Could be worse ... or better

posted by LW, Monday, October 05, 2009

Things certainly seem bad right now in Clemson Land. But take a look at the circus down in Tallahassee.

After Saturday's unsightly loss at Boston College, Orlando columnist Mike Bianchi called for Bobby Bowden to step down.

Obviously the legendary Bowden deserves to coach until the end of this season — but only until the end of this season. The original plan of him coaching next season before turning over the program to coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher must now be scrapped.

That plan was based on FSU improving this season and then being ready to challenge for a national title next year. That's not happening. The Seminoles are not on the way back; they're on the way backward.

Then Tallahassee Democrat beat writer Steve Ellis, who's been covering the Noles for ages, followed suit.

Now FSU's trustees chair has had enough.

And to think, the Noles could easily be 1-4 right now instead of 2-3.

So it could be worse if you're a Clemson fan.

Then again, Miami offers proof that it could be much better.


That' a picture of first-year offensive coordinator Mark Whipple, who has instantly worked wonders at Miami.

His success amplifies the questions surrounding Dabo Swinney's move to put Clemson's offense in such inexperienced hands.

In recent years, the ACC has been far from a bastion of creativity or originality when it comes to offensive coordinators. Randy Shannon made the right move to can Patrick Nix after last season, and Whipple has been quite the revelation with his smart, rhythmic approach.

Then again, FSU's Jimbo Fisher was viewed as a refreshing change for the better when he was hired away from LSU. Now, not so much.

Jeff Schultz of the AJC says Georgia Tech has a rare opportunity to snag some of the spotlight from the Doggies.

Speaking of Miami, Dick Weiss of the New York Daily News says the Canes are back.

Break out the combat fatigues. The Miami swagger is back in all its glory.

Just ask UM's electric sophomore quarterback Jacory Harris, who has the words "U. Swag" carved into his new haircut.

"U Swag," he said. "That's what we got to bring back to the program."


Looks like Wake Forest's offense is starting to come around. Major issues on the OL, though.

Gene Sapakoff cranks up the Braggin' Rights Barometer and says USC beats Clemson 21-13.

Clemson has a bye week to fix its problems on offense, defense and special teams. A little touch-up here and there and the Tigers might be fine heading into an Oct. 17 game against Wake Forest.

Paul Strelow of The State offers some pre-furlough blog thoughts.

Clemson fan blogger Emily Price says the faithful, while having a right to be upset, need to stay faithful.

When you look at it this way, it’s no mystery we all get so upset. We are utterly and completely emotionally invested in this. And when you feel like you give all you’ve got, and you aren’t getting much in return, of course you feel resentful. You feel angry.

I can’t tell you how many times I heard someone say Saturday, “I just wish I didn’t care so much.” Well, I echo the same sentiment, and right now I don’t at all feel apologetic about it.

Dabo had it right when, in the post-game press conference, he said that the fans deserved better.

But I want everyone to know that just because we feel this way doesn’t mean we should give up on the Tigers. We all have this bye week coming up–a much-needed break. But like we deserve to dedicate ourselves to a team that doesn’t let us down, the team deserves fans that don’t flee when things get rocky.

I’ve heard people saying they won’t go to a game for the rest of the season. That’s just outrageous. I have no respect for people who want to be World’s #1 Fan when things are great and not come out to support the team when things aren’t.

Marc Hudgens of Southern Pigskin has a less forgiving take while taking aim at Clemson and the ACC.

But inexplicable losses attributed to the Tar Heels and Clemson do nothing but make the conference look totally schizophrenic in the incoherent babbling, chronic skin-picking sort of way. The North Carolina loss is more of a mystery than Clemson’s due to the simple fact that at least UNC hired a proven head coach who should have known better instead of some inexperienced, cheerleading yahoo who fell ass-backward into a head coaching job due to a level of cronyism and nepotism you’d only find in your typical family-owned business. Butch Davis could have and should have done a better job prepping his players. Because of the differences in leadership quality, you can safely expect the Heels to rebound (soon hopefully) and continue to grow and get better. Can’t say the same for Clemson.


LW

For questions or comments on this blog entry, please visit The West Zone message board.

Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home

---