Monday October 05, 2009
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Monday October 05, 2009
Maryland Review In the past I have been accused of being a sunshine pumper and an apologist. No more. Not on this Monday. When you lose to the worst team in the ACC, good news is hard to invent. Saturday was inexcusable. Clemson was beaten by an inferior football team Saturday and there is no excuse for it. That loss was devastating. There are other words to describe it. Embarrassing. Humiliating. Unacceptable. I am a fan of Dabo Swinney but even Dabo has been using the line from the movie “Jerry McGuire’ that says, “They don’t call it show friends. They call it show business.” I am not sure of the answers because to be honest, I don’t know all of the problems. I have heard a lot of theories. Dabo is too inexperienced to be the head coach. Billy Napier is too inexperienced to be the offensive coordinator. Jeff Scott is too inexperienced to be the wide receiver coach. There is too much inexperience on the offensive side of the football. There is too many cook’s in the kitchen on offense. Brad Scott’s offensive linemen have not produced for years. The evaluations in recruiting have been an issue. Clemson is snake bit. Terry Don Phillips should not have hired Dabo. There was no real coaching search. Barker and the board don’t understand the commitment it takes to be successful in athletics. The athletic director and president are not “All In.” I have heard all of the theories and I really don’t know which are a higher priority but I do know something is wrong. How is this football team 2-3? How could this happen? Freakin Maryland beat us? This has to be a bad dream. At one time Dabo said Clemson football was not broken and did not need a tune up. Instead, he said we just needed to rotate the tires and change the oil. Well, it is broken now. I am not saying we need to sell the car but a complete engine rebuild is needed. This offense is pathetic. When someone finds out the identity of this offense then please let me know. I don’t know if the problems are in the offensive line, the wide receivers, the coaches or the players. I do know that it is broken. And I don’t think the defense gets a pass either. This defense has not been able to shut down the opponent when it has to. I see high profile defensive players that look pretty in uniform but I don’t see productivity. Clemson cannot win close games but let’s be honest, Saturday’s game should not have been close. Clemson should have won that game by two or three touchdowns. After some losses in the past, I could rationalize the fact that the Tigers were still in the ACC race or in the division race. In fact, that is still the case today. Wake Forest beat NC State and Boston College upset Florida State Saturday. But is it enough to be the best of a bunch of bad teams? The Atlantic Division is a joke. Florida State is in shambles and the rest of the division is not much better. The truth hurts and the truth is Clemson has not been a power in football in 20 years. It has been 20 years of mediocrity. There used to be a time where it was easy to be a Clemson fan. Now being a Clemson fan means you have had to endure with 20 years of bad football. It has been years of infighting. It has been bad bowl trips and bad losses. I hate being a doom and gloom guy but Saturday was unacceptable. This past summer I came to the realization that part of Clemson’s issues over the past 20 years is the fact that we have accepted mediocrity. I can’t accept it any longer. At this point I don’t think firing Dabo is the right thing but some changes have to be made and it has to be on offense. I could be wrong about another issue but I don’t think head coaches should call plays or have a say in play calling. I think there is enough going on through the week and in a game that the head coach should leave the play calling to the coordinators. Head coaches need to manage the game not the individual plays. Hire people to do a job and let them do it. As fans we don’t know everything about the program. But we all can tell something is wrong. I have said that I can’t play a guitar but I know when I listen I can tell who can and who can’t. I can watch other offenses and see who has an identity. With an open date coming up we all can now step on our bottom lips for two weeks. I don’t even know if a convincing win against Wake Forest will help our feelings. The ineptness is hard to stomach. I look forward to better Mondays and feeling better about this program. I am hopeful that this season and this program can be turned around in a hurry. But at least my yard looks better this week. The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency
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Mickey:
With your inside view of the team--practices, talks, etc. you can offer no reasons for this meltdown? Coaching? Players? Schemes? It is so frustrating and so baffling how others do it and we continue to be the victim.
To better days in Tigertown. GO Tigers!!!
Posted by AThomas on October 05, 2009 at 10:01 AM EDT #
Wake is now one of the biggest "must win" games in a long long time. If they lose that one at home with a road trip to Miami coming up, the team will pack it in and players will quit playing.
