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Clarification
I wanted to take a few seconds today to clarify what I have said on the radio and on the blog this week about the game and Clemson’s program. I do this because of some e-mails I have received. Obviously I am not a great communicator so let me try to clarify what I have said.

I think if you go back and read Tuesday and Wednesday’s blog you will see how disappointed I was in the game. I was embarrassed, shocked and extremely disappointed. Clemson was dominated and physically manhandled and that’s makes my stomach tie up in knots.

I will not forget that feeling for a while but hope not to feel it again anytime soon.

I hold Bowden accountable. It is his responsibility to have his team ready to play and obviously that did not happen.

However, I am not going to quit on this team or this program. At the risk of sounding corny, I was inspired by Fred Thompson Tuesday night at the Republican National Convention when he said, “A man is not defeated if he has not quit.”

It may be hard-headed to think so but I refuse to think this program is over. I refuse to give in. Maybe I am wrong but I will have to be wrong with a half-full attitude. Regan said, “Without hope, you have nothing.”

I totally understand fans and their frustrations. Saturday’s performance was disgusting. I don’t blame any fan who is still furious over the game. But there are a few fans that I can’t put up with.

The first is the “I knew we were going to lose before the game started” fan. I heard that comment a couple of times since Saturday. Maybe I am optimistic to a fault but I have never gone into a Clemson game with that attitude. I can’t live my life looking at a half-empty glass. I have never played in a game or pulled for a team where I felt we could not win. I haven’t in my first 40 years and can’t start now.

The other fan I just can’t take anymore is the one seemed to take joy in Saturday’s performance because they wanted to say, “I told you so.” I have had this confrontation a couple of times this week. Let me get this right, it is so important for this fan to be right on a stance that they seem to take pleasure out of watching it? That is like Democrats hoping things go wrong for our country when a Republican is in office of vice versa. I would hope the welfare of the nation would be more important than politics. I would hope that prosperity for Clemson football would be more important than the negative fan’s self esteem.

A third fan that I take issue with is the one that now takes the stance that Bowden is totally wrong about everything. Everything is his fault. The players were not ready and it was his responsibility. But is the leaky faucet in Brackett Hall his fault too? How about the light that burned out in Martin? Believe it or not, Bowden is not wrong about everything. Everything is not totally his fault.

The subject of phone calls to other coaches is another subject that I think has gotten out of hand. The issue is winning and losing. It is not words. The same people that claim Bowden is arrogant and self righteous now have a problem with him calling other coaches for advice. You can be over cocky and humble at the same time.

Why is it an issue that he calls other coaches? The last time I checked Clemson and almost every college staff in the country send their offensive and defensive staffs out each year in the off-season to study other programs. They exchange ideas on Xs and Os. They share notes and thoughts on schemes. They examine practice schedules. They discuss run packages, blitz packages, checks at the line, drills, conditioning, etc. Why is this phone call any different?

Someone who has a positive outlook would look at Bowden’s phone calls as a coach that is trying everything he can to try to find answers. They would point out that this is man that is using every resource he can in order to give his team a better shot at winning. A negative onlooker would have issue and say he has no clue what to do.

It is all about perception. The only thing that matters in that perception battle is wins and losses though. If Pete Carroll would have called another coach it would have been brilliant. Because Mark Richt has won more football games at Georgia, then his religious views are not a big deal. Mark Mangino looks like he has lost some weight this season.

The bottom line to me is this—Clemson played awful Saturday and I am ticked off. I am disgusted. I don’t want to see that happen ever again. I hold Bowden responsible for it. But he has also taken responsibility and did so with direct comments on the subject after the game. But I refuse to give up on him or this program. I will be there Saturday. I will be there the next week and the one after that and the one after that. If the Lord lets me I will be there until they put me in the ground.

It is not so important for me to be right that I take joy in Clemson being defeated in any sporting event. You can beat me like a drum but I will never admit defeat before the game begins. Half-full is the only way to go through life.

