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YOUR BALANCE
Benched QBs and decision timing
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Benched QBs and decision timing


Dec 7, 2022, 8:47 AM

Back when it was Bryant & Lawrence, Dabo waited until the weekend before the expiration of the transfer rule (at the time) with the expectation that Bryant might want to transfer once he named Lawrence the starter. And that's exactly what happened. Dabo named Trevor the starter, and Kelly announced his transfer. The rest is history.

Then last weekend, Dabo names Cade the starter for the bowl game the weekend before the transfer portal opened. With the expectation that DJ would want to transfer once Cade was named starter?

Interesting timing. I know that DJ could have announced his intention to transfer at any time, had the switch taken place sooner, but the timing seems uncanny that Dabo made the announcement right before the portal officially opened, so that DJ could "officially" transfer and not have those awkward months in between of waiting and watching his team play without him. As it stands, there's a reasonable chance that DJ will have a new team by the time we play the bowl game. And he'll definitely have graduated by that time, so any awkward moments are minimized.

I like the theory that DHood posted about a while back. I don't think there is any contract, or money promises or any of the kind. I don't see Dabo doing that or making such guarantees. I think it was simply about the locker room and leadership and team cohesiveness.

Maybe when he said Cade "wasn't ready," he meant that Cade wasn't ready to be the leader, or maybe more specifically, that the situation wasn't yet ready for Cade taking the leadership reigns from DJ.

Whatever the case, the timing and similarities between the Bryant and DJ situations are interesting.

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Re: Benched QBs and decision timing


Dec 7, 2022, 8:55 AM

My guess is that CDS and DJU had had many discussions prior to last weekend what the eventual outcome was going to be. As we all know, DJU has a special spot in the heart of CDS, right or wrong, he has been more than generous to DJ. Neither was surprised by decisions made over the last week or two.

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Re: Benched QBs and decision timing


Dec 7, 2022, 10:41 AM

And Dabo was probably having conversations with Cade all that time too. Cade said things were happening on God’s timing. Didn’t sound like someone that wa surprised by what has happened to me.

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One of the better QB write-ups I've seen on the board


Dec 7, 2022, 9:12 AM

I think what you mentioned is fair and has a lot more validity than a bunch of the trash posted on the board.

You hit a great point with CK2 maybe not being ready to take the leadership reigns from DJU until the last game. Heck, by the sounds of it Dabo thought maybe ND would be the game CK2 would takeover but after the INT the team wouldn't be as behind it if CK2 continued to struggle (right or wrong). DJ playing better after probably made it tougher to just pull the trigger until it was too late.

As for benching DJ prior, I don't think DJ would've sat out the rest of the year. I think he would've been content backing up CK2 and just transferred out at the end had the change occurred earlier.

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The ND game was a debacle. Throwing him in with 0 prep


Dec 7, 2022, 10:20 AM

and expecting anything other than a train wreck was just stupid... except he had done that the previous game with Syracuse.

When DJ crapped the bed against Syracuse the decision should have been made that DJ can't be the only option and Cade needed to have 50% of the reps with the first team during practice. I would argue the decision should have been made to make him the starter, but in the very least it should have been 50/50 prep.

Then going into the ND game they should have had a pre-determined strategy for working Cade in the game, not just "well everything has fallen to sh**, let's throw Cade in there."

That entire coaching sequence of decisions was just terrible.

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Re: The ND game was a debacle. Throwing him in with 0 prep


Dec 7, 2022, 11:34 AM

Not only did they throw him with Zero prep, they threw him in on the 5 yard line and then ran a freaking naked bootleg.

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Re: The ND game was a debacle. Throwing him in with 0 prep


Dec 7, 2022, 1:16 PM

to his left

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"Anybody that says Coach Brownell is the best coach to come through Clemson is going to start an argument." -JP Hall


Re: One of the better QB write-ups I've seen on the board


Dec 7, 2022, 10:36 AM [ in reply to One of the better QB write-ups I've seen on the board ]


You hit a great point with CK2 maybe not being ready to take the leadership reigns from DJU until the last game. Heck, by the sounds of it Dabo thought maybe ND would be the game CK2 would takeover but after the INT the team wouldn't be as behind it if CK2 continued to struggle (right or wrong). DJ playing better after probably made it tougher to just pull the trigger until it was too late.


Great initial post and observation here!

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Re: Benched QBs and decision timing


Dec 7, 2022, 9:16 AM

This does make more sense than any other theory/rumor out there.
The most frustrating thing about this DJ drama is that Dabo Swinney looks to have put one player’s issues and interest above what is best for the team and program. I don’t believe Dabo did this intentionally but that’s what happened.
I can understand sticking with DJ until the Syracuse game. How he put DJ back on that field after Cade had balled out and help win that game was baffling. He then puts Cade in during the ND game when it’s all but lost and in a bad situation, then takes him out and says, “ Well, he threw that pick.”
The SC game is the worst though. Clemson wins that game if Cade had been put in at some point in the second half. That loss is on Dabo, no one else.
We will never know what happened and why he stood by DJ. He is loyal to a fault, for better or worse.

