...did we not interview any other candidates before we hired Mike London in 2009?
...did we offer him $2.1 million per season when Richmond was paying him significantly less than half that? We were bidding against ourselves. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
...did we give him a raise and a contract extension in December 2011?
Why, why, why, why, why?
You would think we'd learned a lesson from the Pete Gillen, Dave Leitao, and Al Groh contracts. Jesus.
I know it's Jon Oliver's fault, and that head needs to roll along with London's.
Hey guys I really admire the blog. I recall reading a linked article to the Daily Progress at the start of the football season that had some quotes from Oliver about how they were going to turn around the football program. In the article, Oliver mentioned that "7-8 wins a year is successful for the Virginia program, I don't care what anyone says". When I read that it didn't sit right, and seeing where things are now it really bothers me. Now I understand I'm not involved in high D1 athletics, but whether you run a football program or a bank you need to strive to be the best. I can see what he was getting at, but what does that tell you about this program? What does that tell those kids that work on a daily basis? I agree that consistent winning is important, but that kind of attitude will get UVA nowhere. Why not UVA? All you have to do is get to the ACC title game. Anything can happen from there. This small-time mindset is exactly what will get UVA 4 wins a year. You want to be the best? First you have start thinking like the best. Even if it is a bit delusional, sometimes you have change your mindset if you want to change your situation. We need someone to come in here and say, why not UVA? Why not us? The ACC is wide open, and its right there for us to take. Look at Harbaugh at Stanford. I don't know guys but I'm tired of this small-minded mindset.
ReplyDeleteThoughts?
Totally agree, PO13.
DeleteCertainly the expectations for "success" can be tempered by the school, resources, talent level - but there's no reason to not have "Championships" as the ATTAINABLE goal. If Wake Forest, or GT running a gimmick offense, or Virginia Polytechnical Institute of Cow Dung can play in a BCS bowl, there's absolutely nothing keeping that from being a realistic goal for this program.
Certainly, I'd enjoy a 7 or 8 win season as the norm, but that's not our ceiling any more than the NIT is a ceiling for the basketball team. I'm sick of settling for mediocrity, but our football team since Welsh has so far only set the bar there. This is more indicative of a administration problem, as has been said around at great length.
Oliver and the whole adminstration needs to be fired. It's very obvious to the fans and boosters that UVA could do better. This program is a sleeping giant and for anyone to say anything different is not true. When Groh was here the first few years they recruited in the top 10 and the money the athletic department was bringing in was just below Ohio State, Texas, Georgia and etc. I was shocked that this department could generate almost 90 million dollars and that was a decade ago. You can look it up if you don't believe me. So the question is why do we settle for mediocrity. If we brought in a 4 million dollar coach and started to win then the sky is the limit for this program. It just doesn't make any sense.
ReplyDeleteSomeone had an idea I'd be down with- fire Jon Oliver, and kick Mike London upstairs. Jon Oliver should've spent eleventy billion dollars on the best coordinators period in 2010, and freaking NOT scheduled Oregon, UCLA, etc. Do this instead, and we get the best traits from Mike London (caring about the players, making sure they put up the best they can off the field, recruiting) to stay here.
ReplyDeleteThat's actually probably the best case scenario. It'll never happen of course, but it would probably be perfect, just promote TOB to HC.
DeleteSince we are calling out coaches. How bout we call out our fans. Worst fans in acc. I'm ashamed of our football fans. Not a cosch on ur list would take this job. And it becsuse of our sorry excuse of fans. U all want to pile on coaches and players be fair and pile on fans to blast them for not being able to walk across campus to game. The big boys do it, the mid majors do it. Hell jmu and odu do. If we are callin people out. Dont stop at coaches and playe rs no sir. Call out the fans too!!!!!
