Re: TNET: Clemson's struggling offense looking for an identity

I'm looking and looking to find fault in what Tony E. said in the interview, and I just cannot find any un-truths.

I'm glad that he didn't bash Ajou Ajou, but it is the truth that he pointed out a mistake of inexperience. Help me find out where Tony lied. Can't do it (since what he said was the truth).

Snap over the head that absolutely killed a promising drive ... he didn't bash M.Trotter for the bad snap, but is there anyone on earth that would deny Tony's assessment of how that one play killed the drive?

O-Line blocking problem. Yes, this was in evidence last Friday night. But this gets fixed as (1) O-Linemen get experience (our O-Line has one ... count it ... one senior) and (2) personnel gets healthy (Rayburn gets back from Covid / Putman gets past his injury / W.Parks is now past his concussion). The play from true freshman M.Tate has been obvious, and this is a key for O-Line success. It's coming, but just don't know if it will 'be there' against Pitt. Sure hope so!

DJ's play has manifestly improved ... inarguably he was playing poorly against UGA and GA Tech, with limited truly outstanding moments against NCSU (i.e., his brilliant two passes on the first half touchdown drive against NCSU). Against BC and Syracuse he played OK. This is called improvement; if you've watched the games you cannot deny that Tony E. was ... again ... being truthful.

TigerDadfromNJ

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Oct 19, 2021, 12:48 PM

I sat and watched highlights of the two games DJ played last year and the games he played this year and the difference is night and day? First thing that stands out is the amount of RPO action that Clemson runs where he is asked to make the read. The handoff exchange takes seemingly forever and literally by the time it’s performed the defense is on top of DJ. He excelled in the pocket last year when he took the snap, took a three step drop, went through his progressions and threw it. Enough woth the rpo stuff it’s not working and it’s killing DJ. His mechanics are so off. That’s on Elliott. Watch him throw, fifty percent of his passes he’s flat footed. He takes the snap and he does this odd thing where he squats, he’s not on his toes or standing talll. He literally shrinks himself. He’s unable to avoid the rush because he doesn’t seem to drop back after taking the snap. In the BC and ND game last year watch him. He takes the snap, goes one two three, plants that back foot and throws and it’s exactly what a qb should look like. This year he takes the snap and one step, squat, flat footed throw. That’s inaccurate. Right now for DJ he is in his head but whoever is coaching him is hurting him because his mechanics were better last year and whoever devised the scheme and the game plan is killing him because there’s no flow or rhythm to this offense. We run tempo and get a couple big gainers on the ground and Elliott will call a wr screen when the defense is in press man coverage. Every single Clemson fan knows the play because the second it starts your heart rate goes up because you’re just waiting for it to turn into a pick or worse, then once the ball is caught by us we get angry because the drive that was moving along nicely just lost its momentum with a two yard loss on a play that literally gets the defense back off their heels every time he calls it. The play never works. It doesn’t set up anything for later. It is literally just a drive killer. Yet we do it five times a game. The other play is the ridiculous fake toss Has it ever gained a yard? It boggles the mind you’re faking a toss in the same direction that you plan on running. So the defense is already flowing that way. Even if the end bites on the fake the LB or safety is filling the spot and we’re lucky to get a yard or two? What if dj did that fake toss and then showed waggle action the opposite way? He’s have a te wide open in the flat every time but that’s too innovative for TE. I say that with sarcasm because every team in D-1 runs that play but us

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TNET: Clemson's struggling offense looking for an identity