Game Thread: #9 Clemson vs Duke [ESPN @ 7p CT)

[STONECOLDSABAN]

I am really interested in watching the Clemson vs FSU game in a few weeks.
I wonder if Peter woods is having fun yet????
You can always come home peter. LOL

 

[dayhiker]

 

[DawgAlum2054]

Team talent composite has Clemson as the 5th most talented team. No other ACC team in the top 10, and there are 3 teams between 11 and 20

 

[westide]

Riley Leonard played QB at Fairhope. I wonder if Bama ever considered him. I enjoy watching a few teams lose. LSU and Clemson are on that list. From what I saw Clemson will have a difficult time with FSU.

 

[Bodhisattva]

Riley Leonard played QB at Fairhope. I wonder if Bama ever considered him. I enjoy watching a few teams lose. LSU and Clemson are on that list. From what I saw Clemson will have a difficult time with FSU.

I did not know that. My alma mater. Go Pirates!

 

[CajunCrimson]

I think thing that stands out to me after watching LSU-FSU and Clemson-Duke is how Kelly and Dabo handle questions in the post game presser. It appears, at least to me, most everything focused on player mistakes and execution (or lack there of) and not much about “lack of preparation”.

Years ago, the HC would do their best to take the “full brunt” on the blame. Yes, we all knew it wasn’t the coaches out there playing the game. It was decisions/actions by the players that, for the most part, determined the outcome. And as a coach, if you won it was “all about what THEY did to win”. And if you lost, it was “all about what YOU as the coach did or didn’t do” in terms of preparation and decision making that led to the demise. It was squarely on the shoulders of the coach.

I’ll never forget in 1981 in Bryant’s next to last season, Alabama was playing Southern Miss at Legion Field with Alabama up 13-10. USM’s Reggie Collier hits a pass deep in Alabama territory with 8 seconds left. USM was scrambling to get players on the field for an FG attempt and there was much confusion on both sides. Alabama LB Robbie Jones calls TO. Most likely time would have run out before the kick. The kick was good and the game ended in a 13-13 tie.

When asked about Robbie calling the time out, Bryant replied “I had told Robbie that ANYTIME there was a lot of confusion and uncertainty for him to use a timeout. He was just doing what I had told him to do. That is on me”.

End of discussion.

I’m not saying players are not responsible. What I am saying is that, at least to me, the Kelly comment of “not being the team (LSU) we thought we were” or Dabo talking about lack of player execution is very far removed from the days of a Head Coach simply saying “Guys, this was my job. I screwed up in getting you ready. We’re gonna fix it”.

But then I’m a dinosaur.

Coach Saban doesn’t blame himself much. He doesn’t blame the players either. He usually blames their lack of focus, or lack of intensity, etc

but he doesn’t do Coach Speak

 

[oskie]

I think thing that stands out to me after watching LSU-FSU and Clemson-Duke is how Kelly and Dabo handle questions in the post game presser. It appears, at least to me, most everything focused on player mistakes and execution (or lack there of) and not much about “lack of preparation”.

Years ago, the HC would do their best to take the “full brunt” on the blame. Yes, we all knew it wasn’t the coaches out there playing the game. It was decisions/actions by the players that, for the most part, determined the outcome. And as a coach, if you won it was “all about what THEY did to win”. And if you lost, it was “all about what YOU as the coach did or didn’t do” in terms of preparation and decision making that led to the demise. It was squarely on the shoulders of the coach...

I’m not saying players are not responsible. What I am saying is that, at least to me, the Kelly comment of “not being the team (LSU) we thought we were” or Dabo talking about lack of player execution is very far removed from the days of a Head Coach simply saying “Guys, this was my job. I screwed up in getting you ready. We’re gonna fix it”.

But then I’m a dinosaur.

... as one dino to another, I agree with you in spirit.

I recall that happening more in the old days; but then, as now, some HC's are better at it than others.

I will say - in defense of Kelly - I thought he pretty much owned up to everything.

To add context to your above quote, here are a few more comments from Kelly:

...“That falls on me to get our football team to be better in most of the competitive areas that you saw tonight: execution in the first half, the inability to convert in the red zone, you know, second half didn’t play with a sense of urgency. All those fall on coaching and and getting our players to recognize that and make those kinds of choices in practice.”

...“And our players have got to make a decision that they have to get back to the practice field and double down on their efforts and their attention to detail and their focus and the things that they need to do as well.”

...“But this is a total failure on a coaching standpoint and a players’ standpoint that we have to obviously address and we have to own, and we’ll see.

“You’ve got to be able to make adjustments and we we failed to get that done. So again, I take full responsibility for not having our team playing the kind of football I thought they would.”

*** Quotes are clipped from this article

 

[editder]

If any members of the press in the right room happen to be lurking on Tidefans...

I've got $100 with your name on it if you'll ask Dabo if he thinks the term Clempsoning will be making a comeback...

The concept is back whether the term comes back or not.

 

[crimsonaudio]