What to do about Turner Gill? This is the question Kansas Athletic Director
Sheahon Zenger must answer very soon.
Before exiting the program, former AD Lew Perkins signed Gill to a
5-year contract and now Zenger is caught holding the bag.
I like Turner Gill and I bet he sounds really good in living
rooms around the country. I want him to
be successful. KU absolutely needs him
to be successful. Unfortunately, ranking
120th out of 120th in both yards allowed and points
allowed is not being successful.
I have always been a firm believer that college football
coaches need at least four years to recruit and develop their own players. That theory is being sorely tested right
now. KU runs the very realistic chance
of just burying themselves in the position of permanent cellar dwellers in the
conference for years to come. KU cannot
afford another Terry Allen, who was given ample time and opportunity to improve
his teams but never could. In this ever
fluid world of shifting conference loyalties, KU cannot afford to be a nothing,
an automatic win for opponents. KU
cannot afford its fans’ desertion in this crucial time where football generated
income is essential to collegiate success.
I would not like to be in Zenger’s shoes right now. He has to decide whether or not to give Gill
another year to show progress and to begin to turn things around. Can KU afford to eat 3 years of contract and
pay a new coach what it would take to get a guy good enough to turn things
around? Are there any coaches good enough
and desperate to take this job? That is
a lot of very important questions.
As I watched KU’s defense roll over and play dead today
against Texas A&M, I could see nothing on the defensive side of the ball
that lead me to believe KU is even close to improving. There looks to be one, maybe two, BCS level
players on defense. The defensive line
has been absolutely invisible all season.
This puts incredible pressure on the linebackers and d-backs and those
guys don’t look very talented themselves.
They can’t tackle (other than Steve Johnson) and they can’t cover. I just can’t believe that a unit could be
that bad.
Even the special teams aren’t good. KU has very little success returning any kind
of kicks and their kickers are inconsistent and barely adequate. Today, the long snapper sent the punter deep
– in the wrong direction.
The offensive line couldn’t contain a rush from a pee-wee
defense. They can occasionally hold a
block just long enough for a running back to gain two or three yards on the ground. Quarterback Jordan Webb at times looks
adequate enough but other times is completely in over his head. Of course, it is hard to tell when the
offensive line is so terrible
On the positive side, Gill has collected a bevy of young,
talented running backs. If these guys
receive any blocking whatsoever, they make things happen. They are quick, fast, and courageous. We can see though, that it is not nearly
enough to be successful.
So, we are back to that original question – what to do about
Turner Gill? Could Zenger find anyone
worth anything to take over this program if he decided to can Gill? Whereas KU could pick and choose its
basketball coach, what is there here for a football coach? It seems like much longer than four years
since KU was a BCS bowl winning team.
How did KU not take advantage of that incredible season? Those are the seasons that help programs
become better programs. Here we are,
four years later, maybe the worst team in division one.
Gill has to shoulder the blame. This team has shown no improvement. None.
I think KU is even worse this year than last. I was bummed when I heard KU was on TV
today. I didn’t want anyone to see just
how bad KU is right now. I watched of
course, but I was embarrassed and disgusted for my team.
If I saw any indication that this team would be better next
season, I would retain Gill but this team has flat lined. It is brutal.
Zenger has to come up with the money to oust Turner and find someone
new. It has to be done soon - the sooner
the better. I’m talking next Saturday
night as soon as the (final) Missouri
game is over. I don’t think Zenger can
afford to wait. He has to convince
boosters to come up with money to hire a new head coach. He will have his work cut for him to find a
new coach. I don’t know who would want
this job. That may be the one single
factor that might deter him, if money is not a factor. Would any coach with any skill or reputation
take this job? To be honest, I don’t
know if that guy is out there. After
today though, KU can’t afford another year of Turner Gill at the helm.
Did I mention I am glad I am not Sheahon Zenger?
Read my movie and television reviews at
jawsrecliner.blogspot.com and get twitter updates @jawsrecliner
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