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Replies: 19
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Orange Blooded [4619]
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Is Robbie Caldwell REALLY the problem. I doubt it.
Nov 14, 2021, 11:25 AM
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Coach Caldwell could be ending his career, who knows. Is the problem with the OL? Don't really know but you have to look at the Clemson OL objectively and long term. This might be a Tim Bourett question but it might be interesting to compare Defensive Line to Offensive Line by recruiting and/or NFL next level players. It would be interesting to know the number of Offensive Linemen at Clemson that were drafted or went on to the next level vs. the number of Defensive Linemen who did the same? Pick any years you like but I would guess that in the last 50 years, the ratio would be 5:1 or higher in favor of the defense. Then do the same ratio for Bama, Georgia and Ohio State. I would guess theirs is close to 1:1. Therein lies the problem. Robbie Caldwell did not invent the OL problems at Clemson. The inability to recruit the 5-Star Offensive Linemen that are ready when they arrive on campus has gone on for decades and shows no signs of changing. It seems Clemson recruiting has a strong emphasis on QB, WR, DL and DB but not so much on Offensive Linemen.
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Legend [17522]
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Re: Is Robbie Caldwell REALLY the problem. I doubt it.
Nov 14, 2021, 11:39 AM
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OL recruiting is the biggest part of the job.
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Walk-On [142]
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Re: Is Robbie Caldwell REALLY the problem. I doubt it.
Nov 14, 2021, 11:50 AM
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Robbie does bear responsibility in part for that fact-we have seen average OL play like you say for many years at Clemson, with a few up years particularly when we had a great center(Watson years.) and part of his job is to stay in Elliot and Sweeney’s ear about bringing in recruits. However, I do feel like you in that throwing all the blame on the most easily accessible target is a simple-minded approach. What I have seen and what has bugged me to no end is seeing our QB’s get hit because of a missed assignment by a running back in pass blocking. Etienne is the easiest back to pull up on missed blocks but all of them in our entire modern era have entered the season playing dreadfully on assignments and it took until they were juniors or even seniors to get a grasp. Running backs and receivers who complement each others jobs are essential for what we do with that spread. There are plenty more issues such as depth at position, the total number of available scholarships, why the Sweeney boys are on scholarship instead of Dabo paying for them and freeing up more, and such, but again, the approach to a solution of “getting rid” of a rather limited coach won’t cover enough of the problem to turn the whole ship in the right direction.
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Walk-On [124]
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Re: Is Robbie Caldwell REALLY the problem. I doubt it.
Nov 14, 2021, 4:59 PM
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I have one exception to your call out on the RB's being part of the issue. Wayne Gallman was an absolute beast in pass blocking. You can go back and watch game after game where Deshaun was able to make critical passes and TD strikes due to Wayne picking up a blitzing backer. Of course, we had one of our better lines during that run as well.
I do think we are not recruiting OL and certainly not putting enough in to the NFL. This has got to become the priority.
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CU Guru [1684]
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Re: Is Robbie Caldwell REALLY the problem. I doubt it.
Nov 14, 2021, 11:59 AM
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Either we miss in evaluation on a yearly basis or we don't coach them up - either way, it's on the Oline coach. time for Robbie to step down.
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Hall of Famer [21557]
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I challenge you to go sit on the first row right behind the oline bench.
Nov 14, 2021, 12:25 PM
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I did yesterday. And what I saw was glaring. The guy doesn’t coach. Hardly says anything. It was terrible. And Austin Thomas just looks plain scared down there. Very awkward. My brother sits down there and has been saying this all year. I didn’t believe it was that bad until I saw it with my own eyes. Time for a complete change, including our approach in recruiting this position.
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110%er [5005]
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Re: I challenge you to go sit on the first row right behind the oline bench.
Nov 14, 2021, 12:38 PM
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If Thomas Austin is named his successor, we’ll be having the same conversation this time next year. Put TE at 1 million a year, take the money saved and go hire who ever can be bought at a high price with a legit resume and no connections to current staff
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Varsity [231]
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Re: Is Robbie Caldwell REALLY the problem. I doubt it.
Nov 14, 2021, 12:43 PM
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There hasn’t been the development there..you could say that Hyatt and Carman never dominated during their time here..but I also think Trevor didn’t grow here either!
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Orange Blooded [3621]
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Re: Is Robbie Caldwell REALLY the problem. I doubt it.
Nov 14, 2021, 1:00 PM
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Development across the board offensively is and has been bad. If Austin replaces Caldwell, expect more of the same. No evidence this year that Streeter or any of the offensive assistants have done anything. Adapt, adjust or die .. that’s what happened to the dinosaurs ..we need to do the same, at least offensively.
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Oculus Spirit [76760]
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It’s already decided, RC retires post season.
Nov 14, 2021, 1:13 PM
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It’s forgone. Don’t know why this seems to still be a question.
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110%er [6075]
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Um is oline held ETN under 1000 yds last year
Nov 14, 2021, 1:27 PM
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And got no push vs the worst power 5 school in the country. F yes he's the problem!!!
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110%er [7087]
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Re: Is Robbie Caldwell REALLY the problem. I doubt it.
Nov 14, 2021, 1:28 PM
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Caldwell does not set the number of O-Linemen who are on the roster. That is a Dabo thing.
Clemson's biggest problem is that, for a position (a) in which evaluation of HS prospects is arguably the hardest to get right -and- (b) development into a highly effective overall unit takes more time than any other unit on the roster [i.e., both knowing the plays and attaining the physical attributes to execute the plays], the O-Line 'room' is simply not big enough.
Going back decades (and yes, I'm talking about the Danny Ford years), Clemson always had abundant O-Linemen on the roster. When one starter O-Lineman went down (perhaps with the exception L-Tackle [too hard to replace a star in that position]), another O-line player was ready for prime time.
