TigerNet -- Blogs -- Mickey Plyler's Blog

Friday E-Mail Bag
Each Friday I publish your comments and answer your questions. To submit a comment or questions please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com.

Mickey,
Hope you had a Merry Christmas...the Peach Bowl was tough, but a good time nonetheless.

Richard,
We had a great Christmas and hope you guys did too.
1-Sign and place is when you are recruiting a prospect that you know will not qualify but you sign him anyway and place him in a prep school or junior college. When you place a kid at a school it gives you an advantage when he finishes the prep school or JUCO.

2-Gray shirt is when you sign a player in February but do not bring him in until January. Most of your class reports and enrolls in August but Gray shirts wait until the spring semester to enroll. This is an advantage to players who won’t contribute immediately. A gray shirt can participate in spring practice and still red-shirt the next fall then get another spring under his belt. If you report in August you have five years to play four. If you enroll in January, you have five and a half years to play four.

Mickey,
I am bothered by Tommy's quote after the bowl game, "they made one more play than we did." Does he believe that, or is he trying to kid all of us again? Why can't he tell it like it is - we were out-prepared, out-played, and totally dominated on both sides of the ball, from the first possession to the last. Once again we were lucky to be in the game, had a chance to steal a victory, but weren't tough enough to make the 2 or 3 plays needed to do it. I would like to see Tommy say that one time, and tell us he was not happy with the result, that he is tired of losing the close games, and that it will be fixed during the off season. The difference in these close games is toughness, and you have talked about that in the past. We definitely lack that toughness, and I believe it is an attitude that comes right from the top. We need Tommy to get tough, the team needs Tommy to get tough. Quit trying to sugar coat everything by talking about how close we are. Come on Tommy, get tough!

Alan,
I know no one wants to hear it but it was true. If Clemson made one more play they would have won. If they made one of those field goals or one more interception or one more big pass. That is a fact. Just one more point in regulation means Clemson wins. I agree on the toughness issue but he is correct with the one more play stuff.

Mickey,
I know Christmas has just passed, but I've already assembled a wish list for '08 and want to know what you think about the chances of having it fulfilled. I think many have begun to point out now that while 9-4 sounds good, looking back we had few if any quality wins. That fact alone yields concern for '08 no matter what we have coming back. Perhaps the wish list can be fulfilled and 2008 can be THE year. Have a blessed new year and thank you for the work you do.

Thanks for the e-mail. Here are my thoughts:
1-I agree. I saw place kickers make field goals the entire bowl season with ease. It is time for the special teams to win more games at Clemson.

2-I agree. Toughness will be a key in 2008 but I have hammered that point for months.

3-I disagree. Bubble screens have a purpose. They are a pressure release. If a team is blitzing, the screen game is important. If it slows down the blitz then it is important. Also, I watched a bunch of teams run the bubble screen often in the bowl season and many worked. Like every play call, when it works you look great but when it doesn’t you look bad.

4-I agree. Ford was missed greatly. His speed was a big threat and he was missed. I think he will be back for two more years and his health is a key. I think the receivers in 2008 will be a strength.

5-I think this team will win 10 games. Every team in the country has graduation and attrition at some position. The Tigers return 21 starters from the bowl game but the three new starters coming on the O-line.

6-I agree. I look forward to the return of Linebacker U. The staff likes red-shirt freshman Brandon Maye. Scotty Cooper, Courtney Vincent, Antonio Clay, Jeremy Campbell and Kavell Conner all return. Stanley Hunter and Tarick Rollins will enroll next week and Jonathan Willard will enroll in the fall.

Mickey,
I have noticed over the past couple of years that using two qb’s (especially when their games are very different) have been more and more successful.

Dean,
I think Korn is special. I think he will develop into one of the best quarterbacks in Clemson history. I personally think he will contend for playing time next year and am looking forward to the spring to see how this unfolds.

Mickey:
Some of these questions don't have clear answers but are worthy of discussion---

Bob,
1.I have said for too long that toughness is a key and I think some of that is personnel and some is scheme. I think Clemson has recruited tougher players in the last two classes. Scotty Cooper, Chad Diehl, Brandon Maye and others will help.

2.Special teams is the best answer. When a game is close, I think field position and special teams can win or lose games.

3.I agree that the defense did not have the crucial stops in all of those contests but I cannot tell you why.

4.Swank is among the best in the country. The place kickers will battle this spring and fall because competition has opened back up. Mark Buchholz will have an advantage but Richard Jackson looked better in practice later in the year according to Bowden. Also Spencer Benton might have a chance to compete. Jimmy Maners will start out as the punter but I think Dawson Zimmerman will also get a chance to win the job in the fall.

5.I still think it comes down to players. Development of the players is important as is confidence, coaching, scheme, scheduling, chemistry and a bunch of intangibles but recruiting to me is still the most important.

Mickey,
I have watched the Tigers play this season and have some growing concerns. We did get 9 wins but it is the four losses that bring out the concerns. In our 4 losses to Ga. Tech, Va. Tech, BC, and Auburn,we were beaten by the more physical team. In the game last night in Atlanta, Auburn was more physical. In your opinion, how can Clemson find that physical edge that we need against the better teams? Is it strength and conditioning? Is it more aggressive coaching moves or more live scrimmages? We have to get more physical to win the ACC? Also, did you take note of what Will Muschamp said about the predictability of Rob Spence’s play calling? What will it take to get Tommy Bowden and this staff to admit that adjustments need to be made if we are to win the ACC next season?

