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.
Showing posts with label Ralph Friedgen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ralph Friedgen. Show all posts
Monday, 1 November 2010
Monday, 5 October 2009
Maryland Recap
Time to comment on the debacle that was last Saturday. In some ways, I'm reminded of Tommy Bowden's 2006 VT debacle. Both games on the road that reminded us that even with excellent talent at skill positions, without adequate coaching it doesn't matter. And those friggin' all-white jerseys. The comparison falls apart after anything more than a cursory inspection, mainly because VT was a good team, and Maryland, not so much.
Let's lay this out right now: the season is over. We can now officially start looking forward to destroying USuCk in Columbia and maybe, just maybe, losing to another perennially-underperforming program in some middling bowl game that's too embarrassing to mention to your non-Clemson rooting friends. But, but, you say everyone else lost last week, too. Everything is still up for grabs, you say. To which I respond: we still need to finish 5-0 in ACC play to ensure capturing the ACC championship. 4-1 gets you in the conversation, if you're lucky and the only loss is to Miami. After last Wednesday, though, does anyone honestly think we can finish 4-1? ...3-2, even? Before you answer, remind yourself that we just got pushed around by Maryland. I'd say 2-3 is the more realistic scenario, with wins against Virginia and one of either Wake, NC State, of FSU.
On the plus side, what this loss does is to divorce me from the all-consuming fan-based passion that comes when I watch the games. I can now sit back and view them with a more rational mind, almost like I was watching any other old team on a Saturday afternoon. I suspect this is because its become too painful to watch as a real fan.
Defense
The redeeming value of watching this team. I was a little bit upset that Steele hadn't adjusted for the slant routes (although in fairness, Clemson did manage to at least try and jump the routes a couple of times) or the QB keeper. Because Maryland sure scouted the TCU game and decided to alter its playbook to take advantage of weaknesses. I know people are singing Ralph Friedgen's praises up in College Park this last weekend, but really, its nothing special. Its called watching the tapes and making adjustments. Its also called "coaching" in some regions. What's the exact opposite of singing praises? "Screaming damnations", maybe? (Hey, good name for an indie metal band!) That's what should be going on because we weren't ready for Maryland to do the same thing TCU pulled on us. Yeah, we looked better in the second half, but I think that had more to do with Friedgen going super-conservative on offense after the midpoint of the third quarter (ridiculous 4th-down call notwithstanding). Sure, we managed to shut them down but its not hard for our defense when the playcalling is as follows: run up the middle, run up the middle, swing pass or run up the middle.
Special Teams
Coverage was strong, except for that one that Zimmerman managed to crush 20 yards or whatever. I put that one on the punter, the ball has to at least go in the vicinity of where the coverage is going. As for the returns, what can you say about CJ Spiller? That was a jaw-dropping run that's currently making the rounds on pro team blogs already planning for a top ten pick in next years draft. Jackson missed the field goals when it counted, staving off the Treadwell comparisons, perhaps for good. But as has been hashed out here and elsewhere, if you're going to run a set of plays that basically concedes any chance at positive yardage to the other team, the least you can do is gradually move the ball to the middle of the field.(**Unless, of course, Jackson tells the coaches he prefers it on the right hash, then this is a stupid and under-informed criticism).
Finally, hats off to Friedgen for finding a punter at the back of the bench who could kick the ball away from Spiller. This is what all coaches should be doing, but luckily these kind of punters aren't that frequent at the college level.
Offense
Here's a snap-shot of Napier's general playcalling decision tree:
1st: Run ---> 2nd: Pass (WR screen unless you want to do one on third down) ----> 3rd: Pass (WR screen unless it was done in 2nd down. Can't be too predictable here.)
Notice how the decision tree doesn't branch at all. That's a problem.
Anyways: Ugh. Why should I put in any effort here when the coaches apparently aren't bothering either? Instead, let me quote from a post last week:
Major Coaching Decisions
Where did that timeout on the two-minute conversion come from? Sure, it ended up working out for the Tigers, but that's a terrible call in my book every time. Take the five yard penalty and kick the extra point. Unless of course, Swinney has about as much faith in the offense as I do.
Final bullet-point thoughts that didn't fit anywhere above:
Let's lay this out right now: the season is over. We can now officially start looking forward to destroying USuCk in Columbia and maybe, just maybe, losing to another perennially-underperforming program in some middling bowl game that's too embarrassing to mention to your non-Clemson rooting friends. But, but, you say everyone else lost last week, too. Everything is still up for grabs, you say. To which I respond: we still need to finish 5-0 in ACC play to ensure capturing the ACC championship. 4-1 gets you in the conversation, if you're lucky and the only loss is to Miami. After last Wednesday, though, does anyone honestly think we can finish 4-1? ...3-2, even? Before you answer, remind yourself that we just got pushed around by Maryland. I'd say 2-3 is the more realistic scenario, with wins against Virginia and one of either Wake, NC State, of FSU.