Looking forward to the Cade Klubnik chapter in Clemson Football!

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Re: Benched QBs and decision timing


Dec 7, 2022, 9:18 AM

Let’s move on. Go Clemson.

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Re: Benched QBs and decision timing


Dec 7, 2022, 10:43 AM [ in reply to Re: Benched QBs and decision timing ]

LCTiger97 said:

The most frustrating thing about this DJ drama is that Dabo Swinney looks to have put one player’s issues and interest above what is best for the team and program.

Respectfully, I disagree. I think Dabo put the team's interests first.

I believe the "locker room" wanted DJ starting for most of the season. If several of the more respected seniors approached Dabo and Streeter wanting CK2 to start, I believe it would have happened sooner.

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Re: Benched QBs and decision timing


Dec 7, 2022, 11:03 AM

No coach, from Pop Warner to NFL level, should be leaving who starts at any position up to the “team”.
I’m sure the players have much respect for DJ, but coaches make these decisions. That’s their job.

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Re: Benched QBs and decision timing


Dec 7, 2022, 11:32 AM

I can't speak for coaches at the Pop Warner level because their team is made up of young children, but great coaches at every level from high school to the pros absolutely have conversations with their most trusted players on team dynamics and general thoughts amongst the players.

The players don't decide who plays and who doesn't, but the leadership on the team should absolutely be consulted to determine what the gut reaction will be from the majority of the players if a major change is made.

Wilkins quick embrace of Trevor Lawrence lets you know that the majority locker room was behind the switch at that time and Dabo made sure of that before it was done.

In the opposite direction, this is part of the reason that Chad Kelly never got more of a chance while at Clemson because he was not well-liked in the locker room. I spoke with several players at the time whose "coach speak" answer was "oh yea he's a good player and nobody has a problem with him on the team".

In stark contrast you hear things about Kelly Bryant and DJ when they were removed about how all of the players loved him. "Nobody has a problem with him" is code for "he is tolerated". Those are things that the coaches have to have conversations with the players to fully grasp.

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Re: Benched QBs and decision timing


Dec 7, 2022, 11:41 AM [ in reply to Re: Benched QBs and decision timing ]

One word; Matayo

Big Dave has been pulling the strings all along.

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I agree, Dabo felt that DJ was the best QB.


Dec 7, 2022, 9:22 AM

There were not secret handshakes, agreements, or contracts. DJ wasn't guaranteed a starting role or a certain number of snaps. Big Dave didn't blackmail Dabo.

Dabo felt that DJ was the best QB for us this year, plain and simple. And now he feels that Cade is the best choice.

He did what he is supposed to do as a coach, and that was playing the QB he felt was best.

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If "best" means "runs the offense most effectively and


Dec 7, 2022, 9:54 AM

gives us the best chance to win", then he was horribly wrong. So wrong, it's hard to believe that he, or Streeter, or anybody else could have been that wrong. I don't buy for one second the BS about "He was great in practice, better than Cade", because even if that's true, they had over a full season of DJ falling apart and failing in actual games, regardless of how he looked in practice, so that's no excuse. It just doesn't pass the most basic, lowest levels of believability. After seeing how much better Cade actually was in a real game situation, with the pressure on, it takes some pretty wild mental gymnastics to claim that they didn't know that Cade was capable, or just became "ready" over that last week; it strains all credulity beyond the limits. I don't care how much they deny it, or how badly they want it to go away and move ahead.

Now, if "best" takes into account and places primary importance on loyalty, leadership, and team unity, then Dabo very well may have felt DJ was "best" in that regard. Long term, sticking to the principles that made him a great coach and program builder, that may be "best" for Clemson football, but we have to accept and admit it comes at a short term cost.

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Re: If "best" means "runs the offense most effectively and


Dec 7, 2022, 10:37 AM

Good post. I agree.

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Re: If "best" means "runs the offense most effectively and


Dec 7, 2022, 11:48 AM [ in reply to If "best" means "runs the offense most effectively and ]

Smiler,
Pretty much nailed it, I believe.

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Re: Benched QBs and decision timing


Dec 7, 2022, 9:26 AM

I’m just glad it’s over. Wish this conversation could end on Tnet too.

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Winning decisively does wonders for the locker room.***


Dec 7, 2022, 9:35 AM



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Re: Benched QBs and decision timing


Dec 7, 2022, 9:46 AM

Very good post. Under the lights during the ACCCG, Cade certainly looked like a leader. The team certainly appeared to rally around him and he certainly didn't need help with his confidence.

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Dabo is managing the Team - not a bunch of fans


Dec 7, 2022, 9:58 AM

on Tigernet


we are still 11-1 ACC winners and going Orange Bowl.


that's where we are



and we have a NEW 5 Star QB who is leading the team forward. Not too much drama really

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null


Still feel strongly that DJ should have been relieved in 3rd


Dec 7, 2022, 11:04 AM

qtr vs Birds just to give him some perspective of what he needed to do to win that game!

If Cade got hot, then great..if not then put DJ back in & pray.

Bad "non-decision" making on Dabo & Street imho.

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