just before 7 p.m., a swagger-jacked Will Muschamp will sprint onto Florida Field and lead the Gators in their season opener. Just a few long strides away, Charlie Weis will be plodding along, thumbing through his playbook and trying to find the perfect set to propel him back to college football relevancy.
It’s a match made in misfit-hell.
In a calendar year when college football news has been dominated by scandal, probation, stripped titles and firings, actual football issues have been swept under the rug.
While the o-line, secondary and wide receivers are all prominent question marks surrounding the Gators entering their 2011 season, for some reason there has been little chatter about the relationship between Weis and Muschamp.
Can they truly coexist?
Charlie Weis and Will Muschamp seem destined to have a Ronnie and Sammi breakup. I just don’t know when Single Weis is going to go ape-shit.
The self-proclaimed genius is also a brash behemoth. Agreeably, the man can coach. But with an ego bigger than Touchdown Jesus and personality clashes at multiple stops, little about pairing Weis with a first-year coach looking to make his mark seems to bode well.
At the Southeastern Conference Media Days in July, Muschamp said about Weis: “I hired Charlie to run the offense. I’ve got great confidence in what he’s going to do, what we want to be offensively, what I’ve identified we want to be offensively to be successful. ... Hire people to do their job and trust in them.”
In a single sound bite, Coach Boom brought up the glaring issue surrounding his new offensive mastermind. Weis’ responsibility is to transform the offense — or specifically, reinvent Brantley — from lackluster to gangbuster. Only, Weis must run the offense how Muschamp thinks is the best way to be successful.
And therein Florida fans, lies the rub.
Charlie Weis doesn’t want to be told what to do.
He bolted New England to escape Bill Belichick’s shadow and, although he knocked the snot out of a bunch of service academies, his “decided schematic advantage” didn’t really work out.
Next, a former Patriots buddy gave him a handout, and while he helped turn around the Chief’s anemic offense, he immediately clashed with head coach Todd Haley. Why? Because, wait for it, Haley — who actually is an offensive-minded coach — wanted to control how it was run. Rumor has it, by season’s end, Weis' employment was in flux.
Recent history suggests when you mix an arrogant offensive architect with an animated defensive head-smasher you spit out the San Francisco 49ers circa 2007-08.
Do Gators fans remember the Mike Nolan, and later, Mike Singletary and Mike Martz era?
How’d that turn out?
No coach, especially one as successful as Weis, wants to be a Robin. Rightfully or not, like LeBron, Weis will always think of himself as Batman. Having someone who doesn’t coach offense telling Weis, again, the self-proclaimed genius, how to run the offense is a recipe for disaster.
Gators fans have been frustrated by the offense’s recent stagnation and resistance to adjust, and Addazio and Meyer were close pals. What the hell do they think is going to happen this year if struggles persist?
With a brutal schedule, the Gators will already be fortunate to win eight games. But no worries, first year head coaches — except for the Zooker — are given a free pass.
Yet what happens if things blow up between Coach Boom and Pizza the Hutt? Could a trying season pitting two alpha males spoil Muschamp’s future as a head coach?
Maybe someone should have written Muschamp an anonymous letter telling him not to pursue the relationship.
Charlie Weis,
