Thursday October 08, 2009
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Thursday October 08, 2009
We Are Experts Whenever Clemson loses a football game, I find myself bored watching the other games. It happened again last Saturday. Few things are worse than Clemson losing at noon and then me trying to pretend I care about the other games that day. I pay attention to other programs. I casually pull for other programs from time to time. Tuesday night I hurt a little when Rock Stockstill’s Middle Tennessee team lost at Troy. I am happy for Burton Burns when his running backs do well at Alabama. I called David Blackwell to wish him congratulations when his South Florida defense held FSU to a single touchdown in the Bulls 21-7 win. But really, deep down, I those feelings fade pretty fast. Yes, I am not a college football fan. I am a Clemson football fan. It’s worse in basketball. Shaka Smart’s Virginia Commonwealth team and Wes Long’s Queen’s College squad are two of the few that I will follow. I don’t love college basketball, I love Clemson basketball. Before I get into my main thought I need to preface it with one other quick point. Since I could not care less about other programs, it used to drive me crazy to hear about how half of the teams lose every Saturday. With those things stated, today’s blog is a commentary about criticism Dabo is receiving compared to his counterparts. I really like Dabo and it hurts to watch him and his offense struggle in this 2-3 start. It was so much nicer when the honeymoon was still in effect. But I notice that no one is immune. Bobby Bowden is under fire at Florida State. The chairman of the board of trustees says it is time for the head Seminole to retire. Here is a man that went 13-0-1 in bowl games from 1982-1995. He finished in the top five in the country 14 straight seasons from 1987-2000. The man won two national championships and 12 ACC titles from 1992-2005. He is Florida State football. Bowden turned a below average football program into the best program in the country in the 90s. But the Seminoles have fallen in the last eight plus seasons and Bowden is fighting to keep his job and retire on his terms. Like Bowden, Frank Beamer took over a program that was in shambles and had little history. Under Beamer, Virginia Tech won three Big East titles and three ACC championships. In the last five years the Hokies have won 51 games coming into this year. Yet Beamer gets ripped by his fan base about their offense. It has gotten so bad for the head Hokie that the last two years he has refused to take phone calls on his radio call-in show. Phillip Fulmer won a national title at Tennessee and won 10 games the year before the fan base turned on him and had him ousted in Knoxville. In the four years prior to his last season at Auburn Tommy Tuberville won 42 games. The fans turned and a 5-7 campaign cost him his job. Bob Stoops hears it. So does Mack Brown. This year Jim Tressel heard it for the first time. His Buckeyes won 76 games in seven years before this season but sports talk radio, newspaper columnist and internet sites in Columbus, OH have hammered Tressel and his conservative offense. If we are honest then we will recall the unrest with Danny Ford in 1980. Heck, I remember fans disappointed with Ford’s offense even in those years where the Tigers won 10 games. For Beamer and Tressel’s fans, winning is not enough. They have to win pretty. Part of me thinks it is society today. We play X-Box so we think we know more than the head coach and we need it to look impressive in the process. It’s obvious there are more avenues for more fans to voice their opinions and that is not a bad thing. But for some reason we think we are all smarter now and are all experts in every field. Political talks shows and websites are filled with better answers than we are getting from current elected leaders. Stock brokers now face competition from websites that offer day traders and chance to prove they are smarter than the pros. I would have taken that pitcher out right before the next batter hit the three-run homer. I would have gone for it on first down. I would not have hired that coach or that offensive coordinator. I would have not sent the troops to that war. If I were Tiger Woods I would have not hit driver off of that tee box. The experts are always wrong and we are always right. Dabo has to fix what is broken and he needs to do it fast. If he does not than this blogger and 80,000 others are smarter and are ready to take his job. As a sports talk show host and a blogger, I am charged to give opinions. Some are right and some are wrong. But all they are are opinions. The only ones that are right 100% of the time are the ones that are made in hindsight. It is easy for me, callers and readers to say what we would have done after the fact because we have the results to consider. The hard part is making those decisions before the fact and being held accountable for the results. The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency
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Booby Bowden
Posted by Clemsonsteve02 on October 08, 2009 at 09:07 AM EDT #
Booby Bowden...LOL...Talk about a Freudian Slip.
Posted by DreaminOfHartwell on October 08, 2009 at 10:04 AM EDT #
All of the coaches that you mentioned actually won something. I would have to say Clemson fans have a more legitimate complaint considering we have not.
I don't blame Dabo as much as I do the people that decided it was a good idea to hire him. Who wouldn't take a head coaching job if they were offered it? It doesn't take hindsight to see that Dabo was a bad hire. I said it would be a bad decision ever since Mickey was lobbying for him last year. It's not his fault that he's in way over his head.
Posted by McRib on October 08, 2009 at 10:09 AM EDT #
True, we aren't all experts... but you don't have to be a chef to know if the food tastes bad!