On the plus side, what this loss does is to divorce me from the all-consuming fan-based passion that comes when I watch the games. I can now sit back and view them with a more rational mind, almost like I was watching any other old team on a Saturday afternoon. I suspect this is because its become too painful to watch as a real fan.
Defense
The redeeming value of watching this team. I was a little bit upset that Steele hadn't adjusted for the slant routes (although in fairness, Clemson did manage to at least try and jump the routes a couple of times) or the QB keeper. Because Maryland sure scouted the TCU game and decided to alter its playbook to take advantage of weaknesses. I know people are singing Ralph Friedgen's praises up in College Park this last weekend, but really, its nothing special. Its called watching the tapes and making adjustments. Its also called "coaching" in some regions. What's the exact opposite of singing praises? "Screaming damnations", maybe? (Hey, good name for an indie metal band!) That's what should be going on because we weren't ready for Maryland to do the same thing TCU pulled on us. Yeah, we looked better in the second half, but I think that had more to do with Friedgen going super-conservative on offense after the midpoint of the third quarter (ridiculous 4th-down call notwithstanding). Sure, we managed to shut them down but its not hard for our defense when the playcalling is as follows: run up the middle, run up the middle, swing pass or run up the middle.
Special Teams
Coverage was strong, except for that one that Zimmerman managed to crush 20 yards or whatever. I put that one on the punter, the ball has to at least go in the vicinity of where the coverage is going. As for the returns, what can you say about CJ Spiller? That was a jaw-dropping run that's currently making the rounds on pro team blogs already planning for a top ten pick in next years draft. Jackson missed the field goals when it counted, staving off the Treadwell comparisons, perhaps for good. But as has been hashed out here and elsewhere, if you're going to run a set of plays that basically concedes any chance at positive yardage to the other team, the least you can do is gradually move the ball to the middle of the field.(**Unless, of course, Jackson tells the coaches he prefers it on the right hash, then this is a stupid and under-informed criticism).
Finally, hats off to Friedgen for finding a punter at the back of the bench who could kick the ball away from Spiller. This is what all coaches should be doing, but luckily these kind of punters aren't that frequent at the college level.
Offense
Here's a snap-shot of Napier's general playcalling decision tree:
1st: Run ---> 2nd: Pass (WR screen unless you want to do one on third down) ----> 3rd: Pass (WR screen unless it was done in 2nd down. Can't be too predictable here.)
Notice how the decision tree doesn't branch at all. That's a problem.
Anyways: Ugh. Why should I put in any effort here when the coaches apparently aren't bothering either? Instead, let me quote from a post last week:
This was meant as something of a hyperbole, but after last Saturday, can this be questioned? Okay, it does short-shrift Michael Palmer, god bless his TE-receiving ways, but what does it say that our TE is the only other viable option on offense after Spiller and Ford? I think it says we've had terrible coaching on the line, the WR position, the playcalling, and even now we can start worrying about the QB position as Kyle Parker continues to struggle with telegraphed passes and throwing off his back foot. The most troubling aspect of it all, as DrB has been stressing since Saturday, is that there is no improvement week-to-week. Zero. There may really be something to this ridiculously drummed up Spiller-for-Heisman thing. Without Spiller, we'd probably be 1-4 or maybe 0-5, looking at a 2-9 or 3-8 season. When one player is worth 2-4 wins all on his own, that's insanely valuable.In all meaningful games we've played to date, our offense (and I mean that in terms of offensive output, not offensive design) has consisted almost entirely of CJ Spiller or Jacoby Ford getting the ball in space and using their superior athletic abilities to gobble up large chunks of yardage.
Major Coaching Decisions
Where did that timeout on the two-minute conversion come from? Sure, it ended up working out for the Tigers, but that's a terrible call in my book every time. Take the five yard penalty and kick the extra point. Unless of course, Swinney has about as much faith in the offense as I do.
Final bullet-point thoughts that didn't fit anywhere above:
- Terrible call on the Maryland TD before the half, but yeah...who cares?
- 2-minute drill killed us, both Maryland's execution and our complete lack of one. Sure, we looked okay for at least a couple of plays at the end of the game, but that struck me as some improvised good fortune for the most part.
- it looks like they are in some kind of maximum protect on offense, which stifled our D-line. That puts a lot of pressure on our secondary and LBs since we key off the line play so much. Could be a template for coaches in the weeks to come. Lord knows they won't have to worry about us adjusting.
- Tall, athletic receivers are seeing some success against our CBs
- Willy Korn finally showed a flash of what people must have liked so much about him. Nice ~10 yard run. It's a small sample size, but one knock on him coming out of high school was a lack of pocket presence. He's no Will Proctor back there, but this looks like one area where Parker has a small edge.
- Not-so-daring prediction: now we really will start seeing more of Korn with the season effectively over.
- I've liked some of the last few Clemson "come to our school" ads, but I don't get the new one. Why is Clemson one of the best public universities? I guess the answer is essentially old guys at graduation ceremonies and athletics.
