Beecher: Necessity of team facelift questioned

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By Alex Beecher

Friday, October 23, 2009

For the second consecutive year, Kansas’ defense is receiving a mid-season facelift. Now it’s almost inarguable that such a facelift is, in fact, needed. So the fact that younger players are receiving more playing time is hardly objectionable. Neither is the increasingly less prominent role of certain veterans who, for whatever reason, don’t seem to be getting the job done.

But there is a way in which this facelift may be, as the saying goes, cutting off the nose to spite the face.

Bradley McDougald, like Daymond Patterson last year, is expected to begin receiving snaps on defense. Now whether this is a permanent move or a quick stop-gap measure is unknown as of yet. But whichever turns out to be the case, there’s cause for concern.

Not because McDougald is an integral part of Kansas’ offense, although he certainly has contributed. And not because Kansas lacks talent at the wide receiver position. It’s not even the suggestion that Kansas currently lacks talent at the safety position to the degree that a receiver can step in so quickly and play, which is most troubling.

The implications to this switch range beyond just one player. That’s because McDougald reportedly chose Kansas largely on the basis that the coaching staff promised him he would play receiver, not safety, as he could have done at more high-profile football programs.

Should McDougald, like Patterson before him, see his transition to defense become permanent, Kansas could have a bit of a discontented talent on its hands. But again, the problem doesn’t stop with one player.

Along with the obvious things like quality facilities, winning games, etc., recruiting is about trust. Players want to know to some extent the promises made to them by coaches actually amount to something. This is especially true in the case of recruits who rate at four stars and up. Players of that caliber have options. Usually, some of those options have more football tradition than Kansas does. When that’s the case, Kansas needs every advantage it can get. Trust can be one such advantage, but a lack of it can be damning.

Now, there is a way in which similar situations could be viewed as a positive thing. John Williams, who entered the season as a backup offensive lineman, played last week at defensive tackle, and he played well. Angus Quigley, who would be buried on the depth chart as a running back, finally saw the field as a linebacker. And of course there’s the Kerry Meier story. The message here is a more positive one: Come to Kansas, where we find playing time for our best athletes.

But the McDougald situation is a bit different. Again, like Patterson, he was already seeing the field as a wideout. And Patterson, despite beginning the season as a starting cornerback, saw his snaps diminish last week. His tale could wind up being a cautionary one, which is the real key.

Facelifts are serious business. They should be undertaken with due caution, lest more harm be done than good.

— Edited by Lauren Cunningham

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