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Associate AD [811]
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Best is the standard
Nov 11, 2022, 10:17 AM
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How can do many interpret this simple statement incorrectly?
This motto is not about the TEAM being “the best” in college football. It is purely and succinctly an aspirational goal.
It is meant to challenge the personnel associated with the football program to make achieving their best self in all aspects a very present and consistent goal: personally, academically, spiritually, morally, and, yes, athletically. And as with all aspirations, personal and collective success is always short of 100%.
Who among us attains 100% success in any aspects of our lives: marriage, career, parenting, academics? Heck, most of can’t remember to be 100% successful when we make a trip to the grocery!
But, let’s continue to expect from these coaches and young men what we ourselves struggle and fail to attain daily: PERFECTION.
At the root of our dissatisfaction is not our distant ability to identify flaws and solutions in a field in which we possess no expertise, but a gnawing and envious undercurrent of our own failures - past, present, and future.
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110%er [9767]
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Exactly correct, and perfectly articulated. Thank you.***
1
Nov 11, 2022, 10:19 AM
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All-In [30897]
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my wife put " Best is the standard"
Nov 11, 2022, 10:22 AM
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over the bed.
which is why i sleep on the couch.
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110%er [5145]
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Re: my wife put " Best is the standard"
Nov 11, 2022, 11:50 AM
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Ouch.
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Heisman Winner [108390]
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From Zach Lentz...
Nov 11, 2022, 10:29 AM
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"Best Is the Standard" Has a Deep Meaning
That phrase can be seen inside the Clemson Tigers’ indoor facility, the new football complex and the coaches’ offices. But while it may be simple for some, for head coach Dabo Swinney the phrase has a much deeper meaning.
Zach Lentz
May 5, 2020 12:07 PM EDT
CLEMSON — “Best is the standard.”
That phrase can be seen inside the Clemson Tigers’ indoor facility, the new football complex and the coaches’ offices. But while it may be simple for some, for head coach Dabo Swinney the phrase has a much deeper meaning.
"Sometimes people may take that the wrong way. You don't see win national championships up there. That's not our goal. Our goal is to be the best we can be,” Swinney said. “We want to be our best. Whatever God gave you, be the best you can possibly be. That applies in every area whether it's the best coach you can be, the best player, whatever.
“If you're a walk-on, commit to be the best you can be. You probably won't be a starter, but be the best you can be with what God gave you and you can live with whatever the results are. When you're trying to be THE best, that's comparing yourself to other people. We want to be the best Clemson can be. It's effort, preparation, work ethic, attitude - -all the things that you can control and relevant to you being your best. It's sleep, nutrition, what you do when no one is watching."
https://www.si.com/college/clemson/football/best-is-the-standard-has-a-deep-meaning "Best Is the Standard" Has a Deep Meaning That phrase can be seen inside the Clemson Tigers’ indoor facility, the new football complex and the coaches’ offices. But while it may be simple for some, for head coach Dabo Swinney the phrase has a much deeper meaning.
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110%er [5088]
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I agree with his message, but who among us
Nov 11, 2022, 12:36 PM
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is willing to say that the performance of Clemson against ND is the best we can be? Certainly not me - and when that sort of abdication of an alliance of good intentions falls apart, it is the responsibility of leadership to find out why and correct it.
Hopefully that will be done against Louisville. If it isn't soon corrected, leadership has the obligation to his employer to identify and root out the cause - expose and eliminate it.
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110%er [5088]
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My mother-in-law and then my wife had an expression....
Nov 11, 2022, 1:02 PM
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"Just do your best - that's as good as the angels can do." What they meant is that perfection is not expected of you, by trying for it is. If you fail while trying your best, there is no shame - but failure without effort is slovenly and shameful. Much of today's society (particularly in the workforce) is guilty of not trying to excel at anything - they're just trying to get by with the least effort possible, not caring anout anything except getting a paycheck.
As for the earlier stated confusion between aspirations and expectations, I disagree because I believe there should be no difference. Once a person accepts a covenant between himself and his teammates, coach, partner, wife or whomever, it is a contract to behave in a prescribed manner. I don't believe what we saw against ND was an example of the covenant of either "All In" or "Best is the Standard".
I'm not looking at expectations of being the best team in football - rather at making the best effort to be the best individual coach, player and team we can be. I do not believe the best effort has been put forth, or the results would have been better than what was put on the field. It's not the loss that matters so much - it's the manner of loss with total failure across the board accompanied by expressions of not knowing what happened and/or not seeming to know how they got beat and making excuses like "Sometimes the ball takes weird bounces." Yes, I expect more than that.
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Heisman Winner [108390]
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Thanks for this, but unsure why it was in reply to mine...
Nov 11, 2022, 1:40 PM
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unless it was intended as a response to Dabo or the OP?
The piece I linked provided Dabo's clarity to the OP, but only if needed.
From Dabo, to the staff, to the team, I've seen nothing that lends me to believe they are OK, or comfortable with how things went down in South Bend.
Beat the birds.
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110%er [5088]
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Re: Thanks for this, but unsure why it was in reply to mine...
