The OL issue
posted by LW, Wednesday, December 23, 2009
The picture above is of former Clemson offensive lineman Joe Bostic.
Bostic, who played for the Tigers in the late 1970s, was selected in the third round of the 1979 NFL Draft.
Take a guess how many Clemson linemen have since been taken in the draft's first three rounds.
A big, fat zero.
That might not be as big an indictment as it initially sounds for two reasons:
1) Typically, only truly elite linemen go high in the draft.
2) Clemson was pretty darn good up front in the 1980s under Danny Ford, so having NFL-caliber linemen isn't a prerequisite for having a good -- even dominating -- offensive line.
Still, that statistic is pretty startling.
Here's a list of guys who have since been drafted by the NFL:
1982: C Tony Berryhill, ninth round; G Brian Clark, 12th round
1983: G Bob Mayberry, 11th round; G Brian Butcher, 11th round
(G James Farr was taken in the third round of the 1984 USFL Draft)
1989: T Ty Granger, 10th round
1991: G Eric Harmon, 10th round; T Stacy Long, 11th round
1992: C Curtis Whitley, fifth round
1994: T Andre Hewitt, seventh round
1998: G Glenn Rountree, sixth round; T Jim Bundren, seventh round
2007: C Dustin Fry, fifth round
2008: T Barry Richardson, sixth round
By my count, 10 drafted linemen contributed to Clemson's golden era (seven ACC titles between 1978 and 1991).
So in the 18 seasons that have followed the Tigers' last ACC championship, a total of five Clemson linemen have been drafted. And the highest draftee was a fifth-rounder (Fry).
Brad Scott, who just wrapped up his sixth season as the Tigers' line coach, has received plenty of heat on our message boards. Given the inconsistency in production and the misses on a number of recruits, some of that heat is justified.
But the Tigers' problems up front go back much further than Scott, as evidenced by those draft numbers.
If you're coming up with a list of reasons why the Tigers have gone this long without bringing home rings, too many middling offensive lines would have to rank at or near the top of the list.
They simply have to get better at recruiting offensive linemen.
Don't read this article by The State's Paul Strelow if you're in the camp that thinks no progress was made on the OL this season.
The Tigers fared exponentially better against big-time players this season, quieting Georgia Tech's Derrick Morgan and TCU's Jerry Hughes while holding their own against USC's Eric Norwood.
"Our improvement really didn't have much to do with us going to three-point stances or any (technique) junk like that," junior left tackle Chris Hairston said. "The light has come on for a number of players."
For many Clemson followers, one of the main barometers for coach Dabo Swinney's inaugural season was the physicality and productivity of the line, which seemingly had validated in recent years the theory that a group is only as strong as its weakest link.
The line didn't overwhelm opponents this season, but it would be tough to argue that it didn't improve.
I'd agree with the last sentence.
I don't know, though, that'd I'd use the term "quiet" when describing Morgan's impact in two meetings with the Tigers. I also recall Norwood making Landon Walker look silly on at least one occasion in the Tigers' 34-17 loss in Columbia.
Fantastic job on Jerry Hughes, though. That is beyond dispute.
Speaking of the loss to the Gamecocks, that went a long way toward shaping the perception of the OL's progress this season. It's just hard for some folks to dismiss or forget getting completely worked over by South Carolina's front four.
I still think they could've stuck with the run a little longer and perhaps broken a long one with C.J. Spiller or Andre Ellington. But the pass protection, which was pretty darn good for most of the season, was awful in that game.
Scott tells Strelow that he likes the outlook for this young bunch.
Entering Sunday's Music City Bowl against Kentucky, the Tigers have averaged 169.6 rushing yards per game - 58 more than a year ago - while boosting their average yards per carry from 3.4 to 4.8.
They also have reduced the number of sacks allowed from 34 last season to 19 this season.
The best news for line coach Brad Scott is that the majority of the starting cast should remain intact for two more years.
Left guard Thomas Austin is the only senior this season, and Hairston will be the only one next season. Right tackle Landon Walker, right guard Antoine McClain and veteran left guard heir Mason Cloy are sophomores, and center Dalton Freeman is a freshman.
"That's what you want," Scott said. "The situation looks bright."
Chad Diehl played a big role in the improved running game, and Travis Sawchik of The Post and Courier has a look at that.
Following the loss at Maryland, which pushed the Tigers' record below .500 -- Clemson emerged from the bye week with more power offensive sets suited to Diehl's style of play.