Posted by Twon2012 on October 08, 2009 at 10:19 AM EDT #
Well said McRib...Dabo put himself in a position to be easily criticized by promoting Napier to OC, promoting Jeff Scott to WR coach, and keeping Brad Scott around.
When you go against conventional wisdom and it doesn't work, of course the decision is going to be an easy target for criticism. No one should be surprised by the vitriol coming from the masses.
Posted by Sandy Springs+Tiger on October 08, 2009 at 11:01 AM EDT #
I think Dabo's at a little bit of a disadvantage with our critisism. Because it's an internal hire, we feel like we need results faster than if it was someone from outside the program. We want things to change but we don't want a "rebuilding year." And we don't expect one with an internal hire.
It's going to be hard for any new head coach at Clemson to justify himself if that means doing better than TB who consistently had winning seasons and took us to some good bowls.
Posted by jctiger03 on October 08, 2009 at 11:26 AM EDT #
Everyone who thinks he IS the man for the job is just as much an expert as those that think he isn't.
Posted by truetiger1998 on October 08, 2009 at 11:58 AM EDT #
Has anyone ever read "The Wisdom of Crowds"? The basic premise is that ALL of us are smarter than ANY of us. When roughly 80,000 people are in agreement then the odds are VERY good that we're right even if the coaching staff doesn't believe it. Case in point, I think you'd get an overwhelming consensus here that our offense is, in fact, broken despite what our head coach (the present as well as the former) has said. None of us may be an expert, but, in the cases where we agree, ALL of us probably are.
-Moon
Posted by Moondog on October 08, 2009 at 12:11 PM EDT #
Of course those coaches Mickey mentioned have won more than Dabo. I don't think his point was to compare Dabo to those guys, but to illustrate that even the most successful coaches are criticized by fans and "experts." So if they are criticized, despite their successes, then you know Dabo will be. It's part of the business.
The criticism Dabo has received this week is not fair, but I don't think it would be any different if he coached somewhere else. Most fans get way too wrapped up in their favorite team, and feel that they are owed a near-perfect season - even if it is the coach's first.
Posted by Judge Keller on October 08, 2009 at 12:12 PM EDT #
I dont understand the criticism of Beamer. All his teams do is win, year in and year out. So what if the offense stinks, they still win.
Dabo, on the other hand, his offense stinks and the team loses. Plus he doesnt have a decade of winning to back him up.
Posted by DV_1981 on October 08, 2009 at 12:26 PM EDT #
The criticism isn't fair? Are you kidding judge? It's the ignorant Clemson fans like you that are another problem with the program. Isn't it obvious that the offense coaching staff as a whole has no clue what they are doing?
Posted by McRib on October 08, 2009 at 12:29 PM EDT #
I would not have given Bowden a Contract extension and then fired him 5 games later.
Posted by you on October 08, 2009 at 12:35 PM EDT #
Judge Keller, please explain why you don't think the criticism Dabo/Staff have received this week is not fair. They were 13+ point favorites to win the game, but instead lost to a much less talented team.
As Clemson fans, we have all been down this road too many times before. I don't blame Dabo, since I also think it was a mistake to make the hire. I still can't believe TDP was able to sell the hire after comparing Dabo's resume to the other national candidates he interviewed.
However, I believe Dabo should only get two years to show he can lead us to the ACC championship. If not, he should be terminated, and the AD should hire a proven winner.
BTW, if you think the criticism was harsh this week...wait and see what happens IF they lose to Wake Forest. Talk about the wheels coming off...
Posted by CUTIGER3 on October 08, 2009 at 12:39 PM EDT #
CUTIGER3, I agree with everything you said except the 2 years. The program has already taken a step back with the Dabo hire. Clemson was an attractive place for GOOD coaching canidates to come before the Dabo hire. Since the hire, Clemson has taken a step back. The longer Dabo is here, the longer the rebuilding process will be. Regardless of what happens the rest of the season, it's time to move on after THIS season.
Posted by McRib on October 08, 2009 at 12:49 PM EDT #
OK, so lets all just give our opinions in advance and see how we do. I predict we loose to Wake. I've predicted that since late Summer, so I'm not basing it on any current situation. I'm VERY ok if I'm wrong. Hope I am. But this "non-expert" is saying Wake by 13. And i'll even go further and say it's our offense that loses it for us. Anyone else wanna predict anythign else about this season? Lets see how we do BEFORE the fact.
Posted by RU4GOD2 on October 08, 2009 at 01:01 PM EDT #
Dabo better get thru his head that helping call plays, signaling them in and trying to think about the big picture decisions in games are only for either people who think they know it all, or people who have proven that they know it all(like their record shows it). Give up something Dabo, before we give up on you!!!
