To love or to hate? UVa football edition

Today's number is -- 2. That's how many bowl games we've been to since the 2005 season. The Gator Bowl in 2007 (9-4 season record) and the Chick-fil-a Bowl in 2011 (8-5 season record).

We haven't won a bowl game since then QB Marques Hagans played the game of his career to lead us back against Minnesota in the Music City Bowl in 2005. To put this in perspective, I had just turned 11.

Six wins. That's the goal. A bowl game.

Obviously, that's much easier said than done. Especially for a team that barely squeaked out two wins last season. TWO WINS! That's still tough to swallow.

On paper, we seem to have the talent to reach the respectably-okay-threshold that is six wins.

But also on paper is a 12 game schedule that's no walk in the park. In fact -- with the exception of the SEC schedules -- it's one of the toughest in the nation.

So which will it be? Will the talent on our roster finally gel, carrying us to a bowl game and a sixth season with Mike London at the helm? Or will Jon Oliver's overaggressive scheduling tear the team down even further?

I'll preview the season game by game in the coming days. But for now, forget the schedule. How does this team come together? What will help us and what will hurt us?

What is there to love? And what is there to hate?

Love...

• Defensive Continuity

The defense returns nine of last season's 11 starters. Both losses were on the defensive line -- DT Brent Urban was drafted in the fourth round by the Ravens (Note: he has since torn his ACL in training camp) and LDE Jake Snyder was signed as an undrafted free-agent by the Vikings. 

Still, neither of these losses will hurt too much. Urban was disruptive when on the field, but his successors aren't too shabby themselves. Five-star freshman Andrew Brown -- the high school national Gatorade player of the year -- and former four-star sophomore Donte Wilkins will do just fine in the middle.

Replacing Snyder will be former four-star junior Mike Moore -- who was one of the most improved players on the team in spring ball. Preseason All-ACC selections Eli Harold and David Dean will man the other two spots on the defensive line.

The return of the Orange Crush defense?

At linebacker, Henry Coley, Daquan Romero, and Max Valles will return. Valles will be a more polished pass rusher, while Coley looked like a first-team All-ACC performer in spring ball. 

And in the back end, we of course have All-American safety Anthony Harris returning from his nation-leading eight-interception season. Add Maurice Canady, Demetrious Nicholson, Drequan Hoskey, and Branden Phelps, and you've got one of the better corner groups in the country. And don't forget about five-star safety Quin Blanding -- who will start at free safety in place of Phelps, who is a natural cornerback.

You have to be excited about this group's potential. Before injuries took their toll on the unit last season, this group was one of the best in the country. The Pitt game was utter domination. And this year, I think we have the depth to still be competitive when the injury bug hits.

• Stable of Running Backs

In Kevin Parks, we have the only returning 1,000-yard rusher in the ACC. Parks was a machine last season. Not only did he pick up 4.5 yards a pop, but he was also second on the team with 38 receptions. 

Then you have Khalek Shepherd, who can do it all -- run, catch, and return. He's had some big play highlights over his career, such as his TD against Oregon last season and his swing pass he took to the house against LA Tech in 2012.

More celebrations like these, please.

Then enter former five-star running back Taquan "Smoke" Mizzell. After an injury plagued 2013, he's now apparently one of the top playmakers in training camp.

And don't sleep on Daniel Hamm. He ran very well against VMI, and has looked good in highlight videos on vasp.tv. 

You can read my running back preview for more thoughts/details, but this is a very, very deep group.

• Young Potential at Wide Receiver

I know we're all tired of reading the word "potential". That's all we've talked about under Mike London's tenure. 

Year after year our top-30 recruiting class has the "potential" to change the direction of the program. And year after year we're disappointed that these guys didn't pan out and/or didn't improve our record.

But this receiving core is young. Key contributors will be Keeon Johnson (sophomore), Kyle Dockins (RS sophomore), Andre Levrone (RS freshman), and possibly even Jamil Kamara and Doni Dowling (both true freshman). 