After rushing for 190 yards or more just once in the first five games, the Tigers went over that mark five times during the last eight games. Diehl has received at least 11 snaps in six of the last seven games.
It is the type of traditional pro-style set, that Napier was familiar with as a quarterback at Furman. It's the type of balance Napier intended to install as Clemson's offensive coordinator, mixing finesse and power.
And as the spread has proliferated in Division I, might teams be over-looking the psychological value of such formations and players like Diehl?
"There are so many ways to move the ball successfully," Napier said. "(But power football) has an accumulative effect, dealing with that guy (Diehl).
"I think it's just a matter of philosophy and then matching what personnel you have on your team."
Also in The State, the Tigers' all-decade team.
Travis Zachery a better running back than Spiller? Sorry, but I ain't buying.
In the Herald-Leader of Lexington, Kentucky's Trevard Lindley gets a shot at redemption in the Music City Bowl.
In the Independent-Mail, the Booker Brothers take charge in a win over Western Carolina.
Here's the account from the Associated Press.
Bobby Bowden goes through his last practice in Tallahassee.
Ken Tysiac wonders whether this Duke basketball team is better equipped to go further in March than in recent years.
The answer: Yes and no.
Missed this yesterday, but Strelow shares a poignant Spiller moment in his blog.
Dabo Swinney recounted the moments before the press conference at which Spiller shocked almost everyone by announcing he was staying for his senior year.
“Well, he sat down over there in one of my chairs and just started crying. He actually told me he felt he probably was just going to have to go. Probably going to have to go. I just hugged him and told him I couldn’t help him there.
“All I could tell him was, ‘If you want to go pro, that’s what you need to do. But it needs to be what you really want to do. If you don’t have peace about it, you need to think about it and do what was best for you.’ My heart just fell for him because he was really struggling. It was a very difficult day for him, and I didn’t know what he was going to do.
“He just sat there with his head down for a few minutes, then he wiped his eyes and said, ‘All right, let’s go, coach.’ So we got up, he walked to the podium, I went to the back of the room and I really thought he was leaving. I had no idea.
“To see him not only announce he was staying but also the things he said and the way he said them, I was in awe.”
Good stuff.
LW
Click here for the "Eye On The Tigers" blog archive.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
The picture above is of former Clemson offensive lineman Joe Bostic.
Bostic, who played for the Tigers in the late 1970s, was selected in the third round of the 1979 NFL Draft.
Take a guess how many Clemson linemen have since been taken in the draft's first three rounds.
A big, fat zero.
That might not be as big an indictment as it initially sounds for two reasons:
1) Typically, only truly elite linemen go high in the draft.
2) Clemson was pretty darn good up front in the 1980s under Danny Ford, so having NFL-caliber linemen isn't a prerequisite for having a good -- even dominating -- offensive line.
Still, that statistic is pretty startling.
Here's a list of guys who have since been drafted by the NFL:
1982: C Tony Berryhill, ninth round; G Brian Clark, 12th round
1983: G Bob Mayberry, 11th round; G Brian Butcher, 11th round
(G James Farr was taken in the third round of the 1984 USFL Draft)
1989: T Ty Granger, 10th round
1991: G Eric Harmon, 10th round; T Stacy Long, 11th round
1992: C Curtis Whitley, fifth round
1994: T Andre Hewitt, seventh round
1998: G Glenn Rountree, sixth round; T Jim Bundren, seventh round
2007: C Dustin Fry, fifth round
2008: T Barry Richardson, sixth round
By my count, 10 drafted linemen contributed to Clemson's golden era (seven ACC titles between 1978 and 1991).
So in the 18 seasons that have followed the Tigers' last ACC championship, a total of five Clemson linemen have been drafted. And the highest draftee was a fifth-rounder (Fry).
Brad Scott, who just wrapped up his sixth season as the Tigers' line coach, has received plenty of heat on our message boards. Given the inconsistency in production and the misses on a number of recruits, some of that heat is justified.
But the Tigers' problems up front go back much further than Scott, as evidenced by those draft numbers.
If you're coming up with a list of reasons why the Tigers have gone this long without bringing home rings, too many middling offensive lines would have to rank at or near the top of the list.
They simply have to get better at recruiting offensive linemen.
Don't read this article by The State's Paul Strelow if you're in the camp that thinks no progress was made on the OL this season.
The Tigers fared exponentially better against big-time players this season, quieting Georgia Tech's Derrick Morgan and TCU's Jerry Hughes while holding their own against USC's Eric Norwood.
"Our improvement really didn't have much to do with us going to three-point stances or any (technique) junk like that," junior left tackle Chris Hairston said. "The light has come on for a number of players."
