Monday January 21, 2008

Superman

Superman
Thanks James!

It would have been a downer of a weekend but you changed all of that. If you would not have made my day, week, month or even winter then I may have been stuck all weekend thinking about Clemson’s free throw shooting and turnovers at Duke. I may have been relegated to sulking about the pathetic officiating that had Duke in the bonus with 13:40 to go in the second half. I may have been stepping on my bottom lip about RJ Mattes selecting NC State over us in the recruiting trail. DJ Trahan helped cap the weekend for the Tigers with his second win on the PGA Tour but James was the one that made this weekend one we will remember for a long time.

You have to excuse me if I look like I am walking around on cloud nine. Imagine thinking you had seen the last of one of your favorite players on your favorite team but then getting the news that he is coming back. Excuse me if I can’t wipe off this “perma-smile” I have been wearing.

On New Year’s Eve I took a few minutes to watch James as he waved to the crowd in the Georgia Dome. I was sure he was gone so I took a few minutes to savior what I thought was his final game in a Tiger uniform.

I have done the same thing before. At Augusta I took a few minutes to follow Arnold Palmer around his last year knowing it was the last time I could see the King at Augusta. A couple of years later I did it with Jack Nicklaus. This past summer I took my family to one game and my son to a second game at Yankee Stadium. Even though I may sneak in a trip this year, I told myself to look around one final time because it may be my last time in the old stadium. It’s not just sports either as I did it at a Willie Nelson concert a couple of years ago as well.

Unless Billy Payne changes the policy, I was right with Palmer and Nicklaus. I have probably seen my last game at The Stadium and who knows how long Willie will keep pickin’ it.

But I was dead wrong with James and I could not be happier.

The 2008 football team got its best recruiting news Friday when its best player decided to be a Tiger…Again. Now we all benefit. We get to watch James one more year. We get to witness his leadership one more time.

We still have our memories of James Davis. Remember his 101 yards in his first game as a Tiger? The final drive that featured Davis over and over again to setup the game winning field goal?

How about that first half against NC State in his freshman season before he got hurt? Would Clemson have beaten South Carolina that freshman year without Davis’ 145 yards? How about the 150-yard effort in the owl game against Colorado?

How many games would Clemson have won without Davis over the past three seasons? I know they would have beaten FSU in 2006. How about that last drive in Tallahassee?

James’ 216-yards against his hometown Georgia Tech defense that season will always go down as one of my favorite memories.

Has James had a better run than 29-yard touchdown against FSU in the opener this season?

I loved the 166 yards against NC State and the way he put his team on his back in his personal guarantee was backed up with 129 yards at Maryland. His fourth down run for a touchdown was a great example of James’ determination.

The Tigers needed every one of his 122 yards against the Gamecocks in Williams-Brice this past November.

I had relegated myself to memories of James but now I get to look forward to creating more memories. Now we all get to watch James make a run at the school’s all-time leading rusher. Now we get to watch try once again to lead his team to the promise land.

Now this team can also get better in other areas. We may see Sadat Chambers get a chance to move back to safety. Now CJ Spiller will not have to be the every down back. I would think Clemson should be much better in short-yardage and goal line situations with James back in the fold.

I would think Cullen Harper has to be excited to have James back because he takes so much pressure off of the passing game. I doubt Harper would have broken 22 school records in the passing game this past season if defenses did not have to focus so much of their attention on stopping James Davis.

The Tigers will have three new starters on the offensive line in 2008 but I have to think they will have much less pressure because of James coming back. When you have backs like James Davis and C.J. Spiller you don’t have to blow open huge holes for long periods of time.

Clemson’s image improves as well. The SID department gets to promote the “Thunder and Lightning” duo for another full year. If Davis improves his draft status, Tommy Bowden can use his example along with Gaines Adams’ experience when dealing with ideas of leaving school early.

Selfishly this is a great move for all of fans of the Tigers and James Davis. However, I also think this is the best thing for James personally. Now he gets a chance to graduate and a chance to set great individual marks. Who knows, maybe a ring is in his future?

864-834-6060

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency