"Jed's Best Seat Buzz"
with Jed Williams

And, at some point this weekend, my mom and I will fight.

We're programmed the same way - same energy, same passion, same everything. It just happens. As Virginia coach Al Groh might say, “it's a natural circumstance.” And, during one of those heated exchanges, I'll say something regrettable. And my mother will call me on it. And the line she'll use is the same one she's been pounding home since I was fingerpainting: “Some things are better left unsaid.”

And that's my plea to the chief of UVa's tribal council - some things are indeed far better tucked under the carpet in the McCue Center. True and valid as they may be, they can be exceedingly divisive and destructive.

We've all been there. We've all wanted to vent, to self-edify, to grab a microphone like The Rock and tell the masses to “know their role.” And hopefully, we've thought better of it. Because, in the end, it just isn't worth it. For you, for me, for Groh.

Case in point: Some time back in the preseason, Groh generically referenced “the 62,000” that all think they know what play should be called next. 62K sounds awfully close to a full house at Scott Stadium on an autumn Saturday.

Monday night on Groh's weekly radio show “Cavalier Call-In,” he reminded loyalists that “there's no harsher critic of what's going on than myself and the coaches.” True enough.

But he continued. “Frankly, there's nobody else here 100 hours a week like myself and the coaches.”

True as well. But you know what? It didn't NEED to be said.

And Tuesday, at his weekly “chicken and bologna” media gathering, he kept going. “I understand fans. I don't think fans understand coaches. I fly on a lot of airplanes. Just because I fly on airplanes doesn't qualify me to be a pilot. Just because I own stocks doesn't mean I have any idea how my broker picks the stocks.”

Step aside from the validity of those analogies (I want to talk to my broker about the stocks even if I don't know much about it!). How about the logic of applying them?

This columnist has just one question: “Why?” Actually, I have several questions. What purpose do these words serve? What positive result can they possibly spark? I can find none.

This much we know: Groh stuffs more football knowledge in that gray sweatshirt than all of my tailgating crew combined. That is fact and not in question.

But that's missing the point. The point isn't about armchair quarterbacks claiming that they have anything on the Head Coach when it comes to gridiron acumen. As investors - financially and emotionally in UVa football - we should know that and we don't need to be reminded of it.

And that's where Groh finds himself in as much, if not more, quicksand than his team.

This is a tenuous time in Virginia Football. Groh is in year six of a contract that pays him oodles of guaranteed money ($1.75 million per annum). This is a season he has self-labeled “a significant rebuilding project” after some bold rhetoric upon his arrival. He is 10-21 on the road, 12-13 in his last 25 games, and 22-20 in ACC play. He has gone without an ACC title or a bowl game appearance this side of Boise, banjos, and tires. Virginia appears to be “just another team” in an ACC that looks like “just another league.”

These Cavaliers - remarkably young and still forging their identity - are wallowing at 2-4. Their season is at a pivotal point.

Wins and losses are divisive enough for a fan base. However, when the frustration and anger center not on stretch sweeps, 3-4 scheming, and Cover 2, but instead circle like piranhas around one man's attitude - the attitude of the man who happens to be leading the operation - then the damage to morale can cut deeper. Right now, the see-saw dynamic between Groh and his Hoo supporters is tipping in the wrong direction.

At times like these, coaches need to galvanize the fans, players, and supporters, not alienate them. In these situations, coaches need to be forthright, re-affirming, and understanding and not snide or suspicious.

Groh must understand that - love it or hate it (and I thoroughly dislike parts of it as well), the multimedia, message-board, billion-dollar culture of college athletics is firmly entrenched and isn't going anywhere. So stop worrying about it, and stop trying to change it. We'll leave that to Myles Brand and the NCAA (insert joke here). Accept it for “what it is” and move beyond it. Stop throwing unnecessary jabs, no matter how harmless you may have meant for the words to be.

A quick note to the fans: I applaud your passion. I cheer your vigor. Zima-guzzling talking heads like Colin Cowherd should take note. The Virginia fan cares. And I'll take a caring fan - even one that's intensely critical - over an apathetic one any day of the week.

So keep on doing what you're doing. Keep on being fans, regardless of whether you understand the intricacies of a “hot read” or “zone blitz.” That's not your job. But there is one part of fan responsibility that you need to heed: keep going. Give a fragile team the emotional boost it so desperately needs in October. Make the next three weeks meaningful, even if the season ultimately isn't. Do your part.

As for Groh, he'd be well-served to heed two pieces of advice. One from my mom: “Some things are better left unsaid.” And one from himself: “Just coach the team.”