Wednesday December 05, 2007

The Score Card

The Score Card
The day after the new deal and we are all analyzing what happened and how it happened. I have talked to most of the parties involved and now have a list of winners and losers in the deal.

The Winners
1. Tommy Bowden-The gutsy flirtation with Arkansas netted him anywhere from $1.5 to 2.5 million more from Clemson when you look at the entire contract. Without Arkansas’ involvement Bowden initial contract renewal offer from Clemson was smaller in terms of years and the buyout. I don’t think there was a big increase in the yearly compensation from what the original offer would have been but an extra year was added. Originally Clemson offered in the neighborhood of six years and $1.6 million. We hear the new contract will now be seven years in the same price range. Incentives were going to be in both contracts so there was no major difference here. Where the big change is now is the buyout. The original buyout was to be about $2.5 million and now it will start at $4 million. The buyout goes down to $3.5 million after next year. We all know he won’t get fired after the 2008 season so in essence the buyout is about $1 million more. So Bowden gets an extra year and another $1.5 million in the buyout after the Arkansas deal came up. The guy markets himself well and he is a terrific negotiator.

2. The Clemson assistants-Bowden’s assistants were going to get a pay raise before the Arkansas deal but now they have more stability because Bowden has more stability.

3. Terry Don Phillips-He gets Bowden back which is what he wanted. For a while it really looked like Bowden was headed to Arkansas and Phillips would have to jet-set around the country and spend sleepless nights on the telephone interviewing candidates. Now Phillips can relax and spend December like the rest of us, shopping for Christmas gifts instead of a head coach. Woodruff Road traffic is bad but it beats air traffic.

4. Linda Bowden-Who wants to visit with realtors in Fayetteville, AR?

5. Clemson Commitments-The players that originally committed to Clemson really did not want the annoying phone calls that would have come from all of the assistant coaches across the Southeast that would have come if Bowden would have left. Coaches will still call but the prospects would have been flooded with calls and some would have had to set up official visits with other schools.

6. Current Clemson Players-Now they don’t have to get use to new schemes and new terminology.

7. Bowden’s Church-Few are as giving as Bowden and his church feels better about their bottom line with him here instead of Fayetteville.

Losers
1.Jeff Long-Poor Jeff Long. He has not even taken over officially yet and he is taking a beating. Officially or not, he has been turned down by Tommy Tuberville, Butch Davis and Tommy Bowden. Long appeared to have his new coach and the rug was jerked out from underneath him. Now he has to continue the search and the longer it goes the worse he looks.

2. The Coaches’ Agents-Anyone involved would have had their agents working overtime. The agents don’t have a lot of worth unless there are openings so agents need movement. Agents want more turnover and more demand.

3. The Players’ Agents-James Davis, Phillip Merling and Michael Hamlin say Bowden’s departure would have meant they might feel differently about leaving school. The trio may still leave but the odds were better on them leaving if they had to play for a new coach.

4. The Photographers-Yesterday could have been a great photo op for Clemson, Bowden and Phillips. Instead the press conference looked tired and worn out. Neither Bowden nor Phillips are great in the press conference setting but yesterday looked awkward. Both looked like their puppies and been run over.

5. The Potential Replacements-The key here is potential. Anyone that was a current head coach that might have been linked to the Clemson job could have gone to their ADs and maybe gotten a better contract as a result.

6. The Clemson Internet Sites-Now we don’t get the internet message board rumors. We will be deprived from the threads that start… “My uncle was in the Atlanta airport today and he ran into Rich Rodriquez and he said…”

7. A Baptist Church in Fayetteville-There will be a new coach in Arkansas but maybe he won’t be as giving as Bowden.

8. Clemson Reators and Fayetteville Realtors-Six percent of big houses is a lot of money, not to mention the assistants do OK also.

Let’s Get Back To Life
I am ashamed that one of the true legends of Clemson football did not get his due yesterday. Jeff Davis was inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame in New York last night. Clemson fans should have been glued to the internet reading stories about Davis and the 13 other newcomers to the Hall instead of talking about Arkansas.

Davis had his special night at the Waldorf-Astoria in the Big Apple but few Tiger fans were able to enjoy it. Let’s salute “The Judge” and congratulate one of the greatest to ever run down the hill.

Now that we can get back to our normal lives, let’s not forget about the 17th-ranked men’s basketball team and their game tonight in Greenville, NC at 7:00 pm.

East Carolina is 3-4 on the season with wins against Limestone, NC Wesleyan and George Mason. Their losses have come against Richmond, Liberty, South Florida and Winthrop.

Tonight’s game is the final game for the Tigers before they break for exams. Clemson will get back into action December 20-22 in Puerto Rico.

One final note: Now that Tommy Bowden’s contract is water under the bridge, if I were Terry Don Phillips I would get with Oliver Purnell during exam week and work out any future issues concerning his contract. Purnell will be courted in April more than ever and Clemson cannot afford to lose him. If I were Phillips I would be proactive and meet any concerns now. Make sure Purnell is happy now instead of worrying about it in April.

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