ClemBenTigerMax

Apparently I am The Devil!!

2012-01-13T21:23:00.000-08:00

Its official I am one of the monkey bars in the Devil's Playground! But don't worry because Dabo has been anointed to purify this spawn of Satan himself...

So I crawled out of my cave in time to see Bullard and Todd Gurley not come to Clemson and then have Darby and Goldman not visit. When I poked my head out I got criticized by our head coach for not being ok with a 70 point loss and then realized that the demonic sounds of my playground were actually all of America laughing at me. Yeah we made it on Leno. I loved this season up until the Orange Bowl and I agree with Dabo that the sky is not falling and that the future can be bright. We had a good season but Dabo also needs to be sensitive to poking his finger in a bullet wound. This was painful.

We are soft. I am convinced that we have been soft since the HATFIELD era because of out Strength and Conditioning coach. WV players said we gave up and were begging for mercy. If this were just one player I would disregard it but when you go back its also been said by South Carolina and NC State players. Joey Batson must go. He doesn't need to leave Clemson--I think he can be a great asset in the Athletic Dept. We need new, fresh blood and more accountability. We are soft. About three years ago USC started bearing us. That is the time they got a new S&C coach--if you want to beat USC and toughen up we need a new direction in S&C. We have as good of recruits as anyone in the ACC and certainly USC, but if we aren't developing strength, agility, and quickness--if we aren't keeping players from getting fat and lazy, then we won't win.

We redshirt just as many players as other programs but our player development during the redshirt year is pathetic. Its frankly embarrassing. No stupid 'Power Hour' that gets thrown together because someone finally said--hey wait, the redshirt players are all standing around getting fatter and lazy is going to cut it for a Natl Championship contending program.
Compare out players, our 5th year players to other schools. Its not even close. Now of course, some of this is on the players but that excuse is tiresome. Its ultimately on the coaches and it sits with Batson.

Tiger Nation, its time to exorcise the demons.

And I don't mean the Internet because we aren't the problem. ShakinintheSouthland is not the problem. In fact, we (but more accurately Dr. B and FigureFour) might be the holy water that you drink and that turns you into beast mode but like a Christian beast mode that defeats you while saving you--plus you win all your football games.

Still I got my list of can't miss recommendations for the offseason that come certified by the Debil.

Retain the services of Coach Brooks. See I am no negative nancy--there is a positive that you can accentuate (or something).
Mediate between Coach Caldwell and Coach Morris. Morris gets paid the 1.3 big bucks and its his show on offense but see if we can't try to keep everyone together.
We need a great LB coach. I would prefer that we hired a DC that coaches LB's to keep the staff continuity but we need not just a good LB coach but a great one.
Lets not go the Venables route. High energy, great recruiter, boatloads of talent that underperform. Sound familiar? Kevin Steele Part 2. This is Dabo's hire though and I will give it the benefit of the doubt (how truly evil of me--giving Dabs the rope to hang himself with--hahaha(insert Mr. Burns or Dr. Claw laugh)).
Last but not least--graduate Batson to the athletic dept and hire a Hatch disciple for S&C.

Thats it. See we on the playground aren't that demanding. Keep things the same and get rid of, errr, graduate Batson. You will have appeased the masses.

For the record I think Dabo did a good job this year. He lost his composure in the Orange Bowl and couldn't rally the troops. He will learn from that and its not the end of the world. Would like to win a few of these recruiting battles here at the end though.

For the record I have always been Steele supporter but can agree with his mutual termination/firing/parting ways/getting out of Dodge. When you lose to South Carolina 3 years in a row and get 70 points put up on you in the Orange Bowl it may be time for a change. For whatever reason the scheme wasn't clicking with guys and the D line looked lost and soft at times. The defense was not young and that isn't a good enough excuse for me. I wish him well and think he is a good coach but I am fine with the desire for change. My instincts say Randy Shannon would be a solid hire but I'm still too depressed to do any real research to back that up.

The crowned prince MonkeyBar of Satan will now go crawl back in his cave until the Spring game.

That Was Embarrassing...

2012-01-05T02:12:00.000-08:00

Just when Clemson seems like they are going to do good and has a team down early, a guy bounces off of Rashard Hall, rips the ball from Ellington, and the entire WV team is unable to step on the sideline.

Like many of you, I'm not going to say anything--at a loss for words, just going to curl up into a ball until spring.

Beamer Ball Exposed, Coach Gives Game To Michigan

2012-01-03T21:22:00.000-08:00

Way to go Frank. Sure, everyone thought Coale made the catch but Beamer was such a stupid coach during this game. The dumb fake punt (which led to the field goal for Michigan but also lost them a timeout to manage the clock at the end) and then going all conservative at the end before regulation. Not to mention going for that 4th down in the first half and not taking the points. At least everyone knows that VT belonged in the bowl and probably should have won. They certainly weren't outplayed by Michigan.

How does a replay official make that kind of call?? You have conclusive evidence to overturn the call on the field and change the outcome of the game? If the booth had been consistent all night with their calls then I wouldn't have a problem with it but at least two of their 'catches' were with much less 'conclusive' video evidence. If I am being honest I thought one angle looked incomplete but another angle where the left elbow comes down looks like a catch. I think if you can find a catch and it was called a catch then you can't overturn it. Sucks for the Hokies. What in the world possessed Wilson to backpedal 30 yards?? Logan Thomas looks like a great QB and I think its awesome that we beat them twice (then I remember that Mike O'Cain is calling the offensive plays). Bud Foster must give a horrible interview because his defense is amazing and if he wants to be a head coach he should be one.

Final note: The Man of Steele to Tennessee?? There recruits are evaporating as we speak (or transferring) and the ship is burning. We have oodles of talent and consensus 5* Linebackers, chance to repeat as ACC Champs, outside Natl Champs contenders? I'm not too worried. As I have said before I like Coach Steele, although the defense took a step back this year, and this continuity will help the team next year. The offense needed a change and that worked out well but I love the defensive staff and want to keep our current recruits in place. What I think this becomes is leverage for Steele to get a raise. This might become tricky if we are done with coaching raises after Morris gets 1.3 million. If I'm the defensive guy I wouldn't be thrilled about that since I'm sure Clemson has never appeared to have such deep pockets before. The only way I see Steele leaving is if things go south in that negotiation over contracts.

You must remember the story of DeAndre McDaniel coming to Steele's office to find out if the rumors about Steele leaving were true and helping to convince the coach to stay. Steele likes Tennessee and may want a change of scenery after the negativity this year--its a possibility. He has never been much for staying in the same place for too many years.

Watkins says he is at 85%--Another Medical Staff Fail

2011-12-31T12:06:00.000-08:00

So Watkins says the medical staff say he is fine but he feels he is at 85%. Who are the quacks that we have working at Clemson. Its ridiculous. He feels pain when he pushes on a DB and you are saying he is fine?? Incompetence.

Wow. Sammy please go and see someone not associated with the Clemson medical staff, in fact if you are a player--don't listen exclusively to them, always get a second or third opinion from an outside doctor. S&C needs to be fixed but I don't like the idea of messing around with the health of our players. Now we find out that Sammy was only at 50% for the South Carolina game (probably why that td ball was dropped) and he didn't have the entire range of motion. I am all for playing through some pain, etc. but not jeopardizing a players career or his long term health. This is just another example of what a clueless medical staff we have in place. When the Korn piece came out I was ticked and thought I overacted but when these stories continue to surface that demonstrate a blatant mismanagement of the health and well being of players I feel compelled to say something. This shouldn't be happening at Clemson. Its time to clean house...

ACC Freakin Champs

2011-12-03T20:18:00.001-08:00

I just peeled an orange, ate it and then threw the peel at a Gamecock. It felt soooo good.

Great job Tigers! Steele saves his job and I hope we continue to play this aggressive. Dabo looks like a genius. The program is in the right direction (Bellamy, my friend, we need you...get your head straight over the break and stay with the Clemson family). Boyd ran hard and like a man. Sammy was amazing and the defense honored the legend Chester McGlockton. Great effort.

1st BCS Bowl, 1st ACC Champs in 20 years and 1st Orange in 30 years.

All IN ALL THE FREAKIN TIME! HAHAHAHA...I love it.

Willy Korn Has My Respect: Fire The Medical Staff

2011-12-02T22:15:00.001-08:00

Everyone needs to read this story on Willy Korn. For the first time I understand. He was not soft. The Clemson medical staff should be fired for this. This is criminal and cost us a great leader and QB. Heads should roll--I'm sure none of this was supposed to come out and has been buried, its seriously negligent. It also continues my concern with the Strength and Conditioning program.

This article really made me glad Spence is gone. You don't want a kid to get a medical redshirt because you want your QB's spaced out by two years--what stupid ridiculous nonsense is that?? Now let me be clear, the piece of the fractured collarbone that ends up in the AC joint is tough to catch. I would like to hear more from the medical staff on this before rushing to judgement on the Furman injury. Was an MRI done on the shoulder or just collarbone X-rays. The fact that he was instructed to throw right away reflect poorly on everyone. Coaches, staff, absolutely everyone. Diagnosing a fracture as a 'bone bruise' is beyond incompetent. Please tell me X-rays were at least performed. So I don't blame them for the chip but I do want accountability for the misdiagnosis. With Harper performing well, I don't understand why he wasn't shut down when he obviously had less arm strength and something was wrong. He came to Clemson with great mechanics and arm strength--I remember watching the Byrnes games. When he was so up and down that year--someone needed to say something. Instead you have an asinine Spence and (and perhaps Batson but this is more on the coaches and medical staff here) saying he is doing great. I get the feeling Spence didn't care for Korn, but that doesn't surprise me because he is an idiot who wasted years of having CJ Spiller and Jacoby Ford and James Davis running his garbage offense.

Second you have the GT injury which I do think manifests gross incompetence. After he is seriously injured in the game and can't throw on the sideline he is diagnosed again with a BONE BRUISE??!! How stupid can you be. You already missed the chip and fractured collarbone and now you just let him throw in practice for a couple of weeks before you find out he has a torn labrum?? Are you kidding me? He even played in a couple of games with the torn labrum in mop up duty. He could barely throw the ball 15 yards and we could all see it and no one thinks to do an MRI or have a real medical professional look at it. It ruined his mechanics, it ruined his shoulder. He had to go and lobby the medical staff because his dad told him to in order to have a second MRI done which magically shows a serious tear in the labrum. Knowing a little about this myself, if the tear is accurately described by the article as "the cartilage that keeps the ball at the end of arm bone in the shoulder blade's socket", then it is not only easy to spot but I think you would have to try hard to miss it!

And then they rushed him back for the Gator bowl after labrum surgery. At the time I thought it was crazy and it was not only crazy but selfish of the coaching staff too. I don't fault the coaching staff for anything else. Korn was promised he would play but his arm was nothing and when he went in you knew he couldn't throw it twenty yards downfield. It was like watching a worse Will Proctor. He had the worst throwing motion I have ever seen in a starting college football QB and that was kinda confirmed when Marshall didn't give him the starting nod. His arm and shoulder needed rest and time to heal. Glad he is doing well at North Greenville but I wish someone had the foresight to redshirt Willy so he could rest and regain his mechanics and arm strength. It is a tragic chapter in our recent Clemson history. This isn't the first time something like this has happened. (Ricky Sapp and Bowers knees?)

Fire the entire medical staff (I want a cleaning of house but would settle for some serious evaluations). And do it yesterday!

Dabo Versus Spurrier

2011-12-02T17:06:00.001-08:00

Dabo made my week. Lets back that talk up with an ACC Championship and a good ol' fashioned coot bashing. It is a one hundred year old tradition after all.

For all the coots out there whining that Spurrier never even said this. Give me a break--first you know it sounds like the same man who threw a hissy fit at Ron Morris. Second when it is released through official USC media channels, like posted on your official Twitter account, and then picked up by national media like ESPN and CBSsports--if you do nothing to retract the statement then it might as well have been said by Spurrier. At the very least someone needs to apologize for the first false statement put out by your University. But that require some class--something Spurrier has never had and something USC never will.

Dabo said this on Thursday. If Spurrier was worried about the falsehood of the statement he had four and a half days to retract it. He didn't care to try, therefore Dabo is justified in responding. Did you take note, however, how Dabo qualified what he said with words like if this is true and I have a lot of respect for Coach Spurrier. Take note of that because it is your first lesson on class and civility. It is what being a southern gentleman is all about.

I don't even care if this is red meat to appease the Clemson faithful. We deserve some appeasing and when it comes at the expense of our hated rivals, it is always welcome. On the video it appears too off the cuff but if it is some motivational technique, then I like it even more.

This is domination and THE University in the state of South Carolina always has been and always will be Clemson.

In Honor of Chester McGlockton: What a True Clemson Defense Looks Like

2011-11-30T21:58:00.001-08:00

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In honor of the great # 91 Chester McGlockton, this is what a real Clemson Defense looks like. This should be mandatory viewing for all defensive players and coaches this week. Do you see the form on these tackles!! It is a thing of beauty. Major Harris was the top running QB and athlete of this day and we ate him alive. Don't tell me we can't do that here at Clemson!! Make it happen--Beat VTech!

God Bless #91, you are already missed! Go Tigers!

Out With the Old--In With the Nucleus

2011-11-28T20:03:00.001-08:00

Over at Shakin the Southland Dr. B has a great post on getting to the root causes of Clemson's collapse. He says it much better than me but I already had this post so here it is. I basically was griping about Bateson and thinking that he has had enough time here at Clemson. Maybe he can get an admin job too...haha. (the title of the post is an old Simpsons quote by the way)

Is Bateson in any danger of losing his job? I ask because I really hope we get a change here. I want a complete re-tooling of our conditioning with support staff focused on diets, weight, eating healthy, etc. I think our strength program is outdated and teams like Bama, LSU, and now USC are way ahead of us.

USC changed its S&C coach three years ago which corresponds with our losing streak to them. Coincidence? Maybe but part of playing soft is the offseason conditioning. Too many players never gain the muscle they need or they turn into being too muscular (or something)and become slow like Goodman this year. Its problematic.

I'm also sick and tired of seeing players put on FAT during the season. Way too many examples and stories of guys admitting to it over the years. You can't rely on personal responsibility when you want to be a champion, you need to demand personal responsibility through accountability! Part of it is a dedication from the athlete but mostly it is not having a structure in place that regulates these things. That is reason enough for me to show Bateson the door.

In my last post I was venting and said Dabo meet the hot seat, blah. That kind of talk is counterproductive and I know it. But I maintain that beating USC is one of the main criteria for being the head coach at Clemson. He must not lose for a fourth straight year. That being said Dabo needs to continue to make the changes necessary to be a championship team. Last year he earned all of our respect by hiring Morris and Caldwell. This offseason (or even after the ACC Champs game) we need to make our team stronger and tougher--make the changes needed in the S&C program.

The other day I watched the video of the Power Hour for the redshirt frosh. Why is this something new? It boggles my mind how little investment we make in those redshirting. I am also amazed at how little historically (well the past 10 years) our players have benefited from the redshirt year. That has got to change as well.

Mr. Dabo Meet Mr. Hot Seat

2011-11-26T19:52:00.001-08:00

Dabo you have lost to South Carolina three straight years. Even if we win the ACC and go to a BCS bowl against the Big East we will hear it all year long. Its not that we lost tonight--it is how we lost. This week and last week.

I didn't want to post this but I am not a happy Tiger. Tajh Boyd looks slow. As the announcer Blacklidge said--Boyd is not a runner. He was at the beginning of the season. He has gotten fat. Call a spade a spade. I watched a clip of last season where Jamie Harper didnt look like he fit in his uniform. Boyd was also overweight. The starting QB for Clemson University should not have conditioning issues. He could run the ball earlier in the year but he can't move in the pocket. He couldn't step up in the pocket and throw. Sure the O-Line was bad but Boyd was worse. Slow, fat, poor mechanics--throwing off the back foot, throwing high, wide, and to the other team. Where is the responsibility, accountability? Morris should be all over this but so should the entire support staff, primarily Bateson. Where are the weight checks, the diet checks--how does that happen during a season? This isn't close to the first time this kind of a thing has happened either, I mean Harper didn't even fit his uniform last year.

I saw really bad fundamentals. Hopkins needs to catch with 2 hands, he is so used to the spectacular he loses the fundamentals when it counts. That is on Scott. Hawkins forgot that he had arms on multiple plays. So many bad angles I couldn't count them. LB's think that blitzing means running into a blocker or slapping the qb on the back as you run by him. Quandon Christian I'm looking at you on the Shaw TD pass.

The hardest hit of the night was Jaron Brown on 54. I saw the rest of the defense playing patti-cake. Guys were mostly in position but don't know how to wrap up and play with leverage. It is really the LB's and Safeties. The LB play has been so poor since Steele got here that I am beginning to teeter into the retool the defense mindset. I can't believe it though because I love the defensive staff we have in place. It is largely the Linebackers and that is on Steele. I like Brooks, Hobby, and Coach Cheese but this is the worst defense I have seen at Clemson in ten years.

Lastly on the defense--don't tell me they are young. We have as starters 3 seniors and a junior on the D line and 2 Junior LB's in Nickel packages. Christian is a Soph and Anthony a Fresh. The secondary has 2 Junior Safeties and 1 Senior CB with the other a Fresh or Soph with another Soph in Nickel packages. That is not that young. Not enough depth is always everyone's problem and its the starters who are playing with pathetic fundamentals.

Hello meltdown and Hello another NINE WIN SEASON...Coach Morris--please right this ship...

Yeah I Jinxed It

2011-11-01T22:08:00.000-07:00

I let out a gut wrenching scream when Tajh let go of the ball and it sailed smoothly into the GT players hands, Watkins standing wide open on the goal-line. That was the visceral manifestation of a lost national championship. It was the sound of a lost national championship. I've never made that sound before in my life--I'm sure neighbors contemplated calling the cops. Having had a couple of days to reflect, however, it also marks the first time in my adult life that I have ever had a 'real' conviction that Clemson could be national champions. In the moment its awful but at least you can honestly say that you felt like a national championship was within your grasp. It has been an amazing ride and hopefully we still make it to the Orange Bowl.

On the less cheery side that has to be one of the most frustrating games I have ever watched. How hard is it to stop a QB running behind a dive back. Is it mobile QB's and pitches now? The fumbles killed momentum. The fourth and 1 conversion by GT was deflating after starting with 3 and outs. On offense we had drops on hot routes, receivers getting jammed at the line, and players coming up short on third downs. Our LB play was atrocious and the secondary didn't help them out at all. Hill just flat out dropped a TD and got that other huge reception. PJ basically said that they were running away from Brandon Thompson--why not instruct him to simply blow up the center every play. Stick Lateek right behind him and let him run around crazy headhunting for the QB. It would have been better than watching Christian out of position and blocked consistently (he is not having the year I thought he would after that nice Int. against FSU) or Hawkins six yards away from the line of scrimmage and just waiting, asking, pleading for an O-Lineman to block him and take him out of the play.

I think we are scared or unable to deal with cut blocking. We don't know how to shed a block to save our lives and its not pretty. I know everyone is calling for Steele's head but our problem wasn't really schematic. What is on the heads of the defensive coaches are safeties taking ugly angles to the ball, and the poor fundamentals of our LB's (which is Steele's coaching position), oh and the ever-present poor tackling. The LB play needs to improve in the next year or I will start to question our defensive coaching but Steele and company still have my vote. I love Coach Brooks and Coach Cheese but am worried about our depth moving forward. All of these guys have been in the system awhile though so hopefully the ship can be righted for next season. (haha...did you hear that--righted from an 8-1 record!! You would have called me crazy if I said that before the season)

One thing to note though is that we are not a good road team so far. VT was awesome but you saw some nerves and Maryland was ridiculous. I think this is something to pay attention to when we roll into Columbia. Dabo looked really tense at the beginning of the game too, didn't seem like his usual confident self (to be expected when you go down to GT). We were really choking though--the return of Cat man knuckle kick, the Hopkins drop/Allen drops, the high Boyd throws, and making a marginal QB look like superman all felt like last season. But still when Rashard Hall intercepted the pass and got it to the five yard line I felt like we could do it. Then the yell/banshee scream...

At least I don't have to be jealous of USC and Alshon Jeffrey. Watkins catches passes in-stride like no other receiver I have ever seen...He still is working on becoming other-worldly in jump balls (right now he is just superhuman) but he is an absolute treat to watch. I would watch him if I wasn't a Clemson fan. One day I will write an 'Ode to the National Championship Lost' but for now I will stop rambling.

Clemson Could Have Been National Champions

2011-10-28T23:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is a post I have wanted to write (and have written many times in my head) immediately after the Auburn game. Like I have said before, as a Clemson fan and probably just a sports fan, its just what you do. You project how your team is going to win the national championship and you do it up until the moment your team loses. If tomorrow we lose to GT then I want to be able to say that I enjoyed the ride while it lasted. Yes, I know--only think about the game in front of you. Beat GT and it will work itself out...but where is the fun in painstakingly agonizing over all the potential scenarios and knowing all of the teams that need to win and lose each week. I just can't miss out anymore.

So we all know the basics by now. Essentially there will be a 1-loss SEC team that is presumed to win out. OK St has the strongest poll numbers (the Big 12 is loved by the computers) and will play in the natl champs if they win out. Thanks to the stupid coaches poll Stanford will jump us if they go undefeated and we are supposed to jump Boise St. I'm also not going to entertain the idea that a one loss team can jump us. With our 2 team SEC OOC (out of conference) strength of schedule it is not happening.

So we would have an argument for staying ahead of Stanford if we both went undefeated but that was sabotaged by Miami. We could have played a ranked UNC and GT (if they had stayed undefeated probably for Gameday) but that didn't happen. Wake could be ranked if they win their games before us but then you risk losing to Wake and letting them play in the Conference Champs game. If you can stomach rooting for USuCk that will help our strength of schedule too. Its tough because you want USuCk, Florida and Georgia to all be somewhat down so you can win recruiting battles. Do you root for Georgia so USuCk can't win the East? If you do that then you are rooting for Boise's only quality win and boosting their SOS. Tough choices...

What you really want in order to ensure that all the one loss teams are kept at bay is for Virginia Tech to remain with one loss and be ranked in the top ten for the ACCChamps. If that happens there is no way we don't jump Boise. Auburn is another team to root for since the voters love to keep them in the top 25.

I'm going to go through each team and pick a few potential stumbling blocks. Just like Okla. losing to Texas Tech, every team is potentially vulnerable.

First is LSU. I see guys on the D like Sam Montgomery and Craig Loston and I wonder what if...They have the easiest road after Alabama. Only Arkansas at home and at the end of the season remains. That is a slight possibility but since it is at home its very tough. They play Western Kent and Ole Miss for the other games, so yeah...Maybe for this reason you cheer for Bama.

Bama. On the road at Miss St is a stretch but could be a let down game after the emotional LSU SuperBowl. The D is amazing but the offense is still a bit suspect if you can contain the run game. This is the reason why I like Auburn's chances at home at the end of the season. If Auburn can get their offense clicking it could happen. Again a stretch but not beyond the realm of possibility.

As you can see I am looking for a way that both SEC teams have one loss when the smoke clears. Maybe an East team puts up a fight?? It does strike me, however, that everyone automatically assumes that at least one SEC team will make it and when everyone is so certain about things, that is when something goes wrong. I guy can dream...

Ok St. This is the toughest schedule with Baylor, Kansas St, Texas Tech and Oklahoma. Only Texas Tech is on the road but that is still quite the gambit. Not having a Champs game this year will be a big deal, however. The 30-29 squeaker against A&M looks bigger and bigger. The D is not very good but has its moments--much like Clemson and the offense is clicking. Blackmon is a weapon and the QB Wheedon is an older, solid player. I can almost convince myself that Ok St will do it this year but then I think that Gundy will somehow blow it in the end. In the past I think his teams have lacked a certain mental toughness to hang with the elites in the Big 12. Hopefully this isn't the year they get over the proverbial hump.

Boise St. Georgia is the big win but they have stinkers against UNLV and New Mexico coming up. The TCU game is a possible crater. Boise looked suspect against Air Force and the Horned Frogs looked improved against BYU. Patterson will have his team up and prepared for the game. San Diego St. is a super long shot.

Stanford. USC. Fight On Trojans. I think we don't know anything about this team yet. They have played absolutely no one. An overrated Wash and mediocre Wash st and the only mid tier teams. San Jose St? Colorado? Arizona pre-Stoops firing? Duke? This is the schedule that shoots them up to #3 in the Coaches Poll? Any excuse to brighten the Luck spotlight. Oregon and Notre Dame should be formidable and Cal and on the road at Ore St is still tricky. I fully expect them to lose once if not twice. ASU in the Pac-12 Champs could be tough with their front 7.

Playoff please!

K State will lose.

My Unsung Heroes

2011-10-21T13:05:00.000-07:00

This post is for the unsung heroes who have really stepped up for the Tigers this year. These aren't players we thought would be good, these are guys who flew under the radar. As a disclaimer, there are a lot of players this year so add anyone to the list in comments if you want...

