Note: Even though Jameel Sewell is currently injured after mauling his foot in the first-ever documented stationary bicycle accident, I still think this is a discussion we should be having. I wanted to make sure I said that, to cover myself from being perceived as an idiot because Sewell currently has 20 stitches in his foot and I think he should be the starting quarterback. Thanks for your attention.
"To rebuild, or not rebuild, that is the question."
During his pre-spring press conference, Virginia football coach Al Groh stated three times that 2006 will be a rebuilding year.
"We have a significant rebuilding year in front of us," Groh said early in his comments.
But are the Cavaliers really committed to rebuilding?
In college football, a "rebuilding year" means that a team expects to lose a few more games than the fans are used to, will focus on the development of younger players and will judge success by progress instead of victories.
So why is Christian Olsen, a fifth-year senior, slated to be Virginia's starting quarterback this fall?
Currently, Olsen will be, according to Groh, the "first guy to go into the huddle," followed by redshirt junior Kevin McCabe or redshirt freshman Jameel Sewell and then Scott Deke (pronounced Day-key). The Cavaliers are, therefore, aligned roughly from oldest to youngest on the quarterback depth chart.
McCabe, formerly a highly-touted four-star quarterback, is entering his fourth year in the program and is rumored to have made little progress since he signed his commitment letter. A royal bust? Not yet, but maybe.
Sewell, on the other hand, was red-shirted last season as a freshman, and reminds many observers of a left-handed Aaron Brooks -- active in the pocket and mobile outside of it, with an extremely live arm.
With all the facts on the table, riddle me this: In a rebuilding year focused on development, why is a 23-year old graduate student months away from leaving the University set to start at quarterback?
By naming Christian Olsen as the starting quarterback for 2006, the Virginia coaching staff is exhibiting to anyone who follows the program that they are not committed to rebuilding. Olsen is the safe candidate -- he'll win a few more games than a more inexperienced player and keep the fans off of you on the Sabre message boards Monday morning.
If the goal of the coaching staff is rebuilding, Jameel Sewell should be under-center twice as often as any other quarterback on the roster. Sewell's upside is tremendous. Even if he costs you a few wins this season, Sewell must command the ship in a rebuilding season -- if he is in fact the quarterback-of-the-future. Let him get to know the system, even if he implodes and throws a few interceptions against Pittsburgh. Let him work through the kinks of a down year together with his young teammates.
Furthermore, it isn't even as if Olsen is a tenured signal-caller -- he has never started a game at Virginia. There are questions about his arm strength. He has thrown exactly 23 more in-game passes than Jameel Sewell during his time here. In fact, Olsen has been in the program just one more year than Sewell, having transferred from Notre Dame two seasons ago.
This fall will mark the sixth year of the Al Groh-era in Charlottesville. There have been ups, and there have been downs. Until last year, the program appeared to be on its way toward contending for an ACC championship.
Now, days from the season's kickoff, Virginia is faced with a quarterback situation that it should have expected. Just like Matt Schaub wasn't here forever, neither was Marques Hagans.
If, in two years, Virginia wants to be back on track for an ACC title, then Jameel Sewell must be the first-string quarterback now.
But what about top quarterback recruit Peter Lalich, you ask, who committed to be a Cavalier this year as part of the class of 2007?
Sewell and Lalich are just far enough apart that Sewell could start for three years, lining up Lalich to be a starter as a red-shirt junior. We finally might have a little bit of a Florida State-type line-up at quarterback in Charlottesville. Then, Virginia would be utilizing the talent they have on the roster by maximizing development time.
If Al Groh does not give Sewell the job, you will be reading the exact same article next spring, this time with Kevin McCabe as the "experienced" senior, Sewell as the younger talent and Lalich as the next Sewell. And maybe even the next spring as well. And if Christian Olsen starts this year, then you could expect that none of those quarterbacks had thrown more than a handful of passes as a Cavalier.
Naming Sewell as quarterback, and committing to his development, exhibits that the Virginia coaching staff is fully committed to rebuilding.
Sticking with Christian Olsen shows that the staff is afraid of what will happen if they truly rebuild. It means that they are afraid that the fans will not put up with a program that loses, even if those losses could mean big wins later, as the future is given the opportunity to grow.
For Virginia, this could be the decision of a coach's career. And it must be made very, very carefully, with an eye on the future, not on a collective frown from the boosters.
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