Posted on 09/18/2004 8:35:05 PM PDT by Mudboy Slim
No problemo!
“Now the Senator is making wild charges about missing explosives when his top foreign policy adviser admits, quote, 'we do not know the facts.' Think about that. The Senator's denigrating the action of our troops and commanders in the field without knowing the facts. Unfortunately, that's part of a pattern of saying almost anything to get elected — like when Senator Kerry charged that our military failed to get Osama bin Laden at Tora Bora, even though our top military commander, General Tommy Franks, said the Senator's understanding of events does not square with reality, and our intelligence reports placed bin Laden in any of several different countries at the time. Our military is now investigating a number of possible scenarios including that the explosives may have been moved before our troops even arrived at the site. This investigation is important and it's ongoing — and a political candidate who jumps to conclusions without knowing the facts is not a person you want as your Commander in Chief."
Spread the Word, Hanoi John is UNFIT to be Commander-in-Chief!!
FReegards...MUD
Virginia's program remains on the rise under coach Al Groh. It remains to be seen whether this ends up being the best football season in Virginia history. That possibility exists, though we can't even begin to answer that question until the end of next month. What's become more evident is that this is shaping up as the most boring season in the annals of Cavalier football. None of the first seven games has been decided by fewer than 20 points, the first time that's happened in the program's 115 seasons. C'mon, people, a little drama, please! Is that asking too much?
Of course, it's not entirely UVa's fault that its games haven't exactly been thrillers. And with the exception of the FSU debacle, would we want it any other way? How many times in recent years have the Cavs failed to bury bad teams? Now they're crushing them. That's a sign of an improving program. In fact, lopsided wins and losses provide a pretty good barometer of how far Virginia has progressed. In 2000, George Welsh's final season as head coach, the 'Hoos won one game by at least 20 points and lost five by that margin. In 2001, Al Groh's first season in charge, those figures were one lopsided win and three lopsided losses. In 2002, two wins and two losses. And in 2003, four wins and one loss. Already in 2004, we have six wins and one loss by wide margins.
Sure, we'd like for Virginia to compete better with the big boys of college football. The Cavs still haven't beaten a top-10 team since 1999 and have never done so on the road. That's why the 36-3 loss at Florida State was so disappointing. Just when the program seemed on the verge of a breakthrough, it failed to break the door down.
Still, it's not fair to judge UVa's season based on one game. It's wrong to discount the other six games simply because they came against bad to mediocre competition. Those games count, too. And taken in their entirety, the first seven games tell us a lot about a program that is getting closer to national prominence in several important ways.
1) Power: Virginia is becoming a physically powerful team, a far cry from its personality in recent seasons. Statistically, rushing offense and rushing defense are the best indicators of this. The Cavaliers finished in the bottom third of the conference in both categories each of the past three seasons. They simply weren't strong enough up front to overpower most of their opponents. That's changed. The one constant in UVa's six victories this season has been a dominant running game. In those wins, the 'Hoos have rushed for 286, 299, 326, 225, 239 and 348 yards. Even with the 20-yard effort on the ground against FSU, Virginia is averaging an ACC-high 249 rushing yards, 40 more than anyone else. Compare that to their averages of 106, 127 and 130 yards over the previous three years. The Cavaliers are averaging 5.3 yards per carry and have already scored 24 rushing touchdowns this season. In the past three years, they never even produced four yards per carry and averaged 13 rushing TDs per season.
The improvement in rushing defense has been just as dramatic. After allowing 203, 209 and 162 yards per game on the ground from 2001-2003, Virginia has yielded an average of just 101 rushing yards so far in 2004. The yards-per-carry figure has plummeted from 4.3, 4.6 and 4.2 yards to 3.0. Granted, some of that improvement is due to the fact that several of UVa's opponents this season have had lousy running games and run defenses - Temple, North Carolina, Akron and Duke in particular. But in past years, the Cavs weren't able to impose their will on bad teams. For instance, against Duke two years ago, they mustered just two rushing yards. This time they piled up 348, allowing them to win a game in which they otherwise played poorly.
But what about FSU? Didn't that game show Virginia isn't as powerful as we thought? Perhaps, but I think the problem that night was more about speed than power. The Seminoles brought their safeties up and swarmed UVa's ball carriers, outnumbering the Cavs up front more than overpowering them. The game was an indication that Virginia still has a ways to go in terms of matching the speed of the nation's top teams, but strength is no longer a major deficiency.
