Should Frank Beamer Be on the Hot Seat After Virginia Tech's 2nd Straight Loss?

It's a question that has been asked several times over the past few seasons, and some folks in Blacksburg must be sick of it. No, Virginia Teach head coach Frank Beamer does not belong on the hot seat, although he may be eyeing it from the next room over.

The Hokies lost their second straight contest on Saturday—this time a 27-24 defeat at the hands of Georgia Tech where they squandered a late lead and practically handed the Yellow Jackets the game thanks to quarterback Michael Brewer's third interception. Last week, East Carolina walked into Beamer's workplace and left with a win.

Questions will fly around the college football world about whether Beamer ought to be on the proverbial hot seat of coaching, and if you've paid much attention to the Hokies so far in 2014, the answer is no.

That no, however, comes with a caveat: If Beamer doesn't succeed in developing his quarterback, he may end up there and might even find himself in danger of losing his job entirely.

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The last great season by a signal-caller on Virginia Tech came in 2010, when Tyrod Taylor had 24 touchdown passes with just five interceptions to go along with 659 rushing yards and another five scores.

Logan Thomas' career got off to a promising start as a sophomore when he threw for more than 3,000 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2011, but he would fail to hit those numbers again.

In fact, his interceptions went up, while his completion percentage went down. This season, we've seen flashes of greatness from Brewer, and since he's a first-year starter, you have to be more lenient with the mistakes that will inevitably come.

Even still, throwing five interceptions through four games isn't going to cut it. A 2-2 start isn't going to cut it either—not with both defeats coming at Lane Stadium, which has lost every bit of aura and intimidation it previously had.

All of this points toward a coaching staff that should be subject to criticism, and it'll get a fair share of it this week to be sure. But nobody loves the Hokies like Beamer, and hardly anybody walks into The Shoe in Columbus and leaves with a victory over the Buckeyes as his team did on September 6.

This isn't a sinking ship with violinists out on the deck playing a farewell song. But there are holes that must be patched up, and it would be unwise to have the man in charge for the past 27 years walk the plank.

In 2010, the Hokies opened up the season with losses to Boise State and mighty James Madison of the FCS. They followed up the brutal start with 11 straight wins before succumbing to Andrew Luck and Stanford in the Orange Bowl.

A 2-2 start with a victory over Ohio State should be looked at as another slow start to the season with promising signs and a chance to do some damage in the ACC. East Carolina is not a bad football team, and neither is Georgia Tech.

The Pirates played South Carolina tough on the road, and the Yellow Jackets are 4-0. The problem is that Virginia Tech has talent and shouldn't be satisfied with merely being decent. The Hokies should be winning home games against East Carolina and Georgia Tech, and they should be figuring out ways to move the ball more effectively.

That could mean a switch at quarterback, something Beamer commented on briefly following the latest loss:

Perhaps the change will come via the ground game, where freshmen Shai McKenzie and Marshawn Williams form a duo that could become something special.

At the end of the first half against Georgia Tech, the Hokies had the ball with enough time on the clock to get into field-goal range. You figured that with Brewer's questionable decision-making, the run game would be the star act on the drive.

Yet the ball was put in Brewer's hands, and twice he had throws that could have been intercepted. He's clearly not ready to be slinging the ball all over the place, so why not develop a game plan that eases him into the offense more?

Start with simple throws before taking riskier shots down the field.

It's that kind of series that puts doubt into the solid foundation built by Beamer over the years. That foundation consists largely of strong play on special teams and solid defense. In fact, Virginia Tech hasn't allowed more than 23 points per game in the past six seasons. That side of the ball looks fine, even with the Yellow Jackets marching down the field for the game-winning field goal.

To get back to winning ACC championships and into the national championship conversation, Coach Beamer must get more creative on offense and see that his teams get better throughout the season, specifically at the quarterback position.

If that happens, any sort of hot-seat talk will die down quickly. But if Brewer can't improve as the season wears on, the blame will naturally fall on Beamer.

As the head coach, that's the way it's always going to be, and if he's to maintain the position he's held for so long, changes must be made.