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Clemson Icon [26738]
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Need to reintroduce myself.
Jul 17, 2019, 9:52 AM
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Been years since I have posted here. I first posted here back during the coaching search when y'all hired Tommy Bowden. I'm an FSU fan, but Clemson was always my favorite ACC school before FSU joined the conference. (I'm old enough to remember when Coach Howard was on the sidelines.) I attended Clemson in the summer of 86 taking some post-grad classes.
I am a huge fan of Dabo. He is building a program, AND doing it the right way. He is a man of character and integrity, which is extremely hard to find in the coaching ranks these days.
Anyway, if y'all will permit me to hang around, I would love to talk football with you. I assure you I am not here to flame or troll. I am a guest here and I will strive to always remember that.
Couple of questions:
Is the offense going to be as explosive as I think it is? Seems to me like you lost Renfrow at WR and a 3rd team RB. Other than that every playmaker on the team was either a freshman or a sophomore last year. If Dabo is inclined to I could see 600 points put up this year.
I'm also a big Brent Venables fan. I know the D lost a TON of talent last year. But, as FSU did 25 years ago, "They don't rebuild, they reload." Venables reminds me of Mickey Andrews during our great run in the late 80s and 90s. I can't believe the D will be as good as last year. But, I gotta believe it will be better than "the experts" think. Who will be the big time guys on D this year?
Thanks for allowing me to come to your home and chat occasionally.
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Paw Master [17051]
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Re: Need to reintroduce myself.
Jul 17, 2019, 10:00 AM
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What was your opinion about Tommy Bowden and his positive contributions to Clemson’s current success. I know Dabo is a special unique HC. In fact there is only one other coach I would even compare to Dabo. The HC is Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma. Dabo has great vision and tremendous imagination. IMO that is what separates Dabo from all other coaches in college football.
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Clemson Icon [26738]
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Re: Need to reintroduce myself.
Jul 17, 2019, 12:51 PM
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Sorry, should have replied to this earlier. I like Tommy. I'm surprised he didn't get back into coaching after leaving Clemson.
Tommy's problem was he came along at the wrong time. Couldn't be daddy.
Here is the story that tells me a lot about Tommy and his character: When he was fired, Dabo came to him and told him that he had concerns about taking over as interim. He and Tommy were close. (He was the guy who hired Dabo. Dabo has related that story so I don't need to repeat it here.) At any rate, Tommy spoke very positively about Dabo taking the job. He didn't badmouth Clemson. He encouraged Dabo to ake the job and run with it.
To my knowledge Tommy has never said one negative word about Clemson.
Tommy is far more like his dad than Terry or Jeff are.
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Commissioner [1248]
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Re: Need to reintroduce myself.
Jul 17, 2019, 10:35 PM
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I think Tommy would fit in currently at FSU. Good rebuilder and adds legacy factor.
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Oculus Spirit [41628]
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We will be better on offense and defense should be
Jul 17, 2019, 10:04 AM
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about the same. Defense is a bit young, but we watch coach Venables do this every year. He will scheme so that any weakness is not a problem. He has no clue what a prevent defense is.
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All-TigerNet [5904]
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Re: Need to reintroduce myself.
Jul 17, 2019, 10:12 AM
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"Couple of questions:
Is the offense going to be as explosive as I think it is? (YES) Seems to me like you lost Renfrow at WR and a 3rd team RB. Other than that every playmaker on the team was either a freshman or a sophomore last year. If Dabo is inclined to I could see 600 points put up this year. (CLEMSON PUT UP MORE THAN 600 POINTS LAST YEAR...THE QUESTION IS WILL THEY PUT UP 700+? DABO PLAYS ABOUT 75 PLAYERS PER GAME...SO IT'S HARD TO SAY...BUT EASY TO DO IF THEY FEEL LIKE IT)
I'm also a big Brent Venables fan. I know the D lost a TON of talent last year. But, as FSU did 25 years ago, "They don't rebuild, they reload." Venables reminds me of Mickey Andrews during our great run in the late 80s and 90s. I can't believe the D will be as good as last year. But, I gotta believe it will be better than "the experts" think. Who will be the big time guys on D this year? (ISAIAH SIMMONS (LB), JAMIE SKALSKI (LB) XAVIER THOMAS (DE) BOTH STARTING CB's, AND POTENTIALLY SEVERAL OTHERS ON THE DL.
