The Case FOR Al Groh

As you can probably guess, we're not huge fans of Al Groh around here, or at the very least, aren't fans of keeping someone around who clearly isn't your guy.  But here at the 7even Win Society, we're always interested in looking at the other side of any issue.  And on this front, the case FOR Al Groh is a little stronger than you might think.  Not that we'd keep him, mind you, but some things to think about:

(1) The Man Can Coach: The occasional complete head-scratcher aside, no one doubts Coach Groh's ability to coach the game, especially on the defensive side of the ball.  His recent adjustments to the Cavaliers' offense only reinforces those credentials.

He's won ACC Coach of the Year twice, in 2002 and 2007.  And the results, over the course of a decade, have been solid.  After an initial 5-7 season, Groh led the Cavs to four straight bowl game appearances.  No one questioned at that time whether the program was headed in the right direction, only (like under Welsh) whether it could make the leap to the next level.  Meanwhile, people were stealing assistants left and right.  Bill Musgrave went to the NFL to be an OC in 2003.  Ron Prince picked up the offensive without missing a beat.  Then he went to Kansas State in 2006.  Al Golden left for Temple in 2005.  All were solid lieutenants, but its hard to attribute too much of the Cavs' success to those men.  Musgrave is now coaching quarterbacks, not calling plays. Prince is back in C'ville coaching special teams.  Golden has yet to break .500 at Temple. 

No, the constant has been Groh.  Nonetheless, in 2007, si.com called Groh the worst coach in college football.  By the end of the season, si.com was eating those words, admitting that "there's no question he's gotten every ounce out of that team," and revisited his preseason column by stating "I ended up going with Groh, and obviously he's the one who's most proven it wrong."  Whether you like him or not, most people would agree that he gets everything out of the kids he's coaching. 

But this is college, not the NFL.  If the players aren't good enough, that's his fault, right?  Well...

(2) You say He Can't Recruit, But There Are A Bunch of Former Hoos in the NFL Who Suggest Otherwise: As Doug Doughty noted a few years back, you might be surprised how Virginia players have fared at the next level compared to Virginia Tech, which is generally viewed as having outrecruited the Hoos for years now.  Its no longer true that Virginia has more NFL players on active rosters than the Hokies, but the spread is only two (25 to 23).  A skeptic might point out (and be right) that some of the current Virginia alums playing in the NFL were recruited by George Welsh, but let's remember that the same charge - he can't recruit - was often leveled against him. 

What about elite talent, you might ask?  Well, if you are asking that question, you clearly haven't been paying attention to the last few drafts.  Having a Hoo picked in the first round has almost become an annual rite.  Eugene Monroe (right) is just the latest example (No. 8 to the Jags in 2009).  In 2008, two Cavs went in the first round -- Chris Long at No. 2 to the Rams and Branden Albert at No. 15 to the Chiefs.  D'Brickashaw Ferguson went No. 4 to the Jets in 2006, and Heath Miller just snuck into the first round at No. 30 to the Steelers in 2005. 

Add to that a handful of players who have been picked in the later rounds but have stuck as starters (OT Brad Butler, OG Elton Brown, and DE Chris Canty) and a few others that had the talent to do so (LBs Ahmad Brooks and Darryl Blackstock come to mind), and you've got a solid stable of talent.  It should also be noted that of Virginia's 2009 draft class, all four players who were drafted made NFL rosters, and a fifth - WR Kevin Ogletree - made the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent. 

(3) He Has Been the Victim of Circumstance At the Most Important Position on the Field: After the 2006 graduation of QB Marques Hagans, who led to the Hoos to consecutive bowl games as a starter, Virginia turned to Christian Olsen, a once-heralded recruit who had transferred from Notre Dame, but he quickly flopped.  By Week 4, the Hoos had turned to a true freshman named Jameel Sewell, who showed flashes of brilliance.  But with a rookie signal-caller leading the way, Virginia predictably finished 5-7, and did not make a bowl for the first time in five years.   

