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Clemson Offense 2008 vs. 2009
I have seen some criticism of Dabo with the naming of Billy Napier as offensive coordinator and I understand some fans concerns because of the inexperience at the position but I think it is too soon to get too critical here. Both are bright minds and will gain valuable experience. Below is a quick review of the offense each game under Napier and Swinney:

Georgia Tech
The story of the offense in the Georgia Tech game from an offensive standpoint was six turnovers. The Tigers were held to 17 points and only 12 first downs by a very good defense but turnovers were the difference. It is difficult to turn it over six times against anyone and still win. Clemson had only 51 yards rushing on 24 carries and was 19 of 32 for 198 yards through the air. This was Willy Korn’s first start but he was injured early in the contest and did not return. All things considered, I am willing to give the offense a pass in this one. The staff went through a tumultuous week and instability and injuries and turnovers could damage any gameplan.

Boston College
At Boston College came out and established a 17-0 halftime lead then had to come from behind to win 27-21. Clemson had a week off but was facing another top notch defense. They still turned it over four times but had 339 total yards including 252 through the air on 21 of 33 passing. The Tigers had 31 rushes for 87 yards.

Florida State
In Tallahassee, the Tigers jumped out to a 10-0 lead and the offense had one of the best games of the season against a highly touted defense. This loss came because the Clemson defense got dominated. The offense had 22 first downs and 237 yards through the air. Sacks hurt the running game numbers and limited the total to just 79 yards on 36 carries. Again turnovers were an issue as Clemson turned it over twice. Only Florida, Georgia Tech and Miami scored more points against the Noles this season.

Duke
For the first time under Swinney and Napier, Clemson played a defense that was not ranked in the top 25 and they responded with 466 yards and 31 points. The Tigers were balanced on offense with 326 yards passing and 140 yards on the ground. The 24 first downs were a nice key and this was an effort that did not include a turnover.

Virginia
Clemson was able to win a close, low-scoring field position battle on a cold field in Charlottesville. The offense was not a thing of beauty but the Tigers jumped out to a 10-0 lead and played conservative from that point. Virginia held Clemson to 13 points and 192 total yards. James Davis was a factor with 18 carries for 65 yards but Virginia was determined to not let C.J. Spiller beat them. The Tigers turned it over only once and won the turnover battle 4-1 in this road win.

South Carolina
The Tigers had their most impressive offensive performance under the new staff with 31 points and 184 yards rushing against a highly rated South Carolina defense. Clemson had 383 yards including great balance with 199 through the air. The Tigers controlled the line of scrimmage and dominated USC physically. Clemson used the fullback and h-back as a lead blocker in an attempt to jump start the running game but the commitment to the run was seen more in the USC game than any other under the new staff.

Nebraska
The bowl loss looked a lot like the rest of the season as the offensive line struggled to create any kind of running game or protect the passer. As a result the quarterback made bad decisions. Clemson had only four yards rushing after the sack yardage. The offense only accounted for 210 yards of total offense.

Summary
I am much less concerned about the scheme, game plans and play calling and more concerned about personnel. Steve Spurrier was an offensive genius when he had an offensive line in Gainesville but does not look the part when his line struggles in Columbia. Alabama dominated people this season until Andre Smith missed the Sugar Bowl and their offense looked bad when they gave up nine sacks to Utah.

1. Toughness-I don’t want to see the quarterback slide in front of the first down markers. I don’t want to see the Tigers struggle in short-yardage situations. I want to see tough players playing tough.

2. Balance-When Clemson cannot run the football the offense struggles. I want to get back to a balanced attack.

3. Ball security-Turnovers killed the offense in 2008. I want to see this team protect the football and give the defense a chance to shut down opponents.

4. Good decision making-I want a smart offense. I want to see the right progressions by the quarterback. I want to see receivers run routes past the chains. I want to see sound decision making.

5. No excuses-I got so tired of the quarterback and his pressers last season. I want to see accountability and responsibility without throwing anyone else under the bus.

These goals don’t say anything about the spread or the I-formation even though I would like to see the I more. I personally liked the game plan against South Carolina but these goals have little to do with play calling. When you play fundamentally sound up front and block the right people then play calling is less of an issue. When you block people you can run the ball. When you can run the ball it creates opportunities in the play action passing game. When this happens balance occurs. When balance occurs offenses can get into rhythms. This leads to true confidence and success.

So I don’t believe that schemes are that important for this new staff on offense. Player development is more important. Toughness is more important. Leadership is more important. Accountability is more important. When those things come together, you and I can call offensive plays. Dabo and Napier’s success or failure on offense will be determined this spring practice and fall practice and not with a play call against Maryland. Developing an identity on offense is more important than any other issue this offensive staff faces this off-season.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:
*If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer lost will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.
*If you would like to add someone to the list please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com
*If you want the reason for the prayer to be added to the name please specify in your e-mails.
*Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list

Those who need our prayers include:
Corey, Bob and Finn Brookover-Corey is pregnant with Finn and her water broke in mid November even though her due date was not until March. She is doing well but has been on bed rest at Greenville Memorial since November. She is now at 30 weeks and baby Finn is doing well.

