Will made a point below that this is the dead period for football, VT has a really small class, and is coming off a losing season for the first time in forever -- all of this contributes to the tone of discourse on the board.

I would just add that there seems to be a lot of finger pointing going on. The people who are dissatisfied with the tone are being critical of the people they believe are bringing too much negativity and edge to the board. The people who like to stir things up are being critical of others as being too sensitive.

One thing that MIGHT be helpful would be for all of us to actually listen to what the other side has to say. Instead of reflexively pointing the finger at the other group, perhaps considering if they might have a point.

I wonder if the solution doesn't lie somewhere in the middle. Perhaps some posters who tend to drone on and on in negativity might try to tone it down a bit and realize that they don't need to make the same point post after post, day after day. Likewise, perhaps the posters who get worked up about all the negativity might consider the context Will laid out below and realize that negativity is naturally going to be greater given the current circumstances of the VT program -- and therefore just accept that this is part of the tenor of the board at the moment.

If we all stop pointing fingers and perhaps try to understand where the other group is coming from, we might find that discourse on the board can be re-elevated to a thoughtful, insightful, and even critical analysis of VT football.

Just a thought.