Nov 11, 2022, 3:37 PM
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It was a continuation in response to the OP's suggestion that there was a big difference between "Best is the Standard" and expectations. It is not unreasonable when that slogan is posted and the requirement of the organization is to be "All-In" with respect to it, for expectations would be to honor the commitment. I don't believe that commitment was honored in preparation and playing against ND.
It was also aimed at some of the casually stated off-handed remarks by all of the coaches who were interviewed.
* In one of the press conferences, Dabo said something to the effect that "Weird things happen in college football." - or - maybe it was "The ball takes some funny bounces in college football". Ya think, Einstein?
* Goodwin said something to the effect that he had no doubt about the effort or physicality of any of his players. Maybe he should.
* Richardson said that nowhere is it written on the walls in the goals that we should go undefeated and/or win a national championship. He needs to reall all of the signs.
While all of those remarks are true, they are deflections from and excuses for admitting failure to perform to the main sign in the football environment.... "Best is the Standard".
Again, I'm not upset by the loss..... and certainly don't expect to see a championship every year..... but I am concerned about the way we lost and some of the conversation from coaches after the game. I don't expect a win in every game, but I do expect a better product than what we saw on the field against ND. WHether the failure to perform to the best of our ability was a coaching or player issue remains to be seen, but I think it was bad enough for Dabo to get after it.
BTW, where is Streeter? Has anyone seen him since the end of the ND game?
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110%er [5088]
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To be clear, your article that quoted Dabo's meaning behind
Nov 11, 2022, 3:40 PM
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the slogan "Best is the Standard" explains the slogan exactly as it should be considered. I just don't think game preparation, performance or resulting comments after the game upheld the standard.
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All-TigerNet [13579]
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Re: Best is the standard
Nov 11, 2022, 10:32 AM
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I think what you say is fair. As you said, Dabo established this as an aspirational guide to shoot for when it comes to developing his players in all aspects of life, academics, and athletic pursuits.
I would say this "standard" does get confused with "expectations" when it comes to what fans want to see. This year we had high expectations because we had what was called the best defensive line in the nation, a talented offense, and a supposedly improved OL, and we have been favored in every game we played. Getting manhandled by an unranked team that had been underperforming, with losses to both Stanford and Marshall, is a significant disappointment. The way we have played in terms of near losses to inferior teams would point to under-achievement and therefore a feeling of "below expectations" performance. Perfection does not have to be the standard we hold ourselves to but performing below our abilities and talent is also not a standard we should accept.
Regardless of how the season finishes, I think there will be some soul-searching and adjustments made in order to rise above expectations for the future. At least I hope so...
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110%er [6465]
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Re: Best is the standard
Nov 11, 2022, 10:43 AM
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But Best is the Standard is what is hanging up in the facility, next to Playoff And National Championship Banners.
There is a huge difference between Perfection and Best.
No one and no team is perfect. No fan is expecting perfection. The 1981, 2016, and 2018 teams were not perfect, but they gave they’re all and their Best, so did the coaches, because they had the drive to be their Best.
With the exception of a few players, this current team is not giving their Best. They sure as hell didn’t give their Best last week. Neither did the coaches. Pretty much all the assistant coaches are either full of excuses or have no idea what hit them last week.
Fans are not turning on their TVs or paying hundreds of dollars to watch a team that is full of players that are academically and morally successful. That’s reality. If you want that, go watch a Harvard/Yale game or some type of sporting event with Anderson University and Bob Jones.
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110%er [6465]
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Re: Best is the standard
Nov 11, 2022, 1:06 PM
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And sorry grammar police, I know it should be their all, not they’re all…. Spell check
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110%er [8563]
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Re: Best is the standard
Nov 11, 2022, 10:50 AM
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Great message especially on Veterans Day when we celebrate and appreciate our freedoms. We, and fans across the nation, should understand that Best does not mean never losing. Last year there was no undefeated Champion and there may or may not be one this year. To strive to be the Best is something we should do each and every day.
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CU Medallion [57502]
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If we played our Best last week, that would be one thing.
Nov 11, 2022, 11:18 AM
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It would be hats off to ND and Clemson fans could accept it much better than the crap we actually saw.
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Heisman Winner [140835]
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The majority who question “Best is the standard”…
Nov 11, 2022, 11:18 AM
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Can’t even get their pulse to 100%, much less attain 100% success in other aspects of their lives.
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Oculus Spirit [94237]
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Best, by my definition is a 100% effort toward...
Nov 11, 2022, 11:38 AM
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achieving perfection. No Clemson fans are expecting perfection from our team but we can ask them to do their best toward that goal.
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Rock Defender [59]
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Re: Best is the standard
Nov 11, 2022, 12:31 PM
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This is getting old. Frankly, it is laughable!!
Streeter is the best OC we can get? Really?
Spiller ran off 5 of 8 RBs last year. Can't recruit worth a darn! And is that the best we can do?
Goodwin (bless his heart) is a great Xs and Os kinda guy. But can he recruit? Can he motivate on the field? And can he make halftime adjustments?
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Oculus Spirit [77346]
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Don’t look now Moran but Goodwin
Nov 11, 2022, 2:31 PM
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is recruiting one of the best defenses in the country.
But you seemed to know so much.
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