All one has to do is look at the number of quality athletes on the defensive side of the ball in Davis' third season compared to his first to see what's coming.

The same thing is going to happen on offense, but with the loss of four offensive linemen who were expected to start this year, a collection of freshmen at wide receiver and an injury to tight end Zack Pianalto, the Tar Heels are clearly retooling at the moment.

That gap between offense and defense was revealed in the worst way last Saturday, in a 16-3 loss to Virginia at Kenan Stadium. The Tar Heels managed just 39 yards net rushing against the Cavaliers.

During the next couple of years, the quality and depth of athletes on offense will start to look a lot more like those on the defensive side of the ball, especially on the offensive line.

When that happens, the Tar Heels are going to win with the frequency that they did toward the end of Mack Brown's 10 years in Chapel Hill. And when that day comes, the fans who were booing on Saturday will be cheering like mad for a team that will be thrilling to watch.

But today is when Davis and his players need support.

UNC women's basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell tells a story about how her teams were not very good when she first came to Chapel Hill, and she was nervous about her job status.

John Swofford, the director of athletics at the time and the man who hired Hatchell, approached her and said, "You're my coach."

That affirmation, at a time when there were plenty of doubters, was enough to help Hatchell put her entire focus on building the program and not worry about getting fired.

Not too long after this happened, Hatchell's team did more than just win games. The Tar Heels won the national championship. They've been consistent winners ever since.

Mike Krzyzewski struggled in his first few seasons at Duke as he worked to install his system and recruit the players to fit it. There were plenty of boosters who wanted to fire him. Instead, Tom Butters, then the director of athletics, extended Krzyzewski's contract, and soon thereafter the Blue Devils returned to the Final Four for the first time since 1978.

Frank Beamer went 2-8-1 in his sixth season at Virginia Tech. Today he is revered as one of the great coaches in the country, and the Hokies have become the team to beat in the ACC every year.

When Brown came to Carolina, the Tar Heels went 2-20 in his first two seasons. In his last two years, they were 21-3 and had one of the finest programs in the nation. Swofford never wavered in his support.

The key is to know if you have the right person or not.

Is he or she recruiting better athletes and installing a system that will eventually win? Can the coach deal with the adversity, treat the kids in the proper fashion and represent the program in the way that is expected?

All the time and support in the world isn't going to make a successful coach out of the wrong person, but if you know you have the right one, it's critical to ignore the complaints of media and fans.

Sometimes that is a risk. With Brown, he was such a powerful recruiter, some of the fans felt he would win, eventually, but no one could be sure.

Frankly, it's kind of silly after a couple of poor offensive showings for so many people question Davis' ability.

He is the man for the job.

There is a real, good chance he is going to be the best coach at Carolina since Jim Tatum returned to Chapel Hill to coach his alma mater.

No doubt remains that the coaching staff has to do more with this offense. They don't have enough options to make wholesale personnel changes, but there isn't a need, either.

What Davis doesn't need is for Carolina fans to act like the typical impatient sports fans, who brush aside the reality of the situation in a desire to win immediately.

What this team requires are one or two changes in personnel and then some major adjustments in how the offense is run. These guys need some help to overcome the defenses that are stacked at the line of scrimmage to stop the run and rush the passer.

The offensive line is going to create some creases, not gaping holes. Quarterback T.J. Yates is not going to be able to throw a lot of deep passes until he has a running game once again. He simply won't have the time.

But no matter what occurs with the offense this season, Davis is the guy for this job. The biggest mistake in UNC football history would be to doubt that.

Before long, Carolina is going to become one of the teams to beat in the ACC, so long as Davis remains at the helm.

- chn -