ReplyDeleteIf you win, the fans will come. That's the bottom line for any program. UVa hasn't won consistently in ~10 years. Show me a program that's been as bad as we have with significantly better attendance numbers.... you can't
DeleteThat's horse crap. Tenn suxs still 108, 000 there every game!!!!! Loud snd pasionate. So u actually think we have good football fans. We didn't even fill stsdium for byu and ducks!! First games of season. Looks horrible when shows stadium and it s not full for a game like duck!! Come on. U can pretend fans aren't part I f problem but if we fire london. It will keep them fron getting coaches if blogs list. The parrothoo
ReplyDeleteWe definitely call out the fans, specifically the students, but I can't blame fans for not coming to see this shit every week. The last two weeks there have definitely been more fans of the visiting team than students which was pathetic. But after 4 years of the same mistakes, with no indication of change from the AD, the fans not showing up might be the only thing that can force a change.
ReplyDeleteDoesnt matter. Two yrs ago when london won acc coy and a game from winning division still sorry fan support. I get it. People want londons head. Ok I'm fine with that but. Tha t is only part of problem. We want a big time program that's ranked and competes for titles fans ( students, alums anf followers) have to step up and understand what it means to be a fan. U dont let duke fans out cheer u at a home game. Come on. No one and mean no one can be proud of ghis fan base!!!!! I'd love to see a piece on this blog blasting the fans or do u just keep blasting coaches, players and admin.. step up to plate. If your goin to hammer program hammers all parties involved. The parrothoo
ReplyDeleteI don't feel the need to hammer the fans, other than the student fans. Whether or not you choose to believe it, fan support is a direct symptom of the product being put on the field. One fluke season of success isn't enough to change it. It takes multiple seasons of success to plant the seeds and grow a good fanbase.
DeleteI appreciate your comments, but you are way off base on this one. To think the fans are to blame for the mess Virginia Football has become is simple asinine. Sorry, but it's true.
It's quite obvious you have know idea what you are talking about. When Groh was here the administration said it wanted to compete for titles. He was also considered a hire that would take us to the next level and recruiting took off and there was excitement with fans, boosters, and etc. Also donations and money were at a all time high. Its not the fans fault that Groh could not develop that talent. After Groh was canned if the administration would have made another hire that seemed like they still wanted to compete for titles then this bashing of the fans wouldn't be a issue. The fans were not the ones that said 7 to 8 wins is a success I believe that was the administration. Once we make a commitment to football and the fans don't show up then I would understand. Also if the fans are so bad then how do we still generate more money then Va Tech. The fans are frustrated as they should be. Also if you were the same guy that mentioned Tennessee you would have sounded much more credible if you had mentioned a school like South Carolina. You can not compare us to a school like that in any way. Also there is a big difference in the culture of the fans in the SEC and not just that the way of life is totally different. We will never have the same type of fan base base as some other schools but the stadium will be full when there is a commitment. That's a fact because it has before when Groh coached here and the teams were not in the top 20. Before you insult people and jump down there throats and pretend you know anything about football you might want to work on your grammar.
ReplyDeleteActually I can compare to tenn or s.c. or. Mich st. Or. Indiana. Or boston college. Or az st. Or byu or cal. Look all I'm saying is if u wanna fix program. Fix it all the way around. You can pile on coaches but fans are a problem too. Can u actually say with a straught face that we have good fans? Were u at the game did u hear how loader dukes fans were. Name me five schools in acc who has worse fans than us.... name them?
ReplyDeleteDuke, Boston College, Wake Forest, and Syracuse (I think). That's four. But any of the rest of the fanbases other than FSU and Clemson would be exactly the same as ours given the same last 15 years of sucking.
DeleteLook man, I get what you're saying. But how - exactly - do you "fix" a fanbase? Fixing incompetence on the field is relatively easy -- you just hire competent people to run the show. You have to just believe that once the wins come, so will the fans. And I can tell you from close personal experience, in the 1990s we had amazingly good fans. They are there, just waiting to explode once we show some sustained success.
Just cause we have deep pocket donors doesn't mean they are fans. Just means they donate a shit pile of money.
ReplyDeleteThey wouldn't donate if they weren't fans. C'mon.
