Charlie Weis in a great situation at Florida

By Adam Silverstein
September 14, 2011

When he made the tough decision to leave the Kansas City Chiefs at the end of the 2010 season and transition back into college football as offensive coordinator of the Florida Gators, Charlie Weis was questioned by everyone as to the reasons why he ultimately decided to rejoin the collegiate ranks rather than continue working in the NFL.

At the time, Weis explained that it was a fantastic opportunity for his family. His son would be a student assistant with the Gators, his wife would be pleased with a 10.5-acre estate in Reddick, FL with plenty of horses, and his special needs daughter could get the assistance she needed with her condition.

During a media availability on Tuesday, Weis expressed that college football is also a better family environment than the NFL, something he appreciates as a family man.

“The one biggest difference between college football and pro football is college football is way more family friendly. Pro football is way more of a business. I’m not saying they’re not both a business, but that’s reality,” he said. “Our families are on the field after the game’s over. I’ve never, other than the Super Bowl, I’ve never seen families on the field in a pro game. You might have the head coach’s kids there but that’s about it. If you’re a family guy, which I obviously am, it’s kind of refreshing.”

There was another factor that drove him back to college – he enjoys the game.

[EXPAND Click to expand and read the remainder of this post.]“My approach has always been that I’m a teacher; that’s what I am. I’ve never wavered from that. That’s what I think I do the best,” Weis explained. “Everyone has their personalities and probably the biggest difference is I’m in a different role. Because I’m in a different role, there’s a whole set of problems that I don’t have to deal with. That’s why Coach [Will] Muschamp’s the head coach. There’s a whole slew of issues that you don’t deal with [as a coordinator].

“As far as the kids go, I loved the kids [at Notre Dame], and I love the kids here. I love being around kids that age. My kid is 18-years-old; I’ve been around him and his friends for quite some time. Probably one of the most rewarding things is watching one of these kids come in as an 18-year-old and then leaving as a 22- or 23-year-old young man and watching how they evolved and matured and all that stuff. It’s really kind of fun to see.”

Weis is comfortable in his role with the Gators – rejuvenating an offense that had its share of troubles just one year ago. Even though he’s back to being a college coordinator after leading the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for four years as a head coach (2005-09), he said moving on to that top job is not on his mind whatsoever right now.

“I’m just trying to beat Tennessee. Really, that’s the only thing. The only thing on my mind is trying to beat Tennessee. And if you ask me next week, I’ll be talking about trying to beat Kentucky,” Weis said. “That’s the way I was brought up – the way I was groomed. I was groomed [to believe that] you never worry about what’s happening down the road. Alls you worry about is your next game, and Tennessee is the one that’s up.”

Should anyone think money is an issue for him going forward, Weis joked that it is not at all in his mind. In actuality, his three-year, $2.625 million contract should suffice. However, if money was a serious consideration, he said he could be paid better elsewhere.

“Look it, I can make a lot more money in the pros than I can in college. If you’re making your decision just based off of money [there is no comparison],” he said with a smile. “A lot of guys have talked to me about going to the pros. I said, ‘Heck yeah, you’ll make more money, and then you can be miserable.’ There’s some give-and-take in that now. Money in college is going up a whole bunch from where it was a decade ago right there. Although I wouldn’t call it exactly competitive, it’s a way better situation than it was 10 years ago.”

With his family by his side, a job he is excited about, players that are enthusiastic about learning his offense and a fan base that is excited to see what he brings to the table, Weis’s situation is pretty good right now by any number of standards.

Photo Credit: Allen Eyestone/Palm Beach Post[/EXPAND]

3 Comments

  1. John S says:

    After last weeks performance I’m sure the chiefs would love to have him back.

  2. gator says:

    WOW, I am looking foward to watching this unfold for the next Decade!!!

  3. DRU2012 says:

    Foley was SO dead-on with his choice for Head Coach–and then Coach Muschamp bringing Coach Weis in as OC was an amazing “get”, and is turning out to be a likewise excellent fit, amazingly fortunate for us that he was willing and able to come over here NOW. I HOPE this staff will stay together in essentially its current form for some time, ’cause I believe that they are at the brink of building something special here in the years ahead.

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