Dave Krieg gets a modicum of love

In an earlier post, I complained that NFL Top Ten slighted Dave Krieg by failing to list or even mention him on their "Top 10 Backup Quarterbacks" program.

Fortunately, Mudbone did receive some recognition earlier this month in another episode of the same series, "Top 10 Quarterbacks of the '80s." Here is the list:

1. Joe Montana
2. Dan Marino
3. Dan Fouts
4. John Elway
5. Phil Simms
6. Boomer Esaison
7. Joe Theismann
8. Dave Krieg
9. Bernie Kosar
10. Jim McMahon

Krieg should have been higher on the list. Higher than Theismann, who played only half the decade, and who made the Super Bowl on the strength of his team's defense and running game. And higher than Simms, who had only one great year in the '80s.

Sadly, the segment on Krieg starts with a few arrogant East Coast media jerks dismissing him. New York radio d-bag Craig Carton earnestly states, "Never heard of him." (That's OK, Craig. I've never heard of you, either.) Bloated ignoramus Adam Caplan of Scout.com allowed that Mudbone "may be the 90th best quarterback." (If he passes for an authority on that site, beware of advice from Scout.com.) Don Banks of Sports Illustrated threw down this gauntlet: "I would challenge you: Give me one highlight moment from Dave Krieg's career. I can't remember any."

OK, Banks. Here goes:

1. Leading Seattle to its first playoff berth in 1983. Beating the Broncos at home in the wild card round, defeating Dan Marino's Dolphins in Miami in the divisional round, and advancing the Seahawks to the AFC Championship Game
2. Leading Seattle to a 12-4 record in 1984, despite losing Curt Warner to injury in the first game of the season. Throwing for 32 touchdowns and more than 3,600 yards that year, and getting voted into the Pro Bowl. Beating the Raiders--defending Super Bowl champions--in the wild card round.
3. Leading the Seahawks to a 5-game winning streak and getting named AFC Offensive Player of the Month in December 1986
4. Leading Seattle to its first division title in 1988, and getting named to the Pro Bowl again.
5. Making the Pro Bowl yet again after the 1989 season, and leading the AFC to victory.

Oddly, the program neglects to mention most of the above achievements.

They do show Mudbone throwing several touchdown passes. And they quote several more intelligent observers, like Gregg Easterbrook of The New Republic (they have a sports section?), who says of Krieg, "Statistically, he was one of the finest passers ever." They note that he ranked 4th in passing yards and touchdowns among all quarterbacks of the decade.

And, inevitably, they mention that Mudbone ranked first in getting sacked and coughing up fumbles. They invoke the "small hands" myth, eschewing the more prosaic explanation that he played behind porous offensive lines, so he got hit a lot.

Steve Largent lauds Krieg for his uncanny ability to transcend the limits of his athleticism and make plays.

Finally, they show a piece of footage that eloquently sums up Krieg's career: against the Los Angeles Rams, Mudbone fumbled a snap on an extra point. A Rams defender ran back and bent down, trying to grab the ball in stride, but Krieg shoved him aside and chased the ball as it bounced away to the right. As several Rams closed in on him, the pigskin suddenly bounced up into the quarterback's hands. Rolling right, Krieg lofted the ball to a teammate in the back corner of the end zone.

Since I'm on the subject of Krieg, I can take this opportunity to address a question that came to me via e-mail. To whit: How did Krieg get the nickname, "Mudbone"?

This is shrouded in mystery. Even the vintage of the appellation is in question. The nom de guerre surfaced sometime in the mid-'80s. Former Post-Intelligencer beat writer Clare Farsworth claims the nickname dates to the 1984 season, but I don't remember hearing of it until Dave came off the bench in November 1986.

At any rate, the closest thing we ever got to an explanation for the nickname came from right guard Bryan Millard, a UT-Austin and USFL alum who wore #71 and was the team's best offensive lineman before Walter Jones. Asked why they called Krieg Mudbone, Millard enigmatically explained, "He's like an old bone that you find in the mud. That's Dave, he's our mudbone."