TigerNet -- Blogs -- Mickey Plyler's Blog

*I thought Tiger Walk was fantastic. If you were not there it is difficult to explain just how impressive it was. I think the fans, players and coaches were all impressed and even surprised. If there was any doubt about the unity of the program then Tiger Walk answered that question. I saw coaches and players that were almost in a state of shock. I will agree with a caller to my radio show this morning when he said the only thing he can remember that was as impressive was ESPN Game Day that was here two years ago for the Georgia Tech game.

*I was so excited to see the way Dabo acted at the top of the hill. The look on his face was incredible. He was truly excited to be there and I love how he grabbed the Rock and then reached down to kiss it.

*It made an impression on several people I am close to when the Tigers stayed at the top of the hill instead of dancing their way half way down to the “M” on the rug. The team locked arms and stayed at the hill. It was the first sign we saw of team discipline. I did see the pre-game warm ups too. After the Tigers finished warm ups, Dabo gathered the team around him and after a short speech the entire team turned around and sprinted to the locker room.

*Dabo’s sprint down the hill was pretty cool. I know he had a jolt of emotion and it showed that he loves this place.

*It was refreshing to see a man coach his tail off Saturday. Dabo was emotional and energetic. He got in players faces after mistakes and chest bumped them after big plays. The game can be played with emotion and I think it starts with the head coach.

*I think everyone has seen the Dawson Zimmerman deal by now where Zimmerman loafed off of the field after a poor punt. Dabo then made him sprint back on the field and sprint off again. Discipline.

*I am not about moral victories and this is still a loss. However, this loss feels different. This loss feels like something was invested rather than gained. The season was over before the game started. Clemson was not going to win the Atlantic Division of the ACC this season and pride was the only thing worth playing for. But pride was enough Saturday. I saw unity. I saw a team that had a leader and played hard for their leader. I saw a team that is starting to buy into the “One Clemson” deal. The Tigers had six turnovers and costly penalties. They had the starting quarterback leave the game with an injury in the first quarter. They were without perhaps their top offensive weapon. I saw a bad offensive line and a third down defense prove very costly. However, I also saw a team that played together. I saw someone lead and I saw some pieces beginning to be put back together.

*You can’t turn the ball over six times and still expect to win. The penalties were crucial even though two of them should have never nee called. The running game has a hard time because the offensive line has major issues. The pass protection was not much better.

*On defense, I liked the way Hamlin played as a linebacker and I thought the defensive front played well. However, third down killed Clemson and this defense gave up two bad touchdowns because of poor execution on third down.

*Field position was in favor of Georgia Tech throughout most of the day. Tech did a nice job of keeping the Tigers deep in their own territory. When the Tigers had a few chances to flip the field, turnovers, penalties and negative plays hurt the offense.

*It was nice to see some halftime adjustments. The Tigers came out and outscored Georgia Tech 14-0 in the third quarter as the Tigers scored on their first two possessions of the second half.

*I was discouraged by the running game. Clemson had a hard time moving the ball on the ground and continues to put too much pressure on the passing game and pass protection.

*I still can’t believe this football team is 3-4 and 1-3 in the ACC. It’s hard to believe that 52 days ago Clemson was number nine in the country. In my wildest dreams I did not see the Tigers standing here at 3-4.

*I was impressed by everything Dabo has done since last Monday. I think this team will improve as more bodies get healthy. But I also think Terry Don Phillips needs to continue to gather information on all of his potential candidates. I told a friend this morning that I would hope Terry Don’s agenda looks like this in the next few weeks:
1. Gather information on as many candidates as possible before November 15.
2. Between November 15-25 start getting a feel on which candidates would except the job and what type of staff he would put together and what kind of financial commitment he will require.
3. As soon as the season ends, interview Dabo about three or four other candidates.
4. Make a hire in the first ten days of December.

*I am hearing conflicting reports on who is involved in the decision but most of the people I visit with seem to think that Terry Don will have full say in the hire.

*I talked to my “board of directors” (a core group of about eight level headed friends I trust with big Clemson issues) after Saturday’s game and most believe Dabo helped himself more than he hurt himself. Most would have loved to have won the game but saw enough positives from Dabo to feel like he should be a legitimate candidate for the job. Almost all agreed that it is still too early to tell if he will be the next head coach and want to get a better sample size.

*Again, I am in favor if stepping back after the season and making a rational choice in hiring the new coach. But, it felt so good to go “ALL IN” Saturday and support the man who has unified Clemson again.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Comments:

Well said, Mickey. I didn't see our team give up on Saturday, and in the face of all of the adversity they have faced over the past month and a half, they seemed re-focused and re-committed to turning this season around. Yes, we lost, but after what I saw on Saturday, I feel strongly that we have a legitimate chance to win our remaining games.

