Nope.
I now know beyond any shadow of a doubt that:
a. Mike London is a great dude, but is not the head coach who is going to take us to where we want to go as a football program.
b. David Watford is a great kid, but is not the quarterback who is going to take us to where we want to go as a football program.
c. My stance as a die-hard fan of Virginia Football and as a fan blogger is that any time spent with these two individuals continuing in their current positions is time wasted. The page can be turned right now, as opposed to delaying it A YEAR AND A HALF to the end of the 2014 season. This is 2008 all over again. Do we really want 2014 to be another 2009?
d. I don't care if Quin Blanding and Andrew Brown (or any/all other recruits for that matter) feel the need to jump ship if London gets axed. He's not the guy. No amount of individual 5-star talent is going to change that. Besides, these two guys play defense, and neither is a quarterback.
Incredibly frustrated and depressed right now. A night to decompress didn't help. In fact, it just made it worse. Worse, but with crystal-clear clarity. London must go.
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| Sorry, coach. I pulled for you as hard as I could, but yesterday you lost me. |
Kendall, First of all, Don't allow your frustration to overtake your better judgement. After just 4 games, you say that Watford is not the guy at Quarterback. So what do you suggest we do, have another quarterback carousel like we had the past few seasons. The only way to develop a quarterback is to allow him to take as many reps as possible. Remember, when matt schaub was here, he didn't become good until his junior season. We almost replaced him with Marques Hagans. Second, you say that you don't care if we lose Blanding or Brown because they don't play offense. You have to understand that not only would you lose their talent but you will lose other talented players. These guys are good friends with top notch recruits in the tidewater area and other players around the nation. Our program is not in a position to miss out on this type of talent, especially when Virginia tech continues to be good. We've worked to hard to establish our recruiting base since London came here. If we replace London, Virginia tech will only get better because the new coach will need a few seasons to establish himself. If you fire London it will be a decision that will take years to bounce back from. Third, trust the new coaching staff. O'Brien will help London improve as a head coach. It just takes time
ReplyDeleteDarryl, first and most importantly -- I really appreciate you reading the blog and taking the time to comment. I really appreciate that, brother.
DeleteSecond, you're right about not benching Watford. We don't have any other / better options. So we let him play out the season, see if things improve.
Third, I hear what you're saying about losing the recruiting if we axe London. The solution there is to nut up and spend some our new TV money to replace London with a buzz-worthy name, an up-and-coming guy with some sway at the national level. No more $2mil coaches, we need a $4.5mil guy. A guy like Chad Morris. Could UVA attract that kind of coach right now? I have my doubts, but we have to at least TRY.
I'm with you in being nervous about losing the recruiting London brings to the table. That's what kept me from turning on him after the Virginia Tech game last year. But the juice (recruiting) is no longer worth the squeeze (terrible coaching, embarrassing losses).
At the end of the day, this is just a fan blog, and it's just one fan's opinion. I reserve the right to change that opinion if we go on to rip off three straight wins heading into the GT game. A loss to any of Ball State, Maryland (still not buying that they're actually good), or Duke is a backbreaker on the effort to make it to a bowl game, and it's bowl game or bust this season.
I still think London gets the rest of this season and next season to prove he's the guy. He's recruited too well to let him go now, and the administration seems 100% behind him. It's still early in the season, and we knew our offense was going to be rough (albeit not the smoldering tire fire it has been), our defense is looking better than advertised, Pitt had negative rushing yards for most of the game. I think it's too early to bail on London, not with what he's shown us he can put together defensively. If anything, I'm unconvinced of Fairchild's offense, and Wachenheim's Oline has been atrocious for the talent we have. I think TOB needs to take a larger role in the offensive, and instill some of that toughness it's been lacking.
ReplyDeleteAlso, maybe I'm crazy but I think Watford looks a lot more comfortable in a hurry up offense. I don't know if it's the playcalling or just a result of the situation, but Watford might benefit from loosing the reigns and a more up tempo attack, assuming our "receivers" can catch the damn ball once in a while...
DeleteI totally agree with you.
DeleteTotally agree that Watford looked much more comfortable in the hurry up.
DeleteCan Biscuit? I say dress him out and play him. That's the only way he can guarantee catches. Let him return punts and play QB also. On a serious note, I don't think he is the problem, and they need to find somebody who can hold onto the ball.
ReplyDelete