Paul Johnson goes conventional (sort of)
posted by LW, Wednesday, March 31, 2010
One of the cool things about Paul Johnson is that he doesn't give a darn who watches his practices.
Some folks would say it's yet another example of his arrogance, and you could make that case. But you have to admit his approach is pretty neat in the age of paranoia from coaches regarding every little detail that seeps out of their practices.
It's also good for intelligence purposes, because you get detailed reports like these on what Johnson is tinkering with.
Looks like the Jackets are now running some -- gasp! -- shotgun on offense.
And here's a snippet on the chessmaster:
Al Groh was extremely hands-on with the defense. Especially the linebackers.
We got to see some of his throwing arm during drills with the LBs
Groh focused on building the defense and spent a good amount of time working on assignments and fundamentals of the 3-4, especially against the run.
Groh demanded a high tempo out of all players.
Is seeing this stuff going to help Clemson snap its four-game losing streak against the Yellow Jackets when the teams meet in 2010? Doubtful. But every little bit helps, I guess.
Speaking of Georgia Tech, Mistuh College Football wonders who will be the difference-makers for a team that lost a load of talent.
Barnhart also has five burning questions about the Atlantic Division, and topping the list is the future of KP.
Will Kyle Parker be Clemson’s starting quarterback when the 2010 season begins? There is no question that Clemson will miss running back C.J. Spiller who, for my money, was the most dynamic player in college football last season. But with Jamie Harper (418 rushing) and Andre Ellington (491 rushing) returning, the Tigers should be fine at running back. The real question is whether or not Kyle Parker, a rising redshirt sophomore in football, will be back, after throwing for 2,256 yards and 20 touchdowns and leading Clemson to the ACC championship game. If Parker has a big year for the No. 5 Clemson baseball team, he may move up significantly in June’s Major League baseball draft (he was taken in the 24th round coming out of high school). If that happens, he will have a decision to make. Through 24 games this season Parker is batting .396 with 10 home runs. He leads the ACC in home runs and slugging percentage. Parker has been practicing football when his baseball schedule allows and is scheduled to take part in this Saturday’s scrimmage. If Parker does not return, the job would likely go to redshirt freshman Tajh Boyd, who sat out last season but looked good in last Saturday’s first scrimmage of the spring. I believe that Parker would choose running down the hill at Death Valley and competing for an ACC championship over riding a bus in the minors but, when money is involved, you never know.
Here's a sixth burning question: Was that the longest paragraph, like, ever?
Continuing the spring football theme, this Miami beat writer says the Hurricanes should be nastier on the DL this season.
And these five guys made the biggest jumps during the Hurricanes' spring practice.
Up in Tallahassee, Dameyune Craig says Christian Ponder might be the best QB Jimbo Fisher has ever coached.
Craig also said Fisher is the brightest offensive mind in football. All of football.
Mark Stoops' defense showed some bite in the Seminoles' most recent scrimmage.
In this lengthy feature by the L.A. Times, the sexiest woman alive is loving the fact that she's no longer living a fishbowl existence.
A grocery store.
Picking up snacks on Super Bowl Sunday, USC's new football coach ventured from the family's temporary quarters in a South Bay hotel to the kind of place he dared not enter for more than a year.
In football-crazed Tennessee, where Kiffin coached for 14 months, a simple errand to the market or restaurant was impossible. Demands for autographs, photos and just plain old small talk would have kept him occupied for hours.
But now he was back in Los Angeles, where for six seasons he'd been a USC assistant.
"This is a unique place," Kiffin says. "You can have one of the best college jobs but not be the center of attention. You get to be normal."
And here's a snippet that's sure to elevate the blood pressure of Tennessee fans:
He'd always believed his former boss' competitive streak would lead him back to the NFL. However, he did not expect a call from USC. Not after his one controversy-filled season at Tennessee had ended in a 7-6 record and a loss to Virginia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
His wife, Layla, had other ideas.
"You should be the next coach at SC," she told him. "It's a no-brainer."
Garrett, in his phone call, seemed to agree -- just as long as Kiffin could bring along his father, Monte, a veteran college and NFL defensive coordinator, and line coach and top recruiter Ed Orgeron.
Convincing his father, Kiffin recalls, "took probably about 10 minutes of conversation." For Orgeron, "about 10 seconds."
"I think the line was something like, 'Coach, I'm getting a plane ticket. I'll be there today,' " Kiffin says.
In the Post and Courier, Corico Hawkins addresses another question about his being too small.