Posted by hunter61 on October 20, 2008 at 12:09 PM EDT #

Dabo was great. Win or lose, I really love this guy so far. The players were pumped and that was great to see. However, our team still stinks. It amazes me that after 9 years, Bowden could allow our OL to be this bad. AMAZING!

I love Dabo. I disagree that he deserves and interview at this point. If he can win a few games, maybe. But at this point, there are 3-4 other candidates who deserve an interview AHEAD of Dabo.

I hope that doesn't sound ungrateful for what he's already accomplished. But it's time we have a coach who can WIN! The next few games will determine if Dabo deserves an interview or not.

I can say this... I am good friends with someone employed on this team, and according to him, the spirits are extremely high, despite the losses. That speaks volumes. But IMHO a string of wins would speak louder to Dabo's qualifications than his ability to rally the troops.

Thanks

Posted by RU4GOD2 on October 20, 2008 at 12:12 PM EDT #

Team played hard saturday and showed emotion and energy for the first time all year. O-line still is terrible, though. No matter what, they have to get better to win any games.

Posted by drock4484 on October 20, 2008 at 12:15 PM EDT #

You nailed it with the "moral victory" vs. "investment" comparison. I hate moral victories as much as anyone on this board but was trying to put into words why this loss upsets me less than others have in the past. You put it perfectly--we saw a sound investment in our future, both short-term and long-term. Investments don't always pay immediate dividends and there are usually losses before they start paying off, but a solid smart investment will eventually net you a huge profit.

Thanks for putting into words what I'd been fighting to get out of my brain all weekend.

Posted by grover173 on October 20, 2008 at 12:24 PM EDT #

...Also, I was disappointed not to make the Tiger Walk this weekend but it was because I was stuck in traffic for nearly 90 minutes; it was past 11:00 before I got parked. The traffic jam started in Pendleton and lasted until I turned into Lot 22. Normally a traffic jam that big would drive me crazy, but seeing that many people lining up for a noon game after the kind of week we had--it was actually pretty exciting.

Posted by grover173 on October 20, 2008 at 12:26 PM EDT #

Clemson is in a unique, and great, position to be in with this coaching hire. That said, if Clemson is waiting on Swinney to win xx amount of games in whether it will give him a legitimate chance at the job, the AD will put himself behind an 8 ball and in no better position than teams making hires after the season. Clemson has the great ability to get a jump and pre-negotiate with agents of coaches that are currently in other places. This is where UNC benefited on a coach without a job, and where Florida locked up their coach prior to ND having an opening. The Florida-Meyer marriage was done well before the end of the season (Meyer has said so much) and ND came to the party too late. Clemson's best shot at getting their coach is to have a below the table agreement done within weeks, which makes the Dabo situation a possible hindrence

Posted by Justwannaread on October 20, 2008 at 12:47 PM EDT #

Great points Mickey. I hated seeing Clemson lose, but despite the early jitters and mistakes, I was proud of the team and the coaches. I wouldn't be surprised to see this team win out if it gets healthy.

I love what Dabo has done with the team and I hope Clemson retains him in some coaching position, no matter what. But Lane Kiffin is available now, so I think he should at least be considered for immediate (November) hire in order to avoid a transition & recruiting slump (like UNC avoided in hiring Butch Davis mid-season). There will be much competition for head coaches at the end of this season. Is Kiffin the right guy or is he better than Dabo or others? Nobody knows for sure. It's always an educated gamble. But a lot more teams will try to hire Kiffin for head coach than Swinney. Are there any reasons to delay discussions/negotiations with Kiffin?

Go Tigers! 9-4!

Posted by Razzmatazz on October 20, 2008 at 01:22 PM EDT #

Mickey...Razz is right. I hate his post...but he is 100% right. You got your Dabo now instead of later...but if you like Dabo, and I do, get someone else in and hope he makes OC. Otherwise he will get jetted at the end of this season or The new SSPumpers get him hired and we jet him mid-stream next year. Nothing towards him...he has been put on a horse no one can ride. 5-1,,,6 - 0 LOL. Spend tons of money now...get in the Big Name HC and lets hope we contend by 2010. (It even took Saban 2 years) Otherwise it could get real bad. Do you think we will be favored in any game other than maybe Duke? I love attitude, investments, ect....but at Clemson you must WIN...that is not just my opinion....you know.

Posted by GWC on October 20, 2008 at 02:03 PM EDT #

Razz I am not sold on Kiffin. Just cause other schools are going after him does not mean he is right for us. Don't get me wrong, he may be the answer, but I am not in favor of him just because he is in demand. I don't buy into the big name hire. I want us to make the right hire for Clemson regardless of if it is a big name or not. If Dabo is the guy I am All In. If Dabo is not the guy then I am All In with whoever we hire.
All I am really trying to say is that I am not ready to write Dabo off because he is not a big name. Honestly, I hope he wins out, and wins the job. I love what he has done in less than a week, and I don't think anyone will say anything else. I am still waiting to see what he can do with the off week and a little time.

