Thursday July 29, 2010

News

News
I was talking to a huge Tiger fan yesterday afternoon and he said, “I can’t wait for next week when we have some real news coming out about the football program.”

I replied, “There is news every day. Kyle Parker is coming back. Freshmen are getting the news about eligibility. The All-ACC pre-season team. The pre-season poll.”

He said, “You know what I mean. Real news!”

I did know what he meant and I agree that I too am ready for some “real news.”

I think we all know to be guarded with the news that comes out though. First, Dabo is the most optimistic man in America, so most of the news will be positive. Also, coaching staffs can manipulate headlines to either motivate or encourage.

I have seen this happen many times. If an upperclassman reports back to camp a little out of shape or has a bad practice or two, his position coach can put out that the freshman at his position is looking great. The depth chart is a terrific motivator and some coaches love to use it in the pre-season to get the most out of a player who may need a little push.

Sometimes a freshman may be a little homesick and may be having second thoughts, so a coach may throw him a bone in a post-practice media session to help encourage the newcomer.

I have seen coaches recruit with post-practice quotes. He can say how badly the wide outs looked and how we need help at this position.

You have to be careful with scrimmages too. If we rushed for over 300 yards in a scrimmage does that mean we have a great offensive line and running backs or is the defense struggling?

Even scrimmages themselves can be scripted to help one side of the ball. If the defense is dominating in the first two scrimmages a staff can script formations and plays to help assist the offense and let them gain confidence.

These are all tricks of the trade and part of the reason why I get a little skeptical of the “real news” coming out.

But if we are looking for “real news”, I have a few headlines I would love to see this August.

Parker Shows No Rust
Kyle Parker did not pick up a football for months but observers could never tell by watching Clemson’s starting quarterback in fall camp….

Boyd Pushing Parker
Clemson offensive coordinator Billy Napier thought Tajh Boyd may have been the starter at quarterback before Kyle Parker decided to return to school. But if Napier would have known Boyd would look this good then he could have slept better this summer…..

More Thunder and Lightning
C.J. Spiller and James Davis started it but Andre Ellington and Jamie Harper have the Clemson coaching staff using comparisons to the star duo

Freshmen McNeal and Hopkins Bolster Wide Receiver Corps
When camp opened up there was an opportunity for the freshmen wide receivers and red-shirt freshman Bryce McNeal and true freshman DeAndre Hopkins have more than taken advantage of the opportunities….

Light Comes On For Dye, Jones, Brown
There have been times earlier in the careers of Xavier Dye, Marquan Jones and Jaron Brown where they looked behind in their development for one reason or another. However, in this pre-season camp the light has come on for all three….

Allen As Good As Advertised
Last season the Clemson offense looked to Michael Palmer on third downs, this year Dwayne Allen has all of the confidence he will be as good or better as the third down option in the Clemson passing game…..

Depth No Longer a Concern for Tigers at Tight End
This spring Clemson tight end Danny Pearman had few able bodies but freshmen Victor Beasley and Sam Cooper have helped ease depth concerns at tight end….

Scott Loves Depth Along Offensive Front
The offensive line may have been a weakness in the past and depth is always a concern but Clemson centers and guard coach Brad Scott says this is the best offensive line has had in his days at Clemson and depth is no longer a big issue….

Bowers Kicked Out of Scrimmage
Dabo Swinney kicked Da’Quan Bowers out of the scrimmage Saturday at Clemson. However, Tiger fans worry not. Swinney said he told the defensive end that Clemson’s offense could not get anything accomplished because he was unblockable. So Swinney took a page out of former Clemson coach Danny Ford’s book. During his playing days at Clemson former Tiger defensive tackle Michael Dean Perry out of practice for the same reason…..

Steele, Brooks High on DL
Kevin Steele and Dan Brooks have been around some national championship programs in the past but they both say this defensive line at Clemson has a chance to be as good as any they have coached….

Hawkins and Parker Have Tigers Thinking About The Old Days
Clemson fans remember the days of Davis, Brown, Kirkland, Simmons, etc. Two underclassmen linebackers may have the fans once again thinking of Clemson as “Linebacker U”…..

Harbison Finds Depth in Freshmen
Clemson defensive back coach Charlie Harbison knew he had some experience in his first team players but he has been very pleased with his freshman this camp….

Dabo Pleased With Kicking Game
Dabo Swinney said he was once again please with the consistency he has seen from his special teams this pre-season camp….

But the number one headline I want to see again and again this fall camp is:

No Injuries From Clemson Practice
Clemson completed another practice with any major injuries…..

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, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard, Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, The Huffman family, Nancy Winkler, John Reeve, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Kaitlyn L, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, Jeffrey Greene, the Hutto family, Sherl Drawdy, Caleb Kennedy, Teresa O'Connor, Matt Jacobs,Perrin Seigler, Carole White Begley, Candee Massee, Lindsey Jordan, Sam Catoe, Tyler Felch, Steve Cato, the Nicolopulos family, Cason Palmer, Scott Jackson, "the Jacksonville, FL guys", Kim Sims, the Coyle familty, Ryleigh Tedder, Steve Lee, Richard Crawford, Kelly Trakas, Jimmy Moore, Steve Williams Jr, Steve Williams III, Kim Thomas, Reid Thomas, Sam Thomas, Linda Wiggs, Emily Claire Young, Dr. Wallace Honeycutt, Stacy Fowler, Kitty Bowers.