Re: TNET: Richardson says the Tigers are a 'very average' offense right now

None of the Clemson coaches being interviewed will acknowledge that the Clemson program has declined substantially in the past two years. For the assistants, that is a tough admission when the decline coincides with your arrival and presence. The coordinators are relatively new. Is that an issue or an excuse? Alabama changes coordinators frequently, and everything seems to go on as before.

I have the feeling Dabo's fixed mindset determines not only hiring decisions but also recruitment decisions, that he looks back to all his successes thinking that the way he did it formerly worked, and will work again. That attitude may work for him, but the angle of descent of the program is unmistakeable. Downward momentum will scare away the best recruitment prospects, and the word that Clemson's best is behind, not ahead, is all over Sports Radio and television. A case that this is not true is hard to make.

If the coaches cannot get a team motivated with two weeks off, an obvious challenge awaiting them in South Bend, so much on the line regarding the post-season, and a defensive line supposedly (pre-season) among the top 2-3 in the country that got manhandled in South Bend, there is a strong odor coming from the program.

After what we experienced over the past decade, ordinary is hard to accept and this team is hard to watch.

gtking44

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TigerPulse: 100%

Posts: 19

Joined: 12/4/16

Nov 11, 2022, 10:34 AM

If the coaches are telling the players behind closed doors the same crap they're feeding us in their PRs (and it seems they are), there's just no hope. One play away? C'mon! Don't get me wrong, I love Dabo and I love my Tigers, but it's the responsibility of the coaches to be honest with their players and find the fire that's missing from this team. I'm soooo thankful for what Dabo's done during his tenure, BUT right now we have a serious problem and it's going to continue getting worse unless there's a drastic change. Any educated and realistic football fan can see it.

#1 - Horrible play calling... conservative, non-creative and repetitive. It's downright embarrassing and incredibly frustrating. Can we suddenly not stretch the field at all... or even try during a game when a ridiculous bubble screen and run up the middle are all we call? If it’s not working, STOP doing it! We have a serious OC issue. #2 - Our receivers are lazy! It sounds harsh, but it's the truth. Minimal effort blocking (if any at all) and they jog during their routes. There's NEVER any separation! With exception of the TEs, they provide zero help to DJ in the passing game and zero blocking help to the running game. A true freshman is the only spark we’ve had this year at WR. Just minimal effort all around. #3 - Our OL is average at best, and their excessive penalties are just lack of discipline and focus. It's been a long time since we had a good OL. Can somebody say recruiting? #4 - DJ is an inconsistently average QB. He'll show an occasional glimpse of greatness, but I don't think his mindset will ever allow him to be great. He's also disappointingly slow, even after the weight loss. He seems like a good kid and I hate the thought of further damaging his mental state, but if we want to continue being an elite program, we've got to occasionally make some hard and difficult moves with our players. Dabo did it with Kelly and Trevor so why doesn't he do it now? It's obvious Dabo's loyalty to him is to a fault. It's difficult for me to say that because his loyalty to his players and his desire to make them better men are one of the things I admire and appreciate so much about him, but we could possibly lose Cade if DJ starts again next year. At some point, you just gotta let go. And... putting Cade in the situation he did with ND and then pulling him when we did was a terrible mistake... probably the worst I've ever seen Dabo make. And lastly #5 - the defense. Where is the pride? Where is the leadership? Where's the emotion? Where is the consistency? The line was supposed to be great this year, and you can occasionally see the talent, but it's so inconsistent... I just don't understand it. Our secondary is just average... yes, they've had injury issues, but most of the "next men up" have acted like children. Defense should be all about tenacity and desire. None of that exists this year. Venables used to call his defense DOGS and that's the mentality of a great D. This year they all look and play like puppies.

Okay, with all that said, I will always cheer for my Tigers... even if we win just one or two a year or get totally embarrassed like we did against ND last week and 10yrs ago against WV. As I said before, I love Dabo and have upmost respect for what he has done and for him as a person. But as a practical and realistic person, I see a serious decline about the occur. It's changing the Clemson culture before our very eyes. I like to believe Dabo sees it too, but it's not being conveyed through his clever PR skills. I sure hope his message and direction are different behind closed doors.

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TNET: Richardson says the Tigers are a 'very average' offense right now