Thanks for allowing me to come to your home and chat occasionally. "
THANKS for stopping by.
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Clemson Icon [26738]
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Re: Need to reintroduce myself.
Jul 17, 2019, 11:00 AM
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Thanks, especially your comments about the offense.
I tried to be conservative in my post. I started by typing, "....could score 50 every game." I changed that to "....could average 50...." (That would put you over 700.)
Realistically, barring injuries or a game played in a rain storm with 5 turnovers, I don't see anybody holding you under 30 and I think 40 point average is a minimum (that would be 520+ headed to the playoffs).
As for the D, my comments about comparing him to Mickey Andrews came from a comment Bobby Bowden made after a Spring game following a season where FSU lost the rough equivalent of what Clemson lost last year. Walking off the field after the Spring game in which the offense dominated some guy asked Bobby, "Are you concerned about the defense." Bobby immediately replied, "Nah. Mickey will have them ready."
I could see Dabo being asked that question (if he hasn't already been asked it) and replying exactly the same way.
FSU's dynasty didn't start when Bobby came. It started when he added Andrews to his staff. I see a striking similarity at Death Valley.
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All-TigerNet [5904]
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Re: Need to reintroduce myself.
Jul 17, 2019, 9:52 PM
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Sure thing, I wasn't sure if anybody was going to directly answer your questions. 
You summed everything up pretty well, and it made perfect sense to me. I think your analogies to FSU and Mickey Andrews were spot on. I graduated Clemson in 1996 so I'm painfully aware of how dominant FSU was. I was at a few of those games and the talent disparity was a complete joke. Then again, you guys were destroying everybody back then (including UF and Spurrier). What Clemson has going on is very similar and I think we're still getting better.
I can't say I feel bad for FSU, and I like winning national championships. But, Clemson and FSU kind of need each other and we deserve a good in-conference rival again.
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Ring of Honor [21236]
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Re: Need to reintroduce myself.
Jul 17, 2019, 10:27 AM
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Thank you for the polite words, and I hope subsequent posts are as good as your first. Would love to talk football with a legit fan - so for my part, anyhow, if you're sincere, be welcome. (Now duck and cover!)
AS for the first, yeah, the offense could be straight-up Techmo Bowl this year. Trevor Lawrence throwing to at least four WR's with first-round talent, backed up by Travis Etienne and Lyn-J Dixon at RB? Insane. Any of those guys can score at anytime from anywhere on the field and break a game on their lonesome...and we have so many of them we literally can't play them all at once. Those are called "uptown problems".
Only problem is likely to be at TE, where three vets graduated or moved on and the presumptive starter, Braden Galloway, got suspended for "trace amounts of ostarine". (He passed a polygraph and Clemson spent an awesome amount of money trying to figure out where the ostarine - which has given a raftload of false positives across multiple sports - came from, but the NCAA still said "nope". Ah, the NCAA. Gotta love 'em.) That leaves JC Chalk - who's barely played - and some true froshes, so expect Clemson to go 4-wide a bunch this year instead of the usual 11p Clemson ordinarily runs.
The OL looks very good - it's certainly veteran, seniors all the way across except for new LT Jackson Carman (all 6'6", 355 pounds of him) - but it's a bit thin at tackle and C. Clemson's rotated 8+ guys for awhile...I don't know if we have the bodies to do that this year. It'll be close.
Defense, we lost the Power Rangers - three first-rounders and a fourth-rounder - on the DL, plus Huggy Bear, who spelled for Dexter Lawrence in the playoffs after the ostarine thing - but the dudes coming in look...epic. We've got crazy talent at end - Xavier Thomas and Justin Foster likely start, with Logan Rudolph, Justin Mascoll, and KJ Henry backing up...and a glance at their recruiting rankings would tell you how they looked coming out of high school, and they've been at least as good as advertised since arriving at Clemson. We will be a lot younger there. I also think we're better at DB...we did lose Trayvon Mullen to early NFL entry, but Clemson gets everyone else back and flips former 5-star Derion Kendrick to CB (where he looks like a mutant) as well as another bumper crop of 4-and-5-stars behind. Sheridan Jones was just shockingly - like, insanely - good as an early-enrollee true frosh in Spring and has "first round" written all over him as well.