So we have had highly effective O-Line units on the Clemson roster before, and (surprise surprise) the offense was generally good despite lacking really good QBs.
Dabo and Clemson had been profoundly lucky with regard to O-Line health starting 2015 and going through 2020 season ... this masked the risks from having a small O-Line room.
In 2021 we have come crashing back to earth.
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Hall of Famer [22228]
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Re: Is Robbie Caldwell REALLY the problem. I doubt it.
Nov 14, 2021, 1:38 PM
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My, very unexpert opinion.
We all love srpead, wide open, up tempo offenses. We all love hanging 50 points on the board on a regular basis. We give great praise to the QB and skill position guys.
But, in the end, games are won and lost in the trenches. If the OL can't protect the passer, it's easier for us to blame the guy throwing the ball than the anonymous OL who missed his block. If the RB gets tackled at the LOS becasue he couldn't get to the corner, it is easier to blame the play call than the OL who missed an assignment.
I have no idea what the problem is with the Clemson offense. I suspect it is a combination of more things than any of us imagine.
But, I suspect the OL is near the top of that list.
Fixing the OL may not fix the problem. But, if the OL is not fixed, the problem will never be fixed.
"Fixing the OL is a necessary condition to fixing the problem, but it is not a sufficient condition."
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All-Pro [663]
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Re: Is Robbie Caldwell REALLY the problem. I doubt it.
Nov 14, 2021, 5:22 PM
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I respect what you wrote. BUT! What do you say about the majority of the times per game that the O Line is blocking decent or even very good? I have seen at least 30 times this year that DJ has had 3 to 5 seconds, yet still he throws a bad pass. Or all DJ has to do is step up in the pocket to avoid a sack, but instead he steps right into the sack. No pocket presence or awareness or internal clock. What about the multiple times per game that DJ makes the wrong read on the read option and either hands it off when he should have kept it or keeps it when he should have handed it off? It looks like the O line is not blocking but in reality DJ is making bad decisions or hurried throws when hw really doesn't need to hurry. And many times he has plenty of protection but his throws are a half second to a second to late and on the wrong side of the receiver.
Please explain.
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All-TigerNet [13027]
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Re: Is Robbie Caldwell REALLY the problem. I doubt it.
Nov 14, 2021, 5:48 PM
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Because he’s not very good at football.
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Orange Blooded [4435]
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I actually think you bring up a very valid point.
Nov 15, 2021, 7:57 AM
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I don’t think it rest all on Caldwell’s shoulders. I think a new coach would help ( with that said I’m not confident we should hire / promote Thomas Austin) but recruiting and getting the players on campus is a different ballgame. Some would lay that blame on Caldwell which is semi fair but our coaches recruit regionally or an area. Also he has no control on the numbers issue that Dabo implements.
I’m just saying nothing is black and white. Simply hiring a new position coach doesn’t automatically mean we get better results. Maybe we do and it’s probably worth finding out but there’s a whole lot that goes into it.
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Orange Blooded [3102]
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Re: Is Robbie Caldwell REALLY the problem. I doubt it.
Nov 15, 2021, 8:41 AM
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I have one year experience coaching working with varsity OL (so take this for what it’s worth…)
Recruiting OL for the college level is more about footwork and hand placement. They also need an overall nastiness about them. OL should not be depended on to contribute as Freshmen. They need to put on massive amounts of weight and strength to be dominant at this level. It is tough to make a quick fix of this. We are VERY good at developing skill positionin players , particularly at WR (this year has been weird).
Maybe our S&C is more aimed at the needs of skill players and that’s why our OL isn’t developing. Maybe we are rushing them into action and should give them a full year of playbook/adjustment education while packing them in the weight room. There could be a lot of issues contributing to this, but it’s mostly on Caldwell. If he doesn’t have the numbers, time, etc. to get the job done, he should be putting together a plan and meeting with Dabo. Squeaky wheel gets the grease.
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Orange Blooded [3102]
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Re: Is Robbie Caldwell REALLY the problem. I doubt it.
Nov 15, 2021, 8:41 AM
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I have one year experience coaching working with varsity OL (so take this for what it’s worth…)
Recruiting OL for the college level is more about footwork and hand placement. They also need an overall nastiness about them. OL should not be depended on to contribute as Freshmen. They need to put on massive amounts of weight and strength to be dominant at this level. It is tough to make a quick fix of this. We are VERY good at developing skill positionin players , particularly at WR (this year has been weird).
Maybe our S&C is more aimed at the needs of skill players and that’s why our OL isn’t developing. Maybe we are rushing them into action and should give them a full year of playbook/adjustment education while packing them in the weight room. There could be a lot of issues contributing to this, but it’s mostly on Caldwell. If he doesn’t have the numbers, time, etc. to get the job done, he should be putting together a plan and meeting with Dabo. Squeaky wheel gets the grease.
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Standout [342]
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Re: Is Robbie Caldwell REALLY the problem. I doubt it.
Nov 15, 2021, 12:12 PM
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our OL play has been weak. Barely ok with pass blocking, terrible with run blocking. Yes DJ has had time but can't throw the football into the ocean which isn't the OL fault. Too many times our RB is getting the ball with a defender at him, no push from the OL. DL always two yards behind the line of scrimmage, not going to win or do much with that. OL does not finish blocks and you never see them power driving defensive players down the field. We need a new attitude in these players, need to be nasty and play with attitude, not just say it. We need a new OL coach. Watching other lesser teams their line blocks, why can't we. I think it comes down to coaching, sometimes you can't be loved as a coach.
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Orange Blooded [4025]
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I remain All In, but we have several problems
Nov 15, 2021, 10:12 AM
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Our OL is just part of the current malaise.
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