our passing game this year

Jul 26, 2015, 11:38 AM

We've had some really good passing games at Clemson. 2003 was special, when we had Charlie Whitehurst tossing to Kevin Youngblood, Derrick Hamilton, and Airese Currie. I thought, by the end of the year, Clemson had the most dangerous passing attack in the country. FSU found that out the hard way when they came into Death Valley ranked #1 in the nation and got taken down. South Carolina found that out the hard way when we put 63 points on them in their own house. Tennessee found that out too; we jumped all over them in the Peach Bowl and beat a team ranked #6 27-14 in the Peach Bowl. That ended up being one of the last of the truly great Vols teams.

I thought we've been very good at times since then. That 2012 squad that featured Nuke Hopkins, Sammy Watkins, and Jaron Brown was durn good. The 2013 squad that featured Watkins and Martavis Bryant was extremely strong as well.

That said, I think this year's WR corps has a chance of being the best ever to put on orange. Mike Williams and Artavis Scott both look like first-or-second-round guys. Charone Peake looks like he's finally healthy and athletically, anyhow, he's even more physically impressive - and was rated higher coming out of high school - than Watkins or Bryant; that knee injury just cost him two years when he should have been, well, peaking. If early reports about Deon Cain are accurate...well. He's drawn raves...the kind of raves I heard about Spiller, Watkins, and Watson when they stepped on campus. Ray Ray McCloud will certainly demand balls himself. Trevion Thompson may have to wait his turn behind Peake or Williams but he looks like a legit talent and the Clemson coaches did not give him jersey #1 because he's chopped liver. G-Hop has been, admittedly, up and down, but he's made some big plays to go along with his occasional boneheaded ones.

There's quality and depth, and then there's whatever that is. Any Clemson receiver who catches a pass is capable of taking it to the house at any time from anywhere on the field. That's scary enough. What may take it to a whole different level is that Clemson may have the most-talented QB in the country, and the best pure thrower I've ever seen in a Clemson uniform throwing them the ball.

As seems usual at Clemson, our OL is an open question headed into the season, and just for fun, it looks like we're doing something we do way too much of too, which is uncertainty in the kicking game, since Pinion decided to leave a year early and Amon Lakip decided to drive drunk with a snifter full of cocaine in his car. Still makes me turn around in circles, all dizzy-like. Dude. Not cool.

But that passing game. Dios Mío. Mein gott. Holy shi'ite. How do you stop that, if you're an opposing DC? Drop off and Clemson will just tunnel screen you to death and eat you up for 10 yards a pop underneath. Press and they'll slide off it - watch the tape, these guys just do not stay pressed - and they'll fry you. Blitz Watson, and Deshaun, with that utterly casual demeanor in the pocket and lightning-quick release and golden arm - will fry you. Past editions of Clemson passing games have put fear into opposing coordinators; this one has the potential of creating utter, abject despair. There are literally very few NFL teams that have the kind of talent that Clemson now possesses in its passing game...as they say, you can only draft one first-rounder every year, you can recruit as many as you can sign, and this looks, to me, like a probable overall-#1-in-the-draft, franchise QB, throwing to a bunch of future-1st-round wide receivers. Add in the fact that it looks like Clemson's also put together a fair-to-good stable of running backs and the only good news for opposing teams is that there's only one ball.

Of course, the usual caveat - if Watson stays healthy. But if he does, we could be in for a show this year. Two years ago, before the Orange Bowl, Urban Meyer looked at Clemson and admitted: "those Clemson wide receivers are just ridiculous." He was not wrong.

This bunch looks even better. What might they do, once they get humming?

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Quozzel, we are in an awesome time to be a Tiger. We should all be smiling just knowing that we have had years we felt we had a good QB. I loved Boyd but Deshaun is far and away the most talented QB than we have ever had by a long shot when you add his knowledge of the game, drive to work and perfect mechanics. I didn't mention he can leap over tall buildings quick as lightning. He makes great decisions in a flash. He will take what he can get if it breaks down then he's up ready to go never guessing what to do but knowing he can snap the ball before the defense has a chance to change.

Look what FSU did with Winston, they won it all and had another shot at it last year. His line was not very good last year but their is no doubt he was a great QB. Now I would not trade him for Deshaun because he has everything and Character.

With the running backs and I contend our offensive line(is only getting better) is better than it has been in a long time. We had some great OL recruits that didn't work out but the talent level of the OL we have now is better than it has been in a long time. They can run block and pull better than we could in the last 10 years. If we don't have more than a couple injuries there we will have the best season since 1981.

I can't wait to sit back and watch. A man came by about an hour ago to purchase some garage work tables with shelves. His son was wearing a Powder blue Unc shirt. He saw I was a Clemson fan and said don't bring it up. I smiled (exactly like we will watching this team play, grin from the inside out) and said how do you think your football team will do. He said we know we don't want to play Clemson this year, but I think our offense will be good. He said if we win the division we are in trouble playing Clemson but we will be lucky to win. He said how are yall getting all the best recruits? I was nice and said have you ever been to Clemson. He said yes for a couple of games years ago and it was beautiful and the fans are crazy. I said yes that's right, it's a special campus that has great academics, the best facillities and an incredible coaching staff that has integrity. He said weren't yall on probation. I laughed and said yes in the 80's but I'm suprised you'd bring that up considering. Then he stopped me pointed at his kid shook his head. He said That's why I didn't want to talk about it. I just laughed, but I thought he might want to tell the little heel the truth or somebody else will.

The North Carolina fans no matter what school except a few from NCS will not talk to me about football once they know I'm a Clemson fan. They know the deal, Clemson will kick their tail.

It's nice to know the respect Clemson and Dabo have. It's going to be a great year to be a Clemson Tiger and I'm so grateful!!

Go Tigers!

our passing game this year

FSU was ranked 3 in 2003***

Re: FSU was ranked 3 in 2003***

Re: our passing game this year

Re: our passing game this year

Even if Watson does get hurt I don't think I would throw in

Unless I'm mistaken, Watson's passing stats were better when

Nice Post Quozzel- Passing Game is special

Our running attack will be excellent opening - best depth

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