I think it’s pretty clear we have an incredible defense, in particular the defensive line. Our receivers are good, our running backs are good and our quarterback is really pretty good too. But our offensive line is just plain absent.
There’s no way I’ll believe our offensive line talent is substandard. Lately we have recruited higher caliber guys there than I can ever recall. We get nothing but 4 star and some 5 star guys. Some make an initial splash but none of them ever seem to develop past the God given ability they showed up on campus with. I’ve been convinced for a few years that Robbie Caldwell is a liability and needs to be replaced.
But short of doing that mid-season, if I were Swinney I’d do something a bit creative that would serve to light a fire under every offensive lineman we have as well as Coach Caldwell.
After film review on Sunday with the entire team and noting how every other sub unit of the team is getting their job done I would make an announcement that everyone has Monday off. ……Everyone except the offensive line as well as the whole of the coaching staff.
Nope, don’t even need the defensive line there to practice against the O-line. Back during fall camp we heard Matt Bockhorst and a few others talking about what a great practice advantage it was to hone their skills against the defensive line we have. Well apparently it didn’t do a lot of good. They could run their mouths but we still can’t run the ball…….or protect our quarterback.
Yep, Monday’s practice would be exclusively for the offensive linemen and the entire coaching staff would be focused on getting those guys where they need to be. It would be the most non-fun day of football practice any of them had ever experienced. Lots of conditioning drills, lots of work on fundamentals and lots of humbling.
You know the usual beat writers that report on Clemson football would be around and if I were Swinney I might let them stick around all afternoon to observe. What happened at practice that day would soon be public knowledge and not just within the Clemson community. It would be a juicy mid-week story that got picked up by ESPN and every sports talking head nationally.
Now imagine if you were part of this offensive line and everyone in America heard about the extreme Dabo Swinney went to in order to light a fire under your ###. I bet you’d find a little more resolve to block somebody the next Saturday.
Interesting, something dramatic needs to done. This is the result of poor preparation for along period of time. Not having TL to cover failure has cashed a lot of checks for the offensive staff.
FOR ONE, I AM GLAD YOU ARE NOT DABO - THE SHIP WILL RIGHT ITSELF YOU ENJOYED CLEMSON FOOTBALL FOR QUITE A FEW YEARS, BE A CLEMSON MAN AND NOT ACT LIKE A COOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!