I prefer watching sports on TV. It isn’t fun sitting in handicapped sections in stadiums and arenas. Sure, nobody stands up in front of you, but it’s like watching “Wheel of Fortune” at a retirement home. Now I don’t have a problem with all old people, just the ones that go to UK games, especially football. Hal Mumme is the reason why I have this problem.

When Hal Mumme came along in 1997, he promised that Kentucky would play basketball on grass. It was a gimmick, but it won more games than whatever garbage offense Bill Curry was trying to run, and it got people interested in UK football again. Heck, we beat Alabama. That was cool. Thanks to Tim Couch, Craig Yeast, Anthony White, Derek Homer and James Whalen, Kentucky went to the Outback Bowl in 1998. They lost to Penn State, but you had the feeling that this Air Raid stuff might have some staying power in the SEC. After Couch went to the NFL, Dusty Bonner led Kentucky to the Music City Bowl in 1999, where the Cats lost to Syracuse. But consecutive bowl games were consecutive bowl games, right? The games were entertaining for those with short attention spans. Kentucky was turning into BYU in the late 80s.

Then the bottom dropped out. Against Louisville in the 2000 season opener, Kentucky held the advantage until lightning postponed the action for a lengthy period of time. When play resumed, Louisville came back and forced overtime. Instead of trying for a touchdown from the 1-yd-line, Mumme opted for a short field goal, which bounced off the upright. Louisville took the ball and scored on their first play of the overtime, and it was over. Kentucky went 2-9 that year, as SEC defenses finally figured out the Air Raid system. Then it was revealed that Mumme and assistant Claude Bassett committed some serious recruiting violations, Mumme was fired and Kentucky got put on a crippling probation. Since that time, Rich Brooks and his staff have built up the program the right way. They’ve done it cleanly and they’ve used a system that has proven to be successful in the SEC. Probation is merely a memory at this point, so why am I angry at Hal Mumme?

I’m still angry at Hal Mumme because lots of Kentucky football fans (at least the ones that always end up sitting next to me when I go to the games) act like they have ADD. SEC football is a lot like NFL football, in that it is defense oriented. Defense wins championships. I hate that it’s become a cliche, but nowhere does it ring true more than it does in football. In college football, speed wins championships. I mentioned the players I felt were most responsible for getting UK to the Outback Bowl in 1998. It’s no coincidence that none of the players I listed were defensive guys. In the SEC, you have to be able to recruit the south because that’s where all the speed is. Even at the peak of the Mumme era, Kentucky didn’t have the speed to hang with Florida, Georgia or Tennessee. Even Mississippi State and Vanderbilt exploited the flaws in the system. Basically, the system doesn’t work.

So why do fans still clamor for that system? I can’t stand it when people call the call-in shows on Sunday morning and ask why Mike Hartline didn’t throw it deep against Middle Tennessee. Are you stupid? Hartline hasn’t thrown a deep ball because no receiver has proven that he can be an effective deep threat yet. That has never been a forte of Dicky Lyons’ game. Do you see a Keenan Burton or Steve Johnson out there? Another question that killed me was why we kept running up the gut against Louisville. After all, we could have been throwing every down like Jared Lorenzen did, right? Because that’s what you do when you have a lead, an inexperienced QB and a dominating defense, right? You wouldn’t dare sit on the lead and leave it up to the defense to protect that lead and force turnovers.

Coaches Brooks and Phillips know what they’re doing. They wouldn’t have consecutive bowl wins if they didn’t. I’m all for second guessing the staff when the opportunity presents itself. For example, I have no problem with somebody questioning why they sent Lones Seiber out there after he had already missed three field goals. Given the time constraints and timeout situation, it would have made as much sense to run the ball and pin MTSU inside their own 10. I do have problems with the people who argue against Mike Hartline because of his perceived lack of a deep ball. Mike has thrown a handful of bombs this season, and he’s overshot his target on every one of them. Don’t throw the bomb just for the sack of throwing the bomb, or just because it’s something Tim Couch or Jared Lorenzen would do. Basketball on grass is not the answer in the SEC, and it never has been. If you want to submit the Fun n’ Gun offense that Steve Spurrier brought to Florida in the 1990s, keep in mind that his teams had absolute studs at running back and defenses that were chock full of NFL players. I think Mumme put one defensive guy in the NFL, Marlon McCree.

