2012 Post Championship Weekend Sunday Thoughts

I've done my griping and bellyaching regarding this Clemson football team/program and will not put you guys through the pain/suffering of hearing me repeat myself this soon after the end of the regular season. Here at STS, we are beginning the shift to basketball season and will try and dig through some of the statistical items from the regular season until the Bowl gets a little closer. That being said, Brad Brownell has challenged Clemson fans to get out and get loud in Littlejohn and I'll also encourage you to show up and support our basketball team. Brownell is a good X's and O's coach and you'll see a defined gameplan each and every night. If he can get the right players in here, Clemson is in business.

We are moving forward towards the bowl game. LSU is, well, LSU. If they have a lick of sense we will see nothing but isolation and power football plays with a sprinkle of the sweep. While I am concerned for Clemson, I am admittedly excited. An entire month of watching nothing but LSU offense and LSU's defensive line? That beats the hell out of film from NC State or Maryland. My initial concerns surround LSU coming out and simply whipping our ass up front on both sides of the football. The real positive here is Les Miles still coaches at LSU. He has a horseshoe shoved up his ass and seems to find ways to make games exciting despite the fact that LSU is probably deeper and more talented than any team they play. Anyway, we flipped for it last night and Dr. B won the right to discuss the ISO play so I'll get that power play they like to run. This offense makes everyone happy, hence having to divvy up particular plays.

I am concerned that the ACC may not win a bowl game, though the voters greatly helped out the conference giving FSU Northern Illinois instead of Louisville. The system is complete crap but it is what it is. I am off the Florida State bandwagon. They think they are elite yet FSU hasn't been elite for well over a decade. Annually they are overrated and simply are not their '90's self. Don't get me wrong, this is a good football team but not nearly as good as the media and such give them credit beginning every season. After blowing a third quarter lead last week and trying to lose to a very bad GT team, i want to hear crickets from Nolefan...just like I want to hear crickets from the Sweatshirt and our team when Scar talks shit. Win and you can talk trash, otherwise shut up.

NC State chose Dave Doeren as their football coach. I don't know much about MAC football but do know that he's been successful at N. Illinois. I, like everyone else, expected a little more out of Tom O'Brien up there as NCST has facilities, a fan base that will support this team, is in a state with pretty good high school talent, and yearly plays a manageable ACC schedule. Doeren is an up and coming coach who, with some improvements on the recruiting trail, can quickly win eight or more games in a season.

I've watched a couple of these Dr. Pepper halftime contests where college kids throw as many footballs into a Dr. Pepper can cutout as possible. Invariably, the participant who uses a two hand chest pass wins the contest. Dr. Pepper should take a cue from the USGA/R&A and get this technique out of the contest and require an overhead throw for a point to count. As you all know, USGA/R&A put forth rules that ban anchoring a putter, effecting folks who use the belly/long putter and use their body to stabilize the putting stroke. This adds more difficulty to the putting stroke, thus emphasizing skill. The elimination of the two hand chest pass in the Dr. Pepper contest would do the same. Another option to increase skill in this competition would be to make the pass a 15 yarder instead of the current 5 yards. Either way, an adjustment is necessary.

I don't get into NBA discussions often because I could honestly care less about the "association." However, David Stern's decision to hammer the San Antonio Spurs for making the best decision they can make for their basketball team is disturbing. I understand the NBA wanting to feature their best talent--particularly on nationally televised games. However, if that is the case do a better job with the schedule. Understand that if you schedule six road games in nine days, a coach with an aging team has to give his guys a break for the good of the basketball team. If Stern's order is the new norm, rename this the NBE--National Basketball Entertainment. David Stern acts more like the commissioner of a wrestling organization instead of a sports league when he makes decisions like this. Better yet, why not just scrap most of the regular games and sponsor season long dunk contests, mix in a cage around the court for other "games," remove the entire lane in favor of a trampoline, and maybe add a little more fire to the pregame and postgame interviews. They also need to get rid of the championship trophy in favor of a belt. Then one of those contests might be slightly entertaining.

That's all I have this week. Have a good one and let us know if there is something in particular we can look at in terms of Clemson football.