Wednesday October 29, 2008

Micro vs. Macro

Micro vs. Macro
Dabo Swinney has me more excited about the Boston College game this weekend but I still can’t get my mind off of the big picture.

I try to focus on daily activities and focus on the normal work week but my mind always wonders to the first week in December.

Who will be the head coach at Clemson this Christmas?

I am “All In” with Dabo as the interim and would be “All In” with him or Muschamp or Foster or whoever is named at the press conference in December. But I am inpatient and just can’t stop thinking about the possibilities.

Who will be the coordinators? What will the schemes be on both sides of the ball? What will the identity of the program be?

I just can’t focus. I feel like a kid the day after Thanksgiving that just can’t stop thinking about Santa’s visit about a month later.

The truth is no one knows who the coach will be and who the coordinators will be or what the identity will be. The anticipation is the fun part. The anxiety is not.

So here is what I do know about the Clemson Tigers in 2009:
The Schedule
In 2009 the Tigers will have out of conference home games against Coastal Carolina, Middle Tennessee and an opponent from the MAC opponent. They will travel to Columbia to play South Carolina. Home conference tilts will be against Wake Forest, Florida State, Boston College and Virginia while the road conference games are at Maryland, N.C. State, Georgia Tech and Miami.

I am not trying to get too far ahead of myself here because this 2008 schedule looked easy too and this team is currently 3-4. However, this is not a schedule that should be ranked among the toughest in the country. I think it is still too early to tell how difficult a schedule is until about October. In the pre-season we all thought Georgia’s was extremely difficult but it has not turned out that way.

Quarterback
Again this is an area that will be difficult to project because this past year the Tigers had a record setting quarterback returning but the position has been a weakness in 2008. Willy Korn and Kyle Parker should take a healthy competition into the spring and my best guess is the Tigers could get better quarterback play in 2009 than they have in 2008.

Running Back
We know James Davis is gone but at this point we do not know about C.J. Spiller. If the Florida native returns for his senior year then this is a strength of the offense. Jamie Harper and Andre Ellington impressed in the fall camp and both should figure prominently in the plans of the new staff in the spring.

Wide Reciever
The Tigers lose Aaron Kelly and Tyler Grisham. Without knowing the scheme of the new offensive coordinator it is difficult to project but Jacoby Ford would figure to play a bigger role next season under any staff. I am not sure where Rendrick Taylor fits into the 2009 plans but wide out may be an option. Xavier Dye and Marquan Jones will have the spring to impress the coaches in an attempt at more playing time here and Jaron Brown had impressed scout team coaches.

Tight End
Michael Palmer and Durrell Barry come back plus the Tigers will get an upgrade of talent with red-shirt freshman Dwayne Allen. Again, without knowing how the tight end will work with the new staff it is difficult but I count on this being an improved group in 2009.

Offensive Line
This unit can’t be as bad as they have been this season. Injuries have bombarded this unit and the current staff is forced to play too many young people and in too many different positions to create any continuity.

Everyone but Bobby Hutchinson returns. Barry Humphries will have a little less than a year to recover from his torn ACL but hopefully everyone will be ready for the spring. I can’t promise you which tackles stay at tackle and which ones move inside. Who knows if any inside players move to tackle under the next staff? I do believe there is talent here and I do think some depth can come out of the adversity of this season.

Defensive Line
I think Rickey Sapp has to come back for his senior season. I am not sure he has done enough this season to come out early. Da’Quan Bowers should be better in year two also. Andre Branch, Kevin Alexander and Kourtnei Brown should get better.

Clemson will miss Dorell Scott and Rashaad Jackson but Jarvis Jenkins and Brandon Thompson should give the new staff something to work with in the spring. Jamie Cumbie returns and Miguel Chavis and Antwon Murchison are solid. The entire defensive line could be a strength depending on development throughout the spring.

Linebacker
The Tigers have struggled this season but really do not lose anyone of note for 2009. I would think Brandon Maye and Stanley Hunter continue to develop in their sophomore seasons. Who knows what the new staff will do defensively and if DeAndre McDaniel or Scotty Cooper stay at linebacker. Kavell Conner should provide some stability at one spot. I think at this stage the linebackers could be considered a question mark at this stage.

Secondary
The corners are deep and experienced but the safeties are far from that. Chris Chancellor, Crezdon Butler, Byron Maxwell, Marcus Gilchrist and Coty Sensabaugh give Clemson a deep unit at corner. This would most assuredly be considered a strength again next season.

Michael Hamlin and Chris Clemens are gone and not much depth was developed at safety. My guess is that Spencer Adams, Rashard Hall and Carlton Lewis get a look as red-shirt freshmen along with Sadat Chambers and perhaps someone moving to safety or a freshman. At any rate, this will be a big concern to the new staff.

Special Teams
Mark Buchholz has had a perfect season to date and Jimmy Maners is gone as well but Dawson Zimmerman has experience at punter. Who knows what will happen with the place-kicking duties.

Next year’s team will have attrition and a new recruiting class will add some depth. I know it is too early to think about 2009 because we still have five games left in 2008. But I have to be honest and my mind just keeps drifting to the press conference naming the new coach in December, the naming of new staff members, spring practice, fall camp and hopefully a much better 2009.

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