1. Phillip PriceWhen Dabo said that Price would start I think everyone either groaned or saw it as purely a motivational tactic for Thomas. Thomas was supposed to take this slot after Hairston left for the NFL (he started this past week!), but he had an underwhelming Spring practice and didn't assert himself again in the Fall leading up to the opening game. He could also be added to the list, however, because he has stepped up when Smith and Cloy went down. Price deserves all the credit in the world. When you hear walk-on tight end turned starting tackle, it usually doesn't inspire much confidence. Price has just plain worked his way into this position and it is truly a great story. Last year he gained good weight and strength and this year has added more technique and flexibility to go along with his drive to be successful. This has helped him go up against some good DE's from FSU and VT and he still is raw and makes a few mistakes but I think you can count on Price overall. He is also tough and won't let little injuries keep him out, he just battles through which is refreshing. Without Price, Tajh is running for his life. If Price can sustain his current level of play he may be the true MVP of the offense, certainly the offensive line. How many of us really believed that this Spring??

2. Tig WillardThe improvement of the defense from game to game is directly connected to the improved confidence of the LB's. This week Tig told us that last year he could barely hold his arm above his head. I'm still shocked that he didn't shut it down. get the medical redshirt at the beginning of the year, and save himself the year along with not going through some excruciatingly painful months. That is some serious pain he played through. His play this year has help solidify some weaknesses in the d-line and secondary. The bottom line is he is making plays. He sheds blocks better this year and can tackle with two arms. Hawkins gets pushed out of position too easily and doesn't play with the same instincts that Tig has flashed. He is still a work in progress and has room to improve but he reminds me of a Kavell Conner (18 tackles for the Colts on MNF). I'm just hoping that Tig realizes his potential while here at Clemson. Anthony and Willard should make a very solid Nickel package going forward. We need it to be a championship team.

3. Nuk HopkinsI want to put Nuke on the list here because I want him to get as much press (since being on this blog means so much-ha) as Watkins and Allen. Allen has been stellar, making unreal catches he wasn't last year and making plays after the catch--even hurdling defensive players. He is also provides much needed leadership and I think we need a shirt and campaign to try to get Allen to stay next year. Watkins is the freshman splash and he deserves all the hype and cred he is getting. Hopkins, however, makes everything work. I feel like he is the lynchpin of the offense. He makes everyone around him better. He just doesn't drop passes (well almost never) and helps make up for some of Tajh's deficiencies. Without Hopkins defenses can cover Watkins and Allen. Brown has been a great surprise too so really it should be the entire receiving corps.

Another quick note--Adam Humphries is making me feel stupid. I am always one for being skeptical and never like hearing "trust the coaches" or anyone saying I can't have an opinion because I am not a coach. I think that the coaches have really started to gain my confidence in recruiting. I still think that Dabo makes mistakes in recruiting like the QB Morgan Roberts and maybe Seckinger, although I like his height, along with all the Alabama projects over the years. It especially hurts when we have a number crunch like we do now. Humphries has been solid and exceeded everyone's expectations. That's why when we signed Josh Brown with a 2* rating I'm not going to say anything. I can see how he could contribute and I'm learning to trust this staff.

Lastly I just wanted to say how much I hate Steward getting injured. I want him to succeed even more now because I think he is a great, humble person who is seriously being tested. I am really hoping he can come back from two horrible injuries and be able reach his potential. It would seem cruel if he never achieved his vast potential.

Last last note. Put Bellamy back for Kickoff Returns. Apparently the coaching staff think he doesn't have a future back there because he is too shifty. Well he is a freshman and needs some coaching but he has way more potential than Brown who is just too slow to break a kick. A return man needs speed, vision, ball security, and the instincts to pick a lane and go with it. Did I mention speed?? No one on the roster is far and away better than Bellamy so give him a chance and use that opportunity as a way to keep him somewhat happy. I'm not a fan of appeasing players if they whine but this caliber of player just needs opportunities. It in no way hurts the team and if you teach him to just run straight he can do it. Plus when he makes a move in the open field he doesn't lose that much speed. Hosley will tell you so...

Clemson's Light Shines

2011-10-15T21:39:00.000-07:00

Man...

How many of us when the score was 17-35 didn't believe...

I am physically tired, physically drained. In retrospect it was a thrilling game that I strangely enjoyed but only in retrospect. What a rollercoaster. So I have to ask the question, what have we learned??

The Defense still can't handle a running QB or the zone read. This reminded me of 2009 against Maryland where we couldn't stop the slowest QB I have ever seen run the zone read. I am sure Edsall saw the film and that's why they went with Wilson. It is partly scheme but more a result of poor Linebacker play (MLB specifically) and poor containment. We have to get this figured out for GT and South Carolina and Conner Shaw. We play better against more pro-style QB's I think. Maryland just steam rolled the D with tempo which is what let us back into the game. Ultimately we gassed them in the fourth though.

We learned that Watkins is human with the punt muff and then we learned we were tricked and that he was just disguising his superhero status. Watkins won us the game today. We finally got the return game going. I would like to see Bellamy back there on kickoffs. I don't think Brown has the speed.

Boyd showed great poise again. He seems to have one hair pulling stupid moment a game. The pass to Werner, last week it was another throw of the ball when he was sacked, and this week it was a pick 6 right to the DB Chism, I believe. Boyd threw two passes that should have been intercepted in the beginning along with throwing high and looking horrible. He settled and put together a great game. Made some pretty throws at the end.

We are really missing Benton. Lots of short kicks and our coverage teams need some serious work. Lateek is one of the only bright spots--this is both kick and punt coverage. Way too many returns to the 30-40 yard line. Got to get that fixed.

We had been 2-3 against Maryland in the last 5 games. I am thrilled to walk away with the win. Lets hope this builds confidence and keeps any thoughts of overconfidence at bay. Lets hope we can keep our legs for North Carolina but we need to do better tackling.

More thoughts later...I'm off to bed. Sleeping the sleep of victor's! Go Tigers!

Best Anouncement Video Ever

2011-10-14T22:52:00.000-07:00

A golf cart--that is just plain awesome! I love how many Tiger fans were there and how happy his mom is, that is special! Looks like we got a wonderful person and a wonderful football player. Carlos is one of the biggest needs for this recruiting class and will hopefully be in the 2-deep immediately. A big coup for the Tigers, couldn't be more excited! Good job Coach Brooks and Dabo. Welcome to the Tiger Family Mr. Watkins! We are looking forward to much more awesomeness to come!

Ron Cherry Is All Business

2011-10-10T16:06:00.000-07:00

I seriously started laughing out loud when I saw this. Wow...maybe Ron Cherry is a genius too...

IPTAY All Day

2011-10-09T18:57:00.000-07:00

Its about time I posted about this genius of a man. I'll post some of his other videos too--the one where he eats the Hokies turkey sandwich from their lunch pail is pretty classic. ClemsonTom is sure to become the stuff of legends. I'm glad he's on our side.

Concerns Moving Forward?

2011-10-08T18:42:00.000-07:00

I am concerned that Dabo will look at Derek Dooley and copy his ugly light orange pants look. Eww...

1. The Health of Tajh Boyd

As we all know now, the MRI was negative and Tajh has a hip injury. Much better than a knee but still painful if it is dislocated. My concern is how he comes back because a hip flexor can really limit your mobility. We all remember how Parker went down with the ribs and wasn't the same QB. It would be a shame if Tajh didn't come back completely. It also means that Boyd won't be as much of a running threat, an area that he has been improving in.

2. Kickoffs

I want to see kicks inside the ten always. We gave BC too good of field position. Zimmerman did a better job and Lateek Townsend was all over the place on coverage. It was a good move to burn his redshirt. Cat-man kicked well today which was very good to see. We will need him more if Boyd is unable to return.

3. Interior Run Defense

Either our D got complacent and lazy or the middle of our D can't stop a run. I think it is more the later and I put the blame primarily on the MLB Corico Hawkins. Some pathetic tackling today and we could easily be beaten by a team that lines up and sticks it to us. The BC line isn't that good and they were running their fourth string RB and still took it to the middle of the line. This must change for GT. I think that players like Bowers, McDaniel, and Gilchrist made up for the horrible play we have had in the middle of the D. This will be exposed when we play GT, maybe against North Carolina.

4. Stupid Trick Plays

I hope we were just trying stuff out today because I absolutely hate to see dumb uses of trick plays. It smells to me of Dabo influence and they seem to take us out of our tempo or rhythm. They have also just plain not worked or resulted in big losses. I don't like ill advised fake fg's to the short side of the field. Double reverses almost never work. Run all the misdirection stuff you want--you can even do the little fake handoff but the RB throws need to go unless they have been drilled and the personnel can execute. At least we aren't putting a lineman up next to the WR like USuCk did today against one of the most pathetic Kentucky teams I have ever seen. I remember when we heavily recruited their current QB.

5. Keeping Everyone Happy

The Bellamy Facebook gaffe is a quick reminder of how quickly things can go south if players aren't getting what they want and let egos interfere with the team. And that is even when you are winning. I understand that Boyd is frustrated with PT but it was apparent that he is still kinda clueless after the false start penalty he had. He is such a talent that I hope this is just a matter of growing pains. I like the first half suspension though. You need a standard--no matter who the player is. Even if we lose we are still in the drivers seat for ACC Champs. No one wants to think about it but how the team responds if we lose will determine how the season ultimately ends.

My Tigernet Infamy

2011-10-07T17:38:00.000-07:00

So I was pleased when I read good ol' Mickey Plyer's blog this morning to find that my post a couple of days ago had been copied and sent VERBATIM to Mickey as an email or something I guess?? Wow, too funny...You can read it here on T-Net or you can scroll down the page and read my actual post!!

http://www.tigernet.com/blogs/plyler/entry/friday_e_mail_bag174

Thanks 'Shannon' for sending it in, I guess. Certainly, thanks for reading. It would be weird if I was Shannon but my name is nowhere close to being Shannon. Maybe Mickey was so hard pressed for letters this week that he 'borrowed' it from this blog--haha. Anyway, that was a weird first for me. Mickey had some nice things to say at least. Yeah, so, umm..Go Tigers!

*One quick note. For those of you who still don't think Chad Morris is making the difference this year, remember that last year we found out that the Boston College players were bragging after the game about knowing exactly what the Clemson offensive plays were before we snapped the ball. That is not the snap count or an idea of the play--it was the actual play! Can you imagine what that would be like as a defensive player. That is unheard of and is a direct result of having formations that give away your plays. With all the scouting and preparation defensive coordinators perform, they are lucky to have a beat on ten percent of the plays in a game. I think that is probably way too high of a number. Anyway, that was when I knew that change needed to happen. Napier and Dabo didn't have a system that worked. It was ultimately too predictable and not mature enough for big time college football. Morris is the difference on offense and thus is the difference this season.

Good Stuff from the Sangin Cowboys

2011-10-05T21:54:00.000-07:00

Their Hokie walk thing is pretty lame. I love how they say we took them out back behind the woodshed...this is probably the funniest piece of college football humor I have ever seen in relation to Virginia Tech. Ok, its the only thing I've ever seen but I like it! I actually really appreciated the fan/tailgating perspective. Cows and barns!

Chad Morris Must Stay

2011-10-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

So what is the difference in this team compared to last years team some have asked. The difference in the team this year is simple and it is all Chad Morris. Dabo is not an offensive coordinator or a good enough offensive mind to design and call the plays like Morris. Dabo is a great team leader, recruiter, and motivator for the fan base. He also gives a mean interview...

The problem is that Dabo wears thin if you are not winning. When you are not winning your faults are on display and become severely enlarged. That is the microscope the head coach lives under. No one can replace Morris, if he leaves then it is like Brad Scott calling plays for RichRod. Eventually it just isn't up to par. Who on the staff would you feel comfortable with duplicating Morris's performance up until this point. Pony up whatever money you can Clemson powers that be. Chad has a daughter starting at Daniel High School and he has said he will stay at least until she graduates. Lets make that kind gesture of a father to a daughter a reality.

If we still had Napier this year, what would be our record? Sure we have Watkins but we would have the same inconsistent play at WR where even Dwayne Allen is dropping passes and no one knows how to block. Boyd out of shape, with bad footwork, and no ownership of the team. A team without an identity. I give all the credit in the world to Dabo for making the call to switch to Chad Morris. (Napier is still a good coach, great recruiter, who just had no business being an offensive coordinator) Without him we become a very average team and no amount of speeches or chest bumps can replace attention to detail, true accountability, and an infectious work ethic that was previously lacking with this team.
We were on par in terms of toughness with Virginia Tech--an amazing feat for this team.

Somebody make a shirt with a slogan about how Chad Morris must stay. In Chad We Trust (probably too strong and questions dabo's leadership) or More Morris Please. Yeah, I am struggling to come up with something. Help, please?

Life in the Fast Lane

2011-10-02T21:49:00.000-07:00

Nothing was sweeter than seeing the Virginia Tech faithful exiting the stadium early. We were wet and cold but felt absolutely great. I got a fever, and the only cure is more Dabo...(actually it is just winning, and Chad Morris)

I have been known to wear orange tinted glasses and spontaneously declare that Clemson will win the National Championship and then even if Clemson has lost a game--try to scheme a way for us to sneak into a BCS bowl game. Even last year up until the 55 yard FSU fg inexplicably sailed through the uprights I had faith. After we beat Auburn I was thinking Natl Champs. I'm a hopeless Clemson fan--its what I do! And I bet you do it too--whether you are a pumper or a whiner or a moonshiner or whatever. At this point its time to just enjoy the winning, and declare that we are going to win a national championship this year--haha!!

Seriously though, I don't think Clemson should tolerate losing seasons and losing to the Cocks two years in a row. The offense under the two-headed monster of Napier and Dabo was downright offensive. Dabo is not a good end of half or game coach and favors some of 'his' players over those who should play. Those are my main objections to his tenure but I certainly acknowledge that he can recruit, build a staff, and bring media attention to Clemson. The players love him (and he loves the players) and he seems like a good motivational speaker (although before FSU we were slow out of the gate and down at half-time each game). So lets break this down a bit and get critical (but don't worry, we are going to win the natl championship)--coaching, offense, defense, and sp teams.

Coaching
This year Dabo is doing a better job as a head coach. If Dabo stays out of the Morris offense then I have no problem with him as coach. We struggled with our tempo at Virginia Tech and I don't want to see the team pull up on the gas pedal until we are under the 3-4 minute mark. We struggled with our tempo before the half which is something that surprised me. We let too much time off the clock, I expect our hurry up offense to morph into super offense the way Auburn does regularly. O-line has been steadily improving. Anyone who questioned the hiring of Caldwell as the coach after two games this season shouldn't offer up their opinions. Despite Mclets give them a lane to the qb (McLain, get it, yeah that was lame) the O-line looks improved. Still can't run block extremely well but I'll take it. Morris is proving to not only be able to gameplan effectively but he makes quick in-game adjustments. He is a pretty good play caller as well, considering how young of an offensive coordinator at the collegiate level he is. The plays are designed well and Morris demands excellence from his players.

Steele essentially had his defense pitch a shutout in Blacksburg. The defense is a work in progress but if they can continue to improve then this can be a championship team. You can depend on Steele to make great half-time adjustments consistently, as well. Usually he has players in the right spots to be successful but this year there has been some sloppy fundamentals. We have always missed a bunch of tackles but this year it seems worse. Maybe it was wet and slippery jerseys but Wilson made us look silly many times (although he is a great running back). Overall the defensive coaching, apart from the tackling, has been consistent and solid.

Offense
Boyd is so far ahead of where I thought he would be. He has really impressed me as a leader and I will admit that I wasn't sure he had it in him. We learned this week that Morris was also not sure after Spring ball if Tajh had it in him. Credit goes to good coaching and to a player willing to be coached. My only major beef right now is that sometimes Boyd misses on easy passes. He needs to work on his screen throws, which means better footwork. I thought he ran very well at Lane and didn't try to force it too much. He showed he can manage the game. He was a bit off in the rain and cold. He had balls that were too high where his receivers bailed him out like the amazing DA play where he leaped over the DB.

Ellington is running effectively but I am waiting for him to breakout a bit more. Please, Bellamy, learn some play book. You keep teasing us with these few amazing runs. I'm hoping Howard can come back strongly as well. I'm also hoping Dwayne Allen sticks around for a senior year. Can you believe this is the same guy who dropped all those balls last year? Still can improve in blocking, along with Brandon Ford but he has been absolutely amazing. Hopefully Peake can get some more experience, along with Bryant. Hopkins is the unsung hero of the group and Jaron Brown has been light years from his former self. Jaron has turned two or three throws from interceptions to receptions and has been a great effort guy. We now have 5 receivers in this freshman class. Humphries should have red-shirted. Along the O-line we need depth, especially looking towards next year.

Defense
D-line is playing well. We know the starters have been good but I have been happy with the play of Shatley and K. Brown in the past couple of games. I am a big fan of Stephone Anthony and think this defense will only be better as Corico Hawkins gets fewer snaps. Hawkins has been a valuable player these past couple of years but this season has exposed his inability to shed blocks and make big tackles. Anthony needs to learn how to line-up the defense and he will be the playmaker we are so desperate to have in the middle of this defense. Willard has also been steadily improving. This is the main reason for Steward seeing so little time. I hope we can get him more involved and that his knee continues to hold up.

I like not redshirting Lateek Townsend. He is an energy player and a specimen physically. If he is happy playing special teams and occasionally rushing the passer then it is better than having him walk. We all new that the Steele defense would be tough for any of the young LB's to fully grasp but a happy Lateek is much better than no Lateek. I think he genuinely wants to help the team. We certainly need the help on special teams coverage units.

The secondary is perhaps the main work in progress. Can the young DB's make an impact and hold up? Losing Breeland is no good for this team so lets hope he can fully recover from the concussion. Robinson needs to elevate his game. Brewer has played well and Coty is a bit up and down. Hall is missing a step but played well against VTech. Meeks might have gotten slightly injured at the end of the game but Dabo said he was fine. We have no depth at safety with just Smith and Lewis as back-ups. Jenkins is a guy that needs game experience.

I am hoping we can blow out BC so our young guys get some playing time.

Special Teams
Zimmerman is a great punter and hopefully can fully recover this week. He seemed to have a few tentative kicks in Lane. I'm still surprised that Catman kick was good. I hate missed ex points. I still remember when Jad Dean missed the exp that cost us the BC game and ultimately a shot at the acc champs game. That all needs to be fixed. I say Catman do the kickoffs. Keeps the kicker somewhat warm. Lets do anything at this point. Sad to see Benton get hurt--one of our best special teams tacklers. Coverage units still need some work.

BC is a revenge game so I think we get up for it. Maryland doesn't have Fat Ralph who was probably the best schemer against us. Then UNC at home and a GTech team I didn't think could be this good. Get by Tanner Price and no Russell Wilson and we go to cootlumbia for a chance at it all. ACC Champs game will inevitably be a rematch, pick your Tech poison. Then its natl champs time. I think our computer poll numbers and sos will put us over the top. The national championship is within our grasp. hahah!

Go Tigers!

Beamer Balling

2011-09-30T07:59:00.000-07:00

I still have nightmares of playing Virginia Tech in 2006, 2007. It soured me on the all white road uni's and made my disdain for all purple Grimace colors very high. I have the most respect for VTech as a program in the ACC. I don't know how they lose to no name teams every year but that fact only has me more worried about this game.

I have been absolutely giddy after the FSU game and haven't been able to do anything other than consume all Clemson info but there has been this unspoken dread as VTech has approached. Post-FSU I was cautiously optimistic but now just cautious. VT blew up our 2006 and 2007 seasons--we fell apart after these games and I don't want that to happen this year. I have always had this game as a big L since its been on the schedule. I thought we would beat Auburn and FSU (just bc of Death Valley) but lose to VT because it is one the road at Lane Stadium. It makes it worse that it is a night game. The problem is that we know so little about VTech this year. I don't know if VT knows exactly what they have.

As Auburn found out--early game play is not exactly representative of overall talent levels. We were holding back against Wofford so how much has VTech been holding back?

How injured are some of the VT players? How bad is that Logan Thomas (VT QB) non-throwing shoulder? He appeared to jam it so bad that he could only hand off with one arm at the end of the game last week. Initially I thought we were going to have the greatest QB injury luck of all-time. The reason this matters is because if the shoulder is really bad then VT is less likely to run much zone read and designed QB runs. Thomas is not elusive but Clemson sucks against running QB's (remember when Maryland's dirt slow QB ran all over us in 2009? Any Dalton TCU?), and it doesn't take much talent to make that happen. Thomas has the 6' 6" frame and is a decent straight line runner. Something to watch.

Speaking of running VT has #4 Wilson and #2 Oglesby who are both plus runners. They aren't exactly bruising punishing runners but Wilson, in particular, has a good burst. They can get to the edge and run up the gut. We haven't been particularly good at stopping either. I don't think FSU is any barometer for claiming we have improved our running D. FSU hasn't been able to run on us for years and Jimbo simply abandoned it last week.

VT receivers have been decent but it remains to be seen how good they will be against elevated competition. We also don't know which will be playing due to injuries but none are world beaters. However, FSU carved up our inconsistent secondary. We have some young talent and supposedly veteran CB's but too many instances of soft coverage against average talent. With Hall missing a step and Meeks being sub-par in pass coverage we are always going to be somewhat vulnerable to the play action bomb.

On defense they are solid but haven't put all the pieces together yet. There second strings suck but they won't play much at all in the Clemson game. The question becomes whether or not we can wear down that first team D. Also Boyd has to be more careful and accurate with the ball. There were three-four passes that easily could have been picked off by FSU. One where Dwayne Allen bailed him out, the tipped ball, a Brown catch and the first pass of the game.

Something that I wanted to post on after the FSU game was how the Tajh to Werner connection was scary. After it happened I felt like I was watching a Bowden/Swinney team. You know, the uber talented team that was weak mentally and prone to making stupid, give the game away errors. I found myself sliding into a defeatist Clemson fan attitude of--well here it comes, I knew this would happen, we suck mentality. The next drive where Boyd was rattled was tough to watch but I was impressed with how he pulled it together. I think that this is Morris's influence.

Hosley is the man and VT will not drop int's so Boyd must be sharp. They will also send pressure that our O-Line hasn't been great at picking up. Last week it was partly Morris's scheme that helped with protection--misdirection and getting the ball out early. Lets hope that continues. The O-Line played well compared to what we thought we had after Wofford. I think Thomas has played pretty well. When Smith gets more healthy I would like to hear talk of him pushing McLain for playing time or for his starting job.

This sounds so cliche but this game will come down to turnovers and special teams. Last time we played VT scored on a punt return, kick return, and a pick 6. The defense played ok in that game but we spotted them 21 points. We can't do that in this game. Beamer ball is talked about too much but they do try to consistently score off of special teams and turnovers. Our coverage and kick units all struggled this past week. We need Crapanzaro to show that he has improved and be able to kick on the road. The sample size is small so far this year to call for a change but he has missed too many xp's and fg's already in his career for my liking. The FSU kicker is amazing and all I want is someone who is perfect on xp's and from within the 40 hits 90-95% of the kicks. My standards have become that low. VT has struggled at punter and have an unproven kicker. They are good at blocking punts though.

We need to get up early so we can force VT to pass more than they would like. If we can stop the run then we can win this game. If not we are going to be relying on our offense to again put up big numbers on the best defense we will face the rest of the year. UNC and the Cocks in a close second and third.

This is the game that pushes you toward greatness. A 5-0 team that has beaten three ranked opponents is big time. No one will be able to say, well you played them injured or x team wasn't as good. 5-0 is 5-0 and two top 15 wins is big time college football. Also remember to tell anyone that Clemson had the toughest schedule in the nation going into the first game. Looking at the currently undefeated teams only LSU has an arguably tougher schedule. Most teams now play 4 cupcake OOC games. So if we win will be in the top ten, maybe ranked as high as seventh in the country. Then it would be about having no letdowns and taking care of GT and UNC (at home).

The question is how far can Boyd, through the Morris offense, carry us and how much can the defense improve. I will be interested to see how the extra linebacker playing in the 4-3 rather than the nickel will help our run D. I think one of the keys to the rest of the season is how good Anthony and Steward turn out to be. If one of them emerges as a dominant Mike or Will then the defense will be improve drastically.

Here is to shaking the Lane Stadium Hokie demons of the past!

Fat Boy to Phat Boy

2011-09-18T22:38:00.000-07:00

There are a ton of things I want to post about and I am seeing the world in all shades of orange. I must post about the Macho Man Dabo soon. You got to believe, you got greatness in you, Oh yeeeah...Dabo Flair on national television. Waaahooo...I have to shake my head and laugh at what an embarrassment that truly is, I mean act like you've been there before, but I was just as jacked up about winning. Maybe we need a cheerleader who hoots and hollars.

Anyway, I had to quickly comment on Tajh Boyd. In the few times I have written since checking out of writing about Clemson I have been very critical of Tajh. He was pretty much amazing on Saturday. I just read a piece where Dwayne Allen, who also played spectacularly Saturday, said last year Boyd weighed over 240 pounds. As an aside Chad Morris has got some strategery to him--Allen was being saved in the first two games. The gameplan went through Allen, Watkins, and Nuk in the air. A lesser offensive coordinator like Spence wouldn't have been flexible enough to integrate Allen into his system. Chad Morris may save Clemson football single handed.

