If you aren't prepared to hear bad language or the truth, click elsewhere now.
I don't even have to say much, lets just list some facts:
- We play with 11 walk-ons, 2 recruits worse than what Southern Cal will have when their probation losses fully kick in, and you just lost to a team that has lost 11 of their players.
- 11 carries for 55 yards for Ellington. 12 for 27 for Harper. Thats just today. 39 passing attempts by Clemson, against a team that averaged 176ypg rushing allowed beforehand.
- Against UM: 17-107 for AE and 3 TDs. JH had 18 carries for 57 yards. Against AU: AE with 22 carries and 140 yds, JH with 19 for 44.
- Play a guy with a broken wrist on punt return. Play your only TE on every snap and then again on special teams.
Now if you just walk-on to our FB team, you'll get a scholarship, become a WR coach and suddenly get promoted for no logical reason and make a million bucks to go 15-11. I'm going to remind you, and show those who haven't seen, what the staff thinks about the AE/JH situation
Has Ellington's performance over the first four games caused you to re-evaluate the distribution of carries at running back?POWELL: "Not really. Jamie Harper didn't play as well this game as he'd liked to have played. We all know Jamie can make plays. Andre played 42 plays. I'm not sure he can play 62 plays. So whether it's 1A and 1B - you start giving him 50-something plays, I think you'll get diminishing results. We're going to keep it the way it is."
So evidently they are just blind, or blatantly stupid. They watch the tape, so I find myself leaning towards stupid. This is not neurosurgery, its not rocket science. If I give you a guy who gets 5-6 yards every time he touches the damn football, what do you do with him? You feed him the football til he can't stand up any more, then substitute. If I give AE the ball 30 times today, we beat UNC. Not one damn soul reading this can tell me that he wouldn't have had over 130 yards if he got 30 carries, likely over 150.
But no, not at Clemson. Our staff isn't that bright. They prefer to continue doing the same dumb shit that got the last staff fired. They take the winner out and put the Ballerina in at RB, and then when the defense shows that they want to give up the run, they decide to call passes.
In the post game press conference, Dabo said "I'm embarrassed.....couldnt get the running game going today." Well, if he had half a brain, he'd see that his OC didn't even CALL THE RUNNING PLAYS TO TRY TO RUN THE DAMN BALL. YOUR HORSE SAT ON THE DAMN SIDELINES THE ENTIRE GAME AND DIDNT GET THE BALL WHEN HE WAS IN THE BALLGAME.
WHERE WAS THE ZONE RUNNING GAME?
WHERE WAS THE ISOLATION BEHIND DIEHL? YOU HAVE THE BEST LEAD BLOCKER IN THE CONFERENCE AND DONT EVEN RUN BEHIND HIM AGAINST A DEFENSE THAT ALLOWED 176 PER GAME COMING IN?
But no, that stuff just doesnt make sense, we'll use our 235lb sissy on a sweep so he can practice dancing, and then throw 39 times and hope for the best. AE wasn't hurt, as Dabo said after the game, they just didnt give it to him.
Look, losing to UNC isnt the problem here, losing 3 in a row that you pissed away because of poor preparation, playcalling, and overall coaching ineptitude is the immediate problem. Team comes out totally flat on both sides, Defense still gives up big chokes on 3rd down, Napier can't figure out how to call running plays when AE is in, and they basically can't see that AE should actually be IN THE GAME so he can get those carries. It took you 4 weeks to figure out that Xavier Dye and Terrance Ashe suck? I suppose it'll take 4 more to figure out that AE should get the ball more often now.
And every one of Clemson's beat writers should be hammering this staff right now. I know they read us from time to time, and if they dont ask tough questions they should be ashamed.
We did a lot of good things today and i'm really encouraged by some players, but when the staff continues to screw up, it doesnt do me any good to enumerate them because next week those will be the things we botch. I'll save them for the film review if you want to see them.
Every Clemson fan in the country should be ashamed of how this staff has prepared this team to play ball. We got KP back and we're 2-3 now, when we'd be 2-3 with Tajh Boyd too. Its not his fault we're 2-3, he cannot overcome those around him by himself.
If you want to fire somebody, don't misdirect your anger at Dabo Swinney, Billy Napier, or Kevin Steele. They may be on the hook for the immediate problem, but youre stuck with them. You need to direct it at those who put them in place: Terry Don Phillips, Jim Barker, and the entire Board of Trustees. If the incompetent people are making the hires, then the next hire won't do any better. Our problems go from the top down.
Wanna fix it? Here you go, heres a list to start with:
david.wilkins@nelsonmullins.com (David Wilkins, Chairman of BOT)
tbrown@theamickcompany.com (Bill Amick)
bsmith@redrockdevelopments.com (Will Smith Jr. Vice Chair)
drleesoffice@bellsouth.net (Ronald D. Lee)
hortcola@aol.com (Louis B Lynn)
lcs@cdsfunds.com (Patricia H. McAbee)
tbmcteerjr@aol.com (Thomas B. McTeer Jr.)
asmith@alicemsgco.com (E. Smith McKissick)
nickym@defenderservices.com (John McCarter)
and IPTAY JBARKER@CLEMSON.EDU
PTERRY@CLEMSON.EDU
berthso@clemson.edu
mahonyr@clemson.edu
cbussey@clemson.edu
jwhite@clemson.edu
wjennes@clemson.edu
jcouch@clemson.edu
dunham@clemson.edu