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posted by LW, Saturday, December 26, 2009
Interesting Q&A with Dabo Swinney today in The State, and the most interesting part is Dabo Swinney taking a shot at what he views as the "vocal minority" among Clemson fans.
Q: Do you believe you and your staff are judged differently by the public because some of you are holdovers from the Tommy Bowden era?
A: That's one of Clemson's biggest detriments. Clemson eats their own, and it's really sad. It's a loud minority. But there's a group of people out there that, if we won every game, it wouldn't matter. Thankfully the majority of Clemson fans are not that way.
But with this staff, we kept four guys and hired five new ones. I think we had a nice blend. It's all about what I feel is best for this program. If there's something that's not the best, I'll change it. When you finish with a top-25 scoring offense, a top-25 defense - for our first year, I think that's pretty good progress.
He didn't specifically single out message-board folks, but that certainly appears to be the segment he's alluding to.
The next most interesting passage is this:
Q: When you took over, you said Clemson wasn't exactly an old jalopy, it just needed an oil change. What needed rebuilding and what needed tweaking?
A: I did not feel like we were in complete disarray as far as talent. I felt like we could compete.
We just needed to change the culture in terms of leadership, organizational structure, the way the program is run, practice, having a training table, just so many things. Also, having a culture change in that they show up ready every week and are ready to play and play with a great effort. And I don't think anyone can watch any film and say they didn't play with effort.
That was my biggest task going into this thing, breaking that funk and creating the mentality that this is the standard, you meet it or you don't, but this is how you have to practice. Bring an uncommon effort every week. And I think we've done that. When I evaluate it, we have had very few ... effort issues. We've turned the corner in that regard.
Strictly from the standpoint of results, it's not unreasonable to wonder whether this team has turned the corner. If they lose tomorrow and finish 8-6, things won't look a whole lot different than they were under Tommy Bowden.
Beat the Wildcats, and you can make that case. Not an irrefutable one, but a case nonetheless.
Is C.J. Spiller the best Clemson player ever?
Travis Sawchik endeavors to answer the question, with some good color from the aftermath of the Florida State game.
Amid the euphoria, Spiller sat alone at his locker. He had just recorded a career-best 312 all-purpose yards. He was in visible pain. His turf toe injury was aggravated, but so were hip and knee injuries that were not widely publicized.
The first person to approach Spiller was longtime Clemson sports information director Tim Bourret.
"It was then I understood how much pain he had played through -- he had a hurt knee, hurt toe, hurt hip," said Bourret, who has been at Clemson since 1978. "I think I'll remember him after 312 yards, sitting at his locker just sore. He just told me how much he had gutted it out this year. … I just wondered if he was going to able to do interviews.
"I wonder how many yards he would have had if he hadn't injured that toe."
Greg Wallace says Spiller's impact goes beyond the playing field.
Here's Dabo's Christmas wish list, topped with Kyle Parker choosing to be a four-year starter.
Nashville prep coaches reflect on Dabo's ascent from graduate assistant to head coach.
Kentucky's Derrick Locke enjoys the bowl experience.
Getting to know the Wildcats' unsung bulldozers.
What's at stake for the Tigers in Nashville?
Another tough task for the Tigers' defense.
LW
Click here for the "Eye On The Tigers" blog archive.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
Interesting Q&A with Dabo Swinney today in The State, and the most interesting part is Dabo Swinney taking a shot at what he views as the "vocal minority" among Clemson fans.
Q: Do you believe you and your staff are judged differently by the public because some of you are holdovers from the Tommy Bowden era?
A: That's one of Clemson's biggest detriments. Clemson eats their own, and it's really sad. It's a loud minority. But there's a group of people out there that, if we won every game, it wouldn't matter. Thankfully the majority of Clemson fans are not that way.
But with this staff, we kept four guys and hired five new ones. I think we had a nice blend. It's all about what I feel is best for this program. If there's something that's not the best, I'll change it. When you finish with a top-25 scoring offense, a top-25 defense - for our first year, I think that's pretty good progress.
He didn't specifically single out message-board folks, but that certainly appears to be the segment he's alluding to.
The next most interesting passage is this:
Q: When you took over, you said Clemson wasn't exactly an old jalopy, it just needed an oil change. What needed rebuilding and what needed tweaking?
A: I did not feel like we were in complete disarray as far as talent. I felt like we could compete.
We just needed to change the culture in terms of leadership, organizational structure, the way the program is run, practice, having a training table, just so many things. Also, having a culture change in that they show up ready every week and are ready to play and play with a great effort. And I don't think anyone can watch any film and say they didn't play with effort.
That was my biggest task going into this thing, breaking that funk and creating the mentality that this is the standard, you meet it or you don't, but this is how you have to practice. Bring an uncommon effort every week. And I think we've done that. When I evaluate it, we have had very few ... effort issues. We've turned the corner in that regard.
Strictly from the standpoint of results, it's not unreasonable to wonder whether this team has turned the corner. If they lose tomorrow and finish 8-6, things won't look a whole lot different than they were under Tommy Bowden.
Beat the Wildcats, and you can make that case. Not an irrefutable one, but a case nonetheless.
Is C.J. Spiller the best Clemson player ever?
Travis Sawchik endeavors to answer the question, with some good color from the aftermath of the Florida State game.
Amid the euphoria, Spiller sat alone at his locker. He had just recorded a career-best 312 all-purpose yards. He was in visible pain. His turf toe injury was aggravated, but so were hip and knee injuries that were not widely publicized.
The first person to approach Spiller was longtime Clemson sports information director Tim Bourret.
"It was then I understood how much pain he had played through -- he had a hurt knee, hurt toe, hurt hip," said Bourret, who has been at Clemson since 1978. "I think I'll remember him after 312 yards, sitting at his locker just sore. He just told me how much he had gutted it out this year. … I just wondered if he was going to able to do interviews.
"I wonder how many yards he would have had if he hadn't injured that toe."
Greg Wallace says Spiller's impact goes beyond the playing field.
Here's Dabo's Christmas wish list, topped with Kyle Parker choosing to be a four-year starter.
Nashville prep coaches reflect on Dabo's ascent from graduate assistant to head coach.
Kentucky's Derrick Locke enjoys the bowl experience.
Getting to know the Wildcats' unsung bulldozers.
What's at stake for the Tigers in Nashville?
Another tough task for the Tigers' defense.
LW
Click here for the "Eye On The Tigers" blog archive.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
Donnie Patterson. Donnie Patterson is the founder of Patterson Tax Service, located in Easley, S.C. He has been active in tax preparation since 1970, and offers a full range of tax and bookkeeping services.
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 @.