So Boyd weighed over 240 with Jamie Harper. Who was held accountable for that? Sure the player needs to be, and that shows a lack of dedication and commitment from Boyd but seriously. I guy gains twenty-thirty pounds and starts getting called Fat Boy by teammates and no one on the coaching staff picks up on it or does anything? That is a change in uniform size! This has to be partially on Bateson and Napier but is really a larger problem of not cultivating a culture of responsibility from players, coaches, staff and administrators. Back-ups and scout team players are being groomed to be players and I think red-shirts are often wasted at Clemson. Players get fatter, don't learn the offense or defense well enough and become complacent. Is this the kind of thing a Woody McCorvey type of staff member should be on the look-out for and not let happen?

Boyd wasn't ready to be QB in the Spring because he was too heavy. That hurt his footwork which throws off or changes mechanics. That was why I kind of laughed at the dual-threat talk--I thought he was more a fullback than a QB. I still would like him to drop another ten pounds to add a bit more speed but if its muscle now you can't argue with a little bit of durability. If Boyd gets injured we are in serious trouble. At least our back-up doesn't look like an eighth grader who weighs 170 pounds. If I'm EJ Manuel I am pissed off at Jimbo.

Boyd was great! I didn't think he had that in him. The only bad things were that he forced it a couple of times but when you have receivers with the hands of Nuke and Watkins you can afford to do that. Allen made some amazing grabs as well, so much different from the guy who dropped some easy balls last year. That TD catch was a pleasure to watch. We really picked up the blitzing better and Boyd had plenty of time. Auburn didn't do all that much up front because of their own youth so we will probably take some more lumps here, but it was night and day compared to Wofford. Boyd ran well on some broken plays and showed a positive confidence and Leadership! that I didn't know he had in him. We can't get overconfident but if I had to pick between a lack of confidence with no way to ever find said confidence and overconfidence, its not that bad a problem to have. I am now firmly on the Boyd 'Phat Boy' Bandwagon. Yes I just went there with the 'Ph'.

We need Boyd to stay healthy and in-shape, the latter not being a problem with drillmaster Chad Morris at the helm. I love his attitude of telling his offensive team that they may not like him but they will be better for it (which must be some kind of reference to how Dabo must need that kind of reciprocal love or something, I don't know). I just hope Dabo doesn't start 'coaching' again. Anytime he makes a call, of any kind, it ends with something poorly executed (like the fake), or everyone yelling at each other. I thought Bowden was a bad end game coach but Dabo must be worse--his record in close games certainly is. I am hoping that Morris will be in total control of the offense all of the time and am not too worried about the end game because we already are constantly in a hurry-up offense. Why does Dabo scribble things down?? That is why the invention of tape recorders was a big deal. I think my high school had a group of 'stats girls' who did that job.

Hey its a new paragraph, how about another random tangent--how scary good were Meyer and Speilman breaking down game footage. I was scared that that opposing defensive coordinators would use what they were saying. That was the gold standard for breaking down footage in real-time. I felt like a football guru just by listening to them. But I thought Speilman got one thing wrong--he said in the fourth that he would slow the game down. I think he was dead wrong. That is how you let a team back into the game. The offense is designed to wear down the defense so that they can take it to you in the fourth and add those points to the scoreboard. If you slow it down, they catch their breath and you are two possessions away from defeat. Best to have your foot on the gas until the three or four minute mark--which is what Morris did beautifully.

Its been ten years since we had a competent offensive mind who could make in-game adjustments. FSU looks vulnerable and the game may hinge on the health of EJ Manuel's shoulder. Or it may hinge on the Clemson offense running down the throat of the FSU defense, while Chad Morris simultaneously stomps that same throat with the back heel of his Texas boot. Yes, you heard it here first--our offense is turning into beast mode this Saturday, Woohoo! Woohoo! (Ric Flair sounds) Then Dabo Hogan rips his breakaway shirt, brother. He is one part preacher, another part pro wrestler but 100% salesman cheerleader coach. Go Dabo! Go Tigers!

PS. The Pac-10 used to suck and still does but they potentially get Oklahoma and Texas and we get Pitt and Syracuse?? You know BC isn't exactly working out for us right? Oh and Barker, you genius, thanks for voting for the 20 million dollar exit fee...Which Big East teams are in the top 25--the ones we didn't pick to join the ACC.

Orange Marshmallows

2011-09-11T23:37:00.000-07:00

Yeah I thought I was pretty much done posting. I thought my time for rants and raves would be up. I was going to post in the Spring about how bad we looked but Morris beat me to the punch. I was going to post in the fall about my doubts about Tajh as a runner, leader, and hard enough worker but he seemed to have an excellent fall camp.

I thought that Troy was a good team and that the first half jitters could be accounted to first game, freshman stuff. Yesterday has got me back in vomit mode. I was laughing watching the game yesterday. I was laughing at how soft we have become and I remembered that I used to laugh like this about the cluckers...

It wasn't until I heard Dabo in his post-game comments that I went from lethargic and depressed to upset and motivated to actually blog. Yes, I want to be that vocal 5% duck, clucking about what is wrong with our head cheerleader when he acts incompetent and what is wrong with our program (his media talk today was less upbeat than what he said post-game, however, so I will give him that). Once we win at least an ACC Championship I have every right to wail and moan as loud as I want. Especially when South Carolina is dominating us...(yeah I hate writing it but you need to 'man up' and admit when you are inferior)

We have the recruiting talent, we have an overall good coaching staff now, we have a loyal fan base...

Here are my main concerns going forward.

1. We are soft. The last time we hit really hard was the game against Auburn last year. Since then it has been all orange marshmallows all the time. After the first half against Troy some players were quoted as saying, oh no here we go again. The Clemson mentality is weak. Auburn feels like they can win no matter what--you can see it in their demeanor and how they act and perform. Clemson doesn't really believe in itself.

I don't honestly know if it is Batson or not hitting enough in practice but this has been a problem for at least ten years now. Caldwell is the right coach but the players aren't responding as of now. Morris is saying the things I want to hear so we all can collectively hold our breath.

2. The less Dabo coaching the better. The fake punts and kicks and garbage were Dabo's calls. He seriously can't help sticking his finger in and trying to change something. He was scared on Saturday, dressed up to play army man, and I think it starts to rub off on a team. I am not a Dabo hater per se, but the man needs to remember his strengths are not the whole coaching thing. I'm always worried about his end game coaching for example.

3. Kicking game. I have never had faith in Cat man (as opposed to Catwoman) as a legit kicker. I will believe it when I see it. I am willing to give him a chance since Benton is a waste of a scholarship as far as I am concerned (although he does tackle as well as our defense) and Lakip is the same untested freshman. Zimmerman is the best punter since Chris Gardocki, and if you don't know that name you should look it up.

4. Tackling. We have problems wrapping up. Its funny that we like to hit more than we like to tackle, but the hitting isn't sustained for four quarters.

5. Secondary. Yes, I think this is more worrisome than the D-Line. With Hall out I am more worried about the busted assignments and blown coverages. Breeland isn't turning any heads and I have little faith in Brewer and Sensabaugh as elite shutdown corners. They can play zone but on an island I get worried. Auburn is going to expose some of these flaws and we will be caught not covering someone wide open. Gus Malz has his QB Trotter performing very well and far ahead where I thought he would be coming into the third game.

6. MacLain and the O-Line. If we can't create some openings for Ellington then its going to be a long season. He needs creases not holes and we can't do it for him. MacLain has been pathetic, no way around it and that interior line must be solid for us to have a chance. Can we go for a fourth down against the D-line of Auburn or South Carolina? Have we even converted a third and short yet?? Again, at least Morris is aware and visibly upset about this. These lines have grown up lazy because they had CJ and elite RB's that made up for their inability to blow people off the line. This is tied to point number one and unless changed will result in three straight losses.

7. Tajh. I am not sold on Mr. Boyd yet. I really hope he proves me wrong. He is still inaccurate with some throws (throws to Hopkins in the flat) and throws it to the other team a couple of times. What I am really worried about is his ability to read defenses and pick up blitz's. It is primarily the responsibility of the QB. That comes with time but Auburn and especially FSU will eat him and the oline alive. The defense just can't deliver wins for us this year. Also what happens if he gets hurt? Could we win a game with Cole Stoudt?

This list is too long so I will digress into some bullet points and more random thoughts.

I hope you have been saving Mike Bellamy. Even if you ran him for the same four plays to different sides I would be happy. He is that quick that I doubt it would matter. Ten touches a game please. Even if he looks at you funny when you say the word protection he should be in there. Also don't remove him from the return game. He is faster than Watkins. Watkins was good in the return game but I think Bellamy will be better.

I would like to see Hawkins lose his starting job to Anthony. Hawkins plays tentatively and too far from action. Watch a play against Wofford and you will see how slow he is to react. He is not a bad player but this defense needs a game changer in the middle and I am hoping it is Anthony.

Anyone saying wait till next year is stupid--we have no Oline next year. This is the year, its always the year. If not, you sound like a delirious chicken. Remember that...

We have lost some serious in-state recruiting battles along the trenches and overall. Clowney, Cann, Gilmore, Holloman, Lattimore, and the biggest recruit that has turned USC around--Alshon Jeffrey (who was taken from Southern Cal). Now we didn't have a chance with most of these but it just shows the talent is there in our backyard to win natl championships. Watching the coots is getting depressing. They finally look like winners.

Watkins will be and already is special and Hopkins has amazing hands. We will score points this season.

Ellington has looked gassed to me these first couple games. He is not used to being the lone workhorse but it is great to see him used properly. I think he is still trying to find that elite gear he had last year and I hope it comes this saturday. Stone hands Hot Rod is not the answer at back-up. Time for Bellamy and Howard.

How many other schools miss as many xp's as we do?

Our D-line will be ok if no one gets injured. Goodman and Crawford, Brown and Branch are all above average. Thompson is elite when he wants to be and Moore is good. Shatley showed me something this week and we need some other guys to step up. We have time before GT and the need to play assignment football. Disappointed in guys like Josh Watson and Barnes.

Well I feel better already. Yes I am being negative but its better than being a homer. I just want to quit being embarrassed when I watch my tigers. We fans invest a lot and we deserve some winning every twenty years...

Oh Tribble

2011-07-15T21:50:00.000-07:00

Wow...just wow...

Making Sense of Selection Sunday

2011-03-13T19:31:00.000-07:00

The highlights:

5 teams with 14 losses get in(only 6 teams with 14 losses let in from 1985-2010)
Colorado and Virginia Tech snubbed
UAB and VCU in the tournament
Georgia a 10 seed??
ACC is the most disrespected of the major conferences

I think that about covers it. There were 30 at-larges for power conferences and 7 for mid-majors. At first I was really upset that Clemson was in the play-in game and as the 12 seed. But then I realized we were probably the last team in. Which means that if Dayton or possibly even UTEP win their conferences then we are on the chopping block. How did USC in the pathetic Pac 10 jump us??

That means that the ACC got a 1 seed, a 2 seed, a 10 seed and a play-in. Practically 3 teams were put in. We made it in because we beat BC and VT in the head to head or we would have been out. Had we not beaten BC we would have been out. We need to win the ACC/Big Ten challenge and quit losing by one game so that we can wag that in people's faces--7 teams for the Big Ten?? Two of them with 14!!!!!!!!!!!! losses. Wow. Getting to the semi's in the ACC meant nothing this year. You do remember that the reigning national champs came from our conference right??

Here is my rational behind the snubs. The committee used the extra seeds as a chance to reward mid majors. That is partly why the push was made for expansion and so they were set on delivering. It would have been 32 majors and 5 mid-majors. However, if you are going to put Kansas State as a 5 seed and then not include a team that beat them 3 times then you are being stupid or stubborn. Now I am not saying Colorado doesn't have its flaws but VCU lost 6 Colonial division games and UAB was ousted from its conference tourney by East Carolina.

The committee had a mission and they fulfilled it. The last major takeaway is for anyone who wants to expand anything. Whenever you have a cut-line and whenever someone is left out there will be controversy and moaning and groaning. Its inherent to selection. This is the stupid argument made in football. If we only have an 8 team play-off then teams will be left out--well duh. And if you have a 64 team tourney then people will complain and a 68 and even a 96. (In football it is better to give eight teams a chance over just two, however)

Don't think that expansion somehow solves these kinds of problems. Go back to a 64 team tourney. How fair is it to play in Dayton and then fly to the next spot for the first game?? I thought we were having all the silly 16 seeds play each other so that first round game against the 1 seed might mean something. Oh well, Clemson will play UAB and have to break the press--something we don't do horribly well. At least this way we can win one game in the tourney!

West Virginia here we come!! (11 Big East teams...ugh)

Let's Dance

2011-03-11T13:53:00.000-08:00

Oh yeah. Who thought that at the beginning of the season we would be in the semis of the ACC tourney, playing our best basketball and pretty much a lock for the NCAA tourney. Now the only question is whether or not we get the Bye game. (I really hate the play-in 12 seed game, so dumb especially for everyone who loves to fill out brackets--at least this expansion should shut up further expansion talk for awhile) (Sorry, have to continue rant--what would 96 teams mean?? South Carolina would be on the bubble, teams at or below .500 would be in consideration, I guess I shouldn't be surprised at how stupid the NCAA can be, Jim Sweatervest and THE Ohio State rule breakers deserve some serious punishment. You know that the NCAA let them off easy and had a wink/nod situation where they allowed Pryor to play in that BCS game. Now they better come down hard)

So we won. When Stitt is on we can match-up against some of the best teams in the country. I am so impressed with how he has matured as a player in the past month. Well not emotionally but as a player. He hits threes, drives to the basket with authority, finishes plays, has become an elite defender, rebounds well for a guard, has that fire and leadership this team needed. I am so glad Trapani is gone. He is a match-up nightmare for us.

The key to this team is that players have developed roles. I feel like everyone knows more or less where they fit into the scheme, so players play within the system and themselves. I don't see ill advised drives from Tanner Smith--I see him hustling, playing good D, passing the ball well and knocking down the occasional outside shot. Jerai knows he can knock down a mid-range jumper. The ball goes inside-out more often than ever before.

The team is gaining confidence in itself at the right time. This season has been a huge success and I think this is the time as fans that we sit back and enjoy. I know we want to win championships but it is not very often that we can say that our basketball team has overachieved. Jay Bilas should eat a big pile of crow(he had us dead last). TDP did something right (although he tried to do something wrong before stumbling into the right decision) and I think Brownell is fantastic. Lets hope we can win a few recruiting battles from this but for now I am all smiles.

If we lose to UNC, it won't matter. All I want is a first round victory in the big dance and my wishlist for this season is fulfilled. Thank you seniors! Go Tigers!

Brad BrownLEE?? Does it

2011-03-05T23:06:00.000-08:00

Note to ESPN--the man is a major college coach and potentially the ACC Coach of the Year. Lets get his name right. Brad Brownell...Brad Brown(like the color) ell(like the french word she elle), at least Mike Patrick apologized to the student body. Then it gets repeated on Sportscenter.

The orange blazer was in full effect as the team played some very good team basketball. How refreshing is it that our team is, for once, finishing strong! The team had some rough patches where we turned the ball over a ton but overall we passed the ball better than I have seen in like six years. This team is playing a walk-on Zavier and Narcisse for long periods of time--and winning. Who would have said that at the beginning of the season. I thought we had the talent this year to go 20-10 and 8-8 in the league, potentially make the tourney. Those were my best case numbers and after that rough patch where we lost three straight I was prepared for the worst. I just didn't see how after the loss of Johnson and Donte Hill this team could coalesce around Brownell's system.

Then the defense picked up. I think Tanner's injury gave some players quality minutes that ultimately helped the team. Stitt has been a fiery leader and Grant developed that outside shot. Now we still have our flaws. Grant has been shutdown. Booker and Milt have talent but are hit or miss in some games. Lack of depth.

Good thing we have Brownell. We have cut down on turnovers, learned how to pass the ball, and can actually run some offense. We consistently rotate well and play very good defense. And no we don't use a gimmick defense that can be scorched by good teams. Tanner Smith plays within himself. Narcisse provides defensive length. Bobo can even have a role. Anderson is utilized for his defensive pressure. Brownell magnifies the ability of each of his players.

A word on the tourney. Lunardi had us as the last team in before the VT win. Today bubble competitors Richmond, Alabama, Michigan(who beat us), Colorado, Butler(hopefully wins tourney), Missouri St(really hope they win tourney), Illinois, Memphis and UAB.

Those who lost are Baylor, Colorado St, Washington(now 20-10), Washington St, Marquette, Michigan St. and Georgia, Nebraska, Wichita St, Dayton and Drexel.

The Alabama win really hurts us as well as the Michigan win and possibly the Colorado win. It will be hard to keep Alabama out now and Georgia still has a good resume. Michigan is on the edge but the committee is likely to still favor a big name team like Michigan St (not to mention mid major darlings Butler and Gonzaga) and Michigan has the head to head win against us.

What we have going in our favor is the fact that the ACC will not be a three big league. That means that the fourth big would have to go to either BC or VT ahead of us and we have the head to head match-ups against them. Certainly, that is comforting.

The other thing no one is talking about is how the committee will approach the extra 4 teams. We have no precedent and so it is all guess work. They could just extend the cut line from 64 to 68 which would be in our favor but they also might be more inclined to give them to mid majors, so as to appear impartial and not turning these picks into more of the same. We shall see.

I think in a match-up against BC in the 4/5 game we need that win to be in the tourney. How lame are the 12 seed games?? Way to try to ruin something good NCAA--96 teams--really??

The Brad Brownell Era: Musings and Ramblings

2011-02-21T00:06:00.000-08:00

After beating Miami today and smartly calling for the foul with three seconds left I am left to ponder on the Brad Brownell era thus far. Let me start by saying that I really hope we find a way to squeeze into the tourney. I think Brownell, in a strange way, deserves it. Now I am certainly wearing those orange tinted sunglasses and after the NC State loss it is still far away but I want Brownell to keep the momentum of the program.

I want fans to remain engaged. When we hit that three game skid, you could feel the fan-base's collective legs wobble. But Brownell stuck to his gameplan and has made this team look decent. We really do play great half court defense. Seriously, I don't think we remember how poor we were in the half court anything. Our offense was ridiculous and our defense was not pretty at all. I went back and watched some of last years footage and without Trevor Booker we wouldn't have won half of those games. I still would have liked to see a bit more press this year but we certainly would have regressed as a team if Purnell had stayed.

Now looking ahead I am not sure what you do without Grant and Stitt. I have always liked Grant as a player and thought Purnell didn't spend enough time trying to develop him. He has a sweet 20 footer that just keeps getting better and better. The man has some post moves and blocks shots at an amazing rate. Stitt is our only real penetrating threat and will be missed next year.

However, I point this out because Brownell can develop talent. Bobo will play 15 minutes a game next year, I am convinced. Tanner Smith is playing more within himself and the turnovers have finally been cut down. We can even pass the ball into the post!! Milton has started to rebound and hopefully has turned the corner.

We have a chance against Duke--not a good one but a chance nonetheless. We still suck on the road but we do play some good D--you have to admit. Going into the season I thought our downfall would be defending the three with our sub 6' 2 guards. Hello long armed Mr. Narcisse off the bench. The point is that Brownell is not afraid to play the hand he has been dealt and play it with confidence. He has, at times, turned a crummy two pair into a winning hand. With all the defections and even an injury to a starter, Brownell has done an admirable coaching job.

I want him to get more quality pieces. I want our recruiting to not cripple his ability to keep us in the tourney hunt each year. The best part about this year is thanks to the additional three teams, we can still hope. We beat Duke and we are squarely on the bubble. If we go 9-7 in the ACC and 20-10 overall, we need to win two (probably three) games in the tourney and cross those fingers.

Can't wait to take it to Wake. And thank our lucky stars that our hire didn't put us back 3-4 years. Rick Stansbury anyone?? No takers?? Really?

Get on the 'All In' Dabo Peace Train

2011-02-02T07:14:00.000-08:00

Tony Steward to Clemson. Now this is a recruiting class gentlemen. My goodness hearing Urban talk about Spiller, this is a good day...Best LB class in Clemson history.

My wife just said "Can't wait to see the signs. Tony the Tiger, He's Grrrreat!!!"

Lateek Townsend=Awesome

2011-01-10T17:51:00.000-08:00

Now that we have a solid LB, I have personally deemed this class a success. I am glad Dabo got his man Morris and Hobby is certainly a great coach. But I still give Dabo one year to right the ship. Anyway, welcome to the Clemson family Lateek. Glad you said what you wanted, give the kid his thirty seconds...

6-7

2011-01-05T13:27:00.000-08:00

Let that sink in for all you Dabo lovers out there...

I'm too fed up to even write anything...(well maybe one or two sentences)

Look Dabo dug his own grave--he made the call to promote Billy to OC when he would have been perfectly happy as QB coach and recruiting coordinator. You may call this a waste of bandwith but Dabo decided to keep Powell on although he wasn't much of a recruiter or coach. Special teams will look great with CJ and Jacoby--I'm sorry. He has created the instability that now threatens this great recruiting class that still doesn't have a great LB!! I love the WR talent but I won't think of this class as a success without a top notch LB.

Now with these two firings the writing is on the wall for the good coaches that now is the time to get out of Dodge. It doesn't seem like the staff especially enjoys their relationship to the head man right now. Rumph is gone and I will personally miss him. Great family and really budding as a recruiter.

I've always said Dabo should get three years. I thought it could work when he was hired and knew there would be bumps in the road. I didn't think our offense wouldn't be able to cross the 50 yard line against South Carolina. I didn't think we would have a losing season. Tajh Boyd could be good but he needs a ton of more coaching. I'm glad Dabo is making these changes now but an experienced coach, a good coach wouldn't have put himself in this situation to begin with. Maybe I am too sympathetic to the plight of Billy Napier but without a 9 or 10 win season next year I want Dabo gone.

Happy Holidays Tiger faithful! (and questioning authority doesn't mean you lack faith, it means you have the desire to dig further in order to truly believe)

Recruiting Updates

2010-12-11T10:21:00.000-08:00

So all the pro-Dabo people point to this great recruiting class coming in and say--you negative nancies, just support the team. Normally I am of this opinion. Last year we had some major coaching flaws (that continued right on into this season I might add) but when the season is over there is an argument for putting on the happy smile and focusing on recruiting.

This year I want to wait until after the 'recruiting' season is over before we shake anything up. But a good recruiting class doesn't make up for losing to South Carolina twice. Good recruiting doesn't solve poor coaching because we have been consistently out-recruiting the majority of the ACC. Shakin has done a fabulous job with the numbers. I have heard that all the Ball Sack needed was Lattimore and Jeffrey. Thats true but he also upgraded his assistant coaches, helped Garcia to mature, and had as consistent an offensive gameplan as I have seen out of Spurrier. USC has always had talent but could never get players that wanted to be coached or coaches that had a clue. The two must go hand in hand.

So in summary, a good coach can excel with good talent but an average coach will only be good. A poor coach will be average. We have poor/average offensive coaches. Dwayne Allen has first round talent. Ellington and even Harper have 2-3 round talent. KP has a canon arm, natural talents. Nuke and McNeal have talent. So do many of our offensive lineman. Talent needs to be coached and high school isn't college. Some kids can come in like Julio Jones or Alshon Jeffrey and make an impact. But you need a good coaching staff to make a championship team. We are so very close on defense but are still miles away on offense. (Its got to sting that your 'hotshot' OC isn't even a finalist for the Furman HC job)

*Napier rant (skip if you are sick of this): I feel bad for Billy. His stock has plummeted. If he had been QB's coach and the recruiting coordinator and not the offensive coordinator he would be in such a better position career-wise when you think about it. He even said at the time he would have gladly accepted it, a bump up from TE coach and a little pay. Then we pull in a big name OC, (Malzhan was available!!) who grooms Billy to replace him. This didn't happen because Dabo thinks he is an offensive mind. I smell an ego problem with this one. Maybe he wanted to have more control, or maybe he didn't want to be known solely as a figurehead. Anyway it was a decision that threw Billy to the wolves. Here is boy wonder in action.

But...I have to give the staff credit. Brooks continues to be my favorite coach on the staff. Rumph is working his rump off (sorry had to say it), Harbison is key in Georgia and even Steele has been working it.

We have confirmed visits with the top uncommitted prospects in the country. We even have Clowney coming in!! Steward, Hughes, Anthony, with the possibility of Grant and Lateek Townsend for LB's. Those are at least three top 50 players on any list. Then you have Pagan and now Drew!! This is big. If we pull in three of those names we will have an amazing defensive and offensive class.

With Florida's demise our main competition is Georgia and they are probably weaker than they have been in a long time. We have competition for every player but that is to be expected when you are gunning for such high recruits. So hats off to the staff for staying motivated and hitting the trail with some authority. Clemson loves Moms should be our newest recruiting theme.

