Playing catchup
posted by LW, Thursday, April 15, 2010
There is this thing called football, and rumor is some of you might care about it.
We've been sidetracked with that basketball thing since Oliver Purnell decided to leave for DePaul, so today we'll play a little catchup on football stuff you might've missed.
One of the most intriguing spring story lines was Jimbo Fisher's first spring in charge of Florida State.
Here's an update on Christian Ponder, who still hasn't fully recovered from DeAndre McDaniel's called shot heard 'round the Clemson world last November.
The game was already decided at that point but Ponder didn't care. Frustrated, he ran toward McDaniel. The two collided near the sideline.
McDaniel lowered his shoulder and ran through Ponder, who crumpled to the ground. He knew it was bad. There was bone sticking through his skin, though he didn't know it then.
OUCH.
In another story, Fisher outlines his plan to pull the Seminoles from the muck of mediocrity.
He outlined his philosophy on building a program — detailing everything from nutrition to mental conditioning to academic support — and he explained how such a well-rounded support system was the key to the turnaround at LSU when he was on Nick Saban's staff in the early 2000s.
"We have to get caught up with the modern times of developing players," Fisher said. "I don't know if it will win us a national championship. But I do know that if we don't do it, we won't win a national championship."
Moving down to Miami, looks like a potentially nasty situation as Randy Shannon and the school negotiate a new contract.
Shannon realizes the pitfalls that could befall his team if he enters the season as a lame duck.
"That's a tough thing during the season to go through," Shannon said. "You're going to get the question every day. If you're winning, the press is going to ask, 'Do they really want you?' And if you're losing, they're going to say, 'Well, the university doesn't want you.' It's a bad deal either way."
Sources with knowledge of the negotiations say that several proposals have been swapped between Neil Cornrich, Shannon's agent, and the university. One of the most recent offers called for an annual base salary of around $1.4 million. That remains below the ACC median of $1.75 million paid the conference's 12 coaches, a figure more in line with what Shannon's side has put forward.
Looks like Anthony Allen is adjusting well to his role as Georgia Tech's starting B-back.
N.C. State offensive coordinator Dana Bible was healthy enough to call plays for the Wolfpack's spring game.
Russell Wilson didn't participate in spring practice because of baseball, but Tom O'Brien says he'll be back.
North Carolina's Bryn Renner is closing the gap with starting QB T.J. Yates.
At Virginia Tech, one of the main objectives is protecting Tyrod Taylor's blind side.
The funk deepens for Clemson's baseball team.
Another week, another mid-week failure for Clemson.
Sloppy play, poor relief and a lack of clutch hitting cost the Tigers dearly Wednesday against Western Carolina, the latest in a string of mid-week losses to mid-major foes.
When the Catamounts (22-9-1) finished off a 7-5 comeback win at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, it marked the third time in four weeks that the No.16 Tigers (23-11) dropped a home mid-week game to a Southern or Big South Conference foe, a trend which could haunt them when NCAA Tournament regional sites are handed out in late May.
And we'll close with some college basketball. This Colorado columnist absolutely blows up Wake Forest's new coach.
Colorado is a great state, and it’s about to be blessed with a vast improvement.
Buzzy, sometimes known as Jeff Bzdelik, is flying away to North Carolina. As soon as he departs, our state transforms to a better place.
LW
Click here for the "Eye On The Tigers" blog archive.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
There is this thing called football, and rumor is some of you might care about it.
We've been sidetracked with that basketball thing since Oliver Purnell decided to leave for DePaul, so today we'll play a little catchup on football stuff you might've missed.
One of the most intriguing spring story lines was Jimbo Fisher's first spring in charge of Florida State.
Here's an update on Christian Ponder, who still hasn't fully recovered from DeAndre McDaniel's called shot heard 'round the Clemson world last November.
The game was already decided at that point but Ponder didn't care. Frustrated, he ran toward McDaniel. The two collided near the sideline.
McDaniel lowered his shoulder and ran through Ponder, who crumpled to the ground. He knew it was bad. There was bone sticking through his skin, though he didn't know it then.
OUCH.
In another story, Fisher outlines his plan to pull the Seminoles from the muck of mediocrity.
He outlined his philosophy on building a program — detailing everything from nutrition to mental conditioning to academic support — and he explained how such a well-rounded support system was the key to the turnaround at LSU when he was on Nick Saban's staff in the early 2000s.
"We have to get caught up with the modern times of developing players," Fisher said. "I don't know if it will win us a national championship. But I do know that if we don't do it, we won't win a national championship."
Moving down to Miami, looks like a potentially nasty situation as Randy Shannon and the school negotiate a new contract.
Shannon realizes the pitfalls that could befall his team if he enters the season as a lame duck.
"That's a tough thing during the season to go through," Shannon said. "You're going to get the question every day. If you're winning, the press is going to ask, 'Do they really want you?' And if you're losing, they're going to say, 'Well, the university doesn't want you.' It's a bad deal either way."
Sources with knowledge of the negotiations say that several proposals have been swapped between Neil Cornrich, Shannon's agent, and the university. One of the most recent offers called for an annual base salary of around $1.4 million. That remains below the ACC median of $1.75 million paid the conference's 12 coaches, a figure more in line with what Shannon's side has put forward.
Looks like Anthony Allen is adjusting well to his role as Georgia Tech's starting B-back.
N.C. State offensive coordinator Dana Bible was healthy enough to call plays for the Wolfpack's spring game.
Russell Wilson didn't participate in spring practice because of baseball, but Tom O'Brien says he'll be back.
North Carolina's Bryn Renner is closing the gap with starting QB T.J. Yates.
At Virginia Tech, one of the main objectives is protecting Tyrod Taylor's blind side.
The funk deepens for Clemson's baseball team.
Another week, another mid-week failure for Clemson.
Sloppy play, poor relief and a lack of clutch hitting cost the Tigers dearly Wednesday against Western Carolina, the latest in a string of mid-week losses to mid-major foes.
When the Catamounts (22-9-1) finished off a 7-5 comeback win at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, it marked the third time in four weeks that the No.16 Tigers (23-11) dropped a home mid-week game to a Southern or Big South Conference foe, a trend which could haunt them when NCAA Tournament regional sites are handed out in late May.
And we'll close with some college basketball. This Colorado columnist absolutely blows up Wake Forest's new coach.
Colorado is a great state, and it’s about to be blessed with a vast improvement.
Buzzy, sometimes known as Jeff Bzdelik, is flying away to North Carolina. As soon as he departs, our state transforms to a better place.
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 @.