FReegards...MUD
Mornin'.
Horseface is on WRVA.
"Vile Forces"
(To be sung to the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses")
Slick thinks this Country is easy to fool,
Abusing his power, obstructing the truth!
Shameless traitor, Presidency's a sham,
You know we can't let this High Treason stand!
Vile forces hold Bill's critics at bay,
But wild, wild horses couldn't drive me away!
America's sufferin' a dull, achin' pain,
Networks can't hide it, their power has waned.
No explanation, no compromise...
Will make us feel better until Slick resigns.
Vile forces try to lead us astray...
Lib'ral "choices" drain our freedoms away!
It must concern you, Bill's sins and his lies,
But now Slick's beholden to his Communist spies.
Our faith's been broken, Bill must be tried,
He'll rot in prison to pay for his crimes!
Vile forces try to excuse it away,
Democrat voices remain silent today.
Vile forces mustn't lead us astray...
Righteous forces, they'll triumph someday!!
Muchas Gracias...MUD
You should throw these on a CD.
Ahh yes, a song about the HildaBeast!!
The Rolling Stones' "BITCH!!"
Feeling so tired, can't understand it
Just had a fortnight's sleep
I'm feeling so shot, I'm so distracted
Ain't touched a thing all week
I'm feeling drunk, juiced up and sloppy
Ain't touched a drink all night
I'm feeling hungry, can't see the reason
Just ate a horse meat pie
Yeah when you call my name
I salivate like a Pavlov dog
Yeah when you lay me out
My heart is beating louder than a big bass drum, alright
Yeah, you got to mix it child
You got to fix it must be love
It's a bitch
You got to mix it child
You got to fix it but love
It's a bitch, alright
Sometimes I'm sexy, move like a stud
Kicking the stall all night
Sometimes I'm so shy, got to be worked on
Don't have no bark or bite, alright
Yeah when you call my name
I salivate like a Pavlov dog
Yeah when you lay me out
My heart is bumpin' louder than a big bass drum, alright
I said hey, yeah I feel alright now
Got to be a...
Hey, I feel alright now
Hey hey hey
Hey hey yeah...
Pre...MUD
Please allow me to introduce the World...
To the Left, they feel no shame!
Been around here fer many long years...
Stole many a man's Hope and Faith!!
Fascists in Power when Jesus Christ...
Bore our crosses and bore our pain.
Made damn sure our Savior...
Wouldn't threaten their Evil Reign!!
Please believe me...Lib'rals are to blame!!
Despite their righteous talk, more Power is their aim!!
They saw their chance in St. Petersburg...
When they saw the Monarchy had been shamed...
Killed the Czar and his ministers...
As well as any Man who could think!!
They rode the tanks in Heil Hitler's ranks...
When the blitzkrieg raged and all Waco stank!!
Please believe me...Socialists are to blame!!
Oh, yeah! Bloody failures, yet, they seem oblivious to shame!!
They cheered with glee helpin' Pol Pot succeed...
Led by Hanoi Jane, their hands are bloody-stained!!
They shouted out, "Who killed the Left's Elite?!"
While slaughterin' all who just wished to breathe free!!
Let me please clarify myself, these Elites have wealth and "taste"...
But their attacks on Liberty...have become a National Disgrace!!
I swear to you, DemonRATS are to blame!!
Oh yeah! But what's puzzlin' me is their arrogant lack of shame!
Ah, yeah!...Go out and get 'em, boys!!
(cool guitar jammin')
Please believe me, Slick's tyrants are to blame!!
Oh yeah! But what's important now is the ending of Bill's reign!!
'Cuz EX-Prez'dent's just a criminal...and all his critics Saints!!
While I could call Slick "Lucifer," I'll exhibit some restraint.
When you see Slick, show due courtesy...
But have no sympathy, 'cuz Bill's a snake!!
Condemn all his corrupt politics, or be ashamed to show yer face!!
Pleased to meet you...Mudboy Slim's my name!
Uhm, yeah! Bringin' Clinton down is why I must serenade.
Uhmm, I mean it...Get out...Yeehah...Resign!...Get on out, BOY! Ah, yeah!
Tell you Country, Lib'rals are their name.
Tell you, voters, it's something you can change!!
Tell us, Willie, where's your shame?!
Tell you one thing, Slick's to blame!!