DeleteStudent fans were better in 90's. I understand that people want program to be good. I didn't go to uva. I went to elon. But I freaking bleed orange and blue. My sons bleed orange and blue.. we are at every
ReplyDeleteHome game and most away games. I donate
I believe this program is a sleeping monster! I don't just think they can compete acc but I want them to compete on national level. Just so so frustrating going to other school and seeing crazy fans then coming back to scott and seeing a more bland uninspired group of fans. Yes wins help but at some point its gotta piss us off that tech has way better fans and I think their students would be just as crazy if they had our record. Just say. That needs to change too just trying to get people to talk about that too. Can't fix it as fans if we don't recognize there is a problem.
I'll agree that student fans aren't good at all. Not only are they barely showing up to any of the games, but those that are there are so busy taking selfies that they don't even watch what's going on. I guarantee you that if you took a poll of the fans that are still coming to the game, that about 50% couldn't even tell you the name of our quarterback. I'm a student myself, but it's hard to stay encouraged and continue to show up when we're playing as poorly as we are. The team has to do their part and actually show up. Why would any fan attend the game when the team doesn't look like it has any desire to win?
ReplyDeleteBecause students support their teams! Have to take pride in creating a home field
ReplyDeleteAdvantage! Players give time, effort, travel and hard work for hrs. Play in heat, rain and cold. All students have to do is walk across campus and support for three hrs.. give 100 percent fir three hrs that's it. Not hard. Its fun. If more would try it they would like. Keep doing your part ! You make a difference.
There is no reason to show support for an absolutely garbage product. Why on earth should anyone spend any amount of their time on the football team this year, based on their performance? Because some hillbillies in the SEC do it? Because VT brings out a boatload of hicks every Saturday to whistle through their toothless grins at their team?
DeleteI'll say it again, if we win, the fans will be there, students, alumni, and Cville-ians alike. Fix the product on the field, and the rest will come. Now is not the time to bash the fans. Once we're the #7 team like Miami and the student section is still empty, that's when you bash the fans.
ReplyDeleteStudent fans at uva have always been fairweather even when they were winning. So many other teams that haven't been "winning"
ReplyDeleteOver a period of time still fill their stadiums
(much bigger stadiums)
Yes I can say with a straight face that we have good fans. As far as naming 5 teams that would encapsulate the whole ACC with the exception of Florida State. The Athletic Department is second in generating money which is over 78 million dollars. Where do you think all that money comes from if it isn't the fans. As in a previous post and as other people have eluded to that this program is a sleeping giant. If the Administration did a better job then it is frightening the money that would roll in. The first couple of years in Grohs tenure we were in the top 5 in revenue just below teams like Ohio State and raked in 90 million dollars. That was a decade ago and I think clearly shows the underachieving that is going on. Could you say with a straight face that if you were the CEO and didn't take advantage of this that you were doing your job. The fans deserve better and people have every right to be dissapointed. There is no excuse as to why we cannot hire a big name coach and clearly that falls on the administration not the fans. To the alums and real fans who know and recognize the potential and know football there is no reason to try to explain ourselves anymore to the people with blinders on.
ReplyDeleteYou are missing the whole point its not about the money! Its the atmoshere.! Were u at the game sat? DUKE S FANS were louder, more rowdy, more into game section I was in students on phones. Cheering at wrong times leaving. Didnt know our players. Hell i don't think they knew it was football!!!! Maybe that why I'm so bent when I see that vs. Other team ' fans in our own house. Doesn't that piss u off? And its like that all over stadium. Ok lousy product. I get that. Just lousy support too. So no I don't have blinders on I'm at every game. Was like that at byu game. And oregon to. How as a fan can u not get excited as those teams come. Didn't see that other stadiums I was at.
ReplyDeleteComplaining about the fans will accomplish nothing. Telling students they suck will not make them want to go to games. You know what will make them want to attend? A winning program. That's it, that's the bottom line.
DeleteDisagree! Got to love ur team a create a home field. But if u want to think fans have no part in helping build a program go ahead. But man it would be great to see them take off ties. Paint themselves orange and blue. get crazy!
ReplyDeleteWho knows maybe sat I won't feel like I'm cheering by myself in a sea of gold....
Fyi - nick saban/bama article on espn- Fans Responsibility.
ReplyDelete