Re: TNET: Tigers have too many problems, and that's a problem

ROGUE FOR A REASON: Obviously Cade is no Trevor, and never will be, but instead of blaming him for ignoring that last play call, take a look at the play call and acknowledge that Cade thought we would have a better chance if he did an end-run. He may have been right, but he couldn’t pull it off.

MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY: As for Dabo, the man who led us to two national championships, he is no different from most other people who suddenly have wealth and power: They want to be surrounded by people who agree with them, defer to them. It’s human nature as old as humans. So, no gripin’, y’all.

NO LONGER ELITE: With the exceptions of Peter Woods on defense and Tyler Brown on offense, we no longer land elite recruits. We recruit them, as Tigernet reports, but most of them choose to go elsewhere. The SEC and Big 10 send way more players to the NFL than the ACC does. And now, the unregulated NIL collectives are promising to make college players rich if they will attend a certain school. And since a tiny percentage of college players will ever see an NFL paycheck, many of them see the NIL payday as their only shot at some big bucks. For years, the coaches made all the money. The players want some of that, too. Again, human nature.

That being the case, we will never again be able to recruit our way to ACC and CFP championships, as we did before, thanks to Dabo, one of the all-time great recruiters. Going forward, we will have to use the Portal to plug players into key positions—like wide receiver, as FSU did with Keon Coleman.

ANOTHER WAY TO USE THE PORTAL: Do what Coach Prime did in Colorado— except do it with our coaches. Dabo to his coaching staff: “Y’all need to be usin’ the portal, ‘cause I need to replace you.”

PRAISE FOR DABO: The program he created was based not just on excellence, but also on values. He wanted these kids to become young men who lived the Golden Rule. Sadly, that era is over. But as disappointed as we are now, I still think Dabo Swinney deserves a statue on our campus.

agent k

Scout Team [169]

TigerPulse: 69%

Posts: 175

Joined: 1/23/19

Oct 22, 2023, 1:33 PM

The aura of invincibility is gone, and teams that suffered for almost a decade when they faced us are getting what they certainly feel are their just desserts. Clemson has not been reeled backing into the pack, but has put itself there. Are the other ACC teams better than before? Maybe a bit, but we have just become average, with recruits either over-hyped or poorly coached. I went to school in the Ivy League, and Clemson reminds me (in terms of how things go week to week) of those long away days. We had a good player here or there, as did other Ivy League schools, and I actually had two fraternity brothers who went to the NFL. But the difference was that good football had been deemphasized officially. For the eight schools in the Ivy, it became an activity, not an objective.

Something is missing in the Clemson program, and I think I know what it is because I see what is happening with Deion at nearby Colorado. It is all about recruiting, about the portal, about the athletic qualities of the guys who suit up. Coach Swinney has worked very hard, but I think he also was very lucky. He got some magnets who fit his profile, and everything gelled. Now, with the magnets gone, he is getting (and seems only interested in) players who fit his mold, and of course he has no interest in the portal. The truth is that not all top players are saints. Not all of them have crucifix tattoos or attend church weekly or walk the straight and narrow. I remember hearing an interview of his several years ago, when he was on top, where Coach talked about not wanting to have problem stars in the locker room, and not even pursuing them. In a sense, it might be said that he took the easy way out, not dealing with hyper-talented but somewhat compromised 4-5 star high school players.

He is now in a sealed room and water, coming in from under the door, is rising. He has to find a way to open the door to let it out. Of course future recruiting will suffer. That is a given. Stars in large numbers don't gravitate toward loser programs, and that is where Clemson is. Coach has his millions, and he can easily walk out the door, or he can change. He can't be fired because the buyout is too high. The real question is whether he can alter his approach and create a renaissance in the program. FSU did it, with 15 portal starters this year. Colorado is going it, and things will only get better there. Just wait and see. Unfortunately, Coach has the same problem that top notch players have in every sport. Their product seems to decline once they get the big contracts. The test of a really great coach is sustained excellence. That is why Saban is in a class by himself. Imagine, a coach with so many losses in the lowly ACC being the second highest paid coach in the country. The program is arthritic, as is the thinking behind it. Rigor mortis is waiting in the wings, and things have to change before our annual product is DOA (dead on arrival).

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TNET: Tigers have too many problems, and that's a problem