These guys could combine to form one hell of a group. Likely, that won't happen until 2015 (if it ever does...), but you have to be excited about the future at this position.

**Note: If you haven't read my WR preview (which you should), I think Levrone could be a huge breakout guy for us. In my opinion, he was the best receiver out there in spring practice.

Help me sound smart, Levrone!

***Note: Reports out of spring practice suggest that Kamara and Dowling could be consistent contributors to this offense. In the scrimmage yesterday (Wednesday, August 13), Dowling hauled in three touchdowns while Kamara also added a score.

• New Quarterback

Ahh... the constant dilemma for UVa football. Death, taxes, and quarterback questions. Welcome to Charlottesville, folks.

But after David Watford's less than memorable, downright embarrassing, whirlwind of a season, we now have a shimmer of hope. Enter Greyson Lambert.

Of course there're questions. Why couldn't he beat out Watford last season? Why does he keep throwing interceptions (two in spring game, many more in training camp highlights)?

Lead us to the promise land.

But with that skepticism comes flashes of competence. For example: Recruited by Alabama. Perfect height/weight measurables. Strong arm. Captain vote. Some nice strikes in training camp.

Remember, there's no guarantee Lambert's the chosen one. Remember Phillip Sims?

But Lambert is all we've got. So you bet your ass wahoo nation is all behind the Georgia native.

He can be the guy we've been waiting for.

Hate...

• Offensive Line Shuffle

Let's not kid ourselves here, though. The offense will struggle. And it won't necessarily be because of the skill positions.

Rather, it's due to the big-uglies up front. And on paper, it's not just going to be their large frames that are considered "ugly". Their play might draw a similar nickname as well.

With the loss of projected left tackle Jay Whitmire for most (if not all) of the season, we're running even thinner. Add in that Morgan Moses and Luke Bowanko were lost to the NFL and we've got ourselves five big question marks.

Currently, we have guards playing tackle (Conner Davis). Barely enough bodies to go two-deep. Possibly three-guys starting without a previous start. The concerns go on and on.

You can read my offensive line preview for more specifics, but the unit certainly is not inspiring any confidence.

I'd put the over/under at 4.5 different starting offensive line combinations. That's not exactly the continuity -- or talent, for that matter -- you hope for on your offensive line.

• No Tight End

With Jake McGee's departure, we have four tight ends on the roster. Oh, and one of them -- Mario Nixon -- has been lost to injury for the season. 

Senior Zachary Swanson is the only one of the bunch that has recorded more than one reception. He's also the only UVa tight end to actually gain a yard on a reception.

The other tight ends are junior Rob Burns -- a converted defensive end -- and true freshman Evan Butts. Not exactly the most inspiring group.

Swanson has no help. He doesn't look too happy here...

Swanson is a fine player. He's a good blocker that also has underrated hands (19 receptions for 173 yards last season). But he's the only guy. If he get's injured, we're screwed. And let's not even think about next season after Swanson leaves. Talk about a weak position.

What scares me the most is that the tight ends saw a good deal of targets last season. Now who knows if that was just Fairchild's offense or the fact that Watford wouldn't throw it more than five yards downfield.

Whatever the case was, Lambert -- a first year starter -- will likely often look for the big-bodied safety blankets. The lack of talent here could stunt Lambert's development.

• Inexperience on Offense

Notice a theme here? Most of the reasons to hate our team are due to the overall inexperience on offense. Other than Kevin Parks, can you think of another player who has had a significant impact on this unit for more than a year? I sure can't.

The offensive line might have a senior or two on it (honestly, who knows?). But other than that, where are the guys that will step up and be the leaders on this unit?

Yes, Kevin Parks is a captain, but he can't lead every position. Darius Jennings and Miles Gooch are seniors at receiver, but are they really the guys that underclassmen strive to imitate? I doubt it. Zach Swanson is a senior at tight end, but does he really even have anybody to lead?

I know Greyson Lambert is a captain, but we cannot forget that he's still a sophomore. He's been in the program for 3.5 years, but a sophomore isn't a junior or senior.

