CC on Sunday: Defensive Issues and the Quarterback Situation

Mack Brown UNC Virginia Tech
North Carolina head coach Mack Brown laughs with the television crew as he prepares to do an interview prior to the Tar Heels’ game against Virginia Tech (Robert Willett, ACC Pool Photograph)

I’m a little bit sad today.  Not because Virginia Tech lost to UNC 56-45.  I’m sad because I’m not particularly sad about the result.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not happy about it.  But I’ve had a very hard time turning the emotions on this year.

Even for the UNC game, I didn’t have it, and you guys all know how I feel about that group.  I know what my problem is.  Football is supposed to be watched either in the stadium, at a game-watching party with a group of friends, or in a sports bar with a bunch of other fans.  That’s fun, and it’s emotional.  Instead, I’ve watched the first three games of this season by myself on my couch.  It’s a lot harder to get yourself fired up as a fan.  I’m supposed to be mad about the game right now, but I’m not, and as a fan I’m mad that I’m not mad.

So it stinks for me from a fan perspective.  But from a writing perspective, I actually like it.  I wrote my NC State column immediately after the game.  Normally I don’t like to do that, because I want to let the emotion wear off before I go on record, but in that case there was no emotion to wear off.  So I wrote my normal Sunday column late that Saturday night, and my entire Sunday was free, and a day off during football season is welcomed around these parts.

I also like it because I think I’m more rational when I’m not under the influence of emotions.  With that in mind, here are my rational, emotionless thoughts about the UNC game.

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