Tuesday July 07, 2009

What I Want To See

What I Want To See
I know we had the list of questions from yesterday’s blog but I purposely allowed for only three days of those questions a week. This allows us one day for the e-mail bag for Friday and one other day were can go over anything that arises that day.

On this morning’s radio show we had one of those topics. I made the statement that to me this season is not just about wins and losses. Don’t get me wrong, I want to win and win championships every year. But I am more interested in seeing four things in the first full year of Dabo Swinney’s tenure.

I said on today’s show that I am not sure if there is ten points difference between Clemson and ten of the teams on the schedule. I do think the Tigers should be heavy favorites against Middle Tennessee and Coastal Carolina but the other ten are a different story. There is not a team on the schedule the Tigers could not beat if they played well. But ten schools also have the talent to beat the Tigers if they play well and the Tigers do not.

Therefore, I am going into the 2009 season with no expectations for wins and losses. Instead, there are only four things I need to see this season. The four things I want to see are some of the things missing in the past few seasons in Tigertown.

Unity Every Week
We spend a lot of time talking about intangibles and some of those mean more than others. But this season I want to see a unified team that stays unified every week.

The football season is long and it will bring about adversity in different ways. Last year when adversity struck we saw a team crumble. The quarterback never took blame and pointed fingers at his offensive line and his coach. A 7-6 season was disappointing but watching a senior leader throw his teammates under the bus was painful.

This season I don’t want excuses. I want loyalty to each other. I want to see a team that will fight FOR each other and not WITH each other.

Toughness
I have beaten this drum for the past three seasons. This program lacked physical and mental toughness. I want to see offensive linemen in a three-point stance that blows people off of the ball. I want to see an offensive line that can impose their will upon the other team. I want to see an offense that could tell the other team when they we’re going to run the ball and the defense still could not stop them.

The last couple of football seasons have been hard to watch because tough defenses beat Clemson up physically. The Tigers had no chance running the football against Virginia Tech, Alabama and Nebraska in the last few seasons because the opponent was often times tougher.

Fundamentally Sound Football Team
How many times in recent years have we seen the Tigers have a bone-headed play at the wrong time? Maybe it looked something like this…..The opponent has it third and 15 and throws an eight yard out that would have been well short of the first down sticks but a Tiger defender commits pass interference and gives a cheap first down.

Roughing the punter or late hits ring a bell? How about the about the “not enough men on the line of scrimmage” penalties?

I want to see smart football. I don’t need to see the quarterback slide a yard short of the first down. I don’t need to see the quarterback take a sack instead of throwing the ball away. How many times have we seen the quarterback run out of bounds three yards behind the line instead of simply throwing the ball out of bounds?

Smart, fundamentally sound football teams would have played for a conference title over the past five or six seasons.

Aggressive Defense
One thing that drove me crazy in the last few seasons has been the lack of aggression in the defensive game plans.

Sure Clemson has had some defenses that ranked fairly high statistically but stats don’t tell the entire story. This defense has not been aggressive in years. Last season the Tigers did not force the issue. They did not impose their will upon the offense. The defense did not control the tempo or set the tone.

Last season the Tigers had 14 sacks in 13 games. They forced few turnovers and did not win the field position battle. I can remember very few games where the Tigers have actually won close, low scoring field position battles in the past few seasons.

Too often we talk about the glory days of Clemson football but when you haven’t won a conference title in this many years, we are forced to do so. In the glory years, Clemson’s defense controlled the game. They forced their will upon the opponent.

In summary, I could try and sell you on the idea that I only care about these four things and wins and losses don’t matter. However, we know that is not the case. But I firmly believe this year is a lot like the past few seasons where talent is not the issue. If Clemson does these four things in 2009, the wins will take care of themselves and championships will follow. Remember it has not been a lack of talent that has caused a void in the championships department.

Give me a unified team that is physical, fundamentally sound and aggressive on defense and I will show you a title. Just ask Virginia Tech.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:
*If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.
*If you would like to add someone to the list please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com
*If you want the reason for the prayer to be added to the name please specify in your e-mails.
*Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list

Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, Mrs. Kathleen Bowers, Larry in Naples, FL, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Frank Taylor, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, Jack Huffman, Nancy Winkler, Dr. Nancy Strom Morgan, John Reeve, Eileen Woodrum, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Jean-Pierre Bailey, Kaitlyn L, William Perry, Delores Weaver, Eric Boessneck, John Bowers, Jimmy Ness, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, John Petrey, the Byrd family, Chalmers Carr.