I sat in the stands in November of 1980 when Clemson fans were ready to fire Danny Ford. They bitched and moaned about the offense. Many said he was unprepared and too young for the job. Thank goodness we did not let those people make decisions. Thank goodness Willie Underwood picked off two Gary Harper passes in the Clemson-USC game.

Many of the same people wanted Hatfield out so badly they hurt the program. Many trashed Tommy West, who was a good man and deserved to be supported better.

I stood 15 feet from Frank Howard when he appealed to the Clemson fans after Ken Hatfield’s press conference. The message was about Hatfield then but it could have later been used for West or for Bowden. Howard was right.

This blog entry is not intended to change anyone's mind. The negative people already have their mind made up and there is nothing this little blog can do to change their attitude. I just wanted to clarify my position. Until the day Bowden is not the coach at Clemson, I will support him. When they hire a new coach, I will support him. It’s all I can do because I want to be part of the solution and not the problem.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Comments:

Unfortunately the welfare of the nation is ALL about politics. Bowden reminds me of Bush. Maybe that is why I think he isn't capable of coaching Clemson. Nevertheless, like thousands of others, I will be in the valley this and every saturday because I am Clemson. As for the phone calls.Nothing wrong with that. You just don't tell the press!!!

Posted by FORESTTIGER on September 04, 2008 at 02:38 PM EDT #

Fred Thompson hasn't inspired me since he was on Law and Order.

Posted by loubello on September 04, 2008 at 02:57 PM EDT #

mickey,
how many coaches call a coach in their own conference DURING the season for advice? especially when you both are picked to meet up in the conference final!!! NONE!!! you can sugar coat it all day long.

you preached "toughness, toughness" at the end of last year. this isn't something he's just going to pick up. he choose's coaches that compliment his beliefs and attitude. it's not going to change.

Posted by sregitog 1 on September 04, 2008 at 03:42 PM EDT #

It is one thing to call other coaches to discuss X's and O's, but it is another thing to ask coaches how to manage your team or how to bounce back from tough losses. Isn't that what Clemson pays you to do? Manage YOUR team? Find out what motivates YOUR players? I don't have a problem discussing X's and O's. I just wish CTB would keep these things "in house" because I find this issue quite embarrassing. And Clemson doesn't need anymore embarrassment after last weekend.

Posted by SOUTHERNFRIEDTIGER on September 04, 2008 at 03:46 PM EDT #

"Until the day Bowden is not the coach at Clemson, I will support him. When they hire a new coach, I will support him. It’s all I can do because I want to be part of the solution and not the problem." Amen and Amen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
%^&* the rest of you men!!!

Posted by Airport4 on September 04, 2008 at 03:55 PM EDT #

Apparently some people are not aware of the ACC coaches conference call that takes place every week. I'm guessing they don't talk about the economy on that call.

Posted by WakeBdr on September 04, 2008 at 04:11 PM EDT #

My biggest concerns are lack of toughness and inability to adjust. These seem to be becoming trademarks under Bowden.
Saturday it looked like Alabama was in mid-season form and Clemson had practiced twice. Losing is one thing, but rolling over and playing dead is just not acceptable. With teams like The Citadel, NC State, and SC State lined up behind Alabama, there is no excuse to come out as flat as we did. We should have been flying all over the field with reckless abandon, but instead we looked like a deer caught in headlights.
I hope this was a wake up call for the players and the coaches. Our next big game appears to be @ Wake Forest on 10/9. It will be interesting to see how well prepared we are for that game.

Posted by GoodFella on September 04, 2008 at 04:31 PM EDT #

Unbelievable! It's official, Mickey, you have completely sold out!!

1. "I am not going to quit on this team or this program." I'm not either, but I gave up on TB long ago. To continue supporting this guy says "I accept mediocrity and wins & championships don't matter". If TB were a Fortune 500 CEO he would been fired 5 to 7 years ago! He's getting about $2mil/yr to WIN!!!

2. Regarding the calls to other coaches ... What coaches do in the off-season is a completely different issue. Way to deflect that one Obama!! And what's worse than calling is talking about it! How incredibly stupid! TB is totally oblivious and in denial regarding his flaws and what CU football lacks!!

