Did I miss something? Did someone announce George Welsh was getting fired? Maybe I'm out of the loop.
I've read the now infamous letter Virginia athletics director Terry Holland wrote to the increasingly cantankerous Cavalier fans last week. I saw it on TheSabre.com the day it was posted. Nowhere did the letter say that Welsh would be shown the door soon. But you wouldn't know that from all the hand-wringing that's been going on around these parts in the past several days.
Holland's letter was simply an attempt to get fans off Welsh's back. It asked them to stop griping about the football team - and especially about its embattled coach - and start giving the benefit of the doubt to the man who raised the Virginia program from a laughingstock to a postseason regular.
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The only curious thing about the letter was the logic Holland used in his attempt at persuasion. Instead of arguing that Welsh's 19 years of service to the Cavaliers have earned him immunity from the harsh criticism he has received from some corners this season, Holland reasoned that fans should support Welsh to make a favorable impression on potential recruits and Welsh's successor, wherever he is.
That was what threw the Virginia press corps into a tizzy - Holland's acknowledgement that he has to start planning for when Welsh leaves. When did this become breaking news? Welsh is 67 years old, for heaven's sakes. He has been throwing his hat on collegiate sidelines for 28 years now. He has more career victories than all but six active coaches, a group headed by Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden. So why is everyone surprised that Holland anticipates Welsh leaving within the next couple years? For the past few seasons, Welsh himself has said he'd like to coach "four more years" or so. Holland is not overstepping his bounds to begin considering Life After George.
And speaking of the Bowdens, what are Cavalier fans thinking when they compare Virginia to Florida State and Clemson? One of the main complaints that seems to circle Welsh is that he has not made the Cavs a national title contender like Bobby Bowden did with the Seminoles. Of course, there are a host of reasons for the sizable gap between the two programs, starting with the schools' very different academic standards for athletes and ending with the simple mathematical fact that only a handful of extremely elite programs are perennial national title contenders.
Many fans also wail that Tommy Bowden's Tigers, along with those damned Hokies, have overtaken the Cavs in terms of the overall strength of the program. A little perspective is in order on this point as well. Just two seasons ago, Clemson finished 3-8, while the Cavaliers went 9-3 and peaked at No. 7. In other words, every so often virtually all quality programs go through what Welsh has taken to calling a "dip." Compared to 1995 or 1998, Virginia is right now in a dip.
Then again, if the first field goal attempt of David Greene's career had sailed true against Brigham Young, all this talk would be pointless. It is already somewhat silly, but it would not even exist if the Cavs were 4-1 right now instead of 3-2.
After hosting a Maryland squad they should beat Saturday, the Cavaliers finish out the regular season with an awfully challenging five-game stretch, including trips to No. 1 Florida State and No. 3 Virginia Tech. It is entirely possible they will fall short of the hallowed seven-win plateau for the first time in 14 seasons. But until that happens, remain calm. Inhale deeply and take solace in the fact that Welsh has gotten the program to the point where a six-win season seems like a failure. When he got here 20 years ago, six wins was a miracle.
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