BTTiger,
I wrote a blog on Wednesday about a couple of suggestions on the subject. Check it out because I think it answers most of your questions. It was Wednesday’s blog entitled, “Constructive Criticism.”

Mickey,
I was wondering how hard is Clemson going after this guy ( Green ) from Summerville. Summerville has a lot of ties to Clemson and has sent a few really good players this way.

Ron,
Green committed to Georgia very early in the process and never really gave Clemson a long look.

Mickey;
Hello, just a quick question on Ontario McCaleeb, is Clemson still looking at him? Allegedly he has given Rutgers a verbal this past Friday. What do your sources say down there?
Thanks,

Clemson may mess around a little but in the end I think he either goes to Rutgers or West Virginia.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Comments:

What did Will Muschamp say about Spence's play calling, and when/where did he say it? Before, during, after the game?

I'm no expert but I seem to do pretty well at guessing plays, often from the formation and motion which tips it off. Sometimes they trip me up, and I guess the point is to set up a misdirection type play by appearing to do the same old thing again.

Just seems like we endure a lot of "setting up" plays for no gains in order to set something up!

Posted by Zeus on January 04, 2008 at 11:08 AM EST #

Alan,
"we were out-prepared, out-played and totally dominated on both sides of the ball, from the first possession to the last."? Please get real with yourself and the rest of the internet crowd. To make such a statement as that just shows you have a negative attitude to begin with and you're looking for a game loss to validate it. I will grant you some of the lack of toughness issue, but if Cullen Harper was on his game or even if Buchcoltz makes one of his misses we win the game. I am so very tired of all the Bowden bashing. Players have to execute on the field, Bowden does not control that. If the players make the plays then we win. End of story. Grow up.

Posted by cu8296tiger on January 04, 2008 at 11:34 AM EST #

if, if, if....

if we would have made one or two different calls in ot then we would have won.

if we wouldn't have redshirted korn and had a backup for harper, then we could have pulled the qb that was having an off night and won the game.

if we could establish and recruited a solid ol, then we would have won.

if spence would have called a better game and made a couple of first downs, then the fg's would have been a lot easier.

see how fun the IF game is!!!!!!!!!

Posted by sregitog 1 on January 04, 2008 at 01:06 PM EST #

I agree the bubble screen has its place in the playbook. Other teams run it with success. But, I believe their success is because they don't attempt to run it every series. The bubble screen works when it is not your main weapon. It works because it catches the defense off guard. We will never continue to catch anyone off guard with the bubble screen if we run it 7 times a game.

Posted by WakeBdr on January 04, 2008 at 01:10 PM EST #

"""Players have to execute on the field, Bowden does not control that."""

sure he does, it's called substitutions, a word that he's not really that fimiliar with, see the 2006 qb for a prime example. when was the last time we pulled a qb for a lack of performance, hell any position for that matter. we pulled davis during a game last year and the staff swore to the media that this wasn't the case. what's wrong with subs if the starter just isn't getting it done?

Posted by sregitog 1 on January 04, 2008 at 01:24 PM EST #

First let me say I support Coach Bowden. At the same time I do think our offence is very predictable. While watching other teams run our same plays they seem to work. Kansas against Virginia tech. The screen worked to perfection. Somehow Coach has to see that a better job 0f playcalling is done. We have as good of numbers of very talented players as 98% of the teams in the country. However we do a poor job of motovating them. I am very proud of our talent. Any good coach would love to have what we do. We can't seem to get the results. Unless someone can change some things I'm not sure next year will be better. We are heading for a super class of recruits but it scares me game outcomes will be the same. This year we were much better than USC but they almost beat us. Still I am a supporter of our Coach. He needs help.

Posted by Speedy2 on January 04, 2008 at 04:02 PM EST #

Concerning substitutions - as always, the most popular guy on any team is the # 2 Quaterback. But there is a reason he is # 2 . None of us see what goes on at practice. That's what coaches have to go on. Its easy from the stands, tough on the sidelines - but I do agree our linemen need a nasty streak in them.

Posted by tonybenson62003 on January 05, 2008 at 10:07 AM EST #

The difference between your "ifs" and my "ifs" is that mine concern what happens on the field - matters of execution; your "ifs" deal with suppositions and assumptions about things done or not done outside the immediate scope of the plays called on the field. My "ifs" are of the "either/or" variety where you difinitively know the outcome if the opposite of what happened on the field occurs. Your ifs are of the "I think I am God and know how things will turn out if you do it my way" variety. When you can discern the difference between the two then maybe your remaining comments are worthy of addressing.

Posted by cu8296tiger on January 05, 2008 at 02:09 PM EST #

I'm tired of everyone using the terms "get tough", "get physical", and "nasty streak" as technical solutions to a problem.... Those cliche words are nothing more than a way to show that YOU AS A FAN are frustrated with losing. If you execute the proper play calls with superior athletic skills, you can win with class and sportsmanship... A mythical "tough nasty streak" is just more bs for internet posters to spout criticism about.

Posted by IceColdTiger on January 09, 2008 at 10:15 AM EST #