Ooh Hoo! Ooh Hoo! Wahoo! Alright! Ooh Hoo Ooh! Ooh Hoo Ooh! Ah yeah!
Mudboy Slim (4/24/2000)
Kerry's more Lib'ral than TeddyKennedy, 'nuff said...MUD
Well I used to live in Richmond before my kids were born...
Fixin' up ol' neighborhoods to make myself some do-ough...
Guv'ment was way too Lib'ral...schools failed the kids a lot...
Tax and spend, Left wastes our money, led by RATS like Bobby Scott!!
Bob Scott is a black RAT, with white Lib'ral friend$...
When you gave yer legal bribes, Scott'd be quite debonair...
Too "kewel" to be a hiphop bro, liked to say "I'm soooo Elite!!"
Left'd give Bobby their money, his word he'd fail to keep!!
Bobby, be gone...Bobby Scott, yer a joke!!
Yer answer's always "Guv'ment"...hatred you do stoke!!
FReepers know you are useless, the voters won't be fooled!!
'Cuz Bobby Scott is a RAT bootlicker...high time fer someone new!!
Single nearin' fifty, strange rumors hounded him...
Bobby usedta win big, now 3rd District's tired of him!!
Fols, lend a hand, help us FReep...let's unseat this slime!!
Term Limits are up to you...
It's Revolution, Richmond-style!!
Socialism's wrong...Winsome roll, lady roll!!
We'll help Sears raise some money...Semper Fi, we go!!
Bobby Scott is just useless, his bills they always lose!!
Vote Winsome Sears on November 2nd, 'cuz it's yer Right to choose!!
Yes ma'am...
(excellent guitar-jammin' interlude)
On that day ol' Bobby lied, "I promise, things will change!!"
Good people cast their votes, Bobby rued his Judgement Day!!
Bobby served out his time, singin' the Black RAT Blues...
But when he called fer racial strife, Dem voters said, "YOU LOSE!!"
Big Guv'ment's wrong...Winsome roll, hey Winsome roll!!
DemRATS subsist on FEAR, but Lib'rals ain't got no soul!!
FReepers say it's sweet Justice, helpin' Bobby Scott to lose...
But Winsome Sears' a righteous leader...3rd District, she's good news!!
Mudboy Slim
"White House del Clintonia"
(To be sung to the Eagles' "Hotel California")
On a dark D.C. sidewalk, nearin' T-Mac's lair,
Smell of cherry blossoms rising up through the air,
I'm part of the resistance, I I skewer the Liberal's blight,
Ceegah smoke was heavy and my sight grew dim,
I had to stop for the night!!
There Slick stood in the doorway, I heard Hillary yell!!
(Aaiigghh!!)
And I was thinkin' to myself, "This sure ain't Heaven and I'm scair'd it's Hell!"
Then Bill lit up a candle and he showed me the way,
Barbara Streisand's down the corridor, I thought I heard her sing...
"Welcome to the White House del Clintonia,
Such a lovely place, such a handsome face...
Plenty of room at the White House del Clintonia,
Three Hundred times per year, Lib'rals sleeping here."
Slick's mind is liberally-twisted, he's got that Socialist bent,
He's got a lot of pretty, stooopid girls...that Bill calls friends!
How they danced in the Court Room, sweet Summer sweat,
Some just can't remember, most choose to forget!
So I called on the Vice Prez, "Please show me some spine!"
Algore said, "This Party's had no raison d'etre since 1969!"
And still those victims are callin' for "Hillary!!"
Brain-dead pups with their feeble li'l lives...Sheeple, we must wake...
"Welcome to the White House del Clintonia,
Such a lovely place, such a damned disgrace!
They're livin' it up at the White house del Clintonia!
What a pack a lies, they're all Chinese spies!!"
Interns are a'kneeling, Slick moans, "That feels nice!"
Phat Mo said, "I'm just a good Lib'ral, askin' Li'l Willie's advice!"
But in the Judge's chambers, Ray gather'd felonies,
Left stabs him with their steely lies, but Right must INDICT this Beast!
Best I can remember, Reagan wasn't like these Whores...
We have to find a passage back to the way things were before!
"Relax!" said Bill Clinton, "I'm the Master of Deceipt...
With the Media on my side, I'm impossible to defeat!!"
We'll see, Slick Willie, we'll see...