Posted by flatiger66 on September 04, 2008 at 04:56 PM EDT #

3. "I sat in the stands in November of 1980 when Clemson fans were ready to fire Danny Ford." Mickey, get your head out your rear. This isn't TB's 2nd year, this is his 10th!!! When a coach has the talent we have in his 10th year gets embarrassed by a coach that went 7-6 the year before, is only coaching his 14th game at that school, and ran a basic O & D, then it's painfully obvious the guy in year 10 sucks!! How long do we give TB? How anyone can not see how pathetic this guy is as a head coach is unbelievable. We are 5-5 in our last 10 games, 1-3 in our last 4. And we were favored in EVERY game!!!

Posted by flatiger66 on September 04, 2008 at 04:57 PM EDT #

4. "Many of the same people wanted Hatfield out so badly they hurt the program. Many trashed Tommy West, who was a good man and deserved to be supported better." TB is a wonderful person and has done tremendous things for CU, but coaching is full of men that can rebuild, but can't take it to the next level. EVERY incentive in his contract is tied to "on the field performance" not intangibles that EVERY coach is bound by fiduciary duty to accomplish!! Why is it that Hatfield & West were run off when both were no less mediocre than TB, but after 10 years TB continues to get a pass? TB has more support, better facilities, and better talent, but not better performance on the field, which is what he is paid to be best at. The fact is, had fans NOT boycotted games & IPTAY, we'd still have Hatfield. Even the most ardent TB critic admits CU is better now than 10 years ago. Thus, in FACT, those boycotts HELPED CU, not hurt!

Posted by flatiger66 on September 04, 2008 at 05:09 PM EDT #

5. "The negative people ... Until the day Bowden is not the coach at Clemson, I will support him.... because I want to be part of the solution and not the problem." Wow! First, I love the "if you don't support TB & think like me, you're NEGATIVE". That is not only stupid, it's asinine, arrogant, & frankly, insulting! I'm NOT negative, I'm a realist and don't hide my head in the sand. TB has had more than enough time to prove himself. CU needs a better coach, plain & simple. To continue supporting TB is to settle, to accept the status quo, versus strive for better. And everyone knows CU can do MUCH better! Never in my life have I seen people pushing for better than the status quo labeled as negative. These people are usually called progressives and/or reformers!!!

Posted by flatiger66 on September 04, 2008 at 05:12 PM EDT #

Blah, blah, blah or should I say rah, rah, rah for TB. How about the fan who went into the game Sat. night totally optomistic thinking: 1. we may win; 2. we may lose; but we sure as he11 won't get blown out. What about that fan!!!! because that is who I am. I am sick of this man's incompetence. I am sorry that you have grown too close to him to be objective any longer.

Posted by SaltyTiger on September 04, 2008 at 05:19 PM EDT #

What bothers me is these fans that think that Clemson University "owes" them something, as in an ACC Championship or 11 win season or National Championship. They "demand" that Bowden be fired to satisfy them. Get a life! You say you pay money for tickets? Well you pay to "see" a game. Nothing more. You donate to IPTAY? That's a "donation", look up the word. Bowden is paid to coach a football team & see that his players graduate. I don't think there is anything in his contract about wins & losses. This is an "Institution of Higher Learning" not professional football. Most of these "fans" probably did not even attend the school. I'm just as disappointed as the next guy, and I'm not exactly confident in Bowden's ability to win a championship. I'm just not arrogant enough to think that Clemson U. owes it to me to fire their coach and go out and hire someone else just to suit me.

Posted by CUTiger_Atl on September 04, 2008 at 05:42 PM EDT #

CUTiger_Atl, you & others like you are completely clueless. IPTAY is run as an IRS code 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. THAT is why the money given is considered a donation. The reality is, big time college athletics are BIG BUSINESS! You think ESPN gave the SEC a $2.5 BILLION dollar contract just because it's a GAME? This is big business. TB is paid $2mil/yr. If it was just a game he'd be coaching for free. My donation to IPTAY is an INVESTMENT in CU athletics. College sports programs would not exist today without booster clubs. As an alum & member of IPTAY, I am a defacto stockholder in CU sports. Therefore, I absolutely have the RIGHT to expect that my money be spent wisely!!