If you can't coach, go recruit. It won't build a championship team but it'll keep your head above water and might win you an ACC Championship. (which still wouldnt mean you were a championship team...haha)

Noel Johnson's Dad Leaves Clemson

2010-12-03T23:01:00.000-08:00

Well this bites. First I am a fan of Noel Johnson as a basketball player (well as a player on this particular Clemson team). He couldn't play a lick of D or penetrate that well but he wasn't named Tanner and he has the height and ability to shoot the ball.

He didn't start the season and looked awful on the court until the past couple of games when he went from that guy on your pick up team who takes all the shots and thinks he's the man (but you were probably better off without him) to lukewarm milk. Donte Hill and now Sing Noel are gone. 9 players remain. With Booker and Grant not being able to stay on the floor we are going to be seeing a lot more Tanner, Jennings, and the frosh Stanton as well as *gasp* Narcisse and Bobo. I would gladly have TO (Terrance, Terrance) back, my goodness.

My goodness. So exploring all of our options I have a solution. DMac...He plays his senior year for the bball team and he lights it up. Won't happen because he will be trying to get ready for the draft. But it would be awesome...

Nuke--not happening and we really need wings not point guards anyway. Vic Beasley is an interesting option that could be explored.

We should also look into one of those early enrollment things--didn't Dawkins do that for Duke?? Get a kid after January? It would at least help with practice, redshirt and learn the system. We will certainly be needing a ton of help next year.

I think 8-8 in the ACC is looking more and more like a mountain to climb than an achievable goal. Tanner, please learn to shoot a 3. Jennings, rebound like a man (and shoot 3's). Booker--relearn those post moves you showed last year then forgot because Purnell put regression juice in all his new players diets. Do you remember how as a Freshman Stitt was like an 80% FT shooter?? Oh and everyone learn the motion offense.

Quick Reminder: Brad Brownell Not Really Much of an X's/O's Guy on Offense

2010-12-01T06:05:00.001-08:00

I'm not sure where the rumor started. I just remember reading it in the blogs somewhere, and then suddenly it everyone seemed to accept it as the gospel truth. Seriously, its almost like this idea was planted by the front office and bam! pretty soon everyone is a stenographer.

In an effort to inject some data into the assessment of Brownell's hiring, I took a quick look at the statistical profiles of his past squads (this was back when I had the time for this sort of thing...) No doubt he's led some great defenses, but on offense his team finished in the top 3 in his conference only once--last year (#3!!). Other than that, his offenses have hovered right around average in both the Colonial and Horizon Leagues. Not exactly the dominant mark of a young coaching wizard. In fact, Brownell's overall statistical team profiles eerily resemble the not-so-dearly departed Oliver Purnell, despite using starkly different strategies to construct stingy defenses and middling offenses.

The Michigan game is disheartening, but it reinforces my early views that we are on a rocky road this season with our best hopes likely lying in an 8-8 ACC season. I believe we have latent offensive talent on this team, but without a coaching staff capable of scheming to fit or develop the talent we are in for a long season of crappy offensive displays. Kind of like the last several years, but less frantic. Much, much less frantic. Glacial.

Clemben Addition: This is the perfect game to shut up Tanner Smith enthusiasts. 1-7 and 0-5 from 3 pt. land. 4 fouls and beat to the basket on multiple occasions (not that anyone was rotating on defense so its not all his fault). We really need Noel Johnson to step up and take half of Tanner's minutes or ACC play will get ugly. Lucky for us Wake and GT stink. Miami, Virginia Tech and FSU are underachieving. Roy Williams has Harrison Barnes and can't right the ship (I love that Barnes was picked as a preaseason All-American??, would have been a top draft pick in NBA but is struggling in college). Maryland and NC State I don't know enough about but are beatable and only Virginia seems to have improved much since last year. Yes, Duke is back to being unstoppable but our schedule is favorable.

This loss to Michigan at home on national TV really does sting though. We have to hope that Michigan continues to improve in the Big Ten. We really need to win our next two games to stay in the NCAA hunt if we go 8-8 in ACC play. Losing to South Carolina in the 3 major sports this year is unacceptable Barker. Don't let the door hit you on the way out Terry Don. How about we get an athletic director with a normal name for a change? That would mean Billy D'Andrea would be disqualified. Hooray!

One thing to remember is that expanded brackets (which I absolutely abhor--64 was a great number) might really benefit us this year. Still unless this team improves fundamentally, its going to be a long year. Glacial sounds about right.

Free the Wild Tigers

2010-11-28T22:17:00.000-08:00

So this article says wild Tigers could be extinct in 12 years. That makes me sad. As wild Clemson Tigers we should really stop this somehow. Maybe then we could reverse our own loss of wins.

Tigers are cool and should be allowed to roam free. They should perform their natural born instincts to kill animals like coots and bulldogs and eagles. Devour rams with tar on their heels. Eat bird hurricane things?? Oh and other inferior breeds of Tiger. Just trying to distract myself. If I hear anything about a Dabo extension I will officially begin calling for Danny Ford to personally come and exercise the demons. If the Coot curse is cured we will have a 'Block C' Danny Curse on our hands.

Save our brand of Tiger. Fire Terry Don Phillips.

--Random thought: What does Woody McCorvey do that is so special? If he is an administrator that is the highest paid paper pusher ever. If he was supposed to keep Dabo grounded, thats a big fail. If he was supposed to keep Dabo humble and open to critique, we have another big fat fail. When we actually have money to spend--lets spend it in the right places...

South Carolina Post Suckings

2010-11-27T19:02:00.000-08:00

Never in our football history have we lost to South Carolina twice in a row. We lost on our home turf on senior night and it wasn't even close. Its time to take a look in the mirror and admit that we are broken. A season of 6-6 against a sucky ACC Atlantic and two easy wins is laughable. Not to mention that if we beat FSU that we would be in the ACC Champs game--you can go 5-3 and win the ACC, it is not that difficult.

USC has outrecruited Clemson the past three seasons because they got Alshon Jeffery, Lattimore and Gilmore. We couldn't cross midfield. My hat is off to Spurrier. He was all but done two years ago after Dabo beat him as the interim HC but has righted the ship and has the talent in place. Garcia has matured as a QB in the way that KP never could. I think he just hadn't invested enough time and energy into it--he was always relying on natural talent. Boyd was ok. Our offense sucks. Did we even throw to Allen all night?? Why the five passes to Ford?I could go on but this is depressing.

Daquan please stick around to right this ship and beat Carolina!!

I Don't Have the Stomach For Patience

2010-11-17T19:59:00.001-08:00

So Dabo has called for patience from the fans. This is the same guy who was demanding excellence and was going to change the culture--teach us how to get over the hump and win???

No sir, I will not have any patience. The defense is certainly not the problem. Special Teams is directly related to quality of coaching more than any other facet of the game and has less to do with talent (plus we have more scholarship special teamers than almost any other team in the country). The offense was recruited with Billy Napier as recruiting coordinator and Dabo as the main recruiter. One of the main reasons why Dabo was hired was to maintain the continuity and judging by the recruiting rankings--this was the year!! Please don't try to insult me by saying you don't have the players or the talent.

There is plenty of both, you have just mismanaged it. You aren't rebuilding--you are screwing up what was previously built. If you don't have the talent now that must mean you were a bad position coach beforehand and for some reason I am supposed to reward that with patience. I am supposed to somehow feel pity for you?? And please don't say Bowden or Spence had too iron clad a hand and you couldn't get the recruits you wanted.

We should have easily beaten FSU. I am sick of the Spence stalls in the red zone and being a .500 team. Just think if we hadn't played those two powderpuffs at the beginning of the year...

If Dabo can't get us to the ACC Championship game (notice I said we don't even have to win it, just be there) then he should be gone. If we lose to South Carolina three times in a row then he should be gone. Remember Dabo this is that word 'competition' at the highest level so quit your whining and quacking like a duck. If you can't deliver then get out of the way because Clemson deserves better.

At least we beat Wofford (I am relying on Basketball, thats how bad things have gotten), go Brownell...

Western Carolina Review

2010-11-13T09:04:00.000-08:00

Well its Basketball season already. Surprise, surprise I'm actually excited for this season. I want to see if this team will actually learn how to run some offense and pass the ball into the post. I thought the world of Purnell after Shyatt but thought we did less with more last season. I was personally looking for the Sweet 16 last year with the incoming recruits.

So this season I just want to make the tourney and go 8-8 in conference play. Kenpom currently has us at 9-7, which I think is possible for this team, and 28th overall, a little high for now but not entirely removed from the realm of possibility.

For all you stupid pundits Kenpom has the ACC dominating the BIG 10 and BIG 12. Just because sports people (I refuse to use the word journalists) come from the Big 10 doesn't mean they should let their bias show so obviously. Oh and putting the word BIG in front of your conference doesn't make it better--just silly(especially when the numbers don't add up anymore). Can't wait for the Big Ten versus ACC this year. At least in Basketball we have something like this that can shut down pundits for a little while.

Oh yeah so the game...

I keep hearing that Bobo won't/can't contribute. I don't agree and I love that the staff is committed to getting some production from him. Purnell was always clueless with big men--I think Devin Booker regressed last year. Bobo can get opposing teams big men into foul trouble, he can manufacture some points against smaller teams like VTech or Miami, and that is worth the investment. Think of Duke last year and Zoubek.

Jennings looked like he might be able to contribute and Booker looked great, lots of putbacks etc. Brownell looked to be mixing and matching and had his guys ready to play. He passes the initial smell test, unlike Wake Forest and their loss to STETSON!! hahaha.

On the not so positive side we lack depth in the backcourt. With Stitt in bad foul trouble (his play wasn't just bad, it was absent) and Young with an injured thigh bruise, we had to turn to Cory Stanton and even Anderson. That is fine in non-conf but scary for ACC play if Stitt or Young go down with an injury. Stitt seemed to be playing more of the 2 which he didn't seem to particularly care for but with a Brownell's offense it shouldn't matter. Noel Johnson has to be a big part of our offense if we are going to have success this year. He needs to be a consistent 3 pt. threat and really struggled last night. I am also worried about our ability to defend the three with such small guards on the floor.

Tanner Smith 1-6 from the FT line?? Tigers can't afford to shoot below 65% from the line this year. My same criticism of Smith remains--a great glue guy but his junk ball play won't stand up in ACC play, especially without the intentional chaos of Purnell's system. This scares me. Grant seems about the same as last year.

Now this is all after one game so feel free to laugh at these observations. Western Carolina was an above average team last year and Wofford will actual be a test next week. We will know more about the team after Wofford. Good start, hope Brownell and crew can help this offense.

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

2010-11-05T10:02:00.000-07:00

"After each series they come over and sit us down and tell us, ‘This is how they run the ball out of this set, this is where they’re going to run the ball out of that set. They do some stuff to try to confuse you, but when it came down to it, it was just fundamental -- the stuff we’d harped on all week. They didn’t come out with anything special or anything different. We knew the plays that were coming and we played them well."

Luke Kuechly (BC MLB)

You're predictable. You're out of your depth. It's time for change we can believe in.

I don't think I have ever heard a more stinging critique of an Offense. When you line up the opposing teams defense knows from your very formation the plays you will run. I think when Defensive Coordinators prep for our team they step inside the sandbox and feel like its kids stuff. Napier and Dabo have not progressed as Offensive designers. You have to be able to make the right playcalls in-game but first you need to have an offensive philosophy/identity. I often feel like I am watching a Madden offense and I'm sick of it. We have the talent, certainly enough to be doing better than 4-4, and I don't think we have the offensive coaching chops sans CJ Spiller to compete in an average ACC. I was willing to go through the growing pains but if your not going to grow past 5 foot 8 and you fired a guy for being 5 foot 10 then whats the point in holding out for 6 foot 3?? If you find a miracle cure, and find it fast I am all for it but until then I'm thinking--Ch-ch-ch-changes...

Oh and Dabo--calling out the 5% versus the 95% of fans is childish and stupid when you're 4-4.

Surprised?

2010-11-01T05:38:00.000-07:00

Alternate title: Long, slow end of the Swinney era, week 4 update

I'm a little confused about the reaction in the Clemson blogosphere. Sure, I was upset after the loss, but after the normal recovery time I can't say I was shocked. I don't really view this as a debacle, at least not on the order of Maryland 2009 when we were beat soundly by a bad, banged up team with no talent that was going through one of Friedgen's inexplicable phases where he doesn't really seem to care much about coaching. No, this was your standard BC team that doesn't feature an NFL-caliber quarterback: sound, fundamental line play highlighted by a stout front 7 on defense and an O-line that can open up holes for the running game. Yeah, they've struggled this year (rotating in potted plants at QB will do that for ya), but they've also improved as the year went along--particularly on defense.

In hindsight, its not surprising Clemson struggled; we rely on the run game to set up whatever pass yards we can scrounge up and BC's defense excels at stopping the run. I'm not sure why everyone was suddenly so confident in the pass game. Sure, Nuke Hopkins is hustling all over the field and generally showing up the entire WR corps, but he's still dropping passes and struggling to get separation (he's bound for good things in this league, but he's still a freshman). By the way, I'm also guilty of buying the "Kyle Parker is going to break out of his rut any game now" line, by now it's clear that Parker's 2009 success was largely the function of the NFL-caliber talent around him (Ford, Spiller, Palmer). He has potential, no doubt, but expecting him to spurn the MLB to save the season Spiller-style was pretty naive in retrospect.

But what of our superior talent, you ask? Its a good question, by all accounts we certainly have the advantage on paper. Here's my reply: remember how we aren't capable of developing talent? As an aside, on some level it must be a good feeling to be a BC fan; you get to watch your players develop into a team that is better than the sum of its parts. They aren't going to win any national championships anytime soon, but hey, you grow to love each and every team with each and every passing game. Not a bad life for a fan. Not a great life, but hey, better than rooting for a team that perpetually underperforms.

After the Miami game, I wrote that we were entering the long, slow end of the Swinney era. Nothing has happened to change my mind. The GT game was a blip, a game against a decent team that we actually matched up well with (our D-line was strong enough to disrupt the option all game long and our O-line was matched up against a small defensive front). We might even beat NCSU (50-50, I'd say) or FSU (bit of a longshot), since our defense should be able to limit the damage from their offenses and we will be able to run the ball at least on occasion. But even wins in these games aren't going to change the fact our talent doesn't develop and we've been consistently outcoached (or coached ourselves into the ground) this season.

I also stand by my previous assessment that Swinney lives to see next year (with fall-guy Napier getting the axe, of course). I just don't sense the anger on the blogs seeping into the mainstream fan's conscious, at least not yet. The real standard for Swinney's departure should probably be this: a currently modest draft class losing commitments and plummeting in value. The football program will then officially be without a single functioning strength. In that case, you can't give Swinney another year to wreck the program for the next five, it's time to cut your losses and move on.

KP and Passing

2010-10-29T21:44:00.000-07:00

I read an excellent post on Shakin that you should all check out and read. So we know that the playcalling is unproductively skewed towards passing, or at least the need for balance trumps all. So Ellington will disappear at times from the game plan and in key situations our offense will suck.

If our defense wasn't so dominant against GT then I really believe that the third quarter playcalling would have put the game in serious jeopardy. Note* that would be a good time for a sustained drive that drains the clock and establishes the run, thus giving your defense a chance to rest. You don't have to wait for the 4th Q. Runs for Harper and the predictable passing attack make me shutter as I feel the ghost of Spence lurking. It's just a matter of time before Napier is called the 'mad scientist'.

So why this insistence on balance? I have three possibilities. First the coaching staff is just plain dumb and stupid, either ignorant or prideful and won't philosophically shift their positions to either play to their strengths or attack weaknesses in the opposition. So BC is #4 in rush defense--logically you want to pass a bit more and run a lot of zone read and getting players in space (good to see some effective draw plays this past week). Maryland was stacking the box and had good LB play so I can see the argument for parity in scheme but GT had a horrible rush defense and we could have ran it down their throats all game. So are they stupid and incapable of making adjustments?

The second possibility is stemming from this and involves Dabo inserting himself into the identity of the offense. This is very likely and scary. Dabo was never an OC and saw a lot of Spence. He also wants to be a gadget man/river boat gambler type coach. So whenever I see a drive ending super reverse, flea flicking play it reinforces my perception that Dabo wants the pass and is injecting himself into the decisions. Perhaps a call for balance is the best Napier can do. Too many times this season we've seen a perfectly scripted opening drive that has a run first, mix in some play action second attitude that inexplicably turns into an empty backfield pass happy disaster. Dabo the motivator is also Dabo the play-calling meddler. Slow developing reverses near the red zone--not a good idea...

The third reason is a commitment to player development and recruiting. So even if its in our best interest right now to run the ball to win games, perhaps the staff is trying to stay with the big picture. I don't agree at all but just trying to think like the staff. We have a ton of big time WR talent that is knocking on the door with Bryant, Peake and potentially Sammy Watkins(#1 receiver in the state of Florida) which could be the most pure receiving talent to ever be at Clemson with Hopkins and McNeal, not to mention Dwayne Allen at TE (or possibly Jay Rome with the demise of Georgia!!). So to keep attracting the talent and to build for the future they want to continue passing.

Here is your bonus thought and probably the most intriguing. The staff is committed to balance because of Kyle Parker. KP comes back to play football with the assurance that the staff will do everything they can to make him a legit NFL prospect. That includes passing stats and a certain commitment to the passing game despite the inexperienced receivers. Out of respect and a kind of obligation to Kyle they keep passing the ball more than one normally would.

Now I'm not saying any formal agreement went down but there has to be some unspoken understanding. CJ comes back--he gets the carries, KP comes back and he needs the opportunities. I would do the same thing if I was the coach to reward the player and the loyalty, just in the form of more play-action out of the I or screens and dump offs--not four wide, empty back sets.

Here is another fun nugget I was thinking about. Lets say KP doesn't return and goes to the Rockies. Now you have Tajh Boyd and really bad WR's. The coaching staff would be forced to at least be a 60/40 run to pass offense. With the emphasis on the run would our record be different? I'm thinking it would be the exact same record with more of a chance to beat NC. I guess thats the sorry state of our first half of the season. Anyway, I'm still ecstatic we have KP back(of course-any chatter about a Tajh controversy is silly) and I trust him to be the difference against NC State and hopefully Fla St.

Where We Stand

2010-10-14T21:51:00.000-07:00

So what constitutes a winning football program? I'm going to take a quick stab at it and say its like this:

1/3 Recruiting
1/3 Player Development
1/3 Gameday Planning/Schemes

I'm sure we could add more or flesh out these categories but I think this gives us three frames of reference to measure our team.

Recruiting

Right now we have done a good job in recruiting. Well let me re-phrase that, we currently have more star power and talent than at perhaps any other time in our recent history. This was supposed to be the year when you think about it. Our stellar Junior class is finally of age to compliment a strong senior class of talent. The cracks come from a weak sophomore class and the desire to give too many walk-ons scholarships. We don't over-recruit like most top programs who factor in kids transferring and not panning out. Every year I think we should be taking 3-5 more decent players than we are. If you want to see why we are suffering at WR--look at NC who snatched up players like Boyd, Little, and Jones.

Anyway, the point is that we have the talent to be successful. LB is the only place where we have consistently been out-recruited. This year we are in the running for about 4-5 top LBs and one by one they have put us down further on their lists. Now we have two 2*recruits committed. Steele and the staff need to make it a priority. This years class can still be good but we need to right the ship and have a respectable record to remain competitive. If Bowers and others stick around we will have the talent still but after next year the program will be depleted in this area.

Player Development

When I first heard Jamie Harper say that he and Ellington just decided between each other who should be out there I cringed. I was going to write about it but stupidly rationalized to myself that they could act like interchangeable parts and it would work out. But I also thought--isn't that the whole reason for a position coach?? Sure players can pull themselves out of games but isn't leaving it completely up to players a lack of coaching? No--its the absence of coaching...

Our players have not developed over 4 years like they should. No LB's have stepped up (although we are seeing some baby steps), WR's spend 4 years learning new ways to drop balls, we don't bother to develop enough TE's, and our CB's and secondary take a step back despite a second year in the program. We can't find a decent kicker and we have no return game. This area is a total drag on the program. Unfortunately, I think this is where Dabo is lost on how to manage an entire team. Powell should never have been allowed to 'coach' like that and the buck ultimately stops with Dabo to oversee his coaching staff.

Schemes and Things

Our schemes currently just aren't working out. On offense we have no identity. We can run the ball this year but chose to go away from it. We do throw, we have a QB with a canon but lacks some accuracy and WR's who can't catch. On a fourth down everyone in the stadium knows the play call--its not really a bad one but its to the short side of the field and comes up just short despite a good effort. Thats our offense right now. Napier isn't bad he just is young and often slow to react, predictable, and can't stay ahead. Plus Dabo undoubtedly makes boneheaded 'adjustments' and playcalls.

Defense keeps missing assignments. Those cost you points and its frustrating. I think Steele isn't a bad gameday coach and makes some needed adjustments but getting beat by Yates?? Its just not acceptable.

Right now we are at like 60/40 and propped up by our talent. That equates to a 7-5 season and a wasted season in my opinion. If we have a losing season I would like to see Napier become the QB/RB coach and take back recruiting duties (or play a heavy role there) and hire an experienced OC. Powell gone and both Scott's on the thinnest of ice depending on their units play down the stretch. Defense I'm not ready to make any changes yet but its coming...

Schedule notes: FSU looked real good and we need them to trip up against BC but its looking like we need NC State or NC to beat them and we need to win out. I think a loss to Maryland and we effectively end our ACC season. Can you believe this team was one pass through the fingers away from beating Auburn??

Lets move from All In to All Win...(see I'm qualified to be a coach Terry Don!)

Rationales for the Swinney Hiring, Revisited

2010-10-12T05:56:00.000-07:00

I think the blogosphere eventually reached consensus on two central reasons for the Dabo Swinney hire:

1) Dabo Swinney could continue the quality recruiting established in the late years of his predecessor.
2) Swinney was the consummate motivator, the "intangibles man" that could bring fire back to the program.

Its difficult to argue that Swinney hasn't lived up to expectations in #1, at least on paper. 2010 was strong, 2011 is looking decent, and he managed to reasonably salvage a possible catastrophe in 2009. However, I think SportingGnomes raised an interesting point last week: can Swinney translate strong recruiting classes into strong teams built around a pre-defined, central strategy? I think it's really too early to judge, but I couldn't help notice how well UNC played on Saturday in spite of the suspensions. UNC has more or less caught Clemson in strength of recruiting classes the last couple of years, and it sure looked like they had talent to spare in key positions of strategic need.

What about #2? It's now two straight games the team has come out playing flat. Even during the Bowden era I can't remember seeing body language that poor with players openly upset at each other on the field, throwing their arms up in the direction of the coaching staff. Sure, they managed to pull together for stretches at a time in each game, but where's the discipline inspired by the coach as team leader? Where's the attitude of winning that Swinney supposedly brings? Where's the rest of the infectious intangibles Swinney shares with his players?

I'll tell you why you're not seeing it: intangibles are not magical predictors of future success. In contrast, a competent, intelligent gameplan instills confidence in players. Good gameplans, effectively communicated, result in winning games. Winning results in a positive feedback loop which strengthens confidence. There are no slogan-based shortcuts to creating a winning culture for a program.

Ultimately, the inability of Swinney to perform better than Bowden at motivating his troops isn't an indictment of Swinney himself, it's an indictment of the people who hired him based on a perceived ability to do something no one is capable of doing: winning games with words.

Defending Billy Napier

2010-10-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm going to swim against the current a bit here and try to explain why I don't think Billy Napier should be thrown to the wolves. That's not a particularly bold defense, I know, but this also isn't a contrarian post for the sake of being contrarian. (As an aside, I can't stand those kinds of posts, don't make a case unless you're being sincere.)

Let me start with the irrational stuff that I can't defend with numbers but more with the experience bought with each soul-crushing Clemson loss I endure. I like having the youngest offensive coordinator in the ACC. I like walking up to a fan from another team and saying, "Our offensive attack just torched your team and, oh by the way, our offensive coordinator is 30 years old." I like that Clemson and Swinney have the guts to hire a 30 year old in a league dominated by experience-laden coordinators. There's something brash and brassy about that, and it contributes just a hint to the swagger in my Clemson fandom. I largely like how Napier carries himself with the media, there's less of the Bowden-esque tendency (too often shared by Swinney) to frame disappointments as resulting from events beyond his control, there's a measure of accountability in his words.

But it doesn't stop here, there are actual areas of his job performance that I like, too. He has demonstrated, not always but reasonably often, the ability to identify weaknesses in an opposing team and develop a concerted plan of attack at the start of the game to exploit those weaknesses. It isn't always spectacularly successful, but it can put points on the board. He also seems capable of stockpiling a pool of plays often consisting of slight tweaks to existing designs that he judiciously and sometimes appropriately sprinkles into his play calling. On occasion, he strings together series of plays in-game that in retrospect seem inspired.

There are of course counter-arguments, good counter-arguments, to the above (for example, given a playbook and an infinite number of offensive series a moderately trained monkey will seem inspired over the course of 6-7 plays at least once or twice) and then there are counters to the counter-arguments (for example, there is still some question over how often Dabo overrides Napier during the course of a game). But these belabor the real point: Napier has shortcomings. In my mind, they are as follows: 1) while he has designed some reasonably effective plays, it doesn't balance the shit variants he also develops and employs in a game. He needs an playcall editor to blow up his more ridiculous notions, preferably this would involve a cannon of some kind. 2) He falls in love with the passing game far too often. 3) Finally, and this is the most problematic, he cannot identify quickly enough, and thus cannot counter the adjustments made by opposing defenses.