FReegards...MUD
"America didn't learn of Kerry because of his exploits in Vietnam. He became a recognized figure after his return — when he publicly accused those same American soldiers whom he now claims to champion as "war criminals." Kerry has never disavowed his anti-war activities and accusations. Last spring, on "Meet the Press," he declared that he was "proud" of what he'd done, claiming he and his fellow activists, like Jane Fonda, "saved lives." So why no campaign ads featuring his Senate testimony? If Kerry showed moral leadership and patriotism by exposing the "atrocities" committed by U.S. troops, why not remind us of it?"
'Cuz Hanoi John Kerry is a TRAITOR!!
FReegards...MUD
Freegards back at ya!
"Bite ME, Slick...You Bully!!"
(To be sung to Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Gimme Back My Bullet")
My life's been strange since I began FReepin' Slick...
'Cuz I sing the Hard Line..."Throw Slick Willie in the Clink!!"
But I'll keep on FReepin' like all Patriots do...
Bubba, I got my Band together...gonna ROCK all over you!!
Bite ME, Slick...you Bully!!
Prison's Right where you belong...
Ain't foolin' 'round, boy...get off Air Force One!!
We're gonna FReep 'til yer reign is done!!
Bite ME, Slick...you Bully!!!
Scair't Left-Wing sheeple done hacked my 'puter down...
But we'll have Ol' Slick on his knees...gonna force Slick outta town!!
Folks, Slick's leavin' this Game one step ahead of MUD...
And you WILL see Slick IN CHAINS...Sic Semper Tyrannus!!!
Re-Impeach Slick Willie!!
Prison's right where Slick belongs!!!
Must cast Bill down...or Equal Justice is DONE...
Nation SHALL rise up...DETHRONE CLINTON!!!
Re-Impeach...then Convict Slick Willie!!
You'd best RESIGN, Billy...
(Guitar Jammin')
Been on Slick's butt since back in Ninety-Three...
Feds told me to stop...but I am, therefore I FReep!!
Now MUD's got a Band, we're gettin' better every day...
Tell all Dem Republicans..."Betta got outta our way!!"
Bite ME, Slick...you Bully!!!
Hell is right where you belong!!
You've met yer match, boy, you TREASONOUS SCUM...
Ain't gonna see no more damage done!!
Re-Impeach...then Convict Slick Willie!!!
(Guitar Jammin' to fade)
Mudboy Slim (8/18/2000)
"Right Shall Rise Again!!
(To be sung to R.E.M.'s "So. Central Rain")
Clinton's gonna fall!! Dem Leftists try to stall...
Their Lib'ral mis-Directions...are driving RATS insane!!
Our Will shan't bend!! Slick Willie washed away...
The Evil of the Lib'rals...has forced Mudboy to sing.
I'm sorry...Slick's sorry...Left's sorry...Right's always...
Justice is our Right...Third Party calls...the RINOs frown...
The wise man wrote his words upon the rocks...
But MUD's not bound to follow suit!!
The Left shall bend...Slick's ConDamnation's Nigh!!
If Slick's Treas'nous Crimes YOU Condone...yer choice isn't mine!!
Slick's sorry...Left's sorry...
Med'yuh never called!! MUD waited for Left's calls...
Left's lies and mis-directions are driving US away!!
Then Limbaugh sang...Left's Brain-washin' washed away...
Left says that I should "Just Move ON!!"...that Choice isn't mine!!
I'm sorry...Slick's sorry...Left's sorry...Justice's RIGHT!!!
Ooooh...Ahhhhh...Ahhhhhhhhh-EEEEE...Ahhhhh-ahhhhhhh-uhhhhh...
{end very intensely on Am}
Heh heh heh...Mudboy Slim (15 January 2002)
"Today, we're going to talk about how to encourage an ownership society in America. Listen, these are changing times. If you really think about it, they are much different from the times when we came up. Most of our dads -- at least guys my age dads -- worked for one company. Mine did move around a little bit, but -- (laughter.) George's generally worked for one company. (Laughter and applause.) At any rate, when we think about it, it was a different society back a couple of decades ago because a person stayed with the same company, had the health plan from the company, retirement plan from the company. Now people are moving around. It's a different world. And there is some uncertainty in that kind of world. Moms and dads are both working, sometimes out of the house. And the economy is changing. And, therefore, government policy ought to change with the times. And one way to bring stability and security into a person's life is to encourage ownership. See, if you own and control your own health care plan, you can move from job to job without worrying as to whether or not you're going to get health coverage for your family. If you own your own home, and building equity in your own home, and you're changing from job to job, it provides great security and relief.
