Boyd is serious about taking Clemson to new heights

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Tue Aug 09 23:24:37 GMT-04:00 2011

CLEMSON – Tajh Boyd Tajh Boyd

Quarterback

#10 6-1, 230

Hampton, VA

View Full Profile is serious about this season, and he is serious about the opportunity he has been given. And he makes no secret that his goal, even this season, is to win an ACC Championship.

Clemson’s redshirt sophomore quarterback used to come off the field smiling and laughing, but his demeanor changed over the summer, and the old Tajh Boyd has been replaced by one that takes his job – and his position of leadership on this team – seriously.

TigerNet talked to Boyd following Tuesday night’s practice, and he said that being a true leader is something he has embraced.

“I still smile. We can joke and stuff off the field, but when we step on the field and in that film room, it definitely has to be more serious because of the type of situation we are in,” Boyd told TigerNet. “We have a great opportunity this year to do a lot of great things. The quarterback makes these types of offenses go. I want to be as prepared as I can, whether I’m studying or out on the field.

“Whatever it takes to make sure this offense runs. That’s kind of my mindset right now. If we have a bad error or two, it can’t happen again. We might have frustrating plays here or there, but at the same time we have to let them go. That’s definitely something that I’m learning.”

Boyd said that his mindset began to change in earnest during spring practice.

“Honestly, in the middle of the spring, it hit me then,” he said. “You get to the point when you are just in the background, having fun and chilling, and now you have guys that are looking up to you. It was definitely a role reversal. This summer was the most crucial for me, ever. I feel like I did a lot of good things in the spring, but I wasn’t close to where I needed to be if we had a game the next week. When I prepare for practice, I prepare like I’m preparing for a game even though we might have a few installs here and there. “

Making the transition from “one of the guys” to “team leader” has been challenging he says, but he also thinks his offensive teammates now know he means business.

“It’s different. These guys are friends, but there are times that you have to be serious with them,” he said. “Off the field, we can do whatever, but on the field it’s serious. That’s hard for a person to do, especially because I’m close friends with all of these guys. It’s just something that you have to do as a leader. Peyton Manning has to do it. Tom Brady has to do it. When they mean business, they mean business. It’s something that is definitely growing and something that needs to continue to grow in order to establish this relationship.”

He said the transformation from being a friend outside of football to being a leader on the field is reminiscent of a certain comic book here.

“You get Peter Parker off the field and a little Spider Man action on the field,” he said. “ I don’t know why I’m using the Spider Man thing, that’s Bryce’s [McNeal] thing. But things change a little bit when you get into the WestZone. It’s definitely a new era on the field. I get that feel from everybody- the fans, the players, everybody. We are a brand new team.”

Boyd said that being a leader is more than just talking, however.

“You lead by working,” he said. “There’s nothing really that you can say. Everything is actions at this level. I feel like people get confused sometimes. I can say how good I think we are right now, but what is done on the field could prove otherwise. That’s where the fans come in. If you look at teams last year, one was supposed to be good and look how they ended up. It all comes down to what you do on the field. It all starts out there and in the film room.”

He ended the interview by saying he had one goal this season, and that personal statistics don’t even begin to factor into that goal.

“We have to go to the ACC Championship. Period. Personal goals are after that,” he said. “We gotta go to the ACC Championship. I feel like there’s no other result. I’m tired of subpar seasons. I feel like Clemson has been overdue for a long time. There have been some great teams here. At some time, the tide has to turn, so why not now? We have the weapons to do it. We have the players and coaching staff to do it.

“We just have to go out here and keep working. It’s very critical that we win games this year and we are working toward that every day. When we were out there running sprints this summer-we’ve got 12 sprints- we busted them. We were like, ‘who’s game number one?’ We were out there screaming ‘Troy’ on the first sprint and ‘Wofford’ on the second sprint. It’s important to us that we succeed. Everybody is working as hard as they can, offensively and defensively. It’s time to get serious about winning.”