The third point above can be overcome with years of experience, but forgiveness for this defect is not granted in BCS-caliber conferences. Therein lies the conundrum, while I think Billy Napier has a future coordinating offenses in the NCAA, he is not a boy-genius that can think circles around men twice his age. He requires what 99% of all coordinators require: experience forged in the leagues at the fringes of the BCS or during dedicated study at the feet of a master playcaller. Laugh at the imagery, but this is still very much a "trade" in the classical sense.

Billy Napier is not a fool and I am not a fool. If this season goes south quickly, and with a looming loss at UNC on Saturday this could happen much sooner than I'd like to entertain, someone will take a fall. Maybe its Swinney, but more probably Swinney is forced into deciding who takes the fall. And Napier is the fall guy Swinney built into his agreement to take the reins, the guy who was set up the second the university "busted the budget" (note the quotations, they didn't really bust the budget) to sign Kevin Steele. Napier will in all likelihood be vanquished to the fringes. In that event I sincerely hope is he finds his experience, and he takes Jeff Scott with him.

Beginning of the Long, Slow End

2010-10-03T06:41:00.000-07:00

I've been too busy to even visit the blog lately, much less post but I can't let the Miami game go. Maybe I'll comment on this another time, but suffice it to say through a series of happenstances I now find myself living in Japan and working like the Japanese.

So I stayed up from 1:00am to nearly 5:00am Sunday morning (hey NCAA--here's an idea for shortening college football games: how about strictly limiting the number of media timeouts for noon start times??) hoping to see Death Valley work its magic. Instead, I think I saw the beginning of the end of Dabo era. Given our conservative leanings in matters of personnel change, I don't doubt that Dabo is here for at least three full years, but when the axe comes down I think we'll look back at the Auburn-Miami games as when he passed the point of no return, so to speak. If you're an individual whose job description requires you to objectively make decisions about the future of the program, you just saw two very winnable games that we essentially coached ourselves out of.

In the Auburn game, it was the sporadic poor play call and the inability to recognize the other team's adjustments and counter (quite possibly the most important task for a coach in this modern football world of 3-D replays and Jon Madden-fueled layman football knowledge). Against Miami, it was just about every facet of the game directly affected by the coaches: the play calling, the lack of a concerted attack plan out of the gate, generally poor recognition and adjustment-making skills, the inability to motivate players, the inability to keep players focused, and even decisions about personnel on the field. The only thing keeping us in the game: Miami coaches who weren't a whole lot better.

Let's be clear: I am not hoping Dabo Swinney fails. I hope he turns this around and hey, he did a reasonable job of bouncing back after a rocky start last year. But at the same time, Clemson fans would be wise to wake up out of their Swinney slogan-induced stupor: hearkening back to a post I made last year, the list of coaches of current ACC programs with a mediocre second-year record that went on to illustrious careers is extremely short. And I don't think anyone mistakes Dabo for a Frank Beamer or Mack Brown.

Dennis Dodd's 2009 Fail, Miami a Must Win??

2010-10-01T21:24:00.000-07:00

This video was from last year when Miami was the best 1 loss team in the nation and on their way to a BCS bowl game according to a ton of pundits. No one gave Clemson a chance, especially an ill informed Dennis Dodd, and we won. No one gave us a chance against Auburn last week either and we should have won that game, now we are underdogs again--at home. A lot of people have really good previews up, so I won't waste your time with that. All I am going to say right now is that this is the game that will frame our season.

Last year we ended Miami's season with out win. We kept them out of the ACC championship game. A win tomorrow puts us in the drivers seat for a return to the Championship game. Miami is our toughest Coastal game and hopefully most of the suspensions hold up against UNC when we play them. A depleted GT team we get at home. I am convinced that winning the ACC Atlantic will come down to how teams fare against Coastal division foes. So lets take a look.

Florida State is still our main competition. But they are looking weaker after BYU just got spanked by Utah State! FSU beat up on Wake and Samford so have they really been tested yet? Oklahoma is a good team but struggled with Air Force so its hard to get a good read on FSU. They play at Virginia this week and at Miami next week. If we can beat Miami, it will be even harder to beat Miami when they finally return home. Lastly they have UNC in early November which might mean UNC has more players returning. They won't run away with it but might go 6-2 or 5-3.

Wake has been awful and if Maryland is competing for the title then everyone will be 4-4 so I am not afraid of them. NC State is now the darkhorse (I've always thought it was a 2 team race with us and FSU) and an interesting team we need to watch out for. I'm still not convinced but they beat GT at GT and tomorrow play VTech. If they beat Tech and we lose to Miami then I would have to put them as the frontrunner's. Could it be that all O'Brien needed was a healthy Nate Irving(who has looked pretty darn good) and a few healthy players to make a run. They also play at UNC late in the year and we get them at home, although they have a Thursday night game against FSU and the long weekend to prepare for us. Wilson is a good QB but I am not sold yet.

I laughed when I saw some ESPN peeps putting BC as a possible Atlantic division winner. I will cheer for them against Notre Dame but its been obvious to anyone paying attention that the overall talent level has diminished at BC every year since Spaz took over. Great guy I'm sure and not a bad defensive coach but without a QB and any dangerous skill players its a tall order. The defense is still stout but they already lost to VTech. What BC has going for them is the easiest Coastal schedule with Duke and Virginia but I don't see them above .500 in conference play.

The other reason we need to beat Miami is for recruiting. Sammy Watkins is the number one receiver in the state of Florida and is down to us and Miami. That is reason enough. Even Jeff Scott couldn't inadequately develop his talent (sorry, low blow). To jump into that upper echelon of recruiting where we pull in Rome, Shell, one stud LB, even Clowney (who will be there for the game), we need a marquee win like this every year. Going into the Plains was respectable but you need to beat Florida teams to steal the CJ Spiller's and hopefully Mike Bellamy's of the world on a consistent enough basis to win championship's plural.

Also with all the big matchups this week a win against Miami places us firmly in the top 25, if not top 20. Without it, it will be a long road to being ranked this season. Lastly it would be a nice self esteem boost to all Clemson fans who think we can still win the national championship this year to be able to say that we have beat the Canes two times in a row and no one likes to get beat on your Homecoming date.

Come on Tigers--help keep the families and fathers of the upstate functional this weekend.

Absolute Carnage

2010-09-18T20:07:00.000-07:00

Hey Auburn--quit biting from Dabo's arsenal of motivation slogans. Dabo pretty much coined the phrase "ALL IN" and adding the word 'Family' doesn't make it yours. Also since I'm ticked, since when has the SEC become the receptacle for QB's with criminal records?? Everyone gets a second and third chance in the SEC and its about time somebody placed greater value on not having players arrested every other week (Florida, Georgia, USuCk).

For all you idiots who want to play nationally ranked opponents for every OOC game, here is another reason your stupid. If you play multiple Auburn-like games half your team will be injured or 'concussed' for the conference schedule. My goodness....

That was the toughest game we have played in many years. I mean that in multiple ways--we finally had some toughness and I thought when it was 2nd and 5 inside the 15 we were going to win. This is a tough loss. Guys finally were showing their stuff--Bowers was dominant at times, Jamie Harper made the entire nation's jaws collectively drop, and McDaniel and Maxwell were laying people out.

The game turned when Auburn (who was hitting with helmets first all night, even ripping off Ellington's helmet) hit KP in the back. He may never be the same...he gutted it out but looked in serious agony. I was really sad to see David Smith go down as well. You might even argue that the game turned when Brewer made a great interception and we ended up on the half inch line, resulting in great field position for Auburn and momentum swinging their way. Its hard to lose on what feels like a stolen game.

I want to take heart in a moral victory but right now I just feel bad for this team. Auburn was lucky to walk away with this one. Can you believe that hit on McCalebb by Maxwell??

Special teams cost us the game. Zimmerman was back to his 39 yard self and Cat man blew it(but its hard to blame the rookie kicker), only after our highly recruited long snapper blew it. I thought the return game was average and it showed how special Spiller and Ford were. Where was the flag on the hit of Gilchrist. I really felt like Auburn got away with a lot of uncalled personal fouls.

I liked Napier's play-calling for the most part. The drive before overtime with the slow developing end around was the only play I really scratched my head on. KP lost some of his mobility after the hit and we couldn't get it in the flat to the tight end and on some screens like we were before.

Our offensive line was pushing around an SEC defense!! I wish we would have just stuck to pounding the rock all game but still liked the gameplan. We faltered on the last drive of the first half on a bogus pass interference call against Gilchrist but were finally dominant for an entire half. The defense got a little tired but we hung in there and now I am going to go lie in bed staring blankly and thinking about why this always happens to Clemson. This feels even worse than that BC overtime loss, where we missed the XP after scoring a TD and lost the game bc of it.

It was really smart for Dabo to talk about adversity. I think in 2008 we were pretty much all hype getting spanked by Alabama but now I think we are starting to belong and I feel we can win the ACC now. This team showed a lot of guts and we should rally around them and support them no matter what...if you get a chance, go ahead and be that creepy guy who leaves a facebook post thanking and encouraging our guys...they deserve it.

Auburn Predictions and Ramblings

2010-09-17T20:03:00.001-07:00

So we are finally beginning the season. Gameday. First I love Brent Musburger--he loves Clemson and the Esso Club and coined the now infamous phrase the 25 most exciting seconds in ALL of college football. A bold statement by any announcer but Musburger exudes class. He also does his homework and is very competent.

I guess I should really start over--if we win, we are beginning the season(and should pass South Caroline). If we lose the season starts with ACC play. Ha.

Another thing--South Carolina has beaten Southern Miss and then a substandard Georgia team and we are crowning them Natl Champs. Its pathetic. Sure, give credit where it is due--you beat Georgia, pat yourself on the back but the ESPN/SEC bias gets nauseating when its talked about incessantly and the Cocks shoot up to #13?? Its insane. Then I start seeing pictures of Marcus Lattimore everywhere and even a blurb about him as a Heisman contender. Really media, are we that starved for content?? Georgia had a horrible run D last year--give me a break. Now they play Furman. Where is all the crying about the powderpuff schedule?? huh?

So lets talk Auburn before I throw up even more in my mouth. Auburn is one of the cooler programs in the SEC--good people, they hate Alabama and Georgia. They have unreal expectations (just like us!) and fired Tuberville and got Chizik who was hired over Gill Turner. Seems like its been working out pretty good so far. They got some limo's for recruiting. Challenged the UT Wildboys for the biggest recruiting stunts and hauled in a good class. Even got a top RB in Dyer.

First Auburn has Cam Newton who is just ginormous. It really is Daquan Bowers at QB. He has a rocket arm but hasn't been tested in terms of accuracy but led his Jr College to the Jr College Champs so its not his first rodeo. I guess I'm saying that this guy isn't just a hyped athlete who hasn't learned to play QB. Runs like a gazelle mixed with a freight train, if that helps.

Since we made Chris Turner of Maryland look like an athlete last year--pretty much any QB can run on us. We have also historically sucked against misdirection. We all like the same gap assignment--what can I say...

So for RB they have Dyer (protypical back) and McCalebb (explosive guy) who aren't proven as everydown backs yet but have the talent. Our LB's are beat up with Maye coming off injury and Tig hurting his elbow so I have no confidence there(I am actually really disappointed with the LB play thus far--thought Corico would take that proverbial 'next step') and our D-Line can sometimes disappear in big games. We need our safeties to step up and CB's not to blow coverage.

So Auburn will score points but we need to create turnovers on defense. We need to have a Miami game where we give up yards and points but we also make some big plays that give us a chance.

On Offense we know what we get out of KP and hopefully what we get out of our RB's. We need no turnovers and we need the Offensive Line to be able to get some push at the point of attack. They have a veteran defensive group with top notch LB's who are All-SEC, no glaring weaknesses. But they have given up a lot of points in the past and DC Ted Roof won't be doing all that much blitzing. We have a chance to put up points but if WR's don't catch balls it will be a long day. I am interested to see what Napier has in store--his progression as a play caller is perhaps the most important thing of all.

I keep hearing how Clemson has the advantage in special teams and I have to scratch my head. Auburn has a preseason Groza candidate and we have a freshman kicker. Sure he can make XP's and made a 47 yarder (all great things, don't get me wrong) but the Cat Man is going on the road to a hostile environment with plenty of pressure. It is just another animal altogether. Their punter averages 40 yards a kick, ours does too minus one 70 yarder. Gilchrist has been solid fielding kicks but hasn't proven that he has the top end speed to take it to the house.

If I take the orange colored glasses that are glued to my head off for a minute I say Auburn by 4. But since that won't happen I am going Clemson 28 Auburn 27.

Blue Hose at the Half

2010-09-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

Thats what I like to see. WR's stepping up, Tajh Boyd looked good--no, great. I would like to see Kyle Parker get some more reps in and try to establish some timing. KP also took a scary shot--want to protect a little better. Some brief highlights--Barnes (a scout team player) was running hard. Clear made a spectacular grab. Dwayne Allen was a beast and Jaron Brown showed some more open field moves. Gilchrist was solid in the return game.

Goodman is superhuman on special teams causing that fumble...

I want to score at least 72. ACC getting embarrassed right now. FSU hype--they beat Samford and people want to crown them. Clemson is the defending Atlantic champs and don't forget it.

On Defense

2010-09-10T23:19:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot about the dynamics of our defense post-NT. I thought at the beginning of the season that LB wouldn't be the most glaring weakness on the team. I thought WR would be the problem and then questionable Special Teams play(I am still shocked from that 78 yrd punt). After the first couple of series for the offense the WR's looked somewhat better and if Cat is perfect from the 40 yrd line in, like Dabo says, and Zim punts beyond 39 yards then its the LB's that are the dead weight once again this year.

We need this Preb. game, we need the creampuff. We need the defense to learn the calls and be able to adjust to reading the offensive formations. Too often players were pointing and confused pre-snap, not getting adequately set and directing others. We need to build depth--its beyond me why Quandon Christian played 8 plays. Unless we are going to be playing Nickel (2 LB's) and Dime(1 LB) all stinking year, every play, this makes no sense. He looked better than most of the guys out there in his limited time, which included 3 tackles.

The main problems I was seeing included poor tackling (nothing new for Clemson, especially those weak arm tackles) but also bad angles being taken to ball carriers. The safeties McDaniel and Hall had some horrendous moments/whiffs as a result of taking poor lines to the ball. Corners played average and gave away too much to inferior WR's.

D-Line saw its two starters hobbled, Chavis with an ankle sprain and Jenkins hurt his knee--it was swelling after the game. I am actually worried about it and hope it's not serious. Bowers thought his knee was nothing but it limited him most of last year. I do like that the back-ups will see substantial playing time because we will be thin next year at D tackle. Shatley and Moore looked good during their playing time last week.

So I've been thinking that our problems stopping the run are less about talent and more about scheme. Playing Nickel and Dime means you have less beef in the box and fewer players close to the line. Steele doesnt want a LB matched up against a WR in a 4-Wide set--he just won't do it. I'm sure he also thinks that getting Brewer, Gilchrist, or Sensabaugh as the 5th DB puts more talent on the field and he is probably right. The problem I think we are having right now though, is that this defensive alignment puts too much pressure on Tig and Hawk. They have very little room for error and are often outnumbered at the point of attack by the offense.

Now when I saw Hawkins literally jump past the QB Tune and blow a QB sack I rolled my eyes and worried that I had judged too much from his impressive Kent. bowl performance. I like Tig and Hawk--they look the part and will take their lumps because of inexperience but the tackling, technique--everything was poor to average the last game. Maybe they just need some help and should stick to the 4-3. I really want to see Steele use Shuey(who I think can be another solid player for us) and Christian at least a third of the game. They deserve the chance to show us what they got.

This season literally hinges on our ability to shut down the zone read. Auburn will use it, Maryland, GT, USC to name a few...if we have to gameplan around taking away that single play then I think we should do it. Against running QB's play the 4-3 and take your chances with the LB on a WR--its the reason you trust your stellar Safeties!! Play Nickel and Dime to your heart's content against QB's that can really burn you.

Stop Cam Newton running and you win the game. At the very least I want to see some crazy blitzing come Auburn.

C.J. Spiller=Amazingness

2010-09-08T21:24:00.000-07:00

Best Clemson representative ever??

At the Half: N. Texas

2010-09-04T14:16:00.000-07:00

I have been reserving judgement on this team and refraining from pre-season babble because I wanted to see the team with my own eyes.

Offense

My fear after losing Spiller and Ford was three-fold. Field position, explosiveness(big plays), and speed especially as receivers. Gilchrist has done well thus far and we have had some big plays from Ellington and Clear on a blown coverage. Harper has played tough. So we looked better towards the half and hopefully some of KP's rust has come off. We have been pathetic on third down conversions and sustaining any kind of drive. The O-line has been decent but not dominant and the WR's aren't separating or running crisp routes. It was good to see Nuke though. Allen needs to be more involved.

Defense

Disappointing...you can kiss that rushing defense goal goodbye Hawkins if this half is indicative of how our defense will handle draw plays and running QB's. The D-line is still having trouble with contain, LB's out of position and bad tackling and angles from McDaniel and Hall on a couple of big plays. We are getting penetration and pressuring the QB but looked like we were in slow motion on some plays.

Special Teams

Zimmerman has the punt of his career! After averaging what seems like a constant 39 yrd punt he goes for 78!! I like it. Kickoff coverage has been a little shaky.

Overall I think North Texas was tough to gameplan for with the new OC, who is doing a good job of mixing it up. Dunbar is legit so I will be happy with a 2 touchdown win that doesn't ever feel close. For all of you who wanted to play a 'real' team I'm glad you aren't in charge of the schedule--Clemson would have gotten smoked with that first half performance against a top 15 team.

A Word On Schedules

2010-08-31T21:56:00.000-07:00

Every year a portion of the Clemson fan-base starts whining about playing a few cupcakes. For some reason they have it in their heads that playing 2 all-mighty SEC schools is not enough and that we should be playing like 4 top 25 teams(if not top 10 teams) with our Out Of Conference schedule.

For some reason Shamecocks like to get in on this conversation as well. So here you go--this year we play Auburn(top 25, no. 22), USuCk, North Texas, and Presbyterian. South Carolina will play Clemson, Southern Miss(7-6 last year), Furman!, and Troy. Clearly we have the tougher OOC. So the Cocks aren't a good barometer for anything so why don't we look at the Natl Champs Alabama--they should have an ideal OOC schedule. Alabama kicks off against San Jose St!! They play no. 19 Penn State, Duke!, and Georgia State (a team that just recently formed a Div 1 football team). Again, we have the tougher OOC.

How about Georgia? They start with Louisiana Lafayette, a Colorado team that was 3-9 last year, Idaho State!, and GT. We have the tougher schedule again. In fact, we could do this with the majority of the ACC and really the country. We have probably the 3rd or 4th toughest OOC in the ACC. Even VT who plays Boise St then plays James Madison, East Carolina, and Central Michigan. The 12th game added by the NCAA essentially scheduled a creampuff for the entire country.

12 games is a long season and you need those easy games for player development. We need Tajh Boyd to get meaningful minutes, the linebackers to get experience(especially with Cooper and Maye going down), the receivers to get a clue, and to build O-Line depth. You could easily argue that if we hadn't had the TCU game then we wouldn't have lost to Maryland. Take away those two losses and you have a shiny record and a top 15-10 finish, and a better bowl game at season's end. With the stupid Sun Bowl replacing the Gator Bowl that win will become even more important. I know everyone wants to pay to watch an amazing game and we want to play the best competition, it makes you better but every year its not always in the best interest of the team. If you want it for yourself then it becomes borderline selfish--and OOC games can impact your entire season (and your career) like Alabama did. So lets keep 2 SEC teams and then we'll have a schedule better than 80% of the teams in College Football. So quit whining...

A New Recruiting Anthem for Jeff Scott

2010-08-26T19:45:00.000-07:00

There is nothing better for recruiting than having 2 of our newest members, Martin Jenkins and Darius Robinson, create a rap song about how much they love their school. This should be sent to all possible recruits. 21,000 viewings isn't shabby either. The season is finally coming. I don't think I can stand another puffy spring piece. Yeah we 'all in', ballin' or something to that effect...Go Tigers! (Oh and Haha!(Nelson voice) to UNC--thats what you get)(Oh and 11 walk-ons, I know Dabo you love the underdog and all but come on...)(Oh and we suck as bloggers but if anyone still reads this we will be posting again regularly now that the season is here)

Dabo Does It Again: Kyle Parker is Staying

2010-07-20T22:56:00.000-07:00

Last year the addition of CJ Spiller added at least 2-3 wins for us and put us in the ACC Champs game. This year I think Kyle Parker does the same. We go from a mid tier ACC team to challenging for the BCS birth. I'm really excited about this so I am in trouble of going overboard here but I think the QB is the most important single player on the field offensively. Tajh will be good but would have struggled early and we were one hit away from Wade being our starter. Not that encouraging.

KP has been there and has already played very well. Spiller coming back was huge but we had RB depth and some young guys step up. I really think we can win 10 games this season and take the ACC champs. If we can get some of these WR's to step up and we don't have any injuries along the offensive line then we are solid offensively. Put that together with a stout defense and you have a recipe for championships. Granted we need Kyle to learn to put a bit more touch on some balls and go deeper in his progressions and reads but as a freshman qb he was an asset and not many freshman qb's can say that.

I tip my hat to Dabo. This was, of course, the decision of the Parker family (I think they handled it brilliantly by the way) but something tells me that Dabo was in somebodies ear and lobbying hard for the Tigers. He is certainly a great recruiter. I'm finally excited about this season. Spot the ball!!

Martavis Bryant

2010-07-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

I have got to say that I really don't understand this ruling by the NCAA and I think that kids in this situation need someone to stand up for them. Obviously I am not that person but I wish someone in the Clemson media or family had more clout to change this situation.

So Bryant wasn't going to qualify but he hunkered down and studied and got all the grades and scores he needed to just barely cross the finish line and qualify. But as this article points out he ends up a half credit short because they can't find the grades for an online math class he took during summer school. Its not TL Hanna's fault because Bryant came from the failed school Calhoun Falls and apparently the records of that class were destroyed by mistake.

First off that is extremely negligent, almost criminally. I was once a high school teacher and I know that the teacher and school are required to keep records for a certain amount of years--usually 5-10 before they can be destroyed. What I want to know is who was the teacher of the class. Even if it was an online class someone is assigned to oversee the section. Why can't the teacher vouch for the completion?? He must have a report card somewhere saying that he took the class and the grade received, right?

This is another example of how little priority South Carolina gives to educating its students. Clemson is getting even less from the state in financial support this year and the entire education system is a joke. From a football perspective a strong public school system is in Clemson's best interest so that more recruits are eligible (especially with our stupid 'standards'--who wouldn't want Dwight Jones to beef up our receivers this year).

In the end he is going to Hargrave and will hopefully be fine but he put in the effort so I don't think a school's (and a state's) negligence should keep him out of Clemson. It also would have been nice to know this before the summer so he could have taken the online class then. I guess this was hard to foresee but it could have been flagged and ultimately remedied. See you midseason Martavis!

Well That Sucked

2010-06-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

I blame this game on Jack Leggett. He started the wrong pitcher with Leone--you start your best pitcher Harmon and you knew Leone wasn't going to have it after the first game. Leggett looked rattled and showed it--Hinson bunting, are you kidding me?? The hottest hitter in all of college baseball? Why is he batting so low in the line-up anyway?

So Roth took it to us...we struggle against lefties, exposed by the Oklahoma lefty who owned us in the second day of that game. What has helped our team the most is getting ahead early and stying loose. When we get tense we press and suck, not taking pitches--horrible approach etc.

The formula is strong starting pitching--staying away from our awful bullpen(which performed ok tonight all things considered) and piling on runs with Leggett desire for small ball. That gets destroyed if we are tense and get behind early.

Good thing we have another game. 2002 can't be repeated. BENCH EPPS!! He should never be at the plate against a lefty, ever...Lamb should DH, he can pitch and DH--he has done it all year. At least DH someone who doesnt whiff at a LH pitcher--the guy was going to go three innings max and we make him look like Strasburg. Nothing out of the infield...

Pathetic...hope Leggett can right the ship. I wouldn't have minded losing to Oklahoma twice and calling it a good season but losing to South Carolina twice and repeating 2002 is unbearable...

Go Tigers!! Win the big one for once...

Clemson/Oklahoma Weather Delay: Game Suspended

2010-06-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

So we are delayed right now but Clemson really came out and took it to Oklahoma. This weather delay is bad news because Weissman was doing well and could have gone at least another inning if not two innings. Frederick pitched last night and he is the best in our weak bullpen.

So the game so far was showing the weakness of our defense--Miller dropped a ball that would have gotten the runner trying to steal second. That fatboy for Oklahoma can run--a bunt and chopped infield single, plus a nice run into the gap to take away a double.