Posted by DV_1981 on October 05, 2009 at 10:34 AM EDT #
If this killing him, I can't imagine what his mental state will be when on top of the Clemson losses, his Yankees bow out yet again in the first round of the playoffs. Stay strong, Mick!
Posted by Filo Betto on October 05, 2009 at 10:36 AM EDT #
Mediocre is paying this team at this time a complement.
Let's go Tigers!!! Finish Strong!
Posted by cu85tiger on October 05, 2009 at 10:46 AM EDT #
Mickey,
winning or losing, somehow you always find a way to irritate the strong hearted clemson fan.
you can try but you can't take back what you've said about this team (including coaches).
i hope big things happen the remainder of the year. don't know if your going for ratings or just trying to be cool, but your show and blog is bad for recruiting (fans, players, & coaches).
i know, if you don't like it, get out. all we can hope for is you'll get out.
your not fit for the job dog.
Posted by carson80 on October 05, 2009 at 11:03 AM EDT #
Mickey,
winning or losing, somehow you always find a way to irritate the strong hearted clemson fan.
you can try but you can't take back what you've said about this team (including coaches).
i hope big things happen the remainder of the year. don't know if your going for ratings or just trying to be cool, but your show and blog is bad for recruiting (fans, players, & coaches).
i know, if you don't like it, get out. all we can hope for is you'll get out.
your not fit for the job dog.
Posted by carson80 on October 05, 2009 at 11:11 AM EDT #
Mickey,
You are partially to blame for the current state of the Clemson program. It's mostly the fault of the athletic department for making such a terrible decision, but who gave them the idea?
After the Maryland and Wake Forest losses last year, who was pushing for Dabo as interim head coach? Who was lobbying for him to be given the head coaching job after the South Carolina win? (which, by the way is the only big win Dabo has had - if you can call beating our pathetic rival a big win).
Mickey, you had the power from your mic, to influence the powers that be to make the right decision and hire a proven, experienced coach. But instead, you pushed a guy on us that is obviously your friend.
Clemson is wasting their talent on a guy who doesn't know what he is doing. I know he's a nice guy and a good Christian man, but its time to stop hiring coaches based on that. Dont let Dabo drag this program down while he's trying to learn how to be a head coach.
Posted by McRib on October 05, 2009 at 11:12 AM EDT #
Mickey,
winning or losing, somehow you always find a way to irritate the strong hearted clemson fan.
you can try but you can't take back what you've said about this team (including coaches).
i hope big things happen the remainder of the year. don't know if your going for ratings or just trying to be cool, but your show and blog is bad for recruiting (fans, players, & coaches).
i know, if you don't like it, get out. all we can hope for is you'll get out.
your not fit for the job dog.
Posted by carson80 on October 05, 2009 at 11:14 AM EDT #
Wow, so now the football team's struggles are Mickey's fault? LOL! Get real, McRib.
Posted by Judge Keller on October 05, 2009 at 11:24 AM EDT #
Judge, stick to selling Clemson hats. I said Mickey pushed for Dabo and Dabo was a terrible hire.
I said it was a terrible hire then and its still a terrible hire. Clemson is worse that a laughing stock. They are irrelevent in a weak conference and an even weaker division.
Posted by McRib on October 05, 2009 at 11:30 AM EDT #
McRib
Posted by Biochem 98 on October 05, 2009 at 11:33 AM EDT #
I don’t even know if a convincing win against Wake Forest will help our feelings.
That's assuming we beat Wake at all, which, at this point, is a big assumption.
If I didn't love this school so much, I'd be jumping ship right now. This one is sinking fast.
Posted by triggerhappy on October 05, 2009 at 11:35 AM EDT #
You say that Saturday's loss was unacceptable and you will no longer accept mediocrity. What does this mean?
Are you going to stop attending games?
Are you going to stop buying season tickets and donating to Clemson?
Are you going to boo the players?
Are you going to push to have TDP fired?
Are you going to push to have Dabo fired?
Are you going to push to have Barker fired?
If you continue to go to the games, pay your money, support your team, etc., why do you think anything will change?
You can claim not to accept mediocrity but unless you and a whole lot more do something about it, nothing will change.
20 years should teach you that.
