Cavaliers hope to silence critics

GREENSBORO, N.C.—While Bobby Bowden discussed coaching Florida State for one or two more years, Ralph Friedgen gave out weight-loss tips after dropping 95 pounds off his previous 401-pound frame, and Frank Beamer beamed about being the overwhelming favorite to win this year’s league title, Virginia’s Al Groh spent a portion of his media time dodging bullets during Monday’s ACC football kickoff session.
Suffering through two 5-7 seasons, sandwiched around a Gator Bowl appearance in 2007, Groh kept conversations as positive as possible.
Job on the line?
Critics believe he is coaching for his job, and while Groh wouldn’t go there, some of his players said on Sunday that they were aware of what’s at stake this season.
“[Coach Groh’s] pressure is one thing,” said quarterback Vic Hall. “We’re very aware of that. People out there don’t understand the hours Coach puts in. He works hard. We believe it’s up to us to go out and help him. All this does create a sense of urgency.”
If Groh is sensing such pressure, he’s certainly not admitting it to anyone.
“It’s not about me, it’s about the team,” said Groh, 56-44 in eight seasons, about his future at his alma mater. “I don’t address [his future] with me, so why would I address it with them?”
True, most coaches don’t think in those terms. They always believe they can get the job done. They wouldn’t be worth their salt if they didn’t think that way.
One step at a time
What Groh has done in his previous seasons at Virginia isn’t what he is focused on. All he is thinking about right now is how to win this season, but primarily how to beat William & Mary on Sept. 5.
Sure, it sounds like coach-speak, but it’s true. None of these guys are focused on the second week of the season, only the opener.
“I’ve never been one to really think too much about what happened last,” Groh said. “It’s always about the next challenge and the next opportunity to accomplish something and to do the best job you can.”
Annually at season’s end, Groh conducts his own analysis about all the significant decisions that were made, while also asking for input from some colleagues inside the program and some from within the coaching profession, mostly coaches who might have some sense of Virginia’s ups and downs during the season.
“I am fortunate to have as a resource some people who have proven themselves to be pretty good in this game, and I take their opinions very seriously,” Groh said.
About that time, another question buzzed past him about one bowl appearance in the last three years.
The Groh of a couple of years ago might have snapped back like a suddenly disturbed rattler. He might have taken the reporter’s head off. This was a kinder, gentler Groh.
“We’ve tried to do the best we could every year,” he said. “We’re not perfect. We see every season as its own season and we’ll leave the assessment to everybody else.”
By the end of this season, only George Welsh has coached UVa longer than Groh, who is hoping a strong secondary and a potentially intriguing spread offense can return the Cavaliers to the winner’s circle.
This should be Groh’s fastest team. This should be UVa’s best secondary since the days of Ronde Barber. There are two former head coaches on Groh’s staff, which most critics believe was a positive move on his part.
The Cavs’ coach plans to use some of the talented incoming freshmen skilled players to boost the spread’s passing game.
Still, the ACC media, which tends to be a creature of habit, predicted in its annual preseason order of finish ballot on Monday that Virginia would finish fifth in the six-team Coastal Division. The Cavs were also voted fifth last season and finished fifth.
This morning, Wahoo fans are thanking the Good Lord for Duke, picked to finish behind UVa both years.
Don’t be mistaken. Groh didn’t spend his entire, near 90-minute interview time talking about negatives. He covered several aspects of the 2009 squad and was fairly candid, positive, and squarely honest about his impressions of his team.
Coaches mostly don’t like talking about themselves and Groh is no different. Like he said, it’s not about him, it’s about trying to get Virginia’s program back on track.
Wahoo fans are hoping the media got this one wrong.