Larry in Naples, FL. Larry is currently being kept sedated in ICU and has acute pancreatitis. Larry is going to be transferred this week to Shands in Gainesville, FL for surgery on his pancreas. The doctors are saying that there is a 40% mortality rate with this surgery and if successful, there will still be a very long recovery. Larry is a great guy and a wonderful husband/father. Larry is 32 years old.

Kaitlyn L-4 year old girl in TN who has seizures and a brain lesion that may be a slow-growing tumor. She will likely have a biopsy in February.

Daniel Rosborough-4-year old Inman, SC who will have a kidney transplant 1/14/09 in Charleston

I am starting a signing for my son's best friend who has cancer (Hodgkin's Lymphoma). He is 11 years old and is not doing well at all. He was diagnosed with this cancer 2 weeks ago and the tumor is next to his jugular vein and entwined in it...has moved his wind pipe over a inch making it hard for him to breathe. The tumor is the size of a large eggplant and is sitting right above his heart. This little boy needs all the prayer he can get. I would like you to sign this and pass it on to as many people as you can. Once we get to a thousand people can you please send this back to me at: 1volsgirl@bellsouth.net. When I get the 1000 people that have signed it...I am going to print this up for my sons best friend and show him how many people care and how many people are praying for him to get better. If you have a heart at all, you will all do this for me. I love this child as though he is my own and we really need all the prayers!

Comments:

Who is new on the offensive coaching staff that can help develop players in a way different than the last staff? I don't think anyone would disagree that players have gotten exponentially better as they have progressed through the 'system'.

This is largely the same offensive staff that has been in place. Therefore, what are they going to do different to max out the players we have and will recruit?

Posted by Justwannaread on January 13, 2009 at 11:29 AM EST #

I agree with you, Mickey. It is not so much what plays you run but how you run them. Also, they now have two coaches working with the offensive line instead of one.

Posted by Locotiger on January 13, 2009 at 12:36 PM EST #

I want to see definite improvement on the offensive line. If not, at least one coach needs to go. No more excuses.

I also want to see the plays get in from the sideline in time to run them w/o delay of games and unecessary timeouts. Remember all the stupid Hatfield timeouts on offense? Don't want to return to that. That's my biggest concern w/ the 2-headed offensive coordinator deal.

Finally, if we run a trick play I would like for it to look a little more polished. Some of the trick plays in the GT game and the bowl game looked like the team did not have the play down very well. Offensive line probably had a lot to do with that.

Posted by 93tiger2 on January 13, 2009 at 01:25 PM EST #

Next season will go as the offensive line goes, end of story.

Posted by ClemsonOG on January 13, 2009 at 04:07 PM EST #

Mickey wrote that Swinney & Napier "Both are bright minds and will gain valuable experience.". That's what I'm afraid of. They *WILL* gain valuable experience because they don't already have it. Experience is what you get when you're expecting something else. It's unimaginable that Swinney didn't hire an experienced OC. Inexperience backed by inexperience does not seems like a recipe for success.

If you read the following article from Heather Dinnich of ESPN, you'll see that Swinney/Napier barely improved over Bowden/Spence, despite having a healthier, more experienced O-line & Spiller. Very worrisome indeed.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/acc/0-3-524/Clemson-announces-staff-assignments.html

Posted by Razzmatazz on January 13, 2009 at 04:57 PM EST #

Heather Dinnich's stats are a little skewed. And Spence had Spiller for every game except half of the Wake game, while Swinney did not have him against GT. We went against far better defenses the second half of the season (GT, FSU, BC, SCAR...are better on defense than Maryland, NCSU or even Wake...although Wake was pretty solid this year on D). If you put together the second half of the Maryland game and the Wake game, I wonder what the stats look like for that? But Heather loves Rob Spence and apparently wanted him to stick around.

Posted by tiger B on January 13, 2009 at 06:18 PM EST #

Mickey,we hired an unproven inexperienced head coach to lead this team.At least,he had the good sense to hire a proven dc.Bily Napier is not ready to be oc at Clemson based on his level of experience.If Dabo was smart,he would have hire a proven oc.Clemson is not an on the job training program.We did that with Tommy West.Your buddy Walt Deptula had it right.WE should have cleaned house and hired a proven head coach.

Posted by cubobby80 on January 13, 2009 at 06:28 PM EST #

You are right on, Tiger B. Maryland, NCSU, Wake, SC State, and The Citadel were not as good as GT, BC, FSU, SCU, or Nebraska. That being said, the biggest difference between the team before and after Bowden was how hard they played, as opposed to what plays were actually called. If Dabo has the team motivated to go out and play their best game every week then he will be fine, and so will the offense.

