I am not sure he has "earned" the right to get the benefit of the doubt. A head coach (not even going to restrict it to a good or bad head coach) should have a "plan" from Day 1. Besides wins and loses, it is the head coach's job to convince the players and fans (if necessary) that he can achieve his plan. Basically he has to say the following:
"This is where we are now. This is where we want to be in the future. And this is how we are going to get there. Are you with me?"
If a head coach does that and back it up with actions to show there is an effort to achieve the plan, then the head coach has earned the right to the benefit of doubt; especially when things do not go "according to plan." Right now I am not sure if there is a "plan" anymore. Coach Johnson says he wants to run one thing, but the team plays a completely different game. It makes me wonder if he has made any effort to take a step (even if it is a baby step) closer to achieving this plan. Sometimes I wonder if a Magic 8 ball is calling the shots because at times the team seems to play like a turkey with its head cut off.
Now if there ever comes a time when a head coach has to scrap the original plan and come up with a new one, then that is fine. However, an effort still needs to be made to achieve the goal of this new plan. Not use it to tread water in hopes that you can switch back to the original plan some day. Maybe when my Hokie Club membership comes up for renewal I should send a life preserver instead of a check. Because as each game passes I am beginning to wonder if Coach Johnson is more and more over his head.

I am not suggesting that he couldn't be a good head coach some day. I just believe that the situation at VT was so messed up that he walked right into a "no win situation."
---"Holy #%$! Where's the Tylenol?" (Clark W. Griswold reference)