2) Defense: When you consider how many yards the Cavaliers allowed the past two seasons, it's amazing they wound up with winning records. In 2002, Virginia was 100th in the nation in total defense, giving up 425 yards per game. Of the 21 teams at the bottom of the Division I-A list in that category, all of them had losing records - except the Wahoos, who finished 9-5. Again last year, UVa was in the bottom third of the nation in total defense, yielding an average of 385 yards, yet managed to go 8-5. Those teams were largely successful because they adhered to a bend-but-don't-break approach on defense, giving up yards but few big plays. Knowing they couldn't challenge offenses with their physical talent, they played a soft zone, conceding short passes and hoping the opponent would make a mistake before reaching the end zone. That happened often enough to put Virginia among the nation's upper half in scoring defense, the most important stat on defense.
But to take a step forward as a program, the Cavaliers needed to become more dominant on defense. Fewer yards allowed. More three-and-outs. More sacks, interceptions and fumbles. To some extent, that has occurred this season. Through seven games, Virginia has allowed an average of 292 yards, a 24% improvement over last year and about 33% better than in 2001 and 2002. The defense held Akron to 84 yards, Temple to 260, Syracuse to 254 and Clemson to 211. The 'Hoos also have become more aggressive. They are averaging three sacks per game, compared to 1.9, 1.9 and 2.1 in the past three years.
Still, there is plenty of room for improvement. The secondary remains a weakness. Groh (rightfully) doesn't trust his corners in man coverage, so opponents continue to exploit the soft spot in Virginia's Cover 2 zone. The Cavaliers also aren't recording enough takeaways. They have forced just eight turnovers in seven games, putting them on pace for 13 or 14 takeaways. That's a significant dropoff from the past three years, when the 'Hoos forced 28, 37 and 23 turnovers.
Another bad sign: The past two games have represented a step back for the defense. Florida State racked up 470 yards, while Duke - which entered last week's game dead last in the nation in total offense - produced 337. That's troubling, but it doesn't negate the overall improvement of the defense. The unit may not be as dominant as many predicted this season, but it's moving in the right direction.
3) Home-field advantage: Protecting your house is crucial in college football. Just ask Maryland. (Oh, wait…) Toward the end of the Welsh era, however, home field didn't make a big difference for the Cavaliers. They lost three of six home games in 1999 and two of six in 2000. After Groh took over, the Wahoos dropped four of their first eight games at Scott Stadium. Since then, however, they've been almost unbeatable in front of the home folks. Following a home loss to Colorado State to open the 2002 season, Virginia has gone 15-1 at Scott Stadium, with the lone loss coming by five points to FSU last year. Creating a significant home-field advantage has been one of Groh's priorities from the day he took the job. That's the rationale for the “Sea of Orange,” the marching band and other changes. Groh wants a rowdier atmosphere, or at least a less genteel one, at home. He knows that can make a big difference, which is why he often thanks the crowd after games for providing “a big-time college football environment.”
These days, Scott Stadium is as tough a place for an opposing team to win as almost anywhere in the country. Not only are the Cavs winning at home, they're winning big. They have won 14 of their past 17 home games by at least 10 points, including the last eight. And among the victims have been No. 20 N.C. State, No. 18 Maryland (by 35 points) and No. 21 Virginia Tech. They have won their four home games this season by an average of 31 points. That's why it would be wrong to write off UVa's chance of upsetting Miami in two weeks simply because of the poor outing at Florida State. For the Wahoos, where they play has made all the difference. To join the national elite, they need to prove they can beat good teams on the road. But for now, protecting their house is a sign of a program on firm footing."
Wahoo Wah...MUD
"Nizar Nayuf (Nayyouf-Nayyuf), a Syrian journalist who recently defected from Syria to Western Europe and is known for bravely challenging the Syrian regime, said in a letter Monday, January 5, to Dutch newspaper “De Telegraaf,” that he knows the three sites where Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) are kept. The storage places are:
-1- Tunnels dug under the town of al-Baida near the city of Hama in northern Syria. These tunnels are an integral part of an underground factory, built by the North Koreans, for producing Syrian Scud missiles. Iraqi chemical weapons and long-range missiles are stored in these tunnels.
