Guitar Shots to the Head: Party Unity

With Hillary conceding and McCain desperately reshaping his image to appeal to the more conservative members of the Republican Party, one idea will permeate the airwaves and the public discussion. In the coming weeks “party unity” will be a political buzz word thrown around in both democratic and republican circles. In many ways the upcoming 2008 campaign for Jonathan Crompton is no different. He is now in a position to unite the Vol fans across the country by taking control of this football team and winning ball games. (Nothing unifies a fan base like wins.)

He was a five star quarterback coming out of high school. His efforts in helping the Vols put together a stellar recruiting class back in 2005 are well documented. He was the next great thing to come out of North Carolina. Sometimes I wonder if he really anticipated waiting on the sidelines for three years watching his beloved Volunteers struggle with consistency on both sides of the football.

We could argue all day about why Crompton wasn’t given more opportunity to play a little football last year. I happen to think that his participation was somewhat limited because David Cutcliffe was still in “protect” mode with Erik Ainge. In fairness to Ainge, the offense wasn’t terrible last year. It wasn’t great either.

Whatever the reason may have been, one has to consider that the last three years have been the longest in young Crompton’s life, because in many ways Crompton is a lot like us. He has had a deep affinity for the Vols as long as he can remember. As a fan, I respect that, but once the ball is snapped it really doesn’t have any bearing on his performance. The Volnation needs results.

The kind of results that I am talking about do not come about when the offensive leader of the team is playing with one hand tied behind his back. Say what you will about last year’s offensive schemes. In the end the entire offensive philosophy was built around getting rid of the ball quickly and avoiding plays that get you beat. That is a fine philosophy for a quarterback with a fragile ego, but historically for Tennessee, this team functions better when it has a quarterback that is allowed to make plays.

There are many in the Volnation that remain skeptical about his ability to do so. Many who were never sold on Erik Ainge often question Crompton’s ability to take the helm with the Vols. They wonder aloud citing the fact that he could never take the spot away from Ainge. For me, that is simply not a concern. In fact, I think that Crompton’s aggressive approach to playing the position didn’t fit well with the general offensive scheme that Cutcliffe had in mind for the Vols last year.

Enter Dave Clawson. Clawson has indicated in his system the quarterback is a playmaker. Given the shaky situation of UT’s defensive line I hope that Crompton is ready to make the plays. This program are likely to need points badly, especially against the better teams in the SEC.

Crompton now has an opportunity to unify the Vol fan base once again. The receivers are in place, the new offensive scheme is taking shape, and he has patiently waited his turn to breathe offensive life into this program. He seems to have all the tools required. Nothing will unify this Vol fan base like a quarterback that has the mettle to make plays and win football games. I for one am ready to see if Crompton is up to the task. Until next time Go Vols!