Friday Email Bag

by Mickey Plyler - Radio Host - Fri Aug 05 09:16:38 GMT-04:00 2016

Friday Email Bag

Each Friday I publish your comments and answer your questions. To submit a comment or questions, please email me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com.

Mickey,

I get your point (and agree with it) regarding football games on a Friday night. I am going to the BC game, and it kills me that I have to screw up my work schedule to make this happen. You bring up good points and great questions. Sooooooooo maybe it would be a great idea to actually get some answers. I know your blog is YOUR blog, and you can write your thoughts and feelings, but this blog just seems like a whine session. I am assuming you have media credentials. Why don't you request a statement from the ACC? I guess they won't give you face to face time with with Swofford but I'm sure you can request comments or speak to a scheduling official. And if you cant, maybe someone else can help you, like a newspaper reporter. Just a thought because they are great questions, and I am sure other readers would like answers to these questions too. Thanks!

Tyler

Tyler,

Thanks for the email and suggestions. I could send a media request to the ACC and at some point I would think they would follow through. However, I can tell you how it would go. They would talk in official language gibberish. They would dance around the issue and try to make an excuse that is inexcusable. Why fight what you can't win?

Mickey,

On Friday night football, I totally agree. Hopefully, we can fight off having Thursday night games at home (with 60,000 fans max). Friday games are absurd.

What sense does it make showing your marquee teams on a high school football night? I see it detrimental to recruiting too. The players you want watching you are playing at the same time.

Can Clemson and FSU not override the schedule makers? The lower end of the SEC plays on Thursdays, and that is fine if they believe it helps them gain some publicity. We don't need it and should fight it at every turn.

I have had season tickets since 1980. If we ever play a Friday home game I would seriously consider giving them back and dropping out of IPTAY.

Mike

Mike,

No, Clemson and FSU can't override the conference office. The conference schools have very little input into the schedule. I can't wait to see how the Friday games will be received among the FSU and Clemson fan bases.

Mickey,

I have to say I was concerned about your hiatus, but happy to hear it was for good reasons. Congrats on the nuptials. You have to love the national media and they will keep this team sharp and focused. Yeah, they love the offense, but question the defense because of who has left. I suppose there is some credence to what they are saying, but it does nothing but give Venables fuel for what wins championships, defense. I think we have the potential to be better than last year. Yeah, the secondary was raided by the NFL, but I don’t think the front 7 will take one step back. The linebackers are solid and the D-Line maybe younger, but they are the most talented group we have seen in quiet some time. This defense will make teams one dimensional and when that happens, Mr. Watson puts it away.

Stuart

Stuart,

I don't think the defense will be better, but I don't think we will see a massive drop off. Clemson is inexperienced at defensive end and in the secondary, but the Tigers have recruited very well. The talent is there, but the experience is the issue. There may be growing pains, but there is too much talent to see major drop offs.

Mickey,

Very well said about Big Time. I have been asking this same question about Friday night games and was wondering if it bothered anybody else. Thanks for the article.

Any way to make sure the ACC “leaders” read this article ?

Sandy

Sandy,

Thanks. I doubt the ACC cares about my thoughts on Friday football.

Mickey,

Welcome back to your Blog and congratulations on the wedding!

The Friday Night games are a head scratcher. How does a big time high school star visit you when he is playing a game at the same time.

By the way, after being gone for so long you owe us about 16-20 articles on your Blog!

Kindest Regards,

Kirk

Kirk,

Thanks for the kind words. I hope we can continue to update the blog much more often now that things have settled back down somewhat. Thanks for writing.

Mickey,

I hated to hear about the unfortunate passing of Demontez Stitt at just 27 years old

His funeral was in Charlotte. Former Coaches including Brad Brownell and Oliver Purnell attended along with many former teammates and many former Clemson players. He was a great competitor and the only player ever to start for 4 NCAA teams at Clemson. Where would you rank him as best PGs at Clemson, and what will you remember his legacy for what he did for Clemson Basketball? Thank you.

Keith

Keith,

Like you, I was shocked to hear that news. I always loved his tenacity. I think he has to be considered one of the top ten and maybe top five point guards in Clemson history. I will remember that warrior mentality. He drove to the basket and finished with a fearless attitude. Stitt was a competitor who hated to lose and never backed down from a challenge. Gone too soon.

Mickey,

There is no doubt that the football staff at Clemson is one of the top staffs in the game and they have not made many bad decisions in the last few years but with all due respect to Danny Pearman, the kickoff coverage team was as bad as people thought last season. As special and unbelievable as the season was, the National Championship trophy would be in Clemson if the kickoff stats were reversed. Here are the sad numbers again.

Alabama had 5 kickoff returns for 196 yards, an average of 39.2 per return and a touchdown.

Clemson had 3 returns for 68 yards with an average of 22.7 per return.

Ok, take away the yards for the touchdown return and the averages are about the same but unless my math is wrong, Alabama won by 4 and take away the touchdown return and Tiger Rag might have been played all night. I fully expect that we will see much better results both in coverage and returns and maybe there will be another shot at a championship because I know Coach Pearman and all the others know how important the kicking game is.

Andy

Andy,

Coach Pearman would be the first to take responsibility. Coach Venables is responsible for coaching the kickoff coverage, and he takes responsibility as well. But the players blew assignments and missed tackles too. You are right when you speak to the importance of special teams and the staff's awareness of that.

Congratulations on your marriage. You have said on several occasions that the Clemson program has reached such a high level in recruiting that losing arguably the best and most honored player in the history of the school will be no big deal. Wow that puts a ton of pressure on current and future quarterbacks and I hope your assessment is right not because a new QB will be the next Deshaun Watson but because he will have great teammates. There is no question that Deshaun Watson is a great talent, the likes of which Clemson has never seen and you are correct that the Clemson program has made great strides toward the top of college football. Teams in these days win as a TEAM because they are big, strong, mean and fast but also because they are smart and that is the area I fear it will be hard to replace Deshaun Watson because he is a quarterback genius. Teams that win championships have QBs that are leaders, have the trust of their teammates, make other players look better, and don't make mistakes and make no mistake that Deshaun Watson is that kind of player.

If fans get into the stadium early enough to watch pregame warm-ups, even if they have no idea who Deshaun Watson is, there would be no doubt who he is by watching the throws of all the QBs. Does the next QB 1 have to throw or run like Deshaun for Clemson to win, no, but no doubt history will show that Deshaun Watson is the only Clemson player to be in the top 3 of the Heisman voting and his name will be on the wall in the stadium with the other greats. It will be unbelievably hard to replace Watson with one player but let's remember there are 10 other players on offense. Let's hope the next QB will not try to make us forget the throws and gutsy runs of the second great #4 of my lifetime but will in some way try to be the same smart leader that both Steve Fuller and Deshaun Watson were and maybe your hope of life after Watson will come true.

Andy

Andy,

Well said. I think the two most important attributes a quarterback must have are toughness and leadership. He is the leader. His teammates have to respect that. Mental and physical toughness are as important as any physical attribute to guarantee success.

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