"I'm a small linebacker, so I have to be physical, technically sound and smart," Hawkins said. "I have leverage over everyone and I am faster than almost everyone. So I have to use that to my advantage."
Kevin Steele prefers bigger linebackers, but he has successfully coached smaller ones. Sam Mills with the Carolina Panthers. Buster Davis at Florida State.
Steele says Hawkins reminds him of Davis, and that's a heck of a compliment.
"He's instinctively a smart guy. He plays with good leverage, good hip explosion."
In the Independent-Mail, Greg Wallace says this year's NCAA Tournament provides a resounding argument not to mess with it.
A 96-team field would add another round, leaving the bottom 64 teams to slug it out while the top 32 (the 1-8 seeds) enjoy a bye.
Butler would’ve been safe in this format, but George Mason would have another obstacle in its way.
The world never hears of the Patriots if they had a bad Tuesday in a first-round 11-21 matchup against, say, Charlotte. That’s not right.
Even those on the fringes of this year’s field — Virginia Tech and Illinois — have little argument, considering they’re already out of the NIT.
At this point, here’s hoping the NCAA minimizes the damage and expands the field to 68 teams.
Otherwise, this weekend’s Butler throwback story could mark the end of an era.
Al Skinner's firing/departure/whatever from Boston College surprised the Eagles' players.
Strange move by B.C. AD Gene DeFilippo. Skinner didn't do a great job, but he did a pretty good job.
I'm far from plugged in to that situation, but you have to think his butt is on the line with his decisions to get rid of Jeff Jagodzinski in football and Skinner in basketball.
Rob Daniels of the ACC Sports Journal goes behind the numbers and takes a look at the extra shots that have fueled Duke's NCAA Tournament revival.
The Devils’ biggest key – as seen in the win over Baylor – is the ability to go get the ball after it misses shots. Duke is seventh nationally in offensive rebound percentage, and without that sort of attack mentality, it would probably be at or near 100th in general efficiency, as well.
In The State, Ron Morris says Duke's run to the Final Four is the result of bad NCAA seeding.
Eh ... I see what he's saying. But if the Devils are cutting down the nets Monday night, the argument won't hold a lot of water.
I'll be pulling for West Virginia to win it all. Think of the economy boost in that state with hundreds of thousands of people in the market for new couches.
LW
Click here for the "Eye On The Tigers" blog archive.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
One of the cool things about Paul Johnson is that he doesn't give a darn who watches his practices.
Some folks would say it's yet another example of his arrogance, and you could make that case. But you have to admit his approach is pretty neat in the age of paranoia from coaches regarding every little detail that seeps out of their practices.
It's also good for intelligence purposes, because you get detailed reports like these on what Johnson is tinkering with.
Looks like the Jackets are now running some -- gasp! -- shotgun on offense.
And here's a snippet on the chessmaster:
Al Groh was extremely hands-on with the defense. Especially the linebackers.
We got to see some of his throwing arm during drills with the LBs
Groh focused on building the defense and spent a good amount of time working on assignments and fundamentals of the 3-4, especially against the run.
Groh demanded a high tempo out of all players.
Is seeing this stuff going to help Clemson snap its four-game losing streak against the Yellow Jackets when the teams meet in 2010? Doubtful. But every little bit helps, I guess.
Speaking of Georgia Tech, Mistuh College Football wonders who will be the difference-makers for a team that lost a load of talent.
Barnhart also has five burning questions about the Atlantic Division, and topping the list is the future of KP.
Will Kyle Parker be Clemson’s starting quarterback when the 2010 season begins? There is no question that Clemson will miss running back C.J. Spiller who, for my money, was the most dynamic player in college football last season. But with Jamie Harper (418 rushing) and Andre Ellington (491 rushing) returning, the Tigers should be fine at running back. The real question is whether or not Kyle Parker, a rising redshirt sophomore in football, will be back, after throwing for 2,256 yards and 20 touchdowns and leading Clemson to the ACC championship game. If Parker has a big year for the No. 5 Clemson baseball team, he may move up significantly in June’s Major League baseball draft (he was taken in the 24th round coming out of high school). If that happens, he will have a decision to make. Through 24 games this season Parker is batting .396 with 10 home runs. He leads the ACC in home runs and slugging percentage. Parker has been practicing football when his baseball schedule allows and is scheduled to take part in this Saturday’s scrimmage. If Parker does not return, the job would likely go to redshirt freshman Tajh Boyd, who sat out last season but looked good in last Saturday’s first scrimmage of the spring. I believe that Parker would choose running down the hill at Death Valley and competing for an ACC championship over riding a bus in the minors but, when money is involved, you never know.
