Spring practice tells you nothing. Thats what I used to think before last season. That is to say, I dont think Spring is any indicator of what team you will put on the field but in the Fall but to the trained eye, you can observe and take away some very important things from Spring ball. Now I am not professing to have that eye but last year I saw it and either no one wanted to talk about it or they were wishing it would go away. This year I dont know if I have anything of substance but I will give it a try nonetheless...feel free to add in or correct anything I say.
My case study comes from the medias insistence last year on the improved offensive line play. That obviously wasnt the case and when we heard about Sapp being unblockable in spring practice it should have been raising red flags all over the place. Our D-Line couldnt get pressure all year and our O-Line wasnt improved it was just that bad. So what are the debates this year??
1. O-Line vs. D-Line-This is the same as last year--do we really have an improved line like we have been told the past three years?? Ok--to break this down a bit we do have five guys returning--something that hasnt happened in a very long time but I am only cautiously optimistic because I keep hearing about Lambert pushing Landon Walker at tackle and now Dalton Freeman (granted a 4 star recruit) pushing Mason Cloy at center. Now obviously some of these guys need a fire lit under them and some push to reach a higher level but if you are still seriously considering Lambert then I can not help but conjure up memories of Alabama and seeing Lambert and Grant absolutely blown up, pushed over like rag dolls. Coach Scott just never has given me any sense of security about our O-Line.
D-Line looks fierce but without Sapp being 100% after ACL surgery, I still am not completely convinced. I like Jenkins and Thompson in the middle, especially with the added depth that Cumbie and Moore bring and I think a new scheme on D will help open up the field with the added pressure. The talk of moving Alexander to strong side linebacker sounds like a good idea--I like the use of bigger linebackers in the ACC because of the inability of most teams to torch you downfield bc of suspect QB play and the overall reliance on the run.
2. QB vs. DB's--First I know our DB's are the most experienced in the ACC and that the two deep could all end up in the NFL but I think that the CB's will be most suspect to the change of scheme. They have not played straight up man to man in a long time--90% zone coverage for the past three years is tough to break from overnight. They are talented but I'm not sure they will be the automatic strength we are needing. They arent going to suck but there is going to be some growing pains. The second safety spot is also a big question mark--just put in Gilchrist already...
So are the QB's really throwing well with Kyle "The Cannon" Parker and Willy's reconstructed arm or is it more the result of an inexperienced group of DB's? Its no secret that Parker is ahead in the epic QB battle but how good he really can be is tough to gauge. Everyone loves the local boy--its hard to root against EKR, but I would personally be afraid to put him on the field because he is so brittle...maybe he is just too extreme for the field. Tajh Boyd is doing everything he can to get himself in position to avoid the redshirt but if he has some miracle cure he should pass it on to Sapp and take the redshirt, just saying.
3. Napier as the new OC--Everyone wants him to do a good job and frankly I dont think you can do a worse job than Spence did considering all the offensive weapons we have wasted. But he needs to do more than write a term paper on running a football team at Furman to have success. I havent seen anything to suggest one way or the other--he seems intelligent, organized and "all in" but is it enough to win week in and week out. How much of a learning curve do we suffer through until he 'gets it' himself. I guess this goes for Dabo too, saw some rookie mistakes with little things like clock management at crucial times, blown formations, etc. I think a lot of the season hinges on producing competent WR play to free up the running game. Good thing CJ came back for another year, best thing to happen to modern Clemson football hands down!
If you have any contradicting opinions, I would love to hear them...
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