And so we're going to talk about different forms of ownership here. But the point here, is I want you to understand that over the next four years we'll be working to build a culture of ownership in America. We want more people owning things in this country. (Applause.) Let me put it to you bluntly: In a changing world, we want more people to have control over your own life. And that's a difference -- there's a difference in philosophy, when you think about it. A lot of the government policies are, you know, as I like to put it: we'll give you the orders and you pay the bills. (Laughter.) If you really think about it, there's a philosophical divide here in this campaign. My judgment is, government ought to be empowering people by giving them more control over their lives."
Yer gittin' warmer, Mr. President...MUD
BTW...Devolve Power from the Federal Leviathan and back to the States, Localities, Neighborhoods, Families, and Individuals!! Git the Federal Guv'ment OUT OF OUR LIVES, wherever feasible!!
"FReepers"
(To be sung to Lynyrd Skynyrd's "FReeBird")
Left will steal, beg, or borrow...
To protect Ol' Slick Willie!!
But Bill must be travellin' on now...
'Cuz his Treason threatens our Liberty!!
If we condoned Slick's Corruption...
Country wouldn't be the same!!
Righteous must retake this World, now...
And this World shall be remade...oh-oh-oh-ah-oh-ohhhh...
And the Left shall feel our ra-a-a-age...
Lib'rals, bow yer heads in sha-a-a-a-a-ame...
Lord knows, World must cha-a-a-ange...........
[Guitar weepin']
Realize, Willie, you'll go to prison...yeah, yeah...
You're just a Tyrant, you can't change!!
Oh, please don't act like the Victim...
'Cuz Lord knows you're to blame.
Slick, if we condoned your crimes, boy...
Nation wouldn't be the same!!
So we FRee-eep fer the Truth now...
And this World we shall now change...ohh-oh-oh-oh-oh-ahhhh...
And Lib'rals we'll now de-Fame...
And the Medyuh shall be shamed!!!!!
Lord knows it shall change...
Lord, help us, we must cha-a-a-a-a-ange...
Folks, we must change...
Won't ya join the FRee-pers?!! Yeah-eah-eah!!
[Guitar Jammin' to close]
Mudboy Slim
LOL...Ol' Lurch sure looks FRench, er, I mean effeminate...same thing.
LOL...MUD
"Treason and High Crimes!!"
(To be sung to the Outlaws' "Green Grass and High Tides")
It's a place your children dream of, where great men once led the free...
Ol' Abe Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, Washington each graced the seat...
FDR, Kennedy, and Jefferson once served the office with pride!
But now we've got Slick Willie bangin' young interns...
Left-Wing tells us, "Let it slide..."
Well, Clinton's been a damned disgrace, spy stories all ring true...
If you say, "It's all Okay!", what does that say 'bout you?!
Med'yuh refuses to ask tough questions, as though Slick were King.
But patriots cannot believe in Bill,
'Cuz Slick's sold his soul to Beijing!! Left declares...
"Treason and high crimes don't matter!"
Good DemocRATs fallin' from glory...
Still, Lib'rals say, "We adore you!"
Left's King's a freak...good folks abhor you-oouu!!
(Guitar Jammin')
Those who don't fight Evil find their souls have been sold cheap...
Numb poltroons can't see how Power has warped Ol' Slick Willie!
Crimes and Slime define Left's WHORE, they take up all his time.
We'll next CONVICT, then Slick will do his prison time...
Right'll force him there!!!
Treason and High Crimes will be proved...
Will DemonRATs follow Slick blindly?!
The Left-Wing says, "We adore you!"
Election's soon...voters will show you-oouu!
Yeah...the Right'll slaughter you-ou-ou-ouuu...!!!
(Mo' Guitar Jammin' to fade)
FReegards...MUD
3 posted on 09/11/2002 9:21:55 AM EDT by Mudboy Slim
"Great Expectations: Why Not a National Title?!"
by Greg Waters
Aug 10, 2004
Some fans seem reluctant to believe Virginia can be No. 1. Every season college football fans and the media that cover the sport start talking about national title contenders. Among the four or five names bantered around, there are usually one or two “sleeper” teams that, if everything falls into place, have a shot at playing in the last game of the season. This season one of the names in the “sleeper” category for some pundits is Virginia. But while the media appears to be in love with the team's prospects, UVa fans have been slow to get on the “'Hoos in Miami” bandwagon. Today I'll try to explain why they are reluctant and why they should hop aboard.