The game turned because Oklahoma pitcher Shore lost his control and threw 14 straight balls. Oklahoma scored a run off of Weissman who has been giving up a lot of fly balls, not keeping the ball down enough but getting some strikeouts and swinging strikes to put together a solid start.

I also had no problem with taking that error by the Oklahoma outfielder because the Kyle Paker bomb was clearly a home run--give me a break...Do we not have someone else to play SS--31 errors, give me a break. I'm not thrilled with Epps as the DH, I guess they are protecting Lamb to use in the bullpen or starting but I don't know.

Worst moment of the game--a double steal?? Boyd wasnt even close at home and you take the bat out of Freeman's hands. A Busch League managing move, you have momentum-with 2 outs, risking Keiboom getting caught stealing with a man on third makes little sense and statistically doesn't improve your chances unless you are close to 80% sure he will be able to steal the base.

Anyway, I would imagine Lamb goes tomorrow but its hard to tell and really a tough break when you have that kind of momentum. We are up 6-1 but that can quickly disappear with our bullpen, although perhaps Frederick can now be used. Winning this game means we get two chances to try to get one win to be in the finals with probably UCLA but need to make 12 outs before we can think of that...(oh wait Im already thinking ahead...)

But I should really leave this on a positive note--we are up 6-1 and poised to put ourselves in the drivers seat for the Championship game...KP hit a blast, we chased another starting pitcher, and KieBOOM is more awesome than Bushytail....

ASU Goes Down, Clemson 6-3!

2010-06-21T11:38:00.000-07:00

Tigers win 6-3!! My computer melted down so I havent been posting but had to post. Frederick comes in with the bases loaded in the 7th and no outs--gives up one run and saves the game. He handled the eighth and ninth very well. So we avoid the losers bracket--haha South Carolina, in the losers bracket again!! Harmon was solid until the seventh when he lost his command.

The defense was pretty good on our side, ASU had a costly couple of errors especially the throwing error by shortstop Marrero. Very surprising since ASU was known coming in for good defense. Our offense scored six runs but it was mostly from singles here and there. Hopefully our power will return against Oklahoma. I got to say that ol Jack Leggett impressed me today. His team had this rain delay and he had them ready to go and we took down the #1 team in the nation. Weismann will probably go against Oklahoma and if the Tigers can win that we will get Harmon again with a chance to go to the Finals. I think this format favors us, if we can avoid going to that third or fourth starter.

Couldn't have asked for a better start, Go Tigers!!

Auburn Commentators, Kyle Parker

2010-06-07T19:03:00.000-07:00

These are two of the worst commentators I have ever heard. Unabashedly bias--even declaring so themselves. Every borderline call is met with an exclamation of "Goodness" or "Good Night", openly criticizing the entire umpire crew. (favoring SEC crews??) Whining about the umps being tough for Auburn all weekend long...

I love the snap judgements too--they can't even see the corner themselves, plus the replay is just as bad. My two cents says the strike zone was equally bad for both teams--Schaus and Freeman got rung up on awful calls. The best was how the tag on the strike out, throw out to end the fifth or sixth inning went from the worst call ever to a quiet admission that the call was obviously the right call. Lets even criticize the guy warming up for Clemson, how many times do we need to hear that Auburn is outhitting Clemson??...unprofessional Auburn...

In other news KP got drafted 26th by the Rockies--good thing they weren't drafting him for his corner outfield defense. He totally blew a couple of plays. Kyle--just sign deal that allows you to play one more season. Without Kyle we are going to struggle this year, thats all there is to it...Boyd is nowhere near being college ready. 1st round money is tough to pass up though, so unless Kyle is the next CJ Spiller, putting Clemson above instant fame and fortune, he is gone--along with our ACC title hopes. Can't blame Parker though, its millions of dollars to play a game he loves. Do you risk injury, can you wait another year for it? Go Tiger baseball!! Lets win that Super Regional...

Jamie Cumbie Post-Mortem

2010-06-04T01:07:00.000-07:00

So by now you have probably heard that Jamie Cumbie got kicked off the team and possibly out of school for a case of aggravated assault. Basically kicked the crap out of some kid with connections. Dabo swiftly dismissed him. What I wanted to do was talk about how this impacts the team.

Cumbie was a 4* Defensive end recruit who came into Clemson after playing his senior year of baseball (he was a pretty good prospect) so he lacked some upper body strength for his 6'7" frame. He would have really benefited from a redshirt year but ended up playing his freshman year. He was moved inside his Sophomore year to shore up depth and as a kind of third down, pass rushing interior lineman. He broke his hand and ended up redshirting then played really well last year for us. As a senior this year, he was expected to provide quality minutes as the 2nd string starter because Coach Brooks likes to rotate a lot of bodies, to keep players as fresh as possible. Cumbie really did a good job of rushing the passer, so that will be missed.

Jenkins and Thompson start but now you have Chavis and Rennie Moore playing as the second string and our top rated DL recruit Josh Watson from Hargrave probably playing and avoiding a redshirt. This is one of our deeper positions but it still hurts to lose a guy was going to have played for four years. What will be interesting to see is if Tyler Shatley gets a legit shot at playing time now. Reviews have been positive but Shatley was seen primarily as a really good fullback coming out of high school in the chad diehl mold. If he can play some good minutes, then I doubt we miss Cumbie much and we give more minutes to our future DL--next year we will be severely hurt by graduation, especially if Thompson declares for the NFL Draft (highly unlikely at this point, but not completely outside the realm of possibility).

I'm going to miss seeing Cumbie in a Tiger Uniform, I wish he could apologize and get back on the team because he had a lot of potential he had yet to fulfill on the field. Take care of yourself Jamie. Thanks for the memories.

Quick Edit: So after looking at the police report--he absolutely pummeled the other kid. Brain bleeding, broken teeth, teeth in the gums, multiple nose fractures. This was not a fight it was a beating and that can't be tolerated. One punch and you got my sympathy but this is inexcusable. I also failed to write that Jamie also had some run-ins with the staff before and was left home from the bowl game last year, for what its worth...

Stanley Hunter Interview

2010-05-28T14:43:00.000-07:00

This will hopefully be a more consistent feature here on Clembentigermax. We are very pleased to have Stanley Hunter on the blog. He is certainly one of the most inspirational players to play on the team and we hope to continue to get updates from him throughout the years. We asked a few basic questions that we hope readers will enjoy...

1) What is your favorite all time football moment, so far as a Clemson Tiger? My favorite moment as a Tiger on the football field I would have to say would be my first tackle against Alabama...After all that I had been through at that time, it just felt so good to finally make a play as a Tiger!

2) What is your favorite locker room memory that you have, something fun the readers may not have heard before?? A funny locker room moment: Haha there are so many but one that stands out is after fall camp '08, the upper classmen throw all the freshmen in the cold pool lol...its always fun to watch but definitely not fun to endure!

3) What is your spot to eat in Clemson? The best place to eat in Clemson...hmmm I'm going with Mac's! It's awesome and I can never get enough of it!

Again we want to thank Stanley for all his work as a Tiger (player and now as a coach) and wish him the best in the future. God Bless Stanley!!

Bring On Some Football

2010-05-27T14:06:00.000-07:00

We are less than a hundred days away!!

Keith Law Lays Down The Proverbial 'Law' On Kyle Parker

2010-05-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

Dinich talks Kyle Parker with someone who knows his stuff, Keith Law. He says what we have been saying on the blog (scroll down for TigerMax's recent blurb) that KP is a second to fourth round draft pick and not a first round grade. KP would play first base and some LF in the MLB--those are positions usually reserved for non-athletes. I think KP is a better football athlete than he is a baseball one, which sounds strange but as Law says he isn't "the typical two-sport guy who's fast and flexible." Statistically 1st base and LF aren't your high value positions in baseball, but wait--he can hit you say...

For you, Law finishes with this gem, "He's also more of a mistake hitter whose power is more evident in BP than in games." Ouch. Still he is putting up good numbers, so the hope is that once the scouts start spreading this around and do some deeper analysis his stock will drop. Not that I want him to fail, I just want him to play football in the spring and have the team succeed over the individual--yeah I am that selfish...

(photo courtesy of the Anderson Independent Mail--yeah, this isn't a myspace picture, its from a newspaper...haha)

The real question Kyle and his family will ask is what is best for his future...will he be able to be drafted as a QB? Then you have to ask, will his baseball draft stock ever get higher than it currently is?? And then finally--do you risk it all to play another year of Clemson football???(yes, three question marks) They actually are tough questions when it all boils down...

Emerson says Holloway Denied Clemson Transfer

2010-05-13T14:08:00.000-07:00

I hate to send people to his twitter feed but Seth Emerson had it first. Holloway has been denied a transfer to the Coots and Clemson. A kid from Alabama, who is a senior just went to UNC--give me a break Ole Miss. Holloway, get a lawyer and appeal it to the NCAA and they will fold. Its not right and it won't stand up in court.

This was really the reason why we couldn't hold Marcus Thornton to his LOI because if kids take it to court they win hands down. Any lawyers out there want to volunteer? Its a slam dunk case (awful pun intended)...

So yeah...Kyle Parker

2010-05-13T05:50:00.000-07:00

I've been too busy with work to write much lately. But I've been following baseball and yeah, Kyle Parker currently sports a slash line of .391/.519/.751. 169 at bats is still a small sample size for projecting future performance in baseball, but that's still a mighty impressive line for a third-year player in the ACC. His batting average on balls in play (BABIP) is .412 which seems a bit high and could imply that some regression is coming. For reference sake, average BABIP in the big leagues is around .290. On the other hand, the average ACC BABIP is undoubtedly higher and this stat can mislead at the college level if players consistently square up on pitchers from weak out-of-conference competition.

It's not just the numbers, most of the scouting sites I've read are now pretty much sold on his power and approach at the plate. No one is willing to go out on a limb and say he'll hit for good average in the pros, but now everyone seems to acknowledge it as a distinct possibility. He is still rated as raw on the defensive skills side. The stupid errors are down this season, but that's something that's not really that important and can be improved through repetition. What scouts are looking for is range, jump as the ball comes off the bat, and route-running (in roughly that order). Arm strength then comes in as a pretty distant fourth, although Parker has plenty of arm. To me he still seems to get poor jumps and take pretty lousy routes, but his range might have improved a bit from years past. The routes can be fixed with experience, but jump is more instinctive. Good range will make up for below-average jump, though.

I have always felt that Parker's defense would keep him from getting drafted high enough to tempt him away from another season of football. My reasoning: there isn't a lot of demand right now for all bat, no glove players--even at a corner outfield position. If your ceiling includes the DH position, that automatically cuts the number of interested teams in half and recently even the DH slot has been used by American League teams for purposes other than stashing away a slugger. Ultimately, however, I think Parker's overall athleticism (bolstered in part by a strong showing on the football field last season?) is causing concerns about his defense to fade, at least somewhat. Coupled with an improved plate approach, his stock has really been rising. There was always the danger that a team with a lot of money to burn on the draft (Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Tigers, etc.) would select him trying to snag higher-level talent later in the draft. At this point, he seems likely to get a good offer from whatever team drafts him.

I'm curious what others think about his defensive play this season. My eye doesn't have the best training in the world, but if we can get a few opinions we'll have a better idea--a wisdom of crowds kind of thing. At any rate, it's going to be a tenser summer for Clemson football fans than I previously anticipated.

Let Murphy Holloway Come To Clemson

2010-05-06T23:04:00.000-07:00

This is seriously outrageous. Ole Miss has decided to deny Murphy Holloway from transferring to Clemson. Of course they have every right to not allow him to transfer to another in conference, SEC school but there is no merit in denying him his ability to transfer to be closer to home. Did Duke reject the transfer to Memphis? Will Roy deny the transfer of the Wear brothers(which makes NC's frontline look even thinner next year) to a non-ACC school?

This is just some petty, weak sauce from Ole Miss but they aren't entirely to blame. I think we should send some serious disgruntled letters to the State to perhaps rein in Korncoot a little. His poor journalism is partly the reason we are in this predicament. He said the transfer was "a done deal", so much so that it was even picked up by ESPN. The fact that ESPN took Korncoot's story is laughable and a poor reflection on their own level of journalistic integrity. It's like quoting me for crying out loud.

In summary, Holloway better be released to Clemson after his appeal. Its juvenile and I am sick of Clemson always getting the short end of these sticks. Did we man up and release Marcus Thornton?? Yes, and this isn't even in that same league--Ole Miss, do the right thing.

Murphy Holloway Come On Home

2010-05-01T23:16:00.000-07:00

So the report is out that Ole Miss player Murphy Holloway is transferring to be closer to his daughter and family. He could either go to Clemson or USC but because Ole Miss let some player go to LSU last year, the 2008 South Carolina Gatorade player of the year is most likely coming to Clemson. He had us in his final four with Tenn, USC, and Ole Miss and to sweeten the deal was recruited by Earl Grant at the time for Wichita State so we already have a good relationship with him.

The kid is 6'7" and is still somewhat raw with his offensive game. He averaged 10 points and 7 boards this past season but he is a pretty good rebounder, especially on the offensive end of the court. He is a pretty tough kid, good athleticism and would instantly help our front line--lessening the blow of missing out on Marcus Thornton. He would have been excellent in Purnell's system, averages 1.5 steals a game, pretty good defensively overall. He already has a lot of game experience and his rebounding would really be a bonus in Brownell's system. This is definitely some good news for our basketball team. Take a look below...

Some Final CJ Spiller Lovin'

2010-04-22T14:03:00.000-07:00

Here is some Pre-Draft CJ loving. Make us proud!! He better be a top 15 pick!

I am also hoping that Sapp goes higher than the third round...how was he even practicing last year?? Shouldn't have started until the third game of the season...

Conner should go in the 5-6th round and hopefully Austin, Butler and Palmer sneak in as well as Chancellor...Go Tigers!!

Oh and if you want to go to South Carolina, you don't get drafted higher...its just not true...

EDIT: Are you ready to be a Buffalo Bills fan??? Wow, did not expect that one, Seattle, you blew it...

Brownell: Purnell Hiring Redux?

2010-04-20T06:42:00.000-07:00

Haven't dropped in on the blog much lately and in the process largely missed the hoopla surrounding Terry Don Phillips' 7-day rejection tour. In the end, however, out of all the names giving TDP's overtures serious consideration, Brad Brownell is probably the best we could have gotten. My sense is this reasonably good pick had more to do with luck than due diligence on TDP's part given the other names that were being floated around. On the other hand, the similarities between the Brownell hiring and the Purnell hiring can't be readily dismissed.

What did TDP see in Brownell? My general feeling for a program on Clemson's level is the hungry mid-major coach makes a better pick than the a relatively big name coach with a history of fringey success looking for another venue (think Tubby Smith, Al Skinner, Herb Sendak). The reasoning is simple--for a program that's still trying to build a basketball reputation in an elite conference, its better to get someone who will give you an immediate strategic advantage over the other coaches. This gives the program a chance for immediate expanded media exposure and gives the coach at least a couple of years of being automatically competitive in conference games as teams are forced to adjust. All of this increases recruiting capabilities and fan interest. A name coach might result in an automatic increase in the recruiting profile of a school, but impact is short-lived if the coach offers nothing new to the conference strategy-wise and is fighting to consistently reach .500. The big drawback, of course, is if the coach sees lots of success, he will likely jump to a bigger program in around five years or so. Its not necessarily a way to build a permanent reputation for basketball excellence, but on the other hand I think it can be argued that the days of building a powerhouse from the ground up, except in exceedingly rare circumstances, are all but over.

At any rate, my sense is this probably aligns somewhat with TDP's reasoning as it is consistent with both men's basketball coach hirings. Purnell was cut from the same mold, a coach with an atypical strategy bringing Clemson that helped us be competitive immediately in the ACC (well, at least relative to what Clemson is largely accustomed to...), energized the fanbase, increased media exposure, and ultimately raised our recruiting profile in the area.

So what does Brownell bring to the table strategy-wise? I only have time right now to look at some general properties from Kenpom:

All the rankings are positions within the Brownell's previous conferences. When looking at Clemson I have just used Division I rankings since Clemson should perform on a level similar to the other top 80 or so teams in "elite" conferences, but I think this approach is a bit more fair for looking at midmajor type teams as it puts coaches and teams on relatively the same footing as far as talent goes. The chart plots both offensive and defensive efficiencies and we can definitely see Brownell is a defensive-minded coach. But what I want to draw attention to is the tempo line in yellow. In the seven years for which data is available, Brownell's teams have rated dead last in adjusted tempo (meaning his teams play at a snail's pace) in five of the years. In 2006, he was 10 out of 12 in the newly-expanded Colonial League and in the 2007 he was coaching a bunch of players for the first time at Wright State. This style will undoubtedly contrast starkly with other styles in the ACC, although the Virginia Cavs notably slowed down a lot in Tony Bennett's first season.

Butler showed this year in the NCAA tournament that possession-centric basketball can be successful employed as a disruptive strategy against top programs, even if you need to keep the Maalox close at hand 'cause of all the nailbiting games. My initial impression is that the first year transitioning over to Brownell's system could be difficult for the Tigers: one key element absolutely required by this style of attack is discipline on offense. Brownell will have fits implementing this style of basketball with guards turning the ball over every third to fourth possession.

From briefly looking at the parallels in the Brownell/Purnell hirings, I think the hiring of Brownell likely signals a continuation of recent history. We're looking at a guy who can bring a disruptive strategy to the ACC and win some games, but disciplined and well-coached teams capable of exploiting weaknesses in the scheme will beat us regularly. To be sure, Brownell has the advantage of inheriting a much more skilled group of players than Purnell did, but he is still tasked with making them fit into his system and I'm not convinced our players are particularly well-suited for this transition. I'll delve deeper into the statistics to try and address this last point in some coming blogposts, but right now I'd say best case scenario we continue in the coming years as a slightly above average team in the ACC. Could be worse, but I think everyone was hoping for something better.

And yeah, looking at that chart, if you liked Purnell's middling offensive squads, you've got a lot to look forward to with Brownell! I'm not exactly sure where the reputation for being a good X/O coach comes from, but it ain't showing up in the statistical offensive profiles...

Tigers Pick Up Solid TE Commit

2010-04-17T10:08:00.001-07:00

Eric MacLain, a Rivals 250, committed to Clemson today. Here is some limited video of his work at the Under Armor camp but it was really after that camp as he slimmed down and was really impressive at the VTO camp did he start to turn heads. He has a surprising quick burst and pretty good footwork considering he is 6'5" 245 lbs. He is a smart kid and a worker--he plays basketball and I think will just continue to improve his hands and routes. He had been committed to Tennessee but had been looking at Virginia Tech, Duke, and Penn State. He said in his recruitment that a family atmosphere was important and a program on the rise. Good job coaching staff, I think we got not only a great player but a really good kid too. Welcome Eric!!

If we can land Jay Rome you can rename us TE U for the present cause I think we will have three potential NFL players on the roster. Eric and Jay would be a sick two tight end set.

Don't Beat Those Who Like To See Duke Beaten

2010-04-14T00:15:00.000-07:00

I hope nothing like this ever comes to Clemson. No fan deserves or (human being for that matter) deserves to be beaten while in the defenseless fetal position. Cops deserve the respect they are owed but these bad apples reflect poorly on the entire law enforcement profession. This makes my blood boil because if Clemson had beaten Duke I would have been skipping in the street. Shoot if I was there I would have too...who wouldn't be happy seeing Singler lose(even to Greivis)??

Looks like Brad Brownell

2010-04-12T23:52:00.000-07:00

I was going to do a multi-part series on TDP's train wreck of a search committee but I ended up in the ER over the weekend, complete with Desmondesque cat scan (Lost reference), but as I came to today it seems that Jeff Capel and Scott Drew turned down offers to be the next coach as well as Mississippi State coach Stansbury. Not getting a sniff from Capel and Drew really sucks--I don't think Capel is that great an X's and O's coach but would have been a high profile coach to salvage the wreckage and Drew would have been a great hire to me. I think a lot of the negativity surrounding him is sour grapes and his hiring of some AAU summer league people to staff positions but whatever--he turned us down.

I think hiring Stansbury would have been a step backwards. He can recruit pretty well but has had above average teams in the SEC and not been able to deliver down the stretch. The teams he has coached have been loaded with talent at times but I just don't see him doing much better in the ACC and taking us to the next level.

Other coaches interviewed were Jacksonville's Cliff Warren who is a Paul Hewitt protege. I think I'll pass, he has built a respectable program there after five years but sorry maybe after the jump to a mid-major or more sustained winning. Same goes for the Wofford coach Mike Young who I have great respect for but don't think has shown enough to merit a jump to the ACC just yet. His teams play hard and are well coached (Wofford also doesn't support the bball program nearly as much as it should) but it has taken awhile for him to build to this level. I would not feel confident with him taking the reigns.

Blaine Taylor is an interesting candidate to me. I like the way his ODU teams play, good enough to make it to the second round of the tournament this year, and this is the second program he has achieved success with--doing it first at Montana where he took two teams to the NCAA's. He has had some post-season success--taking his 2006 squad to the NIT semifinals and was an assistant coach for Stew Morrill in the early 90's and then Mike Montgomery from 98'-01'. Am I convinced he could lead this team to the promised land? My main question is his ability to recruit in the south and land top prospects. I think that this hire is the biggest wildcard on the table.

Herb Sendek shut us down. I would have liked to have seen us interview the Xavier coach and probably the Western Kentucky coach but other than Drew from Baylor I really don't see a coach I am thrilled about.

All that said it shouldn't matter because by all accounts and people I have talked to Terry Don is going to land Brad Brownell as his big fish. So lets take a bit closer look. He has posted twenty plus win seasons all four of his years at Wright State but only made the dance in the first year. He coaches in the Horizon league, a highly competitive mid-major that has as its main competition Butler. Most people say apart from Brad Stevens he is the best coaching talent in the league. He has done a good job with two smaller programs, first UNC-Wilmington and then with Wright State. Interesting bit of trivia, Brownell was an assistant under Jerry Wainwright who left UNC-W to go to Richmond and then to DePaul where he was fired this year. You know the rest of the story.

Oh just saw Shakin has a much better write up of this whole thing than me so check it out here. Knowing that Brad Stevens was a pipe dream I think that Brownell is the best name we have so far. I want to see him lock down Marcus Thornton and keep Booker and Johnson on the team. Johnson would flourish in Brownell's offense and hopefully he can teach the team to set some screens and shoot the ball. No more of this needing to recruit better shooters--at the very least I want a guy who can teach. I will miss the pressure D and the full court approach but this year the system looked worn out so maybe we won't miss it much. I do, however, want to win next year--so whatever it takes TDP. If you make a bad hire I want your resignation...

Brief Coaching Analysis: Part 1 Al Skinner

2010-04-09T14:14:00.001-07:00

So TDP out is interviewing coaches which is good because we need to get this done and have a coach take back control of this program. Thornton is asking to be let out of his LOI which will happen but he is not against returning to Clemson(although he better understand that he is not going to be allowed to go to another ACC school--thats just standard LOI practice, everyone, everywhere does it). So the first thing I want the new coach to do is go and park his car outside the Thornton home and stay there until the ink dries on his LOI to Clemson.

Next I want him to drive to Union and the home of the Booker's to stroke the ego and let Devin know he will be a focal point of the offense. I was going to write a post about how I hate it when players whine about playing time as freshman (especially when they play more on average than any other freshman and even start a couple of games) but truth be told D Book is our only legit back to the basket post presence and if someone would teach a guard how to throw the ball into the post he could do some damage. No one else will...Bobo?? Grant is a nice complimentary post player and has made great strides but will struggle as the main offensive post threat.

So lets look at who has interviewed thus far. We begin with Al Skinner.

#1 Al Skinner--Fired recently from BC, he has the most wins in BC school history. He is immaculately dressed all the time. At home he sports a tie and on the road a turtleneck or sweater combo (but never a tie on the road). He seems to never wear the same suit twice in a season. I'm not even joking.

His offense is really boring. He played for the ABA Nets team with Julius Erving. He runs a Flex offense where cutters cut across the floor. You may remember the offense from watching your local high school bc it is what the majority of teams run because its pretty simple and gets everyone moving. What BC did nicely was to really pack in the floor making it a very physical game. Learning how to set screens is something Clemson players have never learned so that would be a welcome change.

My feeling right now with Skinner is that we could do worse. He knows how to coach fundamentals. His teams have done alright in the past--he coached some good Rhode Island teams in the 90's to the tournament (the 2nd Round!!) and his Dudley teams at BC were good making it as far as the Sweet 16. But they have been lackluster this past year and losing seasons in 2 of the past 3 seasons doesn't sit well. It seems that Skinner has lost some of his passion for the game, he has never been an amazing recruiter. I think he develops the talent he has adequately though. He has never recruited much directly in the south and he is not young. I feel at this point that he is a fallback after we shoot a little higher.

Thornton Considering Leaving

2010-04-07T01:39:00.000-07:00

This is the one thing I just really didn't want to have happen. Marcus Thornton, Mr. Georgia Basketball, is considering asking for a release from his letter of intent. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal but he is the only recruit we have coming in this year and he blossomed as a senior. He would be snatched up by pretty much anyone at this point.