Here's a sixth burning question: Was that the longest paragraph, like, ever?
Continuing the spring football theme, this Miami beat writer says the Hurricanes should be nastier on the DL this season.
And these five guys made the biggest jumps during the Hurricanes' spring practice.
Up in Tallahassee, Dameyune Craig says Christian Ponder might be the best QB Jimbo Fisher has ever coached.
Craig also said Fisher is the brightest offensive mind in football. All of football.
Mark Stoops' defense showed some bite in the Seminoles' most recent scrimmage.
In this lengthy feature by the L.A. Times, the sexiest woman alive is loving the fact that she's no longer living a fishbowl existence.
A grocery store.
Picking up snacks on Super Bowl Sunday, USC's new football coach ventured from the family's temporary quarters in a South Bay hotel to the kind of place he dared not enter for more than a year.
In football-crazed Tennessee, where Kiffin coached for 14 months, a simple errand to the market or restaurant was impossible. Demands for autographs, photos and just plain old small talk would have kept him occupied for hours.
But now he was back in Los Angeles, where for six seasons he'd been a USC assistant.
"This is a unique place," Kiffin says. "You can have one of the best college jobs but not be the center of attention. You get to be normal."
And here's a snippet that's sure to elevate the blood pressure of Tennessee fans:
He'd always believed his former boss' competitive streak would lead him back to the NFL. However, he did not expect a call from USC. Not after his one controversy-filled season at Tennessee had ended in a 7-6 record and a loss to Virginia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
His wife, Layla, had other ideas.
"You should be the next coach at SC," she told him. "It's a no-brainer."
Garrett, in his phone call, seemed to agree -- just as long as Kiffin could bring along his father, Monte, a veteran college and NFL defensive coordinator, and line coach and top recruiter Ed Orgeron.
Convincing his father, Kiffin recalls, "took probably about 10 minutes of conversation." For Orgeron, "about 10 seconds."
"I think the line was something like, 'Coach, I'm getting a plane ticket. I'll be there today,' " Kiffin says.
In the Post and Courier, Corico Hawkins addresses another question about his being too small.
"I'm a small linebacker, so I have to be physical, technically sound and smart," Hawkins said. "I have leverage over everyone and I am faster than almost everyone. So I have to use that to my advantage."
Kevin Steele prefers bigger linebackers, but he has successfully coached smaller ones. Sam Mills with the Carolina Panthers. Buster Davis at Florida State.
Steele says Hawkins reminds him of Davis, and that's a heck of a compliment.
"He's instinctively a smart guy. He plays with good leverage, good hip explosion."
In the Independent-Mail, Greg Wallace says this year's NCAA Tournament provides a resounding argument not to mess with it.
A 96-team field would add another round, leaving the bottom 64 teams to slug it out while the top 32 (the 1-8 seeds) enjoy a bye.
Butler would’ve been safe in this format, but George Mason would have another obstacle in its way.
The world never hears of the Patriots if they had a bad Tuesday in a first-round 11-21 matchup against, say, Charlotte. That’s not right.
Even those on the fringes of this year’s field — Virginia Tech and Illinois — have little argument, considering they’re already out of the NIT.
At this point, here’s hoping the NCAA minimizes the damage and expands the field to 68 teams.
Otherwise, this weekend’s Butler throwback story could mark the end of an era.
Al Skinner's firing/departure/whatever from Boston College surprised the Eagles' players.
Strange move by B.C. AD Gene DeFilippo. Skinner didn't do a great job, but he did a pretty good job.
I'm far from plugged in to that situation, but you have to think his butt is on the line with his decisions to get rid of Jeff Jagodzinski in football and Skinner in basketball.
Rob Daniels of the ACC Sports Journal goes behind the numbers and takes a look at the extra shots that have fueled Duke's NCAA Tournament revival.
The Devils’ biggest key – as seen in the win over Baylor – is the ability to go get the ball after it misses shots. Duke is seventh nationally in offensive rebound percentage, and without that sort of attack mentality, it would probably be at or near 100th in general efficiency, as well.
In The State, Ron Morris says Duke's run to the Final Four is the result of bad NCAA seeding.
Eh ... I see what he's saying. But if the Devils are cutting down the nets Monday night, the argument won't hold a lot of water.
I'll be pulling for West Virginia to win it all. Think of the economy boost in that state with hundreds of thousands of people in the market for new couches.
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 @.