Here's what some of the preseason publications are saying about the Cavaliers:
“While Virginia won just 8 games last year, it happened with a team that was very loaded with talented underclassmen. This team is a now year older and probably the one team in the ACC capable of challenging FSU and Miami for the top.” - Phil Steele's College Football Preview
“With 17 starters back - including arguably the nation's top guard, tight end, kicker and group of linebackers - Groh has reason to believe Virginia could contend for the conference title…” - Lindy's
“Virginia has the talent to play with anyone in the conference and should be in the race for a BCS bowl.” - Athlon
“The Cavs … have all the ingredients for a breakthrough. Their offensive and defensive lines, so young the past two years, are now both experienced and talented. It's not inconceivable that Virginia could be 7-1 heading into a Nov. 13 home date with Miami. Virginia has the talent to play with anyone in the conference and should be in the race for a BCS bowl.” - Stewart Mandel, CNNSI.com
“After stockpiling some of the best young talent in the ACC, head coach Al Groh has to put it all together and take this team full of NFL talent and make it a BCS player.” - Collegefootballnews.com
In places like Pasadena, Ca., and Norman, Okla., high expectations are not only welcomed, they are expected. In fact, most of these communities would be offended if USC and the Sooners weren't talked about as national title contenders. But the very thought of that same type of press sends fans in Charlottesville looking for the excuse book. “The quarterback is too short.” “Our secondary is too inexperienced.” “We've been here before and lost.” I hope we're not the disappointment of the year.” Good night, people.
The Sooners and Trojans are two of the top teams on everyone's national title contender list. It wasn't that long ago that they weren't on anyone's list. From 1994 through 1999. Oklahoma had one winning season. Since that time, under head coach Bob Stoops, OU has gone 55-11, played for two national championships, winning one. Southern California posted only two winning seasons from 1996 through 2001 (37-35 record) but recorded back-to-back 11-plus win seasons and a national championship in 2003.
So why is it so inconceivable that Virginia could deliver the same type of results four years into the Groh regime?
Virginia returns 16 starters on offense and defense with a combined 313 starts. That's an average of 14.2 starts per player. On special teams the 'Hoos return arguably the best kicker in the land in All-American and Lou Groza candidate Connor Hughes. Hughes led all ACC kickers in extra-point and field-goal percentage a year ago. Kickoff return specialist Tony Franklin (25.8 ypr) and Marquis Weeks (27.5 ypr) both would have finished among the top four in the ACC in kickoff return average if they had enough attempts to qualify. Seven of the eight starting down linemen from both sides of the ball return.
The Cavaliers have seven legitimate All-American candidates in their starting 24. That's 29 percent of the starting lineup. Virginia returns six All-ACC honorees from a year ago, one behind the Terps and tied with Florida State. Of the 24 starters on this team, six were freshmen All-Americans. There is more talent and more depth at more positions than at any time in the last decade.
So what promoted this tirade? Reviewing chicken's annual preseason prognostications reveals an interesting phenomenon. While the media might be ready for the Cavaliers to be mentioned with the likes of USC, Oklahoma and Florida State in the race for the national championship, most Virginia fans are not. And these are not casual fans, mind you. They are USDA, Face-in the-Fan, Certified Sabre-fanatics.
True believers have reasons to expect a title contender.
Do Virginia fans still want the team that had two million consecutive 7-plus win seasons? Please understand, that is a significant record of achievement. That was an unfathomable accomplishment 20 years ago. But it's not 20 years ago. The President of the University has issued a challenge to compete at the highest level. The football coach has accepted the challenge. The players have accepted the challenge. The only people associated with Virginia football who haven't stepped up to accept the challenge are many 'Hoo fans.
OK, those fans say, there are issues. First, this is not your daddy's ACC. We have a new quarterback and he's short. Our defense needs to make significant strides to stop the run and we have a lot of good teams on the schedule.