He has the athleticism we need and really would have been good in Purnell's system. I say we sit on it until the new coach is at least signed and if I was the administration I would want to keep him locked in and make him transfer. I know that is a really crummy thing to do but recruiting is done and he is our only recruit...I probably wouldn't be able to do it but I would sure want to.

I think I would be more upset to lose Thornton than I was hearing that Purnell was leaving. At just a hair under 6'8", Marcus Thornton is the power forward/athletic slashing three we need for our offense...

OP Is Gone

2010-04-06T05:15:00.000-07:00

**Update by TigerMax below**

Umm...OP just left us to go to DePaul. I wouldn't feel so nervous if I had any faith in TDP to perform a decent search and hire the best coach out there. I am really interested to see what level of talent we can pull...

I'm really worried that Purnell saw the writing on the wall and knew that this team wasn't going to get much better. He certainly won't be taking any recruits with him so that's a bonus...

Its really late but this is shaping up to be the most pivotal decision in Clemson basketball that will shape the coming five years at least. Lets see if we can make the tourney now!! How about we hire Shaka back?? A certain Butler coach?? Just an early thought...

UPDATE: I'm pretty surprised. I had thought Purnell was committed to Clemson for more or less the long haul at this point in his career. And despite the basketball history at DePaul, their recent run of abject suckiness makes this a basically a lateral career move. This does, however, make sense in light of Purnell's coaching history. He style of coaching is basically that of a disruptor: he introduces a scheme (pressure defense) that forces you to adjust. It's great for building a program from the ground up because no one sees it coming. You can draw parallels to the concept of disruptive technology in the business world, basically the introduction of a novel business strategy that upsets the current order. As competitors adjust, however, the advantage fades. A classic example was the introduction of reliable Toyota/other Japanese cars in the 80s to the automotive industry. Only now are American companies like Ford starting to catch up in reputation.

In basketball, though, it's a little easier to respond. Coaches adjust their strategies to adapt and then they start exploiting the weaknesses in your scheme. They also start taking elements of your scheme, ultimately lessening it's impact around the league as everyone sees more and more of the same thing. That's last year for Clemson--we saw a lot of teams that have almost learned how to almost completely blunt the advantage that was inherent in Clemson's pressure defense. At the same time, Purnell really failed to improve the team in other areas. I was hopeful that with the ability to recruit better offensive skill players at Clemson he might "settle down" as a coach and learn to adjust his scheme to accommodate different talents. That obviously didn't happen and if it didn't happen last season it's arguable that it ever would have happened.

So Purnell is off to ply his scheme elsewhere for a few seasons. He'll probably eventually manage to take DePaul to the tournament, but I suspect he'll fade pretty quickly from basketball memory if he doesn't make some fairly drastic changes. Some unsolicited advice: take a page from Mike Anderson and recruit kids that won't turn the ball over every third possession.

Onto the brave new future for Clemson. Like any member of the Clemson faithful, I've got my doubts about TDP. And no, I can't see Brad Stevens coming here. As much as I like Stevens or any kind of coach that takes stats and schemes seriously, it'll take way more money to pry him away from Indiana than Clemson will fork over (on the other hand, maybe he'd like another shot at Coach K). If TDP surprises everyone and manages an encouraging hire, it'll be interesting to see what a decent offensive coach can do with the current team (assuming everyone stays on...). I think there's quite a lot of talent, but it will require an impressive coaching approach to get us past .500 next year.

And please please please please TDP, as a die-hard Clemson basketball fan: whatever you do, no retreads.

Thoughts on the Tourney: Let the Midmajor Backlash Begin!

2010-04-01T05:59:00.000-07:00

I'm hitting a rough patch at work right now, so I've got little to no time. Quick thoughts on the tourney, though:

I don't get all the mid-major love. Yeah, they've had a good tourney, landing 4-5 teams in the sweet sixteen, depending on your opinion of the A-10 conference (my opinion: Xavier is a "major" team playing in a midmajor conference). But 3 of the teams caught pretty big breaks on their way. Butler topped two weak midmajor teams (barely, I might add). Cornell drew two teams that were practically duplicates of each other, and happened to match up extremely well against that particular team profile. St. Mary's, the absolutely inexplicable sweet 16 entrant, beat a decent Richmond team and then a Villanova team that collapsed on itself about two weeks earlier (which nearly dropped a game to Robert Morris in the first round). Northern Iowa is the only team I would really call a "surprise", beating a decent UNLV team before shocking a lethargic Kansas squad. In the round of 16, St. Mary's and Cornell were absolutely crushed while Northern Iowa was nipped by an injury-laden Michigan State team. Even Butler, the midmajor darling, beat an injured Syracuse team lacking an inside presence that couldn't hit a three to save their lives before beating Kansas State team in the closing minutes, a Wildcat team that was coming off one day's rest after a 50 minute sprint against Xavier.
So, in summary, a bunch of midmajors caught a bunch of breaks to advance deeper than expected. It's pretty simple reasoning, but that hasn't stopped the sportsmedia from ginning up the old "midmajors deserve more tournament births" meme. This has happened every few years for the past 15 years or so, just think back to 2006 when 3 midmajors (George Mason, Wichita St., and Bradley) made the sweet sixteen and the same story was plastered over newspapers across the country (of course, this time it's plastered on big-media hosted blogs, but I digress...).
I realize that everyone loves a good underdog and in principle, I'm in favor of including as many deserving midmajors as possible. Thing is, the committee actually did a pretty good job of including midmajors this year. Yes, Florida and Minnesota were extremely weak teams, but can you name any midmajors that were more deserving? I can think of one, maybe: Dayton. That's it. The committee whiffs on one team while including UTEP, St. Mary's, San Diego St., Utah St., and Richmond. Not a bad job if you ask me, and I'm ignoring possibly more deserving teams from major conferences. As much as I slagged them, Virginia Tech had a good argument for getting in, probably better than Florida/Minnesota/St. Mary's/Richmond.
I've read an article or two about the proposed 96-team tournament. A lot of the waffling from conference officials seems to revolve around whether the extra slots would go to midmajor teams or middle-tier major conference teams. My retort: who cares? Any of those teams might be capable of stringing a couple of wins together every couple of years, but none of them will be very good.
The best argument I've read in favor of an expanded tournament is that it would allow for both regular season and conference tournament champions to play in the big dance. This is a pretty big deal for lower-rung conferences where a dominant team during the season can be suddenly left out 'cause they played one poor game in the conference tourney. Problem with this argument is Ken Pomeroy crunched the numbers, and it turns out that the conference tournament does a pretty good job of selecting the best team, with the added bonus of providing a good means of selecting a team when several are bunched together at the top of the standings.
Back to the Final Four. Let's be clear, I like Butler: they play excellent fundamentals, they have a stats-oriented coach, and they have a lot of great individual stories. And I'll probably end up rooting for them when all is said and done. But, lost among all the Butler-love, they aren't really one of the best teams in the country and it's not particularly close. They are riding an incredible string of breaks and close victories. And they catch yet another break by drawing Michigan State in the semi-finals, another good but not top-shelf team (to be clear, an injury-free MSU team is probably a top-shelf team) that is riding their own streak of close victories and relatively easy opponents to the final four (when the best team you've played in four games is Maryland, yeah...Tom Izzo is a genius if you put stock into a superpower that forces higher seeds to lose right before you play them). Now, this is what is great about the tournament; catch a few breaks, seize a few opportunities and you find yourself playing in the Final Four. But let's not get caught up in the hype, this does not herald Butler's rise to the upper echelons of college basketball. They obviously appear to be in better shape long-term than say George Mason was in 2006, but let's not get carried away and expect them to duplicate this feat anytime soon.
Finally, Butler's run is a painful reminder of Clemson's 2007 tourney draw. Uggh...think about the draw we could have had: #12 seed Villanova, #13 seed Siena, #1 Kansas, and #10 Davidson. Yeah, we probably get past Kansas 1 out of 10 times or something, but 3 out of 4 games against double-digit seeds to get to the final four? Can we travel back in time and pull the press after the first 10 minutes of the Villanova game?

Coming Soon

2010-03-31T00:05:00.000-07:00

So we have been largely quiet here on the blog since our early exit from the tourney. Its just depressing to lose in the tourney like that and I've just wanted to keep my digital mouth shut for a week or so. But fear not, we are in the works to improve some things around here and will get you up to date on all the latest Spring storylines, baseball news, and recruiting as we roll out some new twists and content. So yeah, stay tuned or something like that...

In sad news Al Skinner was fired at BC. Its always sad to see a bad coach and easy wins leave the conference(but hey we somehow lost to them this year!!).

Quick Clemson NCAA Post-Mortem

2010-03-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

There's an old adage that teams that like to press don't like to be pressed. Yesterday afternoon we observed a more fundamental truism: teams that turn the ball over too much don't like to be pressed. It was pretty obvious to anyone paying attention that Clemson was almost certain to lose to Missouri. Both teams rely primarily on their defensive ability to force turnovers to drive their offensive output, and the Mizzou Tigers simply don't turn the ball over. Yeah, there was a chance our press might cause them problems, but you aren't a top five team at avoiding turnovers for nothing. The advantage was all Missouri going in and they burned us time and time again as we made stupid decisions with the ball. We kept it close with ridiculous, unsustainable 3-point shooting in the first half but when we regressed to the mean in the second half the game was as good as done (felt like the second Maryland game in that respect). Also, if you don't understand the concept of regression to the mean, read this. Its related to baseball but the idea is the same--if the team has a certain "true" level of performance, then given enough time the team will revert to that level regardless of how well they perform over smaller stretches of time. We went 8-11 from 3-point land in the first half, there was no way we were going 16-22 for the game.

I know everyone is down on the players for not playing hard the last ten minutes of the game, but I think there's a reason. Seems to me they new their margin for error was small--they had to keep things even for 40 minutes to try and pull it out at the end because they wouldn't be able to force turnovers or get enough stops in the halfcourt to spark a run (to say nothing of our complete lack of a four-minute offense). Once they were in a hole, they knew they were beaten. Sure, it's not a good reason for not playing hard and it reflects extremely poorly on the coaching staff for their inability to motivate/prepare the team mentally, but there it is.

I've been yelling it as loud as I can from this tiny blog pulpit: turnovers are killing us. This is the worst year for Clemson at turning the ball over since the first season Purnell took over, and it's not even close. There's been a ton of talk around the blogosphere about the lack of an offensive plan for the Tigers and their inability to even execute simple fundamentals. This is undoubtedly true; I won't argue this point. Purnell and his (newly-hired?) assistants need to take a long look at the tapes this offseason to figure out how to improve the halfcourt set. But I would argue that we have an even more fundamental problem: empty possessions from turnover after turnover. Often, we don't even get a chance to setup the halfcourt 'cause Stitt is dribbling the ball off his leg. This is also a more fundamental problem because it isn't going away next season with Stitt as our de facto team leader and ball-handler.

Next season has all of the makings of a bad year for the Tigers, outlined by ClemBen in the post below. We've got a turnover prone "senior leader" point guard blocking and taking playing time from a better player one year his junior (don't even get me started--the last few games of the season should have sealed in everyone's mind that Young is the better player than Stitt now), a lack of an strong inside presence capable of creating a shot, and a guy starting at the two position that would be fighting for playing time at the back end of the bench for a middling SEC team (how many times was Tanner Smith burned off the ball on the perimeter leading to easy points? I give him credit for decent defensive fundamentals, but when he's matched against someone quick and fluid, he's toast). Most of our problems are related to the most fundamental aspects of the game; for example, perimeter players gotta be stronger with the ball and make crisper passes to right part of the player receiving the ball while inside guys need to improve footwork in the post. It's easy to tell Clemson to go out and make up a few nice offensive sets and practice them 1000 times, but we won't get to .500 in the ACC next season without first improving the fundamentals on offense and bringing our turnover count down to a reasonable range.

Clemson Fails Again

2010-03-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

Well that was a crap way to end the season, a season I consider a horrible disappointment. We should win the first game in the tourney, and we should get a bye in the ACC tourney. Those are what the standards should be if we are going to be a legit team.

After the way Booker almost won last year's game against Michigan single-handedly I had big expectations but in this game Booker looked sluggish and almost chunky. Lethargic is the word I kept thinking of. His inside game turned into a sissy pout fest when he wasn't getting any calls. And he was getting fouled, make no mistake about it but the whole tourney they have let it be a physical game. OP should have prepared the team better for this game. At the 8 minute mark the guys were self destructing and going into blame mode rather than giving their all.

We should have won, here are my thoughts on why and what to think about going forward.

Len Elmore was finally right about something, Tanner Smith is not athletic enough--he can't shoot the three and he turns the ball over a whole lot. He should not be a major part of the strategy moving forward. Even his defense was suspect in this game.
Potter always sucked. Glad he is gone.
Booker started the year trying to become an NBA player and ended up forgetting how to play college ball.
The freshman class disappointed me. Johnson has shown flashes, along with Booker but its going to take awhile. Milt was a big disappointment, not ready for the physicality of the college game.
Stitt is still prone to turning the ball over, dribbles loosely (no handles), and no one can pass into the post.
Booker Jr. was a better post player at the beginning of the season--OP can't teach offense.
In the game our offense consisted of standing around. We didn't even try to screen or run any sets. The inbounds plays consisted of throwing it to the corner so that the player could get trapped. We need a complete overhaul on our offensive philosophy.
We lack toughness.
We have one recruit coming in Marcus Thornton. We missed out on tons of recruits like Eric Smith and Jason Morris. We have no one coming in to save the team--we actually have no one coming in..

So the future looks somewhat bleak. Grant has improved but isn't a great post presence as a go to guy. Young is the lone bright spot, and I think Bobo deserves a legitimate chance to develop. What I am really frustrated about is the lack of player development on offense. We regress in a lot of areas and I want legit improvement. It seems that Shaka Smart was the offense and player development guy, as well as a recruiter. I think Purnell should shake up his staff...

Clemson Already Struggling

2010-03-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

We are about six/seven minutes into the game and Clemson is already failing. Tanner Smith just threw the ball to the other team, the offense is just five guys standing around. Potter gets two stupid fouls--one just running into the forward on offense. Oh and Stitt is dribbling so loosely I could steal the ball...

Things got to change and quick...

Gauging Clemson's NCAA Odds on Paper

2010-03-16T06:44:00.000-07:00

Every year, I run a simulation of the NCAA tournament based on Kenpom.com's offensive and defensive effeciency ratings. I went over the methodology in some detail last year, so I won't cover it again. I'm no professional when it comes to these things, it's just something I do every year for fun. Like last year, I'll share what the simulation says regarding Clemson's chances of advancing into each round, alongside the 2008 and 2009 tournaments. Each number represents the percentage of times that Clemson reached a given round out of a million simulations. Keep in mind, this method is based only on the stats--only a part of the story in basketball. It doesn't take into account, for example, how teams match up in terms of strengths and weaknesses. As a result, Clemson ends up with a much better chance of advancing past Missouri based on statistics alone than I think is actually warranted when looking at the actual matchups, which I touched on briefly in the last post.

Clemson's odds of reaching the last two rounds ends up closely mirroring last year, but reaching the Sweet 16 or Elite 8 is a considerably more difficult task as we are up against a much stronger slate of teams. And how about those odds in 2008? Pretty painful to ponder what could of been, given that gift of a second-round potential matchup with Vanderbilt. I haven't seen odds anywhere close to that good for a 5 seed in the last three years...

Initial Thoughts on NCAA Selection/Tourney

2010-03-15T04:00:00.000-07:00

In an effort to pack the first round with as many unnecessary subplots as possible, the selection committee is pitting Clemson against Missouri in the "Buffalo Battle of the Full-court Presses (TM)". I think Clemson as a seven seed is a bit of a stretch, they probably fit slightly better as an 8/9 seed while Missouri is probably feeling a bit puzzled they were selected as a 10 seed, I had them pegged as closer to a 7/8 seed. In that light, Clemson vs. Missouri probably makes the most sense when viewed as the fifth 8 vs. 9 game, with West Virginia as the fifth #1 seed.

It's interesting to get a second potential shot at playing WVU. I was pretty excited at the beginning of the season about the possibility of playing them in the second round of the 76 Classic, before Texas A&M handled us pretty easily in the opener. Despite the fact that WVU doesn't turn the ball over much, I don't think that would be a terrible matchup for us. Unfortunately, though, I don't share ClemBen's optimism below about the Missouri game. Without looking too deeply at the stats or tape, my initial impressions give us about a 15% chance at winning. As everyone in TigerTown knows by now, Mike Anderson's Mizzou Tigers play the entire length of the court just like Oliver Purnell. But don't get caught up in the "two teams playing the same style of basketball" talk. While they have a lot of similarities, it ain't hard to find differences, either. The most important difference: Missouri is reasonably good at holding on to the ball whereas Clemson is reasonably bad at holding on to the ball. In a matchup of two defenses that specialize in producing turnovers, which one do you think has the upper hand? This also explains why they ended up #13 on my "Matchups of Doom" list last week. In fact, I'd take it a step further and say this matchup is actually one of the worst possible for Clemson (outside of the Richmond Spiders), because almost all of the teams above Missouri are in the 1-5 range and we weren't going to play them in the first round anyway.

Now I'll bring up a personal anecdote to try and support why I have a lot of doubts about our chances against Missouri. I try to avoid these 'cause personal anecdotes are too often used as blunt instruments to try and bludgeon someone into believing your point-of-view ("but I was there, I saw what it was like...", etc.), but I think the stats back me up strongly in this case. Back in 2004, I happened to be vacationing in Hawaii and got hooked up with some tickets to watch Clemson play UAB in the first round of the Rainbow Classic (speaking of which, you were there ClemBen--I can't believe you've forgotten...hahaha). Clemson was in its second year with Oliver Purnell at the helm, and UAB in its third season under Mike Anderson, fresh off a surprise NCAA sweet sixteen run. It was a fun first half to watch, lots of fast play with both teams really hitting each other with the press, getting turnovers and occasionally run-outs. The second half, however, UAB came out strong and didn't let up--completely burying Clemson. I came away from the game with one impression: UAB won because ultimately they took better care of the basketball. Looking over the stats from the past eight years, I don't see anything that dissuades me from this initial impression. Mike Anderson's teams are traditionally strong in two areas: forcing turnovers and not yielding any turnovers. For whatever reason, to the increasingly maddening perspective of the Clemson fanbase, Oliver Purnell hasn't been as concerned with the latter. Its reached unbelievable heights this season, which is by far the worst season in terms of giving away the ball since the first year Purnell took over.

So unless we suddenly decide to stop giving away our possessions for no good reason, in all likelihood Oliver Purnell and the Tigers are looking at another first round exit. There are a few other wrinkles to the matchup (most of them favoring Missouri) and I'll try to go more into detail later in the week. But right now, some other quick, initial thoughts on the Tourney:

1) The selection committee didn't do a good job selecting the seeds, at least not as good as last year's effort. Not impressed at all.
2) No Elizabeth, you are not getting any hints from the website about which teams to pick (or not pick) this year. Your "victory" from last year is still under review by the rules committee, by the way...
3) While I don't agree some of the selection committee's seeds, I really don't have any problems with the Virginia Tech decision. Let's not forget that in addition to having a crazy weak out-of-conference schedule, they also had an incredibly weak in-conference schedule. The only downside to the decision is we have to listen to Seth Greenberg's annual ESPN whine-fest. I will personally send a $25 dollar check to any reporter who poses this simple question to Seth Greenberg: given VT's recent NCAA snubs and the consistent criticism accompanying these snubs regarding a weak out-of-conference schedule, why was Temple the only non-conference team you scheduled that could reasonably be considered a preseason favorite to get into the NCAA tournament? That's the only question needed to make the whining go away.
4) From Greenberg's Twitter feed, just before the selections were announced:

"Still holding out hope! Sad day for the ACC if a 10-6 third place team doesn't
get a bid".

First of all, it says a lot about your own mindset if you have to "hold out hope" after winning 10 conference games. Second, don't cry for the ACC--we got six teams into the Tournament, including the team that finished 7-9 in conference play. This doesn't look bad for the ACC, it reflects poorly on your program and its utter inability to construct a halfway decent tournament resume.

Clemson versus Missouri

2010-03-14T15:53:00.000-07:00

So the brackets just came out and Clemson scores a 7 seed in the East versus none other than fellow pressing team Missouri. That is a tough match-up for us although Mizzou faded towards the end of the year. Now I don't have too much of a problem with Missouri but getting West Virginia as the 2 seed is really bad news. They are easily the top second seed after winning the Big East Champs. Wish we could have drawn Villanova for some pay back. I am happy we play the 19th, Buffalo is kinda far and cold so I won't be there, which is unfortunate.

I will be happy with this season if we can win the first game. Do that and hopefully we can move on and Booker can find his rhythm. At least with Missouri we can play up tempo and not get stuck in our crummy half court but we have struggled against the press ourselves this year. I don't think we handle the press well and we certainly have turned it over way too much all season, especially in our last two games. It certainly could have been worse--I am glad to not be in an 8/9 match-up. Come on Tigers, give OP at least one NCAA tourney win...

One last thing I have been meaning to post about--How is that 'Seed of Doubt' now Ron Morris?? What a hack reporter, again nothing to back up his opinions but I would say a 7 seed is a pretty ringing endorsement of the season despite an early tourney loss. We weren't even close to being on the bubble even with Houston and Washington winning conference tournaments and UTEP and Utah State losing. Why is that you may ask Ron? Its because of RPI and SOS--statistics you should look into.

Although Virginia Tech did have the worst OOC schedule in recent memory 10-6 in the ACC is a stinging rejection. Another tough rejection for Seth Greenberg.

ACC Tournament: NC State vs. Clemson Recap

2010-03-14T04:00:00.000-07:00

Needed a couple of days to calm down after that lost, hence the lack of a post. Probably the worst all-around performance for the Tigers since the Boston College game, except this time the offense was wretched throughout the entire game instead of the defense. A few bullet points, then we'll shift focus to Clemson's upcoming first-round exit:

It was interesting, I thought Clemson came out and played with the requisite energy but they just weren't there mentally. No excuse for that many mistakes.
The first half they couldn't even get set in the offense 'cause they kept giving the ball to NC State on stupid passes. Poor spacing was partly to blame; later it escalated as everyone started getting frustrated with their own bad play.
As bad as the offense played in the first half, I thought the halfcourt defense was pretty solid. NC State made a series of ridiculously difficult shots despite good defense in the first half. Without that, Clemson could very well have been leading at halftime. Of course, the defense played worse in the second half which was partially offset by Clemson tamping down the inexplicable turnovers.
T. Booker made a lot of crucial mistakes and the FT shooting performance was inexcusable. A fitting end to a dreadful career of ACC Tourney games.
The clock management was inexcusable down the stretch. We've commented on the Tigers' inability to play with any urgency as the clock is winding down. This is squarely on the coaching staff. They have to have a set of understood plays they can execute with one hand tied behind their collective back when we're behind by 3 with 2:00 minutes to go.
I would have liked to see Purnell employ the foul 'em with 4:00 minutes to go strategy that worked well at FSU. NC State isn't a great foul shooting team and while we weren't exactly knocking the threes down, we had a chance to shoot down NC State from behind with their league-average FG% defense.
Tanner Smith. I hope he does nothing but practice a freakin' jump shot in the offseason, because he can't drive to the hoop and he can't hit the three. He's had his moments this season on defense (particularly in the halfcourt) but it's barely enough to justify a roster spot next season, much less his starter status.

That's enough, before I say something I'll regret. But hey, it's Selection Sunday, and Clemson's name is going to be called. Things could be much worse. Might as well ask, even though there's not much time left: which #1/#2 seed would you rather be grouped with? My vote is for Kentucky: they're (slightly) overrated largely due to playing in the dreadful SEC and if USuCk can beat them, I like our chances.

Crap at the Half

2010-03-11T19:29:00.001-08:00

Well this half is another microcosm for why we can't achieve that elusive elite or even top 25 status this year. NO 3 point shooting. Potter has been so wide open and just bricking--not even close. Tanner shot an airball. Young has had some poor shot selection. Booker has become unable to drive and score with his back to the basket. How many turnovers can we have??

Another pathetic offensive output. 21 points?? We are playing good D but still have an occasional breakdown where someone isn't rotating. The real problem is we can't get out and run. No forced turnovers means ugly offensive sets. Purnell needs to hire a young offensive mind who can recruit. Lastly FT shooting has once again become an eyesore--Booker are you kidding 1-6??. Maybe a loss wouldn't be that bad because at least we would have some time to work on the fundamentals again. Guys look confused, Booker throwing it away--not an appealing combination. My only suggestion is to get Stitt driving more but he is so loose with the ball and always liable to turn it over that I wouldn't rely on it.

What really concerns me is that we have no recruits of any note coming in aside from Marcus Thorton. These guys really need to develop in the offseason for Clemson to remain relevant...

