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Butchered
The "Butch Davis Era" is over in Chapel Hill. Having shown up during the ACC Media Days last week and declaring that he appreciated the support of the UNC administration, the Tar Heels' head coach was kicked to the curb less than 48 hours after making his declaration. It was a left hook that nobody saw coming....including Davis, himself. The fact that Butch was canned isn't as stunning as the timing of the decision. That call was made by Chancellor Holden Thorp....if you believe what he stated in his press conference. Apparently, Holden Thorp had enough of the negative stigma being place on his institution, compliments of the NCAA investigation. I wonder where Holden has been hiding for the past 14 months? In terms of the perception of the investigation and the ugliness associated with the findings....absolutely nothing changed from the media gathering in Pinehurst to the firing two days later in Chapel Hill. Holden Thorp stated that he was not influenced by the newly elected Board of Trustees members; it was strictly his decision.....again, assuming that you believe what he's telling you is the truth. I'm not sure we'll ever get the real story, but one thing is certain....Butch is out, and UNC is screwed up. I'm still one of those guys in the minority who believes the Heels are still good enough to win 7+ games this season, despite the unknowns surrounding the program. The Heels are still loaded with talent and the schedule is certainly manageable....plus, UNC should be used to the uneasiness of change during a football season. In all of my years following college athletics, I have never seen a situation mishandled more than the one in Chapel Hill. Nothing about it makes sense.... If you wanted Davis gone because of the negative ramifications of the investigation, then he should have been fired 10 months ago. Thorp claims that he believes that the coach had nothing to do with the nine major violations....then why fire him? The idea that all of a sudden the school has been branded overnight by the academic imperfections is comical. I'm not sure how he kept a straight face when trying to sell that nonsense? The entire episode has been ugly in Chapel Hill.....there really isn't a positive aspect in any shape, way or form. Butch Davis is out....Dick Baddour is out....and Chancellor Holden Thorp should be joining them. The Heels will get through the football season....the school will survive whatever NCAA infractions come their way....but the way this entire case has been handled by the school will go down in infamy. Matt Doherty's 8-20 hoops season looks like Blue Heaven, compared to the current mess produced by the UNC administration. The ACC media selected Florida State and Virginia Tech as the top two teams in the league. If that does happen, we'll have a rematch of the ACC title game in Charlotte. On paper, those are the two easy picks...but we'll see how the season plays out. I saw a quote by ACC Commissioner John Swofford that caught my attention:
That's hilarious. For a conference that is sporting a 2-11 BCS record, along with not having a team win a BCS title since 1999...I'm wondering if Commissioner Swofford has been hanging out with Holden Thorp too much? Come on...if everything fell into place perfectly for FSU and Virginia Tech, you can possibly make a case....but that's the end of the line. Maybe the league can change their fortunes this season....I do know the weekend of September 17th will be telling:
Four huge non-conference games, and every one of them is taking place at an ACC school. If you want national attention and respect, you gotta earn it. The league needs to win at least three of those games....otherwise, keep your mouth shut. This should be a big year for the South Carolina Gamecocks.....everything seems in place for the Old Ball Coach and their legion of fans to really have something to crow about. The SEC Media Days offered great quotes and predictions such as USC being the team to beat in the SEC East. The Cocks are the defenders of the SEC East title....and with everyone coming back, what's not to like about the Gamecocks? But just when it was safe in Columbia, the school and football program suffered an embarrassing setback. Everybody knows about the on-going BS created by quarterback Stephen Garcia. The kid has only been suspended 5 times in his career at USC. But he'll be reinstated for the Fall camp, and the Ball Coach will give us a sixth rendition of how the kid has matured and is now taking his responsibilities seriously. However, it was Garcia's position coach, G.A. Mangus, that caught the headlines by being arrested for urinating in public in the middle of the night in Greenville, SC. This is the guy that Stephen Garcia reports to....goodness gracious. Word has it that Spurrier has made it clear that one more embarrassing episode like this one, and Magnus will be on thin ice...considering the past history in Columbia, that means he has only three or four more "Get Out of Jail" cards to use, before there's hell to pay. Despite the off-the-field issues...this should be a great year for South Carolina football. The big one in Athens, Georgia on September 10th should set the tone. I will have an announcement concerning Southern Fried Football™ and other things in the next week to ten days....stay tuned. It was good to see the Panthers at Wofford this weekend. I knew the NFL owners and players would work out a deal....but I did think we'd miss out on some of those incredibly exciting pre-season games. In these parts, everyone is interested in seeing Cam Newton in a Panthers jersey...it will be fascinating to see how soon the team gets him on the field. I'm not talking about the boring August games....I'm talking about September, when it really matters. The team spent a ton of cash taking care of some their veteran players. Personally, I was shocked how much $$$$ they gave to Charles Johnson and DeAngelo Williams, but good for both of those guys. I'm thrilled that Jon Beason got some love, too....the guy is terrific and I'm a big fan. The releasing of John Kasay was inevitable...and I will tell you he's one of the classiest guys in sports. The team last year was a miserable 2-14....there's no way they'll be that bad this season. However, the NFC South is too tough, with Atlanta, Tampa Bay and New Orleans being considerably better than Carolina. With that said, if this team can get to 8-8, it will be a remarkable improvement. The biggest unknown is at the quarterback position....Clausen or Newton? Something tells me 6-10 seems more like it. I'm looking forward to watching the battle. |
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