Our weakness looks to be LB. Isaiah Simmons is considered maybe the best LB in college football by a lot of draftniks at strongside, and on the weakside Jamie Skalski looks so much like Ben Boulware it's scary. After that, though, the questions abound. Redshirt senior Chad Smith has been a knockabout backup most of his career and is the only vet we have at middle backer. Sophomore Baylon Spector is pencilled in as the backup at weak but after him absolutely every LB on Clemson's roster is a redshirt or true freshman. Venables is a great LB coach but Clemson's scheme is complex, and these guys are going to be young. Clemson lost six - repeat (6) - LB's from last year. If there's a problem, it's likely going to come at LB. The young guys are going to have to grow up fast. The good news there is the LB's are likely to have a lot of cover in front of them and behind them, and Clemson would also seem likely to go more nickel-heavy this year to compensate.
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Clemson Icon [26738]
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Re: Need to reintroduce myself.
Jul 17, 2019, 11:02 AM
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Thanks for the info. Preshayte it.
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TigerNet Legend [145144]
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Re: Need to reintroduce myself.
Jul 17, 2019, 10:31 AM
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Dynasty Maker [3233]
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Re: Need to reintroduce myself.
Jul 17, 2019, 10:55 AM
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Welcome to the Board. I see you received answers concerning Clemson’s look for this coming season. What are your thoughts for this season for FSU ? Will your OL see any improvement or be the same ?
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Clemson Icon [26738]
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Re: Need to reintroduce myself.
Jul 17, 2019, 11:24 AM
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All Nole fans are in a state of flux, or confusion or concern or whatever.
Here is my personal opinion, not shared by a lot of my Nole friends.
1. Our OL has stunk for years. It was a weakness during the end of Bowden's run. It was a weakness the entire time under Jimbo. They just covered it up with good coaching. (Mark Richt was an absolute genius running our offense while burdened with Jimmy Heggins as the OL coach. Jimbo loved Rick Trickett. But Trickett used a stupid reach blocking technique that was never effective against quality DL. We had zero talent last year. And, the coaching staff did nothing to make them better as the season went on. We now have a new OL coach, brought in by Briles. Should be better
2. I was extremely high on Willie Taggart when he was hired. I bought the hype. I was wrong. I'm not ready to fire him. But, I am doubtful about his ability to turn the program around. Last year we were continaually lining up with 5 men in the backfield or jumping before the snap or having a motion penalty. He referred to his offense as "Lethal simplicity." Well, if it is simple, then pre-snap penalties shoudl be at a minimum. (Note: The Spring game was far better in this regard.) I've got the Missouri State attitude. "Show me."
3. I am a huge believer in Kendall Briles. (Not gonna talk about the off the field stuff at Baylor here, just the X and O stuff.) I fell in love with Baylor's offense back when RG3 was the QB. I don't know what Art Briles figured out, but he figured out something about the spread offense that is different from what anybody else is doing. He won with dual threat QBs. He won with passing QBs. I watched Baylor take a supposedly great OU defense and make them look silly. I expect a significant improvement in the offensive output this year. Kendall has significantly improved the offense everywhere he has coached. Not sure who our QB will be. Probably will be Blackman starting the season. I expect the O to score 30+ points in 9 or more games this year.
4. I am much more concerned about the D. I just don't like the scheme our DC runs. His "base D" is something he calls "Cover 4." But, here is the way he runs it. Each corner has 1/4th of the field and the two safeties have the two middle quarters. Then, he puts one corner playing bump and run on a WR. Playing bump and run on a WR with no deep help may work against Navy or Wake. But, it ain't gonna work against a good passing team, much less a great one. (We don't have Deion Sanders or Tyrell Buckley at corner.) I can see Dabo having an automatic audible. Anytime a Clemson WR is matched up bump and run in cover 4, run a go pattern. Right now I would put the over under for TD passes Clemson will throw against FSU at 5.5 and I would take the over.