ACC Tournament Preview Round 1: NC State vs. Clemson

2010-03-11T05:29:00.000-08:00

NC State vs. Clemson, 03/11, ~9:00pm, Greensboro Coliseum

I agree with DrB at the end of this post, a win tonight should lock us into a seven seed. On the other hand, a loss probably drops us into the 8/9 matchup. As a result, the stakes are actually a bit bigger than they might seem because in most years there is a fairly substantial step down in talent between #1 seeds and #2 seeds. I would rate Kansas and Syracuse as shoe-ins for #1 seeds at this point, and the difference between playing one of those teams and playing some of the potential two seeds like Ohio State, West Virginia, or Purdue would be pretty large. Of course, while this is all fun to contemplate, it depends on getting a favorable matchup in round one and taking care of business against the Wolfpack tomorrow.

NC State struggled to a 5-11 finish in the ACC and 17-14 finish overall. On paper, they're a league average to a little below league average in just about every statistical category. Their most conspicuous weaknesses are probably an inability to force turnovers and an inability to keep opposing teams off the offensive glass. As a result, NC State is no push-over. I know alot of people see the near-collapse at Raleigh earlier this season as a direct result of losing Demontez Stitt in the first half. While losing Stitt certainly didn't help, I think it's ultimately a pretty lazy assessment. It glosses over the fact that we got whipped on the offensive boards all game long (not something that would be affected by losing Stitt) by a team that doesn't play particularly well on the offensive glass. In fairness, we also were unable to force any turnovers, which is probably an area where we missed Stitt more.

What I'm trying to say is that while we don't match up poorly with NC State, we don't particularly match up well against them, either. I think we will need a consistent effort from T. Booker and the rest of the inside players and we will have to get some breaks in the pressure defense if we want to run away with the game. Unfortunately, Sidney Lowe had the cognizance to limit the playing time of the turnover-prone Javier Gonzalez to ten minutes against the Clemson press. Outside of Gonzalez, the Wolfpack actually do a pretty good job handling the basketball.

Hopefully Clemson comes out taking the challenge seriously and doesn't play like last year when they moped around as if they deserved a first round bye. I think this is a game Clemson should win on a neutral court at least 3 out of 4 times, but that depends on whether they actually show up ready to play. GO TIGERS!!!

NCAA Matchups of Doom: 2010 Edition

2010-03-10T05:35:00.000-08:00

Thought I would do this again this year: it's just a slightly-better-than-arbitrary way to try and pick out the teams that would be among the most difficult matchups for Clemson in the first round. I described the "methodology" last year, but basically I pick a couple of statistical areas that I think gave us match-up problems over the course of the season and apply a weighted ranking of teams that are strong in those areas. This year I chose the ability of a team to avoid the turnover and their ability to limit a team's effective FG%. The reasoning: the former takes away our primary strength on defense which has essentially driven our relatively high defensive ranking and the latter renders an already weak offense completely punchless. I weighted the former twice as much as the latter. Here's the list of teams I'm hoping won't align opposite Clemson on Selection Sunday:

Some names of teams that we struggled against are up there: Duke, Maryland, Virginia Tech. Also some interesting names that I've seen bandied about as potential 7-10 seeds (the seed we'll likey be facing): Missouri, UTEP, Utah State, Richmond, St. Mary's, UNLV, Northern Iowa. Based on this, I'd say Richmond would be the worst/most plausible matchup of doom for 2010.

T Booker Is First Team All-ACC

2010-03-08T10:49:00.000-08:00

That's right its Scheyer, Delaney, Greivious Vazqueaez, Singler, and Booker. Smith is on the second team. I think this is about right actually--I don't think Aminu deserved it although he took it to a lethargic Booker at times. Just thought I would pass on the word. Will post a link when I find one--silly slow local media...

Wake Forest Recap

2010-03-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

Wake Forest 70, Clemson 65

Not much time here, but thought I would chime in quickly. Clemson's season just took its latest frustrating turn at the worst possible time. Wake Forest was definitely a team we were capable of beating, and I came away thinking if only we had performed up to the median ability we have shown this season we would have squeaked out a five point win. The fact we only lost be five underscores Wake's weakness as a team. Instead, we're stuck in the first round of the tournament. Assuming we can avoid the "we shouldn't be forced to play in round one" attitude that sunk us last year and beat NC State, we will be saddled with a bruising round 2 game against FSU with tired legs.

How did we manage to lose? I think it was a combination of underperformance in key areas and poor in-game decision-making.

We were outworked on the boards. I was particularly frustrated with our seeming inability to grab offensive rebounds in the second half despite numerous chances. We needed to perform well in an area that Wake Forest has struggled in this year and we couldn't come up with a strong enough performance.
Our halfcourt defense was lax all night and the full court press wasn't much better, although I give Wake some credit for handling the ball well behind the halfcourt line.
Tanner Smith should not be taking shots down the stretch if the game is even remotely close.

I still think Clemson is in the NCAA tournament. It would be a ridiculous snub if they were left off. Unfortunately, we are likely bound for the 8/9 seed of death. The odds of getting Oliver Purnell's first NCAA win stand at around 50%, and the odds of getting into the sweet sixteen will be somewhere between 0.5 and 2.0%.

Wake Forest Preview

2010-03-07T06:03:00.000-08:00

Clemson vs. Wake Forest, 03/07, 6:00pm, Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Yesterday's results make this an all-or-nothing event for the Tigers. A win gives us the three seed by merit of a better combined head-to-head record (2-1) in the tiebreaker with Virginia Tech (1-1) and FSU (1-2). A loss drops us all the way to the six seed, as we would be tied alone with the Wake Forest team that just beat us. I don't think anyone can understate the importance of this game. I honestly don't think Clemson has much of a chance at an ACC tournament run given that we match up so poorly this season with the league's best teams, Maryland and Duke. But a couple of wins and a good showing in a third game has the potential to vault us into a six seed in the NCAA tournament--as semi-arbitrary as the ACC tie-breaking system is, don't underestimate the value of the tag "third-best team in the ACC".

About the actual game. As I've mentioned in the last previews, Clemson closes out three straight games against opponents with a strikingly similar general profile: turnover-prone, reasonably-poor shooting, and offensive-glass dominant on offense with a well above-average defense driven by effective FG% against numbers that are the envy of teams across the nation. In fact, Wake ranks #1 in the country in effective FG% against percentage. This is why I generally feel that WF poses the toughest matchup for the Tigers out of the final three teams--unlike FSU they defend the 2- and 3-point shot equally well and they are also better at holding onto the ball relative to both FSU and GT. Despite this, it's fair to see Clemson as the mild favorite given their performance in the last two games, and their additional victory over FSU earlier this season.

Clemson also has other factors working in their favor in this game. On defense, WF does not defend against the offensive rebound very well. They also, unlike FSU or to a lesser extent GT, do not force turnovers. Finally, Wake Forest is considerably worse than either FSU or GT at shooting the ball on offense. I think this game will come down to who does a better job keeping the other team off the offensive glass and who converts more second-chance opportunities around the rim.

I'm hopeful that Wake, mathematically eliminated from the first-round bye and on the tail of a four game losing streak now starting to threaten their NCAA tournament plans, will come out dispirited. Unfortunately, senior night has a way of reinvigorating teams. Clemson will need to absorb the emotional high that Wake runs out, calmly reminding themselves they are the better team. I expect they can then start slowly asserting their will on the Demon Deacons, hopefully aided by the voluntary unraveling of Dino's squad as they see their post-season start slipping away...

GO TIGERS!!

ACC Tourney Byes, on the Line Today

2010-03-06T05:39:00.000-08:00

Haven't written anything since last Wednesday, but the ACC tournament picture is a lot clearer now. If FSU loses today (regardless of what VT does) we can punch our ACC first round bye without hitting the floor on Sunday. Unfortunately, I fully expect FSU to grab a road win at Miami. I think UNC's dramatic single-season fall (as an aside, why didn't anyone see this coming? Everyone just expected the freshmen to fill in and play like the UNC freshmen we're accustomed to seeing?) is the only reason why people aren't talking about Miami failing to live up to expectations once again.

The argument for an FSU win is that it will motivate Clemson to get out on the floor and beat Wake Forest, which will help our NCAA seeding (really quickly: 8/9 right now, 7/8 with a win). I can see the rationale for this; there's certainly a non-zero chance that Clemson suffers a letdown and gets handed a beatdown on Senior Night in Winston-Salem in the event of an FSU loss (Wake's not a bad team, after all...) On the other hand, to paraphrase wise man, "De-fault" are the two sweetest words in the English language. I won't be losing any sleep tonight worrying about a letdown if FSU falters in Miami.

On that note, for one day only, let's go 'Canes!

Georgia Tech Recap 2

2010-03-03T05:30:00.001-08:00

Clemson 91, Georgia Tech 80

Congratulations to Oliver Purnell and his staff for securing a third consecutive NCAA birth. I can't imagine this season went as planned, but through several shrewd coaching adjustments and incremental player improvement we have gotten gradually better, and just in the nick of time. I questioned whether we were really a better offensive team after running off three straight wins at home in February, but decent-to-strong performances against good defenses like Maryland, GT, and yes, even FSU have me convinced that execution (if not necessarily gameplan) has improved at least slightly. Also, give credit to the conditioning of Clemson. We've heard about Clemson's superior conditioning over the years, but I've been largely unconvinced. But last night, despite working on a day's fewer rest and playing a third game in seven days, we actually looked less tired than GT during key stretched in the second half. If this carries over to the ACC Tournament it could serve as a significant advantage.

Now, time to rain a little on everyone's parade. Not to belittle great performances on Senior Night by Trevor Booker and David Potter, but I would be careful to read Clemson's performance as a true indicator of their current ability. While GT is a solid defensive team and anytime you put 91 points on an ACC team its reason to celebrate, GT didn't bring their 'A' defensive game last night. I haven't seen that many good three-point looks since maybe the Presbyterian game. We also didn't look sharp on defense, giving up way too many good looks after penetration that was coming way to easy for GT. To their credit, GT also knocked down tough shots all night long. The first half was a nightmare on the boards for Clemson, but one of the reasons we pulled away in the second half was because we turned the tables, closing down the offensive rebounds for GT while picking up a few of our own. We've got to do a better job against Wake Forest.

I'll wait until tonight's games are over before commenting on our chances for an ACC Tournament first-round bye, but in tonight's games I'll be rooting for NC State and Wake Forest.

Georgia Tech Preview 2

2010-03-02T05:12:00.000-08:00

Georgia Tech vs. Clemson, 03/02, 8:00pm, Littlejohn

I feel like I could just re-write the FSU preview, replacing FSU's name with Tech and that would leave everyone with a pretty good idea of what to expect in the game. In fact, all of Clemson's final three teams fit the same general profile: tall teams that play excellent defense, primarily driven by holding the opposing team to a low effective FG%. None of the teams feature a world-beating offense; their offense is held up in part by their ability to snatch up offensive rebounds and is dragged down by an abysmal turnover rate.

If we look a little more closely at GT vs. FSU, Tech is a slightly better offensive team and slightly worse defensive team. GT is considerably better at defending the three but not quite as good as the incomparable FSU defense against the two. On offense, they shoot the ball better primarily because of their three-point shooting, which relies quite a bit on freshman Brian Oliver, shooting around 41%.

All in all, I like this matchup slightly better than the FSU matchup for the Tigers. We have a better chance to score inside with Booker (our strength on offense) and we should still force plenty of turnovers on defense. Given that we nearly pulled off the upset in Atlanta earlier in the season and that we have played well against teams with this profile, on paper this is a game that Clemson should be considered moderate favorites.

But I'm too busy worrying about external factors to take any comfort. Clemson is playing their third game in seven days and second game in three days. The game on Sunday was an absolute bruiser in which they kept their pressure defense on for the entire 40 minutes. In order to beat GT, they'll need a comparable effort on defense, pushing the fullcourt pressure all night long to force as many turnovers as possible. I'm not sure they'll have the legs for it. On top of that, GT is (perhaps unfairly) playing for their post-season lives and maybe for their coach's job. (As an aside, I'm surprised there hasn't been more Hewitt/hotseat talk. I thought he was given another season because of the recruiting class he was bringing in. But outside of the blogs, I haven't seen much on the subject from traditional media. Maybe everyone is just tired of talking about it year after year.) GT is only coming off three days' rest, but it was their first game in a week. They will be fresher and they will be ready to play.

I think Clemson really needs to avoid a slog this time, they won't have the fortitude to pull the game out at the end like they did in Tallahassee. They have to find offense in the early going, build something of a lead, and hope that they can hold off GT as their defense falters along with their legs in the last ten minutes. GO TIGERS!!!

FSU Recap 2

2010-03-01T02:59:00.000-08:00

Clemson 53, Florida St. 50

I said at the end of the preview that if we didn't make our three-point shots, couldn't force turnovers at a reasonable clip, and couldn't get offensive rebounds we'd be in for a slog. If anyone was confused about the definition of a "slog", that was not only a prototypical slog, it was something close to the paragon of a slog. Check out the rate of scoring (or lack thereof) in the chart:

College Basketball

And we managed to win. I'm still not sure how. It's strange, but I didn't think the defense was anything special. They were solid, but not spectacular. A lot of times FSU looked as lost running their halfcourt offense as we did, they missed makeable shots, and a lot of their turnovers were of the unforced variety. No, I think the game was somehow won on the offensive side of the ball. I don't often applaud individual efforts, mainly 'cause the college game ain't the same as the NBA game, but tonight I'll give big helpings of credit to Trevor Booker for finding ways to get close to the basket and to Andre Young for finding ways to get open at key points in the game (and draining a halfcourt jumper). It's particularly impressive because FSU stuck to more or less the same strategy as game 1, collapsing on Trevor Booker. In this game they seemed to be rolling over a man from the basket side to double team instead of collapsing in on Booker from the three-point line. This lessened the number of good looks we got around the perimeter. Normally Booker is still good at finding the open man in those situations, but against FSU's inside height he fired quite a few errant passes, particularly in the early going. But he settled down and ended played one of the best offensive games of his career against one of the better defenses in the country.

This win also opens the door to a first-round ACC bye, something no one in their right mind was talking about a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news here ClemBen, Clemson basically still needs to win both of their remaining games or hope for a bunch of other things to happen if they split their final two games. FSU has the upper hand right now with the easiest schedule by far of the five teams vying for the last two spots. If they were to win out, they would finish 10-6 and leave four teams vying for one slot.

The way I see it now, barring any strange upsets (like VT losing at home to NC State or something), if we win both of the final two games we grab the three seed (if VT loses to GT) or the four seed (if VT beats GT). If we finish 9-7, I only see two longshot scenarios. If we beat GT instead of WF, we also need FSU to beat WF and lose to Miami and GT to beat VT. That would give us the four seed. If we beat WF instead of GT, we need WF to beat FSU, FSU to beat Miami, and VT to beat GT. That would also give us the four seed.

There's probably a few other wild scenarios in there, but those are the most realistic I'm seeing right now. Simply put, Clemson still needs to win out. Lots of strange things could still happen, but the losses to VT and GT coupled with FSU's likely 10-6 finish put us in a relatively weak position because our two victories over FSU don't mean anything in any tie-breakers if they finish above us.

Lastly, it's time to update the list from the beginning of yesterday's post:

Number of games Clemson has led by 10 or more points and lost this season: 2 (Illinois, Maryland)

Number of games Clemson has trailed by 10 or more points and won this season: 2 (Butler, FSU)

I don't know if a team that can rally as often as "collapse" can really be labeled as a team prone to the collapse, but just so everyone is on the same page with the numbers...

GO TIGERS!!

FSU Chokes, Tigers Pull One Out

2010-02-28T17:34:00.000-08:00

I think that is the first time this year(maybe the Butler game) where I was about to give up hope and then Clemson delivered. It was the first time this year where I woke up my napping wife as I let out a yell and my fist shook when Andre Young hit that three after the steal.

Ok this was one ugly game. It was painful at times but a road win against FSU is everything our tournament resume needed and we hit the magic 20 win mark. A fourth straight 20 win season and 20-8 record.

Mid Blog Pro OP Rant

For all you OP haters out there, ponder this set of simple stats. Before OP took over, by my count, Clemson had only 7 twenty win seasons(it was possible to get to 20 wins consistently starting in about 1953 with 26 total regular season games, 28 started in 1974). So only 7 times before Ollie did Clemson achieve that goal. Now we have done it 4 straight times. Twice in the 70's, 3 times in the 80's, only twice in the 90's and now four times all with Purnell. Barnes is the only coach who took us to three straight tourneys, something hopefully Oliver will duplicate with this season.

We get frustrated with OP from time to time with lack of offensive sets, poor ft shooting, and an over reliance on the press from time to time but people don't mimic Gamecock fans and start thinking that we have arrived in bball. We aren't going to fire OP and bring in some power coach. Littlejohn and the general bball facilities need an upgrade and we don't have the recruiting budget of some schools. We are under .500 lifetime as a program for crying out loud. Let us just enjoy OP and win a game in the NCAA tourney!!

Speaking of making the tourney we are now 2-5 on the road which isn't good but its a lot better than the eyesore that was 1-5. We have no other major flaws in the resume and 8-6 in the conference isn't bad. I think if we split the next two we should be in. But that is still very debatable and dependent on other teams--what is really interesting is playing for the tournament bye. To have a shot at the ACC Champs you must have the first round bye and now FSU, Wake, VT, and Clemson are all even at 8-6. Duke and Maryland have all but wrapped up the first two slots.

We own the tiebreaker over FSU so our only game against Wake is all the more important since we lost to VT. TigerMax will have a more in-depth breakdown. But the way it is looking if we beat Wake we have a bye. FSU and Wake play on Wed. March 3rd.

Quick game notes--Tanner Smith continues to struggle but hit his first big shot of the season. Stitt had an ugly game and got frustrated with about six minutes to go, started turning the ball over left and right. We played good D and got some nice steals in key situations (obviously when down by one) but where we really struggled was getting the ball into the post when they were fronting Booker. Our offense consistently gets pushed off the ball and can't get into any rhythm so we end up making bad passes and taking bad shots bc we are always forced late into the 35 second count. We need a few different sets to mix it up and keep the D on their toes. Teams that pressure the ball well like Duke give us nightmares because we don't play strong enough with the ball.

Stitt needs to work on this the most. He couldn't drive at all today against not only the height but the ball pressure of FSU. Anyway, the season was slipping away but we held on and grasped a win out of the jaws of defeat. It was poetic to see their 81% FT shooter giant Alabi miss one and then watch Booker stroke 4 straight. Stitt also had two clutch FT's. Awesome win and maybe this is the momentum we need. We can beat Wake--it's Dino and besides they are overrated...

Update: Here is a video of FSU Coach Hamilton after the game, if you watch to the very end he gives this blank stare and little laugh. Must be a tough loss to stomach, glad to be on the winning end tonight.

More on "Collapses"; FSU Preview 2

2010-02-28T02:31:00.000-08:00

Following up on yesterday's post wherein I tried to counter some of the prevailing wisdom out there in TigerLand, I decided to look at how many times Clemson has blown a "significant" lead this year, and compare that to the number of times they have overcome a "significant" lead. I set the threshold at 10 points. That's a completely arbitrary number, it would be better to look at total points scored and have some kind of sliding scale where less than 10 points might be significant in a low-scoring game and more than 10 points would be significant in a higher-scoring game. But I haven't got that kind of time right now and 10 points is useful as a quick proxy. I might have missed a game or two (let me know if you find one), but as you'll see, it doesn't matter much:

Number of games Clemson has led by 10 or more points and lost this season: 2 (Illinois, Maryland)

Number of games Clemson has trailed by 10 or more points and won this season: 1 (Butler)

Yep, that's a whole lot of collapsin' by the Tigers right there. Like I said yesterday, I'm not sure where this notion comes from, but there's no basis for it in the numbers. Looking back over the game logs, I was actually pretty surprised at how infrequently we've played games where there were a lot of lead changes--the times we've lost this year we've typically trailed throughout and the times we've won we've led more or less from start to finish. Of course, there are occasionally runs by the opposing team to make things closer, but that happens to every team in college basketball.

Now to the preview:

Clemson vs. Florida State, 02/28, 5:30, Donald L. Tucker Center

No one needs to be told how important this game is to the Tigers. I've become more and more convinced that Clemson is going to struggle mightily against Georgia Tech on Tuesday because 1) GT is, at this point, a seriously underrated team that's played a conference schedule with the same degree of difficulty as Clemson and 2) Clemson will be coming off a 2 days rest vs. three days for GT. As laughable as this might have sounded just a few weeks ago, Clemson's easiest path to 9 wins might be to win at both FSU and Wake Forest. Translation: we have our work cut out for us.

I don't have a lot to add to the last FSU preview. The short version: our defense matches up well with their offense because they feature one of the worst turnover rates in the entire country (not just the ACC) while we run out one of the best turnover-causing defenses in the country. On the other hand, FSU's defense is better than our offense, right now ranking #1 against the inside shot and #8 in the country in effective FG% against. Their weakness, however, is defending the three, in which they are markedly below ACC-average. Teams that have beaten them this year, including us, have made lots of three-pointers. FSU also struggles to keep other teams off the offensive glass, which, given their height, is kind of baffling.

This is a game where I would absolutely expect the Tigers to run the press all evening long. Don't give FSU any breathing room, because every possession is a turnover waiting to happen. One possible complication is whether Oliver Purnell wants to try and hold back some to ensure we have any energy on Tuesday night against a GT team that also frequently turns the ball over. Unless we're down by an absolutely unwinnable margin, I wouldn't recommend it, because this is the kind of game that could turn in our favor quickly even if we are trailing by double digits at some point. Against GT you just hope that Senior Night provides enough adrenaline to fuel our insanely energy-expensive defensive pressure.

I would look for FSU to try and limit Clemson's three point looks by leaving Alabi 1-on-1 against Booker. I was really surprised that FSU continually collapsed on Booker when he got the ball in game 1 at Littlejohn considering how Alabi manhandled Booker by his lonesome last year. I think that was a real key for Clemson, they got a lot of good three-point looks I wasn't counting on going into the game with the inside-out play of Booker. As far as adjustments go, this seems like a no-brainer for FSU to at least try at the beginning of the game.

If Clemson can shoot the three ball at a roughly a 35-40% clip, get a few easy putbacks from Booker/Grant, and force the expected amount turnovers, they can win the game. If not, its going to be a slog. GO TIGERS!!

On the Clemson "Collapse" Meme

2010-02-27T14:00:00.000-08:00

This isn't aimed at anyone in particular, it's just something I've noticed that seems to dominate every discussion board, comment thread, or blogpost, or newspaper article about a Clemson basketball game, regardless of the situation. Every time Clemson blows a lead, every time another team makes a run, even every time Clemson manages to build a lead, people either reflexively label it a "collapse" or they start talking about the coming collapse. To me, a "collapse" implies a series of inexplicable events wherein a big lead evaporates while the team looks on wide-eyed in disbelief. Like the Illinois game earlier this year. That was undoubtedly a "collapse".

But this past Maryland game was completely different, and in the name of reasoned analysis I think it's important to distinguish between collapses and non-collapses. We lost to a better team. We did a great job coming out and taking advantage of a what, in retrospect, was a bad opening strategy for Gary Williams as he tried to slow us down with some pressure defense similar to what other teams had been doing early in the year against us. But we turned the tables by attacking the press without turning the ball over (too many times, at least) and getting good looks at the other end underneath and from long range. But once Gary Williams called off the press, we struggled in the half-court set to get good looks. Meanwhile, we struggled to get any stops on defense throughout the entire game, even when we were leading by 15 points. The only time Maryland didn't score is when they stopped themselves by throwing the ball away or missing a layup. There was no way to watch that game and not realize with five minutes left in the first half that Maryland was going to close the gap, not for reasons inexplicable but because they made a adjustment to their strategy that played to their strengths and our weaknesses. The rest of the game was like watching a rising tide against the banks of that 15-point Clemson lead. Maryland overcoming the Tigers was inevitable unless a) we made some miraculous adjustment of our own, or b) the 15 point lead could somehow hold up through a series of stupid Maryland mistakes. Since Maryland doesn't make mistakes and Purnell isn't known for in-game adjustment, you could call the game for Maryland with Clemson leading by 12 with five minutes left in the half.

Moreover, and I hate to break it to people here, but a 15-point lead in a game with 167 total points ain't that much of lead, particularly when the lead comes at the 12/13 minute mark in the first half. If the final score ends up 65-60, then maybe its something of a lead. But we were on a near NBA pace in 40 minutes of basketball. That's too many points and too much time remaining to consider 15 points any kind of definitive lead--its completely within the realm of expected score deviation for two teams given the final result.

We were beaten by a better team that matches up particularly well with us in their home arena. Just because they essentially spotted us a fifteen point lead doesn't mean we collapsed. I, for one, am unconvinced that we are prone to collapse more than any other given team. For every Illinois game there are dozens of games when Clemson has held a 12+ point lead (Virginia, Miami, and Florida State are three games just in the last two weeks) and every team across college basketball inexplicably loses games from season to season. Maybe its the lack of outstanding successes punctuated by occasional heartbreaking losses, but for whatever reason the myth of the Clemson collapse has just lodged itself in the collective psyche of the Clemson basketball fanbase. I'm just trying to say that while some blown leads are collapses, others are a result of fundamental roster or coaching problems.