For many Clemson followers, one of the main barometers for coach Dabo Swinney's inaugural season was the physicality and productivity of the line, which seemingly had validated in recent years the theory that a group is only as strong as its weakest link.
The line didn't overwhelm opponents this season, but it would be tough to argue that it didn't improve.
I'd agree with the last sentence.
I don't know, though, that'd I'd use the term "quiet" when describing Morgan's impact in two meetings with the Tigers. I also recall Norwood making Landon Walker look silly on at least one occasion in the Tigers' 34-17 loss in Columbia.
Fantastic job on Jerry Hughes, though. That is beyond dispute.
Speaking of the loss to the Gamecocks, that went a long way toward shaping the perception of the OL's progress this season. It's just hard for some folks to dismiss or forget getting completely worked over by South Carolina's front four.
I still think they could've stuck with the run a little longer and perhaps broken a long one with C.J. Spiller or Andre Ellington. But the pass protection, which was pretty darn good for most of the season, was awful in that game.
Scott tells Strelow that he likes the outlook for this young bunch.
Entering Sunday's Music City Bowl against Kentucky, the Tigers have averaged 169.6 rushing yards per game - 58 more than a year ago - while boosting their average yards per carry from 3.4 to 4.8.
They also have reduced the number of sacks allowed from 34 last season to 19 this season.
The best news for line coach Brad Scott is that the majority of the starting cast should remain intact for two more years.
Left guard Thomas Austin is the only senior this season, and Hairston will be the only one next season. Right tackle Landon Walker, right guard Antoine McClain and veteran left guard heir Mason Cloy are sophomores, and center Dalton Freeman is a freshman.
"That's what you want," Scott said. "The situation looks bright."
Chad Diehl played a big role in the improved running game, and Travis Sawchik of The Post and Courier has a look at that.
Following the loss at Maryland, which pushed the Tigers' record below .500 -- Clemson emerged from the bye week with more power offensive sets suited to Diehl's style of play.
After rushing for 190 yards or more just once in the first five games, the Tigers went over that mark five times during the last eight games. Diehl has received at least 11 snaps in six of the last seven games.
It is the type of traditional pro-style set, that Napier was familiar with as a quarterback at Furman. It's the type of balance Napier intended to install as Clemson's offensive coordinator, mixing finesse and power.
And as the spread has proliferated in Division I, might teams be over-looking the psychological value of such formations and players like Diehl?
"There are so many ways to move the ball successfully," Napier said. "(But power football) has an accumulative effect, dealing with that guy (Diehl).
"I think it's just a matter of philosophy and then matching what personnel you have on your team."
Also in The State, the Tigers' all-decade team.
Travis Zachery a better running back than Spiller? Sorry, but I ain't buying.
In the Herald-Leader of Lexington, Kentucky's Trevard Lindley gets a shot at redemption in the Music City Bowl.
In the Independent-Mail, the Booker Brothers take charge in a win over Western Carolina.
Here's the account from the Associated Press.
Bobby Bowden goes through his last practice in Tallahassee.
Ken Tysiac wonders whether this Duke basketball team is better equipped to go further in March than in recent years.
The answer: Yes and no.
Missed this yesterday, but Strelow shares a poignant Spiller moment in his blog.
Dabo Swinney recounted the moments before the press conference at which Spiller shocked almost everyone by announcing he was staying for his senior year.
“Well, he sat down over there in one of my chairs and just started crying. He actually told me he felt he probably was just going to have to go. Probably going to have to go. I just hugged him and told him I couldn’t help him there.
“All I could tell him was, ‘If you want to go pro, that’s what you need to do. But it needs to be what you really want to do. If you don’t have peace about it, you need to think about it and do what was best for you.’ My heart just fell for him because he was really struggling. It was a very difficult day for him, and I didn’t know what he was going to do.
“He just sat there with his head down for a few minutes, then he wiped his eyes and said, ‘All right, let’s go, coach.’ So we got up, he walked to the podium, I went to the back of the room and I really thought he was leaving. I had no idea.
“To see him not only announce he was staying but also the things he said and the way he said them, I was in awe.”
Good stuff.
LW
Click here for the "Eye On The Tigers" blog archive.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
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Larry Williams. Larry has covered the daily beat at Clemson since 2004. Williams, who worked for the Charleston Post & Courier from 2004-08, joined Tigerillustrated.com in November of 2008. He may be reached by email at ldubya08(at)gmail.com. Replace (at) with @.