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Orange Elite [5123]
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Bretfsu...
Jul 17, 2019, 12:47 PM
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Bret,
1. I read an article not too long ago that Taggert is no where near on the hot seat in Tallahassee. The gist of it was that Jimbo left the place in shambles and the program was in the tank from the minute that the staff protected Jamis Winston. Classes were being treated as optional and the scholl was on the brink of some penalties over GPA stuff. I found it hard to swallow thatFSU will tolerate another year of play on the field like you guys had last year. Are you guys willing to accept that jimbo left a 4-5 year rebuild?
2. Who do the fans want to be coach? assuming a change will happen?
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Commissioner [1248]
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Re: Bretfsu...
Jul 17, 2019, 10:37 PM
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Tommy would be good for FSU at this point.
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Orange Blooded [2357]
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Glad to have you on the board!
Jul 18, 2019, 7:05 AM
[ in reply to Re: Need to reintroduce myself. ] |
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I like your writing style and comments. I look forward to reading more analysis. Hope you like it here!
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CU Guru [1033]
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Re: Need to reintroduce myself.
Jul 17, 2019, 11:16 AM
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Bret, We should be asking you a question.
When does FSU return to some form of good football program. I am so tired of hearing about the weak ACC. We need FSU, Miami, VT and others to raise their level of football. Is Taggart going to get it done?
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Clemson Icon [26738]
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Re: Need to reintroduce myself.
Jul 17, 2019, 11:25 AM
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See my reply to another post.
Great question. I hope Willie is the man. But, I'm not confident he is.
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Top TigerNet [28272]
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How's your summer reading going ?***
Jul 17, 2019, 11:18 AM
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Recruit [97]
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Re: Need to reintroduce myself.
Jul 17, 2019, 11:22 AM
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I guess I'm a Negative Nancy regarding our D, but I don't see any way that our current D can compare to the D we had last year. Yes - our D will be one of the best in the country, but last year had 5 NFL guys on the DLine. How can anyone seriously think that we simply reload?
Regardless, it's going to be fun to watch them grow and improve week-to-week. Our O is going to be off the chart, and few teams will be able to stop all of the weapons that CLEMSON will throw at them.
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All-TigerNet [10825]
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we will have a top 10 defense
Jul 17, 2019, 9:10 PM
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We’ve replaced a lot before. When’s the last time we didn’t have a top 10 D under Venables?
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National Champion [7567]
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Welcome back to TigerNet
Jul 17, 2019, 11:23 AM
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Thanks for the gracious re-introduction and yes, we welcome substantive discussion - even if it is from an opposing viewpoint. Reasonable point-counterpoint is the main reason to participate in a board like this. Some of the guys who post 100x a day here evidently think they are comedians, but they're just boring. REAL boring.
I agree with you about Venables being reminiscent of Mickey Andrews. That guy hammered our offenses for decades. Great coach. I've always thought the best defensive coordinators are those who know that's their true talent and stick to being a DC. I think that offensive-minded guys usually make better head coaches. Time will show that Mickey Andrews and Brent Venables were the best DC's to ever roam an ACC sideline, with lunch pail guy at VT coming in a distant third.
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Top TigerNet [30467]
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Re: My advice is get a good book. You're going to need it
Jul 17, 2019, 3:29 PM
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for the curb stomping coming your way in DV.
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Legend [16940]
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Clemson Icon [26738]
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Re: My advice is get a good book. You're going to need it
Jul 17, 2019, 8:57 PM
[ in reply to Re: My advice is get a good book. You're going to need it ] |
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I doubt it will be 59-10 this year. As I have stated in another thread I expect Lawrence will have at least 6 TD passes against us. But, we will probably score more than 10.
I don't expect the game to be close. Today I wouldn't take FSU +20. Maybe something like 52-27?
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Commissioner [1248]
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Re: My advice is get a good book. You're going to need it
Jul 17, 2019, 10:50 PM
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Due to a few lopsided contests in the 90s, 00s and 10s I hope we drop close to 60 on you this year and hold you to 10 or less.
But I agree, a FSU return to contender status would help the ACCs strength conversation.
FSU vs ALA wasn’t that long ago but it seems like forever since Francois went down in that game. ...
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