That is correct. The league has added Virginia Tech and Miami and both are on the 2004 Virginia schedule. But it's not as if the Hokies are new to the Virginia slate. Miami is a significant addition, but they essentially replaced N.C. State. The Wolfpack has been a pretty good team over the last few years so the Canes are not a major upgrade in opposition. The Canes also have to come to Virginia on November 13th. Miami doesn't play very well in Virginia in November. Since 1997, Miami is 1-3 in the Commonwealth (all of the games played in Blacksburg); all four games were played after November 1st.
Actually, the schedule sets up well for an opportunity to make a run. Five of the first seven games are ones in which the 'Hoos will likely be double-digit favorites. The two exceptions are against Clemson and Florida State. The contest against the Tigers is a Thursday night ESPN affair at home after an off week. Groh and his staff have proven to be difficult to deal with when they have extra time to prepare for a game. Florida State is in Tallahassee and no doubt a game that will require extra effort and maybe a little luck.
The Cavs close out the season with four difficult battles with Maryland and Miami at home and Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech on the road. All could go either way. The Terps are young and while they will certainly improve throughout the season, so will a veteran Virginia team. Plus Maryland will have to deal with the Seminoles the week before. As for the Hokies, on paper, the 2004 showdown is a game the 'Hoos should win. Over the last 12 years, the road team has won six of the 12 games in the series, so home games do not necessarily guarantee victory in this rivalry. There are also more questions regarding this Hokie squad than answers and a seemingly endless barrage of off-the-field issues. I'll get to Georgia Tech in a moment.
But we've been here before and been burned, says the cautious 'Hoo fan. We've seen this before.
Remember 1992, when the Cavs returned 16 starters and began the season 5-0, moving up to 10th in the polls. Remember Virginia squandering a three-touchdown lead to Clemson in Scott Stadium and losing, 29-28. The 'Hoos finished the year 7-4.
A year later Virginia would again start the season 5-0 and rise to 13th in the polls before being manhandled by FSU, 40-14, and finishing the year at 7-5. In 1994 the 13th-ranked 'Hoos would begin the year 6-1 only to lose a 28-25 heartbreaker to Fred Goldsmith and the only Duke team with a winning record over the last 14 years.
Heartbreak would again plague the Cavaliers in 1995 as they lost four games by a combined 13 points. A one-point loss to Michigan in the Big House on the last play of the game, a one-point loss on the road against Texas on an improbable 50-yard field goal as time expired, and the most gut-wrenching loss of all at the hands of the hated Tar Heels in Chapel Hill as No. 9 Virginia fell, 22-17. Every game loaded with questionable calls.
And then there's Georgia Tech. Every Virginia fan knows the history of games against the Yellow Jackets. In 1990 the Jackets defeated the 'Hoos 41-38 on a questionable field goal by Scott Sisson, ending Virginia's stay at the top of the polls. In 1996 a late drive ended with an errant Tim Sherman pass to an open Darrell Medley that could have produced the game-winning touchdown in a 13-7 defeat for the 12th-ranked and 4-0 Cavs. And 1998, with Virginia again undefeated at 5-0 and ranked No. 7 in the nation, the 'Hoos would again blow a three-touchdown lead and fall by the eerily reminiscent score of 41-38. Yeah, we've been there before, too many times.
But the way I see it, with all that bad luck, UVa is due.
Certainly some issues need to be addressed. Marques Hagans will begin his first season as the new quarterback. He's not 6-4. He's not Matt Schaub. But he doesn't have to be.
Consider that last year's ACC rookie of the year, Georgia Tech quarterback Reggie Ball, is only 5-11. Darian Durant enters the 2003 season ranked third on the ACC's career passing efficiency list with a 147.14 rating. Despite missing four games last season due to injury, he still led the conference in total offense with 285.6 yards per game while completing 147 of 248 passes for 2,123 yards and 16 touchdowns. Durant doesn't have even remotely the talent around him that is at Hagans' disposal. Durant is 5-11. And what about Joe Hamilton? Remember Joe? At 5-10, he was the same height as Hagans and led his Yellow Jackets to a 30-17 record, leaving college as the ACC career leader in passing efficiency and total offense.
Quarterbacks at the collegiate level don't have to carry the team. They need to understand their role and play within it. Jay Barker's 1992 Alabama team won the national title with Barker completing only 4 of 18 passes in a 34-13 upset of top-ranked Miami in the Sugar Bowl. During the season Alabama averaged a modest 25.2 points per game on offense and only 143 passing yards per game. Barker was a sophomore.
