Bye-bye bubble?

posted by LW, Wednesday, September 16, 2009

There's an offensive play that, from 2005 to mid-2008, was run with some regularity at Clemson.

Here's a hint:



Ah, the dreaded bubble screen.

First of all, it always kind of bothers me when fans/media/whoever refer to every screen pass as a bubble screen.

Yo ... there are nuances. You have bubble screens, tunnel screens, slip screens, middle screens, running back screens, and maybe some other screens I can't think of at 7 a.m.

This much is true, though: Rob Spence liked to run a lot of screens.

It was good for his quarterbacks' completion percentages. And it was great for Aaron Kelly, a good receiver who statistically is regarded as a great receiver thanks to his status as the ACC's all-time leader in receptions.

But, as Bart Wright points out in this column, all those high-percentage passes weren't so good in some respects.

Like, say, winning big.

I think Bart's belief that the screen is on the scrap heap might be a bit of a stretch; the Tigers did retain a significant portion of what Spence did, and they'll still run the screen from time to time.

They just won't run it every other play, and I think that's what has Clemson fans refreshed.

Wright dug up more cause for refreshment:

Kyle Parker threw two touchdowns last week against Georgia Tech of 63 and 77 yards that were longer than any scoring pass by Harper in 2008.

In two games, Parker, who also hasn't played since high school, has completed five passes of 37 or more yards. In 13 games last year, Clemson quarterbacks completed eight passes of 37 or more yards.


And later...

It has been only two weeks, but Parker is already ahead of Harper's pace last year in yards per attempt (8.2 compared to 7.2), touchdown to interception ratio (2.5 to 0.9), and yards per completion (17.5 compared to 11.8).

The offense that used to jab here and there and play it safe is now looking for a knockout.

In my mind, perhaps the most impressive thing about Parker thus far has been his pocket presence. He can feel the pressure and throw on the run or make crafty plays with his feet to extend drives.

In a close second comes Parker's ability to fire lasers downfield and hit his receivers in stride. Cullen Harper had a strong arm, but it wasn't KP strong.

The arm strength and accuracy his huge with the Tigers' biggest playmakers, Spiller and Ford. It's hard for those two guys to go up and get a jump ball. The problem is solved when they get a bit of separation and haul in the pass on the run.

Add all that to the aggressiveness employed by Napier and Swinney, and this offense can be a lot more dangerous than it was.

KP still has some kinks to work out, most notably not forcing throws into coverage. But he seems the perfect guy to get the Tigers back into the big-play passing groove that had been missing for so long.

Speaking of KP, Ron Morris of The State has a piece on the bright future of Parker and Stephen Garcia.

The elephant in the room here is Willy Korn, who was supposed to be the guy constantly measured against Garcia. You really have to feel bad for Willy, who's been through a lot.

In January of 2007, how many people out there would've predicted Korn would be second-string right now ... and in danger of being the No. 3 guy next spring?

Speaking of Garcia, I was impressed with what I saw of him Saturday at Georgia. Visor Boy might've found his QB, assuming Garcia keeps his, uh, recreational activities under control.



In The Post and Courier, Clemson's defense is stoked about facing a conventional offense.

In The State, the Tigers expect the same-old, same-old from Boston College.

And more on the varying interpretations of substitution rules.

In The Greenville News, Landon Walker said he's tired of hearing that right tackle is the weak link.

Does this guy really think BYU is better than Southern Cal and Alabama?

Jon Solomon of The Birmingham News thinks it's a farce that Oklahoma State is ranked ahead of Houston in both polls despite Houston's upset over the Cowboys.

Were I a voter, I'd probably rank Houston ahead of Okie State. But Team A doesn't necessarily have to be ranked ahead of Team B if Team A beat Team B.

You're telling me Stanford should've been ranked ahead of Southern Cal a couple of years ago when the Cardinal shocked the Trojans?

Um, no.

In the AJC, Mark Bradley lists five reasons why Georgia Tech will beat Miami tomorrow night.

Reason No. 1:

1. Paul Johnson coaches Georgia Tech. Randy Shannon coaches Miami. Mismatch.



Speaking of zingers, how about this one from noted ACC purist Barry Jacobs:

Shooting fish in a barrel, like knocking ACC football early in the season, is so easy it’s not very sporting. It’s probably not all that good for the barrel, either. Not to mention the fish.

Of course if the barrel doesn’t hold water to begin with — like the argument ACC football matches the prowess of elite conferences — then a few more holes make no difference. The water will leak out and the contents, if perishable, will quickly stink.

In this case the suspect smell is a matter of the ACC’s own doing.

Also in the ACC Sports Journal, some knucklehead from TI has a one-on-one interview with Dat Boy.

Here are parts one and two.

Nothing about Boston College in the Boston papers today.

Ah, the life of a B.C. beat writer in the fall...



LW

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