Posted by Tygrr86 on October 05, 2009 at 11:40 AM EDT #
How hard is this to figure out? What did we expect when TDP hired a novice head coach who trained under Tommy Bowden and went 4-3? What did we expect when Dabo hired 2 novices to run the OC & wide receivers, and kept Brad Scott to coach our perennially weak O-line? Improvement?
There's not an FBS (and probably not FCS) AD in the country who would have hired Dabo or Napier to be HC or OC, respectively (let alone both). Was Dabo the best possible choice? Of course not. Bargain basement.
Did anybody watch the beautiful, unpredictable offense that OC Mark Whipple ran against Oklahoma? THAT'S what you bring in a top-tier seasoned OC.
The way this team is playing, 2 more ACC losses and a loss to a stout-D SoCar (for a 6-6, 4-4 season), with fleeing recruits, seems likely.
Ask not why we're this bad. Ask, why TDP still has a job after foolishly giving TB a muli-million dollar buyout, firing him a couple months later, and hiring a discount WR coach to be HC?
Posted by Razzmatazz on October 05, 2009 at 11:53 AM EDT #
I agree with you, Mickey. That loss has really made me re-evaluate how much time and money I am going to sink into my love for Clemson Football, because I feel as though I care more than the people who can actually make a difference. Answer this one question: If we sank as much effort into being Top 20 in the final AP College Football Poll as we did into being a Top 20 Public University in some magazine (whose rankings are completely arbitrary, by the way), then would we be 2-3 right now?
Posted by Locotiger on October 05, 2009 at 11:54 AM EDT #
Well said, Razzmatazz.
Posted by McRib on October 05, 2009 at 11:58 AM EDT #
How in the heck did we lose to the worst team in the ACC?
Wake me up when its over. I'm watching Tennis on TV as my new spectator sport.
Wish me luck.
Have fun losing to Wake... in the last second... when we dominated the game... again...
Posted by dchinners on October 05, 2009 at 12:05 PM EDT #
Carson80: So are you saying that Mickey should just pump sunshine regardless of what he really thinks?
I'm glad that Mickey is saying what he, and many of us, are feeling. It's not like he's taking a radical, lunatic-fringe position.
I'm so sick of the local media sucking up to the coaches and always putting a positive spin on things so that they can keep good relations with (and gain continued access to) the coaches. This was refreshing.
Posted by Razzmatazz on October 05, 2009 at 12:07 PM EDT #
BTW, Razz.... you pretty well nailed it all down.
Posted by cdr4tigers on October 05, 2009 at 12:30 PM EDT #
BTW, Razz.... you pretty well nailed it all down.
Posted by cdr4tigers on October 05, 2009 at 12:30 PM EDT #
Bring on Basketball, and the March Meltdown! Yay mediocrity!
Posted by francismariontiger on October 05, 2009 at 01:25 PM EDT #
Bring on Basketball, and the March Meltdown! Yay mediocrity!
Posted by francismariontiger on October 05, 2009 at 01:27 PM EDT #
Great blog, Micky!
Posted by Clemson_Orange on October 05, 2009 at 01:50 PM EDT #
Our 20-yr drought coincides with when our AD ran off Danny Ford(1989). I predicted then that our best football days were behind us - God I hate being right all the time. That being said, i will support our team as long as I draw breath but 6-6 is starting to look pretty good right now.
Posted by 1962Tiger on October 05, 2009 at 01:52 PM EDT #
What's done is done! We can't change the past game; much less the past 20 years. Clemson has nothing more to lose; the team should go out and play with reckless abandon and with heart; showing no fear and leaving no doubt they they left everything out there on the playing field!
Posted by kdo1 on October 05, 2009 at 01:59 PM EDT #
You people tick me off! I understand your pain and feel it too. I'm mad about losing to MD too. Yes, CDS needs to fix this problem and I have no problem with raising your voices about that. But, stop talking about hiring the wrong guy etc etc. Stop! It serves NO PURPOSE. Get it? Yes, complain about the product on the field. Yes, complain about what the coaches say and do. Save your stupid criticism of things that cannot be changed and should not be addressed right now.
Mickey,
I agree with your blog. The coaching staff needs to do something fast. They need to produce a team that wins. The offense is really bad and really predictable. After watching Auburn, I have a new appreciation for just how unpredictable a team like ours could be if we wanted to be. The coaches need to realize that the sytem is not working. What that means, I don't know. I'm not being paid to know either.