Posted by tillman919 on October 20, 2008 at 04:49 PM EDT #

Good assesment. It bothers me that what ever we are willing to pay we have almost $4 million less because of the extension for CTB. I believe the person responsible for that blunder needs to go.

As far as TDP whether he normally goes to the sideline or not I'd like to see him give Dabo some space. It can't hurt.

Posted by 74TIGER on October 20, 2008 at 05:23 PM EDT #

Great blog Mickey! There were some positives as well as some glaring negatives (some have been there all season long) that came out of Sat. It was nice to see some excitement surrounding Clemson football again and it was great to see the players doing more than going through the motions like it seemed they were doing in the first half of the year. To me that was the biggest reason to part ways with TB mid-season. However, I do wish TB the best of luck!

There is still alot of FB to be played to see if Dabo is the right fit and I think his first road game as head coach will go a long way in determining whether he is. Here's hoping the powers-that-be make the right decisions when it's time!

Posted by bc on October 20, 2008 at 06:23 PM EDT #

AT THIS VERY MOMENT,FOR THE SAKE OF OUR TEAM AND RECRUITING.THAT IS GOING NORTH AS WE ALL SPEAK.lANE kIFFIN WOULD BE THE BEST THING FOR CLEMSON RIGHT NOW.LOCK HIM IN,AND LETS START RECRUITING SOME MONSTERS FOR OUR O-LINE AND D-LINE.lANE CAN MAKE DO,AND WIN WITH THE OTHER TALENT WE HAVE,AND WHAT WE HAVE RED SHIRTED.EVERYTHING THING WE DO IN LIFE IS A GAMBLE.LETS,MAKE THIS GAMBLE NOW.BEFORE SOMEBODY MAKES A RAISE,THAT WE WANT BE ABLE TO CALL.

Posted by tigercrazynut on October 20, 2008 at 06:27 PM EDT #

Mickey, I can't believe my ears. This morning on your radio show you said that GT's offense looked "high school". No, what looked high school is CU's 6 turnovers and 51 yards net rushing. I do not feel as though you should put down a team just days after they hand you your 3rd consecutive conference loss when your team was pre-season #9. Stop crying and making excuses, CU lost and get it through your thick skull, Dabo will not/should not get the CU job regardless of his interim record. CU needs/deserves the best possible candidate for the job, not just another "good guy".

Posted by DocHolliday on October 20, 2008 at 06:43 PM EDT #

Posted by DocHolliday on October 20, 2008 at 06:46 PM EDT #

I agree with Mickey that GT's offense was really not all that impressive. We basically shut them down the entire game,a nd only gave up two ffensive touchdowns. If not for six turnovers and a bogus holding penalty, then we would have won. After the game, I was thankfull that Paul Johnson was at Tech and not at Clemson. I think any of the coaching candidates who have been mentioned would be better than Paul Johnson.

Posted by Locotiger on October 20, 2008 at 06:57 PM EDT #

Tiger fans will not accept Lane Kiffin expecially if his Dad is part of the package. Right or wrong everyone remembers what he did to our team. Danny Ford may come off the farm and smack the Kiffins himself if we do something so dumb

Posted by TigerD4Him on October 20, 2008 at 09:57 PM EDT #

We need to hire Kiffin NOW! Our recruiting , and our public image, would turn around faster than Lou Holtz or the Ole Ball Sac could say CLEMSON!

Posted by flatiger66 on October 20, 2008 at 11:50 PM EDT #

Why in the he!! is Lane Kiffin so well thought of??? What, exactly, has the guy done to deserve all this attention. I understand that no coach has an even chance at Oakland, but still, the guy doesn't seem to have much charisma and he has proven NOTHING. If we do feel the need to be going after someone before mid-November, go after Cower or make an under-the-table deal with Gary Patterson. All this Kiffin-craze is just that crazy talk, IMO.

Posted by cdr4tigers on October 21, 2008 at 04:17 AM EDT #

cdr I agree. I have not seen Lane Kiffin do anything that impresses me. His only head coaching experience of note is with a team that no one can do anything with, and he fell right in line with everyone else out there. He has done nothing to set himeself apart in my mind. If we are going to go after a "big name" let's go after one who has a good record as a head coach.

Posted by tillman919 on October 21, 2008 at 10:21 AM EDT #

what did kiffin's dad do?

Posted by fudge1 on October 22, 2008 at 09:23 PM EDT #