Posted by CU8993 on October 08, 2009 at 01:29 PM EDT #
If you people dont like what you see then quit giving to IPTAY, quit going to the games, and quit coming onto blogs and crying like children. If you dont like the Tigers, stay the h*ll out of Death Valley and go jump on some other bandwagon. This old Tiger has had it.We dont need you and we dont want you. Support the team or go the h*ll home.
Posted by 1962Tiger on October 08, 2009 at 01:30 PM EDT #
The administration counts on people like you 1962Tiger - people that blindly support a poorly run organization. I gave to IPTAY this year and bought season tickets, just like every year. Even though I didn't like the decision to hire Dabo, I wanted to support the team. But don't worry, if Dabo is still here next year, I will stay the hell out. You may not need us or want us, but I bet IPTAY does.
Posted by McRib on October 08, 2009 at 01:57 PM EDT #
Dabo gives players playing time based on results. If one player is not producing, then he takes that guy out and inserts another one. Most people agree that is fair. Sure we feel bad for the player who is benched, but if he is benched because he was not producing, then everyone understands why the decision was made.
Posted by Locotiger on October 08, 2009 at 02:03 PM EDT #
1962Tiger: Many Clemson fans feel that they are supporting their team by contributing to IPTAY, cheering from the stands, and calling for a better, more experienced coaches. Apparently you feel that the best way to support the team is to accept mediocrity and support the coaches, no matter what. I respectfully disagree with your opinion.
It's unfortunate that you apparently have no respect for people with differing opinions since you say that they're "crying like children" and should "go the h*ll home". How ironic. With comments like that, please tell me that you didn't graduate (or were even born) in 1962.
Posted by Razzmatazz on October 08, 2009 at 02:13 PM EDT #
1962Tiger...You may be a loyal supporter, but that does not mean you are entitled to tell other fans How to be Fans!!! We all still have freedom of speech, whether we agree or not!!!
Posted by Rabbitjack on October 08, 2009 at 02:24 PM EDT #
In many cases, we, the Kool-Aid drinking fans are unreasonable in our complaints. (I think Tuberville and Fulmer are pretty good examples.) But if you look at what the more objective national sports media pundits have been saying about Clemson for the last few years, it pretty much exactly mirrors the fans' complaints. I have read article after article in the national press (and seen comment after comment on national TV shows) that make fun of Clemson for being perennial underachievers and having weak coaches. I have read so many times that Clemson's coaches do less-with-more, than any other team in the country. Clemson has become a national joke. Is there any AD (or person in their right mind) in the country who would have hired a zero-experience HC like Dabo, or OC like Napier? No way. I think it's hard to argue that Clemson fans are being unreasonable in their complaints. And I think it’s impossible to argue that the administration hired the best possible coaches.
Posted by Razzmatazz on October 08, 2009 at 02:30 PM EDT #
And just to throw in an example of what I'm talking about, here's what ESPN's Pat Forde wrote about Clemson this week in an article where he provided some suggested mea culpas for football programs.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&page=dash0906&sportCat=ncf
"We sincerely apologize for being Clemson. Because part of being Clemson means losing to Maryland as a double-digit favorite for the second straight season. It means losing 14 times as a favorite over the past 3-1/2 seasons. It means continually frustrating some of the best fans in America. We're sorry to every IPTAY member, but we count on you suckers to keep those donor checks coming."
Posted by Razzmatazz on October 08, 2009 at 02:36 PM EDT #
Clemson by 13 points, but I'll take a 1 point victory... Go Tigers
Posted by Gray_Court_Tiger on October 08, 2009 at 07:54 PM EDT #
Imagine this setup and tell me what play will happen for example:
Ford in the slot with two receivers to his left on the wide side of field.
Okay here is what I know will happen 90% of the time its a receiver screen.
Everytime Spiller looks happy he's going to get the ball when he claps his hands together after a play where he just missed it.
Too predictable. Running is fine a majority of the time since it can setup many different plays.
Parker has two targets right now. Palmer and Ford with a little Spiller on the side.
Next year will be.....who?
Posted by jgreenaw79 on October 09, 2009 at 12:50 AM EDT #
Sorry 1962Tiger that you feel we as fans cannot express our opinions without being labeled "fair weather" fans, but I believe we all are true orange-blooded fans. I am "all in" with Dabo & crew, but I think all I've heard from Mickey and others has been a fair assessment of the Clemson football program. The CU Football program is a great job in a major conference that can be won on a frequent basis. Hiring an inexperienced head coach is cause for concern, but hiring an equally inexperienced OC is a recipe for disaster! I have seen too many mental mistakes that good programs don't make. If we continue on this way the only other guaranteed victory will be CC. If players are to be held accountable for bad play, that includes Parker, too. Don't leave him in if he is struggling. At this point in the season, blaming the players will only increase the number of nails in the coffin.
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Posted by 220.181.53.231 on October 15, 2009 at 02:53 AM EDT #