Practice Changes

by Mickey Plyler - Radio Host - Tue Aug 11 09:19:23 GMT-04:00 2015

Practice Changes

I know a lot of Clemson fans have sent prayers to Dabo SwinneyDabo Swinney
Head Coach
View Full Profile after he lost his father this past weekend. Dabo has dealt with adversity all of his life and this weekend is another example of life's hard lessons.

In terms of football, his absence is not a big deal in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, Dabo is a major part of the success here and his presence is very important. However, he has hired good assistants, and the system is in place where practice can go on.

Deshaun WatsonDeshaun Watson
So. Quarterback
#4 6-2, 205
Gainesville, GA
View Full Profile was asked about Dabo having to leave the program for a couple of days and said, "We know his situation and where he's at. We still have to have that mentality to grind and get better each day. We can't have this tragedy and take a couple of days off because he's not here. He's down in Alabama with his family, and he's expecting us to get better and improve each day. The last couple of days have been pretty good, but we have Coach Swinney and his family in our prayers.”

Many probably didn't realize this used to happen a lot more often in the past.

Back in his prime of his coaching career Danny FordDanny Ford
Former Head Coach
View Full Profile often missed Monday practices. Ford was in high demand on the speaking tours and back in those days touchdown clubs were in every major city across the south. Ford was a popular figure and spent many Monday's on the road speaking.

He also spent that time on the road recruiting. The NCAA recruiting rules were different back then. The head coach could go on the road recruiting more often, and the coaches didn't have a limited number of contacts throughout the season. Therefore, Ford was one of the most active head coaches in the country when it came to hitting high schools across during the season.

So Dabo has good coaches and good coordinators in place to run practice efficiently in his absence. I do think he is missed more this year than he would have been had he missed a couple of practices in the last few years because of his new role. In my opinion, Clemson benefitted from Chad MorrisChad Morris
Offensive Coordinator / QBs
View Full Profile and his sense of urgency in practice the last four seasons. I was curious to see who would step in and play the role of "the enforcer" in practice. Who would be the coach that would replace the yelling and screaming at players who made mistakes? I didn't see Tony ElliottTony Elliott
Co-OC / Running Backs
View Full Profile taking over that role as one of the new coordinators. I didn't think Brandon StreeterBrandon Streeter
Quarterback Coach
View Full Profile would be that guy as the new quarterback coach. But in the first three practices that I saw, it was Dabo who picked up the role.

Finally, there are other aspects of practice that are totally different than the old days. Practices move faster. There is more competition going on all over the field. The biggest difference is the atmosphere, though. I would have never thought that music would be played throughout practice. I really would have never believed there would be a DJ at college football practice, but apparently this concept works.

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