Posted by flatiger66 on September 04, 2008 at 05:55 PM EDT #

Here's the root of the problem. Barker CLAIMs he wants to win championships. They pay TB millions. They've improved facilities. Yet they fail to upgrade us in the MOST IMPORTANT aspect of a program - head coach! Barker & TDP are sending a mixed message by keeping TB.

ALL I ask is for the truth, and we ALL have that RIGHT!

If the status quo really is acceptable, then they should publicly state that. Then fans & donors can adjust our expectations and level of donation/investment in CU. But see, they can't do that, because they WANT & NEED our money. So they lie to us and con us into having high expectations so we'll keep giving. Sorry, I'm no fool. I stopped giving 2 years ago and I was a season ticket holder & near $5k/year IPTAY donor for 14 years. The day TB is fired is when I'll put my money back into the program. As P.T.Barnum once sad, "there is a sucker born every minute". Keep giving, suckersss!!!!

Posted by flatiger66 on September 04, 2008 at 06:15 PM EDT #

CUTiger_Alt, one more thing. TB's contract is public record and has been discussed here on TNet many times. You are incorrect, EVERY incentive in TB's original contract was PERFORMANCE/Wins & losses based! The ONLY incentive he has ever reached was the $25k for going to a non-BCS bowl game. Yet we gave him an even bigger contract, with more money, and a buyout 2x as big. He wasn't earning his first contract, he darn sure isn't earning this one. And there are NO incentives or provisions in his contract for player behavior or graduation rates. Meeting those obligations is the fiduciary duty of EVERY college coach, not items that need to be explicitly stated or incentive based. So all the things TB lovers list as reasons to keep TB are not even addressed in his contract. When people fail to meet their contractual obligations they should be fired. Most schools would of fired TB long ago. Every school in the ACC is more committed to football success than CU.

Posted by flatiger66 on September 04, 2008 at 06:20 PM EDT #

As the second half started,we are behind 23 to 3, and CJ takes it all the way. We hold them to three and out and they punt.. In our next set of downs, We had a long play and it was called back... You shouldn't have a flag on a play you don't touch someone... If we score and its 23 to 10, We have a shot...
If We win 12 in a row --- this game won't mean a thing...

Posted by Gray_Court_Tiger on September 04, 2008 at 06:35 PM EDT #

I agree 100% Mick. I'll never forget my conversation with Coach Howard after the Danny Ford debacle. Coach reminded me that "no man is bigger than Clemson. Not even when he wins 70% of his games. And if we love Clemson, we don't act like fools in public and air our dirty laundry."

That was true then and it's true now.

Posted by mojotiger on September 04, 2008 at 06:48 PM EDT #

You sunshine pumpers keep sticking your head in the sand! What you fail to accept is the Bama game was NOT a fluke or anomaly like the losses TB tries to compare it to at other schools. This loss was another in a VERY clear and long pattern that has been around for years. I know losses happen, but at this point in TB's tenure, esp with all this talent, there is no way that we should ever get blown out. We should ALWAYS be competitive at the very least, but Bama, VaTech, GaTech keep dominating us!! The majority of CU fans, every other schools' fans, and everyone in the media CLEARLY see this!!! You people are in DENIAL!!!

Posted by flatiger66 on September 04, 2008 at 06:57 PM EDT #

Hatfield & West were hastily fired after a short time. But TB is in his TENTH year.

I haven't heard anybody blaming Bowden for leaky fixtures or anything other than the results of his football teams.

It's embarrassing (and probably hurts recruiting) when news agencies report that Bowden asked Saban and other competitors for advice in the middle of the season. Bowden should have been discreet.

If a fan loves Clemson and believes that Bowden is a B-grade coach who is keeping Clemson from reaching the top tier, then that fan could consider himself to be part of the solution by cheering for the team while trying to influence the school to fire Bowden and hire an A-grade coach. Such a fan could consider himself to be part of the problem if he continued to support a B-grade coach after nine years.

