New TigerNet Feature: Ask the Coach

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Thu Nov 06 13:07:18 GMT-04:00 2008

Being a sports writer for the last several years has afforded me some wonderful opportunities, but perhaps the best perk of the job (no, not the brownies in the Clemson press box or the burgers at Wofford or the barbecue at South Carolina) is being able to ask questions of the coaches and players directly.

I can’t tell you how many times I have sat in the press box on a Saturday afternoon, watched a play unfold down on the field, and wondered to myself “what in the heck was he thinking when he called THAT?” I scribble something down on a pad, and get to ask as soon as the game is over.

I also like to ask the kind of question that gets inside a player’s mentality, asking how or what they were thinking as a certain play unfolded.

Now I am going to give you, the loyal readers of TigerNet, the same opportunity. Email with a question you would like to ask Dabo Swinney, or a player, and I will pick the one or two best each week and ask the question.

This week, I started off with the orange-clad David Rhodes of Greer, who often doesn’t wait until Friday to start showing his true colors – he wears orange wherever and whenever. His question for Swinney was as follows:

Rhodes - It’s tough to change offensive and defensive schemes/philosophies during the season. So, if you were to be named the head coach, how would your schemes/philosophies differ from what we’ve seen this year?

Swinney – “We have a very good system here, but the thing is, there are certain things we can do better, and I am trying to do that now. I am very aggressive, and as far as my mentality, I believe you have to run the football and create ways to run the ball. We have the ability to do a lot of things within our system, and as far as change, the biggest thing is going back to the trenches and building from the ground back up. As far as the mentality, it is running the ball and the action off of that. This is not a system that needs a complete overhaul; we just have to get better.”

Email your question for Dabo Swinney or a Clemson player here: davidhood@tigernet.com