Remember, he's only a sophomore.

Parks is the only guy on offense that had a role in the Chick-fil-a bowl season. He's the only guy that can truly say that he's "been-there-done-that".

The starting receivers are likely to be sophomores (Johnson, Dockins). Probably three offensive linemen between Eric Smith, Tetlow/Matteo, Doull, and Sadiq will be sophomores. Not to mention our quarterback.

We have some hope since two of our four captains are offensive players. But it still looks like this unit will experience some serious trial-by-fire.

• Injuries

Injuries are just part of football. You can only complain so much. 

Injuries killed our defense last season, but we should have had better depth to fill those roles. Anybody who says their team stunk because of injuries simply doesn't know enough about football (unless you're Georgia, who lost basically every contributor on offense last season. I'm talking like three receivers, Todd Gurley for some time, and, sadly, even Aaron Murray late in the year).

So far in training camp, though, we've heard some tough injury news for the program. Andrew Brown and Demetrious Nicholson are still battling turf toe injuries. It's in question whether either will be 100% and able to play by August 30.

We need this guy back!

Add in Jay Whitmire and we've got ourselves potentially three starters that will be missing time when the season starts. Oh, and now Sadiq has a lower extremity injury.

Things could be a lot worse (ACL tears), but these injuries certainly are not ideal.

• Coaching Staff

Starting back in June, I began previewing the 2014 football team. And honestly, other than the offensive line and the tight ends, we have some pretty damn good talent. Enough talent to compete at a high level. Or so you would think.

So with all this talent, why is most of wahoo nation so down on this year's squad? Why are ticket sales at a record low? Why can't we win games?

The answer is simple -- the coaching staff. That includes Mike London as well as his assistants.

Let's start with the head coach. Mike London is a great man and an even better representative of the University. He fulfills all speaking engagements. He is very involved with student life on grounds. And he could not be more respectful to reporters, even when their questions primarily focus on his job security.

How long is his leash?

Furthermore, the players love him. Eli Harold chose UVa over Florida because he thought Mike London could be the father figure Harold never had. Harold's father left him when he was young. Talented, good-willed high school players choose Virginia because of Mike London. This cannot be overemphasized.

But at the same time, he has not produced results. Aside from 2011 when we won eight games, he has posted a single season record no better than 4-8. And in 2011, we beat Indiana, Idaho, and Florida State by a combined five points. Those games were toss-ups that we were fortunate enough to win. We could have just as easily been 5-7 that season.

At some points, London must win. 

And it's not just the losses -- it's the way we are losing. Clock mismanagement. Special team miscues. Questionable play calling. Lots of our losses come from coaching blunders.

Then we have the assistant coaching decisions. The special teams might have been the worst in the country under Anthony Poindexter. While Larry Lewis has improved the coverage units and muffed kick miscues, we still lack explosive returns.

The offense was pretty bad last season as well, although I will withhold judgment on Steve Fairchild until I see it operate with a different quarterback under center. After all, Fairchild did produce the first 1,000-yard UVa rusher in nearly a decade.

Will we see a revamped offense? It's up to these guys.

Even Jon Tenuta deserves some blame. I know injuries -- especially in the secondary -- hurt us last season. But the team needed to adjust and play to its strengths. Watching poor Tim Harris get torched by Sammy Watkins all game was just unfair to the freshman.

Oh yeah, and Tom O'Brien's presence did nothing of note other than contribute to run out our leading receiver.

In short, the coaching staff has failed on numerous levels. As the head man in charge, London obviously deserves the most heat.

Personally, I lost faith in this coaching staff after a blowout loss to Ball State. Plus, after cutting your win total in half for two consecutive years (from eight to four to two), I thought it was obvious a change at the top was needed.

But Craig Littlepage disagreed. Why? I'm not sure. But he did. And that's all that matters.

And even as preseason brings optimism to even the most pessimistic, the whole country knows London has only one more season to justify his head position.

But until he and his staff prove otherwise, I still consider them an impediment to the team's success.