There seems to be room for folks to reasonably disagree.

Posted by Razzmatazz on September 04, 2008 at 07:09 PM EDT #

Mickey has to keep up his contacts with the coaches and sell advertising so everyone will make a comment on his Tom Winkopp blog. Looks like he is successful from all of the comments here. I am still waiting for Fred Thompson to inspire me.

Posted by loubello on September 04, 2008 at 08:31 PM EDT #

Scenerio. I am a recruite wanted by both Clemson and Bama. Saban is in my living room. "Oh yeah, Bowden. He called me for advice after we beat them last year." It was on the national news, confirmed by Bowden. Where do YOU think I'd be inclined to go to gain the most football knowledge? Sorry Mickey, I also love the US of A, but didn't think much of Clinton. Didn't make me any less of a patriotic American... and I will not stand for you or anyone to say I don't love/support the Tigers because of the loss of faith I have in TB.

Posted by Tomcatgre on September 04, 2008 at 09:39 PM EDT #

Razz and CUTiger_Atl make good, sound, and concise comments on the 2 opposing sides of this thing. Flatiger is just a noisy child who likes to see his name in print with a long rant in front of it. I see both sides. TB has to prove, this year or next, that he can win big games, make adjustments when needed and inspire physical play.
If he does not, then I think the pressure on the admin will be great enough to prompt a change. However, I will support the team, in whole, until and then past when that time comes.

Posted by cdr4tigers on September 05, 2008 at 03:49 AM EDT #

Mickey,

Since when did you become a mouthpiece for this university? Maybe you should just stop with the blog. I can't believe that you would actually believe some of the BS you have written this week.

Posted by brandonstigers on September 05, 2008 at 04:21 AM EDT #

Sports talk radio in ATL has been having a FIELD day with the 'phone calls for help'. It is one thing to call your Diddy for advice... but to call the guy who just whipped your arse, embarrassed your program and its fans on nation TV? Come on Bowden. You'd think all the money you get paid you could buy some self help books.

I'm behind the team, as always... but Bowden is now so predictable he's like a TV Guide... you just know what is coming.

Posted by STERLING on September 05, 2008 at 09:15 AM EDT #

NONE OF THIS SUPRISES ME AT ALL. I REMEBER SITTING IN THE STANDS "AFTER"
DANNY HAD WON THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
AND PEOPLE STILL COMPLAINED. I GUESS IT'S JUST THEIR NATURE OR SOME GENETIC
THING.

Posted by RIVERTIGR on September 05, 2008 at 10:22 AM EDT #

You people that keep talking about talent......look up the talent at Alabama//Clemson. They have much better talent across the board. We have some really good talent at some skill positions but not everywhere. You guys act like we have recruited top ten classes forever. Face it, we got beat by a more talented, deeper, more physical, and by a coach that is paid twice as much as ours. Either support CLEMSON or find someone else to support....but quit acting like kids who had the ball taken away!

Posted by tiger r on September 05, 2008 at 11:04 AM EDT #

you have no clue what you're talking about. look at the recruiting classes from the past 4 years, there is little to no difference between us and bama. we have EQUAL talent. but now you'll say those are just numbers.

Posted by sregitog 1 on September 05, 2008 at 11:29 AM EDT #

Posted by sregitog 1 on September 05, 2008 at 12:02 PM EDT #

Posted by sregitog 1 on September 05, 2008 at 12:23 PM EDT #

Agree with every single point.

Posted by TheHill2 on September 05, 2008 at 03:40 PM EDT #

Sregitog 1: Practically every media analyst felt that Clemson had better and more experienced player-talent across the board-- though not necessarily at every position. That's why Clemson was favored by 5 points by Las Vegas, and favored by virtually every sports media analyst. Now it may be that Alabama had an edge in player-talent, but I don't think it was enough of an edge to warrant a blow-out. I think many people believe that if Saban had been coaching Clemson's team and Bowden had been coaching Bama's, that Saban would have won. We'll never know. But I think that after NINE+ years of Bowden's results, I think it would be hard to claim that he's a grade-A coach. But I could be wrong.

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