Had a debate over the weekend that I'd like your opinion on fellas. When Oliver says that 7-8 wins is the goal of the football program, is he telling Mike London he had better win at least 7 or 8 games, or is he just being a shitty...whatever he is...who doesn't think Virginia football can do better than that?
That's what I thought too. If you're the AD, or whatever he is, you don't tell the fans you're happy with that. Otherwise why should we care.
Oliver is one of the more confusing people I've ever seen. Let's schedule a bunch of crazy hard games, but only expect to win 7 or 8 a game. If that's your goal schedule a bunch of easy games to get to that. But if you have a hard schedule, your goal needs to be to win it all, otherwise you're just making a cash grab with the big games.
Calm down, guys. He clearly stated 7-8 wins as the AVERAGE, not the ceiling. I'd kill for 7-8 wins every season. If that's laughably mediocre, I'm not sure you will ever be happy with Virginia Football.
What if he had just said "winning program?" Would the vagueness have soothed you a little bit more?
I've never understood all the vitriol against Oliver. Maybe he's an asshole in real life, but I'm pretty happy with most of the moves he's made.
And Mike, I don't understand your point at all. We schedule a bunch of tough games, expecting that we'll lose some of them. If we were scheduling nothing but cupcakes, the expectations should be higher. I'm pretty sure he said 7-8 wins in the context of the increased strength of schedule. You can't make a post like "Man Up" (http://wahooze.blogspot.com/2013/01/man-up.html) and then back away from it now. Schedule cupcakes to manufacture wins, or schedule power conference teams to toughen up the program. Can't have it both ways.
I am not the one satisfied with 7-8 wins Kendall. If I'm the AD my message is always "We are trying to be the best team in the country." Otherwise why are you employed? If I came to you in a previous life and said I was just trying to become a middling bus driver and I would be happy with that how would that make you feel?
For one, there can be many, many amazing bus drivers. There can only be one best college football team in the country.
Second, 8 wins is not middling. It is a top-25 program.
I'd rather have the Associate Director of Athletics setting reasonable, realistic goals, meeting those goals, then setting new goals than have him plop an empty national championship trophy case in the office and saying that filling that is our goal.
But we're arguing about nothing here. We all want success for the program. I'm just a person who thinks that after a 4-8 season and four losing seasons out of the last five, if Oliver had said "hoooooo boy, we's gon' win us a national championship!" it would have rang a bit disingenuous. Leave that shit for VPI. Our goal should be consistent success to the 7-8 wins level, and once that is sustained, then adjust it to 10 wins, then aim higher after that.
"But we're arguing about nothing here. We all want success for the program. I'm just a person who thinks that after a 4-8 season and four losing seasons out of the last five, if Oliver had said "hoooooo boy, we's gon' win us a national championship!" it would have rang a bit disingenuous. Leave that shit for VPI. Our goal should be consistent success to the 7-8 wins level, and once that is sustained, then adjust it to 10 wins, then aim higher after that."
Yep. But a admin shouldn't be saying that to the media. It does more harm than good. Because it does 0 good. Accomplishes nothing.
Well, it gently sets the program's expectations, so there is a point to it. Have to remember that the context of the quote was in reference to London getting the rebuilding back on track. I for one was happy to hear the administration say that they expect us to field a winning program in a puff pastry piece about the new coaching hires.
Had a debate over the weekend that I'd like your opinion on fellas. When Oliver says that 7-8 wins is the goal of the football program, is he telling Mike London he had better win at least 7 or 8 games, or is he just being a shitty...whatever he is...who doesn't think Virginia football can do better than that?
ReplyDeletehe's defining our expectations for a D1 major conference team as laughably mediocre.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I thought too. If you're the AD, or whatever he is, you don't tell the fans you're happy with that. Otherwise why should we care.
ReplyDeleteOliver is one of the more confusing people I've ever seen. Let's schedule a bunch of crazy hard games, but only expect to win 7 or 8 a game. If that's your goal schedule a bunch of easy games to get to that. But if you have a hard schedule, your goal needs to be to win it all, otherwise you're just making a cash grab with the big games.
Figure this shit out.
Calm down, guys. He clearly stated 7-8 wins as the AVERAGE, not the ceiling. I'd kill for 7-8 wins every season. If that's laughably mediocre, I'm not sure you will ever be happy with Virginia Football.
ReplyDeleteWhat if he had just said "winning program?" Would the vagueness have soothed you a little bit more?
ReplyDeleteI've never understood all the vitriol against Oliver. Maybe he's an asshole in real life, but I'm pretty happy with most of the moves he's made.
And Mike, I don't understand your point at all. We schedule a bunch of tough games, expecting that we'll lose some of them. If we were scheduling nothing but cupcakes, the expectations should be higher. I'm pretty sure he said 7-8 wins in the context of the increased strength of schedule. You can't make a post like "Man Up" (http://wahooze.blogspot.com/2013/01/man-up.html) and then back away from it now. Schedule cupcakes to manufacture wins, or schedule power conference teams to toughen up the program. Can't have it both ways.
I am not the one satisfied with 7-8 wins Kendall. If I'm the AD my message is always "We are trying to be the best team in the country." Otherwise why are you employed? If I came to you in a previous life and said I was just trying to become a middling bus driver and I would be happy with that how would that make you feel?
ReplyDeleteShitty analogy.
ReplyDeleteFor one, there can be many, many amazing bus drivers. There can only be one best college football team in the country.
Second, 8 wins is not middling. It is a top-25 program.
I'd rather have the Associate Director of Athletics setting reasonable, realistic goals, meeting those goals, then setting new goals than have him plop an empty national championship trophy case in the office and saying that filling that is our goal.
But we're arguing about nothing here. We all want success for the program. I'm just a person who thinks that after a 4-8 season and four losing seasons out of the last five, if Oliver had said "hoooooo boy, we's gon' win us a national championship!" it would have rang a bit disingenuous. Leave that shit for VPI. Our goal should be consistent success to the 7-8 wins level, and once that is sustained, then adjust it to 10 wins, then aim higher after that.
I don't have any vitriol for Oliver, just to clarify. I hate the quote he gave, though.
ReplyDelete"But we're arguing about nothing here. We all want success for the program. I'm just a person who thinks that after a 4-8 season and four losing seasons out of the last five, if Oliver had said "hoooooo boy, we's gon' win us a national championship!" it would have rang a bit disingenuous. Leave that shit for VPI. Our goal should be consistent success to the 7-8 wins level, and once that is sustained, then adjust it to 10 wins, then aim higher after that."
ReplyDeleteYep. But a admin shouldn't be saying that to the media. It does more harm than good. Because it does 0 good. Accomplishes nothing.
Well, it gently sets the program's expectations, so there is a point to it. Have to remember that the context of the quote was in reference to London getting the rebuilding back on track. I for one was happy to hear the administration say that they expect us to field a winning program in a puff pastry piece about the new coaching hires.
ReplyDelete