Heels can act now on Davis

If North Carolina wants Butch Davis and if Butch Davis wants the Tar Heels' football job, this search shouldn't last long.

There's nothing to prolong negotiations.

Davis, a former coach of the University of Miami and the Cleveland Browns, isn't coaching anywhere.

There is no athletics director to approach for interview approval.

No need to wait for a bowl game to be over or for playoffs to end.

No buyout clause to sort through. Davis and his agent, Marvin Demoff, can be contacted immediately.

On Tuesday Davis said he's eager to get back into coaching and called Carolina "a great job." He wouldn't elaborate, but said more than enough to open the door for Carolina to call.

But in making those statements, Davis also invited everyone else in need -- or impending need -- to give him a call.

That's where Carolina -- if it acts quickly -- has the advantage.

If Davis wants to coach the Tar Heels, UNC can demand an immediate response should an offer be extended.

There's a lot of speculation about what might happen to Larry Coker at Miami and which NFL jobs might open up. But right now, there are no other major coaching jobs available.

Carolina should not allow Davis to stall. If he does, that would indicate he's waiting for something more to his fancy to come along.

A quick hire would benefit the Tar Heels. The sooner the next coach can start contacting recruits and lining up assistant coaches, the better.

If Davis is the pick, he has to relocate from Ohio, adjust to a new area and find a good coffee shop. Those things take time so every hour saved now could make a difference in spring and preseason practice periods.

Now, is Davis the best pick for Carolina? Personally, I have reservations, starting with his short- and long-range intentions.

Does he really want to coach at Carolina or does he just want to coach again? There's a difference, especially if he's just looking for a place to work until an NFL owner calls.

Davis left Miami after six years and walked away from a team that won a national championship the following season.

Would he fully understand how much work the next UNC coach is going to face. It's a great deal more difficult to win football games at North Carolina than at Miami. Recruiting is much tougher and player development far more important. So is game-day strategy.

At Miami, talent can be taken for granted. The team Davis left in Florida could win with some ease on its bad days. That's not the case at Carolina and never will be.

Future NFL quarterbacks have flocked to Miami. Carolina has had more trouble producing standout quarterbacks than almost any other Division I-A team in the nation.

Carolina can and should be a winning program. But it's going to take an innovative, unwavering coach to make that happen.

UNC has to determine whether Davis is that person. If athletics director Dick Baddour and his advisers believe Davis is, he should be put on the clock soon.

From Davis, Carolina needs a yes or a no -- but definitely not a maybe.