Florida Gators
NCAA Championships (Day 1)
Weis sees Demps-Rainey combination as a strength he hasn't had before
Thursday, September 1, 2011 | Football, Women's Tennis, Scott Carter
The statement could have come from most coaches and no one would have blinked an eye.
But it didn't. It came from Gators offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, a man with four Super Bowl rings and a history of high-profile offenses during his days as an NFL assistant and head coach at Notre Dame.
As Weis talked this week about the Florida backfield duo of Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps, he raised a few eyebrows when he raved about their speed. We all know Demps and Rainey form perhaps the fastest backfield in college football this season, but Weis said they are the two fastest backs he has had during his 33 years as a coach.
“Not close,'' he said. “I'm talking period. Not [just] college level, period.''
Demps (1,901 career yards) and Rainey (1,603) are the SEC's second- and third-leading active career rushing leaders and both will be heavily involved in Weis' pro-style offense much the way Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones were a season ago when Weis was Kansas City's offensive coordinator.
Charles and Jones combined for 2,363 rushing yards as the Chiefs led the league in rushing, which also took some of the pressure off quarterback Matt Cassel, who had his best season with 3,116 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and only seven interceptions.
Florida fans are hoping Demps and Rainey can do the same for second-year starting quarterback John Brantley.
Weis has total confidence in the pair of speedsters.
“I'm a big fan of Demps and Rainey. I'm not used to having two guys that are that fast and that quick. It's a very unusual quality, but the best part about it for me is the fact that they're very close to being the same guy,” Weis said. “That allows you to not have to throw in eight different things for each guy. One guy gets tired, the other guy is in.
“So that's why we'll list them as co-starters.”
When Weis was in New England, he had to devise different schemes for tailbacks such as Corey Dillon and Kevin Faulk. That won't be the case with Demps and Rainey.
“It's really nice going into a game when you're game-planning to say, 'OK, we've got this Rainey-Demps combination,' “ Weis said. “You have a contingency plan without any drop-off in performance or athleticism.”
Not only will Demps and Rainey be featured prominently in the running game, both will be heavily involved in the passing game. Charles (45 receptions) and Jones (14) combined for 59 receptions for the Chiefs in 2010.
Rainey is ready for an increased role in the offense.
“It's been a long time since we were playing and we're in an offense that I love and I can't wait to perform,” Rainey said. “Everybody is going to get the ball in this offense.''
