Tuesday April 15, 2008

Clemson Offense-Post Spring

Clemson Offense-Post Spring
What We Know and What We Don’t Know Yet
The 2008 Clemson football team has completed matt drills and now has completed spring practice. With 15 practices under its belt this team now moves into the next phase of the football calendar.

Between now and August this team will finish the spring and summer semesters in the classroom. At this point I don’t know of anyone who will not be a part of the 2008 team but a couple need to finish this semester strong.

Conditioning will be the other part of preparation for the 08 campaign. This team is in good shape but there is still work to be done and a game or two will be won or lost this summer in the weight room.

This team will also add about 25 newcomers when the freshmen report in August. But for now, there are things we know about this team and there are still some things we don’t know.

Here is a look at where the offense stands coming out of the spring:

We know Cullen Harper is coming off of a fantastic junior season and he should be the pre-season All-ACC quarterback. He set a bunch of school records last season and finished the spring strong with a good spring game. The game itself answered the critics that asked if Harper had completely recovered from his shoulder surgery in December. He did not look the same in the Peach Bowl loss because he had the procedure just a few weeks before. Harper showed no ill-effects in the spring and he appears to be poised for a big senior season. I think Harper is good enough to get the extra defender out of the box and help the running game.

We also know that Clemson has one of the top backup signal callers in the country in Willy Korn. The red-shirt freshman did not have a great end to the spring but he was sharp early. If anything happens to Harper, this team is in very capable hands. Korn adds a running threat when he enters the game.

What we don’t know about the quarterbacks is who will be the third-teamer. Kyle Parker was limited in his first spring because of baseball but he impressed when he was out there. Also Michael Wade is athletic enough to finish a game if he had to. Jon Richt is not yet on campus so the staff will not know what to expect until he arrives.

We do know that defenses now have to pick their poison when playing the Tigers. In the last two seasons they have usually loaded the box and forced the quarterback to beat them through the air. Now the passing game is a big factor and a segment that teams will have to game plan against.

We know Aaron Kelly took his game to a new level this spring. Kelly was coming off of a great junior season and he flirted with the NFL but he came back and worked hard this spring. He has a chance to become one of the best in school history with a great senior season.

Tyler Grisham is dependable and I think we know he can be a big part of the offense again this season. I am not sure if he can duplicate the numbers but he can still be a significant force.

We don’t know if Jacoby Ford will be fully recovered but he looks better than I thought at this stage. In my opinion, Ford is perhaps the most important piece of this offense. He does so much and can pressure defenses in so many ways. I think if Ford is 100% then this offense can be one of the best in school history.

We know the three young wide receivers all have potential to be big contributors this fall but we don’t know which will take the next step. Xavier Dye looked like he is ready to take over when Kelly departs. His height and vertical jump could be major weapons. Marquan Jones still has a lot to learn but he showed glimpses into the future this spring. His work ethic has the coaches very excited. Brandon Clear is somewhat of an enigma because in the fall he was a scout team superstar but he did not progress like some would have thought this spring.

We know that the Clemson tight ends are steady, serviceable and dependable. What we don’t know is if newcomer Dwayne Allen will take this group to the next level. Michael Palmer and Brian Linthicum continued to have good work ethics and can be counted on. But Allen might have the biggest upside of any tight end already on campus.

When it comes to the offensive line there are probably more questions than answers. This should not come as a surprise in that there are so many newcomers here and it takes time for lines to come together.

The answers at this time include Chris Hairston at right tackle and Thomas Austin at center or guard. Actually, Hairston is probably an upgrade at right tackle. He continues to make strides and is a well balanced tackle.

Austin is dependable but the staff needs to find out if he is better suited at center or guard. His future position probably depends more on other guards and centers than Austin.

A third possible strength of the line might come from left tackle Corey Lambert. He had his best spring to date and I think he has a sense of urgency for the first time. If Lambert stumbles we could see true freshman Antoine McClain come in and play right away. Also Landon Walker has shown signs of being closer to getting ready to play at this level. Former defensive tackle Jock McKissic still has so much to learn at his new position.

The other starting offensive line will come from red-shirt freshmen David Smith, Mason Cloy and Wilson Norris or rising junior Barry Humphries. Humphries has starting experience at guard and center but he still will be challenged in the fall. Smith looked like he was ready to take the starting position but he still did not slam the door in the spring. Cloy is like Austin in that he has versatility but he has not played a down yet. Norris is a tremendously hard worker who might be the surprise of the group. He adds a toughness that the staff would like to inject into this offensive line.

The spring game did not show us a lot in the running game department but that was by design. We know James Davis has a chance to be the best back in school history. What we don’t know is if he shoulder issues will continue to show up. When healthy, Davis is the best football player on this team. I still don’t think he gets the football enough.

C.J. Spiller is a home run threat and we know this. What we don’t know is if he is ready to become more of a complete back. I would like to see Spiller finish runs and show more toughness. If he continues to develop this could be the best backfield in the country.

We don’t know the roles of Rendrick Taylor and newcomers Jamie Harper and Andre Ellington. We do know this group gives the Tigers more talent and more options than Clemson had at this time a year ago.

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