With a year under his belt, and stalwart defense led by Chris Long on the other side of the ball, Sewell helped lead a revival in 2007.  The Cavs, picked by many to be no better than a middle of the pack team in the ACC, was in contention for the ACC crown throughout the season, and was 9-2 heading into a season finale showdown with Virginia Tech and a trip to the ACC Championship game on the line.  The matter was in doubt into the fourth quarter when Sewell left the game temporarily with an injury.  The Hoos would not score again.  However, UVA still earned a berth in a New Year's Day Bowl -- the Gator against Texas Tech -- for the first time since 1994.

Things looked secure at the QB spot in 2008, with Sewell returning as a two-year starter, and highly-touted Peter Lalich, who had played as a true freshman, backing him up.  But Sewell was declared academically ineligible, and Lalich, amidst myriad allegations of wrongdoing, was eventually dismissed from the team and decided to transfer to Oregon State.  That left Virginia with third-stringer Marc Verica at QB, and a pair of embarrasing (but predictable) losses at Connecticut and at Duke.  Nonetheless, the Cavs rallied for four straight wins in October, including a pair of wins against ranked opponents North Carolina and Georgia Tech.  Needing only one more win to secure an unlikely bowl berth, the Cavs fell short in OT against Miami, and then lost its last three, including a game effort at Blacksburg in a 17-14 loss that saw converted CB Vic Hall almost Wildcat the Hoos to victory against a superior opponent. 

We, of course, don't know how Virginia would have done with more stability at the QB position in 2006 and 2008.  We're just saying its a little too easy to pin the failures of those seasons on Groh when he was playing short-handed at the most important position on the field. 

(4) We're Not Sure Virginia Could Do Any Better:  When the Hoos went searching for a replacement for George Welsh after the 2000 season, let's remember that it wasn't an easy search.  It won't be any easier this time around.  Is Virginia going to drop its academic standards for recruits?  Unlikely.  Does it still have to fight tooth and nail for in-state recruits with Virginia Tech, who has dominated the state recruiting-wise for years?  Yes, until Frank Beamer calls it quits.  Does it also have to contend with previously sleeping giants to the south (Butch Davis at North Carolina) and west (Lane Kiffin at Tennessee) for recruits?  Yep.  Is the Virginia fan base going to start travelling better, thus ensuring better bowl berths?  I'll let you answer that one.   

Yes, we'd all like to think that Virginia should do better.  But I'm not sure there's much evidence supporting those aspirations.  And all of the above considerations will be on any prospective coach's mind before he signs on the dotted line. 

And I'll leave you with this.  Its said that those who do not learn from the lessons of history are bound to repeat them.  Once upon a time, Virginia had to replace an iconic coach who had built a major program from the ground up.  It turned to one of its own to fill the void.  That coach led the Hoos to the postseason in four of his first five, and five of his first seven, seasons.  After the wheels came off in two of his last three seasons, Virginia fired that coach.  His name was Jeff Jones.

I issue that reminder not to say that the decision to fire Jones was a mistake, or that it would be a mistake to do the same to Groh.  Virginia had reasons beyond performance to part ways with Jones, just as it has reasons beyond performance to fire Groh.  But Jones was also known as a guy who got every ounce out of his players, but couldn't recruit.  Yet people forget that towards the end of his tenure, he brought Courtney Alexander to UVA (only to see him transfer to Fresno State before heading to the NBA) and was in the process of bringing a badly needed big man on campus until Melvin Whitaker decided a pick-up basketball game was important enough to slash someone in the face.  So like Groh, he has in part been the victim of circumstance, and the results he has achieved are eerily similar to Groh's.

So when people say to fire Al Groh, remember that after firing Jones, it has taken we hope only ten years to get it right after him.  People thought the program was in the wilderness under Jones too, but his results (five NCAA tournaments in eight years) look awfully good next to the men who replaced him (Gillen 1 in 7, and Leitao 1 in 4).  So if you think Virginia football is in the wilderness now (five bowl trips in eight seasons), let's just say you may not have seen anything yet.  Maybe, just maybe, you don't want to find out.