The post is not well thought out either. So I'll just give you what I've got, in free-flow stream-of-consciousness form. Like vomit flowing from my brain through my keyboard onto your monitor. (Apologies for that mental image, but if losing another 30-point nailbiter to the Hokies doesn't make you want to puke, then I'm afraid the apathy has already run you down.)
Is southpaw Ross Metheny the future at the QB position for the Hoos? Your guess is as good as mine.
We're 4-8, but we're closer than it appears. I honestly think we were three plays / blown calls away from 7-5 and a low-level bowl game this season. The three plays? 1) The bad call on the fake punt against USC, that cost us a 1st & 10 inside their 25. With that call, I think we score, and I think we had a good chance to win that game. 2) The failure to hold Duke on 4th & 18, late in the game. Get that stop, and we hang on for the 48-47 win in Durham. 3) The blown call on Dontrelle Inman's touchdown in the back of the end zone against BC. His elbow was down, in bounds. Should have been a touchdown, which would have given us a 20-17 lead late in that game, with Montel Harris on the sidelines. The ACC refs made the call they needed to make to get another conference team bowl eligible.
Chin up, Wahoo faithful. We're in year one of a multi-year rebuilding process. Coach London is raising the passion level, and he's recruiting the state... Pride will soon follow. And with pride will come reduced mistakes and increased discipline... and WINS.
If you can't handle another few years of up-and-down football, you might want to go into hibernation for a while. The rollercoaster riders will wake you up when she's running smooth.
Hang in there.
After a 37-7 loss to your biggest rival, it's hard not to be numb or apathetic or angry. We just have to grit our teeth, march forward, and fight the good fight. It'll turn. We have a great stadium, good facilities, an intense pocket of die-hard fans, and a winnable conference. There's a lot to sell here, and UVA is a sleeping giant in college football. I still believe that. It'll turn.
If you need a scapegoat, it's still appropriate to blame Al Groh. Given our starting point, I'd say it will take four years to build and a fifth/sixth year to show and prove results. Groh put us in a deep, dark hole with shoddy recruiting and poor player development. It's going to take a lot of time -- and patience -- to climb out of that hole.
If Mike London can't get it done here, this job goes from being relatively undesirable to downright radioactive. We're teetering on that fence between being a decent, mediocre program and dropping down to the depths of Duke/Vanderbilt hell.
We all need to take a chill pill, celebrate the successes and make it a point to not overreact to the failures. Give London ample time to get the program on track. He deserves it, and God knows the alternative is a place we've only been in our worst fears.
We desperately want/need to beat Virginia Tech. It has to start with one win. Can that win come in 2011, playing at home, with a ton of experienced players on the roster? I sure hope so...
We return 18 starters next season, which should be a big reason for optimism. But some will say we're just returning 18 starters from a bad 4-8 team. Aren't we just returning a hunch of bad, untalented players?
I absolutely disagree. Wake Forest (WAKE FREAKING FOREST) won the ACC with a roster full of experienced players who weren't especially "talented."
Now I'm not suggesting that 2011 Virginia = 2006 Wake Forest. We lack a lot of the pieces that made that Deacons team special... namely a star QB. I'm just saying that less talented players can still improve and form a better team than the collection of the parts.
In college football, many (most?) players improve from one season to the next. We have a lot of returning starters that will have a chance to improve and make the team better.
To me, it's ALL about the quarterback. If we can find [and/or develop] a good one, an above-average ACC starter, then we'll be able to rise quickly. Take a look at Maryland, NC State, and even Duke to some extent. UNC with Yates. Et cetera. You can be a decent team in this conference with a good QB and an average supporting cast.
London is recruiting the horses for defense. That side of the ball will improve steadily under his watch, I believe. The o-line should be stable. We're young and relatively talented at RB, and it seems like WR has become a priority also.
It's all about the quarterback. That's the key to everything for Mike London. Is Metheny or Rocco that guy? Maybe, but this year's play from those two leaves some doubt. Can Strauss or Gooch rise into the role? Perhaps. Is David Watford the answer? Could be, and he's a dual threat, which I really like. Is there a transfer on the way? God, I hope so...
Find the right quarterback, improve quickly. It's not rocket science.
Yesterday's loss was bad, but the sky is not falling. Coach London is selling playing time, the chance to contribute to a program's rebirth, and a top-notch education at an elite school in a beautiful area steeped in history. None of that changed yesterday. It's our job, as fans, to do everything we can to blindly support this rebuilding process and avoid the typical meltdown that follows a loss to the Hokies, lest we derail some of what the coaches are doing.
I'll have more later, including a more in-depth look at the roster for the 2011 season. For now, just know that this turnaround was never going to be easy, and take comfort in the fact that we have a fantastic 2011 recruiting class on the way.
GO HOOS!
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