What are some of those intangibles you spoke of earlier?
"We're missing some of our skill guys. We only start four seniors on this team. Three on defense and one on offense. There are some things there that we have to continue to grow to. I'm very confident in what we have. I'm confident in what we've red-shirted and I'm confident on what's coming in here. I believe 100-percent in what we're doing and how.
"95 percent of the Clemson fans, they're some of the best people you'd ever meet. They're just great people. Then there are 5 percent who are - Lord have mercy - they're crazy. That 5 percent and it doesn't matter if it's Clemson or wherever, they expect more than they're willing to give. There are certain people that expect the team to show up every week and win every game and as soon as something doesn't go that way, they turn and run and cry and fire this guy and fire this player and all that kind of stuff. But that is a small percentage of the Clemson fans. Sometimes you have to coach your players on that.
"This is a great, teachable opportunity for us because things haven't gone as planned. We all know where we've fallen short. It's about getting better. You have to put your eyes in the front of your head not in the back. What's important is that we rally together. Let's go play as hard as we can. That's all that matters. That's what football does. It parallels life."
Our poll below is by no means scientific, but at nearly 1000 votes, it looks like a meager 22% want to keep you in your job Dabo Swinney. Everybody else wants you and TDP both out of town. Last I checked, 77% is more than 5%.
I've gone over what we expect from Clemson football before, but in brief terms I'll say that I expect a head coach to have some intelligence and use his eyesight.
- If RB 1 gets 6 ypc and RB 2 gets 2-3 ypc, then RB A and B should not get equal carries.
- If RB A and B get equal carries for several consecutive games and you only make the change after you lose multiple games, then you are blind or crazy.
- If WR A and B have been here 4 years and cannot catch a football, then it is on their current WR coach and their former WR coach.
- If you start WR A and B even though they drop said balls, quit on balls thrown to them or completely flub blocks for multiple games, and only make the change after you lose multiple games, then you are blind or crazy.
- If you continually try to air it out with inept or inexperienced WRs and a QB that is not playing well, while your running game is strong and capable of carrying you to victory, then you are blind or crazy.
Doesnt look to me that folks calling for your head are the crazy ones. In fact, this statement seems far more crazy than anything else I read today:
I expected that we could be undefeated right now and you know what, we've been in a position to do that. We've made a ton of progress in a short period of time. This season is not over.
I'm waiting to see all the progress, what I saw last weekend was more of the same. I havent seen progress on offense, I think they've digressed and theyre predictable. BC and Miami may have known our plays before running them, which is not a revelation to me, but you can't get out of the predictability enough to fool your own fans, much less the opposition. Kyle has digressed from a purely fundamentals standpoint even. CJ won us a division but with all the talent on this team, you can't get them out of their own way. But youre right, the season is not over, and I'll cheer for the Tigers no matter what.
When it comes to giving I think I speak for many folks when I say we're tired of giving, now lets see some damned results for that big paycheck we keep shelling out. 20 years without a championship and 10 years of WTF-style losses like this weekend while pulling in talent that should easily be Top-20 level will bring that about.