Neal Brown Isn’t on the Hot Seat…Yet

Morgantown, West Virginia – Most West Virginia fans are rooting for Neal Brown to do well.  He’s likable, he says all of the right things, he’s obviously a good, solid dude who has great intentions.

With that said, changes must be made.  Losing to an average Maryland team in the season opener is devastating for the West Virginia football program and it was absolutely avoidable.

It’s become abundantly apparent that Neal Brown coaches to not lose, not to win.  Everything he does is safe and predictable.  Historically, West Virginia has been successful when taking risks and doing things in an unorthodox manner.

Rich Rodriguez’s spread offense.  Bob Huggins’ “Press Virginia.”  Dana Holgorsen going for the 2 point conversion in Austin to beat Texas in 2018.

Playing it safe might work at a larger school with more talent, but West Virginia needs an edge.  Right now, the Mountaineers have no identity and that’s squarely on Neal Brown.

Brown’s boring, vanilla offense won’t get it done in the Big 12 Conference (or wherever the Mountaineers end up), regardless of how good their defense is.  Last season, West Virginia had one of the top defenses in the entire nation, but finished 6-4 largely because of Brown’s horrendous play-calling and personnel decisions.

Neal Brown is 11-12 as the head coach of the Mountaineers and while coaches are given a grace period in the first couple of seasons, what improvements has the team made since Brown was hired?

Brown has still not gotten a marquee, signature win, nor has he won a single game that the Mountaineers were supposed to lose.  Brown’s tenure as been very bland and very, very frustrating.  

A lot of excuses have been made, but it’s time to put up or shut up.  Neal Brown must put his team in position to win now and not just keep coaching to not lose.

Although Brown’s contract extension wasn’t necessarily earned, it’s what the university is now stuck with and must make the best of.  It’s far too early to discuss Neal Brown being fired, but it’s not too early to wonder what Brown has accomplished so far and where he’s taking the team in the future.