Optimism is not a word I would have associated with the WVU football program following last season's 4-8 finish. In fact, if asked to choose between optimistic and pessimistic when it came to the football program's future, I'm betting the majority of fans would have chosen pessimistic.

One of the great things about this time of year however, is that optimism becomes the buzzword. Every team is undefeated. Most teams are relatively healthy. The majority of fan bases have forgotten the sins of last year's team. There's not much angst. 

Except when it comes to coaches. In my nearly 20 years as a college athletics administrator I've been around a bunch of coaches. Skip Holtz, Mark Duffner, Don Nehlen, Rich Rodriguez, Bill Stewart and Dana Holgorsen, to name a few on the football side. Hall of Famers like Jim Calhoun and Gary Williams, and future HOF'ers in John Beilein and Bob Huggins on the basketball side.

You almost always got angst with them before the season began. I rarely remember a preseason when there wasn't some rant about one side of the ball or at the very least one position group not being ready to go. It's part of the deal, right? The first game is approaching and the head coach is going to go bananas. Sometimes it's done to send a message to the team. The excitement of camp beginning had worn off. The first game was still a couple of weeks away. The coach needed to do something to grab their attention and kick the intensity back up a notch.

It has been like clockwork. It almost always happens. You know when it hasn't happened though? This year. Right now. We are nearly done with fall camp. The season opener against Alabama is fast approaching and we have zero blowups from Dana Holgorsen or any member of his staff. 

I'm willing to accept an assistant coach losing his mind about a group of players to keep the streak going. It doesn't just have to be the head coach, although they are normally the ones sending the message. Remember Shannon Dawson's rant about the inside receivers a couple of years ago? That counts. But, so far this year, nothing.

Everything coming from Dana Holgorsen and his staff has been positive. From Dana: guys are in the best shape since he's been here. Depth is the best it has been since he's arrived. Best summer since he has been here. Clint Trickett looks like a different player. Tons of depth at running back. From Shannon Dawson: athleticism is the best since he's been here. Ron Crook: offensive line is so much further ahead this year with the continuity at quarterback.

It's all puppy dogs and ice cream right now. No screaming, no rants, no messages sent. So far. Will that change? I don't know. It's starting to look like it won't. 

I get it though. You're coming off a dreadful year that saw near record low attendance for the season finale. You need to do something to build optimism. You need to let fans know the program will be fine. You need to give people a reason to renew their season tickets. As a former athletic department marketing guy, I certainly understand and appreciate the job the football staff is doing to help try and sell tickets. Sell the future is brighter. Push the optimism that fans naturally have in August. 

But is it reality? Does it worry you as a fan that everything seems so positive? Would you rather the staff under sell and over deliver? Or, is it simply because there has been no reason to rant? Is this group so much improved, so ready to go that the coaches don't need to call anyone out?

There is no doubt the experience level is in a much better place than it was last year. Heck, last year you had guys at nearly every key offensive position that had never taken a snap in Holgorsen's system. Think about that. Quarterback, multiple wide receiver positions and running back were all brand new to WVU.

Looking back, it's no wonder the offense seemed so inept at times. When you're thinking so hard about just understanding what the play call is, it is nearly impossible to go out and let your athleticism take over and make plays. That shouldn't be the case this year. Trickett, Alford, White, Shorts, Dreamius Smith, Wendell Smallwood all played significant snaps last year. Not understanding where to go and what do should no longer be an issue.

Does experience translate to production though? That's the key question as we head into the 2014 season. Can all of those guys I just mentioned take what they learned last year and turn it into actual on field performance? That remains to be seen. We saw flashes, but it needs to happen for an entire season if this program is going to get back to a bowl. 

So, is the experience level in a better spot as we enter 2014? Yes. But, that doesn't mean there aren't questions. 

One of my first questions however, isn't will this team be better? Yes, that's on my list, however my immediate question is why no blowups from the staff yet? Are they really that comfortable with this group or are they trying to keep a restless fan base engaged and enthused before they unveil their 2014 squad to the masses? 

We will have our answer soon. It won't be long before the Mountaineers take the field in Atlanta and we will see for ourselves how much this group has improved from last year. 

What do you think? Why haven't we heard a rant from the coaching staff yet? Leave a comment below or send me a tweet: @bradhowe07 and let me know what you think.