- Don't think I've ever heard a more unprepared announcing duo than the guys on ESPNU last Saturday. The only background they brought into the game was Friedgen's new diet.
Friday, 2 October 2009
Maryland Preview
Clemson vs. Maryland, 10/03, 12:00pm, Byrd Stadium
Tigermax:
The home team hasn't won in this series since Clemson nipped a pretty bad Maryland team 10-7 back in 2004. The trend should absolutely continue this year. Maryland is looking like a truly horrible team with a chance at going winless in the ACC (the terps do have the advantage of hosting Virginia later in a couple of weeks, so all hope is not yet lost). On the other hand, the good news for the Terps is Friedgen and company have set the expectations so low that as long as they don't come out and set fire to the field, as in literally burning some old driftwood in the endzone, they can probably claim the game was a step in the right direction. As frustrating as the Bowden years were, at least things never got that low.
As long as Clemson doesn't come out stupidly overconfident and end up turning the ball over on their first, I don't know, 10 possessions, it should be a cakewalk. So what's in this for the average Clemson fan who can't make it to the game but is usually still sleeping at noon on a Saturday? I would go with the following: look for push from the offensive line to get a better idea of the level of crappy line play we have to play to establish a running game, improvements from the WRs, and look to see what Kyle Parker can do with some time and better conditions. Also, see if the offense can outscore the defense & special teams--this could actually be closer than the final margin separating Clemson and Maryland. And how could I nearly forget, bring on Willy Korn for the fourth quarter!!
In summary: don't screw this up Clemson.
Clemben:
Yeah the inexperienced O-Line for Maryland should spell their doom but this game makes me nervous because Ralph's job is on the line and he will be coaching like there is no tomorrow and that gives him a desperate tenacity you dont want to mess with in a close game. I would be saying blowout like I did against BC but Clemson has to right the ship offensively. I like going to Jaron Brown and shafting Dye and Clear. We used the TE's more last week but Ellington got no carries, and Harper is the weakest 'big back' I have ever seen. Diehl needs to get some handoffs...
So about Maryland--they have been turnover happy this year. Scott is a talented back but has like 5 fumbles and the QB Ponder has been making some bad decisions because of being rushed all day. Reminds me of the Cullen Harper syndrome, your as good as the oline in front of you. He has been forced to play too quickly and that has resulted in poor decision making with the ball. Most of the dangerous skill players are gone, but Maryland has always given Clemson fits. They are usually stronger in the second half of the season, but I cant shake the memory of needing big fourth quarter runs by Reggie Merriweather and last seasons collapse to feel secure about a blowout win.
Clemson by 10 in a game that feels tighter than it should be as our offense struggles again to score points....
Tigermax:
The home team hasn't won in this series since Clemson nipped a pretty bad Maryland team 10-7 back in 2004. The trend should absolutely continue this year. Maryland is looking like a truly horrible team with a chance at going winless in the ACC (the terps do have the advantage of hosting Virginia later in a couple of weeks, so all hope is not yet lost). On the other hand, the good news for the Terps is Friedgen and company have set the expectations so low that as long as they don't come out and set fire to the field, as in literally burning some old driftwood in the endzone, they can probably claim the game was a step in the right direction. As frustrating as the Bowden years were, at least things never got that low.
As long as Clemson doesn't come out stupidly overconfident and end up turning the ball over on their first, I don't know, 10 possessions, it should be a cakewalk. So what's in this for the average Clemson fan who can't make it to the game but is usually still sleeping at noon on a Saturday? I would go with the following: look for push from the offensive line to get a better idea of the level of crappy line play we have to play to establish a running game, improvements from the WRs, and look to see what Kyle Parker can do with some time and better conditions. Also, see if the offense can outscore the defense & special teams--this could actually be closer than the final margin separating Clemson and Maryland. And how could I nearly forget, bring on Willy Korn for the fourth quarter!!
In summary: don't screw this up Clemson.
Clemben:
Yeah the inexperienced O-Line for Maryland should spell their doom but this game makes me nervous because Ralph's job is on the line and he will be coaching like there is no tomorrow and that gives him a desperate tenacity you dont want to mess with in a close game. I would be saying blowout like I did against BC but Clemson has to right the ship offensively. I like going to Jaron Brown and shafting Dye and Clear. We used the TE's more last week but Ellington got no carries, and Harper is the weakest 'big back' I have ever seen. Diehl needs to get some handoffs...
So about Maryland--they have been turnover happy this year. Scott is a talented back but has like 5 fumbles and the QB Ponder has been making some bad decisions because of being rushed all day. Reminds me of the Cullen Harper syndrome, your as good as the oline in front of you. He has been forced to play too quickly and that has resulted in poor decision making with the ball. Most of the dangerous skill players are gone, but Maryland has always given Clemson fits. They are usually stronger in the second half of the season, but I cant shake the memory of needing big fourth quarter runs by Reggie Merriweather and last seasons collapse to feel secure about a blowout win.
Clemson by 10 in a game that feels tighter than it should be as our offense struggles again to score points....
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