Chansky's Notebook: A Dear John Letter

Art Chansky ruminates on what’s going through Mack Brown’s mind since the 2019 football schedule was released:

An open letter from Mack Brown to John Swofford:

Dear John,

I know you don’t make the ACC football schedules, but as the guy who brought me to Carolina 30 years ago, couldn’t you have used your clout to cut me a little slack on the 2019 slate? In the first six games, my new Tar Heels might be favored one time – at home against what is not exactly the Appalachian State program I coached 40 years ago.

I know the South Carolina opener in Charlotte was scheduled when Larry was here, but do you recall that Gamecocks coach Will Muschamps was my defensive coordinator at Texas and knows the offense we run as well as his own? Then our home opener against nationally ranked Miami, whose new coach Manny Diaz also worked for me in Austin and knows our scheme.

Five nights later, you give us our non-conference game at Wake Forest on national TV. The Deacons will be hard to beat at BB&T Field after they went 7-6 last year and upset Memphis in their bowl game. Then after App State in Kenan comes defending national champion Clemson and a trip to Georgia Tech. John, are you trying to get me fired before the ink is dry on my new contract?

We do have our first open date after those six games, but it comes before our most important stretch for our record and our recruiting. At Virginia Tech and at home against Duke and Virginia. We have to win those rival games right in the heart of our recruiting area. All three of them went to bowls last year and Duke and Virginia slaughtered Temple and South Carolina.

Then our second Thursday night ESPN game against Pitt, which won the ACC Coastal last year and has pretty much everyone back. You know Pitt was the only ACC team Larry could beat while he was here, and now they’ll want to take it out on me.

I have to thank Bubba Cunningham for scheduling Mercer in our 11th game—you never gave me a gimme like that when you were my A.D.

Finally, on Thanksgiving Saturday, we finish at N.C. State; it took me five years to beat them the last time I was here.

I told Tar Heel Nation I came back to win, and I mean it. But your ACC looks a lot tougher than it did 30 years — and 30 days — ago.

Love, Mack.

Featured photo via Blake Hodge