JayhawkSlant.com - Weis and Self talk before pep rally

August 17, 2012

Bryan Cisler

Kansas coaches Charlie Weis and Bill Self talked before Friday's KU pep rally in Prairie Village. Here is some of what they had to say.

Weis on the fans who showed up:

We have such a great fanbase and football has been a downer here recently. Everyone here wants the same thing. I want the same thing as the fans. We want to get football to where it's fun to go to the games again and it's not fun when you are losing and losing by a lot.

Weis on the biggest thing he is trying to change:

I think the biggest issue you have to deal with is more psychological than physical. When a team gets used to losing, habits are habits and losing is a habit too. I think the most important thing is lets get out of that habit and get used to winning.

Weis on he what thinks the fans will want him to say at the pep rally:

They probably want me to introduce Self. I am not going to go up to the fans and make a bunch of promises. I am going to say that we are in this together. I didn't come here to be disconnected with the fans. Part of the college experience is for the football team to connect with the fans and the student body. We start off with the first three games at home and it would lift my spirits if in the first three games there wasn't any empty seats. That would be a good place to start.

Weis on hearing Self's positive comments after viewing a football practice:

I think he thinks it's nice to see somebody doing the yelling besides him. I think that's what he liked the most to tell you the truth. We have a lot of similarities in coaching styles and as far as discipline goes. Our expectations are very similar.

Self on the team coming together in Europe:

I don't know if we came together over there as much as I would've liked. I thought we came together great in practice. In the 10 practices leading up we got better and better with each practice.

Self on the possibility of coaching the 2016 Olympic team:

They aren't going to call. There is a guy named Popovich and a guy names Rivers that have a better relationship with Dream Team type players than I do. Somebody told me they wrote an article on that but I don't anticipate getting a phone call.

Self on seeing so many fans at the pep rally:

Well Kansas City is a Kansas town. That might be somewhat controversial. It never gets tired of seeing our fans. We have come here for a couple years where we didn't have a lot to sell but we were telling people we had a lot to sell. This is one of those years where we have a lot to sell. The school is in good shape with what is happening over at the med center with cancer research. Charlie's hire is spectacular. I went to practice today and he said get on the line and I ran over there. I was nervous that he was talking to me. I think it is going to be a fun football season and nothing gets the school year started like good football. I am excited about the prospect of our athletic program moving in a very good direction.

Self on the importance of having a good football program:

I think it is imperative. We need Charlie and his staff and he's hired a great staff. He is so organized to the second on practice. I was very impressed watching them and am going to go watch them tomorrow. We need to be good in football and we are going to be so much better than what people think. We have the potential to generate several more million dollars if our football team is good.

Self on his predictions for the conference in football:

I follow it but I don't follow it like I used to. I know the prognosticators think OU is the best with Texas right there too. What a surprise that OU and Texas are expected to win the league. It's going to be like that every year. If a team gets hot like Kansas did in [07], they weren't expected to win the league or Okie State last year. They weren't picked to win the league. Both of them finished top 3 or 4 in those respective years. It is wide open but you have to go through Norman and you have to go through Austin. We need to get this program so that everytime they go through Kansas they know they have a dogfight on their hands and I think that is real close to happening.

Self on the difference in styles from watching practice under Charlie Weis:

This thing is different and I am not blasting before. In coaching you find out not to criticize how someone does it because there are so many different successful ways to get it done. Everyone has their own style. Charlie's style is very direct and very disciplined. He's very enthusiastic and won't put up with any crap at all. I think what bugs fans sometimes is the unforced errors. I don't think we are going to beat ourselves. You have to go out and recruit and get better guys and I think he is going to do that. His staff is solid and those kids aren't scared to work.

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