Go Tigers!
Posted by Smplman on October 05, 2009 at 02:06 PM EDT #
You people tick me off! I understand your pain and feel it too. I'm mad about losing to MD too. Yes, CDS needs to fix this problem and I have no problem with raising your voices about that. But, stop talking about hiring the wrong guy etc etc. Stop! It serves NO PURPOSE. Get it? Yes, complain about the product on the field. Yes, complain about what the coaches say and do. Save your stupid criticism of things that cannot be changed and should not be addressed right now.
Mickey,
I agree with your blog. The coaching staff needs to do something fast. They need to produce a team that wins. The offense is really bad and really predictable. After watching Auburn, I have a new appreciation for just how unpredictable a team like ours could be if we wanted to be. The coaches need to realize that the sytem is not working. What that means, I don't know. I'm not being paid to know either.
Go Tigers!
Posted by Smplman on October 05, 2009 at 02:07 PM EDT #
Do you guys need me to explain the definition of mediocrity?
I don't think you all understand what it means.
Posted by otisman on October 05, 2009 at 03:08 PM EDT #
Smplman: Let me get this straight... It's stupid to point out a poor hiring decision when it's failing, but it's not stupid to point out poor coaching when it's failing. One has no purpose and the other one does. I don't follow your logic there.
Posted by Razzmatazz on October 05, 2009 at 03:16 PM EDT #
Razz...I agree with everything that you said and I don't think you could sum up the failure of our AD any better than that last sentence...
Likely, we had to settle for a 'cheap' HC is because of the extension and buyout given to TB. We probably would have been better off sticking with TB for now and removing him once the buyout was reduced.
We just need to cut bait at this point--the entire operation related to football needs to be replaced lock, stock and barrel, IMO and we need to get a proven coach to come in and systematically implement a process to turn this around. This experiment should be considered OVER.
And to SMPLMAN--it does make sense to complain about the hiring--especially in the context that the AD should be replaced along with the staff at the end of the season.
Posted by '99Tiger on October 05, 2009 at 03:47 PM EDT #
The Ford comment is well taken with me. When you run off a proven iconic winner because he doesn't act like you wish, you've got a big problem coming, and that problem is named Hatfield, West, Bowden, and Dabo Inc. Now, we have no real money to do anything with. So, we will do nothing and be the laughing stock of anyone with a stadium bigger than 80k. By the way, I hope someone will quit saying "when 80k show up on Sat." This just in...we don't get close to 80k anymore, so quit using that as our imaginary crowd. It sounds like we're stupid when we say that.
Posted by CU8993 on October 05, 2009 at 05:00 PM EDT #
kinda feels like the time we lost to duke
Posted by MyBoyWilly on October 05, 2009 at 05:35 PM EDT #
Mickey only cares about Mickey. People have called the show and tried to explain why this may be no better than a 6-6 team. They talk about the line, the linebackers, the receivers, the freshman QB, the freshman coach...all legit problems. Mickey's response? He laughs at them. Mickey says he's a half-full guy, and he prefers to be positive. Says Mickey, "NO WAY this is a 6-6 team. If this team goes 6-6, I'll buy you dinner." Why? Not because of any football reasoning--because Mickey's a "positive person."
And here Mickey is after another loss, just like clockwork, bashing the team as hard or harder than any fan. He's a clown. Mickey sees the world through the eyes of a fan, and that's it. Clemson should win because he WANTS them to win. When Clemson loses, his feelings are hurt--it's a personal offense to him.
He's basically a 6-year-old with a microphone and a computer...and hopefully the money to buy dinner for a caller.
Posted by clemson32 on October 05, 2009 at 08:14 PM EDT #
clemson32,
You are my hero.
love,
otisman
Posted by otisman on October 06, 2009 at 12:46 PM EDT #
Mickey
I flew over from London for the 2007 WF game where the Tigers dominated on both sides of the ball and yes CJ was wonderful. Perhaps that game should be reviewed by the coaches. Don't remember the game plan but boy did it work.
Best
Richard
Posted by richardraines on October 07, 2009 at 05:53 AM EDT #