First of all let me say, i love your blog and i read it religiously everyday.

I just read your Wednesday Blog about Manning up. I think you're exactly correct. Every bit of it. My question is, what do you think our chances are of coming out and 'hitting VT in the mouth' as I and every Clemson fan would like to do? I mean, for a team like VT to come out and play Beamer ball is easy, because they created it. That's their personality. But our personality seems to be more 'smoke and mirrors'. I don't mean that in a gimmicky way, just that we use misdirection and things so much that we seem to run plays much like a magician does a magic trick. That's just my view, and it wouldn't be the first time I’ve been wrong. For a team like ours to play Beamer ball is so much harder. It's like an entire other persona.

I completely agree that the team that comes out and throws the first punch that lands will be the team to win. I just want to know what you think our chances are of coming out and being that team that lands the haymaker?

Thanks and as always,

GO TIGERS!

I only played some high school ball, but I think the main problem is (especially on offense against good teams) the schemes are to complex resulting in too many missed assignments, breakdowns, penalties, etc. Basically Rob Spence and Tommy are outthinking themselves trying to create mismatches and advantages. The schemes are so involved the offense struggles if defenses make an adjustment or a change right before the ball is snapped and the quarterback has problems audibling into the correct play in response.

I say this because it should not take a quarterback 3 years to learn the system. By the staffs own admission Cullen Harper did not have a good enough understanding of the offense last year to replace Proctor if he struggled. This year the staff says Korn has a lot to
learn yet. This is the primary reason they have not been able to get Korn on the field more this season even though he has more talent than Harper.

This is not a science experiment like the Mad Scientist Rob Spence is trying to make it - it is
blocking and tackling. It is pathetic to see the offense struggle like it did Saturday.

What is your take?

My question is not one to fan the flames of Anti-Bowden, but it is to simply inquire about the ability to motivate. Which coaches do you feel are the best motivators to help this team and these young players know that they are good and can win? The common perception is that Bowden is not a good motivator. Granted the example of after losing to Wake and then beating Florida State is used mostly by those to support Bowden. But looking at the years of coaching at Clemson and the games played/lost/won, I would like to know who motivates well and who needs improvement?
Thanks

I have been curious about something for several years now and if it has ever been addressed on here, I missed it and I apologize.
Why do college coaches all over America allow the long hair hanging out of the helmet? I just can’t figure it out. I can only imagine what Bear Bryant, Woody Hayes and many more of the old time greats would have said to a player that looked like this. I seriously doubt Danny Ford or Joe Morrison would have allowed it. I know this is a new era, but why this? You know, I can’t think of one truly great “ difference-making “ player that you just could not win without, that has hair like this. What’s wrong with a coach making rules and telling a kid during recruitment “ I would love for you to come to Clemson, USC or wherever, but you will be expected to cut your hair and look like an athlete. Anyway, just curious. Your thoughts?

I have not seen anywhere where TB has said he would change our kicker? Why not? Are our other kickers injured?

Handling adversity during the heat of the battle is difficult. In fact, handling adversity after the battle is almost as difficult.....only because you have more time to adjust and "get your mind right"!

If you deal with adversity during the heat of the battle, perhaps the eight or so dropped passes becomes only one or two.....then you are first and ten and going for a touchdown or two instead of kicking field goals and missing 4.....and fumbles...... and blocked punts....and penalties.... and less than adequate blocking, etc, etc, etc......

Adversity can be like a "cancer"....spreading, regardless of treatment. What happened on Grant Field Saturday can only be .... "lessons learned" and let's move forward. This approach DEMANDS leadership from the top down.

The Tigers must have a much improved performance Saturday evening at HOME against VA TECH or we could be looking at a tumble of even greater proportions than last November !!

I still think this TEAM (that includes coaches and players, as it should) is capable of handling adversity, both in the heat of the battle and after.

Play a solid game Saturday and get a victory.....get a week off to do some physical healing.....play a winnable Homecoming game and roll !!! Accomplish this and perhaps this team can get thru the toughest part of the'07 schedule (and yes, that includes Duke) and get to Jacksonville.

We shall see.......we shall see

Thanks for listening,

I have four questions concerning our coaches:

1) Why don’t we get any nationally rated tight-ends with Billy Napier as one of our most active recruiters?
2) Why don’t we get any nationally rated wide receivers with Dabo Swinney as one of our most active recruiters?
3) What has Rob Spence done at Clemson to be known as the “mad scientist”? I doesn’t seem that he can adjust game plans to what the opponents do - ,ie. Virginia Tech, Maryland, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Georgia Tech.
4) Why is the quarterback so sacred to Rob Spence that the starting quarterback can’t sit for a series to see what the opposing defense is doing? It seems that a second team quarterback could possibly do better than a struggling first string quarterback. This isn’t a call for Willy Korn or against Harper, just a question concerning coaching philosophies.