-2- The village of Tal Snan, north of the town of Salamija, where there is a big Syrian air force camp. Vital parts of Iraq's WMD are stored there.
:-3-. The city of Sjinsjar on the Syrian border with the Lebanon, south of Homs city.
Nayouf writes that the transfer of Iraqi WMD to Syria was organized by the commanders of Saddam Hussein's Special Republican Guard, including General Shalish, with the help of Assif Shoakat, Bashar Assad's cousin. Shoakat is the CEO of Bhaha, an import/export company owned by the Assad family.
In February 2003, a month before America's invasion in Iraq, very few are aware about the efforts to bring the Weapons of Mass Destruction from Iraq to Syria, and the personal involvement of Bashar Assad and his family in the operation. Nayouf, who has won prizes for journalistic integrity, says he wrote his letter because he has terminal cancer."
Dubyuh needs another four years to deal with Syria, Iran, and North Korea...MUD
Okay. It looks like Friday works best for most people.
So, we'll have our next RTM on November 5th.
AdSimp can you let us know the name of the Mexican place that's in Shockhoe Bottom. I remember reading the restaurant review in the paper recently but I don't remember the name. Sorry, my brain is on overload.
Thanks. Looking forward to seeing everyone.
Friday the 5th looks good so far.
Hear ad on the radio. Are we thinking of "El Paso?" If it's the same as in the 'burbs, it's good/cheap Mexican.
I've got it inked in...MUD
in the spring of 2002 I was in Asia. I was told by several people that Saddam was moving his WMD's to Syria.
It's sickening really...MUD
Good, cuz you're buyin', right? LOL
Might have been. I'm sorry. My brain is completely fried and I just don't remember the name. It did get a pretty good review in the paper. FWIW
Per usual...MUD
Yeah, Dem Lib'rals got no class...RATS' tyranny's built fer fools...
We learn more from the FReepublic Forum, Nation, then we ever learned in school!!
We'll fight Left's fear...our neighborhoods're standin' proud...
Singin' from our hearts...we're singin' loud!!
We shan't git tired...our goal must be EXPOSE Left's LIES!!
So git up and FReep now...
Dutch Reagan's promise lives on in all who remember...
Yer Effete, Kerry, you'll surrender!!
We're soldiers in a Righteous fight...it's our Peace we'll defend...
RATS retreat, Kerry, you'll surrender!!
DemRAT faces are mad and cold...
Left's schemes are weak and olde...
We abhor Big Guv'ment and Medyuh Spin...
And Right's ready to stand tall again!!
We hear the Lib'rals voices cheerin' fer John...
DemRATS, they ain't too smart!!
Well maybe we could give Libs a place of their own...
Send Dem Lib-uh-rulls to Mars!!
Folks, George Dubyuh's promise since that sad day in September...
No retreat...Country won't surrender!!
George Dubyuh, he will do what's Right...our Country he'll defend!!
Don't retreat, Nation, don't surrender!!
Folks, hit the streets to fight fer Right...we'll win!!
We're armed with the TRUTH 'gainst Lib'ral spin...
Culture War's the fight we're wagin'...
You say it ain't ours anymore to win
I want to sleep beneath peaceful skies in my lover's bed
With a wide open country in my eyes and these romantic dreams in my head
Folks, George Dubyuh's promise since that sad day in September...
"No retreat, Country won't surrender!!"
George Dubyuh, he will do what's Right...our Country he'll defend!!
Boldly FReep, Nation don't surrender!!
Almost done...MUD
I think the Prez knew way back when where the WMD'd were being moved. The problem is the MSM would tell our enemies where they were, and how to coverup their transgressions.
Swartzkopf knew how evil the MSM was, and completely blocked them out of the Desert Storm. He gave them NOTHING.
He was one shrewd cookie.
Kerry is imploding as we speak;-)
FReegards...MUD
" I hope the electorate is watching and learning how unacceptable it would be to have Hanoi John as Commander-in-Chief!!"
I hope you are right. This country has become balkanized, with at least 40% lefties, or those who suck off the publit tit.
IMHO, I lay the blame fer that almost entirely on the DemonRATS...they've been stirring up hatred fer years and it only seems to be getting uglier...MUD
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