Posted by Locotiger on January 13, 2009 at 06:37 PM EST #

The obvious concern with Dabo is inexperience and decision making. What he is putting together as an offensive staff is troubling. The signs that he is really ready to lead this program are not looking good.

* Start the bowl with a gimmick play and not being able to get the formation right with a MONTH to practice!

* Confusion on the last drive was also reminiscent of Bowden panicking and was not a sign of a competent play calling offensive staff.

* Another game where the opponent adjusted better at halftime and shut us down in the 2nd half.

* Failure to address systemic issues with OL. How many more years do we have to see that as the weak point of the team? We have recruited a bunch of guys from 2002 to 2006 that just can't play. The OL had over a month to practice together as an injury free unit and still got dominated by Nebraska. How can anyone feel good going into 2009 and beyond that this is suddenly going to be a team strength?

Posted by Bowden's 12th+man on January 13, 2009 at 08:42 PM EST #

A little tired of the Notabignameaphobia that seems to be contagious on the net. Dabo and Billy have been successful at everything they have done. Don't forget that Napier was QB of a highly successful offence at Furman and understands how to use the option. He was also OC at SC State which is pretty impressive that he was respected enough to get that role very early. Dabo is the HC. Let him choose who he wants as assts. and let's judge him after a full season next year after he's had a spring and summer to install what he wants. Anything short of that is premature.

Posted by magicman on January 13, 2009 at 08:45 PM EST #

My Prayer is that people will stop apologizing for prayer or anything else they may do in association with faith in God.

God does not need people to apologize for the things He does or asks His followers to do.

Posted by skillet on January 14, 2009 at 07:39 AM EST #

I agree magic. I have abandoned the board and the chat since the Swinney hire. I can't deal with Clemson fans who become naysayers before the staff even has a chance to prove themselves. Get on board or wear a different color. Have faith.

Posted by Paws4Effect on January 14, 2009 at 10:04 AM EST #

Amen, Paws4Effect......could not have been said better

Posted by Pawprinter on January 14, 2009 at 10:58 AM EST #

TigerB & LocoTiger: Heather Dinnich removed SC State & Citadel from the stats, so I think it's hard to complain that her stats are biased towards Spence.

Magicman, Paws4Effect, & Pawprinter: It really takes a special kind of personality to think that everyone should should only post opinions that agree with yours. I remember similarly intolerant people defending Tommy Bowden for years and saying the EXACT same things about how everybody should just shut up or join the Coots. In the end, it was the "naysayers" who were correct, and the intolerant who were wrong.

Posted by Razzmatazz on January 14, 2009 at 12:13 PM EST #

Well said, Razz.

We replaced fired guys with LESS experienced people and are suppose to be excited and expect superior results?

Clemson is a program that should be in the Top 20 every year, yet we hired a HC that has never been a HC nor a Coordinator. An OC that has only been a position coach 4 years. And our WR coach & recruiting CO was a GA. FAIL!!!!

Magicman, There is NO tangible way to measure the past success of Dabo & Napier. None! You can only gauge the success of a HC, OC, & DC. And since all 3 were let go, obviously they were not getting help from their position coaches.

It is stupid to fire a woeful HC, OC, & DC and replace them with POSITION coaches off the same staff. You clean house and start over! Otherwise, you're sending the message that football is no longer important @ CU!!

Posted by flatiger66 on January 14, 2009 at 03:09 PM EST #

Dabos hire was a economic hire based on the hard times of the cutbacks from the state on the university.It would have looked bad to pay a coach 3 to 4 million dollars a year with the cutbacks in academics.It was a bad hire!Our hire sent a message to the nation that football is no longer important at CU.

Posted by cubobby80 on January 14, 2009 at 07:20 PM EST #

Mickey.. how can you start your post saying you'll give our team a pass on the GT game? And how can anyone support the idea that we should not have gone out and hired a coach with more experience?

And to those who say it wouldn't matter who we hired because everyone has to have a season to prove themselves.... bull! Someone with experience would have already proven themselves in a another program and garnered some assurance of success at Clemson and some confidence from our fans. But right now, because of the lack of experience in our entire Offensive coaching staff, there's very little to argue about when naysayers step up and voice their concerns.

Anyone who argues that an inexperienced staff should be tolerated at Clemson isn't much of a Clemson supporter.

I'm ALL IN... but that doesn't mean I wouldn't prefer coaches with better track records.

Posted by RU4GOD2 on January 15, 2009 at 07:39 AM EST #

When did a big time football program liks Clemson accept being an on the job training program for young inexperienced coaches?Football in the ACC continues to get better by the other schools hiring experienced coaches to run their program.We elect to hire the most inexperienced coach who then hires an inexperienced offensive staff.This is a recipe for disaster.Unfortunately,most of the announcers for WCCP are like all the Dabo lovers in supporting this hire.Take off your orange glasses and see the situation for what it really is.

Posted by cubobby80 on January 15, 2009 at 01:26 PM EST #