Unfortunately, fans like style over substance far too often, and the Hal Mumme era was four years of pure brainwash from which fans have still yet to recover. And that’s why I hope he continues to be exposed as a gimmick and a fraud at New Mexico State. Probation outweighs any kind of excitement on the field that the era may have brought. Imagine if Eddie Sutton brought a style of play similar to that of the Showtime Lakers, but the results of the tenure were the same, and the probation was the same as well. Would you ever pine for the days of Eddie Sutton? Consider that the next time you want JAY-RUD to throw it deep.

I’m Seth Stogsdill, reminding all you kids out there to play the next play.

While the rest of the country (myself included) was getting caught up in Olympic fever last Saturday, watching Michael Phelps begin his path to world domination, The Indianapolis Colts were playing a meaningless preseason game. I know the phrase “meaningless preseason game” is redundant when it comes to football, but the one from last week was actually noteworthy. The Colts played the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, and they scored two touchdowns. The first touchdown was a pass from Jared Lorenzen to Jacob Tamme. The second touchdown was a pass from Jared Lorenzen to Jacob Tamme. To sum up, if you take the Colts’ awesome pass protection out of the equation, UK football was 100% responsible for both of the Indianapolis touchdowns in the game. Lorenzen looked great in this one, far better than the Colts’ preseason opener against the Washington Redskins. He was the Colts’ top passer, and Tamme led the team with five catches for 57 yards.

I’m very happy for both of them, and I think both guys will make the final cut for the Colts’ regular season roster. I wasn’t sure if Lorenzen was going to survive after his terrible showing in the HOF Game, but he made up for it against the Panthers. Playing backup quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts is the easiest job in the entire National Football League. Peyton Manning doesn’t get sacked and he doesn’t scramble. This means he never gets hurt. The Colts have stuck with Jim Sorgi for a few years as the top backup to Manning, but Lorenzen should make the roster as the third backup if Indianapolis chooses to put three quarterbacks on their depth chart.

I feel even better about Jacob Tamme making the roster. The Colts let Ben Utecht (last season’s backup tight end) go to the Bengals, so that position is up for grabs, and against Carolina, Tamme took the ball and ran with it. The Colts’ system is unique to the rest of the league in terms of how the tight ends are used. Dallas Clark, the Colts’ starting tight end, hardly ever lines up next to the tackle under center. He’s either in the slot position as a receiver, or he can be used at H-Back. When Clark lined up at H-Back last season, Utecht lined up at TE, and he had a good season for a backup. As long as he can block well enough to satisfy Manning and the coaching staff, I see no reason why Tamme couldn’t have the same kind of year that Utecht did.

I’d say more about the NFL because I love it, but my team is the Minnesota Vikings, and they haven’t gone after a UK player since Moe Williams got in trouble for the boat party scandal.

I’m Seth Stogsdill, and Tayshaun Prince was awesome this morning against Spain.

You saw this coming months ago. The day when new replaced the old. That’s what happened when Andre Woodson was drafted by the Giants in the sixth round of the NFL Draft. We knew our favorite clipboard holder was soon to leave.

That’s right. Jared Lorenzen was cut by the Super Bowl champion New York Giants yesterday. Hey, at least he’s getting a ring right?

Now, I won’t go as far as to say that this is the end of J-Load’s NFL career. I mean, you could always use a 300 pound quarterback with an arm, correct? He’s lovable and if Cincinnati picked him up, he could be a local star!

But I have a feeling this is the end. Maybe Jared could sign on with an local arena team. I’d go to Louisville to watch him QB the Fire or watch him lead the Lexington Horsemen. I bet you would too.

What is good news for Woodson is bad news for the Throwboy. Don’t worry Jared, we still love you. If only because you gave little league linemen the hope of being quarterback one day.

Never give up the dream.