Take Ohio State's Craig Krenzel. Krenzel wasn't a Heisman candidate or All-American, he didn't have a rocket launcher for an arm, but he was efficient (62% completions) and he made good decisions. "[The quarterback] better at least be a guy who is not going to screw it up," said Buckeyes offensive coordinator Jim Bollman, "and will allow everyone around him to do what they can do."
"Somewhere in the game, that type of quarterback is going to have an opportunity to make a play whether you want him to or not." Bollman said. "It may be a scramble, or he pulls it down and runs, or he makes a right decision on a pass play.”
Bob Stoops won the 2000 national title with unheralded Josh Heupel. But, Stoops argued, without his brains and his leadership, the Sooners would have been just another good team. Tee Martin did in his first season what Peyton Manning could not do in four - win a national title at Tennessee. Matt Mauck led LSU to a national title in 2003 even though his team finished fifth in the SEC in total offense. However, Mauck was efficient (64% completions) and demonstrated excellent decision-making as evidenced by his 28-14 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Consider this fact: Among the last 12 national champions (two split seasons), 10 of the 12 starting quarterbacks led their teams to titles in just their first or second year as the starter.
Former Nittany Lion offensive coordinator Fran Ganter, who is now the Associate Athletic Director for Football Administration at Penn State said, “Joe [Paterno] always says that the first thing, foremost and most important, in a quarterback is his leadership ability, and that he has a hold on the team. His ability, and how he throws, is secondary. You win championships with defense.”
While these teams did not have superstar quarterbacks, they did have dominant defenses.
Which brings us to that poor run defense. Last season LSU won the national title with a defense that gave up only 67 rushing yards per game. A year before, the Tigers gave up 134. In 2002 Ohio State won the national championship with a run defense that yielded only 78 yards per game. In 2001 the Buckeyes gave up 139. Both teams improved their run defense by more than 60 yards per game from the previous season. Last year the 'Hoos gave up 162 yards rushing per game. A 60-yard drop would put them right around 100 yards per game and squarely in title contention.
Keeping teams under 100 rushing yards per game is critical, but consider that the three national champions that preceded OSU each gave up over 100 yards per game on the ground in their title years. The teams that won the title in 2001 (Miami), 2000 (Oklahoma) and 1999 (Florida State) gave up 138, 102 and 114 rushing yards per game, respectively.
One thing that all five of these title teams did have in common, however, was an ability to limit their opponents' points. Here are the last five champs and their average points allowed: Florida State (16.9), Oklahoma (14.9), Miami (9.8), Ohio State (13.1) and LSU (11).
One consistent trend in the play of the Virginia defense over the last three seasons is the annual drop in points allowed. In Groh's first season, the Cavs gave up 27.6 points per game. In 2002 UVa allowed an average of 24.9 points and last season that total dropped more than four points to 20.4. Another three or four point drop would place the 'Hoos clearly in title range.
Now the point of this is not to proclaim the Cavaliers national title contenders or to suggest that Marques Hagans will not be an outstanding quarterback. That said, the issues that many fans raise can be overcome and the stats prove it. But the hesitation on the part of some fans to even consider the possibility given the facts is interesting. It would appear that they have become gun-shy watching their Hokie and Wolfpack counterparts talk about national titles and undefeated seasons, only to suffer fourth-place conference finishes again and again.
The Cavaliers may not be in the Orange Bowl on January 4th at 8 p.m., but it's not out of the realm of possibility. And you can bet this article is bookmarked and ready to republish if they do make it to Miami. Of course, if they don't, I'll remind everyone it was just a commentary piece.
WahooWah...MUD
"At this writing, the Kerry campaign has not yet responded to the media meltdown that is occurring around John Kerry's four decades of stories built on his secret, illegal missions into Cambodia during the four months he skippered a SWIFT boat. It is impossible to stonewall a story that broke out of the blogosphere and into the major media on Monday night and Tuesday morning, so eventually John Kerry is going to have to stand by his wildly implausible tales of cross-border excellent adventures, or he's going to have to apologize for inventing personal history. Here are the facts. Not long after returning from Vietnam, John Kerry began telling people he had been sent into Cambodia on an illegal patrol on Christmas Eve 1968. He repeated that story on the floor of the Senate in 1986, to an AP reporter in 1992, and as recently as June 2003 was regaling a Washington Post reporter with a story of how he had ferried a CIA man secretly into Cambodia, and how he'd kept the man's hat as a reminder of that journey.
