If Self Is Fired Up about Beaty, then I Am Fired Up, Too, Whatever That Means in Code
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Self is always a good team player, when it comes to KU football coach hires, but as in all things publicity related, Self always manages to encode some thing or other to KU fans, if they will make an effort at decoding.
We are not talking the German Enigma code, or anything, requiring Alan Turing, but the Self code is kind of tricky, nonetheless, being as it is a mix of of certain Okie-isms, some coach speak, and some fractured Self syntax. But I believe it is worth trying to decode in this case of the hiring of David Beaty.
If I recall correctly, Self was “excited” about Turner Gill’s “Nebraska roots” and his “values” and his ability to “bring in players.” Notice he did not say what kind of players. He did not say that Gill was smart as a whip and a chip off the old Osborne/Devaney block. Notice he did not say he was excited about what a terrific coaching talent Gill was. And Gill turned out NOT to be a great coaching talent, and while he brought a lot of players in, they were not the kind capable of winning much. Even those like me that say Gill should not have been run out of town on a rail, when he was, don’t argue he was anything special. Self’s code communicated as much from the git go.
Self’s take on Charlie Weis was similarly illuminating in an indirect way. When Self was asked to comment on Weis, again, if I recall correctly, he said something like Weis had been a great NFL offensive coordinator and something approximating, “Coach Weis really knows how to hold court with the media.” No comment about his ability to recruit. No comment on whether his intent to focus recruiting on Catholic high schools made a lick of sense, or not. No comment about whether the NFL offensive mind would translate to working with college kids in the Big 12 against Big 12 defenses. Looking back it was kind of like Self saying, well, if college coaching were primarily about talking to the media, Weis might have been peachy, but there was jest uh leeeeeeeeetle bit more to college coaching than chatting up guys from the LJW, KC Star and Wichita Eagle Beacon. And if this decoding of Self were accurate, well, Bill Self kind of lets us all in on Weis from the beginning, too.
So: what has Bill Self to say of David Beaty. Well, Self says something to the effect that though Beaty has been on KU’s football staff not once, but twice, during Self’s tenure, he doesn’t know David Beaty too well. He says Beaty has a good rep as a recruiter. And Self says Beaty is as “excited” about getting the head coaching job as Self was when Self became head coach of KU basketball. In fact, Self says Beaty is so excited about coaching KU football, that Self wants to go to his press conference and see if a little of the “juice” rubs off on Self. Uh-oh, the press allusion again, similar to his Weis encoding.
Now let’s think about the above a little. Self at least seems to be saying he doesn’t know the guy and by implication that he had nothing to do with hiring him. Ooooookay. What else? A good rep as a recruiter. Hmmmmm. That’s not quite the same as saying he is a good recruiter. And there is no mention of his coaching chops again. And remember that Self had been a head coach at three different schools before he got the head basketball job at KU, whereas, Beaty has never been a head coach in D1, and only briefly been a coordinator.
Regardless, Self says he is fired up about Beaty.
So I am too.
Whatever that means.
(Note: I did not go back and hunt through actual quotes for Self’s actual comments. I worked from vague recollections. And if my recall sucks and you recall it differently, or if anyone else were to, then I would of course defer immediately to your properly documented version of all of this. Just trying to stay entertained before John Thompson 2.0 obstructs our path to getting better.)
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Thats a great angle, 'Bate…to see KU football hire(s) through the eyes of a HOFamer-coach with a decided “KU lean”. He knows the behind-the-scenes workings of KU AD more than anyone since Roy, Bohl, and Perkins…He is also an alum of the OklahomaState Cowboys, and grew up in Boomer Sooner territory (none of which I hold against him). I’m sure he’s got way more direct ideas about KU football, but is way too smart or diplomatic (or both) to say anything direct in public…KU football is under the magnifying lens enough on its own.
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@ralster Yes, I always think it’s madness, each time they do not use a guy of Self’s savvy to hire a football coach. He knows more about what it takes to win at KU than any one. We can’t do any worse. Give our genius a try!
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Self would have been (publicly) fired up if they had hired ME.
Wait - I may have been a better choice anyway…
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Agreed. Coaches have their hands full with their own programs and have little time for any thing else other than the occasional appearance at a game or Athletic Department activities. At KU, most football coaches regularly attend basketball games (they want to know what winner looks like) but Coach Self will only occasionally attend a football game…can’t say I blame him.