The Christmas-Eve-in-Cambodia story has already been completely shredded by the SWIFT boat vet critics of Kerry, and it is hard to imagine how Kerry is going to defend the CIA man who was never there, given independent testimony from Navy vets that the SWIFT boats never went into Cambodian waters. If Kerry was sent on a secret drop-off mission, he's going to have to come up with some proof, especially with the Christmas Eve narrative now so discredited."
Kerry's TOAST...MUD
"Redskins Country is a bizarre place of exaggerated emotion and violent overreaction to every conceivable event. We're like the fanatic Red Sox Nation, but without the Calvinist preference for eternal damnation. Since the Redskins won NFL titles as far back as the '30s and '40s and Super Bowls as recently as the '80s and '90s, we assume that the franchise would be a champion again if only the bete noire of the moment (owner Daniel Snyder in recent years) would just stop messing things up. It has been this way my entire adult life, since the day Vince Lombardi came to town in 1969 to restore the team's glory. Since then, a condition of manic elation or depression has almost always been in place. Yet I never get over my sense of wonder at the phenomenon. Even my late father, who came to town in Sammy Baugh's heyday, abandoned his usual scrupulous judgments whenever the Redskins were the subject of conversation. Defeat was improper, abnormal.
"So, in this atmosphere, Jansen's injury can't simply mean that the Redskins will have to figure out whether Derrick Dockery or Kenyatta Jones moves into the right tackle spot. No, it has to be the End of the Redskins' World as We Know It. Actually, the Redskins' front office has constructed an enormously expensive team that is, nevertheless, painfully thin at some key spots. If running back Clinton Portis were out for the season, his backups would be pitiful. If wide receiver Laveranues Coles or a couple of defensive linemen were hurt, that would create voids. But depth in the offensive line isn't one of the problems. Bugel has been scratching his head about having six players with the ability to start at five positions. Backup center Cory Raymer, coming back from a ruptured Achilles' last year, was the odd 300-pounder left out. Now he may be back in. If the 345-pound Dockery moves to right tackle, then Raymer takes over at center and current center Lennie Friedman would move to left guard. Confusing, yes. But at least in that case, the overall talent level of the Dirtbags might not fall as much as many assume. It's a rare 5-11 team that has such decent choices after losing a player as good as Jansen. Of course, it's a rare 5-11 team that has the highest payroll in history. So with Snyder's wallet wide open, there's never an excuse for a bare cupboard.
In NFL towns a thousand miles from the nation's capital, the injury to Jansen is probably seen in more sensible perspective. If Gibbs and his AARP coaching staff still have their touch, and if all the team's high-salaried offseason additions are as good as advertised, then the loss of one lineman who has never been a Pro Bowler should be the kind of injury that a quality team can surmount. If it starts to unravel the whole plan, then how good were the Redskins of Gibbs II going to be anyway?
So come in off the ledge."
Skins will win a playoff game this year...MUD
Tonight it's very clear,
My record's what I fear.
There's so many things
I have to hide
I gotta make up something.
Something that those losers will buy.
Sometimes I just forget,
Say things that contradict.
But everyone knows
that I'm still lying.
I don't wanna lose now.
I could never find a real job.
I am the man who will fabricate honor.
I'll be the hero the left's looking for.
Married for money.
It's not my S.U.V., but I
Do it all for the glory of John.
I was in Vietnam.
I'm sure you've heard that song. [I wasn't there fer long?]
Took a camera so they'd believe me.
Faked a few injuries;
Shot a running kid in the back.
I am the man who will fabricate honor.
I'll be the hero the left's looking for.
Three purples hearts;
Who cares how I got them, but I
Did it all for the glory of John.
On a dock off of Martha's Vineyard,
Many, many years ago.
Just in time I did save the day:
I kept all the drowning hamsters safe.
I am the man who will fabricate honor.
Flipping and flopping, which one you voting for?
Vote for John Kerry;
Though like Lurch I'm scary, but I
Do it all for the glory of John.
So what I'm a liar
And my pants are on fire, but I
Do it all for the glory of John...
Ooo ooo ooo ooo.
I did it for for John...
I do it all for John...
Teresa's like my mom...
She loves her little John...
© 2004 Kevin L. Kitchens, All Rights Reserved
Good stuff, Newbie...MUD